Brewer’s Blog

Brewery Branding with a Limited Marketing Budget

November 18th, 2019 • by Meghan Connolly Haupt

Before getting into craft beer, I owned a small business that competed against large multi-national companies for customers. Like many of you, my business had little funding and no dedicated marketing staff. I learned a lot about branding on a budget. Below are 5 tips to help you market your brewery and stand out in […]

How To Save Money On NYSBA Brewery Membership

October 24th, 2019 • by Jennifer Meyers

As we end 2019, the NYS craft brewing industry is stronger than ever. Each year, we find more ways to make your membership more meaningful: save you time, save you money, fight for a positive political climate and provide resources. Starting in 2020, you’ll receive one free entry to the NYS Craft Beer Competition with […]

Prepare your brewery for winter energy costs

October 15th, 2019 • by David Bennis

Each year it seems to happen in the blink of an eye. The hot summer days of August become a thing of the past. Children grab their backpacks and head back to school, the NFL finally returns, and we welcome the beauty of the fall season across all of New York with the stunning fall […]

Common Pitfalls Breweries Can Avoid

October 10th, 2019 • by David Oksenhorn

New York State is home to 447+ craft breweries. And you want to be number 448. No sweat right? But how many of these breweries will be around in year two? Contrary to common belief running a brewery isn’t as easy as growing a sick brewer’s beard. There’s a number of variables that could lead […]

Five Tips for Breweries to Move Away from Spreadsheets

October 7th, 2019 • by Seth Steinman

People want to open a brewery to serve up tasty craft beers, be their own boss, and build a team of top servers and bartenders. Reasons that never makes the list? The desire to spend hours doing payroll and bookkeeping, or calculating inventory by hand. Automatization has helped manual processes go digital, meaning brewery owners […]

Why Your Brewery Shouldn’t Make CBD-Infused Beer

August 20th, 2019 • by Chip Grieco

“Hemp” was exempted from the definition of marijuana in the federal 2018 Farm Bill. Since then, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has received inquiries on whether breweries can produce alcoholic beverages containing hemp-derived ingredients, including cannabidiol (CBD). Hemp is now legal under state and federal law, but the TTB has determined […]

Protecting Your Brewery From SLA Underage Violations

July 24th, 2019 • by Rob Dettman

The SLA recently conducted a sting operation for underage drinking and a few breweries were cited with violations. The violations are often accompanied with fines from $10,000 to $30,000 and can result in the loss of your liquor license for repeat offenses. Of the six breweries visited by the SLA, all were considered in violation […]

Clearing up confusion about Brewery Workers’ Comp premiums

June 10th, 2019 • by Scott Newburge

“What are these rates and where do they actually come from?” is a common question we hear when going through the initial quote process for a start-up brewery. Even our established brewery clients ask this question a year, or two, or three in because let’s face it, your job is to make phenomenal brews not […]

Put Your Beer To Good Use With Google My Business

May 30th, 2019 • by Devon Hoffman

You’ve spent years perfecting your beers and ciders. You know as well as anyone: good beer shouldn’t be wasted! If you aren’t claiming and maintaining your Google My Business page, you’re pretty much dumping your beer down the drain, along with potential profits. Like it or not, not everyone in your area knows about your […]

Make Your Craft Beer Packaging Stand Out

May 1st, 2019 • by Lexy Eickelman

It’s Time to Stand Out to Draw Consumers In Fun (yet not-so-fun) fact: There are more than 6,500 breweries in operation across the United States. With that much competition, how in the world are you supposed to stand out? Sure, aficionados of one brew type over another will know the playing field of their respective […]