Episode 19: Use AI Like a Grown-Up

Episode 19: Use AI Like a Grown-Up

The whole industry is suddenly talking about AI, and everyone has an opinion. The brands using it well are getting hours back every week and making smarter decisions with less effort. The brands using it badly are generating embarrassing POS materials, asking ChatGPT to write distribution contracts, and feeding sensitive business data into free LLMs that are using it to train their next model. There's a third group — the ones ignoring AI entirely. All three groups are going to be in a very different place a year and a half from now. In this episode, Julie reframes AI as a smart-but-untrained intern that needs context, guardrails, and supervision to actually be useful — and walks through where AI belongs in a small craft beverage brand, where it absolutely does not, and the privacy and data conversation almost no one is having out loud. Plus an honest take on the heated AI imagery debate from someone who runs a two-person brand of her own. Best For: Craft beverage brand owners, operators, and team members who want to use AI strategically — not generically — to free up time, level the data analytics playing field, and make smarter decisions. What you'll learn in this episode: * The two choices every craft beverage brand faces with AI right now * A real-world example of using AI to build a weekly business dashboard from multiple data sources — for clients and for Julie's own brand * Why thinking of AI as an intern changes how you use it * Six places AI genuinely earns its keep for a small beverage brand * Five categories of work where AI absolutely does not belong * Julie's honest take on the AI imagery debate and how she handles it for her own two-person brand * The five guardrails every brand needs in place before using AI consistently * Why "using AI badly is worse than not using it at all" * What's coming next: the full tech stack conversation in Episode 20 Catch Julie on the road: June 29 — Pint-Sized Seminar at Tumbleweed Brewing, Albuquerque, NM Texas Craft Brewery Roundup — Boerne, TX [https://texascraftbrewersguild.org/roundup/] August — New Jersey Brewers Conference [https://www.brewersguildnj.com/new-jersey-brewers-conference] September — Virginia Brewers Conference [https://craftbeerprofessionals.org/vbc/] Mentioned in this episode: Submit Your Bottlenecks [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/bottleneck] Join The Bottleneck Email Community [http://notyourhobbymarketing.kit.com/bottleneck] Barrel 2 Business Collective [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/barrel-2-business-collective] All Podcast Episodes [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/podcast]

Episode 18: Let's Get To Work — A Craft Brewers Conference 2026 Recap

Julie just got back from the Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia, and she's got a lot to say. The vibe was different this year — less hand-wringing, more let's-actually-do-something energy — and the programming reflected a real shift in what the industry is prioritizing. In this episode, Julie breaks down the keynote from Will Guidara, the sessions worth knowing about even if you weren't there, and the hallway conversations that told the real story of where craft beverage's collective head is at right now. If you couldn't make it to Philly, this is your download. If you were there, this is your debrief. Best For: Craft beverage brand owners and operators who want to know what came out of CBC 2026 and how to apply it to their business — whether they were in the room or not. What you'll learn in this episode: * What the vibe at CBC 2026 actually felt like — and why it was different from recent years * Julie's honest take on Will Guidara's keynote and what the hospitality message means for small taproom operators specifically * Which session topics dominated the programming and what that signals about where the industry's focus is heading * What people were actually talking about in the hallways — the real conversations behind the official schedule * Why looking outside the beverage alcohol industry for inspiration kept coming up over and over * Five takeaways from CBC that apply to your business whether you were there or not * What's coming up next on the show: a deep dive into AI for craft beverage brands Mentioned in this episode: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara [https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/books] This Is Not Your Hobby Episodes 16 & 17 — The Hospitality Series [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/podcast] Chris Farmand / Small Batch Standard [http://sbstandard.com/] Craft Brewers Conference 2026 [http://craftbrewersconference.com/] Free Resources for Beverage Brands [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/] Submit your Bottlenecks [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/bottleneck] Join The Bottleneck Email Community [http://notyourhobbymarketing.kit.com/bottleneck] Barrel 2 Business Collective [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/barrel-2-business-collective] All Podcast Episodes [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/podcast]

Episode 17: Increase Taproom Revenue With Service Standards

Good vibes don't scale. If your guest experience depends entirely on who's working that day, you don't have a hospitality culture — you have a lottery. In this episode, Julie gets into the actual mechanics: how to write service standards for your taproom, what effective hospitality training looks like for a small team, how to turn guest inquiries into revenue opportunities, which staff KPIs to track on a simple scorecard, and where to find continuing education resources your team can actually use. This is the playbook episode. Episode 16 was the foundation. Best For: Taproom and tasting room operators who want to turn good hospitality intentions into a repeatable, revenue-generating guest experience. What you'll learn in this episode: * How to write service standards that actually guide staff behavior (greeting, menu guidance, upselling, lead generation, farewell, and more) * How to train staff to guide guests through menu selections — not just take orders * Why your taproom floor is a lead generation opportunity and how to use it * How to handle private event inquiries and product availability questions like a pro * How to use your loyalty program as an upsell * What a staff KPI scorecard looks like for taproom operations (and why repeat visit rate isn't on it) * Continuing education resources: Cicerone, WSET, USBG, ACA, Brewers Association, and more * The simple math that shows what a $3 increase in check average is worth annually Mentioned in this episode: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara (Also the CBC 2026 Keynote Speaker!) [https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/books] The New Gold Standard by Joseph Michelli [https://www.josephmichelli.com/bestsellers/] Setting the Table by Danny Meyer [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213280.Setting_the_Table] Cicerone Certification Program [http://cicerone.org/] WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) [http://wsetglobal.com/] United States Bartenders Guild [http://usbg.org/] American Cider Association [http://americanciderassociation.org/] Brewers Association (Taproom Resources) [http://brewersassociation.org/] Cornell School of Hotel Administration (Free Research) [http://sha.cornell.edu/] FAB Conference (Charleston, SC — June 2026) [http://www.thisisfab.com/] Hemp Beverage Expo (Austin, TX — June 17-18, 2026) [http://hempbeverageexpo.com/] Kick Fizz Hemp Beverage (New 5mg Line!) [http://kickfizz.com/] Submit Your Bottlenecks [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/bottleneck] Join The Bottleneck Email Community [http://notyourhobbymarketing.kit.com/bottleneck] Barrel 2 Business Collective [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/barrel-2-business-collective] All Podcast Episodes [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/podcast]

Episode 16: Master Your Hospitality— What Is It? (And Why You Might Be Doing It Wrong)

Everyone says they have great hospitality. Most taprooms have friendly staff. However, those are not the same thing. In this episode, Julie breaks down what hospitality actually means, why it's not the same as customer service, and how industries like fine dining, theme parks, and luxury hotels have been engineering it into profit for decades— and, what craft beverage brands can steal from all of them. This is the foundation episode. Episode 17 is the playbook. Best For: Taproom and tasting room operators in beer, cider, spirits, NA, and hemp categories who want to drive more revenue from the guests already walking through their door. What you'll learn in this episode: * The real difference between customer service and hospitality, and why it matters for your bottom line * What intentional hospitality looks like in a taproom context, with concrete examples * Why hospitality directly drives check averages, visit frequency, and referrals * What Disney, fine dining, and The Bear can teach craft beverage about guest experience * Why your guests need experiences and core memories— not just another place to drink * How to map your taproom guest journey and find the gaps Mentioned in this episode: Setting the Table by Danny Meyer [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213280.Setting_the_Table] Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara (also the CBC 2026 keynote speaker!) [https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/books] The Bear (FX/Hulu) [https://www.hulu.com/series/the-bear-05eb6a8e-90ed-4947-8c0b-e6536cbddd5f] Inside Out (Pixar) [https://www.pixar.com/inside-out] Craft Brewers Conference 2026 — Philadelphia [http://craftbrewersconference.com/] Submit Your Bottlenecks [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/bottleneck] Join The Bottleneck Email Community [http://notyourhobbymarketing.kit.com/bottleneck] Barrel 2 Business Collective [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/barrel-2-business-collective] All Podcast Episodes [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/podcast]

Episode 15: Read the Room — Turning Data Into Strategy with Kate Bernot of FeelGoods Insights

The last two episodes covered chain sales and scan data: what they are, how they work, and why they matter for brands trying to compete on shelf. This episode brings in the person who makes sense of what the numbers are actually saying. Kate Bernot is a journalist and analyst covering the craft beverage industry for FeelGoods Insights, and she has a rare ability to translate complex data trends into plain-English strategy for brands that don't have a full analytics team on staff. In this conversation, Julie and Kate dig into what the macro numbers are telling us right now about consumer behavior, how small brands can actually use trend data without getting buried in it, and how to bring the satellite view all the way down to your specific market, your taproom, and your shelf. Best For: Craft beverage brands— beer, cider, spirits, hemp, and NA— who want to make smarter decisions using the data they already have access to, and who want to understand what the bigger industry trends actually mean for their specific operation. Brands of all sizes who want to leverage their sales data to sell even more. What you'll learn in this episode: * The macro trends in craft beverage right now that small brands should actually pay attention to * Who should be buying syndicated data— and who probably doesn't need it yet * How long you can realistically lean on a data report before it becomes more misleading than useful * The most common mistakes brands make when trying to act on trend data * Where a small brand with zero data experience should actually start— this week, not someday * How to find the story inside the numbers and connect it to a real decision * What separates the brands that figure out data from the ones that get left behind Mentioned in this episode: FeelGoods Insights [http://feelgoodsinsights.com/] NIQ (NielsenIQ) [http://www.nielseniq.com/] Circana [http://circana.com/] SPINS [http://spins.com/] Chris Farmand's free all-day financial workshop at CBC — Monday April 20th, 9am–5pm (Philadelphia) [http://luma.com/SBSprofitworkshop] Craft Brewers Conference 2026 — Philadelphia [http://craftbrewersconference.com/] Submit your Bottlenecks [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/bottleneck] Join The Bottleneck email community [http://notyourhobbymarketing.kit.com/bottleneck] Barrel 2 Business Collective [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/barrel-2-business-collective] All podcast episodes [http://notyourhobbymarketing.com/podcast]