Design is one of the least discussed but potentially most important things a brewery can do to tell their story. If you do it well you will  connect with your customer, helping to build a critical and lasting bond, or as Ben Butler of Top Hat puts it, a "gentle handshake." This is especially true for new breweries trying to make their mark in the crowded marketplace today: how will your customers know what you stand for and what you are trying to say? And how will you stand out on the shelf with packaging that communicates this same message?Ben Butler founded Pittsburgh's Top Hat design and marketing agency before he had even graduated from college. His energy, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit - along with partner Aaron Easler and the whole Top Hat team - have propelled his agency to the forefront of craft brewery design and branding. Beginning with their "Will Work for Beer" campaign that drew the attention of their first brewery client Lord Hobo Brewing, leading to an impressive (and award-winning) brand refresh of Pittsburgh's iconic Iron City Beer, and on to successful projects for the likes of us at Reuben's Brews, Top Hat has made a mark as an innovative partner for breweries and other small businesses to refine their storytelling through design.Adam and Matt at Reuben's Brews are equally passionate about the role that storytelling and design have with connecting the consumer to the true mission of a brewery. When we embarked on our brand refresh project in 2019, even before connecting with Ben and Top Hat, we spent considerable time delving in to the "Why" of Reuben's Brews: the reason we brew and the reason we push to be better. In the closing notes of this episode Adam brings up the seminal "Start with Why" TED Talk by Simon Sinek which is worth watching for anyone who is interested in branding.This episode concludes the fourth season of Reuben's Sightglass and hopefully provides a capstone to this overview of the Business of Beer.--The fourth season of Reuben’s Sightglass dives deep into the Business of Beer. Listeners will learn about the backend of the brewery businesses, the highs and lows, mistakes and wins, and what makes a good beer vs what makes a great beer. Let this season guide you through your personal beer story.It’s time to embark on your beer journey.

Reuben's Sightglass

How to Tell a Story with Your Beer through Design, with Ben Butler of Top Hat

Sightglass Season 4, Episode 5: The Art of Running a World-Class Beer Bar: Nat and Vern from Brouwer’s CafeThe cornerstone of the craft beer industry are the retailers: bottleshops, grocery stores, and restaurants who all help consumers on their journey to discovering new beers and new breweries. For Adam and Matt, and a generation or more of the Seattle beer community, Brouwer's Cafe in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle has been a quintessential place to discover great new beer while eating delicious food, while making friends along the way.In this conversation recorded in August 2021 we catch up with two of the guys behind this legendary operation and hear more about how they conceive of Brouwer's relationship with their visitors, their ideas behind building the restaurant the way they did, and more about the history of how this institution came to be. And in the end, Adam and Matt both look back fondly on great memories they've had at Brouwer's over the years, a clear example of the indelible role retailers like this have in the lives of their customers.--The fourth season of Reuben’s Sightglass dives deep into the Business of Beer. Listeners will learn about the backend of the brewery businesses, the highs and lows, mistakes and wins, and what makes a good beer vs what makes a great beer. Let this season guide you through your personal beer story.It’s time to embark on your beer journey.

The Art of Running a World-Class Beer Bar: Nat and Vern from Brouwer’s Cafe

Sightglass Season 4, Episode 4: Understanding the Wholesaler Tier, with Scott Cook of NW BeveragesSince the end of prohibition the alcohol industry in the United States has been governed by the Three-Tier System for alcohol distribution. The first tier is something we've covered often on Reuben's Sightglass: the brewery (or winery, distillery, etc.), also known as the supplier. We soon will cover the third tier in next week's episode: the retailer (your local bottleshop, restaurant, or grocery store.) But probably the least understood of these entities, at least for the average consumer, is what a wholesaler or distributor does in our industry. Scott Cook, the General Manager of NW Beverages, is here to shed light on their essential, distinct, and at times complicated role in getting you your favorite beer.NW Beverages, including its earlier entity Click Wholesale, has been a trusted and crucial partner for our brewery for a number of years. Scott Cook leads NW Beverages as General Manager, helming an important organization in Western Washington that works closely with hundreds of suppliers (like us) and thousands of accounts (like your favorite bottleshop or local convenience store.)  The role of the wholesaler is to get our product, and dozens of others, to market efficiently and to ensure that retailers have what they need to give you, the consumer, exactly what they want, when they want it.And what is one of the main take-aways from this conversation? That you - yes, you! - have more power than you know in influencing how retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers like Reuben's Brews get you the beer that you want. Listen now to find out how exactly that happens.--The fourth season of Reuben’s Sightglass dives deep into the Business of Beer. Listeners will learn about the backend of the brewery businesses, the highs and lows, mistakes and wins, and what makes a good beer vs what makes a great beer. Let this season guide you through your personal beer story.It’s time to embark on your beer journey.

Understanding the Wholesaler Tier, with Scott Cook of NW Beverages

Sightglass Season 4, Episode 3: What a Leading Brewery Accountant Wants You to Know About Starting a Brewery, with Chris Farmand of Small Batch StandardThanks to our friend Chris Farmand and the entire team at Small Batch Standard for their contributions to the health of our craft brewing industry. Their insights provide small businesses like ours with important data to fine-tune our strategy and plans for the future. This episode of Reuben's Sightglass, recorded in early June 2021, details some of the important considerations small businesses like craft breweries must grapple with as they build themselves and their community for success. The confluence of businesses started by passionate individuals with the realities of a very capital-intensive and growth-driven industry is a ripe topic for an in-depth conversation. We hope this episode opens a sightglass for enthusiasts of craft beer in to the thoughts and considerations of their favorite craft brewery, and gives some insights and important questions to ask themselves for anyone dreaming of starting their own brewery.Small Batch Standard is a leading craft brewing and distilling accounting, strategy, and consulting firm. Sign up for their Insights newsletter here and be sure to listen to their True Craft Podcast, which Adam Robbings is co-hosting this season.--The fourth season of Reuben’s Sightglass dives deep into the Business of Beer. Listeners will learn about the backend of the brewery businesses, the highs and lows, mistakes and wins, and what makes a good beer vs what makes a great beer. Let this season guide you through your personal beer story.It’s time to embark on your beer journey.

What a Leading Brewery Accountant Wants You to Know About Starting a Brewery, with Chris Farmand of Small Batch Standard

Season 4, Episode 2: How to Launch a Successful Neighborhood Brewery with Tommy Ransom and Audra Johansen, Ravenna BrewingIn this special live-recorded episode Adam Robbings, co-founder of Reuben's Brews, and Matt Lutton, Marketing Manager of Reuben's, sit down with Ravenna Brewing's owner Tommy Ransom and head brewer Audra Johansen to learn about the backstory, construction, and success of this Seattle neighborhood brewery.The fourth season of Reuben's Sightglass podcast explores the Business of Beer, lending a behind-the-scenes sightglass for consumers eager to learn more about how the craft beer industry operates.From a background in technology to a real estate search that led him and his partners all over the city of Seattle, Tommy lays the groundwork of his philosophy for launching a successful craft brewery. Audra also explores her path to the head brewer role at Ravenna, including stints at other iconic Seattle brewpubs that informs her vision for what Ravenna Brewing's beers aught to be.The four recorded this podcast during Seattle Beer Week 2021 on the patio of Reuben's Brews while drinking CRISPY SHIFTY, a collaboration between Reuben's Brews and Ravenna Brewing released in 2021 as part of Reuben's Brews' annual Hometown Series collaboration project. Crispy Shifty, a Pacific Northwest Kellerbier, recently was named a Grand National Champion winner at the US Beer Tasting Championship. --This  season of Reuben’s Sightglass dives deep into the Business of Beer. Listeners will learn about the backend of the brewery businesses, the highs and lows, mistakes and wins, and what makes a good beer vs what makes a great beer. Let this season guide you through your personal beer story.It’s time to embark on your beer journey.

How to Launch a Successful Neighborhood Brewery with Tommy Ransom and Audra Johansen, Ravenna Brewing

Episode 0 -  Introduction: The History of Reuben’s Brews featuring founders Adam and Grace Robbings. In this live recording of Reuben’s Sightglass Podcast, Adam, Grace, and Matt discuss the backstory of Reuben’s Brews and the business of beer. It all started with Grace and her newborn son, Reuben, buying Adam a homebrew kit. Adam would always critique the beers they bought, so Grace challenged him to “put up or shut up” and start brewing his own beer. Adam learned to make beer in a way that he wanted it to be made.. it became an obsession to make the perfect beer.Adam and Grace started winning awards and pouring at beer festivals as a home brewery, and when they realized it was successful, they knew it was time to start their own brick-and-mortar brewery.Beer is personal to the couple. So is educating and entertaining the community.Grace finds joy in working with people. With a background in education and as a returned Peace Corps volunteer teacher, she has found the transition from teaching to connecting with the Seattle community as a brewery to be an easy switch.Adam’s background in finance has helped him build this successful business that they have today. His entrepreneurial spirit started in middle school, when he created a school newspaper. In the UK, entrepreneurship was not encouraged, so he went down a finance route, but when he got his hands on the homebrew kit, he was hooked.During this episode, the Founders answer personal, business, and beer questions submitted from the community.--This upcoming season of Reuben’s Sightglass will dive deep into the Business of Beer. Listeners will learn about the backend of the brewery businesses, the highs and lows, mistakes and wins, and what makes a good beer vs what makes a great beer. Let this season guide you through your personal beer story.It’s time to embark on your beer journey.

Episode 0 -  The History of Reuben’s Brews featuring Co-Founders Adam and Grace Robbings

James Dugan, Andy Miller, and Paul Reiter are our friends, our new Ballard neighbors, and the people behind the iconic Portland brewery, Great Notion. They live by the slogan “Keep Beer Fun” and have built their brewery by staying on top of and creating new beer trends. They’ve even broken the mold and launched their own beer app.Join us for the story of how the three met, how they’d share their homebrew at a Portland block party, and the fortunate chain of events that led them to starting on Alberta Street to now having five locations, including two in Seattle. We explore what makes their perspective and beers unique, and we have a lot of fun along the way.Follow Reuben's Brews @ReubensBrews on Instagram and Twitter and please leave us a review and a rating at Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show! You can also learn more about our brewery by visiting ReubensBrews.com, and we encourage you to visit us at our Taproom next time you are in Seattle!

James Dugan, Andy Miller, and Paul Reiter, Great Notion

Tomme Arthur - member of the "first name club" in craft beer -  is a legendary and highly influential brewer out of San Diego, California. We sat down with Tomme to discuss his career, from his roots in the nascent San Diego craft beer scene in the '90s to his recent endeavors, which include new brands like Tiny Bubbles. HIs perspective on the growth of craft beer in San Diego and America is essential to understanding how we've gotten here and where we may go next.  Follow Reuben's Brews @ReubensBrews on Instagram and Twitter and please leave us a review and a rating at Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show! You can also learn more about our brewery by visiting ReubensBrews.com, and we encourage you to visit us at our Taproom next time you are in Seattle!

Tomme Arthur, The Lost Abbey, Port Brewing, and more

Georgetown Brewing Company is an icon in the Seattle and Pacific Northwest brewing community and have brewed some of the most popular local beers of the last two decades, including Manny's Pale Ale and Bodhizafa IPA. This week we are sitting down with one of the co-founders of this iconic brewery, a legend in his own right, Manny Chao. We chronicle his career in the industry and learn more about his brewery's approach to recipes, innovation, and branding.Follow Reuben's Brews @ReubensBrews on Instagram and Twitter and please leave us a review and a rating at Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show! You can also learn more about our brewery by visiting ReubensBrews.com, and we encourage you to visit us at our Taproom next time you are in Seattle!

Manny Chao, Georgetown Brewing

Firestone Walker Brewing Company is a brewery that we've long looked up to: they brew a tremendous portfolio of quality beers, they've got a number of locations around Southern California that shows off their authenticity so well, and they've maintained a distinct and clear voice throughout their brand. In the second episode of our third season of Reuben's Sightglass we sit down with David Walker, co-founder of Firestone Walker, to discuss the difficulties they've overcome in their 25 years of brewing, their vision for their brewery,  the connection between brewers and farmers, and much more. Follow Reuben's Brews @ReubensBrews on Instagram and Twitter and please leave us a review and a rating at Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show! You can also learn more about our brewery by visiting ReubensBrews.com, and we encourage you to visit us at our Taproom next time you are in Seattle!

David Walker, Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Welcome to Season 3 of Reuben's Sightglass! This season begins with a scene-setting interview with the one-and-only Bart Watson, Chief Economist for the Brewers Association. We explore the lay of the land at this point of Covid recovery and explore what you, the consumer, are telling us as breweries. What does a return to normal look like, how have breweries pivoted and been impacted, and what forward looking advice does the data give us as brewers. Stay tuned for the rest of Season 3 in the coming weeks over four more weekly episodes.

Bart Watson, Chief Economist for the Brewers Association

Michael Ferguson is the Director of Hop Breeding at Haas, one of the Yakima Valley's premiere hop growers. His job is to cultivate the next great hop, and that involves breeding and evaluating thousands of clones, in search of the needle in the haystack. And we may have just found it. Adam and Matt sit down with Michael to discuss HBC 1019, a brand-new varietal that Reuben's Brews is helping to sponsor, and which made it in to our recent release "Puffs of [Classified]". Learn all about this hop and Michael's work in particular on this episode of Reuben's Sightglass.

Michael Ferguson, Hop Breeder at HAAS

Our guests on our 2020 Year in Review episode of Reuben's Sightglass are Jamie Bogner, Cofounder and Editorial Director of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, Jeff Alworth, beer writer and editor of Beervana, and Kendall Jones, beer writer and founder of Washington Beer Blog.

The Year in Review: 2020

It has been three months since we last checked in with our friends John Dantzler (Torch and Crown Brewing, New York City, NY), John Harris (Ecliptic Brewing, Portland, OR), and JC Hill (Alvarado Street Brewery, Monterey, CA), so we rang them up to see how their breweries and their communities are faring during the last quarter of 2020. Adam Robbings, co-founder of Reuben's Brews in Seattle, speaks with each brewery owner about the unique challenges in their cities and the state of their brewery since we last spoke. Common questions emerge through the conversations: Have we seen the end of line culture in craft beer? How have we prepared for the third-wave of COVID knowing what we learned from earlier surges? What are we most looking forward to when things return to "normal"?

The Impact of Coronavirus on Breweries, Issue #6

Adam speaks with the founders of one of his favorite local bakeries, located walking distance from his and Grace's home in Seattle. Kit and Jesse got their start around the same time as Adam began brewing, and the stories of how both family-owned businesses based in fermentation got off the ground are similar. The three explore the world of yeast and fermentation, the importance of process, and the magic of repeating high-quality products. Ultimately, what’s the secret? Time.

Kit and Jesse Schumann, Sea Wolf Bakers

Reuben's Sightglass is an insight into the people who live their craft - those who are on the cutting edge. Led by Adam Robbings, Co-Founder and Brewmaster, and Matt Lutton, Marketing Manager, of Reuben's Brews in Seattle, WA, we go on a journey to understand what makes someone's craft better than just good. Because good isn't good enough. We will speak to people from within the world of beer and outside - unbound by industry, actively seeking insight from people we respect across a wide variety of backgrounds. All craft can learn from all craft. We aim to understand the key elements of art in excellence - what drives people, what excites them, as well as understanding and appreciating their struggles on their journeys. We will provide a sightglass into this world.

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Reuben's Sightglass

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