Forecasting

From aluminum costs to consumer spending, knock-on effects from the conflict in Iran will continue to reverberate and hit breweries’ bottom lines. And even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz were to resume instantly, higher prices are likely to persist into 2027.

Rising costs and geopolitical instability make this another year in which forecasting and procurement demand small breweries’ utmost attention.

There is front of house, there is back of house—and if the only constant is chaos, then small breweries need to build flexibility into both their hospitality and manufacturing sides, while bearing in mind the long-term implications of cutting costs.

The boom days are over, but in many ways independent breweries are in a better place than other alcohol producers and other hospitality segments. Meanwhile, pockets of growth remain.

Understanding the cost of wages and benefits is more important than ever. The balance is in finding creative ways to keep them steady while ensuring that employees feel valued.

Keeping a brewhouse running efficiently is an even taller order when tourism and weather create major demand swings throughout the year. Here’s how breweries manage production through the seasonal ups and down.

There are hops in abundance, but beer sales are unpredictable—it’s no mystery why many small breweries are relying on the spot market. Yet many suppliers are aiming to lure brewers back to more flexible contracts that better suit today’s market.

Whether using whole fruit or purees, breweries benefit by estimating their needs in advance.

Do you have adequate insurance coverage for your brewing business, and are you preparing for the right kinds of risks? Insurance recovery attorney Kayla Robinson explains what breweries can do to better prepare for the next unwelcome turn of events.

Here’s how breweries are building in flexibility amid ongoing shortages, supply-chain headaches, labor crunches, and the rising costs that obfuscate next year’s forecasts.

A lack of shipping containers in Europe has made it impossible for many North American brewers to get malts they rely on for some of their most important beers. It’s unclear when the situation will improve.

Have a plan—but build it with a cushion that will allow your business to adapt to the unexpected and take the occasional risk. Here, the planners at North Carolina’s Highland Brewing share their evolving approach and best advice.

Predicting future sales is always tricky, but the pandemic’s shifting regulations and purchasing behaviors have magnified the difficulty. Ross Ackerman and Bud Dunn of GP Analytics share strategies to manage risk and make smarter production decisions.