Direct-to-Consumer Beer Sales Become a Lifeline for Breweries | SevenFifty Daily

A decade ago, craft breweries could grow sales simply by brewing another batch. Customers and distributors clamored for the latest flavor of the week. “Brands like us could just come up with anything,” says Barry Holmes, the CEO of The Bruery and sibling brand Offshoot Beer in Placentia, California. The Bruery was founded in 2008 and became known for offbeat ales aged in bourbon barrels or seasoned with unusual spices. “Retailers couldn’t wait to take as much as they could.”

In today’s teeming marketplace, shelf space is tight and open tap lines are rare, forcing craft breweries to fight harder for pieces of the fiscal pie. With challenges compounded by increased costs thanks to inflation, breweries are seeking sales growth by embracing direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping.

For SevenFifty Daily, I took a deep dive into the current state of DTC beer.