In this first episode of Thirsty Business Podcast, hosts Jen Hauke and Phil Thomas sit down with Jenn Litz-Kirk, Director of Content at Beer Business Daily and host of Beer Net Radio, to unpack what’s really driving beer, RTDs, and beverage alcohol right now.

From Beer Summit takeaways to distribution pressure, regional brand power, and the rise of RTDs like vodka tea and Surfside, this conversation breaks down how trends actually form, and why most “winning brands” don’t win because of strategy decks… but because something just clicks in the market.

At its core, this episode is about an industry that is still deeply human. Relationships matter more than systems. Timing matters more than theory. And great branding is still something you recognize instantly, even if nobody can fully explain why.

Connect and Follow Thirsty Business Podcast across platforms:

👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirstybusinesspodcast/

👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thirsty-business-podcast/about/

👉TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thirstybusinesspodcast

👉Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/ThirstyBusinessPod/

👉YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThirstyBusinessPodcast

Connect with our guest, Jenn Litz-Kirk: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-litz-kirk-6b2749129/

00:00 – Intro: Inside Thirsty Business & Beer Media World

03:10 – Why Jen starts every day with beer headlines

06:45 – The pressure of daily trade journalism

10:20 – Reporting on your own industry: the insider problem

14:05 – Embargoes, leaks, and how beer news actually breaks

17:50 – Why beer is still a relationship business

21:40 – Beer Summit recap: what the industry is really talking about

26:15 – Craft beer’s evolution and shrinking middle market

30:40 – RTDs, vodka tea, and the new growth engine

34:55 – Surfside, NOCA, and breakout brand patterns

38:30 – Why design is more important than people admit

42:10 – “You know it when you see it” branding instinct

45:45 – Why the middle of beer is disappearing

49:20 – Local brands vs national rankings reality check

52:55 – Distribution consolidation and industry pressure

56:40 – What big suppliers are doing right now

59:10 – Final thoughts on authenticity and survival in beer

If you’ve ever looked at a brand and thought “why does this work… and that doesn’t?”. This is your kind of conversation.

🔔 Subscribe to Thirsty Business Podcast for more unfiltered industry conversations where the real stories don’t sound like press releases.And share this with someone who still thinks branding lives in a deck… not in the real world where products either click or disappear.

#BeerIndustry #BeverageBusiness #CraftBeer #RTDDrinks #BeerMarketing #BrandStrategy #Distribution #ThirstyBusiness #BeverageTrends

In this special episode of Thirsty Business Podcast, Jen Hauke sit down with his dad, Chuck Thomas, a veteran of the beverage dispensing industry whose career spans over five decades across Hudson Industries, Michigan Carbonic, Leonard Syrups, Berg Liquor Control Systems, and the early foundations of modern draft beer infrastructure.

From basements and syrup rooms in Detroit to stadium-scale installs at Comerica Park and Ford Field, this is the untold history of how beer, soda, and liquor systems actually evolved in America.

Before dashboards, apps, and analytics… this industry ran on instinct, relationships, field experience, and pure problem-solving in real time. This is not a theory. This is the operational history of how drinks actually get from the brewery to your glass.

If you’ve ever wondered how the beverage industry really works, this episode will change how you see every tap handle, bar top, and stadium pour.

00:00 – Origins of the Beverage Industry

04:10 – Hudson Industries & Early Soda Systems

09:35 – First Field Service Experience

14:20 – Navy Service & Life Direction Shift

18:55 – Michigan Carbonic & Industry Training Ground

24:30 – Early Draft & Carbonation Systems

29:40 – Early Craft Beer & Microbrew Installations

34:10 – Starting Custom Beverage

39:25 – Line Cleaning & Recurring Revenue Shift

44:50 – The Sherrod Story

50:35 – Stadiums, Casinos & Major Install Projects

55:20 – What Makes a Proper Install

59:10 – Walking Away From Big Deals (MGM Story)

1:03:05 – Advice for the Next Generation

1:06:00 – Legacy, Relationships & Final Thoughts

Connect and Follow Thirsty Business Podcast across platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirstybusinesspodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thirsty-business-podcast/about/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thirstybusinesspodcast

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/ThirstyBusinessPod/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThirstyBusinessPodcast

🌐Visit our website: https://www.thirstybusinesspodcast.com/

🔔 Subscribe for more real conversations from inside the beverage industry where the stories don’t come from press releases… they come from the people who built it.

Share this with someone who thinks beer systems are simple. They’re not.

#BeerIndustry #DraftBeer #BeverageIndustry #BeerSystems #BeerLineCleaning #CraftBeerBusiness #DetroitBusiness #FoodAndBeverage #HospitalityIndustry #BeverageTech #Entrepreneurship #ThirstyBusiness #Micromatic #Perlick #BergLiquorControl

On this episode of Thirsty Business Podcast, Jen is joined by her brother Phil Thomas, her husband Drew Hauke, and guest Jim Bonnell, owner of World Beverage and a veteran beverage technician who spent his entire career in the Detroit industry.

From crawling through old theaters and finding time capsules… to dangerous installs in abandoned buildings… to overloaded trucks, electrocutions, and beer systems gone wrong, this episode is packed with real stories from people who lived it firsthand.

But beyond the chaos, there’s a deeper conversation about craftsmanship, work ethic, and how the beverage industry has evolved over time in Detroit and beyond.

This is what it really looks like behind the scenes of an industry most people never think about… until something goes wrong.

00:00 Detroit neighborhoods & dangerous old days

03:12 Why Detroit is making a comeback

06:08 Discovering hidden time capsules in old theaters

10:02 Dangerous installs in historic buildings

14:28 Crazy underground beer line jobs

18:11 Beverage companies running on no resources

21:47 The “Barnstormers” snowstorm story

26:35 Bartering jobs for dinners & entertainment

30:04 Detroit New Year’s stories & bullet holes

33:15 How beer systems changed over the years

37:40 Why AI can’t replace skilled trades

42:18 Detroit work ethic & craftsmanship

46:55 The best installers in the business

50:33 Electrocution stories & overloaded trucks

56:41 How restaurant installs changed over time

1:01:12 The beginning of Michigan’s craft beer boom

1:06:08 Why massive tap systems became a problem

1:10:42 The disgusting reality of dirty beer lines

1:15:26 Why proper line cleaning matters

1:19:34 Final thoughts & listener story submissions

Connect and Follow Thirsty Business Podcast across platforms:

👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirstybusinesspodcast/

👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thirsty-business-podcast/about/

👉TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thirstybusinesspodcast

👉Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/ThirstyBusinessPod/

👉YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThirstyBusinessPodcast

🌐Visit our website: https://www.thirstybusinesspodcast.com/

🔔 Subscribe for more real conversations from inside the beverage industry where the stories don’t come from press releases… they come from the people who built it.

Share this with someone who thinks beer systems are simple. They’re not.

#BeerIndustry #DraftBeer #Detroit #BlueCollar #CraftBeer #Tradesmen #SmallBusiness #WorkEthic #ThirstyBusinessPodcast #Entrepreneurship