Thirsty Business Podcast
Season 1
by Jennifer Hauke
There’s the version of the beverage industry most people see from the outside… and then there’s the version insiders actually live in every day. 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
There’s a version of the beverage industry most people see from the outside… and then there’s the version that actually built it. 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
What happens when you bring together decades of Detroit beverage industry experience, underground install stories, and the kind of jobsite chaos you can only learn the hard way? 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