The Ledger

Brewing industry & beer news

Cover story

Brewery Inventory Counts: Wrong? Now What?

Michael Stroener

Michael Stroener · Jan 23, 2026 · 4 min read

Latest

Kyle Flaci
Operations

You're Losing $100 Per Keg. Here's How to Stop.

Kegs are expensive, mobile, and easy to lose. Many breweries treat keg tracking as an afterthought until the fleet count no longer matches expectations. Here's how to establish visibility and reduce attrition.

Jan 20, 2026 · 4 min read

Michael Stroener
Operations

Batch Traceability: Could You Recall Tomorrow?

Lot-level traceability is often viewed as a regulatory checkbox. For operations that ship distributed beer or supply other breweries, it is a risk management requirement. Here's what a defensible traceability system looks like.

Jan 17, 2026 · 4 min read

Industry

Search the Full BSG Catalog Here

The full Rahr/BSG product inventory, available for reference and searching.

Jan 14, 2026 · 1 min read

Trends

NA Beer Is Up 26%. Are You In?

Non-alcoholic beer is one of the fastest-growing segments in the beverage alcohol space. Here's what the growth numbers show and how craft breweries are responding.

Jan 10, 2026 · 3 min read

Michael Stroener
Operations

Brewery Packaging Waste: That 5% Is Real Money

The gap between brite tank volume and packaged output is often treated as a rounding error. In reality, packaging waste—low fills, seam issues, line purges—can account for 3 to 5 percent or more of production. Here's how to capture and reduce it.

Jan 7, 2026 · 4 min read

Jack Jusko
Industry

Breweries Are Closing. Here's Who Survives.

For the first time in decades, brewery closures are outpacing openings. Here's what the consolidation trend means and how surviving breweries are positioning themselves.

Jan 3, 2026 · 2 min read

Kyle Flaci
Operations

Multi-Location: You Have the Beer. Where?

Beer and ingredients move between locations—brewhouse, cold storage, taproom cooler, package warehouse. Without location-level visibility, you know what you have in aggregate but not where it is. Here's how to structure multi-location inventory for operations and compliance.

Dec 29, 2025 · 4 min read

Jack Jusko

We're in Launch Llama. Here's Why.

We're thrilled to partner with Launch Llama, the newsletter that spotlights new startups and gives them the promotional boost they deserve.

Dec 27, 2025 · 2 min read

Jack Jusko
Trends

Craft Beer Pricing: Can You Raise Prices?

Inflation, tariffs, and supply chain pressure have raised input costs. Consumers are price-sensitive. Here's how breweries are balancing cost pressure with competitive pricing.

Dec 27, 2025 · 2 min read

Kyle Flaci
Industry

Contract Brewing: Fill Tanks, Get Paid.

More breweries are producing beverages for other brands to maximize capacity utilization. Here's how contract brewing and co-packing are reshaping the industry structure.

Dec 21, 2025 · 3 min read

Kyle Flaci
Operations

Par Levels: Never Run Out of Malt Again

Par levels help you maintain optimal stock levels. Learn how to set individual and global par levels in BrewLedger.

Dec 18, 2025 · 2 min read

Operations

That Yeast Is Lying to You

Yeast cultures drift with each generation. Strain characteristics, viability, and fermentation performance change over time. Here's how to track generations and plan repitches for consistency and cost control.

Dec 16, 2025 · 4 min read

Michael Stroener

Brewery SKUs: You're Bleeding Margin.

In a crowded, cost-sensitive market, many breweries are trimming SKU counts and doubling down on flagship brands. Here's why fewer SKUs can mean stronger margins and clearer positioning.

Dec 13, 2025 · 3 min read

Michael Stroener
Best Practices

Brewery Batch Costing: You Don't Know True Cost

In a margin-compressed market, blind spots in batch costing lead to underpriced SKUs and missed optimization opportunities. Here's how ingredient-level visibility improves pricing and planning decisions.

Dec 8, 2025 · 5 min read

Jack Jusko

Taproom: The Channel Your Distributor Hates

Employment in craft brewing has grown while volume has declined—a reflection of the shift toward taprooms and brewpubs. Here's why onsite sales are becoming the economic anchor for many breweries.

Dec 5, 2025 · 3 min read

Michael Stroener
Operations

Brewery Cellar Logs: They're Lying to You

Manual record-keeping is no longer a viable strategy in a high-cost environment. Learn how digital data integrity protects your production margins and ensures regulatory compliance.

Dec 2, 2025 · 4 min read

Michael Stroener
Operations

Where Did That Beer Go? The TTB Wants to Know

The TTB distinguishes between tax-paid and tax-free removals. Taproom sales, wholesale shipments, and samples each have different treatment. Here's how to structure depletion tracking so it supports both operations and compliance.

Nov 29, 2025 · 4 min read

Kyle Flaci
Industry

Brewery Receiving: Why the Dock Matters

What happens at receiving sets the foundation for traceability, costing, and quality. Poor receiving practices—missing lot numbers, delayed data entry, unreconciled invoices—create problems downstream. Here's how to establish a defensible receiving process.

Nov 26, 2025 · 4 min read

Industry

Hop Storage & Alpha: Protect & Save

Hops degrade. Alpha acids decline with time, heat, and oxygen exposure. Poor storage and inadequate utilization tracking lead to over-hopping to compensate—and higher COGS. Here's how to protect and account for hop quality.

Nov 24, 2025 · 4 min read

Michael Stroener
Operations

COGS: You're Leaving Money in Every Barrel

Cost of Goods Sold is one of the largest levers for margin improvement. Here are practical strategies for reducing raw material, packaging, and production costs without sacrificing quality.

Nov 21, 2025 · 4 min read

Kyle Flaci
Trends

Craft Beer Distribution: Where It's Moving in 2025

Craft beer distribution is evolving. On-premise, retail, convenience, and direct-to-consumer each have different dynamics. Here's how channel mix is changing.

Nov 18, 2025 · 2 min read

Jack Jusko
Trends

Craft Beer vs. RTDs & Cannabis: What Changed

Craft beer no longer competes only with other beer. Ready-to-drink cocktails, hard seltzers, and cannabis-infused beverages are capturing occasions and share of throat. Here's how the competitive landscape has changed.

Nov 13, 2025 · 3 min read

Trends

Lagers Are Crushing IPAs. Here's Why.

Consumer palates are shifting away from novelty and extremes toward approachable, sessionable styles. Here's what the data shows and why lagers and pilsners are gaining ground in a crowded market.

Nov 11, 2025 · 3 min read

Trends

Beer Ingredient Transparency: What Drinkers Want

Consumers increasingly want to know where ingredients come from and how products are made. Here's how sustainability and transparency are shaping craft beer.

Nov 7, 2025 · 2 min read

Kyle Flaci

Seasonal Beer: Stop Guessing Summer Demand

Most craft breweries face pronounced seasonal demand. Summer and fall often outpace winter and spring. Here's how to use inventory and batch data to plan production and avoid both stockouts and excess.

Nov 4, 2025 · 4 min read

Michael Stroener
Operations

TTB 5130.9: Stop Reconstructing Last 6 Months

Moving from manual spreadsheet reconstruction to event-based compliance reporting.

Nov 1, 2025 · 4 min read

Jack Jusko
Best Practices

Brewery Inventory & TTB, No Spreadsheets

Learn about our brewery inventory management platform and how we're helping craft brewers streamline their operations.

Oct 27, 2025 · 1 min read