Mike Kallenberger
@mkallenberger.bsky.social
Beer, travel, bicycling enthusiast. Strategic marketing consultant & award-winning writer specializing in beer. Former economist. Not as funny as I used to be.
Reposted by Mike Kallenberger
This op-ed isn't the worst thing I've read about beer in the @nytimes.com, but it relies on some very facile ideas about how the craft beer market works that don't hold up to basic scrutiny.
Opinion | How to Save Beer
www.nytimes.com
October 13, 2025 at 7:10 PM
This op-ed isn't the worst thing I've read about beer in the @nytimes.com, but it relies on some very facile ideas about how the craft beer market works that don't hold up to basic scrutiny.
"Beer is the answer." I feel as though a lot of the people I follow here could have told them that. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEF_...
Can Vermont Win Back Canada's Trump-Averse Tourists? Jordan Klepper Investigates | The Daily Show
YouTube video by The Daily Show
www.youtube.com
September 14, 2025 at 3:16 PM
"Beer is the answer." I feel as though a lot of the people I follow here could have told them that. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEF_...
Bourcard Nesin's "The real reasons Gen Z is drinking less alcohol" got a lot of deserved attention. So instead I pondered a different question: When they do drink why do they choose beer less often? Maybe because they have fewer opportunities to acquire a taste for beer. firstkey.com/why-does-gen...
Why Does Gen Z Choose Beer Less Often? - First Key Consulting
Brewers are adapting to Gen Z’s slower beer adoption by diversifying into RTDs, hard seltzers, and flavored beers. IPAs’ bitterness deters some drinkers, but educating consumers on diverse beer styles...
firstkey.com
September 1, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Bourcard Nesin's "The real reasons Gen Z is drinking less alcohol" got a lot of deserved attention. So instead I pondered a different question: When they do drink why do they choose beer less often? Maybe because they have fewer opportunities to acquire a taste for beer. firstkey.com/why-does-gen...
Reposted by Mike Kallenberger
We cannot allow Woke™ subversion to continue to sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids.
August 28, 2025 at 3:31 PM
We cannot allow Woke™ subversion to continue to sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids.
Mr. Infante is never less than perceptive (and he often makes me laugh when I should be crying), but this time he's really connecting the dots in a way few others have. I think he might be on to something.
Fixated on the perceived “neo-Prohibitionist” ambitions of small-l liberal institutions & Dem regulators, the booze trade overlooked foes on the right for years. But that movement's cultural & political power has only grown. Now, it threatens to spiral beyond the industry’s ability to contain it.
The "neo-Prohibition" threat nobody is talking about
Plus: The Cracker Barrel playbook is the Bud Light playbook!
www.fingers.email
August 27, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Mr. Infante is never less than perceptive (and he often makes me laugh when I should be crying), but this time he's really connecting the dots in a way few others have. I think he might be on to something.
Is Gen Z missing out on opportunities to acquire a taste for beer? I raise the question (and provide some contextual data) in my most recent piece for the First Key insights blog. firstkey.com/why-does-gen...
Why Does Gen Z Choose Beer Less Often? - First Key Consulting
Brewers are adapting to Gen Z’s slower beer adoption by diversifying into RTDs, hard seltzers, and flavored beers. IPAs’ bitterness deters some drinkers, but educating consumers on diverse beer styles...
firstkey.com
July 9, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Is Gen Z missing out on opportunities to acquire a taste for beer? I raise the question (and provide some contextual data) in my most recent piece for the First Key insights blog. firstkey.com/why-does-gen...
Yes. Yes, you are. Or Wisconsin is now in you.
June 7, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Yes. Yes, you are. Or Wisconsin is now in you.
Most (but not all) ads using celebrities are a waste of money. The good: Corona's pitch-perfect capture of Snoop's laid back attitude and letting it effortlessly halo onto the brand. The bad: T-Mobile, turning Snoop into just another huckster (looks into the camera and says "What a deal!")
January 20, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Most (but not all) ads using celebrities are a waste of money. The good: Corona's pitch-perfect capture of Snoop's laid back attitude and letting it effortlessly halo onto the brand. The bad: T-Mobile, turning Snoop into just another huckster (looks into the camera and says "What a deal!")
Very saddened by the passing of Bob Uecker. I admire him and Al McGuire greatly, because it's hard to think of two men more comfortable in their own skin (so much so that they built careers on essentially being paid to be themselves). Milwaukee was lucky to have been home to both. RIP Mr Baseball.
January 16, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Very saddened by the passing of Bob Uecker. I admire him and Al McGuire greatly, because it's hard to think of two men more comfortable in their own skin (so much so that they built careers on essentially being paid to be themselves). Milwaukee was lucky to have been home to both. RIP Mr Baseball.
Doesn't the $60 price tag work against the "dive bar" positioning (which I'm not a fan of in any case)? www.jsonline.com/story/entert...
Want to smell like a dive bar? Miller High Life can make it happen with its new holiday scent
Now, you don't even have to go to a dive bar to smell like one.
www.jsonline.com
December 3, 2024 at 7:23 PM
Doesn't the $60 price tag work against the "dive bar" positioning (which I'm not a fan of in any case)? www.jsonline.com/story/entert...
This spring marks the 50th anniversary of the most important beer marketing paper you’ve probably never heard of. Brand building in beer wouldn't be the same today without the influence of Ackoff and Emshoff. (Free sign up may be required to read.) firstkey.com/the-godfathe...
The Godfathers of Beer Consumer Insights - First Key Consulting
Russell L. Ackoff and James R. Emshoff's paper "Advertising Research at Anheuser-Busch, Inc. 1968-1974" revolutionized beer marketing by categorizing drinkers into types, such as Reparative and Social...
firstkey.com
November 29, 2024 at 2:34 PM
This spring marks the 50th anniversary of the most important beer marketing paper you’ve probably never heard of. Brand building in beer wouldn't be the same today without the influence of Ackoff and Emshoff. (Free sign up may be required to read.) firstkey.com/the-godfathe...
Reposted by Mike Kallenberger
Mixing tequila and a Labatt in a cocktail shaker and calling it a Tariff. That’ll be $24.
November 26, 2024 at 1:11 AM
Mixing tequila and a Labatt in a cocktail shaker and calling it a Tariff. That’ll be $24.
No surprise that @beervana.bsky.social has written one of the better post mortems on this whole state of affairs (though probably not the last).
My latest post was inspired by the news that ABI was shutting down its Elysian brewery in Seattle. With ABI and Molson Coors basically exiting the craft market, the marriage of convenience between big and small breweries is over. I discuss why that was always in the cards.
Big Beer is Done With Craft — Beervana
Small breweries inhabit an entirely different business reality, one this is largely incompatible with the manufacturing model of an ABI. The latest news tells the story: the divorce is final, and all ...
www.beervanablog.com
November 19, 2024 at 12:02 AM
No surprise that @beervana.bsky.social has written one of the better post mortems on this whole state of affairs (though probably not the last).
Today I cast my votes for the first ten inductees into the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. I was both pleasantly surprised and incredibly proud to have been chosen as an elector. This is a great initiative. www.americancraftbeerhalloffame.com
ACBHOF
www.americancraftbeerhalloffame.com
November 18, 2024 at 3:42 PM
Today I cast my votes for the first ten inductees into the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. I was both pleasantly surprised and incredibly proud to have been chosen as an elector. This is a great initiative. www.americancraftbeerhalloffame.com
In my view, it's no coincidence that the list of friendliest cities is dominated by beer meccas.
October 18, 2024 at 5:17 PM
In my view, it's no coincidence that the list of friendliest cities is dominated by beer meccas.
Should craft beer be brewer-directed or consumer-directed? The consensus was once the former, but it seems to be transitioning to the latter. But what if it's a false choice? My latest from the First Key Insights blog (free sign-up may be required): firstkey.com/when-it-come...
When it Comes to Innovation, Patience is Not a Luxury - First Key Consulting
Exploring the balance between brewer-driven and consumer-driven innovation in the beer industry, suggesting that true innovation addresses consumers’ unrecognized needs and requires patience, rather t...
firstkey.com
September 26, 2024 at 5:31 PM
Should craft beer be brewer-directed or consumer-directed? The consensus was once the former, but it seems to be transitioning to the latter. But what if it's a false choice? My latest from the First Key Insights blog (free sign-up may be required): firstkey.com/when-it-come...
Drinkers' definitions of "authentic" are in transition. There's a lot going on here. But it seems to me that authenticity may be transitioning from something inherent in the brand to something the drinker wants to see in themselves (not that these are unrelated).
People are very fond of “authentic” things. Brands seen as authentic enjoy financial reward. But is authenticity a fixed quality a brewery can strive to attain, or a fickle substance as fleeting as smoke on a windy day?
The Authenticity Trap — Beervana
People are very fond of “authentic” things. Brands seen as authentic enjoy
financial reward. But is authenticity a fixed quality a brewery can strive
to attain, or a fickle substance as fleeting as ...
www.beervanablog.com
August 2, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Drinkers' definitions of "authentic" are in transition. There's a lot going on here. But it seems to me that authenticity may be transitioning from something inherent in the brand to something the drinker wants to see in themselves (not that these are unrelated).
Anchor Brewing will get new life. And the new owner certainly seems to get the brand and the business side. Great news. sfstandard.com/2024/05/31/a...
Anchor Brewing sold to Chobani yogurt king. The old label will return
Billionaire entrepreneur Hamdi Ulukaya, the Turkish-born CEO and founder of Chobani, the country’s largest producer of Greek Yogurt, has purchased Anchor Brewing and its 2.17-acre Potrero Hill home.
sfstandard.com
May 31, 2024 at 4:30 PM
Anchor Brewing will get new life. And the new owner certainly seems to get the brand and the business side. Great news. sfstandard.com/2024/05/31/a...
I'm excited for today's soft opening of a Milwaukee bar that evolves a local institution. When Mike Romans passed away last year, Romans' Pub shut down after 30+ years as one of the US's best craft beer bars. New owner Rob Zellermayer is reopening it as Busby's. Stay tuned.
May 23, 2024 at 4:51 PM
I'm excited for today's soft opening of a Milwaukee bar that evolves a local institution. When Mike Romans passed away last year, Romans' Pub shut down after 30+ years as one of the US's best craft beer bars. New owner Rob Zellermayer is reopening it as Busby's. Stay tuned.
As much as sports and beer go together, craft brands weren't always an ideal fit for sports sponsorships. That has been changing rapidly. My latest from the First Key Insights blog (a free sign-up may be required): firstkey.com/craft-beer-h...
Craft Beer Has Arrived on the Sponsorship Playing Field - First Key Consulting
The association between beer and sports in global culture is long-standing, and even profound. For many, rooting for a favorite team and enjoying a pint of a favorite beer are two sides of the same ex...
firstkey.com
May 3, 2024 at 2:38 AM
As much as sports and beer go together, craft brands weren't always an ideal fit for sports sponsorships. That has been changing rapidly. My latest from the First Key Insights blog (a free sign-up may be required): firstkey.com/craft-beer-h...
I hope to see many of you at the Craft Brewers Conference next week. My extended transition from the other site has resulted in me posting far less on either site, but I'm hoping the CBC will inspire me to get back in the game.
April 19, 2024 at 5:23 PM
I hope to see many of you at the Craft Brewers Conference next week. My extended transition from the other site has resulted in me posting far less on either site, but I'm hoping the CBC will inspire me to get back in the game.
I still can't read "Bluesky" without hearing "BLU-skee," as if it's a Russian surname.
December 17, 2023 at 7:38 PM
I still can't read "Bluesky" without hearing "BLU-skee," as if it's a Russian surname.
Insight and inspiration, weaving together small bits of many bigger things.
I don't know how to frame this post. It's a personal story involving Singha beer, a song, and a pivot in my life, all of which came rushing back yesterday with the news of the death of the Pogues' Shane MacGowan. You'll have to read it!
www.beervanablog.com/beervana/202...
www.beervanablog.com/beervana/202...
Singha Beer, Don't Ask No Questions — Beervana
It’s only looking back that we realize lives hinge on the smallest
decisions.
www.beervanablog.com
December 1, 2023 at 5:57 PM
Insight and inspiration, weaving together small bits of many bigger things.
I suspect the potential desertion of Elon's platform is delayed by the very fact that there are multiple alternatives. We want everyone we follow to move to the same platform. I've opened my account here, but I miss so many posters I still visit X daily.
November 29, 2023 at 3:19 PM
I suspect the potential desertion of Elon's platform is delayed by the very fact that there are multiple alternatives. We want everyone we follow to move to the same platform. I've opened my account here, but I miss so many posters I still visit X daily.
And I repost this every year as well.
As soon as Thanksgiving is over, it's time for the annual return of the longest-running beer commercial in TV history.
From the Good Beer Hunting archives, the story of Corona's "O Tannenpalm” ad:
www.goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines/2...
From the Good Beer Hunting archives, the story of Corona's "O Tannenpalm” ad:
www.goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines/2...
For Almost 30 Years, the Same Corona Ad has Kept the Holidays Lit — Good Beer Hunting
www.goodbeerhunting.com
November 24, 2023 at 11:00 PM
And I repost this every year as well.