Craft Beer in 2026: Why Breweries Are Focusing on Profitability, Community, and Taproom Experience
In the latest episode of Behind the Tab, Patricia Mejia sat down with brewery and hospitality leaders to unpack what that shift means for operators navigating a more mature, more competitive, and more operationally demanding craft beer landscape.
The craft beer industry has officially entered a new era.
And many of the most important conversations shaping that future will continue this June at.
Unlike larger industry events focused on broad industry trends, CBP Connects Chicago which is taking place at Revolution Brewery June 15 - 18 next month is built specifically for brewery operators looking for practical ideas around profitability, hospitality, taproom operations, staffing, and sustainable growth.
GoTab is proud to sponsor the event and support the broader craft beer community.
Sessions will cover:
Brewery profitability
Hospitality strategy
Taproom experience
Margins and operational efficiency
Community building
Leadership and staffing
Revenue diversification
Join us at the GoTab panel, Finding Money in Your Brewery Through Margins, Efficiencies, and Smarter Decisions. Moderator: Adam Howe (GoTab)
Panelists:
Chris Farmand (Small Batch Standard)
Mike Corneille (Pryes Brewing)
Tim Wilson (Caboose Brewing)
Every dollar matters right now. From getting your team more confident selling to-go beer to tightening up production and operating costs, small decisions are having an outsized impact on the bottom line. This panel brings together financial and operational leaders from across the industry to share where breweries are actually finding money today.
These themes were also front and center at the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia, where one message surfaced repeatedly in conversations between operators, consultants, and hospitality leaders: Growth looks different now.
In the latest episode of Behind the Tab, Patricia Mejia sat down with brewery and hospitality leaders to unpack what that shift means for operators navigating a more mature, more competitive, and more operationally demanding craft beer landscape.
Podcast
Craft Beer in 2026: Why Breweries Are Focusing on Profitability, Community, and Taproom Experience
In this episode of Behind the Tab, leaders from Craft Beer Professionals, Atlantucky, and Small Batch Standard recap the biggest operational themes emerging from the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference.
Kevin Irvin (“Swirv”), Operations Manager at Atlantucky
Andrew Coplon, founder of Craft Beer Professionals
Chris Farmand, founder of Small Batch Standard
Their conclusion? For many breweries, “flat” may actually represent stability, sustainability, and smart decision-making in today’s market.
The Industry Is Reframing Growth
For years, growth in craft beer often meant expanding distribution, increasing production, and chasing shelf space. But according to Kevin Irvin, that model no longer works for every brewery.
“Atlantucky” has shifted away from distribution-focused growth and toward a more sustainable operating model centered around community, events, and repeat guests.
Instead of constantly chasing new customers, the brewery is investing more intentionally in the people who already support the business.
That means:
Building recurring experiences
Strengthening local relationships
Creating community-oriented programming
Developing loyalty beyond the transaction
It’s a meaningful shift from “How do we get bigger?” to “How do we become more resilient?”
Hospitality Is Becoming the Competitive Advantage
One of the most important insights from the episode was the idea that beer alone is no longer enough to differentiate a brewery. As Andrew Coplon pointed out, nearly every brewery today makes good beer. Many also host trivia nights, live music, markets, and events. So what actually separates successful breweries? The answer increasingly comes down to hospitality.
Operators are focusing more intentionally on:
Staff engagement
Guest experience
Taproom atmosphere
Service flow
Community connection
Operational execution
The breweries winning today are often the ones delivering the strongest overall experience — not just the best IPA. That shift is also changing how breweries think about their spaces. The taproom itself has become the product.
Why “Super Fans” Matter More Than Casual Traffic
One of the strongest themes from the conversation was the importance of building “super fans.” Rather than relying heavily on one-time visitors or event-driven traffic, operators are increasingly prioritizing consistent local guests who return repeatedly and advocate for the brand.
Kevin Irvin described this as becoming “less transactional” with customers.
That mindset affects:
Event planning
Marketing strategy
Partnerships
Loyalty initiatives
Staff culture
Community involvement
At Atlantucky, events are designed not simply to attract attendance, but to deepen relationships and encourage guests to return again and again.
The brewery has partnered with organizations like the Atlanta Community Food Bank and aligned programming around shared community values.
For breweries navigating slower industry growth, repeat guests and loyal communities are becoming increasingly valuable.
Focus Is Replacing Expansion
Chris Farmand summarized the industry’s shift in a single word: Focus. Rather than pursuing every possible revenue stream or expansion opportunity, many successful breweries are narrowing their attention toward what actually drives profitability.
That may include:
Improving taproom efficiency
Expanding food programs
Refining events
Enhancing operational systems
Increasing margin visibility
Streamlining staffing models
The breweries surviving and thriving right now are often the ones making disciplined decisions instead of reactive ones. And importantly, those decisions are increasingly data-driven.
The Summer Reset Opportunity
As the conversation wrapped up, Chris Farmand shared a practical framework breweries can implement immediately heading into summer. His recommendation:
Review last year’s sales and performance data
Set realistic summer goals
Align the team around those goals
Build clear execution plans before peak season begins
It’s a reminder that profitability often comes from operational consistency, not dramatic reinvention. In a market where growth looks different than it did five years ago, one thing remains clear: The breweries building strong communities, memorable experiences, and operational discipline are positioning themselves to thrive long term.
Tap Room Playbook Episode 2:
When you really think about it, with everything managers need to do in a tap room, the hospitality aspect is often overlooked.
Situated “in the heart of it all, yet tranquil enough to make you feel away from it all too,” The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers 99 hotel rooms and 11 residences, as well as footsteps-to-gondola access in winter and summer — right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village.
The Situation
Especially over the last few years, the Limelight Hotels IT team had witnessed a significant shift to contactless technology in the hospitality industry. After evaluating friction points in the guest journey, aligning with modern technology platforms in their restaurant was determined to be an effective way to offer elevated contactless dining experiences to their guests while also evolving their technology platforms to continue to support long-term company goals. Limelight Hotel partnered with GoTab to provide an enhanced on-demand dining experience on par with the brand’s reputation for exceptional guest service.
The Solution
Reducing Staff Touch Points Without Sacrificing Guest Experience
Guests are now able to begin a tab from their room or the property’s restaurant by scanning a QR code, texting a link to friends or family members on the ski slope to add in their orders, then meeting up together at the patio or lodge to enjoy their meal and après ski festivities without interruption. By streamlining tasks like inputting orders and processing payments, this eliminates friction for hotel staff and allows them to focus on delivering renowned guest service for a memorable experience. Since partnering with GoTab, Limelight Snowmass has consistently seen higher check averages and sales.
“We found the Point of Sale platforms we were looking at offered the guest and staff limited opportunities to further reduce touch points or improve the traditional restaurant experience. The GoTab platform enabled the guest to take an active role over the flow of their experience while simultaneously reducing touch points and further streamlining restaurant operations.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
According to the Limelight Hotels team, some of the other platforms that were evaluated were either missing some of the pieces they were looking for, had weak customer support models, or had little willingness to develop integrations to existing hotel platforms already in place. To that end, GoTab integrated with cloud-based platform, Infor. Together, GoTab and Infor are providing dynamic solutions to support central, efficient service across hotel amenities and deliver exceptional guest experiences.
“Previously, guests would call down to the restaurant to begin an order from their room or while they were out enjoying the ski slopes. Using GoTab, guests can now place orders from anywhere on the resort, giving them the on-demand service they want without interrupting their day. GoTab empowers us to give control to the guest, reducing touch points and streamlining overall restaurant operations, making Limelight Hotel the resort of choice for Snowmass.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
Since introducing GoTab, The Limelight Hotel has seen a consistent level of upsells and items sold per check resulting in additional revenue capture. They have been able to maintain service levels in their restaurants during periods when there was reduced staffing available without significantly diminishing the guest experience.
The Benefits
Eliminate Phone Orders – Take Orders from the Slopes. Guests can start a tab from their room or on the mountain without interrupting the flow of their day.
Future-Proofed Technologies – Delivering elevated contactless ordering via integration with the Infor hotel management platform.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
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