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Today we\u2019re going to dig into a part of the beer business that\u2019s hard to crack\u2014distribution. It\u2019s typically very difficult to talk about this part of the three-tier system because it\u2019s full of confusing laws that vary state-to-state, it\u2019s federally mandated and regulated, and probably he most important reason is that no one is incentivized to really discuss it. It\u2019s where a lot of the concentration of wealth happens in the beer industry, and when things get consolidated, there\u2019s rarely progress, innovation, or even basic transparency as to how it all works. It\u2019s a bit of a black box. But looking at it from the craft brewer\u2019s perspective, it\u2019s a box that needs opening. And in the last decade, a lot of the power dynamic has shifted due to new laws that increase access to market for brewers\u2014things like self-distribution, dock sales, and own-premise taprooms have put producers much more in the roles of distributors and retailers than ever before. As a result, they\u2019re having ideas. They\u2019re getting ambitious about their go-to-market strategies. And they\u2019re starting to get creative. Today\u2019s guest is a catalyst for that kind of change. Kimberly Clements, a former owner of Golden Eagle distributors in Arizona, and her business partner Daniel Lust, who was a pricing analyst and territory manager at Golden Eagle, are the founding duo behind Pints LLC, a consulting company that helps brewers strategize new markets and distribution. They also work on the distribution side of things, helping align the interests of craft brewers and distributors across the country. Their insight into this part of the business is amazing. If you\u2019ve ever wanted to learn how distributions really works, and what the challenges really look like, this is the episode for you. As a bonus, we get a really stark look into exactly how distribution networks, even so-called independent distributors, are controlled by AB-InBev\u2019s influence form one generation to the next. It\u2019s an amazingly candid conversation with someone who knows the ins and outs, both historical and contemporary. And before we begin, a quick shoutout to On Tour brewing for hosting us for this talk. As some of you know, we\u2019re moving to a new studio space just down the street from On Tour, but it\u2019s not ready until next week, so they were really gracious in hosting us so we had a temporary place to record this episode. I certainly didn\u2019t want to miss my chance to talk to these folks. So thanks to On Tour for the hospitality. And fair warning, this is a live brewery taproom environment, so it\u2019s not the quiet studio recording you\u2019re used to. But it\u2019s totally worth the listen. Thanks to Mark and the On Tour crew for helping us out. They\u2019re great neighbors.