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PA's New Trail and OR's pFriem are two of the stronger craft growth cos; the former is on pace to sell 53-55K bbls this yr, up from 46.7K in 2024, per New Trail owner/brewer Mike LaRosa, while the latter is growing "high single digits in a challenging market," said CEO Rudy Kellner (pFriem at 49.4K bbls last yr, suggesting ~53K bbls in 2025). So it made sense for Mike and Rudy to take the stage together at Brewbound Live in LA last week (where they got along famously) to talk taprooms, distribution footprints, business strategies and the perils of "chasing unicorns." The Importance of Staying Local Both cos have relatively tight distribution footprints. Rudy said Hood River-based pFriem is 95% in OR and WA, with the remaining 5% spread between ID, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas. But it's a "very important 5%," he said, given the "extreme seasonality" of beer sales in the Pac NW. With sales that can fluctuate by 50% during the winter months, having pFriem in the warmer markets helps co temper the effect of shorter, colder days at this time of yr.Based out of Williamsport, PA, New Trail is in 5 states, with 85% of its biz in PA, 5% in each of MD and NJ, 3% in WV and 1-2% in DE, Mike said. Like Rudy, he preached deliberation over expansion, focusing on long-term growth and establishing "floorboards" so that "if we were to lose something, there's somewhere else to stand." He cautioned against seeking out new markets for its own sake: "Don't go chasing unicorns," he said. "You know where the beer is sold. Go and try and increase your accounts by 1-2%. Get that sale, keep it and grow it."The On-Premise Premise Neither co's taproom is a huge driver of business, given the relatively far-flung locations of both breweries. Rudy said his Hood River taproom, located in a resort town, was seeing its % of taproom beer revenues fall because co's food offering were becoming more popular, not any slowdown in slingin' suds there.Beyond his first taproom - pFriem opened its second location in Milwaukie, OR in Jun - Rudy said the brand emanates like a radar, with Hood River in the middle. "If you can't win the home games," he philosophized, "it's going to be really hard to win the away games." That's why he says he's far more focused on getting as many tap handles in Portland as possible rather than expand into the Midwest (or wherever). "If you can't be effective convincing people 100 miles away that you have something to offer, how the hell are you going to convince people 1000 miles away? Let's be real."The Best Salespeople Rudy said co's mix is 80% packaging and 20% on premise, whereas Mike's was more 70/30. A big part of New Trail's growth story as one where seemingly difficult decisions turned out to be obvious, in retrospect. When co started, flagship Broken Heels IPA was around 20% of his biz as co relied heavily on LTOs and weekly drops. While co still has around 50 LTOs a yr, he said, it was pushing Broken Heels up to 60% of the biz that helped co sustain itself, even if he found it hard to get away from his "goldfish-brained" roots.In the more independent-focused northeast/mid-Atlantic, Mike employs 20 salespeople to Rudy's 7 in the more chain-focused Pac NW. "You need boots on the ground if you're going independent," Mike said, salespeople who can erect displays and rotate selections but are also comfortable selling to Sheetz or Wegman's. Rudy's focus is on the people who pour his pilsner. "Who are our best salespeople? It's the bartender. I fundamentally believe you have to build a brand on-premise."

New Trail and pFriem Bosses Talk Growth, Distribution Footprints and Perils of "Chasing Unicorns" at Brewbound Live

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