For breweries, getting a beer into the trade is only the beginning.

Once a keg, can, or bottle leaves the brewery, a series of decisions made by distributors, retailers, operators, and front-of-house teams can determine whether that beer reaches the customer in the condition intended, gets recommended at the bar, and ultimately earns a repeat purchase.

Few people see that journey from as many angles as Mitch Adams. As Director of Operations and Beer Buyer at Craft Locals, he combines more than two decades of experience across pubs, beer buying, drinks retail, importing, logistics, supply chain and hospitality operations. He has worked with beer from the point of sourcing through to the moment it is served to a guest.

That gives him a particularly practical perspective on what makes a beer work commercially. For Adams, the liquid remains fundamental, but successful beer brands need to think about everything around it too, from distribution and storage to staff training, availability and relationships with the trade.

As a judge at the London Beer Competition, he also brings that real-world perspective into the judging room. Here, Adams explains what breweries often overlook once their beer leaves the brewery, why pubs need to cater for different tastes, and why repeat purchase is ultimately the test of a sustainable beer brand.

You've worked across beer buying, importing, logistics, retail and pub operations. Having seen the same beer from so many sides of the supply chain, what do breweries most often misunderstand about what happens after they make the beer?

The journey doesn't end when the beer is packaged.

There's delivery to the retailer or end user, including customer service, invoicing, and correct storage. Most importantly, though, especially when dealing with B2B, I think breweries often forget that it is still their job to sell their beer to the end user.

Whether that's helping a distributor find taps or giving a retailer the training, knowledge, and desire to sell their beer to the general public over all the other beers they have in their fridge or on their shelf.

As both an operations director and beer buyer, how do you balance the beer you personally want to buy with the beers your pubs actually need to sell?

I've made life hard for myself and my business in the past by sticking solely to products I would want to drink and believe in.

However, there are so many factors that come into play when a group of people decides which venue they're going to visit.

For me, I have learnt that more important than my likes and values are the values every pub should hold dear: somewhere for everybody, with different tastes and different likes.

It's important to appeal to the wider demographic. This will ultimately help drive footfall when everybody in a group has a reason to visit your venue.

Image: The Red Lion, Chenies.

A beer can taste fantastic when it leaves the brewery and still disappoint when it reaches the customer. From your experience with imports, cold-chain distribution and pub cellars, what are the biggest practical factors that determine whether a beer arrives and performs as it should?

Cold chain is a wonderful aspiration, and for some beers it's absolutely essential. Fresh, unpasteurised lagers and super-hazy, heavily hopped beers really benefit from being kept cold from brewery to customer.

But cold chain is expensive, and if we want beer to remain accessible, there has to be some pragmatism. Most beers will survive a short period above their ideal temperature, and avoiding ambient transport during a heatwave is often more important than obsessing over maintaining 5°C throughout the entire journey.

Where I have less sympathy is for retailers who choose to stock specialist beer styles but can't look after them properly. If you're selling delicate, artisan beer, you have a responsibility to understand how it should be stored.

There's little point in a brewer investing in freshness and quality if the retailer then leaves the beer warm for weeks.

Craft Locals puts a lot of emphasis on the people delivering the guest experience. How much does the team's understanding of a beer influence whether customers actually discover and come back to it?

Customers don't necessarily need a beer expert behind the bar. They need someone who can make the beer sound worth trying.

Too much craft beer jargon can be a barrier. Telling someone it's a "DDH, Citra and Mosaic-hopped hazy DIPA" doesn't necessarily help them decide if they'll enjoy it.

The best descriptions are short, simple, and relatable: "It's juicy, soft, and not too bitter" or "If you like pale ale, you'll probably love this."

Staff need enough knowledge to make that connection without overwhelming the customer.

Ultimately, it's about making beer approachable. If the team can explain why a beer is interesting in a sentence or two, you're much more likely to get someone to try something new and come back for it.

Image: The Book "Brew" written by Mitch Adams.

You've bought beer for very different businesses, from specialist retail and distribution to pubs. What makes a beer commercially sustainable in the on-trade rather than simply exciting when it first arrives?

A commercially sustainable beer needs to be good, consistent, available, commercially viable, and easy for staff to sell.

A beer can be fantastic but struggle if it's expensive, low-margin, difficult to source, too niche, or slow to sell through. Space is limited, so every keg needs to earn its place.

Ultimately, the test is repeat purchase.

The exciting beer is ordered once. The sustainable beer is ordered again.

The UK has an enormous amount of choice, particularly for independent and craft beer. When you are deciding what deserves space on a pub's taps or shelves, what makes a beer genuinely worth making room for?

Quality is a given. There are too many great beers out there for that alone to make one stand out.

For me, it often comes down to relationships. We want to buy from people we like, trust, and enjoy working with.

That relationship gives us confidence in the brewery, the product, and the service behind it. In a crowded market, those relationships help narrow down the huge amount of choice and decide which beers are genuinely worth making room for.

As a London Beer Competition judge, you will be assessing beers on their own merits, but your day job is ultimately about putting beer in front of real customers. What do you think producers most underestimate about the difference between making a great beer and building a successful beer brand?

When I'm judging, I'm judging the beer in the glass. When I'm buying, I'm judging the entire proposition.

A great beer gets you into the conversation, but building a successful brand is about much more than the liquid.

Consistency, availability, identity, and the ability to connect with customers all matter. Ultimately, the real test is repeat purchase.

Anyone can get someone excited enough to try a great beer once. The successful brands are the ones that make them want to order it again and again.

Image: Mitch Adams judging at the London Beer Competition.

Completely unrelated to beer: if you had a completely free week tomorrow, where would you go and what would you do with it?

I'd head to Nashville with my family.

I've been once and loved it. Great beer, great food, music everywhere, an incredible vibe, and one that demands to be shared, to be fully enjoyed.

Conclusion

For breweries trying to grow in the UK on-trade, Adams' perspective offers a useful reminder that the beer itself is only one part of the commercial proposition.

A brewery can produce an exceptional liquid, but the work continues through distribution, storage, staff training, customer communication and the relationships that underpin the supply chain. Those details can determine whether a beer arrives in good condition, gets recommended at the bar and ultimately earns another order.

His comments also highlight a reality that can be uncomfortable for producers who are deeply passionate about their own beers. A buyer cannot build a successful pub range around personal preference alone. The range has to give different customers a reason to visit, while every beer needs to justify the space, margin and operational effort required to keep it available.

For Adams, the ultimate measure is refreshingly straightforward.

The exciting beer gets ordered once. The sustainable beer gets ordered again.

That distinction sits at the heart of building a beer brand with genuine staying power. For breweries seeking growth in the on-trade, making a great beer may open the door. Getting customers, staff, operators, and trade partners to choose it repeatedly is what keeps the door open.

In conversation with Malvika Patel, Editor and VP, Beverage Trade Network

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