The “Real American Beer” Playbook for Breaking Into a Saturated Industry FAST

I met Hulk through another business venture and we were on the road one time and someone came up and said Have you ever thought about doing your own beer? The Hulk's like brother I used to be say your prayers eat your vitamins, but now that I'm not in the WWE anymore got this big idea of brother real American beer It's unified the country having one beer to have a beer to neighbor NASCAR country baseball football good memories drinking beer That's what Hulk wanted to do and he called me up for several months to do it and I finally came out and do that This is right about now with Ryan Alfred a Radcast Network production We are the number one business show on the planet with over one million downloads a month Taking the BS out of business for over six years and over 400 episodes You ready to start snapping next and cash and checks? Well, it starts right about now Terry Chad welcome to right about now. What's up guys? What's up Brian? Good to have you guys man. I get to do this show. We're almost 800 episodes in it's pretty popular when I see Business and beer I'm in baby. That's all I needed to hear. I am a real American beer drinker It fit perfect with this brand. Love what you guys are doing. It's got to be a little fun Yeah, it's been a crazy ride We partnered with Hulk on this and obviously he's passed but we were on the road for a year And it was pretty amazing to share that year Hulk and just hit the streets everywhere I was a living breathing child that ate his vitamins because of Hulk Hogan I get to leave behind the real American legacy in beer though. That's cool It's great for you guys to pick it up focus on the positive sides How the hell did you get into beer with Hulk Hogan? I met Hulk through another business venture and we were on the road one time and someone came up to him Said if you ever thought about doing your own beer the Hulk's like brother I used to be say your prayers eat your vitamins But now that I'm not in the WWE anymore. I got this big idea of brother real American beer It's unified the country having one beer to have a beer the neighbor NASCAR country baseball football good memories drinking beer That's what Hulk wanted to do and he called me up for several months to do it And I finally came out and do and I met Terry through another business partner And Terry was the head of M&A at INBEV but the time she was at NACO And I called her up and told her this crazy idea and she jumped on it So that's kind of how we got started This bird's not for you. How did you told him Terry? Chad and Hulk were pretty convincing When you see somebody's work ethic matched with sort of a long career or hard work to show for it It was a very easy and obvious decision for me to come and join them Chad the hardest working best marketer I know they've met And then Hulk worked and couldn't be stopped There's nothing about him that ever wanted to not be on the road meeting people and pushing the brand We had such a fortunate year and a half with Hulk He really certainly did open the doors to allow us to now take on as you say Ryan His legacy forward and really bring real American beer to as many people as possible How's it been and kind of where you guys taking things now as far as the brand and the business and It's an interesting time I love this brand because I feel like we started to get towards this place where I feel like we were making It's not about politics We all should love America We're all blessed to live here And whenever that became a bad thing or in any way the negative connotation I'm a big believer like in sentiment People fucking lost their minds sometimes do you know you live in the best country on the planet? It is not perfect. No one say it's perfect But man, let's embrace some patriotism and make it cool again To love the American way and American products Is that all right? Yeah, yeah Terry, I and Hulk were on the road It was kind of during the hot topic of what you just mentioned Because Mr. Hulk was running the president Hulk and myself were at the RNC They spoke there and all Hulk really did care about truthfully And this is not like people that didn't know him they make their assumptions We were with them every single day He would go on the road and we would just get to spend time with Americans No matter who they were Public and Democrat It didn't matter Hulk was nice to everybody Really we have the best time because we beat a bar Everyone's happy Hulk was there on stage Chugging a beer with all the great Americans And that was probably one of the greatest times we've had Because it was rinsing repeat That's all Hulk What you just said is exactly what he would say Be like it's not about politics Beer is a place where you can have a beer with your neighbor Have fun Watch sports or barbecue He'd also say mom's apple pie and just enjoy yourself That's the brand that he wanted us out to create Yeah And what we found And I say that we were on the luckiest tour ever Because we got to go to places Most people have been certainly the media don't write about And we've got to see people's kindness Their generosity Their openness Their excitement The pride that exists in all these small towns around the country It really was a tour that everyone should go on Because you'd realize that in fact in these small hometown places People are happy It's very different from what you read in the media That's something that will stick with me for the rest of my life Yeah, good point there I only need to press me as turning the news on It's all about doom and gloom and clicks And look, how did their shit going on? But come on It ain't all bad The American way is work hard Play hard And downtime and entertainment And all these things A lot of things that Terry Hulk Hogan stood for And what a consummate professional Hulk Hogan always knew the way Say whatever you want about him The dude knew the job He knew who he was And the person that he carried and what he stood for I like that It's guys like that We need to stand up for what you are and what you do None of us are perfect Because look You have a fucking look in the mirror If you think you got it all figured out No We have all prep imperfections But if the American way is to forgive and forget And to also Hey, know how to relax a little bit And that's why I love what you're doing With this brand Nothing be getting on my soapbox You guys got the right guest Or the right host for you guys The brand Cause this is right on my alley Talk to me about the business side of this What is it going up against big beer It's challenging We've chosen one of the Most competitive and cutthroat industries And I think most industries would say that The difference here There's only so much shelf space And with all the laws and regulations in place You have to go through the system You've got to start getting the system To work with you And for you Not against you Now I could sit for hours And talk to you about the beer Beer system And the three tiers That's for another day Unless your distributor wants to work with you And wants to push you You're not going anywhere What we've been able to build In a matter of year and a half Is relationships Thinking about it from a business podcast perspective Relationships are the centre of every single business There's very few that I would say It's not critical for In the beer industry Even more so You could look at it from a big broad perspective But ultimately It's for Shoffo Who wants to make a few more bucks each week It's the truck driver Who wants to make sure that they make their rounds It's the person growing the hops in the week Somewhere in North America That wants to be able to feed their family And so the whole pipeline The whole way along You're dealing with individuals Who care about their world And you've got to make your beer Worth their while Capture their attention The more rions we have in this world Who are interested in what we're building You know, the more successful we'll be Because it's going to take a lot more than Just even our team to make this work It's a whole ecosystem Of people pushing in the right direction Do we want to go To how outdated the three tier system is Do we want to go there Do we want to still Cruel steer I mean we can go there if you want Our distribution partners Are key to our success The three tier system has long protected The distribution The distributors in that chain The issue you have is The further you get away from the consumer The less you can impact sales What we're trying to do is work well within that And just make sure that our distributors Get more of their mind share Than other brands And obviously when you've got the big Goliaths Yeah, if that's a big Goliath amount of mind share That the distributors put towards them How can you continue to create marketing moments And experiences They bring them into the real American world And make them feel like they're part of something Because for the most part The big brands aren't doing that anymore So the opportunity is really in the relationship Yeah, it's a relationship It's also marketing We're constantly having to give them something to be excited about Terry's the CEO is an incredible fighter You got to be a fighter in this industry Our whole team are fighters We're ground and pounded Back to the whole thing is Whatever Hulk would do It didn't matter who it was If you run his team Get expecting you to work as hard as he is And he'll work as hard as you were And so that's kind of the culture we built When the marketing perspective We have to bat up there with AB And these guys that we don't have the money like they do We raise some money We have to be very selective on what we do So we've learned a lot through this two years Of how we spend our money And what we did One thing that we did was really cool Is that we created a professional freestyle wrestling league Because we knew that we wouldn't be able to compete Again, by light With the UFC deal And football To rent out a stadium Be an official beer of an NFL team Is half a million dollars minimum I wrestled my whole life That's called unscripted wrestling Freestyle wrestling And we were on the road And I was thinking my son's wrestling And all the dads are drinking beer The tournament stuff I'm like this is an area we can own We come up with thinking about an idea I told his to Terry and Hull I was like My partner's on the freestyle wrestling The freestyle wrestling That's now the most popular Emerging sports league in the world It bats up there with the rest of the combat sports And now our beer is the official beer of wrestling Unscripted wrestling We come up with ways to be creative Brantley Gilbert We met him through Hull Was in drinking beer He said he's allergic to alcohol now 14 years later Because he was an alcoholic back in the day And now we create a non-alcoholic beer With Brantley Because Brantley has a story that resonates With the non-alcoholic markets It's just coming up with unique ways To put ourselves there It's a very natural and sincere To our consumers Zero real American beer zero Isn't it? Yep Like I saw Brantley holding one Yeah Yeah I'm a country's music loving Truck Driving Oh yeah I'm South Carolina baby I know Brantley Gilbert Right Hi, you're a drinker We're going up to you Yeah, we're I know You guys are in the rock the country Yes I know Yeah When is that? In London So they're in seven small cities Around the country Our next one is in Belville, Texas On May the 1st and 2nd Brantley's going to be performing there What we're building is like an ecosystem Where maybe it doesn't make sense to everybody right now But what you'll start to see is When you come into the real American ecosystem It all works together We've got Brantley walked out Kobe Covington At a real American freestyle Kobe and Brantley are both on the real American beer team Brantley is performing at rock the country We are the beer of rock the country You start to see country music And MMA are different They're not The people who are watching MMA Are listening to country music And they're drinking beer What we do is work Creating an ecosystem That is really surround someone's lifestyle It's the person who's going watching the dirt racing That they're also going to watch Raff on Saturday night And watch that great show in Philly So it's like you know We're sort of surrounding ourselves With the lifestyle of our drinkers I love that I'm sitting in the middle of my trading card store That I own I'm going It all sort of ties together too There's a culture there We launched a trading card business For a raff We've done pretty well And there's guys that come from Tennessee And all these different states to buy it Collectibles in Germany Pattern was one of the biggest collectibles Guy in the space He's also an investor of real American freestyle So when he bounties the cards All the collectors They come out And they want to be a part of it It's been a really good part of our business Mm-hmm That's a toss to add some distribution Or something there I can put some Some marae f cards up Here We'll send you some Ha ha ha Yes Ah Trading cards It's a good This is a match made in heaven Let's talk about the business a little bit more With the distribution system Is it bottom up or top down Are both Because I'm sitting here going The elevate the brand From the bottom down Like customers So you get them talking and asking So you bubble it up there A pun intended Or Is it top you work in the top Talk to me about all that It's definitely both Those kind of lightning bolt brands That you hear about Once every few years They've managed to both the exact same time Gruns is an example of one that is he sold And I would say they're one that kind of found a need Found the consumers found a route to market And did it together Now with beer On the alcoholic side It's a little bit more fragmented I think you need to win the hearts and minds Of the distributor first Then that allows you to win the hearts and minds Of the retailer And then the job is to get the consumers to walk If you start the other way around Consumers can't find it And so there's always that Thought of when do you spend your marketing dollars And when do you accelerate Because if you've got all this great stuff happening But the product's not on the shelf Forget about it Because then no one's ever drinking your beer Because it's not there And the need to get distribution and get it wide Cross everywhere where you're targeting Or only spend money where the beer is actually on the shelf Because of the three-tier system That's the rule That's where it really becomes interesting That's why in a year and a half Since we have launched We were able to open up 20,000 retail doors We were able to set up 180 distributor relationships Across 32 state We were able to get into Walmart And to Alpetsons We're at HEB You name it We've had a spot in it Total wine across the country To be able to do all of that rapidly And then also get the consumer at the same time You win some You lose some Some markets Won't enter all packaging Just to be clear It wasn't the thing for it Now what we're doing with the rebrand Is we're really making sure That we've got that surround sound That we know is needed So RAF is our core consumer We're focused on wrestling We're focused on colleges And then we're also focused on country lifestyle And those three areas We've got very sort of specific pillars for marketing That we're building under that But we're building that Because we know also where our distribution is We're getting strong distribution in Texas We're getting strong distribution in Florida We're getting strong distribution in Georgia You sort of start to see how When you look at where we're going to be on the shelf Our consumer is there And we can speak to them in a certain way The magic is when the truth collide It needs to happen from the top And the bottom at the same time We're out of beer as a killer in The city of Massachusetts Boston, right It's not a beer as a killer in downtown Chicago We killed in Illinois And all the other areas in Illinois Just like Terry's market We murder it and upstate New York We do really well in Wisconsin In Michigan We kill in Ohio We know that we're not going to be here It's going to be going into nightclub In New York City And that's going to be our beer of choice So, like Terry said, we're very focused I know where we went And we know where we went Yeah, that country culture Going on in the South Carolina It's about to open North Carolina That's going to be in the coming month or so So we'll be down in South Carolina in no time We have to stop in if you'll come on the world tour Or whatever to the South I think like you know, direct to consumer Like is that ever going to happen for beer? A lot of the beer only non-alcoholic beers Have done well and been able to get distribution Because of direct to consumer So with the launch of our zero We've just started our D to C So we've had to build that whole arm and muscle We haven't quite yet got hoax muscles In that arm But what we've had to do there is We can start selling that directly Outside of the three tier Because it's a non-alcoholic beverage In most states it's possible Now without what we're already seeing Is an ability to understand more about the consumer Because we get the direct data We've learned that we're getting about 25% rebise In the last three weeks Just off a smaller base But still that's fantastic indicator of flavor And taste resonating with the consumers that are buying You start to see and understand more How direct data with the consumer Can change the way you can react That's the hardest thing with beer Is you just don't get that Because you don't have that relationship With the consumer from a transaction's basis Will it ever go D to C? I think again As long as you work through it Maybe it's D to C and it ends up being The back end goes through the retailer That's how Devices work so far I don't think there's any time soon That that's going to change I think it's about finding the way to work within it Has that just a safety Because you're sipping an alcoholic beverage And people are worried that 15-year-olds Are going to be drinking it too easily In fact, if you go to Walmart.com Here's a great thing about Walmart And we love them as our partners They really do a great job What Walmart is able to do now I think it's the start something like In 97% of the country You can order and get your product Delivered to your door within three hours And that includes alcohol There's a little promo for Walmart But it's a pretty fantastic start But in fact In most parts of the country You can actually order and get alcohol Delivered to your door within three hours So I'm glad I didn't have that I don't think They're at Blue Wall State So I don't know who her backwards On some of these were four words Of other who were backwards It's just when South Carolina way Well that may be The whole of the alcohol regulation side of things Is done state by state My background is I'm a lawyer And so that's helped us Really to understand and cut through Some of the noise When you set up a new company It does it makes a difference to understand it So you can work within it There you go through We went through over 180 wholesalers Distributors And they're like They used to look at me and Terry And be like You guys can't get this done And it's sort of on time And Terry's like I'm a lawyer I'll be okay And so with the We get a contract signed with them That may take a normal company Four to six weeks We get it done in three to five days And apparently we have How to do that Because we would take Hulk to market Hulk went With me and Terry to Walmart And all these different spots But once Hulk was agreeing to go to market We had to move quick And so There's one time Where we actually got a contract done in about a day And then we were in market Days later So pretty crazy Three or four days later In Hulk With a large retail partner That's nimble You don't see that at the big spots Trying to think how He might sleep Not during those times It was crazy You get like six to eight hundred people waiting in line to meet Hulk And he was in a lot of pain Barely can move To be honest And he stood up there For four hours To make sure everybody got to meet him And that's what you were talking about earlier Which always resonates with me It's important for me to always share that Part of his legacy Because most celebrities at his level Will not do that And he would do it rinse and repeat Rinse and repeat Three to four times a day Well, everyone else is getting to relax I thought of that Said a lot about his character The end of the last year of his living He got to see the love That people had for Hulkomania And that kind of gave him his energy When he's in that pain during those store visits So lift him up and you go Man brother, I'm tired But they still The Hulkomania That 1984 Hulk filled I feel that liking bolt still And he would say that to me And Terry all his eyes So I thought that was a good message that for the brand That's why a lot of distributors And people want us to win too He would drive a lightning bulb to them And he would sell seven trucks of beer In a week Because he would show up And that no one was able to ever do that He always knew the job And he always did it I didn't know him personally But I know Y'all know Darren Perence It's like one of his many agents Entertainment And it shows everything Darren and I are close And he speaks very highly of whole code And I always And I had followed him Growing up I mean, I watched wrestling I don't know if you met Christopher Volo But he worked with Darren for a long time And Chris Vowe was our partner He's the one who would be with Hulk And us in the tour all the time And was a partner in the beer in RAF But on the road He managed Hulk for 17 years with Darren That's awesome What are we going with the brand I know you guys have talked about it some of the changes We've talked about the RAF Integration and all that stuff We've made tons of sense Where are we pointed towards right now We're going towards the Real American Beer It's a brand as the original vision That we set out to do And Terry said it's a very pointed approach We've launched an alcoholic We're going to be coming out more skews We're just getting started We're almost a two-year-old brand We just launched a whole new VBI As Terry is presenting We were two weeks ago here in Tampa There's a bunch of football players From the box there And they love the beer People They're just getting the beer in hands And becoming as big as company Big CPG company The average company that we can be But it's staying in our lane Knowing who we are And just really hyper focused on Growing the business We're always looking for ways To activate our community We've got We've already for a very new brand But a bunch of loyal followers And it's like how can we use them To continue to be advocates And referrals for the brand So we're coming up with a couple of really cool things And I'm excited to share soon But this can't be done by our team I said this earlier But it really will take a force And a force of people who all want to see something new And align to what they love Work We're just building that group of people Who will make sure that they go and buy A six-pack each week Make sure it's on their local tap At the bar that they go to By the lake and Wisconsin It's about finding those people to be like Hey, can I get real American beer in here Because I love it And I'll drink it and all my friends will drink it too That's the trick here It's going to take a lot of us to make this work Well, I've got sponsorship open on my houseboat That's on Lake Kiwi We'll make real American beer The official beer of the summer Of the offered houseboat I'm on that I'm on that Make sure it's back Make sure it's stocked Yes I got, look, I got a 75 feet I got a top deck with my bar And we're going to stock that baby with real American beer And we'll just be the summer of RAB I love that I love that I love one of your houseboat parties Yes, so you're invited Yeah With the film like the stocking or something Yes Oh, it's fun You got to come to the RAF event I want to, man, I'd love to We have to work that out I have a real appreciation for how tough those guys are That's it Real is the right word Real tough Hey guys, what can we leave details Information for anybody listening They want to learn more about what you guys are up to Take a look at therealamerican.com That's our website AtDreamCrab is the Instagram The handle across most social channels The biggest thing we can ask is Ask your local bar or your liquor store to get RAB in Say that you want to try it Get them to ask for it And we'll make sure that the beer keeps getting stocked Because we'd love to be part of your regular Beer drinking occasions That's the ask of the team around the country Yeah, like Terry said, to show up See the culture we're building And then We're the number one show on Fox Nation too for RAF If anyone wants to watch RAF Just tune in to Fox Or the number one show there as well And just see the beer front and center as well We appreciate you having us on here Yeah, my pleasure Thanks very much Perfect fit Real America free style We're going to open now Fine Oh yes, please There we go There we go Terry's cracking one We'll be cracking one I'm going to get it Yes Terry's a real American Australian I like to joke with her Yeah, exactly Well, it is a funny one Because I say to people I come at being a real American From a different point of view I wasn't born here But I choose to raise my family here I call it the greatest country in the world And I see it for all of its good things In fact, it's a privilege to be in the country It's a privilege to be able to build a family and a career here And for that reason I have a very interesting perspective on it And I'm proudly American That is actually the most American thing That I've ever heard Is actually like that's what America is about It's about the freedom and the choice to be here Listen when you have the privilege to be And then adding value to the country like you are Terry And bringing a challenge to Big Beer With a real American product Haha Yeah, I have a five year old daughter And she sounds more American than anything The fact that she gets to be schooled here The fact that she gets to live here It's a privilege for her And I'm glad that we have the opportunity to be here Chad Terry, really appreciate you guys for coming on It was a pleasure getting to know you I hope it's just the beginning Thank you for having us I'm going to be on your house break Hey guys, you're to find us Ryan is right.com You'll find links to all the beer episodes All the beer talk will be there It always is We appreciate you for making us Number one, you can find me at Ryan Offord With that blue check before you can buy it baby We'll see you next time We're right about now This has been right about now with Ryan Offord A Radcast Network Production Visit RyanisRate.com for full audio And video versions of the show Order one choir about sponsorship opportunities Thanks for listening You