50: 26.2 Brew and Beyond: Shelley Smith with Leadership Lessons from the Brewing Supply Chain

This week, we welcome Shelley Smith, Senior R&D and Lab Operations leader at Boston Beer Company, a chemical engineer turned brewer, one of only 28 Master Cicerones in the world, and the creator of the marathon-inspired 26.2 brew. Shelley walks us through how a new beer goes from idea to shelf, the surprising upstream supply-chain constraints that shape production, and the R&D tactics her team uses to test quickly and scale thoughtfully. We talk yeast and flavor, the booming extremes in beer (high-alcohol flavor bombs and sophisticated non-alcoholic options), leadership lessons from long study hours to asking for help, and practical advice for founders on getting scrappy without over-scaling.    ✨ Connect with Shelly! 📱LinkedIn - Shelly   💻Learn more on the topics discussed here:  IFT: Scaling Up - The Intersection of Food Science and Brewing Operations IWSR: The Evolution of No- and Low-Alcohol Transitions in Craft Brewing ✨ Connect with us! 📱LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/she-supply-chains/ 📱INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/shesupplychainspodcast/ 📱TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@shesupplychainspodcast 🎧 Call to Action Follow She Supply Chains on your favorite podcast app Leave us a review — it helps more listeners find the show Share this episode with someone you think would love it