Hop Culture Magazine
Hop Culture Magazine is a digital craft-beer publication and Untappd-powered online shop selling curated craft beers and branded merchandise, while offering breweries a full suite of advertising and sponsorship products targeting engaged craft-beer enthusiasts in the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Hop Culture Magazine does
Hop Culture Magazine is a digital craft-beer publication and direct-to-consumer e-commerce operator founded in 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and operated within the Next Glass holding structure alongside Untappd, BeerAdvocate, and Goekos. Its editorial core consists of beer reviews, brewery guides covering 40+ US cities, beer-style explainers, gear and homebrewing coverage, travel content, and People and Culture features, with an explicit recent expansion into THC and cannabis-infused beverages. The company monetizes this audience through a multi-pronged revenue model: a weekly Wednesday-morning subscription newsletter, a full B2B advertising product suite (custom editorial, custom social posts on @hopculturemag, newsletter campaigns, festival and event sponsorships, and B2B opportunities), and an Untappd-powered online shop selling 199 beer SKUs across over 50 breweries alongside 26 branded merchandise items including apparel, glassware, and accessories.
The underlying technology is the Untappd-powered Hop Culture Shop, which integrates Untappd's product catalog, age verification, ratings, check-ins, Community Awards badges, and payment processing. Order fulfillment is outsourced to Half Time Beverage, which handles picking, packing, UPS adult-signature shipping, returns, and customer support for US and Puerto Rico destinations only. Distribution is single-channel (the Hop Culture Shop) plus festival/event vendor opportunities, with no international shipping currently available. The company also maintains a North Carolina-based photography studio that produces all social content and branded merchandise.
Beyond commerce, Hop Culture positions itself as both a media property and a marketplace intermediary for craft breweries and beverage brands seeking targeted reach to an engaged, mostly millennial craft-beer enthusiast audience. Its claimed market positioning is the "fastest growing craft beverage publication in the country," supported by ~100k organically-grown Instagram followers, first-page Google rankings for many craft-beer queries, and a 2020 acquisition of The Hop Review to consolidate editorial footprint. Pricing is unit-based across beer (single cans to 24-unit cases), apparel, and accessories, with a $5 Small Order Fee below $35 and flat-rate shipping rules. Compliance posture covers CCPA/CPRA, GDPR, UK GDPR, and PIPEDA, inherited operationally from the Next Glass privacy regime.
Hop Culture Magazine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hop Culture Magazine
- Legal name
- Hop Culture
- Website
- https://hopculture.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hop Culture Magazine is a digital craft-beer publication and Untappd-powered online shop selling curated craft beers and branded merchandise, while offering breweries a full suite of advertising and sponsorship products targeting engaged craft-beer enthusiasts in the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hop Culture Magazine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Beer Media & E-commerce
- NAICS
- Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF), Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE)
Keywords
Where Hop Culture Magazine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hop Culture Magazine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- E-commerce Sales: Hop Culture operates an online shop selling craft beers and branded merchandise. Revenue comes from product sales with pricing ranging from $2.99 to $212.49 for beers and $0.99 to $59.99 for merchandise. The shop uses Untappd's e-commerce infrastructure.
- Advertising & Sponsorships: Hop Culture offers custom editorial content, custom social posts, email newsletter campaigns, event partnerships, and B2B opportunities for brands looking to reach craft beer enthusiasts and industry professionals.
- Subscription Newsletter: Hop Culture offers newsletter subscriptions to deliver content to subscribers, with newsletters going out on Wednesday mornings each week.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual beer products priced per unit or in multi-packs |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise items (apparel, glassware, accessories) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Shipping fees |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Hop Culture Magazine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hop Culture Magazine is a craft beer publication and Untappd-powered e-commerce platform that sells craft beers, curated beer boxes, and branded merchandise (apparel, glassware, accessories) directly to beer enthusiasts across the United States and Puerto Rico. The company also monetizes its editorial audience through native advertising, sponsored social posts, newsletter campaigns, and festival partnerships sold to breweries and beverage brands.
Product overview
Hop Culture Magazine operates as a craft beer publication and e-commerce platform. The core offerings include the Hop Culture Magazine digital publication covering brewery reviews, beer recommendations, travel guides, and industry insights, alongside the Hop Culture Shop—a beer e-commerce platform powered by Untappd. The shop sells individual craft beers, curated beer boxes (mystery multi-packs in styles like Hazy IPAs and Lagers), and branded merchandise including apparel, glassware, and accessories. The company also offers advertising services to brands including Custom Editorial (native articles), Custom Social (Instagram posts), Email Newsletter campaigns, Event Partnerships at festivals, and B2B Opportunities. The portfolio is unified by its focus on the craft beer enthusiast community.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Whale Glass: A glassware collection featuring a whale design, tribute to exceptional beers
Products and services
- Hop Culture Magazine
- Hop Culture Shop
- Beer Boxes
- Hop Culture Branded Merchandise
- Newsletter Subscription
- Advertising Services for Beer Brands
Quantifiable outcome
- Custom editorial content frequently ranks on first page of Google search results
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Hop Culture Magazine
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hop Culture Magazine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature2 records
Hop Culture Magazine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- UntappdcoreUntappd powers the Hop Culture Shop with its e-commerce infrastructure, providing product catalog integration, age verification, user ratings and reviews, and payment processing. The shop displays Untappd ratings and Community Awards badges.
- Half Time BeveragecoreHalf Time Beverage handles all order fulfillment for the Hop Culture Shop including picking, packing, and shipping products. They provide customer support for orders and handle returns/exchanges. Located in the US with operations Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Eastern.
- Next GlasscoreNext Glass is the parent company of Hop Culture along with Untappd, BeerAdvocate, and other craft beverage properties. Next Glass operates the unified platform and privacy policy covering all affiliated services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hop Culture Magazine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Beer52: UK-based craft beer subscription and online magazine platform pairing editorial content with curated beer boxes. Closest international analog combining craft beer publication with subscription commerce.
- All About Beer: Long-running print and digital craft beer magazine covering brewing, beer culture, and tastings. Comparable as a craft beer publication with editorial depth, though older in format and more industry-focused than Hop Culture's digital commerce-led approach.
- Paste Magazine: Lifestyle and culture digital magazine with a dedicated beer section covering craft breweries, reviews, and bar guides. Comparable in format (digital-first lifestyle publication with commerce and ads), though broader in subject matter.
- BeerAdvocate: Sibling publication under Next Glass covering craft beer reviews, ratings, and community. Operates the BeerAdvocate shop carried through Hop Culture, and is the most direct comparable given shared parent, overlap in audience, and overlapping editorial coverage.
- Tavour: Craft beer discovery and delivery platform selling curated multi-packs and rare beer boxes DTC. Directly comparable on the Hop Culture Shop's beer box and merchandise commerce side, with shared audience of enthusiast beer drinkers.
- VinePair: Leading US beer, wine, and spirits digital media brand covering breweries, bars, and drinking culture. Closest independent comparable in audience (industry professionals and enthusiasts) and ad-supported editorial commerce model.
- CraftBeer.com: Brewers Association's consumer-facing craft beer publication with editorial, brewery directory, and event coverage. Directly comparable as a beer-focused media outlet, though operated by an industry trade body rather than a commercial holding company.
Broad incumbents
- Drizly: Large alcohol e-commerce marketplace now owned by Uber, offering beer, wine, and spirits delivery across US markets. Comparable as an alcohol DTC platform competing for the same craft beer purchaser, though broader in assortment and reach.
- Thrillist: Larger general-interest lifestyle publisher owned by Group Nine/Warner Bros Discovery with beer, travel, food, and gear coverage. Comparable in covering craft beer as part of broader lifestyle content but operates at significantly larger scale across many verticals.
Others
- Untappd: The beer check-in and rating app that powers Hop Culture's shop infrastructure under common Next Glass ownership. Most directly adjacent technology provider; is the data backbone for Hop Culture's commerce, ratings, and discovery flow.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hop Culture Magazine social profiles
Digital presenceHop Culture Magazine compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Hop Culture Magazine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hop Culture Magazine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hop Culture Magazine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hop Culture Magazine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hop Culture Magazine
What does Hop Culture Magazine do?
Hop Culture Magazine is a craft beer publication and Untappd-powered e-commerce platform that sells craft beers, curated beer boxes, and branded merchandise (apparel, glassware, accessories) directly to beer enthusiasts across the United States and Puerto Rico. The company also monetizes its editorial audience through native advertising, sponsored social posts, newsletter campaigns, and festival partnerships sold to breweries and beverage brands.
When was Hop Culture Magazine founded?
Hop Culture Magazine was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hop Culture Magazine based?
Hop Culture Magazine is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hop Culture Magazine make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are advertising & Sponsorships and subscription Newsletter.
Who are Hop Culture Magazine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Beer52, All About Beer, Paste Magazine, BeerAdvocate, Tavour, VinePair and CraftBeer.com. Broad incumbents are Drizly and Thrillist. Untappd is listed as an others.
Does Hop Culture Magazine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hop Culture Magazine.
What industry is Hop Culture Magazine in?
Hop Culture Magazine's product category is Craft Beer Media & E-commerce. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAA, Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines, with a secondary code of CRANABAF, Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail). Its NAICS code is 44532 and its SIC code is 2721.