Molson Coors reported its third-quarter earnings today, which were highlighted by a 1.8 percent increase in worldwide net sales, to $2.9 billion. Year-to-date, Molson Coors — whose brands include Coors Light, Coors, and Miller Lite, among others — has recorded $8.4 billion in net sales, down 0.8 percent from 2017 levels.

William “Bill” Coors, the former chairman of the Adolph Coors Company, died Saturday at the age of 102. Coors, the grandson of Adolph Coors and heir to the family brewing business, died at his home, according to a statement released by Molson Coors. “Our company stands on the shoulders of giants like Bill Coors,” Molson Coors president and CEO Mark Hunter said in statement.

In the latest edition of People Moves: Anchor appoints a new VP of sales; Constellation Brands promotes from within; Fair State Brewing nabs an ex-Surly brewer; MillerCoors selects new VP of the Coors brand family; and the NBWA hires a new VP of communications.

Surging freight costs, a shortage of long-haul truck drivers and new laws restricting the number of hours that drivers can be on the road are cutting into profits of beer companies and other major corporations throughout the United States. Although increased transportation costs are affecting all consumer goods industries, Beer Institute chief economist Michael Uhrich told Brewbound that they’re disproportionately affecting the beer industry because the vast majority of beer sold domestically is shipped. Last year, beer companies shipped 2.9 billion cases of beer, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

The trend of Hazy IPAs is here to stay and this September, San Diego based Saint Archer Brewing Company will be launching their newest addition, the Hazy IPA. 

Several beer companies throughout North and South Carolina have temporarily halted operations in preparation for Hurricane Florence, which is set to make landfall over the next 24 hours, bringing with it wind gusts exceeding 74 mph and days of storm surges, flooding and double-digit rainfall. States of emergency have been declared in the Carolinas, and the governors in those states have urged more than 1 million residents of coastal towns to evacuate. Georgia, Virginia and Maryland have also issued emergency orders. Palmetto Brewing Co., which was acquired in late 2017 by Catawba Brewing Co., shut down on Wednesday, with its 20 employees being encouraged to evacuate the area.

MillerCoors will eliminate 350 salaried positions across the organization by the end of October, the company announced today in a memo. In the letter, CEO Gavin Hattersley characterized the job cuts as MillerCoors “moving quickly and decisively to get our business back on track.” Molson Coors’ U.S. business is offering a voluntary severance program to existing employees as well as eliminating 150 unfilled positions.

Channeling his inner Justin Timberlake, Founders Brewing co-founder and CEO Mike Stevens told hundreds of industry professionals attending last week’s Meeting of the Malts gathering in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that “America forgot how to make beer sexy.” Stevens — who successfully avoided a wardrobe malfunction while participating in a panel discussion about the state of the beer industry alongside Victory Brewing co-founder Bill Covaleski, D.G. Yuengling & Sons chief administrative officer Wendy Yuengling, Yards Brewing founder Tom Kehoe and Cigar City founder Joey Redner — wasn’t calling for a return to the days of provocative advertising, however.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: The Nevada Attorney General investigates MillerCoors; Stone seeks an injunction in its Keystone case; Almanac’s co-founder departs the company; and more news from the week.

After just six months, MillerCoors has pulled the plug on Two Hats, a light beer brand that was targeted at 21- to 24-year-old consumers. The company announced the decision to cease production of the beer, which will remain on retail shelves until early 2019, in a letter to employees and wholesalers on Monday.

MillerCoors continues to battle a pair of high-profile lawsuits — including a trademark infringement case brought by Stone Brewing and another case from a Las Vegas beer wholesaler. Earlier this week, MillerCoors, the U.S. beer division of Molson Coors, responded to Stone Brewing’s motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent the sale of Keystone products in which the word “Stone” had been isolated.

Molson Coors Brewing Company today reported its second-quarter earnings, however the financial results took a backseat to news that its Canadian business division had formed a joint venture with a Quebec cannabis company. The JV between Molson Coors Canada and HEXO, a recreational cannabis “sister brand” to The Hydropothecary, a licensed producer and distributor of medical cannabis, will be structured as “a standalone start-up company” led by its own board and management team.