Craft beer industry news.
The hemp beverage industry is set to receive a one-month reprieve from a looming U.S. hemp ban, as Congress has voted to pass a continuing resolution pushing the deadline to December 11, sending the bill to the president’s desk.
Dedicated non-alcoholic (NA) beer maker Athletic Brewing is tapping wine and spirits marketer Dan Kleinman as its next CMO. Kleinman will take over the role, effective September 8.
Joining forces has been a lifeline for many craft breweries seeking streamlined backend systems and greater power in talks with retail and distribution partners. But the strategy doesn’t guarantee positive sales results, according to the latest monthly report from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC).
After Sierra Nevada’s brands delivered growth in a challenged craft beer market, the country’s No. 2 craft brewery by volume plans to keep its foot on the gas. Part of stemming volume declines requires recruiting new drinkers into craft.
August’s ready-to-drink releases include a Bay Area canned cocktail brand suiting up with the 49ers and a top sparkling wine brand making its RTD debut, plus several fall-themed cocktails and one controversial breakfast-flavored libation. Here’s what’s new on shelf.
Some top beer brands are experiencing a late-summer boost in spite of the category’s summer slump, according to the latest weekly off-premise scans from market research firm Circana.
Hard soda slinger Crooked Pop is adding a veteran beverage executive to its team as it moves from an initial regional launch toward broader distribution.
Labor Day celebrations may be more subdued this year, at least in the on-premise, according to the latest “CGA-powered” data report from market research firm NIQ.
The August Beer Purchasers’ Index – coupled with lower inventory at risk of going out of code – revealed an industry that has fallen into “cautionary” mode at summer’s end for a second year, according to NBWA VP of analytics and chief economist Lester Jones’ wholesaler survey.
RBC industry analyst Nik Modi reiterated his enthusiasm for college graduate-age bev-alc consumption increasing starting about a year from now. No, he’s not throwing a series of awesome keggers (that I know of, but Irwin might be). Rather, he cites that folks turning 21 or 22 next year are the first generation to fully come of age socially without growing up in any of the COVID precaution-era social stunting scenarios.
Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter August 27-28, including headlines from Rogue, Bero, Victory and more.
Sierra Nevada has identified craft beer’s biggest villain and thinks it has a plan to defeat it. In a James Bond-themed presentation during its wholesaler conference at its campus in Mills River, North Carolina, the country’s No. 2 craft brewer by volume armed its wholesalers with a “license to sell” and a specific mission to tackle what it’s calling the Vortex – the self-perpetuating cycle of beer volume declines at retail that lead to distribution declines, which create more volume losses.
Morales Beverage Group (MBG) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) Indiana assets and operations, the companies announced today. The deal would add a sixth state to MBG’s distribution footprint.
Several members of The Finnish Long Drink’s sales force have announced the elimination of their roles in the wake of the ready-to-drink cocktail’s (RTD) acquisition by Mark Anthony Brands earlier this year.
