Tamarron Consulting, known for its annual Malt Beverage Supplier Performance Survey, which polls hundreds of U.S. beer distributors and asks them to rate performance and share perceptions of the leading domestic and import brands, recently made its first foray into craft beer with its inaugural Craft Brewer Performance Survey.

File this marketing stunt under the genius column. In an effort to promote the release of its new summertime seasonal beer, Swill, the folks over at Bend, Ore.-based 10 Barrel Brewing filled a vending machine with the beer, rigged it up to dispense free product and hit the road for a tour of the Pacific… Read more »

Sales of Maine-made craft beer could soon rival those of Vacationland’s most celebrated crustacean and iconic product — the lobstah. According to a new economic study released by the Maine Brewers Guild, craft beer production in Maine is projected to grow by 200 percent in the next four years.

Craft Brew Alliance’s Hawaiian-themed craft brand, Kona Brewing, today unveiled its first major advertising campaign, “Dear Mainland.” The new televisions spots will begin airing this month in urban beach communities like San Diego and Los Angeles as well as Orlando and features two Hawaiian brothers commenting on “common mainlander customs,” like multi-tasking and the brevity of happy hour.

Here’s some refreshing news: Brewers aren’t the only ones grappling with the definition of “craft.” A group of small winemakers, distillers and brewers joined yesterday’s opening panel discussion at the Craft Beverage Expo in San Jose, Calif., to discuss their humble beginnings, their business aspirations and the craft beverage “ecosystem.”

A little more than 100 days have passed in 2014 and the craft beer category is showing no signs of slowing down. Craft sustained its 20-plus percent growth pace, with year-to-date craft dollar sales up 24.6 percent, through April 20, across IRI’s multi-outlet and convenience store universe (MULC), which includes grocery, drug, Wal-Mart, Club, Dollar,… Read more »

After the Boston Beer Company posted record-breaking fourth quarter revenue gains in 2013, it’s hard to believe that the country’s leading craft brewer could sustain momentum and continue increasing volume and growing sales through the first three months of 2014. But that’s exactly what the makers of Samuel Adams, Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard Cider did in the first quarter of the year, growing revenues 35 percent and core shipment volumes 32 percent.

Picture this: It’s 10 A.M. and Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione, the veritable poster child for craft beer, is sipping from a translucent green Heineken bottle in front of 800 beer distributors. He plucked the bottle from a range of options, passing up his brewery’s own 60 Minute IPA in favor of the import lager.

At the 2014 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), held earlier this month in Denver, Colo., it seemed like most attendees were, at one point or another, immersed in a discussion about the relationship between craft brewers and distributors. Building upon those conversations, Brewbound asked attendees what the most important considerations are when making new distributor selections. Those responses are included in the latest installment of our video series.

During a panel discussion on succession planning at this month’s Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, Colo., New Belgium co-founder Kim Jordan along with Schlafly co-founder Dan Kopman and First Beverage Group vice president, J.B. Shireman, shared insights into the various succession strategies for craft brewers.

After 15 years, Indiana’s second-largest brewery decided it was time to make a change. To better capture the quality of its beers and the company culture, Bloomington-based Upland Brewing Co. overhauled its identity, redesigning everything from marketing materials to tap handles. “You don’t thrive and grow for 15 years by not making changes,” the company… Read more »

Blue Point Brewing has announced that former Goose Island Brewing and Deschutes Brewery executive Mark Hegedus will take over as president, effective immediately. The news comes less than three months after Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B InBev) acquired New York-based Blue Point for an estimated $24 million, and three years after the beer giant purchased Chicago-based Goose… Read more »

There are few authors better suited to write about the growth of craft beer than Brooklyn Brewery co-founder Steve Hindy. In “The Craft Beer Revolution: How a Band of Microbrewers is Transforming the World’s Favorite Drink,” Hindy chronicles decades of growth for American craft breweries, which have doubled their collective volume to 15.6 million barrels — representing approximately 7.8 percent of all beer sold in the U.S. — in the last six years alone.

If you ask a group of beer industry professionals for their take on the Brewers Association (BA) definition of a “craft brewer,” take cover — it’s a polarizing topic. So, at last week’s Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, Brewbound asked a number of brewers for their thoughts on the revised craft brewer definition. The latest installment in our video series is published above for your viewing pleasure.