One prominent Sunshine State craft brewer is considering a major expansion, but he’s worried that an ongoing legislative wrangling over the state’s growler-fill laws might actually force him to move the project out of the state. Joey Redner, the founder of Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fla., told Brewbound that the company is unable to… Read more »
Continuing to move out of what was once a customer base lying almost entirely in the Midwest, Bell’s Brewery today announced plans to expand distribution into Southern California in early May. The Michigan-based craft brewery has signed a wholesale agreement with Craft Beer Guild Distributing of California, an extension of L. Knife & Son’s growing… Read more »
Take note craft brewers — Corona is coming after your draft lines. Following a successful test run in six cities during 2012 and 2013, Constellation Brands — which owns the Corona and Modelo brands, among others — said it plans to strengthen its presence at the tap with the expansion of Corona Light draft to 35 additional U.S. markets.
The craft brew train kept on rolling in 2013 as production from the country’s smallest beer makers grew 18 percent, according to data released today by the Brewers Association (BA). As part of its annual report on the U.S. craft beer industry, the BA — which represents the interests of small and independent brewers —… Read more »
New Planet Beer, a Boulder, Colo.-based producer of gluten-free craft beer, is starting to make a habit of operating with limited resources. A company of just two official employees, New Planet doesn’t own its own brewery, yet it still sells beer in 46 states and Western Canada.
Amid growing controversy over an ongoing ban against gay and lesbian rights activists’ marching in South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Boston Beer Company today announced that it has dropped its sponsorship of the event. Jessica Paar, the company’s senior public relations manager, sent a statement to Brewbound explaining the decision:
Green Flash Brewing bottles are about to get a new look. Beginning in April, the San Diego, Calif.-based craft brewery will begin shipping redesigned 4-packs and 22 oz. bottles, in an effort to draw “increased attention to the beer name and beer style.” Green Flash co-founders Mike and Lisa Hinkley said the new look features… Read more »
If the latest GuestSciences (formerly GuestMetrics prior to acquiring Restaurant Sciences) data is to be believed, on-premise operators are off to a sluggish start in 2014. Foot traffic to restaurants, bars and nightclubs is down 4.5 percent through Feb. 23, a trend GuestSciences blamed on “unusually harsh weather conditions.”
Want to be sure that a bona fide, Brewers Association-defined “craft brewer” produced the beer you’re buying? Now there’s an app for that. But don’t expect any Craft Brew Alliance employees, and especially the company’s outspoken CEO, Andy Thomas, to be downloading the app anytime soon.
Despite posting record depletion growth of 11 percent and net sale growth of 6 percent last year, Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) said it was unhappy with its gross margin performance, which declined 150 basis points in 2013. During the company’s earnings call, held earlier today, Thomas explained how CBA plans to expand its gross margin rate by upwards of 700 basis points over the next five years.
The polar vortex might be to blame for slower retail foot traffic, weak winter job creation numbers and even delayed maple syrup production, but frigid temperatures haven’t cooled craft beer’s sizzling start to 2014. Year-to-date craft dollar sales are up a whopping 24.6 percent through February across IRI’s U.S. multi outlet and convenience stores universe… Read more »
As the saying goes, ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire.’ On Saturday, Reuters reported that veteran food industry investor, C. Dean Metropoulos, was in the early stages of finding a new owner for Pabst Brewing Co., the country’s fifth largest beer vendor.
Welcome to the club, D.G. Yuengling & Son. Glad you made it, Narragansett. Sorry about the trouble, August Schell Brewing. Forget the controversy, feel free to use rice and corn, just stick with tradition, ok? The Brewers Association (BA) — a not-for-profit trade group representing the interests of small and independent American craft brewers —… Read more »
The country’s largest craft brewery, Boston Beer Company, last week reported fourth quarter depletions growth of 20 percent and net revenue of $205.4 million, an increase of $52.4 million over the same period last year. The company’s full-year depletions grew 23 percent while production volumes increased 25 percent, to about 3.4 million barrels.
