Cody Morris is reincarnating out of code draft beer as hand sanitizer. A professional brewer and the son of distillery owners, he knew that all the beer sitting idle in kegs could be distilled into hand sanitizer, which is needed for essential workers nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The beer industry has been deemed essential under guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), something the heads of beer trade associations worked to secure.

With the loss of tasting room and on-premise sales, members of the American Cider Association have been forced to pivot to curbside sales, virtual tastings and bundles sold through e-commerce, ACA executive director Michelle McGrath explained.

Constellation Brands will continue production of import brands Corona, Modelo and Pacifico at its facilities in Mexico, despite the suspension of nonessential businesses in that country.

Cascade Brewing, a Portland, Oregon-based brewpub known for its sour and barrel-aged beers, has been sold to a group of four local investors who each have ownership stakes in other Oregon breweries.

The Brewers Association (BA) yesterday released its annual ranking of the top 50 craft brewers based on sales volume.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) announced Tuesday that it will postpone tax payments and filing deadlines as its constituent businesses grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Craftworks Holdings has laid off its nationwide staff of 18,000 people, according to Westword.

The Brewers Association tapped representatives from law firm McDermott Will & Emery to educate members on the $2.2 trillion stimulus package signed into law last week to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

San Diego-headquartered Stone Brewing’s long-running trademark infringement lawsuit against Molson Coors’ Keystone brand will move to trial in October. Stone first brought the lawsuit against MillerCoors in February 2018 in the U.S. District Court Southern District of California, alleging that the April 2017 packaging and marketing refresh for the company’s Keystone Light brand that more prominently featured the word “Stone” infringed on the craft brewery’s intellectual property.

The state of Massachusetts, which temporarily banned on-premise dining and drinking on March 17, has taken a step toward approving to-go sales of beer and wine, something most other northeastern states have had in places since their on-premise bans began.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the $2.2 trillion stimulus package Friday afternoon and sent the bill to President Donald Trump, who signed the bill into law at 4 p.m. ET in the Oval Office. U.S. brewers shipped 11,350,000 barrels in February, a decline of 0.7% compared to February 2019, according to national trade group the Beer Institute.

Ball Corporation has added production of 32 oz. crowler cans and expects to have a supply ready to hit the market in two days. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the $2 trillion stimulus package to aid the public health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Deschutes Brewery founder Gary Fish told the Bend Bulletin that the company has laid off about 60% of its staff.

As draft beer has almost entirely stopped flowing in the U.S. due to on-premise shutdowns caused by efforts to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19, craft brewers are turning to crowlers — 32 oz. cans filled and sealed on demand — to sell the beer left in their kegs before it oxidizes.

San Diego, California-headquartered Green Flash Brewing has furloughed or laid off most of its staff, VP of marketing Ben Widseth confirmed to Brewbound on Tuesday evening.