Jessica Infante joined Brewbound in 2019 after nearly a decade in a variety of marketing roles in the craft beer industry. Prior to that, she was a daily newspaper reporter at the Jersey Shore. Jess holds a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communication from Emerson College. She is a certified Cicerone and lives in Salem, Massachusetts.
Industry veteran Josh Fruchtman has departed Allagash Brewing to serve as director of sales and commercial growth for Atlas Brew Works and dedicated mid-strength contract brand Dad Strength Brewing.
Total beverage-alcohol off-premise sales declined both year-over-year (YoY) and week-over-week (WoW) in the first full week of June, according to market research firm Circana.
Icicle Brewing founders Pamela and Oliver Brulotte will retire after selling their stake in the Leavenworth, Washington-based craft brewery.The Brulottes didn’t need to look far for the brewery’s new owners. Hop farmers Shelley and Eric Desmarais – the latter of whom is Oliver Brulotte’s second cousin – will acquire the majority interest in Icicle.
Nearly three-quarters of the available booths at the reinvented Great American Beer Festival (GABF) have been claimed. As of Tuesday, June 9, 150 breweries and cideries have registered to pour at the Brewers Association’s (BA) signature consumer-centric event, scheduled for October 10 and 11 at Levitt Pavilion in Denver, Colorado, BA VP of marketing and communications Ann Obenchain told Brewbound.
Beer at home and away continued to lead year-over-year (YoY) price increases compared to the rest of beverage-alcohol in May, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Across the board, no bev-alc metric increased as much as the CPI for all items, which rose 4.2% in May. This marked the highest rate of overall inflation since May 2023, when it was 4%.
Mother’s Day and Memorial Day delivered a much-needed boost to restaurants and bars last month, according to an NIQ report, analyzing CGA-gathered on-premise data. Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10) and Memorial Day (Monday, May 25) were the most valuable Sunday and Monday, respectively, so far in 2026 for the on-premise channel, NIQ reported.
The cracks in the facade of beer’s improved performance in 2026 have begun to widen, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana. Year-to-date (YTD) through May 17, beer category dollar sales increased 0.3% at multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C) tracked by Circana.
Small and independent craft brewers’ output declined 4% in 2025 – more than 25% less than was previously reported by the Brewers Association (BA). The BA issued a correction of its 2025 Beer Industry Production Survey (BIPS), which was published last month, after receiving “revised production figures for a small number of regional craft brewers,” a BA spokesperson said in a statement shared Tuesday with Brewbound.
Entering its third summer, Right Coast Spirits’ Italian Ice is riding high. The ready-to-drink (RTD) bottled cocktail more than doubled year-over-year (YoY) during summer 2025, increasing volume 101% compared to summer 2024, Right Coast director of commercial strategy Jon Schwartz told Brewbound.
It rained on many Memorial Day parades in the literal sense during the long weekend, but the less-than-ideal weather figuratively rained on the beverage-alcohol industry’s metaphoric parade too, according to the latest weekly report from market research firm Circana.
Vermont craft brewers are one signature away from expanded self-distribution privileges. The state Senate approved a bill on May 21 that would allow malt beverage manufacturers to self-distribute up to 3,000 barrels of beer under their existing manufacturer licenses.
On the precipice of the all-important summer selling season, Circana EVP of BevAl Scott Scanlon reports that beverage-alcohol experts have “questioned the ability” of the industry to close 2026 “with strength,” while he believes it’s possible.
Seven of the 10 largest Brewers Association-defined craft breweries recorded production volume declines in 2025, according to data shared by the trade group in the May/June Issue of The New Brewer magazine.
Beer tops the shopping list for consumers planning to imbibe during Memorial Day weekend, according to insights firm Numerator. Of the 43% of respondents who plan to purchase beverage-alcohol, 75% said they intend to buy beer, followed by spirits (45%), wine (35%), hard seltzer (31%) and ready-to-drink or pre-mixed canned cocktails (20%).
