New Belgium has completely made over its flagship Fat Tire – the amber ale that launched the brewery and introduced a generation of drinkers to craft beer – from its composition to its packaging.

Following the news of spirits giant Sazerac’s transition from wine and spirits wholesaler Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) to several beer wholesalers, the producer is suing its former distributor for nonpayment of $38.6 million.

Off-premise beverage alcohol dollar sales spiked during Christmas week, when they reached a record-high $1.74 billion, but deflated during the last week of the year, market research firm IRI reported. On-premise establishments across the U.S. posted double-digit increases during the Christmas and New Year holidays, according to CGA, NielsenIQ’s on-premise division.

The number of brewer’s notices issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) increased by 732 in 2022, the smallest increase since 2023, Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson noted.

BeatBox, the wine-based party punch sold in tetra packs, doubled its volume last year, co-founder and CEO Justin Fenchel shared during a discussion at Beer Business Daily’s Beer Industry Summit.

The Brewers Association (BA) will increase the cost of membership for the first time in nearly two decades, the organization reminded members Wednesday. New prices – which are tiered according to brewery size – will go into effect February 1.

Even as A-B hopes for a rediscovery of Bud Light, the company is preparing for Michelob Ultra, its second best-selling brand, to overtake Bud Light as its best-selling brand within the next five years, Anheuser-Busch InBev U.S. CMO Benoit Garbe said.

Seven beer category segments were represented among the top 25 new beer brands in 2022, creating a list of “innovation leaders [that] are much more diverse this year,” Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) noted in its January 2023 report.

Some leading brewers have found success by sprouting new branches on their brands’ families trees, and in some cases, those branches have outgrown elder sibling brands. To discuss how their companies have found success with offshoots, Constellation Brands’ Modelo brand family VP Greg Gallagher, Firestone Walker CMO Dustin Hinz and Sierra Nevada brand director Kyle Ingram took the stage at the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

Forming a healthy relationship with a distributor is one of the most beneficial things a brewer can do to ensure long-term success. What do distributors expect from their supplier partners? How can both work together to achieve goals? Scout Distribution CEO and co-founder Jeff Hansson and Reyes Beer Division VP of craft and innovation Jessica Muskey shared insights and offered advice for suppliers during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

Roadhouse Brewery Group closed on its acquisition of Alpine, Wyoming-based Melvin Brewing Co. on December 22.

The vast majority of wholesalers (88%) are seeing drinkers in their markets trade down, or are expecting them to, according to a survey from financial services firm Jefferies. Monday Night Brewing is undergoing a full rebrand after more than 11 years.

Kirin Holdings, parent company of the Lion Little World Beverages platform that includes New Belgium Brewing and Bell’s Brewery in the U.S., is on the hunt for more production capacity in North America to keep up with sales, Reuters reported this week.

Beyond beer, the fourth category, progressive adult beverages – it goes by different names, but the one thing the beverage-alcohol industry can agree on is that it is too important to ignore.