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.
Smuttlabs Brewery and Kitchen – the Dover, New Hampshire-based offshoot location of Smuttynose Brewery – has closed, the Hampton-headquartered brewery announced. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based Newfangled Brew Works will shut its doors Sunday, August 14 after nearly four years in business.
Keeping up with consumer trends, twin brothers and business partners Don and William Ray shifted service at the nightclub and bars they owned in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to focus on craft cocktails made by hand. However, the cavernous rooms and massive bars were built to accommodate far more people than a typical intimate cocktail lounge, overwhelming bartenders and slowing down service time.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June – which overturned Roe vs. Wade, triggering a domino effect that could limit access to abortion and other reproductive care procedures in nearly two dozen states – the Brewers Association (BA) has published a guide to help its members navigate the healthcare ramifications in affected states and support employees.
Bars and restaurants in New York and Illinois have outpaced other key markets. In both states, velocity increased +4% compared to the same period in 2021, but was flat compared to the week ending July 16.
Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist Brewery will begin “a two-stage expansion” into Houston, Texas, starting in mid-August via Silver Eagle Distributors.
One year after its launch, the joint venture between Boston Beer Company and Beam Suntory revealed a third product: Twisted Tea Sweet Tea Whiskey. Hard MTN Dew – a collaboration between Boston Beer and PepsiCo – rolled out to Las Vegas retailers this week after a regulatory standoff with the Nevada Department of Taxation.
For the 52 weeks ending July 16, the combined malt- and spirits-based hard seltzer segment reached $4.263 billion, according to Jefferies equity research managing director Kevin Grundy. In the last four weeks, spirits-based seltzer’s share of the business has reached 9.1%. Malt- and sugar-based hard seltzers account for 90.9% of the segment – and their sales are declining.
Minneapolis-based Finnegans Brew Co. has struck a deal to acquire non-alcoholic craft brewer Hairless Dog Brewing Company.
Molson Coors’ second quarter earnings report featured varied results, including volume declines, an increase in net sales per hectoliter (+7.1%) and the company’s first increase in U.S. dollar share in more than a decade.
Brewers Association (BA) chief economist Bart Watson reported last week that indicators halfway through 2022 point to growth between 4% and 5% for craft beer by the year’s end. That estimate is in line with the projection Watson made at the end of 2021, when the industry grew 8% as the on-premise channel began to reopen.
More than two years after announcing her retirement, craft brewing pioneer Carol Stoudt’s eponymous German-inspired brand will be returning to Pennsylvania draft lines in time for Oktoberfest season through a licensing partnership with Philadelphia-based Evil Genius Beer Company.
Inflationary pressures that tamped down orders in June are persisting into July, as total beer contracted for the second month in a row, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), which released its monthly Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) today.
Anheuser-Busch InBev reported +11.3% revenue growth and +3.4% volume growth globally for the second quarter of 2022. “Our business delivered sustained profitable growth,” CEO Michel Doukeris said in a press release. “Our volume increased by 3.4%, our top-line by 11.3% and EBITDA by 7.2%. The relentless execution of our strategy, the strength of our brands and accelerated digital transformation enabled us to meet the moment in an ongoing dynamic operating environment.”
Night Shift leadership told its 12 production employees their jobs could dry up as early as today, as the company prepares to wind down brewing and packaging operations at its Everett, Massachusetts location. The company will shift to contract production at Framingham-based Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers and Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based Isle Brewers Guild (IBG), which had been producing about 50% of Night Shift’s volume.
