It was either the luck of the Irish, an aligning of stars or just excellent planning that had both St. Patrick’s Day and the opening weekend of March Madness falling on a Friday this year.

Double Punch Hard Juice, a new hard juice contender from Philadelphia-based Two Robbers Hard Seltzer, will enter the ring next month. “We’ve been developing this idea for over a year, as a way to bridge the highly sessionable and low-calorie, zero-sugar nature of hard seltzers with the full-flavor full-texture aspects of FMBs [flavored malt beverages] and craft beer,” co-founder and CEO Vikram Nayar said.

Athletic Brewing’s non-alcoholic (NA) beers may soon be on tap at a bar or restaurant near you. The Connecticut-based NA brewery posted a photo on Twitter this week of co-founders John Walker and Bill Shufelt “headed down to NYC to deliver our first kegs.”

Two Washington state craft- and import-centric distributors are shutting down in the wake of their parent company’s sale to PepsiCo.

A federal jury has found that Constellation Brands’ production of products such as Corona Hard Seltzer and Modelo Ranch Water does not violate the company’s licensing agreement with Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B).

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for beer at home has outpaced inflation for another month in a row, increasing +7% in February 2023 compared to February 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

New Belgium is out here makin’ news, and just like recording star Lizzo, it can all be blamed on the juice.

The latest iteration of a bill that would hike tax rates for Oregon beverage-alcohol producers was introduced in the state House of Representatives last month. House Bill 3312 (H.B. 3312) would raise taxes on beer and cider produced in the state from $2.60 per 31-gallon barrel to $33.60 per barrel by 2028 – a 1,200% increase over half a decade.

Not content to rest on Modelo’s laurels as the country’s No. 2 beer brand, Constellation aims to continue to raise consumer awareness, which increased +43% in 2022, VP of brand marketing Greg Gallagher said. “We have a ton of room to grow and we’ll have to continue to find new ways to attract more drinkers,” he said.

It’s not a matter of if but when Modelo Especial will become the nation’s No. 1 beer brand in dollar sales, Constellation Brands Beer Division president Jim Sabia told wholesalers Tuesday during the company’s Gold Network Summit in Las Vegas.

The next popular non-alcoholic beverage brand to crossover into alcoholic beverages is SunnyD. Plus, new offerings from Molson Coors’ Simply Spiked, Bud Light Seltzer, and Jim Beam and Boston Beer.

A leaked Amazon confidential 2021 document shows that the e-commerce Goliath wanted to grow its alcohol sales by covertly lobbying to change liquor laws, Vice reported late last week.

Virginia brewers are one signature away from being able to self-distribute their beer in state. The Beer Industry Limited Distribution Act (House Bill 2258) passed the state Senate last week and has been sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk. It would allow breweries to self-distribute up to 500 barrels annually.

Captain Lawrence Brewing and U.S. Beverage (USB), the portfolio company and importer that acquired Uinta Brewing via a joint venture in early 2022, have formed a sales and marketing partnership, both companies announced this week.