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.
An up-and-coming hard seltzer brand focused on Asian fruit flavors has won the 2020 edition of Brewbound’s Pitch Slam Competition, presented by Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Brewers Collective craft division. Lunar Hard Seltzer, a New York-based hard seltzer brand, won the 12th edition of the Pitch Slam competition, which invites entrepreneurs in the alcoholic beverage industry to compete before a panel of industry experts.
The Cincinnati Beverage Company (CinBev) will shift production of its four beer brands — including Christian Moerlein Brewing Company — to an unnamed contract brewing partner. “Right now, this is really about returning to quality, consistency and reliability for us,” chief marketing officer Jodi Woffington told Brewbound.
The BA, which represents the nation’s small and independent brewers, is advocating for several measures at the federal level that would support craft breweries, whose businesses have been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge nationwide and additional federal financial relief remains in question, brewery and taproom closings — both permanent and temporary — are beginning to build.
Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing today announced the promotions of long-time employees Rachel Kiley and Kayla Rumpfeldt to the roles of chief operating officer and chief marketing officer, respectively. As part of the move, Monday Night co-founder Jonathan Baker, who had served as CMO, will transition to CMO emeritus and remain involved in the direction of the brand.
As COVID-19 cases spike, California has enacted a new regional stay home order that went into effect Sunday night and affects 85% of the state’s population. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new system that would trigger regional stay home orders when hospitals’ projected intensive care unit capacity dips below 15%. That threshold was met Sunday in the Southern California and San Joaquin Valley regions.
Dr. J Jackson-Beckham has joined the Brewers Association (BA) as equity and inclusion partner, a new full-time role created to “help promote greater diversity, equity and inclusion in the craft brewing industry,” according to a press release. Following the retirement of long-time executive director Tom McCormick, the California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) has hired Lori Ajax as its next executive director, effective January 4, 2021.
2020 will see Captain Pabst’s final voyage. Pabst Brewing Company announced yesterday that the Captain Pabst Pilot House, its Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based brewery, taproom and event space, will permanently close on December 21.
The night before Thanksgiving — typically a popular night for people who have returned to their hometowns for the holiday to crowd local bars for impromptu reunions — brought on-premise establishments a boost by 2020 standards, according to BeerBoard, which tracks draft sales at bars and restaurants.
Molson Coors Beverage Company will begin distributing offerings from Eugene, Oregon-based Hop Valley Brewing east in 2021, as the company’s Tenth and Blake craft division takes the brand national in the new year.
With two months left in 2020, beer category sales at off-premise retailers remain elevated, as on-premise establishments continue to grapple with capacity restrictions and, in some states and cities, on-site service shutdowns. Year-to-date through November 1, beer category dollar sales are up 15.5%, to $37.4 billion, at off-premise multi-outlet grocery stores, mass retailers and convenience stores, according to market research firm IRI.
2020 has been transformational for Beer Kulture. In July, the St. Petersburg, Florida-based lifestyle brand reinvented itself as a nonprofit with a mission to introduce craft beer to communities of color. In September, it launched a job board to introduce breweries to job seekers outside the stereotypical craft beer realm of young white men. By November, the board featured more than 85 jobs.
Pennsylvanians looking to reunite with former classmates at their hometown bars on the night before Thanksgiving will have to do so over Zoom, as the commonwealth has banned on-premise alcohol sales from 5 p.m. on Wednesday until 8 a.m. on Thursday. The ban applies to “bars, restaurants, and private catered events,” according to a press release. It intends to keep large groups of people from gathering.
As craft breweries continue to struggle under on-premise restrictions and closures during the fall surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s largest trade association representing craft breweries is encouraging consumers to include visits to local breweries as they kickstart their holiday shopping.
