Anheuser-Busch InBev subsidiary Labatt Breweries of Canada announced Monday the acquisition of British Columbia-based distiller Goodridge & Williams.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: U.S. beer shipments decline 0.8% in 2019; A-B spends $24 Million on Bud Light Seltzer ads; Barefoot to launch wine-based hard seltzer line; A-B and City Brewery announce expansion plans; and more news from the week.

Dixie Beer Company will officially open its 85,000 sq. ft. production facility to the public on Saturday, marking the return of locally produced Dixie Beer to the market for the first time in about 15 years. And the goals for Dixie are lofty, with the brand taking aim at a domestic premium market long dominated by Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors.

Molson Coors Beverage Company today announced plans to fully acquire Atwater Brewery, a transaction that has been discussed on and off for the last couple of years, according to Mark Rieth, who has owned the Detroit craft brewery outright since 2005.

In the latest People Moves: Monday Night Brewing hires a new VP of Sales; the Beer Institute adds health policy and regulatory affairs director; former Half Acre VP seeks new opportunities; Dovetail builds a sales team; and Common Cider appoints a new VP of sales.

In this week’s Last Call: Schlafly acquires Trailhead Brewing; German keg company Blefa invests in American Keg; and Heineken and Bud Light launch non-alc and hard seltzer ad campaigns.

Lagunitas Brewing Company is cutting less than 5% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan, the Heineken-owned, Petaluma, California-based craft brewery confirmed today to Brewbound.

Total beer dollar sales in 2019 increased to $37.2 billion in U.S. off-premise retailers, according to market research firm IRI. The Chicago-based market research firm, which tracks category-wide sales at major off-premise retailers, reported a 5.2% increase in beer dollar sales, and a 2.3% increase in volume sales at multi-outlet and convenience (MULC) stores (grocery, drug, club, dollar, mass-merchandiser and military) through December 29.

The Reyes Beverage Group is making another wholesaler purchase in California. Reyes’ Crest Beverage subsidiary announced Monday an agreement to acquire all of the assets of Imperial, California-based Claypool Distributing.

Hard seltzer is not a fad; it’s a category, Brandy Rand, the COO of market research firm IWSR, declared today during Beer Business Daily’s Beer Industry Summit in Palm Beach, Florida.

Former Revolution Brewing chief commercial officer Donn Bichsel Jr. has launched 3 Tier Beverages, a Chicago-based sales and marketing consulting firm. He describes his new role as a “fractional director of sales and marketing” who can offer nearly two decades of professional experience after working at some of the world’s largest beer makers.

Long-time brewmaster Andy Schwartz has landed the top brewing job at Milford, Connecticut-based Dockside Brewery. Milford, Delaware-based Mispillion River Brewing has hired Claus Hagelman as its new director of sales. Non-alcoholic craft brewery Athletic Brewing has hired Rosalie Kennedy as its first marketing manager.

The first top 100 craft brewery transaction of 2020 is in the books. San Francisco-based private equity firm Encore Consumer Capital has completed the acquisition of Lion Beverages LLC, a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania-based contract brewery and maker of the Lionshead and Stegmaier brands.

Saint Archer co-founder Josh Landan is launching a new hard seltzer brand today in California. Ashland Hard Seltzer is Landan’s play into the more than $2.5 billion hard seltzer segment. The Ashland brand will launch in more than 250 points of distribution, including national chain commitments from major big box and grocery retailers.