Improving diversity and inclusion within the craft brewing industry was a recurring theme throughout last week’s Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Denver. During a Brew Talks panel discussion, Brewers Association diversity ambassador Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham argued that reaching out to customers beyond “white dudes with beards” is no more risky than mortgaging financial futures to start breweries.

In this week’s Last Call: Patagonia sues Anheuser-Busch for trademark infringement; Stanford researchers find consumers more negatively view beer made by women; Maryland lawmakers pass franchise law reform and modernization bill; and more industry news.

Slower growth and increased competition are the “new normal,” Brewers Association (BA) leaders hammered home on the second day of the trade group’s annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC). “This is not a blip,” BA chief economist Bart Watson said during Wednesday’s State of the Industry presentation. “This is the new normal.”

Leaders with the Brewers Association (BA) opened Tuesday’s opening session of the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver by soliciting donations for its new political action committee (PAC). Their goal? To make permanent the excise tax cuts in the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA), which are slated to expire at the end of the year.

The Brewers Association’s (BA) biggest event of the year, the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) & BrewExpo America, officially kicks off Tuesday in Denver. With more than 70 educational seminars and tons of networking opportunities (and parties), CBC can be daunting. To help attendees plan their schedules effectively, Brewbound has picked eight seminars that shouldn’t be skipped.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: Deschutes tells Roanoke city officials it is unlikely to build a production facility by a 2021 deadline; Trillium spends $13 million to acquire Canton real estate; Deschutes hires ex-Dogfish Head VP of marketing; BrewDog shares Q1 highlights; and more industry news.

Beer no longer holds a majority of the share of total alcohol servings in the U.S. Beer Institute chief economist Michael Uhrich reported today during a State of the Industry presentation that beer’s share of total alcohol servings fell to 49 percent, down about 1 percent, as hard liquor (35.6 percent) and wine (15.4) both gained share.

Constellation Brands reported its fiscal year and fourth quarter 2019 earnings results today, which were highlighted by a 7 percent increase in net sales, to more than $8.1 billion.

Two of the largest U.S. states now boast a record number of breweries. According to an economic impact study released Tuesday by the California Craft Brewers Association, California continues to be home to the most breweries in the nation, with more than 980 in operation as of April 2019. Meanwhile, an economic impact study released today by the New York State Brewers Association, found that 434 craft breweries were operating in the Empire State at the end of 2018.

Once again, a record number of craft breweries were in operation in 2018, according the Brewers Association (BA), a trade organization that represents small and independent breweries. The BA, which released its 2018 craft industry growth statistics today, reported that 7,346 craft breweries operated in the U.S. in 2018. That’s up from 6,490 in 2017.

In the latest Press Clips: Lion acquires Magic Rock Brewing in the UK; Allagash founder Rob Tod makes James Beard finals; Russian River’s Pliny the Younger generates more than $4 million in impact; the Cleveland Indians name Great Lakes and Miller Lite official beers; and more industry news.

Stone Brewing’s initial attempt to prevent MillerCoors from selling rebranded Keystone Light products has come up short. On Tuesday, a federal judge denied Stone’s motion for a preliminary injunction as well as the San Diego-based craft brewery’s attempt to dismiss MillerCoors’ counterclaims.

An Iowa craft brewery topped the Brewers Association’s (BA) list of the 50 fastest-growing breweries of 2018, but it wasn’t Toppling Goliath. No, the distinction of being the fastest-growing U.S. brewery in 2018 belongs to Lake Time Brewery.

Boulevard Brewing Company today announced one of the first craft beer endorsements by an active Major League Baseball player. The Kansas City-based craft brewery has inked a deal with Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield to promote its flagship Unfiltered Wheat brand. Additionally, Boulevard announced a sponsorship agreement with 20th Century Fox to make its Space Camper Cosmic IPA the exclusive craft beer of Dark Phoenix, the next film in the X-Men saga.