Justin Kendall provides daily coverage of the beer industry on Brewbound.com, conducts live-streamed interviews during Brewbound’s events and co-produces the Brewbound podcast. Kendall is a nearly 20-year career journalist who led alt-weekly newspapers in Kansas City, Missouri, and Des Moines, Iowa.
How are craft brewers strategizing for growth in a more mature craft beer market? Leaders from Independence Brewing, Allagash Brewing and Wisconsin Brewing shared their strategies and offered insights into how their businesses have evolved to meet current market conditions during the 2024 Brewbound Live business conference last month.
The largest, dedicated non-alcoholic (NA) beer maker in the U.S. is attempting to put a new spin on “Dry January.” Athletic Brewing Company has launched “Athletic January,” a new campaign that puts the brand’s name at the forefront of a month in which many consumers abstain from alcohol.
A U.S. Surgeon General advisory issued today called for adding cancer risk to health warning labels on alcoholic beverages and called for “a reassessment of the guideline limits for alcohol consumption to account for cancer risk.”
Two New England legacy craft houses are merging in a deal that unites 14 brands. The parent companies of Harpoon and Smuttynose – Mass. Bay Brewing Company and FinestKind Brewing, respectively – have merged to form Barrel One Collective, the companies announced today in news first shared with Brewbound.
Russian River co-owner Natalie Cilurzo shared how that release 14 years ago was both a “game changer” and a “nightmare,” during the keynote speech of this year’s Brewbound Live business conference in Marina del Rey, California.
The final Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) of 2024 revealed “a slightly cautious outlook for distributor sentiment” heading into the new year, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).
The shifting brewing landscape permeated Brewbound’s most-read stories of 2024. From job changes to layoffs, acquisitions and consolidation to closures, the most-read stories captured the volatility of the market.
As Dogfish Head’s 30th anniversary approaches, co-founder Sam Calagione shared why he believes the Milton, Delaware-based craft brewery will return both its beer and canned cocktail brands to growth in 2025. Part of that strategy is the launch of a new year-round beer, Dogfish Head and Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale, which Calagione shared with attendees of the 2024 Brewbound Live business conference earlier this month.
Cynthia Fisher, the wife of Boston Beer founder and chairman Jim Koch for more than three decades, will one day inherit his controlling interest in the company, Koch told the Wall Street Journal.
The Brewbound Podcast in 2024 featured a mix of interviews with industry heavyweights, analysis and a new roadshow component with stops at the California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento, the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas and the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Annual Convention in San Diego.
Incoming Brewers Association CEO Bart Watson and staff economist Matt Gacioch offered a data-filled, crystal ball look at opportunities and challenges for craft brewers heading into 2025. The duo offered predictions for 10 areas of the beer business in the new year during a webinar Thursday.
The California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) has appointed Kelsey McQuaid-Craig as the state trade group’s new executive director. McQuaid-Craig succeeds Lori Ajax, who announced plans to exit the role at the end of the year.