In this week’s edition of Last Call: Constellation Brands seeks $3 billion for U.S. wine brands; the New York Prohibition Party seeks alcohol ban; BrewDog takes to the skies; and another wave of brewery closures hits.

Boston Beer Company’s growth continued in the third quarter, as the company’s revenue increased 24.2 percent, while shipments (+23.5 percent) and depletions (+18 percent) also grew. During a call with investors and analysts Thursday evening, Boston Beer founder Jim Koch credited the company’s “key innovations” — Angry Orchard Rosé, Truly Berry variety pack, Truly Wild Berry, Samuel Adams Sam ’76 and Samuel Adams New England IPA — with driving the growth.

Boston Beer Company today reported its 2018 third-quarter earnings results, which were highlighted by a 24.2 percent increase in net revenue, to $306.9 million. The company — which makes the Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, and Truly Spiked & Sparkling products — credited the revenue growth to a 23.5 percent increase in shipments during the quarter, which ended September 29.

Despite ongoing shipment and depletion declines in the United States, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s global revenues were up 4.6 percent through the first nine months of 2018. A-B, the world’s largest beer manufacturer, posted global revenue growth of 4.5 percent, to more than $13.2 billion, during the third quarter, as revenue per hectoliter increased 4.2 percent. The company’s gross profit increased 3.5 percent, nearly $8.3 billion.

Cincinnati’s Fifty West Brewing Company has quickly established itself as brand to watch. The Ohio-based craft brewery, which opened its doors in 2012, topped market research firm IRI’s list of new vendors in supermarkets, with off-premise dollar sales of nearly $214,000, for the 27 weeks ending July 8, IRI director of client insights Patrick Livingston shared during last month’s Brewers Association Power Hour.

Craft beer wholesaler Cavalier Distributing has acquired the distribution rights to “all suppliers” within the portfolio of Florida-based Micro Man Distributors. According to a letter sent by Cavalier founder and president George Fisher, that was addressed to its Florida beer suppliers, the transaction closed on Monday, October 22. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Constellation Brands has succeeded in forcing two more Southern California beer wholesalers to sell the rights to distribute the company’s beer offerings to the Reyes Beverage Group. In separate deals, Reyes acquired the rights to sell Constellation’s offerings — including popular imported Mexican beer labels Corona, Modelo and Pacifico as well as craft offerings from Ballast Point — from Triangle Beverage in Santa Fe Springs and Beauchamp Distributing Company in Compton. The long-rumored deals officially closed on Friday, October 19, according to Constellation spokeswoman Jamie Stein.

In this week’s Last Call: Canada lifts its tariff on U.S. aluminum cans; farmers and brewers downplay climate change’s effect on beer production and pricing; the Brewers Association lands Iron Maiden’s singer as CBC keynote speaker; and more news from the week.

The former leaders of Saint Archer Brewing Company are back in the booze business after raising nearly $4 million to launch three separate beer, wine and distribution ventures. Anchored under Ocotillo Holdings LLC, the first of the three businesses — Scout Distribution, a craft-focused beer and wine wholesaler — officially launched Wednesday in San Diego. Led by Saint Archer co-founder Josh Landan, ex-VP Jeff Hansson and ex-market manager Anthony Levas, Scout Distribution will act as both a boutique wholesaler and a marketing consultancy.

Rob Sands will step down as CEO of Constellation Brands on March 1, 2019, the New York-based alcohol beverage company announced today. Assuming the role from Sands will be Bill Newlands, who joined Constellation as chief growth officer in 2015 and took over as president from Sands in February.

In a move that will expand its U.S. distribution footprint to 29 states, Brooklyn Brewery announced Monday that it would begin selling beer in Colorado next month. The New York-based craft brewery, which also sells its products in 30 countries, is partnering with Elite Brands on the Front Range and High Country Beverage in Northern Colorado and the Western Slope. It plans to sell flagship Brooklyn Lager, as well as Bel Air Sour, Defender IPA, seasonal offerings, and draft-only releases.

Following a bankruptcy auction held last Friday, Pennsylvania’s Helltown Brewery has emerged as the highest bidder for a majority of the assets of Pittsburgh’s Rivertowne Brewing. After filing for bankruptcy in May, Rivertowne was put up for auction earlier this month with bids starting at $1.35 million. Helltown placed the winning bid of $2.1 million for Rivertowne’s Export, Pennsylvania-based brewery and land, as well as assets at its Verona and Monroeville brewpubs. The company, which acquired the Rivertowne brand through the auction and plans on continuing to brew some of its labels, is still awaiting final approval from a judge overseeing the case.

Remarkable Liquids, a craft beer-focused wholesaler based in Albany, New York, has expanded beyond its borders. The company last week announced that it had launched statewide distribution of 15 brands in neighboring New Jersey. Interest from Remarkable’s existing suppliers, as well as Garden State retailers, pushed the distributor to expand its service area outside of its home state, according to partner Matt Hartman.

William “Bill” Coors, the former chairman of the Adolph Coors Company, died Saturday at the age of 102. Coors, the grandson of Adolph Coors and heir to the family brewing business, died at his home, according to a statement released by Molson Coors. “Our company stands on the shoulders of giants like Bill Coors,” Molson Coors president and CEO Mark Hunter said in statement.