In this week’s edition of Last Call: A Texas judge rules on crowlers, the BA addresses diversity in brewing and Bat Watson analyses GABF winners.

2016 was a record year for United States hop growers. For the second consecutive year, the U.S. planted more hops (52,962 acres) than Germany (45,957 acres) as farmers expanded their operations to accommodate for increased hop production.

Coronado Brewing Company announced yesterday that it would expand distribution to Texas, signing with Brown Distributing. The San Diego-based company’s beers will be available in the Lone Star State this month, according to a press release.

Online sales of alcoholic beverages in the United States are on the rise, and the industry is expected to generate $614 million in revenue this year, according to market research firm IBISWorld. Sales are expected to continue growing over the next five years, the firm said, as consumers who are too busy to shop in brick-and-mortar stores rely more heavily on making purchases with their smartphones and tablets.

New Holland Brewing Co. — maker of the popular Dragon’s Milk bourbon barrel stout series and Mad Hatter IPA — will begin distributing in the Pacific Northwest next month.

The board of directors for Constellation Brands — the high-end maker of Ballast Point and import brands Modelo and Corona — has approved a share buyback program of up to $1 billion of the company’s common stock.

A “landmark report” issued Thursday by the Surgeon General found that nearly 21 million Americans have substance abuse disorders — more than the number of people with all forms of cancer — and yet 90 percent are not receiving treatment.

The Beer Institute is hoping a so-called “lame duck session” of Congress won’t hurt the chances of finally passing the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA), which would lower excise taxes, compliance burdens, and regulations on alcohol makers.

Over the last 18 months, Shmaltz Brewing Company — a Jewish-themed brand sold via 40 wholesalers in 35 states — has quietly been reworking its distribution network in more than a half-dozen markets across the U.S.

The transformation of Hi-Wire Brewing’s South Slope specialty brewery is finally complete. Over the last year, the Asheville, North Carolina-based company has worked to rededicate its original brewing space in downtown Asheville to the exclusive production of wild and sour beer.

Founders Brewing — maker of the popular All Day IPA and coveted KBS brands — will expand distribution to the Pacific Northwest in 2017. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based brewery announced Monday that it would extend its footprint to Washington, Oregon and Idaho through the Great Artisan Beverage network of wholesalers. “The Pacific Northwest has long… Read more »

The high end beer segment is poised to grow by 170 million cases over the next two years, according to Constellation Brands executive vice president Paul Hetterich. Speaking to more than 200 beer industry professionals attending the Beer Marketer’s Insights winter seminar, Hetterich, as well as leaders from Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors, discussed the consumer shift toward high end products and their companies’ strategies for competing in that segment.

Massachusetts’ love affair with New Belgium will begin just in time for Valentine’s Day. The Fort Collins-based, bike-friendly brewery announced today that it will begin distribution throughout the Bay State starting February 13, 2017. (The company has a second production brewery located in Asheville, North Carolina.)

Two more employees have left Minneapolis’ Surly Brewing Company, with their sights set on opening a brewery in St. Paul’s growing Lowertown neighborhood in 2017.

Brett Splinter, Surly’s former director of technology, and brewer Timmy Johnson have announced plans to open a 10-barrel brewhouse, a 90-seat tasting room and a 4,000 sq. ft. cellar dedicated to barrel-aging.