The number of brewer’s notices issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) increased by 732 in 2022, the smallest increase since 2023, Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson noted.

The state of middle-tier operations was among the focus areas of Beer Business Daily’s 2023 Beer Industry Summit this week in West Palm Beach, Florida. Leaders from five wholesalers offered insights on taking on non-alcoholic beverages, SKU rationalization, convergence, and trade down.

The Brewers Association (BA) will increase the cost of membership for the first time in nearly two decades, the organization reminded members Wednesday. New prices – which are tiered according to brewery size – will go into effect February 1.

More than three years after taking a majority stake in Michigan’s Founders Brewing Company, Spanish brewer Mahou San Miguel is formally integrating Founders, Avery Brewing and Mahou Imports into a new platform, Mahou USA.

Even as A-B hopes for a rediscovery of Bud Light, the company is preparing for Michelob Ultra, its second best-selling brand, to overtake Bud Light as its best-selling brand within the next five years, Anheuser-Busch InBev U.S. CMO Benoit Garbe said.

The beer category’s evolution since 2003 and the shift from total beverage alcohol to total beverage business was the theme of the opening session of Beer Business Daily’s 2023 Beer Summit at the the Breakers in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Beer industry writer Josh Noel is leaving the Chicago Tribune to join Molson Coors as the Chicago-headquartered beverage company’s corporate communications manager.

Sterling, Virginia-based Beltway Brewing Company has ceased production and placed its brewery up for sale after operating for more than a decade.

Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione shared the company’s early 2023 plans with Brewbound, including the transition of the quarterly Art Series to cans, the launch of a new core offering, the addition of another canned cocktail variety pack, and a new sponsorship deal that plays into the company’s lore.

On the heels of moving its portfolio of brands to beer wholesalers in Washington state and Colorado last August, Sazerac Company announced last week a major change to its route-to-market in several states.

The National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) Beer Purchasers’ Index “recorded its lowest index reading” in December 2022, with a reading of 30, while the index for inventory “at-risk” of going out of code hit 51, which the trade group said “makes a very pessimistic outlook for January 2023.”

Danelle Kosmal, VP of research for the Beer Institute; Jon Berg, VP alcohol industry thought leadership at NielsenIQ; and Danny Brager from 3 Tier Beverages provided a reality check with context on the state of the beverage alcohol industry during the Brewbound Live business conference.

Maui Brewing co-founder Garrett Marrero and former Modern Times CEO Jennifer Briggs shared their experiences on the sale process of the San Diego craft brewery last month during the Brewbound Live business conference.

Fast-growing non-alcoholic beer maker Athletic Brewing Company will make its largest investment ever to support its “Give Dry a Try” campaign and boost the company during “Dry January.”