Dogfish Head’s canned cocktails are gaining traction in the fast-growing spirits-based, ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail market. Dollar sales of the Dogfish Head brand family (+92.3%) are outpacing the overall segment (+56.5%), according to NielsenIQ total U.S. all off-premise data, shared by Bump Williams Consulting.

Topo Chico’s fated move into hard spirits is coming in 2023, via Molson Coors. On the heels of the fast-growing Topo Chico Hard Seltzer brand, Molson Coors will launch a spirit-based version of Topo Chico in key markets, such as the southwest and southeast and parts of the Midwest.

U.S. brewers shipped an estimated 14.6 million barrels of beer in August 2022, a 2.4% increase compared to August 2021, according to the Beer Institute (BI), citing domestic tax paid estimates from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

The question of when Molson Coors’ wholesaler partners would be able to use Yellowstone branding on point-of-sale items for Coors Banquet was finally answered during last week’s convention in Nashville. The answer: today (September 26).

The main stage show at Molson Coors’ 2022 distributor convention officially kicked off earlier this week with company leaders sharing how the revitalization plan launched three years ago is working. Molson Coors CMO Michelle St. Jacques gave a high-energy speech, while channeling the wisdom of a Nashville icon, Dolly Parton.

As Molson Coors leaders gather in Nashville this week for the company’s annual distributor convention, union workers at the Milwaukee production facility are picketing the lack of a three-year contract extension and threatening to strike, WDJT Milwaukee reported.

Even with up to 500,000 barrels of beyond beer capacity coming online next year, Sierra Nevada’s priorities heading into 2023 are continuing to fuel the growth of Hazy Little Thing and strengthening the iconic Pale Ale brand, company leaders recently shared with Brewbound.

In an effort “to further align” its distribution relationships in California, Sierra Nevada terminated three wholesalers yesterday: Antioch-based Markstein Sales Co., Imperial-based Alford Distributing and Milpitas-based Bottomley Distributing Co.

On-premise sales over Labor Day weekend received “an uplift in velocity” on Sunday (+16%) and Monday (+54%) compared to the previous week, NielsenIQ’s on-premise tracking arm, CGA, reported today.

A tentative deal between the remaining two railroad worker unions and the rail carriers has been reached. Early Thursday morning, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh tweeted that ”a tentative agreement that balances the needs of workers, businesses, and our nation’s economy” had been agreed upon by the rail companies and union negotiators after “20 consecutive hours of negotiations.”

A looming railroad worker strike could be the next supply chain disruption on the radar for the brewing industry and the overall economy.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for beer increased +4.9% in August 2022 compared to August 2021, its highest point since April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Scout Distribution announced today that it will acquire Classic Beverage beverage-alcohol portfolio in the greater Los Angeles territory, covering LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Riverside, Kern and San Bernardino counties. The transaction is expected to close in November.

Ashland Hard Seltzer is on pace to double its volume in 2022, with expectations to exceed 500,000 cases (around 36,300 barrels).