Justin Kendall

Justin Kendall

Editor, Brewbound

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.

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Posts by Justin Kendall

Press Clips: Trump’s New ‘Universal’ Tariffs; Wiseacre Acquires Bearded Iris; Rogue Partners with US Beverage

Press Clips: Trump’s New ‘Universal’ Tariffs; Wiseacre Acquires Bearded Iris; Rogue Partners with US Beverage

The Trump administration has imposed a “universal” tariff on every country for goods imported into the U.S., with a 10% baseline for those that the U.S. holds a trade surplus – meaning the U.S. exports more than it imports – and 15% for those the U.S. runs a deficit. The latter amounts to around 40 countries, with 26 countries facing tariffs higher than 15% rate.

New Belgium Learns From Focused 2025; Mini Rippers in 25K Outlets; LightStrike Finds C-Store Groove

New Belgium Learns From Focused 2025; Mini Rippers in 25K Outlets; LightStrike Finds C-Store Groove

New Belgium Brewing Company turned down the innovation firehose to a drip – for the most part – to start 2025. Yes, the company did add “Mini Rippers,” 7.5 oz. 8-pack cans of Voodoo Ranger Juice Force and Tropic Force (both 9.5% ABV). And it rolled out LightStrike, a 5% ABV non-carbonated hard refresher line, aimed at Millennials and Generation Z consumers.

NIQ: Bev-Alc Sales -3% Halfway Through 2025; Summer ‘Falling Short for Beer’

NIQ: Bev-Alc Sales -3% Halfway Through 2025; Summer ‘Falling Short for Beer’

Beverage-alcohol sales are down 3% year-to-date (YTD) in off-premise channels, market research firm NIQ shared in its “Halftime Report.” Beer, wine and spirits dollar sales topped $53 billion as of July 5, the firm reported. Declines occurred across all off-premise measured channels.

Press Clips: Boston Beer Renews Red Sox Sponsorship for a Decade; Breakthru Gets Proximo; Calicraft Hires Ramon Tamayo

Press Clips: Boston Beer Renews Red Sox Sponsorship for a Decade; Breakthru Gets Proximo; Calicraft Hires Ramon Tamayo

Boston Beer revealed a new 10-year sponsorship deal with the Boston Red Sox last Friday for its Samuel Adams brand; Spirits giant Proximo has shifted its California distribution to Breakthru Beverage, which it is with already in CO, MO and NV; New Belgium alum Ramon Tamayo joined Calicraft (Walnut Creek, CA) as head brewer in May; and more headlines

Outlaw Wants to Disrupt the Light Beer Segment

Outlaw Wants to Disrupt the Light Beer Segment

Outlaw Light Beer is aiming to be a disruptor in what its CEO believes is a stale light beer segment. Ari Opsahl, CEO of Outlaw’s parent company, Tivioli Brewing, is a former Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) executive. He believes Outlaw has provided light beer drinkers “an alternative at the price point that they were accustomed to” paying.

178 Ohio Eagle Employees Face Layoffs Once Sale to Redwood Closes

178 Ohio Eagle Employees Face Layoffs Once Sale to Redwood Closes

All 178 Ohio Eagle Distributing employees are expected to be laid off once the company’s sale to Redwood Holdings closes on September 8, Ohio Eagle president Devyn Dugger wrote in a July 7 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice to the state.