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

2020 Package Mix Report: Draft Packaging Declined 43.7% Last Year Due to the Pandemic

2020 Package Mix Report: Draft Packaging Declined 43.7% Last Year Due to the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic driven shutdown of on-premise service at bars and restaurants led to a big but expected cut in draft packaging last year, according to the 2020 “Package Mix Report” shared by the Beer Institute and compiled by the National beer Wholesalers Association’s Department of Industry Affairs.

Firestone Walker Strikes Deal with SLO Brewing for Cali-Squeeze Brand

Firestone Walker Strikes Deal with SLO Brewing for Cali-Squeeze Brand

Firestone Walker has reached a deal to acquire the Cali-Squeeze brand from SLO Brewing Co. Firestone Walker added that it has been “historically reluctant to develop beers outside the traditional footprint.” Nevertheless, the company has toyed with fruited beers but ultimately “recognized that Cali-Squeeze already had everything we were looking for.”

Molson Coors Makes Equity Investment in TRU Colors Brewery

Molson Coors Makes Equity Investment in TRU Colors Brewery

Molson Coors Beverage Company announced today that it will make an equity investment in TRU Colors Brewery, a Wilmington, North Carolina-based craft brewery with a mission to end street violence.

Jim Koch Urges Beer Trade Groups to Fight Spirits’ Equalization Efforts

Jim Koch Urges Beer Trade Groups to Fight Spirits’ Equalization Efforts

Boston Beer Company founder Jim Koch is urging the leaders of the beer industry’s three major trade groups — the Brewers Association (BA), the Beer Institute (BI) and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) — to work together to beat back efforts by spirits groups to bring taxes on spirits-based, lower-alcohol, ready-to-drink offerings in line with beer, hard seltzers and FMBs.

Constellation Brands’ Beer Sales Top $6 Billion in Fiscal Year 2021

Constellation Brands’ Beer Sales Top $6 Billion in Fiscal Year 2021

Net sales of Constellation Brands’ beer portfolio — including Mexican import labels Corona, Modelo and Pacifico — topped $6 billion, an 8% increase, in fiscal year 2021, the company shared today while reporting its full-year earnings.

Brewers Association: Craft Production Declines 9% in 2020 Amid Pandemic; Number of Breweries Tops 8,700

Brewers Association: Craft Production Declines 9% in 2020 Amid Pandemic; Number of Breweries Tops 8,700

The COVID-19 pandemic put hard times on the U.S. craft brewing industry in 2020, as production declined for the first time in the modern craft era, the Brewers Association (BA) announced today. The number of barrels produced by craft breweries had steadily grown in recent years, from 24.3 million barrels in 2016 to a peak of 26.3 million barrels in 2019.

Great American Beer Festival Competition to Go Forward in 2021 Despite Postponement of In-Person Event Until 2022

Great American Beer Festival Competition to Go Forward in 2021 Despite Postponement of In-Person Event Until 2022

The consumer-facing, in-person Great American Beer Festival tasting event will not take place for a second consecutive year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brewers Association (BA) announced today. However, the competition that accompanies the festival will go on as planned this year, while the in-person event is slated to return in 2022 for GABF’s 40th anniversary.