Christmas came early for any fans of Bump Williams Consulting’s (BWC) annual growth strategies report. In the consulting firm’s final monthly update of 2025, founder Bump Williams shared beverage manufacturer, distributor and retailer growth strategies for 2026 and 2027 – one month earlier than historically released, and with a bonus fourth tier: the consumer.

Beer bounced back in the latest scans after a “dismal performance” in the prior week, according to Circana and the market research firm’s EVP of BevAl, Scott Scanlon.

The Brewers Association’s (BA) biennial Salary and Benefits Benchmarking Report is back, with wage and responsibility information representing more than 7,000 employees across the craft brewing industry. The BA surveyed 92 small and independent breweries, gathering information on 67 jobs.

Wholesalers remain in a holding pattern to avoid end-of-year overstocks, according to the latest Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).

Bev-alc had a “slight bounce” back in the latest week, with dollar sales in Circana-tracked off-premise channels increasing 1% week-over-week (WoW) in the period ending November 16, compared to the week ending November 9, Circana EVP of BevAl Scott Scanlon reported. However, bev-alc sales remained in the red compared to 2024.

A new report from market research firm CGA is further proof that while beer is seeing red in off-premise scans, the category can find growth opportunities in on-premise retailers.

Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) president Dave Williams has a running list on his phone of the specific challenges or obstacles bev-alc industry members are facing today.

As Circana EVP of BevAl Scott Scanlon put it: “The improved data from the Halloween holiday was fun while it lasted.” Scanlon’s somber comments accompanied Circana’s latest weekly off-premise scans report, in which total bev-alc dollar sales declined 4.5% year-over-year (YoY) and 6% week-over-week (WoW), for the period ending November 9.

The COVID-19 pandemic, increases in remote and hybrid work, inflation and economic uncertainty … all have contributed to many Gen Z consumers feeling lonely. In a recent survey, 15% of Gen Z said they “never” felt lonely in the past year, compared to 60% of baby boomers who said the same, David and Jonah Stillman, the co-founders and father-and-son duo behind consulting firm GenGuru.

The Senate advanced a spending package Monday that includes language that would effectively ban all hemp products. The package now moves to the House, which could pass it through to President Trump as early as today. Industry members for and against the ban have been vocalizing their stance online and in D.C. Below are some of the latest updates.

Beer industry members’ shoulders are heavy these days, weighed down by continued declines, rising costs and piling-on headwinds. But when you zoom out to see greater consumer trends, you discover the battle isn’t unique to beer, and the category is poised to have some of the greatest opportunities for growth, Beer Institute (BI) chief economist Andrew Heritage shared last week during the trade group’s Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Allagash Brewing founder Rob Tod admits that craft beer is in a rocky period, but tackling headwinds is something he’s done before, he shared Monday during a virtual press briefing hosted by Portland, Maine-based craft brewery.

Thirty years after Allagash Brewing’s founding, the Portland, Maine-based craft brewery’s flagship beer Allagash White remains the primary driver of its overall volume and growth, leadership shared Monday in a press briefing.

Molson Coors president and CEO Rahul Goyal has plenty on his plate in his first month in the top spot, having taken over for Gavin Hattersley in October, but he’s added one more responsibility to his list: Beer Institute (BI) board chairman.