Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams

U.S. beer dollar sales increased 4.1 percent as volume sales grew 2.1 percent through the four weeks ending May 20, according to retail data provider IRI Worldwide.

In this week’s Last Call: Stone Brewing files an injunction against MillerCoors and terminates its sponsorship deal with NOFX; the New York state Liquor Authority fines Boston Beer for unregistered products; Good City Brewing announces plans for second brewery near Milwaukee Bucks’ new arena; and more news.

Boston Beer Company has returned to growth. The company — which makes the Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, and Truly Spiked & Sparkling products — today reported its first-quarter 2018 earnings, which were highlighted by double-digit revenue and shipment growth.

The maker of Samuel Adams beer is planning to set up shop in the heart of downtown Boston, today confirming plans to open a taproom in the summer of 2019. Boston Beer Company — which makes and markets a variety of beer, cider and flavored malt beverage products – is “in the final stages of negotiating” a lease for another Samuel Adams taproom to be located at 60 State Street.

The maker of Samuel Adams is wading deeper into the taproom business. The Boston Beer Company — which makes and markets a variety of beer, cider and FMB products — today announced plans to open a 9,000 sq. ft. taproom just steps away from its current Cincinnati production facility.

Over the last two years, brewery-owned taprooms and satellite retail outposts have emerged as both lucrative profit centers for emerging craft beer makers and an opportunities to deliver unique experiences to thirsty consumers. But as the number of taprooms has grown, so too have concerns about their impact on the three-tier system.

Starting this spring and going into LA Beer Week in June, the Angel City’s brewing team will be flexing their creativity muscles with an extensive lineup of new styles.

Angry Orchard has launched Understood in Motion 03, a new collaboration cider created with distinguished U.K. Cider Maker Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Cider and Perry.

Truly Spiked & Sparkling today debuts its newest style: Truly Wild Berry, a clean spiked sparkling water with only 100 calories, 1 gram of sugars, 5% Alc./Vol. and naturally gluten-free. Delicious, crisp and refreshing with a hint of natural juiciness and sweetness from California strawberries, raspberries and Marion blackberries, Truly Wild Berry is poised to be the drink of the summer.

The Brewers Association has officially recognized hazy New England-style IPAs as a bona fide beer style. In a press release, the trade group today announced changes to its “Beer Style Guidelines,” a reference for brewers and beer competition organizers that includes style descriptions and product specifications. Among the new styles of beer featured in the 2018 guidebook are three cloudier offerings – “Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale,” “Juicy or Hazy IPA” and “Juicy or Hazy Double IPA” — which over the years have become known as New England-style or Northeast IPAs.

It’s that time of year again, when the sizzling days of summer are just around the corner, only relieved with cannonballs into the pool, paired with a delicious Shandy. Making its return this April, Traveler Beer Company invites its fans to sail away to paradise with Aloha Traveler Pineapple Shandy.

The Brewers Association today released its annual rankings of the top 50 U.S. beer companies based on 2017 sales volume estimates. Here’s how things shook out:

This spring, Angry Orchard, the leading U.S. cider maker[1], gives drinkers a new, unexpected and delicious choice poised to be the year’s hottest drink: Angry Orchard Rosé hard cider. Made with a delicious blend of apples including rare red flesh apples from France, Angry Orchard Rosé delivers the crisp and refreshing qualities of cider with a rosy color and floral aroma. So, move over Rosé wine and make room on the shelf for Angry Orchard Rosé, the fun and unexpected drink to try this spring.

Boston Beer Company yesterday reported a shipment decline of 6.2 percent in 2017, driven by shrinking sales of its Samuel Adams and Angry Orchard brands. In an earnings report released Wednesday, the country’s sixth largest beer company — which makes Samuel Adams beer, Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Twisted Tea, and Truly Spiked & Sparkling seltzers, among other products — said it shipped about 3.8 million barrels of product in 2017, compared to 4 million barrels shipped in 2016.