Lagunitas Brewing Company is cutting less than 5% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan, the Heineken-owned, Petaluma, California-based craft brewery confirmed today to Brewbound.

Four months after joining Lagunitas Brewing Company, chief marketing officer Kelly Murnaghan has big plans for the Petaluma, California-based, Heineken-owned craft brewery.

Lompoc Brewing, one of Portland’s oldest craft brewers, announced it will close next week after 23 years in business. “For me, it just felt like this is the right time, and time to back away from the craft brewing scene,” owner Jerry Fechter told Brewbound. Meanwhile, Heineken N.V.-owned Lagunitas Brewing has closed its Portland, Oregon-based… Read more »

Lagunitas Brewing Company has named Kelly Murnaghan, the former vice president of marketing at Vans, as its new chief marketing officer. The Heineken-owned craft brewery announced Murnaghan’s hiring on Thursday afternoon. Murnaghan, who started earlier this week, will join the Petaluma, California-based craft brewery’s leadership team and report directly to CEO Maria Stipp.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: Alvarez & Marsal reaches an agreement to sell DME Group’s main business; lawmakers threaten to limit dates for Boston beer gardens; and the U.S. House introduces the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act.

Heineken USA is proud to announce the March 2019 relaunch of Newcastle Brown Ale brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company, a new brew that celebrates the Altogether Uncommon by bringing together a unique blend of pale and roasted malts with American hops.

Total U.S. beer dollar sales grew to more than $35 billion in 2018, according to retail data provider IRI. The Chicago-based market research firm, which tracks category-wide sales at major off-premise retailers, reported a 1.8 percent increase in beer dollar sales, despite a 0.3 percent decline in volume sales at multi-outlet and convenience (MULC) stores (grocery, drug, club, dollar, mass-merchandiser and military) through December 30.

Citing a “challenging” craft beer market, California’s Lagunitas Brewing said Tuesday that it would slash 12 percent of its workforce in a move that will impact at least 100 employees. The announcement comes about 17 months after Heineken International completed its purchase of the Petaluma-headquartered craft brewery.

Surging freight costs, a shortage of long-haul truck drivers and new laws restricting the number of hours that drivers can be on the road are cutting into profits of beer companies and other major corporations throughout the United States. Although increased transportation costs are affecting all consumer goods industries, Beer Institute chief economist Michael Uhrich told Brewbound that they’re disproportionately affecting the beer industry because the vast majority of beer sold domestically is shipped. Last year, beer companies shipped 2.9 billion cases of beer, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

Midway through 2018, Lagunitas Brewing Company is the only top five U.S. craft beer brand gaining dollar share, according to CEO Maria Stipp. Speaking to Brewbound, Stipp shared the company’s results through the first half of 2018, noting that Lagunitas ranks fourth in dollar share (up 4 percent) and sixth in volume (up 5 percent) through July 14, according to data from market research firm Nielsen.

U.S. consumers looking to catch a buzz without the booze will soon be able to purchase an assortment of beer-centric products thanks to a pair of ventures aiming to disrupt the current alcohol market with cannabis-infused beverages.

BeerBoard, the industry leader in real-time data and analytics for draft beer, today announced leading American brewers Lagunitas, Magic Hat and Stone Brewing have signed as clients to receive the company’s proprietary, real-time data and analytics from its SmartBar platform.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: President Trump says he may support bill to end the federal marijuana ban; new brewery trademark lawsuits emerge; breweries close in Colorado and New Hampshire; and more.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: Another brewery files for bankruptcy; Stone seeks to dismiss MillerCoors’ counterclaims; Tree House and Jester King announce expansion plans; BrewDog and Terrapin announce new hires; and more.