Molson Coors Beverage Company

Molson Coors U.S. president of sales and distributor operations Kevin Doyle will retire on December 31 after nearly 40 years with the company. Chief customer officer Brian Feiro will backfill Doyle’s position after training with him for the next several months, Molson Coors announced today.

After more than a year under the wing of Molson Coors, spirits-based, ready-to-drink canned cocktail maker Superbird will leave the nest as Molson Coors hands the reins to the brand’s distribution efforts back to its parent company, Casa Komos Brands Group (CKBG).

The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild (VCBG) could be in the beer distribution business by next summer, it announced last week.

Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist Brewery will begin “a two-stage expansion” into Houston, Texas, starting in mid-August via Silver Eagle Distributors.

For the 52 weeks ending July 16, the combined malt- and spirits-based hard seltzer segment reached $4.263 billion, according to Jefferies equity research managing director Kevin Grundy. In the last four weeks, spirits-based seltzer’s share of the business has reached 9.1%. Malt- and sugar-based hard seltzers account for 90.9% of the segment – and their sales are declining.

Molson Coors’ second quarter earnings report featured varied results, including volume declines, an increase in net sales per hectoliter (+7.1%) and the company’s first increase in U.S. dollar share in more than a decade.

Days after upholding a $56 million jury verdict in favor of Stone Brewing, a federal judge rejected the Escondido, California-based craft brewery’s attempt to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in profits and damages from Molson Coors as part of a trademark infringement dispute over refreshed Keystone Light branding.

A federal judge has denied Molson Coors’ attempt to toss a $56 million jury award to Stone Brewing in the San Diego craft brewery’s trademark infringement lawsuit over the 2017 refresh of Keystone Light packaging, according to an order filed Tuesday.

Simply Spiked – the hard lemonade Molson Coors launched this summer in partnership with Coca-Cola – has taken the FMB corner of the bev-alc world by storm. Joy Ghosh, VP of marketing for above premium brands and FMBs at Molson Coors, joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the company’s launch strategy, new campaigns and plans… Read more »

Molson Coors will invest in national advertising during Super Bowl LVII, making it the first brewer other than A-B to run an official commercial during the broadcast in more than 30 years.

Light lager continues to increase share on Drizly, clawing back share losses to hard seltzer over the past two years, according to the e-commerce alcohol delivery platform in its latest BevAlc Insights report.

A federal judge told Stone Brewing and Molson Coors to work out a post-trial injunction over the use of the word “stone” or end up on the wrong end of a court order that both companies may not like, according to Courthouse News Service.

Since a jury awarded Stone Brewing a $56 million verdict on March 25 in its trademark infringement lawsuit against Molson Coors over a 2017 Keystone Light rebrand that separated “Key” and “Stone” on cans and packaging, the two companies have buried one another in post-trial filings and motions.

Molson Coors issued a “voluntary withdrawal” of some SKUs of Coors Light and Keystone Light last week, a spokesperson told Brewbound.