New Belgium Brewing Company

Former Bell’s Brewery executive vice president (EVP) Carrie Yunker has returned to the bev-alc industry after a more than 16-month “retirement.”

Bev-alc’s trajectory remained “stagnant” leading up to the final week of August, according to the latest weekly scans report from market research firm NIQ.

Halloween’s Michael Myers is joining New Belgium’s skeleton mascot on cans of Slasher IPA. Meanwhile, Scream’s Ghost Face killer is lurking on Boston Beer Company’s Angry Orchard. And Neshaminy Creek is bringing its own Slasher Sampler mix pack to the party.

The story of craft in 2026 has followed the increasingly repetitive plotlines of the last couple years: Volume is down a mid-single digit at the midway point, scans haven’t been encouraging and craft is on distributors’ cut lists. While the public-facing numbers aren’t encouraging, the vibe around craft is different in 2026.

In the latest installment of 3 Up, 3 Down, 3 Tier Beverages consultant Danelle Kosmal and analyst Devon Hevener share insights on industry growth and accompanying downward trends, including apple-flavored beer’s ascent.

Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter, including headlines from NIQ, Garage Beer, New Belgium and more.

New Belgium Brewing has named Dave Knospe as its new CMO. He will supplant Rebecca Dye Yonushonis, who is leaving New Belgium later this summer.

Kirin-owned New Belgium Brewing – including the Voodoo Ranger-powered New Belgium brand and Bell’s Brewery – now ranks as the largest non-Brewers Association craft beer family, overtaking Molson Coors’ craft brands, according to data released in the trade organization’s May/June edition of the New Brewer magazine.

New Belgium Brewing’s portfolio is craft’s top share gainer through Q1, CEO Shaun Belongie shared recently. The Kirin-owned New Belgium craft portfolio, which includes New Belgium’s offerings (Voodoo Ranger, Fat Tire and more), and Bell’s Brewery (Two Hearted, Oberon and more) snagged share by growing volume 3.2% year-to-date.

Kirin-owned New Belgium Brewing has reorganized its business administration teams, resulting in the elimination of some roles, a spokesperson confirmed to Brewbound. The employees whose jobs were cut amount to fewer than 1% of the company’s overall workforce.

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Lauren Woods Limbach joined New Belgium in 196 and the rest is “an incredible fairy tale, wild ride, with some of the hardest work and the best people on Earth,” she said in an Instagram video last week announcing her upcoming retirement.

New Belgium Brewing has big plans for Voodoo Ranger in 2026, from two new IPAs to partnerships with two of the biggest TV and video game releases of the year.

A pair of new ready-to-drink (RTD) offerings are coming from New Belgium in 2026, including Kirin’s top-selling canned cocktail and a vodka cocktail with a “subtle nod” to the Voodoo Ranger franchise.