New Belgium Brewing Company

Why are so many ghouls chilling in the coldbox this year? Beer companies see an opportunity to carve a piece of Halloween for themselves.

Winning brands don’t ask why consumers are forsaking them or react to headlines about industry declines by wondering how they’ll affect the category.

New Belgium Brewing CEO Shaun Belongie promised the company’s distributor partners a strategy of “radical simplicity,” with singular asks for its big three brands, rather than a monthly calendar of brand focuses.

The full Labor Day weekend is officially on the books in NIQ off-premise scans. Total bev-alc dollar sales in the four-week period (L4W) ending September 12 totaled $8.5 billion, while volume totaled 167.5 million cases.

New Belgium Brewing’s Daleville, Virginia-based “Liquid Center” will open to the public beginning November 6.

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.