Pabst Brewing Company

The Brewers Association this week announced that it would no longer allow large brewing companies and brewery groups to purchase featured sponsorships at the Great American Beer Fest, held annually in Denver, Colorado.

Reuben’s Brews and Rainier Brewing Company introduce r&R Pils, a collaboration beer that hits shelves in Washington and Oregon this week.

Nearly 18 months after inking a deal to produce beer on behalf of Pabst Brewing, Craft Brew Alliance today announced that the two companies had terminated their agreement.

Two key Pabst Brewing Company executives were laid off this week as part of an organizational shuffle led by newly appointed CEO Simon Thorpe, who joined the company last December. Rich Pascucci, who had served as Pabst’s chief growth officer since January 2016, and Bruce Muenter, who had served as chief sales officer since January 2015, were informed Wednesday that their positions had been eliminated

More than 100 union delivery drivers and warehouse workers for Clare Rose Inc., a New York beer distributor, went on strike Sunday afternoon after months of unsuccessful wage negotiations.

In this week’s distribution roundup: Cigar City expands distribution to New Jersey; New Holland and Pabst kick off their nationwide distribution agreement; Harpoon’s UFO Beer lands in Minnesota and Catawba Brewing enters Georgia.

Last Call: ABI Buys Stake in Chinese Craft Brewer; Pabst to Open Milwaukee Innovation Brewery in April

Beginning March 1st, the makers of top-selling, highly awarded Not Your Father’s Root Beer will introduce a new collection of artisanal brews that put a fresh spin on three classic American flavors. The brand new lineup includes Not Your Mom’s Apple Pie, Not Your Mom’s Strawberry Rhubarb and Not Your Mom’s Iced Tea.

Pabst Brewing Company has inked its first official U.S. craft partnership, announcing plans today to invest in the marketing, sales and distribution of products from New Holland Brewing. Specific financial terms of deal, which was signed this morning and is slated to begin during the first quarter of next year, were not disclosed.

Pabst Brewing Company today announced an exclusive import agreement with Mexico’s oldest craft brewery, Cerveza Minerva. Specific terms of the transaction — which is set to begin next spring — were not disclosed, but Pabst said it would launch the brand in “a small number of test markets,” and begin building national distribution for Minerva’s beers over the course of 2017.

One day after naming Simon Thorpe the CEO of Pabst Brewing Company, chairman Eugene Kashper offered a window into the future of his company’s merger and acquisition strategy during Thursday’s Brewbound Session in San Diego. Thorpe, known for his M&A work as the former CEO of Duvel USA, where he was instrumental in purchasing Boulevard Brewing and Firestone Walker, will be tasked with “fine turning and fixing” Pabst’s partner strategy, Kashper said.

Pabst Brewing is the country’s fifth largest beer maker, but unlike competitors Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, Constellation and Heineken — all of which have made significant investments in the craft space — the company has yet to enter an otherwise frothy craft beer market teeming with eager sellers. But it’s not because the company lacks a desire to get serious about the segment. In fact, Pabst CEO and chairman Eugene Kashper has publicly acknowledged the fact that a true craft brand is a “big hole” in the company’s portfolio.

Small Town Brewery made a splash last year when the company’s “Not Your Father’s Root Beer” product notched more than $104 million in off-premise sales. But the apparent novelty of drinking an alcoholic soda seems to have slowed in 2016; sales of the flagship root beer offering are down an astonishing 75 percent over the last four weeks, according market research firm IRI Worldwide. The company today announced the launch of a line of “classically brewed beers” under the “Not Your Father’s Taproom” moniker.

Beginning this fall, Dog Tag Brewing’s “Legacy Lager” will be distributed nationally by Pabst Brewing Company. Dog Tag Brewing donates 100% of its after-tax profits to the Dog Tag Brewing Foundation, which benefits charities created or selected by Gold Star Families.