The Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn Brewery co-founder Steve Hindy, one of the famed “Class of ’88” pioneers of the craft brewing movement, has announced his retirement, effective December 31.

Just in time for “Dry January,” Brooklyn Brewery will launch the next offering within its fast-growing non-alcoholic beer line Special Effects. The New York craft brewery today officially announced the addition of an IPA to the Special Effects portfolio to go along with Hoppy Amber.

While many taprooms across the country are closed for on-premise consumption, Craft’d Company, a Boston-based craft beer events company, has launched Virtual Beers with the Brewers. The live stream guided tastings give viewers the opportunity to learn about, interact with and support the breweries in their communities and beyond.

The parent company of Brizzy Seltzer Cocktails has filed a lawsuit against Molson Coors Beverage Company in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleging that the second largest U.S. beer manufacturer’s Vizzy Hard Seltzer name “is nearly identical to Brizzy in sight, sound and appearance” and infringes upon its trademark.

Richard Mahoney, the chairman of the board of The Wine Group, is the lead investor in Chicagoland craft brewery Kings & Convicts’ acquisition of Ballast Point Brewing Company from Constellation Brands, according to the ChicagoTribune. Brooklyn Brewery restructures sales force.

Two of Pennsylvania’s most iconic businesses — D.G. Yuengling & Son and The Hershey Company — are linking up on a fall beer release, Chocolate Porter. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Brewery is betting on non-alcoholic beer catching on in the U.S., bringing its non-alcoholic hoppy lager offering, Special Effects, to select U.S. markets this fall.

For the third consecutive year, Pennsylvania produced more craft beer than any other state in the nation, Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson shared during the Brewers of Pennsylvania’s annual Meeting of the Malts gathering in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Together with nearby Nya Carnegiebryggeriet (New Carnegie Brewery, founded 2012 by Carlsberg Sweden and Brooklyn Brewery) Fotografiska is now launching its own beer, Echo. A beer brewed from, among other things, leftover sourdough bread from Fotografiska’s kitchens.

After more than 30 years, New York’s Brooklyn Brewery will finally begin distributing its products in an ultra-competitive California craft beer market. The company will partner with Stone Distributing for coverage throughout Southern California, and DBI and Bay Area Beverage Co. for support in Northern California.

In episode 16 of the Brewbound Podcast, Brooklyn Brewery CEO Eric Ottaway discusses the growing consumer interest in low- and no-alcohol products, the overall state of the beer business, his company’s global partnership strategy and the shrinking international opportunities for U.S. craft breweries.

On December 1, Brooklyn Brewery announced the launch of their first alcohol-free beer, Special Effects. The beer, a hoppy lager with an ABV of 0.4%, launched exclusively in Sweden with plans to expand to other markets throughout 2019.

Count Brooklyn Brewery among the growing number of beer companies that has its eyes on the health and wellness space. During last week’s Brewbound Live business conference, Brooklyn Brewery CEO Eric Ottaway said the company was on the verge of releasing a non-alcoholic beer in Sweden as the company looks to tap into increasing consumer demand for more alcohol-free brews.

In a move that will expand its U.S. distribution footprint to 29 states, Brooklyn Brewery announced Monday that it would begin selling beer in Colorado next month. The New York-based craft brewery, which also sells its products in 30 countries, is partnering with Elite Brands on the Front Range and High Country Beverage in Northern Colorado and the Western Slope. It plans to sell flagship Brooklyn Lager, as well as Bel Air Sour, Defender IPA, seasonal offerings, and draft-only releases.

Thousands of California beer industry professionals met in Sacramento last week for the California Craft Brewers Association annual three-day Craft Beer Summit, Expo and Beer Festival. As an official media partner of the event, Brewbound hosted 10 hours of live streamed interviews, and sat in on a variety of seminars during the show. Here’s what we learned.