Apparently the U.K. beer scene saw MILLER LITE’s revival of Less Filling, Tastes Great and said, ‘Hey let’s do that for craft beer!’ Yes, the great BA independent seal debate of 2018 (which seems like it might as well have happened in 1998) has reared its head across the pond in 2024. (Wait, I thought they were supposed to be 5+ hours ahead of us?)
Sorry, Travis Kelce, there’s a new football player in town … or at least there is for BUD LIGHT (then again, buying your own craft brewery certainly raises some issues there). Thus, Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield is the brand new addition to the BL athlete spokesperson lineup, although, gotta say – this creative could use some work IMO (his PROGRESSIVE ads were far better).
It appears that the COORS and WRANGLER folks have teamed up to make a new product custom made for your dating life – beer wash jeans! Yes, what better way to make an impression they’ll never forget than for your car to smell like stale beer when you pick up your date for dinner and a movie?
Folks, October is upon us – and you can just feel the excitement in the Jess Infante household for the influx of tourists about to overrun Salem, MA, with candy-fueled glee, tacky witch hats, freewheeling money and … noise. But don’t worry, Jess – SAM ADAMS has ya covered with this new at-home séance kit to escape it all and connect with Salem residents of yore … or maybe even Sam himself!
Ah, this just in – New England loves IPA! OK, did we really need to interrupt my GIF searching for that? 🙄 That’s like telling me Justin keeps free beer in his basement fridge (see ya around 5 p.m. boss – don’t worry, I’ll let myself in). But yes, it seems the Northeast region is responsible for all of those “IPA is dominating U.S. craft beer sales” headlines that the rest of the country has to endure.
Happy Oktoberfest, everyone 🍻! Beer’s favorite annual celebration (sorry, Arbor Day) kicks off today in Germany, and probably also wherever you see anyone in ill-fitting lederhosen. My enthusiasm may have gotten the best of me at the bottle shop last weekend in preparation … but I argue this is totally normal to have in your fridge.
Fellow Irish citizens, I have some bad news – we’re going to need a new negative stereotype. It seems our multi-decade long work at being viewed as a people who enjoy having one too many beers 🥴 was all for naught according to this new chart below, which shows that Irish folks are drinking 31% less per capita than they were in 2001. In fact, sales of non-alc beer in Ireland have 2x’d in the past four years to hit a 2% market share.
Well celebrity booze brands, you’ve had a good run … but now it’s Bey’s turn. Yes, add noted whisky enthusiast Beyonce Knowles-Carter (she insists I use her full name when we talk on the phone, but she calls me GIF Guy) to the list of Hollywood A-list liquor entrepreneurs.
In this issue, Sierra Nevada lays out its 2025 plans, A-B makes a deal to sell distro branches in MA and OH, Oregon’s hop crop declines double digits, NIQ offers a halftime bev-alc report on the Brewbound Podcast and Zoe shares her Bahamian beer haul.
Ya know, some days … being on TV is harder than it looks, folks (#funfact – I’ve done a few TV appearances of my own, and no, Zoe, none were via footage on the local news). The team at KREM-TV in Spokane was reporting on a beer-naming contest that EASTERN WASHINGTON U was holding with the NO-LI Brewery to give a new name to the Eagle Ale (working title) that they were making together
In Wednesday’s Brewbound Insider newsletter, gains made by domestic tax paid beer shipments in May were all but “wiped out” in June, according to Beer Institute chief economist Andrew Heritage. Insiders are also reading about attendance at the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference, the impending closure of J. Wakefield’s taproom and Lawson’s market expansion.
Who says endorsements are just for athletes? Kudos to the MOLSON corporation for finding a creative way to work beer into Olympics sponsorship! 🍻 And more importantly, a congratulations to the parents of 9 Canadian Olympians who are now getting a 💰, TV time and most importantly – free beer (😱) as part of their new endorsement contracts during the Paris games.
Congratulations beer, you did it! Beer was chosen as the alcoholic beverage of choice for the summer (66%) over wine (54%), liquor (50%) and cocktails (43%) in a brand new survey of 2,087 LDAs. What’s that? Who paid for the survey? Well, I mean is that really important? OK fine, it was the BEER INSTITUTE (who enlisted MORNING CONSULT to conduct it on its behalf), but I’m sure they totally would have released the results even if wine had come out on top, ahem.
Gonna open this weekend’s newsletter with an invitation to the Brewers Association to join me for a pint in NYC (you’re buying – uhh, Justin insists), as the BA just published a report that asserts that the price of a pint on-premise has tracked below the rate of inflation for the past 3 years. It also cites an average pint price of $6.85 as of the end of 2023. So, come to NYC and let’s have a couple of craft pints to toast to that – just make sure you bring more than $20.
