Daily Briefing Newsletter

Some say there’s no such thing as bad publicity … but I feel rather confident in saying this wasn’t a July 4 holiday product placement spend from Coors.

The number of craft beer drinkers who are drinking less craft beer than they were a year ago has surpassed the number of those who are drinking more for the first time since the Brewers Association (BA) started asking this question in its annual poll in 2015.

While it’s nice to be the official beer of a sports league … it’s apparently another thing to supply beer for player celebrations. I mean, we’re not made of money, folks. So alas, the only visibility that MICH ULTRA had in the CELTICS locker room celebration after winning the NBA Finals was … some signage in the background, as players celebrated with MILLER LITE, CORONA, HIGH NOON and even Boston’s own JACK’S ABBY.

Tuesday’s edition of the Brewbound Newsletter features the Brewers Association’s review of onsite brewery sales data in Q1; Reyes-owned DET’s acquisition of 1.6M cases in TN; Brooklyn Brewery naming a new VP of sales; an analysis of Constellation Brands’ consumer demographics; Bart Watson’s breakdown of ‘wild’ hop acreage cuts; and Jon Stewart’s visit to an Asbury Park brewery.

Beer, it’s what’s for Father’s Day. Or at least it is compared to spirits and wine, as 76% of folks planning to buy bev-alc for the big day this weekend will buy beer, according to market research firm Numerator. Wine and spirits weren’t even close at 36% each, and both got a real stern look from Dad when they were mentioned at the dinner table last night 😬.

A Round With J.C. Hill of Alvarado Street; Athletic Purchases Former Ballast Point Facility; Circana: A-B Declines Decelerate Thru Late May; Beer Tops List of Bev-Alc Father’s Day Buys; Hulk Hogan Launches Real American Lager; Podcast: Burial Beer’s Doug Reiser.

So I think we’ve been looking in the wrong direction all of this time for #innovation – Utah’s Dylan McDonnell has the right idea. He brewed a beer using a recipe from a 3,000 year old Egyptian papyrus, which oddly enough also had “Next year will be the Year of the Craft Lager” written on it, and yeast cultured from a jar that dates back to the 9th century B.C.

Alisa Bowens-Mercado is on a mission to make Rhythm Brewing the first nationally distributed beer brand owned by a woman of color. She discusses that goal and all the stops along the way, including a pop-up summer beer garden in the brewery’s hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, and ready-to-drink espresso martinis.

In this issue: Gallo Makes ‘Strategic Investment’ in Montucky; Waterbird Acquired by Gallo in April; Jim Koch: Boston Beer’s Credibility Problem; Timnath Beerwerks to Acquire Snowbank; Jefferies: Boston Beer a ‘Buy’; and Loverboy Available Nationwide with Walmart.

While it may be all the rage to give shout-outs to Applebee’s in songs these days, there are apparently more than 500 songs out there with lyrical references to good ‘ol BUD (maybe not so much with BUD LIGHT in 2024, at least in a certain genre of music).

Brewbound Insider newsletter: Great Lakes’ leadership shakeup; A-B’s U.S. shipments and depletions decline double digits; Lead Dog Brewing founder buys back brewery; Goose Island’s Salt Shed location opens; and Boulevard hits the Jackpot with Tank 7.

Well MILLER LITE, you had ample opportunity … but the IRON CITY BEER folks have stolen your thunder (and apparently read this newsletter). Yes, ladies & gentlemen … I give you IRON CITY BEER BUNS! Yes, the PITTSBURGH Brewing Company has partnered with MANCINI’s Bakery and contributed their spent grain to create these beer-y delicious baked goods, apparently just in time for yinzers to enjoy on uh, National Picnic Day. 🤷

Now, this is a sporting event menu folks. #5DollarBeer.

Where I’ll start with a public service announcement today, here on Easter weekend – make sure you make a detailed map of where you hide the cans of beer for your adult Easter egg hunt today … so that it doesn’t flow into your kid’s Easter egg hunt. 🫣