Year-to-Date volume sales of beer are basically flat, according to market research firm IRI Worldwide, which tracks scan data at major off-premise retailers throughout the U.S. In its latest monthly report, the firm also said off-premise retail volume sales of craft beer had grown 1.4 percent year-to-date through the period ending August 12.
The Brewers Association (BA) has rolled out a new national advertising campaign aimed at bringing another round of consumer attention to its independent craft brewer seal that was unveiled last year. Launched today, the effort, called “That’s Independence You’re Tasting,” includes a pair of 30-second commercials that will be “presented across a variety of media platforms,” according to a press release.
More often than not, Evil Twin Brewing founder Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø finds himself in the news for a supposed “feud” with his identical twin brother, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, the founder of Mikkeller Beer. But the storyline is getting old to Jeppe, who has, at times, turned to social media to express his discontent with how media outlets compare the Evil Twin and Mikkeller businesses. Still, Jeppe, who met with Brewbound in June to discuss the forthcoming opening of his first brick and mortar production facility in Queens, New York, says the fractured relationship with his brother is not an act.
Scottish craft brewery BrewDog is continuing to expand its reach beyond the beer category, today announcing the launch of a namesake streaming video service that features more than 100 hours of drinks-related content.
Channeling his inner Justin Timberlake, Founders Brewing co-founder and CEO Mike Stevens told hundreds of industry professionals attending last week’s Meeting of the Malts gathering in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that “America forgot how to make beer sexy.” Stevens — who successfully avoided a wardrobe malfunction while participating in a panel discussion about the state of the beer industry alongside Victory Brewing co-founder Bill Covaleski, D.G. Yuengling & Sons chief administrative officer Wendy Yuengling, Yards Brewing founder Tom Kehoe and Cigar City founder Joey Redner — wasn’t calling for a return to the days of provocative advertising, however.
Add Tallgrass Brewing to the list of small, regional beer companies struggling to stay afloat amid competition from more than 6,600 craft breweries. The Manhattan, Kansas-based brewery, the largest in the state, has suspended operations and laid off approximately 20 employees, founder Jeff Gill confirmed to Brewbound.
After spending 10 years as the marketing director for Oskar Blues Brewery, and more recently the Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective, media relations guru Chad Melis has struck out on his own. Melis, who was an integral part of the Oskar Blues and Canarchy organizations, acting as a national spokesman and overseeing a team 20 marketing employees, launched ‘Turn it Up Media’ in early August.
Stone Brewing co-founder Greg Koch will be the subject of an upcoming feature-length documentary titled “The Beer Jesus of America,” which chronicles the construction and opening of the company’s Berlin brewery. Stone spokeswoman Lizzie Younkin confirmed the project, but said the film was made independently of the beer company.
Midway through 2018, Lagunitas Brewing Company is the only top five U.S. craft beer brand gaining dollar share, according to CEO Maria Stipp. Speaking to Brewbound, Stipp shared the company’s results through the first half of 2018, noting that Lagunitas ranks fourth in dollar share (up 4 percent) and sixth in volume (up 5 percent) through July 14, according to data from market research firm Nielsen.
Following the signing of a law allowing Illinois breweries to immediately begin selling beer and cider from outside beer companies in their taprooms, several Chicago restaurant and craft beer bar owners expressed concern that new regulations create additional competition for their businesses. However, a couple of Chicago brewery owners told Brewbound that they don’t anticipate major changes in the way they run their taproom businesses.
In this week’s edition of Last Call: The Nevada Attorney General investigates MillerCoors; Stone seeks an injunction in its Keystone case; Almanac’s co-founder departs the company; and more news from the week.
A majority of the beer brewed in Texas isn’t classified as “craft,” as smaller in-state producers only account for about 2 percent of the roughly 20 million barrels produced in the Lone Star State. Speaking to a crowd of beer industry professionals during last week’s Brew Talks meetup in Austin, Texas, Bob Leggett, owner of Artisanal Imports and the Uncle Billy’s and Pedernales beer brands, highlighted the difference in market share between locally produced beer and more mainstream offerings.
On the same day that it announced a $4 billion investment into Canada’s Canopy Growth Corporation, Constellation Brands also laid off dozens of employees tasked with selling the company’s craft and specialty beers throughout the U.S. Constellation — whose craft portfolio includes Ballast Point in California, Funky Buddha in Florida and Four Corners Brewery in Texas as well as Mexican import brands Corona, Modelo and Pacifico — terminated around 60 of its 100 or so craft and specialty reps, a source familiar with the situation told Brewbound.
Constellation Brands is taking a second hit of Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED). Less than a year after spending $191 million to acquire a 9.9 percent stake in the Canadian cannabis company, the Corona and Modelo maker today announced it would invest approximately $4 billion to acquire 104.5 million shares of Canopy, raising its stake to about 38 percent.
