Headlines

Beer is the drink of choice for nearly three-quarters of consumers planning to buy bev-alc products for their Memorial Day weekend celebrations, according to insights firm Numerator.

Softer than expected Q1 trends have caused distributor sentiment to wane for the beer category, according to survey results from investment banking firm Jefferies.

De Soi, the non-alcoholic apéritif brand co-founded by Katy Perry, is turning up the heat with its newest launch, Haute Margarita.

Beverage-alcohol’s embrace of flavor and craft beer’s shifting distribution trends were among spotlighted issues during last week’s Beer Marketer’s Insights Spring Conference in Chicago. Leaders from BeatBox Beverages, Boston Beer Company, Atomic Brands, Columbia Distributing and Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) shared where their business and the beer category is heading. Here are a few soundbites from the conference.

We may still have a week to go until Memorial Day weekend … but you know we’re getting close when you begin to smell the #bigbeer BBQ promotions rolling out!

Consumers want more beverages delivered to their doorsteps – alcoholic and otherwise – according to a recent survey by food and beverage e-commerce delivery platform DoorDash.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) is shaking up its distribution network for its spirits-based, ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail brands. The moves are concentrated in California, where A-B told Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) it would move the Cutwater Spirits RTD family to Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits (SGWS).

New breakout brands, Q1’s soft trends and the beer industry’s non-alcoholic (NA) plays were hot topics during Beer Marketer’s Insights’ Spring Conference, held earlier this week in Chicago.

Are Californians over tequila? A new report indicates that Californians’ thirst for spirits has declined, fueled by a drop in agave spirit volumes. But that’s not the entire story.

Craft Brewers Conference conversations continue on the Brewbound Podcast with a pair of interviews featuring Right Proper Brewing co-owner and Brewers Association board chairwoman Leah Cheston and Hi-Wire Brewing co-owner Adam Charnack.

It started with a simple bag of grain. Later, that grain was processed into chips. But the fun really ramped up when West African food company Yolélé turned fonio, a niche “miracle grain” that the brand has made its hero ingredient, into a limited-edition beer.

With wind in its sails from accelerating grocery sales, Sapporo has set its sights on multi-channel expansion. The 149-year-old brand has been invigorated in recent years as Sapporo-Stone, the combined entity born from the former’s acquisition of the latter in 2022, takes shape.

Five of the top 25 beer vendors in Circana-tracked off-premise channels eked out both dollar sales and volume growth in the L4W (data ending April 20), according to the latest monthly report from the market research firm.

Bev-alc’s price increases slowed slightly in March, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).