News

Craft beer industry news.

Bootstrap Brewing Grows Sales 25% in 2020 With New Investments

In the challenging year that was 2020, Colorado-based Bootstrap Brewing Company celebrated successes. Despite the doom and gloom of COVID and election year, the brewery grew its annual sales more than 25-percent, launched new lines of both tasty non-alcoholic beers and Sparkalicious hard seltzers, and made significant additions to its brewhouse technology. 

Urban South Brewery Kicks Off The New Year With Weekly Beer Releases

New Orleans’ largest craft brewery will continue releasing new beers on a weekly basis as we head into January 2021. New beer releases will be announced on Mondays of each week and will be available on Thursdays to order online for pickup or to purchase in person at the Tchoupitoulas Street taproom.

Empire State Development Announces ‘Raising The Bar’ Restaurant Recovery Fund

Empire State Development (ESD) today announced the more than $3 million “Raising the Bar” Restaurant Recovery Fund to assist restaurants in New York State during the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant funding has been made possible through financial donations led by Diageo North America and supported by Coastal Pacific Wine & Spirits (a division of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits) and will be implemented by the non-profit National Development Council (NDC).

Boston Beer Company Launches Truly Iced Tea Hard Seltzer

Truly Hard Seltzer, a leader and innovator in the hard seltzer category, today announced the launch of Truly Iced Tea Hard Seltzer, a first-of-its-kind mix of refreshing hard seltzer, real brewed tea and fruit flavor.

Constellation Brands’ Depletions Increase 12% in Q3; Funky Buddha Hard Seltzer to Expand to 10 Markets

Constellation Brands’ Depletions Increase 12% in Q3; Funky Buddha Hard Seltzer to Expand to 10 Markets

The biggest challenge the producer of popular Mexican import brands Corona, Modelo and Pacifico faced in 2020 came in March when the Mexican government ordered the shutdown of all manufacturing industries, including beer. This pause in production led to depleted inventory that was still being replenished into the third quarter and created a gap between shipments (sales to wholesalers) and depletions (sales to retailers) growth.

Affinity Creative Group Designs Packaging for Freshie, New Tequila-Based Seltzer

When the entrepreneurs behind Freshie, the first certified organic silver tequila seltzer sought an indelible identity for their new beverage, they turned to Affinity Creative Group. The founders, Paige and Ryne Iseminger, aimed to quickly convey the fun, lively, and adventurous feeling of a south of the border vacation, while also communicating the use of genuine, unadulterated, and pure ingredients. The challenge: get all of that messaging to fit on a slim, 12 oz. aluminum can.

NBWA Announces 6,000 Employees Trained Through the Distributors Against Human Trafficking Effort

The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) announced during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month that the Distributors Against Human Trafficking initiative has trained 6,000 beer distribution employees to safely spot and report the signs of human trafficking. NBWA is well on its way to reaching its goal of training 10,000 employees by the end of 2021.

Massachusetts Franchise Law Reform A Signature Away

Massachusetts Franchise Law Reform A Signature Away

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Massachusetts lawmakers finally passed franchise law reform legislation. If signed by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, the measure would put to rest a long-simmering debate between the Bay State’s craft brewers and their wholesaler partners.

Threes Brewing Opens Fourth Location in Huntington, Long Island, Its First Outside of NYC

Threes Brewing has expanded outside the city, with a new Long Island beer store and in time a gathering place from the Brooklyn-based brewery renowned for its diverse portfolio of award-winning beers including its flagships Vliet Pilsner and Logical Conclusion IPA. First launched in 2014 in Gowanus, Brooklyn with their popular brewpub, Threes has since grown to operate a second Brooklyn location in Greenpoint, as well as a seasonal beer garden on Governors Island.

Brewbound Podcast: A New Year

Brewbound Podcast: A New Year

This week’s edition of the Brewbound Podcast looks back at headlines from late December 2020 and the start of the new year. The Brewbound Team discuss the federal government making the excise tax cuts permanent; the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services maintaining the daily servings of alcohol at two drinkers per day for men; the Sheehan family lawsuit; and Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson’s 2020 recap.