In episode 32 of the Brewbound Podcast, Sebago Brewing co-founder Kai Adams discusses the ways in which his company has evolved over the years, and how a two-decades-old brewery stays relevant in a competitive environment.
Last week, 14,000 beer industry professionals made their way to Denver, Colorado, for the annual Craft Brewers Conference, hosted by the Brewers Association (BA). During the event — which featured about 100 different seminars on topics ranging from diversity and inclusion to franchise law reform – leaders from the BA cautioned attendees about future growth prospects for the category.
Improving diversity and inclusion within the craft brewing industry was a recurring theme throughout last week’s Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Denver. During a Brew Talks panel discussion, Brewers Association diversity ambassador Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham argued that reaching out to customers beyond “white dudes with beards” is no more risky than mortgaging financial futures to start breweries.
Constellation Brands will shutter two Ballast Point Brewing facilities in Southern California, and back out of a plan to open a brewpub in San Francisco, Brewbound has learned. A spokeswoman with the New York-based beer, wine, and spirits company today confirmed the closure of Ballast Point Brewing’s 80,000 sq. ft. “Trade Street” sour beer and barrel-aging facility, which opened in San Diego in late 2017, as well as its Temecula, Calif.-based brewpub, which opened in 2016.
Bee Pollen. Quinoa. Pink Himalayan sea salt. You wouldn’t ordinarily expect to find these ingredients listed on a beer label, but increasingly brewing companies are pushing more “functional” offerings as they look to appeal to consumers seeking healthier alcohol options. It’s a new approach for a growing number of craft breweries, who for years have churned out calorie-dense, barrel-aged stouts, and high-octane IPAs.
In a crowded beer marketplace, a quality product, vivid packaging or an active social media presence often are not enough for a company to capture consumers’ attention. Now more than ever, both established companies and early-stage craft breweries are turning to new technology to help them cut through the noise.
In this week’s Last Call: Patagonia sues Anheuser-Busch for trademark infringement; Stanford researchers find consumers more negatively view beer made by women; Maryland lawmakers pass franchise law reform and modernization bill; and more industry news.
In episode 31, Revolution Brewing CCO Donn Bichsel discusses how Revolution Brewing is dealing with industry headwinds and shares his outlook on the future of craft. He also shares how the company is staying relevant in a crowded marketplace, and how it intends to succeed over the long-term.
Former Constellation Brands executive Marty Birkel has joined the board of directors at Cannabiniers, the cannabis company behind the Two Roots line of THC- and CBD-infused non-alcoholic craft beers. Birkel, who officially departed Constellation earlier this year, had most recently served as the president of the company’s craft and specialty division.
Slower growth and increased competition are the “new normal,” Brewers Association (BA) leaders hammered home on the second day of the trade group’s annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC). “This is not a blip,” BA chief economist Bart Watson said during Wednesday’s State of the Industry presentation. “This is the new normal.”
Leaders with the Brewers Association (BA) opened Tuesday’s opening session of the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver by soliciting donations for its new political action committee (PAC). Their goal? To make permanent the excise tax cuts in the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA), which are slated to expire at the end of the year.
One month after formally establishing its pH Experiment, a growth unit tasked with developing innovative products that play on the fringes of the beer category, Craft Brew Alliance today announced the launch of a new low-proof seltzer line called Pacer.
The Brewers Association’s (BA) biggest event of the year, the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) & BrewExpo America, officially kicks off Tuesday in Denver. With more than 70 educational seminars and tons of networking opportunities (and parties), CBC can be daunting. To help attendees plan their schedules effectively, Brewbound has picked eight seminars that shouldn’t be skipped.
Stone Brewing’s lofty $30 million Germany brewery experiment — aimed at converting Reinheitsgebot-abiding German drinkers into American craft beer lovers — has come to an end only a few years after it began. The San Diego-headquartered company, ranked by the Brewers Association as the ninth largest craft beer producer in the U.S., today announced the sale of its Berlin brewing facility to Scotland’s BrewDog.
