Mississippi representatives Patricia Willis (R-Diamondhead) and Toby Barker (R-Hattiesburg) last week introduced House Bill 846 which, if passed, would give local breweries the right to sell beer directly to consumers. Currently being reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee, the bill includes a series of allowances aimed at stimulating sales of Mississippi-brewed beer.
After more than 15 months of investigations, regulators in Massachusetts have determined that Craft Beer Guild LLC — a wholesaler responsible for selling about 200 craft brands from around the U.S. — knowingly violated state laws prohibiting unfair trade practices and illegal pay-to-play activities. News of the decision was first reported by the Boston Globe. In a notice dated Feb. 11, 2016 and obtained by Brewbound, the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) slapped Craft Beer Guild — a subsidiary of the Sheehan Family Companies, which owns several alcoholic beverage distributorships across more than a dozen states — with a 90-day license suspension for offering inducements and unfair discounts in exchange for guaranteed retail placements.
In this week’s edition of Last Call, New Belgium delays its Asheville brewery opening, a pair of Michigan craft brewers expand their distribution footprints and Asahi Holdings moves to buy the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands.
On the verge of being a nationally distributed craft brand, Oskar Blues Brewery yesterday announced it would expand distribution into three new states. The Colorado-headquartered company, which operates a second brewing facility in Brevard, NC., has signed agreements with wholesalers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Oklahoma and will begin distributing to the new markets over the next two months.
Hoping to capitalize on a slew of successful fruit-forward IPA introductions, Boston Beer Company this week began nationwide distribution of Samuel Adams Rebel Grapefruit IPA. Brewed with real grapefruit and grapefruit peel, the latest Rebel line extension has a “tart, sharp character,” according to the company. In an effort to “round out bitterness from the peel” and add “sweet juiciness,” Boston Beer also adds grapefruit juice before filtering the beer.
Like so many other small U.S. producers, Seattle’s Fremont Brewing is at a crossroads. On the verge of opening a second brewing facility that will eventually enable the company to produce upwards of 250,000 barrels, and flush with interest from distributors around the U.S., brewery founder Matt Lincecum has two options: step on the gas pedal and expand distribution nationwide, or grow in a more controlled fashion, methodically building out distribution into contiguous markets.
Amidst speculation that his company was about to be scooped up by Anheuser-Busch InBev, Cigar City founder Joey Redner responded to questions regarding the future of a company he launched just seven years ago. That speculation, fueled by a blog posting that cited three unnamed sources as providing what it called ‘a credible rumor,’ was only so much noise and speculation, noted Redner, who said “there’s nothing to announce.”
Even with more than 4,100 U.S. craft breweries to choose from, there’s still a group of drinkers who just want to drink a homebrew. Unfortunately (or fortunately), wider access to those products is virtually nonexistent, which means most of us will probably never try Victoria’s Vanilla Chai Imperial Stout. Enter Noble Brewer, an online retailer that aims to digitally connect amateur brewers to thirsty consumers.
Want to know why the “long tail” of craft is growing faster than 350 percent, according to research firm IRI Worldwide? Look no further than Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist brewery, which tripled production to more than 31,000 barrels in just its second full year of business. Rhinegeist, which only sells its beer in Ohio and Kentucky, is one of a growing number of well-capitalized and entrepreneurial-minded craft startups outpacing category growth by brewing dozens of different styles and overinvesting in sales personnel.
In this week’s edition of Last Call, Off Color Brewing prepares to open a retail shop and offer brewery tours, Sierra Nevada unveils its latest Beer Camp Across America creations and “Big Beer” rolls out their latest ad campaigns.
Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) has announced preliminary 2015 earnings results, highlighting a net sales increase of just 2 percent over the year prior. Total shipments declined 1 percent in 2015, the company said. Net sales grew 4 percent in the fourth quarter, up $1.8 million, according to a statement. Total depletions, meanwhile, declined about 1 percent despite gains from a Kona line that was up 27 percent in the quarter.
Brew Bus, a Tampa-based brewery tour operator, today announced its purchase of Florida Avenue Brewing for an undisclosed sum. First revealed last December, the deal includes the Florida Avenue brewery and tasting room in Seminole Heights, a space Brew Bus is spending about $250,000 to renovate. Upon completion, the location will also serve as a base camp for Brew Bus brewery tours in Tampa.
Based in Fort Collins, Odell Brewing has, on average, grown production about 12.5 percent each year since it opened. The company, which sold about 110,000 barrels across 11 states in 2015, still maintains a set of core objectives that help it succeed at home and away: grow slow and don’t overreach. In 2016, however, Odell plans to press more firmly on the accelerator, projecting 21 percent volume gains and 23 percent revenue growth.
After a 20-year brewing career with Portland’s Craft Brew Alliance, Ben Dobler, who for the last nine years has managed the company’s brewing innovation division, will depart for the much smaller Mt. Tabor Brewing later this month.
