Top Features

More than one-third (34%) of distributors believe this summer will be stronger for beer sales than summer 2024, according to a recent survey by Goldman Sachs.

Q2 was once again a thorn in Boston Beer Company’s side, despite a rosier Q1, according to financial results released by the company late Thursday. Boston Beer shipments (sales to wholesalers) declined 0.8% year-over-year (YoY), while depletions (sales to retailers) declined 5% for the three-month period ending June 28.

Beer volume from Brewers Association-defined (BA) craft breweries has declined 5% through the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, according to the trade organization’s midyear market report, which was published Wednesday following a survey of members.

Nice weather and ideal timing helped boost beer’s performance over Fourth of July weekend, producing “surprisingly strong trends,” according to distributors surveyed by Goldman Sachs.

Almanac Beer got lots of people (including the hosts of this podcast!) talking earlier this summer when it announced it was ditching the word “taproom” and rechristening its Alameda, California-based location as Almanac Adventureland.

Reyes Beverage Group (RBG) has scooped up several more major spirit brands in California, with Four Roses Bourbon and Fuji Japanese Whisky the latest to join the total beverage distributor in the leadup to Republic National Distributing (RNDC) exiting the state.

Halfway through 2025, craft and beyond beer are the biggest share losers in both the on- and off-premise, according to data shared during Fintech and the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) quarterly webinar.

Brewery-incubator Pilot Project opened its second Chicago location last week, located in the heart of Wrigleyville. The 3,500 sq. ft. space on N. Clark St. is less than a 5-minute walk from Wrigley Park (home of the Cubs), and includes a large patio space, full menu and a downstairs “Devious” cocktail lounge – branded after Pilot Project’s own line of canned cocktails.

The notion of dessert is threaded throughout this year’s Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) lineup from Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned Goose Island.

New Belgium is still feeling the effects of Hurricane Helene almost one year after the deadly storm devastated western North Carolina. Even as the company’s Asheville production facility has come back online, New Belgium is dealing with tough decisions made in the aftermath.

Post-Independence Day beverage-alcohol dollar sales declined 2.3% year-over-year (YoY) and 21% week-over-week (WoW) “as expected,” according to the latest weekly report from market research firm Circana, which included data for the week ending July 13.

Fans of New England Brewing Co. (NEBCO) will soon be able to enjoy the brewery’s offerings in its new waterfront taproom, it announced last week. The Woodbridge, Connecticut-based brewery has acquired Stony Creek Brewing’s facility, which sits 13 miles away on the banks of the Branford River in the Connecticut town of the same name.

New Belgium Brewing Company turned down the innovation firehose to a drip – for the most part – to start 2025. Yes, the company did add “Mini Rippers,” 7.5 oz. 8-pack cans of Voodoo Ranger Juice Force and Tropic Force (both 9.5% ABV). And it rolled out LightStrike, a 5% ABV non-carbonated hard refresher line, aimed at Millennials and Generation Z consumers.

Kratom beverage maker Mitra-9 Brands is facing a proposed class action lawsuit over allegations that its products are addictive, leading to habitual use and withdrawal symptoms.