Editor’s Note: The below news items were initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter October 1-3. Become an Insider today to get earlier access to what’s going on in the industry.
Government Shutdown in Full Swing
The federal government has been shut down since Wednesday, after Congress failed to reach a deal on funding, sparring over healthcare benefits.
Bev-alc trade groups warned members of the impending shutdown and ensuing effects on the industry earlier this week, including delays in TTB label and formula approvals that will extend beyond the shutdown as the government agency tackles a backlog. Catch up on those comments here.
‘Craft’s Future May Be Younger and More Diverse Than Many Assume’
– Brewers Association (BA) staff economist Matt Gacioch claimed in a recent BA blog post, 9 Things Breweries MUST Know about Today’s Consumers, citing consumer data from a Kantar U.S. Monitor survey.
The survey found that 50% of alcohol-drinking Gen Z adults drink craft weekly, outpacing millennials (37%) and total consumer trends (27%).
While encouraging, it should be noted that those percentages do not include consumers who refrain from consuming alcohol, and “a high percentage of Gen Z reports never drinking (22%).”
Still, Gacioch said: “Breweries that speak effectively to these audiences – through design, events, branding, welcoming spaces, and appropriate distribution channels – will have greater opportunities in the coming decade.”
Read the full report here, including insights into craft drinker lifestyles, price sensitivity, and desires for low- and no-alcohol options.
MJF Scholars Take Yakima
The pilgrimage to Yakima, Washington for hop selection is a long-standing fall tradition in craft beer, usually reserved for brewery owners and senior leadership. Last month, the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (MJF) hosted 11 scholars on a trip to Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) to select hops for the upcoming year’s brews.
The MJF wrote in a release: “This trip will likely mark the most Black and Brown brewers ever to stand together in Yakima Chief’s hop fields. That alone is powerful. But it’s not just about optics; it’s about opening doors. By participating in hop selection, our awardees are gaining access to an experience that deepens their technical education, sharpens their professional skills, and positions them as leaders within the industry.”
Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver founded the MJF in 2020 to build pathways for Black, Indigenous and People of Color to enter the brewing and distilling industries. In that time, the MJF has awarded nearly 70 scholarships for technical education across 9 cohorts.
During the four-day trip, the scholars visited farms, met with farmers and evaluated the year’s hop harvest. In addition to 11 MJF, the organization also hosted a participant from the Lovibond Project, an NYC-based initiative to support early stage brewers of color.
The MJF said: “We’ve become strong enough now to put down ladders for others to climb.”
Scholar Jocelyn Becker (lead brewer at Austin Beer Works, Austin, Texas) said: “Being shown around on massive hop farms, drinking fresh hop beers in the middle of a Citra field, admiring the latest in hop science, every moment of this trip felt like a dream.”
Scholar Zack Day (co-founder and director of operations, Funkytown Brewery, Chicago) said: “I left with a deeper understanding that the beer industry isn’t just about brewing. It’s about people, relationships, and shared purpose. Everything and everyone is interconnected, from the farmers growing the hops to the brewers crafting each batch, to the communities that enjoy the final product.”
Constellation Brands EVP & Chief Legal Officer to Retire
Constellation Brands EVP and chief legal officer Jim Bourdeau will retire early next year after more than a decade with the company, the bev-alc company announced Thursday.
Bourdeau’s last day in his role will be February 28, with senior VP, senior legal counsel Jeff LaBarge taking over on March 1. Bourdeau will remain as EVP and senior advisor through the transition, “advising the executive management team in the development of company strategy, including the company’s long-range plan,” according to a press release.
President and CEO Bill Newlands said in the release: “Jim has been a trusted advisor and integral member of Constellation’s senior leadership and executive management teams over the last decade. His extensive knowledge, impressive legal expertise and commitment to strong governance have guided our company through periods of growth and transformation.
“Jim’s broad strategic leadership, in addition to the leadership of our legal and public affairs teams, while navigating complex legal matters, has left a lasting impact. We thank him for his extensive contributions to our business, reach well beyond his immediate responsibilities and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Evil Genius Partners with U.S. Beverage Across 7 State Distribution Footprint
Evil Genius Beer Co. (Philadelphia) has signed a sales partnership deal with U.S. Beverage (USB), effective October 1.
Evil Genius will retain ownership of its “brand, production, logistics, marketing and strategy,” while USB’s sales team will work with the brewery’s wholesale and retail partners across Evil Genius’s 7 state distribution footprint (Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio and Connecticut), according to a press release.
Evil Genius co-founder Luke Bowen said in the release: “Importantly, none of our existing wholesale or market relationships will change-this partnership adds resources to better serve current wholesalers and accelerate introductions to new partners. Evil Genius will continue to brew and fulfill all orders through our current supply chain, with ownership remaining in the hands of Trevor and myself.”
Rogue Ales & Spirits (Newport, Oregon) signed a similar deal with USB in August, with USB tackling national sales of the brewery’s beer, spirits and CBD and THC beverages.
Maine Brewers Guild Raises Membership Dues for First Time
The Maine Brewers Guild (MBG) has “been forced to raise dues prices for brewery members” for the first time, the group announced in its Monday newsletter.
MBG members’ dues are based on their production volume. Previously, members between 0 and 833 barrels paid a flat fee of $250, while those between 834 and 9,999 barrels paid $0.30 per barrel and those at or above 10,000 barrels paid a fee of $3,000.
The new pay structure is:
- Breweries in planning and “freshman” pay $250;
- Breweries between 0 and 1,000 barrels pay $300;
- Breweries between 1,001 and 9,999 barrels pay $0.36 per barrels;
- Breweries between 10,000 and 49,999 barrels pay $3,500;
- Breweries at or above 50,000 barrels pay $4,000;
Members will also be charged $150 “per additional retail location.”
The MBG wrote: “With maintenance of the Guild’s mission to promote and advocate for Maine’s breweries at top of mind, the Guild’s elected Board have painstakingly reviewed a series of options and have decided to pursue a new model that would moderately increase the contributions of all breweries in near equal burden balanced by the acknowledgement that costs for beer businesses both small and large are already high.
“We have reviewed the policies of our neighboring state guilds, and proudly assert that our new dues are still comparably competitive, a better representation of our member business sizes, and that the value of membership – from legislative initiatives to resource sharing, and opportunities to participate in state-wide events will not be impacted by this change.”
To help with the increase, the MBG has made an exception for this year’s price. All members who submit their 2024 production volume to the guild by October 15 may pay their upcoming dues based on the 2024 price format.
Delaware Legislators Celebrate New Microbrewery License Allowances
DE legislators reiterated support for the state’s craft breweries last week during a ceremonial signing of House Bill 170 at Brew Works North (Wilmington, DE).
Gov. Matt Meyer officially signed H.B. 170 into law in June, which extended allowances for microbrewery licenses. Craft brewers can now operate up to 2 microbreweries and 1 brewpub. Existing allowances, which remain intact, also allow for 1 microbrewery and 2 brewpubs.
Rep. Debra Heffernan., who co-sponsored the deal, said: “Delaware’s craft and microbreweries are a source of pride for our state and a real driver of local economic growth. HB 170 gives these small businesses more flexibility to grow so that they can keep doing what they do best: making great beer and bringing people together.”
38 craft breweries operated in Delaware in 2024, ranking No. 22 in breweries per capita (4.9), according to data from the Brewers Association (BA). Those breweries produced 204,746 barrels of beer and contributed $358 million in economic impact.
Last year, DE’s Office of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABC) expressed support for the smallest producers in the state, adopting Rule 911, allowing craft breweries who make fewer than 5,000 barrels annually to self-distribute up to 1,500 barrels of beer per year to in-state retailers.
Root Shoot Malting Now First Certified Regenified Maltster in Colorado
Craft malthouse Root Shoot Malting (Loveland, Colorado) has become a Certified Regenified producer, making it the first in the state to attain the title.
Regenified, which has been approved by the the USDA to issue certifications, puts candidates through a “rigorous” progress that checks 65 indicators that demonstrate how a farmer or producer adheres to “time-tested ecological principles that foster healthier soil, biodiversity, cleaner water and resilient ecosystems,” according to a press release.
Root Shoot farmer and founder Todd Olander said: “This is about doubling down on our commitment to regenerative agriculture and soil health here in Colorado, showing that a better, healthier supply chain is possible for beer and spirits.”
Reuben’s Brews Party On Non-Alc Beers
Reuben’s Brews (Seattle, Washington) is rolling out its new non-alcoholic (NA) beer line Party On in 6-packs to Pacific Northwest retailers and the brewery’s taprooms, including its downtown Seattle space that opened in June.
Reuben’s first two Party On beers are IPA and Gold, which the company said were multiple years in the making and brewed in-house via “a specialized fermentation process, instead of dealcoholization equipment, preserving the full spectrum of the beer’s flavor and aroma.”
Reuben’s Brews co-founder Adam Robbings said: “We wanted to create NA beers that taste like beer because they’re brewed like beer. Party On uses a rare yeast for fermentation, is pasteurized once, and uses advanced hop products to deliver a bright, fresh flavor that lasts.”
John Mulaney Joins Years NA Beer as Partner
Comedian John Mulaney is joining Charlie Sheen and Tom Holland in the NA beer biz as a partner in Years, a brand created at Chicago-based Pilot Project Brewing by founder Pat Corcoran.
Mulaney gives more than a wink-and-nod to his past issues with substance abuse in the video announcement, while sitting in a lawn chair with a cooler of Years nearby.
“Oh, my god. My wife came home and I was pounding these. ‘And she’s like, ‘What? You’re drinking again? What the fuck, John?’
“And I went, ‘Relax, it’s Years,’” he continues, holding up a can of the pilsner and cackling. “It’s got a Chicago-Michigan-Wisconsin-type-feel to it. That’s why I like it.”
That Instagram post already had more than 13,000 likes in one day.
Years’ Original Pils, Classic Pale and Belgian Witbier are distributed across the Midwest, on the West Coast and in Texas. They’re also available via e-commerce sales.
Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Tanker
New Belgium Brewing held its annual distributor convention in Fort Collins this week. Brewbound editor Justin Kendall was on the scene to hear the company’s 2026 plans (look for coverage over the next month).
For the wrap party, New Belgium transformed its campus with brand activations, including a Voodoo Ranger-themed c-store, a Kirin karaoke lounge and an outdoorsy Bell’s minigolf game.
There was also the Voodoo Ranger Juice Force tallboy 18-wheeler, which lived up to its oversized billing, and the company added a Mini Ripper truck to its fleet.
Here’s a snapshot of the tanker, which is touring the U.S. Next stop: the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas, on October 10.