Constellation Brands’ beer division reported slowed shipment and depletion growth in Q3 2023 compared to recent quarters, with shipments up +2.7% and depletions up +5.7%.

The Brewbound team regroups in the New Year to discuss Fireball-maker Sazerac’s big distribution move from RNDC to several beer distributors, as well as total beverage alcohol houses. The team also review Drizly’s predictions for 2023, Athletic Brewing’s seven-figure investment ahead of of Dry January, and the closing of Roadhouse’s deal for Melvin.

Seven beer category segments were represented among the top 25 new beer brands in 2022, creating a list of “innovation leaders [that] are much more diverse this year,” Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) noted in its January 2023 report.

Remember when the subscription box came onto the scene? It was the early 2010s and, as new meal delivery kits and beauty product subscription boxes started to become the rage, Josh Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of Speakeasy Co, saw an opportunity for craft cocktails to play in the same arenas. But he also wanted a way to sell full-size bottles of craft spirits. Before long, the latter goal became the main target.

With nearly 9,500 breweries operating in the U.S., the surest way to stand out is to have a strong and authentic brand identity.

The beer industry entered 2022 with concerns over aluminum can shortages and price increases, heightened by an increase in minimum order requirements by Ball Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of aluminum beverage cans.

On the heels of moving its portfolio of brands to beer wholesalers in Washington state and Colorado last August, Sazerac Company announced last week a major change to its route-to-market in several states.

Ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs), non-alcoholic (NA) adult beverages and lager are expected to grow on Drizly in 2023, according to the alcohol e-commerce platform’s 2023 BevAlc Trend Report.

Some leading brewers have found success by sprouting new branches on their brands’ families trees, and in some cases, those branches have outgrown elder sibling brands. To discuss how their companies have found success with offshoots, Constellation Brands’ Modelo brand family VP Greg Gallagher, Firestone Walker CMO Dustin Hinz and Sierra Nevada brand director Kyle Ingram took the stage at the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

Compensation requirements, government checks and generational laziness have all been blamed for why many companies are struggling with staffing shortages and the “Great Resignation.” But above all, workplace culture is the biggest factor when it comes to hiring and retaining employees, Schilling Cider CEO Colin Schilling said during Brewbound Live last month in Santa Monica.

The National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) Beer Purchasers’ Index “recorded its lowest index reading” in December 2022, with a reading of 30, while the index for inventory “at-risk” of going out of code hit 51, which the trade group said “makes a very pessimistic outlook for January 2023.”

Forming a healthy relationship with a distributor is one of the most beneficial things a brewer can do to ensure long-term success. What do distributors expect from their supplier partners? How can both work together to achieve goals? Scout Distribution CEO and co-founder Jeff Hansson and Reyes Beer Division VP of craft and innovation Jessica Muskey shared insights and offered advice for suppliers during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.

The Brewbound team is joined by Beer Marketer’s Insights senior editors David Steinman and Christopher Shepard to put a bow on 2022. They discuss the most impactful stories of 2022, the blurring of beverage lines, supplier and wholesaler M&A and much more.

Danelle Kosmal, VP of research for the Beer Institute; Jon Berg, VP alcohol industry thought leadership at NielsenIQ; and Danny Brager from 3 Tier Beverages provided a reality check with context on the state of the beverage alcohol industry during the Brewbound Live business conference.