Six finalists have been announced in the 14th Brewbound Live Pitch Slam competition, presented by Ollie, a Next Glass company.

Brewbound announced its 2022 Award Winners and class of Rising Stars during the multimedia trade publication’s Brewbound Live business conference today in Santa Monica, California.

In two years, Loverboy has expanded distribution of its hard teas from four states to 44, partially initiated by retail partnerships with Total Wine and Kroger. To support the rapid expansion, the company is focused on “trying to grow into [its] own shoes” in 2023, founder and CEO Kyle Cooke told Brewbound.

Draft sales on the night before Thanksgiving declined -17.1% compared to the same day in 2021, on-premise data firm BeerBoard reported. Drizly reported that ready-to-drink canned cocktails increased sales nearly +40% on the e-commerce alcohol delivery platform this Thanksgiving weekend compared to the holiday in 2021.

Great Notion Brewing will open its first California taproom this year, taking over the former Sierra Nevada Torpedo Room in Berkeley, California. The move comes as the Portland, Oregon-headquartered craft brewery shifts its focus to own-premise growth, as direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales have trailed off.

With its 2022 Pitch Slam competition just days away, the Brewbound team caught up with past winners of the Shark Tank-like competition — Lunar Hard Seltzer and Crowns and Hops — held annually at the Brewbound Live business conference.

Schilling Hard Cider co-founder and CEO Colin Schilling will share how evolving from a strategy-first leadership style to becoming a people-first organization has created a better workplace culture during next week’s Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California (November 29 and 30).

Last week’s decision by Qatar officials to ban alcohol sales at stadiums – two days before the first 2022 FIFA World Cup match – could impact the relationship of FIFA and beer sponsor Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) through 2026.

The Brewbound team rounds up the latest news heading into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, including Allagash’s 2023 plans, layoffs at Odell Brewing, Molson Coors exiting a pair of partnerships, and much more.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be cracking down on CBD food and beverage brands as the federal agency sent warning letters last week to five companies selling infused products.

We’re excited to reveal the Brewbound Pitch Slam 13 semi-finalists and judges. We’ve narrowed down the semi-final pool to 12 companies. The chosen semi-finalists produce a wide range of alcoholic beverages.

Atrevida Beer Company co-owner and Army veteran Rich Fierro is being hailed as a hero after he stopped the gunman during a mass shooting that left five dead and 19 injured at Colorado Springs-based Club Q on Saturday.

Expect government agencies to take closer looks at mergers and acquisitions, and ramp up enforcement efforts around category management, tying and elusive conduct, McDermott Will & Emery partner Alva Mather said during a webinar last week.

National accounts leaders from Firestone Walker, JuneShine and Scout Distribution will share tips on expanding chain sales next week (November 29 and 30) during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California.