As 2021 comes to a close, AleSmith Brewing Company is investing $1.75 million in brewery and equipment upgrades to continue production growth and new innovation launches in 2022.

Brewbound readers in 2021 sought out news about fallout from the revelation of widespread gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment, the ups and downs of the hard seltzer segment, mergers and acquisitions and the crunched supply chain.

New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer and Bell’s Brewery EVP Carrie Yunker wrapped up Day One of Brewbound Live 2021 in Santa Monica, California, to discuss what comes next, following the sale of Bell’s to New Belgium’s parent company, Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages.

When choosing what beverage alcohol product to drink, components like base spirit, flavor, and nutritional information are some of the primary factors that guide individual decision-making. Will it be wine, beer, spirits, hard seltzer, or something else? It is time for something tropical, or would floral notes satisfy?

After granting five New York wholesalers a temporary restraining order (TRO) last week against Boston Beer Company (BBC) and Manhattan Beer Distributors’ attempt to terminate their rights to sell Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard and Twisted Tea brands, New York Supreme Court Justice Andrew Borrok changed course and denied their motion for an injunction against the sale of their rights to Manhattan Beer.

U.S. brewers shipped 16.4 million barrels of beer in November, a +4.7% increase over November 2020, according to the Beer Institute (BI), citing figures from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

Athletic Brewing Company co-founder and CEO Bill Shufelt discussed the evolution of non-alcoholic (NA) beer – and the strategies the Stratford, Connecticut-based brewery has used to become a leader in the segment – during the Brewbound Live 2021 business conference in Santa Monica, California earlier this month.

Beer Marketer’s Insights’ Craft Brew News senior editors Chris Shepard and David Steinman join the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the biggest beer industry stories of 2021. These include the sale of Bell’s Brewery to Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages, the parent company of New Belgium Brewing; ongoing fallout from the revelation of widespread instances of sexual harassment, assault and discrimination; and shifting perceptions of craft beer among consumers.

Consumers looking for indoor dining in Boston will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination beginning in 2022, according to a temporary public health order by Mayor Michelle Wu Monday.

Capitalizing on QR codes’ return to prominence during the pandemic, SocialShef allows shoppers to scan a code on the shelf or cooler door that brings them to a branded microsite containing tasting notes, beer specs, food pairing suggestions or videos.

Velocity of dollar sales at bars and restaurants for the week ending December 11 surpassed all points in 2019, according to the on-premise market research firm CGA.

For the first time since late May, the open rate of on-premise locations pouring beer grew, increasing +2%, to 93% during the weekend of December 16-19, compared to the period before (November 4-7), draft beer data firm BeerBoard reported.

Tilray, the Canadian cannabis company and owner of Atlanta-based SweetWater Brewing, has struck a deal to acquire San Diego-based Green Flash Brewing and Alpine Beer Company.

Distribution of the Bell’s Brewery portfolio in Ohio will shift from Premium Beverage Supply, which sold Bell’s offerings statewide, to a network of four wholesalers, the Comstock, Michigan-based craft brewery announced last week.