When Westbrook, Maine’s Mast Landing released its Gunner’s Daughter peanut butter stout in 2016, the brewery didn’t expect it to become a top-selling item.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) announced its solution to the “better-for-you” trend Thursday: Bud Light Next, a zero-carb beer slated for release in early 2022, according to CNN Business.

Beer industry trade groups are calling on the leaders of the U.S. Senate appropriations committee to allocate additional funds to the Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB) 2022 fiscal year budget. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued warnings this week about the potential risks of Delta-8 — a form of the psychoactive cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Molson Coors Beverage Company will expand distribution of its Topo Chico hard seltzer nationwide, beginning in January 2022.

Boston Beer Company’s hard seltzer woes are spilling over into the legal system. The maker of Truly Hard Seltzer, the second best-selling hard seltzer on the market, is now facing a proposed class action lawsuit for allegedly failing to disclose the deceleration in sales of Truly to investors.

Los Angeles County will require proof of vaccination to be shown before patrons can enter breweries, wineries, indoor bars, nightclubs and lounges, according to FOX11. LA County public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer told the LA County Board of Supervisors Wednesday that the order will require patrons to have at least one dose of a vaccine for COVID-19 by October 7. Both doses will be required by November 4.

After five years at the helm of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild (ICBG), executive director Danielle D’Alessandro will depart at the end of September. Nils Weldy has been named the first executive director of the Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance (CIBA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for breweries and cideries in and around Charlotte, North Carolina.

Reyes Beer Division’s Gold Coast Beverages has struck a deal to acquire “certain brand distribution rights” from Brown Distributing in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to an internal email seen by Brewbound.

The Brewbound team recaps the 2021 Craft Brewers Conference, which focused on health, wellness, diversity, inclusion and equity. They share why there may be good reasons for craft brewers to be optimistic heading into 2022, as craft is expected to return to growth by year’s end.

Brewbound announced the first round of speakers for its two-day Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica, California. Brewbound Live will return in-person on November 30 and December 1 at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Tickets are on-sale now.

Allagash Brewing Company will fill in the last piece of its eastern seaboard footprint when it returns to Florida next month, the company announced this week.

A new aluminum can making and filling production facility is slated to begin operations in Salt Lake City during the fourth quarter of 2021. Co-packing facility Vobev will launch with a focus on the popular slim (sleek) can production of 12 oz. (355 mL) and 8.4 oz. (250 mL) in a beverage industry crunched by demand and shortages of aluminum receptacle.

The Brewers Association (BA) named the winners of its annual industry awards during its annual Craft Brewers Conference, which took place in person for the first time since 2019 last weekend in Denver. “From innovations in brewing to fighting for legislation to protect craft brewers, this year’s award recipients have made countless contributions to the craft beer community,” BA president and CEO Bob Pease said in a press release.

As part of President Joe Biden’s “COVID-19 action plan” announced last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing an “Emergency Temporary Standard” that will require employers of 100 or more employees to be fully vaccinated or require unvaccinated workers to undergo weekly testing before going to work.