Volume growth for the nation’s small and independent craft breweries held steady at nearly 4% in 2019, as the overall beer industry’s volume declined 2%, according to trade group the Brewers Association’s annual craft beer growth report.

Total beer category dollar sales in off-premise retailers reaccelerated slightly for the week ending April 4, increasing 19% compared to the same one-week period in 2019, according to market research firm Nielsen.

With summer drinking occasions at risk of being lost due to the coronavirus disease COVID-19 shutting down gatherings at beaches and pools, consumer insights firm Social Standards looked at the potential effects of that loss on beverage alcohol products.

With permission, Brewbound is sharing the following tribute to Charles Kopman written by Schlafly Beer chairman Tom Schlafly for the brewery’s monthly newsletter. Kopman, who died from coronavirus complications at age 84 on April 1, 2020, reintroduced Schlafly to his son Dan in the mid-1980s and together the two founded The Saint Louis Brewery.

Stone Brewing Company laid off employees of its restaurants, taprooms and distributions sales force, which amounted about 306 workers. Some state lawmakers have proposed bills that would extend business interruption insurance clauses to cover losses sustained from closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many craft breweries are applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a pillar of the $2 trillion CARES Act relief package that rolled out last week, but several say they have concerns with the bumpiness of its introduction.

The 2020 edition of the Ales for ALS charitable program was off to a strong start before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered brewery taprooms and tasting rooms across the U.S. The program’s founders discussed their family’s personal history with ALS, the start of the charity and the impact of COVID-19 on their efforts during a video interview with Brewbound.

Bump Williams Consulting VP of business development and portfolio strategy Brian “BK” Krueger gives a quick look at the week as off-premise sales began to slow and what’s to come in the weeks ahead in a video interview with Brewbound.

Cody Morris is reincarnating out of code draft beer as hand sanitizer. A professional brewer and the son of distillery owners, he knew that all the beer sitting idle in kegs could be distilled into hand sanitizer, which is needed for essential workers nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Brewers Association’s Craft Brewers Conference will go on in 2020 — at a social distance. The trade group that represents small and independent craft brewers today announced plans to hold the event virtually over the next five weeks, from April 13 through May 15, with many days featuring two live streamed seminars.

The beer industry has been deemed essential under guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), something the heads of beer trade associations worked to secure.

The Brewers Association (BA) today released the results of its second member survey on the effect of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 on the craft brewing industry, and the results paint a bleak picture for many small and independent craft brewers.

With the loss of tasting room and on-premise sales, members of the American Cider Association have been forced to pivot to curbside sales, virtual tastings and bundles sold through e-commerce, ACA executive director Michelle McGrath explained.

After consecutive weeks of consumers stocking up on alcoholic beverages at off-premise retailers in mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the first signs of a slowdown began to show during the week ending March 28, according to market research firm Nielsen.