After crossing the 100,000-barrel threshold in 2018, Rhinegeist’s increased production 6% in 2019, to 106,000 barrels, sales director Matt Steinke shared with Brewbound.
A bill introduced in the Michigan Legislature earlier this month would allow breweries producing up to 2,000 barrels annually to self-distribute their products in the state. Currently, Michigan breweries producing up to 1,000 barrels can self-distribute. According to national trade group the Brewers Association, the majority of Michgian’s craft breweries produced fewer than 1,400 barrels in 2018, the last year in which data was available.
East Coast gas and convenience store chain Cumberland Farms’ attempt to change Massachusetts’ off-premise retail chain licensing processes is being met with opposition from the state’s alcoholic beverage package stores.
Beer depletions (sales from wholesalers to retailers) in 2019 were mostly flat compared to 2018, although there were a few spikes around summer holidays, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones shared during a webinar hosted by Fintech, a data, analytics and invoice processing platform for wholesalers.
In this week’s edition of Last Call: U.S. beer shipments decline 0.8% in 2019; A-B spends $24 Million on Bud Light Seltzer ads; Barefoot to launch wine-based hard seltzer line; A-B and City Brewery announce expansion plans; and more news from the week.
After posting a 6% decline in volume in 2019, Durango, Colorado-based Ska Brewing has refreshed its packaging and launched a hard seltzer line, with plans to to release a low-calorie IPA and open a brewery and distillery in Boulder, in an effort to find new avenues to grow the business.
Dixie Beer Company will officially open its 85,000 sq. ft. production facility to the public on Saturday, marking the return of locally produced Dixie Beer to the market for the first time in about 15 years. And the goals for Dixie are lofty, with the brand taking aim at a domestic premium market long dominated by Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors.
Molson Coors Beverage Company today announced plans to fully acquire Atwater Brewery, a transaction that has been discussed on and off for the last couple of years, according to Mark Rieth, who has owned the Detroit craft brewery outright since 2005.
Molson Coors Beverage Company’s craft arm, Tenth and Blake, has reached an agreement to acquire Detroit, Michigan-based Atwater Brewing. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the deal is expected to close in the next couple of months.
Scottish craft beer maker BrewDog’s U.S. operations posted strong growth in 2019. Production at the Scotland-headquartered craft brewery’s facility in Columbus, Ohio, increased nearly 46%, to 53,000 barrels, chief revenue officer Adam Lambert told Brewbound.
For decades, professional sports sponsorships were the domain of the biggest beer companies, and in 2020, that’s mostly still the case. However, craft brewers have been making inroads.
In the latest People Moves: Monday Night Brewing hires a new VP of Sales; the Beer Institute adds health policy and regulatory affairs director; former Half Acre VP seeks new opportunities; Dovetail builds a sales team; and Common Cider appoints a new VP of sales.
In this week’s Last Call: Schlafly acquires Trailhead Brewing; German keg company Blefa invests in American Keg; and Heineken and Bud Light launch non-alc and hard seltzer ad campaigns.