In the latest People Moves: Firestone Walker promotes David Macon; Boston Beer appoints a new board member; A-Rod invests in Presidente; and more.

Stoudts Brewing Company will cease operations at the end of the winter, as founder Carol Stoudt retires after 33 years, according to a press release. The California Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control has suspended San Francisco-based Seven Stills Brewery and Distillery’s operating license for 90 days for violating the state’s tied house laws, according to a report from SFGate.com.

If there was a question about consumer interest in so-called extreme beer, at least in Boston, it was answered with three sold out sessions well in advance of Beer Advocate’s annual Extreme Beer Fest (EBF).

A Milwaukee-based investor group has acquired the 35-year-old Sprecher Brewing Company. Sharad Chadha is leading the investor group, which includes former MillerCoors general manager Jim Kanter, who will serve on the brewery’s leadership team.

Cider category dollar share shrank in 2019, however, the growth of regional and local producers proved to be a bright spot, Danny Brager, senior VP of market research firm Nielsen’s beverage alcohol practice, shared Thursday during the American Cider Association’s (ACA) annual CiderCon conference in Oakland, California.

Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Miami marks the first major beer-drinking occasion of 2020. In 2019, U.S. consumers spent $1.2 billion on beer at off-premise retailers in the two weeks leading up to the game between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots, according to market research firm Nielsen. Those sales were roughly flat, though, down 0.5%, compared to 2018.

The 14,000 sq. ft. Samuel Adams Taproom has been a couple of years in the offing, located about 20 yards from the statue of the beer brand’s namesake, a Founding Father and revolutionary. Historic ground, indeed, but also a bit of a cursed location for previous tenants.

Making good on its promise to invest $100 million by 2028 in businesses founded or led by women, Constellation Brands today announced a minority investment in Press Premium Alcohol Seltzer through its Focus on Female Founders program.

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.

Anheuser-Busch InBev subsidiary Labatt Breweries of Canada announced Monday the acquisition of British Columbia-based distiller Goodridge & Williams.

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.