It’s about time we start this newsletter with some good news, no? Move over Spirit Halloween stores – we’ve found a new use for former brewery space! So, how do y’all feel about, uh, “growing fish” instead of making beer?

Distribution shakeup continues in California. After moving top-selling ready-to-drink (RTD) High Noon Sun Sips over from Republic National Distributing (RNDC) to Reyes Beverage in April, Gallo is making the same move with its spirits portfolio and select wines.

Ales for ALS is proof that collaboration and cause beers can still have a major impact. The Smith Family, owners of Loftus Ranches and an owner of Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), launched the Ales for ALS program more than a decade ago, inspired by personal experiences with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Hendler Family Brewing (HFB) and Sloop Brewing have forged a strategic partnership in which the Framingham, Massachusetts-based brewery platform will take over production, sales and marketing for the Hopewell Junction, New York-based craft brewery’s portfolio, including flagship Juice Bomb IPA (6.5% ABV).

Here’s a collection of news items initially reported in the Insider version of the Brewbound Newsletter between July 9-July 11. Become an Insider today to get earlier access to what’s going on in the industry.

Mixers sit at an odd place in the ever-evolving beverage industry. Last year, sales in mixers fell alongside a rise in adult non-alc (ANA) sales. In turn, mixer brands have positioned themselves as elevated zero-proof options and cocktail ingredients – some have even tried their luck in the ready-to-drink (RTD) aisle.

The state excise tax rate on beer in Missouri has been cut by two-thirds. Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law House Bill 1041 on Thursday, which set the excise tax rate at $0.62 per barrels for all malt-based alcoholic beverages produced at Missouri breweries, a drop of $1.24 per barrel from the previous rate of $1.86. The new rate is the lowest beer excise tax in the nation.

The parent company of Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer is being sued by a licensing firm that alleges the concept for the lager brand was swiped by its former executives. Carma Holdco, a Chicago- and Las Vegas-based branding house, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on July 8… Read more »

Red Bus Brewing owner Erik Schmid is candid about what changed his mind about adding hard slushies to the Folsom, California-based craft brewery’s summer menu: “bottom line.” In Episode 2 of the Brewbound Podcast’s Learning Lounge: Taproom Tactics series, Schmid shares that since Red Bus purchased a slushie machine, the fruity drinks have become 10% of Red Bus’ beverage sales and 5% of its overall business.

In this exclusive report curated for Brewbound Insiders, find out where drinkers are going, what they’re choosing, and how beer is holding its ground.

All 178 Ohio Eagle Distributing employees are expected to be laid off once the company’s sale to Redwood Holdings closes on September 8, Ohio Eagle president Devyn Dugger wrote in a July 7 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice to the state.

Adult non-alc (ANA) beverage retailer Boisson has brought in new leadership after clawing its way back from bankruptcy.

Garage Beer – an “internet darling” turned mainstream lager brand, with the backing of Jason and Travis Kelce – is on pace to ship around 4 million case equivalents (around 300,000 barrels of beer) by the end of 2025.

If recent off-premise scan data has been a bummer lately, don’t expect the on-premise to deliver optimism either. Beer volumes at bars and restaurants have declined mid- to high-single digits on draft (-5.7%) and in package (-9.3%) year-over-year (YoY) during the second quarter of 2025, according to on-premise data firm BeerBoard.