Brew Hub has hit the pause button on an ambitious plan to spend $100 million to build five new contract brewing facilities throughout the U.S. by 2018. “Building a new brewery in another geography doesn’t seem as strategic as it did four years ago,” Brew Hub CEO Tim Schoen told Brewbound.
The Beer Institute (BI) and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) have made an early New Year’s resolution: improve beer category health. The boards of directors for the two industry trade organizations each passed resolutions earlier this month pledging to work together with other industry players in support advancing the beer category and reclaiming market share from wine and spirits.
Two Southeastern beer distributors that sell a variety of Anheuser-Busch products are set to combine operations, according to a spokeswoman with the global beer giant. In an email to Brewbound, Gemma Hart, A-B’s vice president of communications, said the company has granted approval of a merger between Georgia- and South Carolina-based Southern Eagle Distributing and South Carolina’s Crown Beverages.
Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives agreed over the weekend on a sweeping rewrite of the U.S. tax code that will include excise tax relief for alcohol producers and importers. The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) survived a conference committee of the House and Senate and will be included in the final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The bill will now receive a final congressional vote — the Senate could vote as early as Tuesday — before advancing to President Donald Trump’s desk for approval.
As the end of 2017 draws near, U.S. beer volume sales remain roughly flat, according to recent data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI Worldwide. IRI, which tracks beer sales at off-premise retailers, reported that total beer sales through the first 11 months of 2017 exceeded $31.8 billion in the firm’s multi-outlet and convenience. Through December 3, U.S. beer volume sales declined 0.5 percent while total beer dollar sales increased 1.1 percent.
Coronado Brewing Company announced Thursday the promotion of Brandon Richards to CEO as Ron Chapman transitions into the role of chairman of the board. Meanwhile, Cambria Griffith will join California-based Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. as director of marketing starting January 15.
In this week’s edition of Last Call: Virginia Eagle Distributing acquires J.F. Fick; Boston Beer says it’s on the search for a downtown taproom; Taco Bell releases its first branded beer; Target acquires Shipt for $550 million; and much more.
More than 200 beer industry professionals met in Santa Monica for the annual winter Brewbound Session business conference in early December. Videos from the all-day event are now available online.
There are now 6,000 U.S. breweries in operation, and 98 percent of those beer companies are considered small and independent, according to a new report released by industry trade group the Brewers Association (BA).
Melvin Brewing plans to open at least four new brewpubs in 2018, including outposts in craft beer strongholds San Diego and Denver. Melvin sales director Ted Whitney told Brewbound that the Wyoming-headquartered cult beer maker has signed a letter of intent on a 5,500 sq. ft. space in downtown San Diego with the hope of… Read more »
Anheuser-Busch InBev, via its “High End” craft division in the U.S., today announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at “building a better future” for the beer industry. Called Elevate, the program is A-B’s effort to make its 11 U.S. craft beer and cider brands better stewards of the industry.
The Boston Red Sox and Boston Beer Company have reached a multi-year agreement to make Samuel Adams “the official beer of the Boston Red Sox.” It’s an eight-year deal that will last through the 2025 season, according to the Boston Globe.
Two decades-old Baltimore breweries have begun consolidating operations. RavenBeer is in the process of relocating its operations to the Duclaw Brewing Company facility. In a press release, RavenBeer founder Stephen Demczuk cited increased competition from local and national breweries alike as one of the reasons for the move.
In this week’s edition of Last Call: Several small craft brewers accuse Ohio-based SysTech of defrauding them; the Brewers Association elects five industry professionals to its board of directors; Anheuser-Busch sends a cease-and-desist letter over “Dilly Dilly” beer; and more.
