After staring deep into his crystal ball, Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson has provided a look at how beer style trends might develop in 2017 and, if he’s right, there could be more sessionable offerings on the way. After admitting that predicting future drinking tendencies is “pretty darn hard,” Watson said that, given recent trends, continued growth in the IPA and golden ale categories is likely.
Colorado craft beer wholesaler Elite Brands has obtained the distribution rights to Wicked Weed Brewing, Maui Brewing Company and several import brands, Brewbound has learned. In a joint press release issued on December 23, Elite Brands and Wicked Weed, a popular Asheville, North Carolina-based craft brewery, announced the new distribution agreement.
Earlier this month, 200 brewers, distributors, suppliers and investors descended upon San Diego, Calif. for our bi-annual Brewbound Session business conference. It was a jam-packed day of information sharing, and attendees heard numerous thought-provoking discussions with a variety of industry leaders.
Anheuser-Busch InBev is making a number of sizable investments to grow its acquired craft beer brands both domestically and abroad, according to recent reports. The world’s largest beer company is planning a large-scale international expansion for its biggest craft offering, Goose Island, and making significant investments to scale production capabilities for its Blue Point and Karbach Brewing brands in their respective home markets of New York and Texas.
A group of five German craft breweries working with Brooklyn-based import manager Liquid Projects LLC plan to make their U.S. debut next week, launching in Philadelphia, Rhode Island and New York with a trio of wholesalers. Operating under the “Reinheits Boten” moniker, derived from “Reinheitsgebot,” the German beer purity law, the five German breweries include: Distelhäuser, Zoller-Hof, Friedenfelser Brauerei, Riedenburger Brauhaus and Himburgs Braukunst Keller.
It’s been a newsworthy couple of weeks for Austin, Texas-based Jester King Brewery. The company last week announced that it would take an ownership stake in Fair Isle Brewing, a yet-to-be-opened Seattle brewery. That news was followed by word that Jester King’s head brewer Garrett Crowell — whose last day was Wednesday — would depart to open his own brewery. And earlier this week, the company promoted brewery production manager Averie Swanson to head brewer.
The world’s biggest beer and soda makers struck a deal Wednesday, but the transaction wasn’t a long-rumored merger of the two companies. Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed to sell its 54.5 percent equity stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa to the soda-making goliath for $3.15 billion. ABI had acquired the business in October as part of its $100 billion takeover of rival SABMiller.
As many craft brewers continued a shift toward brewing with more aroma hops in 2016, the average hop yield per acre declined even as total U.S. hop production hit a five-year high, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2016, farmers reported 87.1 million pounds of hops harvested, an 8.3 million pound increase over last year.
The gypsy brewers are finally settling down. Lured by increased revenue from taproom beer sales, a growing number of nomadic brewers are deciding to build their own brick-and-mortar operations.
Dogfish Head today announced that it would expand distribution into five new states next year, noting that additional market expansions could also be on tap in 2017. The Delaware-based craft brewery said it would add New Mexico, Minnesota, Missouri, Alabama and West Virginia to its distribution footprint next year.
In this week’s Last Call roundup: Anheuser-Busch InBev sells its stake in Distell Group, evaluates ad-buying strategy and brings Camden Town beers to the U.S. Also, Heineken acquires Punch Taverns and MillerCoors CeO Gavin Hattersley talks to the Chicago Tribune.
Boulevard Brewing Company has hired former Zevia Zero Calorie Soda executive Natalie Gershon as the Kansas City brewery’s new vice president of marketing.
Craft Brew Alliance today announced it has signed a letter of intent to purchase a 24.5 percent stake in Miami upstart Wynwood Brewing Company. The deal, which is valued at less than $30 million, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.
Pabst Brewing Company has inked its first official U.S. craft partnership, announcing plans today to invest in the marketing, sales and distribution of products from New Holland Brewing. Specific financial terms of deal, which was signed this morning and is slated to begin during the first quarter of next year, were not disclosed.
