Olde Mecklenburg to Pull Distribution from “Triad”; Yards Brewing Searching for More Space; Asheville Citizen Times Examines Rumored New Belgium Sale; Sale of London’s Camden Town Brewery Questioned; Original Gravity Brewing Sues Final Gravity Brewing
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture yesterday released the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines, issued every five years, are “designed to help Americans eat a healthier diet,” and could help shape future federal nutrition policies.
Only eight days into 2016 and already there’s an onslaught of brewery expansions to report. On the heels of a year in which craft volume sales grew more than 18 percent, according to research firm IRI Worldwide, at least eight notable U.S. breweries have announced plans to scale their operations, in some cases making large multi-million dollar bets on the rising consumer demand for craft beer.
Another year of double-digit craft beer growth is in the books. According market research firm IRI Worldwide, craft volume sales in key U.S. retail channels grew 18.8 percent in 2015 while dollar sales grew 23.4 percent, to more than $2.9 billion. Total category-wide beer sales, meanwhile, were up just 2 percent in 2015 while total MULC dollar sales eclipsed $33 billion, according to the firm.
After three years with Golden Road Brewing, brewmaster Jesse Houck has departed the company and accepted a new position as Maui Brewing Company’s director of brewery operations, Brewbound has learned. The news comes less than four months after it was announced that Anheuser-Busch InBev would purchase the fast-growing Los Angeles craft brewery.
Craft Brew Alliance has extended its employment agreement with Chief Executive Officer Andy Thomas for three more years, according to an SEC filing. Under Thomas’ new employment agreement, dated Dec. 30, 2015, the CEO will receive an annual base salary of $439,00 in 2016.
A California startup is betting on the increasing interest in home delivery services and the growth of craft beer by selling and delivering growlers of brew to drinkers in the Bay Area. Hopsy, based near Berkeley, views itself a disruptive force in beer distribution.
Charlie Papazian, the president of the Brewers Association and founder of the Great American Beer Festival, will step back from day-to-day responsibilities this month after 37 years. Papazian, who “discovered craft homebrewing 45 years ago,” will remain an integral part of the Brewers Association, according to a statement published on the organization’s website. His title will shift to “founder, past president” and current CEO Bob Pease will add president to his title, the BA said.
After three years of selling 805 Blonde Ale in California only, Firestone Walker will begin shipping the beer to Arizona, Nevada and Texas for the first time this month. A low-alcohol session offering that Firestone originally brewed as a reaction to increasing local competition, 805 emerged as one of the best-selling national craft brands in 2015. According to market research firm IRI Worldwide, sales of 805, the 24th largest craft brand in supermarkets, were up more than 166 percent through Nov. 29, 2015.
Breakthru Beverage Group, which was formed after two prominent multi-state wholesalers — Wirtz Beverage Group and Charmer Sunbelt Group — merged in October, has officially launched in 19 markets across the U.S. and Canada. The combined companies will represent a portfolio of wine, beer and spirits brands totaling more than $6 billion in annual sales, according to a statement from the group.
Garrett Marrero, the founder and CEO of Maui Brewing, Hawaii’s largest brewery, has been elected to the Brewers Association board of directors. Marrero, who currently serves on the organization’s government affairs committee, will begin his three-year term as a board member in February.
What an exhausting year. 2015 was undoubtedly the busiest year Brewbound has ever experienced from a coverage standpoint and we don’t expect 2016 to be any different. As we prepare for another busy year in the beer biz, let’s take a moment to look back at the year’s most important stories in craft beer. Here are the top 10 stories that shaped the craft narrative in 2015.
What a year for craft litigation. Whether it was an attempt to define “craft beer” or efforts to own IPA, 2015 sure had its fair share of notable legal spats. So what do craft-minded attorneys think about the increasing amount of trademark disputes? Brewbound reached out to four of the industry’s leading experts in trademark and copyright law to get their thoughts on 2015.
After nearly 20 years, Wolaver’s Fine Organic Ales — a pioneering organic craft beer brand that was acquired by Vermont’s Long Trail Brewing in 2010 — has ceased production. Citing the rising cost and availability of organic ingredients, as well as cost-prohibitive production realities, Otter Creek said it would no longer brew the nation’s first USDA-certified organic craft beer brand and will instead focus more energy on accelerating the growth of its recently rebranded Otter Creek line.
