A toxic spill that colored the Animas River a muddy, polluted shade of yellow last week could potentially hurt the beer tourism business in Durango, Colo.

Deschutes Brewery has signed agreements with three new beer wholesalers in Michigan, the company announced today. The brewery, based in Bend, Ore., has inked deals with Alliance Beverage in Western Michigan, Fabiano Brothers in Central Michigan, and Daniel L Jacob & Co. for coverage in “Ann Arbor South.”

Texas’ Del Papa Distributing today announced the creation of a new craft and specialty division to better capitalize on the “explosion” of craft beer. In a statement, Del Papa said its own steady increase of craft volume – trending at 25 percent over the past four years – was the impetus for the creation 2-Row Distributing, which will launch selling national and local craft brands alike.

Famed beer historian, critic, and author, Fred Eckhardt, who was known by many as “the dean of American beer writers,” died Monday morning at age 89 at a hospital in Portland, Ore.

After 25 years at the helm of New Belgium Brewing, co-founder Kim Jordan will step down as CEO and transition into a new role as executive chair of the brewery’s Board of Directors, the company announced today. Current president and chief operations officer Christine Perich, who began her career at New Belgium in 2000 and has also previously served as the company’s chief financial officer, has been named CEO. She will take over on October 9, the company said.

Left Hand Brewing has signed a new distribution agreement with Wirtz Beverage for coverage throughout Nevada. An official launch is planned for August 28, the distributor announced in a statement today.

In June, as reported by Brewbound, Kentucky passed a law that forced both Rhinegeist Brewery, a small beer company from Ohio, and Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, to sell off distributorships it owned in the state. Using that case a starting point, the Center for Public Integrity this week ran an illuminating piece highlighting the lobbying power established distributors have displayed, in Kentucky and beyond, in driving such legislative efforts.

Owned by employees and powered by wind, New Belgium has long touted its commitment to the social good. The latest designation the company is after, though, is one that has been seemingly celebrated and challenged in equal measure. New Belgium is in the process of becoming non-GMO verified.

Shares of Craft Brew Alliance (BREW) plunged today following yesterday’s after-hours release of weaker than expected second quarter earnings. During a quarterly earnings call, CEO Andy Thomas tried his best to reassure investors that the company’s performance in home markets, and its continued investment against a long-term strategy of improving gross margins, were bright spots in an otherwise disappointing three-month period.

Craft Brew Alliance today released its second quarter earnings results, which were highlighted by flat year-to-date depletion growth against a comparable six-month period last year, leading to disappointing topline growth.

It took 18 months, but Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey has finally bought out its disgraced former CFO, James Comstock. Comstock, a founding partner in the Port Brewing/Lost Abbey business, was arrested on Dec. 18, 2013 on charges that he took more than $200,000 from a San Diego-area nonprofit, ArtSplash, where he served as treasurer. Following his arrest, Comstock was immediately let go from the beer company and eventually pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges last July. He was sentenced to three years probation.

Since its launch in mid-2013, Modern Times Beer has been in a constant and neverending state of growth. After opening the doors to its production facility in the Point Loma area of San Diego, the company quickly began making plans for a separate off-site taproom in the craft-centric neighborhood of North Park.

Anheuser-Busch InBev just announced a pair of wholesaler transactions in Colorado that will give the world’s largest beer company direct access to a majority of the state’s population and a distribution foothold across nearly half of the state’s geography. In a statement, Bob Tallett, A-B InBev’s vice president of business and wholesaler development, said the company has agreed to purchase American Eagle Distributing in Loveland, Colo. for an undisclosed sum.

It seems there’s always another rumor of a top-50 craft brewery sale. Today, Lagunitas made a Reuters headline that suggested the country’s fastest-growing craft brewery is currently exploring “strategic options, including the sale of an equity stake.” Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the news outlet said the company is working with Wells Fargo &… Read more »