A Los Angeles craft spirits producer is taking on the Empire State in a federal lawsuit filed yesterday challenging direct-to-consumer shipping laws prohibiting distillers in California from sending spirits to customers in New York.
Westbound & Down Brewing Company is aiming to quadruple its production and achieve $3 million in profits by 2028. The Colorado craft brewery, with five taprooms across the state (Denver, Idaho Springs, Lafayette, Basalt and Aspen), is in the midst of a $1.2 million crowdfunding (CF) raise.
Nearly 60 industry members have furthered their education and technical skills in brewing and distilling thanks to the support of the Michael James Jackson Foundation (MJF), according to the nonprofit’s impact report, released last month.
The Brewbound team catches up on the latest headlines, including the Brewers Association’s release of its top 50 breweries lists and updated data; the newest craft-on-craft merger between Fort Point Beer Co. and HenHouse Brewing in California; the closure of another Monster-owned production brewery; the surprise shutdown of a craft-centric distributor in Vermont; and the retirement of Molson Coors longtime CEO.
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of American consumers are concerned about a looming recession, and 52% think “the economy will be worse this time next year,” according to a recent poll from insights firm Numerator. It’s an apparently bipartisan dread, Numerator reported.
Craft brewers’ collective production declined 4% in 2024, to 23.1 million barrels of beer produced, the Brewers Association (BA) shared today in the release of its annual craft brewing production report. The trade group representing small and independent craft breweries described 2024’s numbers as “highlighting the new realities of a maturing market in a rapidly evolving environment.”
The craft-on-craft partnership trend has reached the Bay Area. San Francisco-based Fort Point Beer Co. and Sonoma County-headquartered HenHouse Brewing Company are merging to form Fort Point HenHouse Inc.
As some suppliers and wholesalers warm to intoxicating hemp beverages, bev-alc trade group leaders are looking for regulatory parity between their members’ products and the burgeoning segment.
Beer’s Q1 on-premise sales were a mixed bag, according to the latest data report from tech and on-premise data firm BeerBoard.
Remember the days when the biggest gripes around tax and trade matters was that the TTB wasn’t approving new beer labels quick enough? Well, at least #TrumpTariffs are not holding Ryan Reynolds back – he’s now looking to dominate the boxed wine business (gin, it’s been real) and teaming up with the GALLO folks to create an Ugly Estates wine line, whose initial rollout will be in Texas.
Few were immune to beer’s tough March, even the country’s largest beer vendors, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana.
Gavin Hattersley will retire at the end of 2025 after six years as CEO of Molson Coors Beverage Company. Molson Coors’ board of directors will begin a search for Hattersley’s successor, tapping “a nationally recognized search firm” to review internal and external candidates.
Family-owned, boutique craft distributor VT Beer Shepherd has sold part of its portfolio, including the distribution rights to Lawson’s Finest Liquids, and has ceased operations. Baker Distributing in Colchester, Vermont, has acquired the distribution rights to Lawson’s Finest and other brands from VT Beer Shepherd.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for beverage-alcohol away from home continued to outpace overall inflation through the first three months of 2025, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
