Georgia lawmakers passed a stripped-down version of the so-called Beer Jobs Bill last Thursday, alleviating some sales limitations but ultimately falling short of the sweeping changes originally supported by the state’s craft brewers. As passed, Senate Bill 63 allows for brewers to charge varying fees for tours and in return provide consumers with up to 72 oz. of beer for off-premise consumption as a “free souvenir.”
Coinciding with plans to build out new production facilities in Texas and North Carolina, Atwater Brewery has shaken up its distribution network in each state and taken on new wholesaler partners. In North Carolina, the Detroit brewery has signed with Craft Central for distribution throughout central and western portions of the state. Previously, Freedom Beverage Co. has sold the Atwater brand. The brewery also recently partnered with Brown Distributing in Texas, ending its preexisting relationship there with Mayan Distributing.
While there wasn’t much eyebrow raising movement amongst craft’s more popular styles, there was one shocking statistic: the 180 degree turnaround of the pilsner category. At this time last year, sales of craft pilsners were down 5.4 percent in MULC. Fast-forward 365 days and sales are now up more than 100 percent. Pilsners are now 1 percent of all craft beers sold, according to IRI.
Just in time for baseball’s Opening Day, the Kansas City Royals, in collaboration with Boulevard Brewing and Central States Beverage, have announced the opening a craft-centric beer bar featuring more than 75 craft beers. Appropriately dubbed Craft & Draft, Kauffman Stadium’s newest bar will pour offerings from Boulevard, Lagunitas Brewing, Founders Brewing and other local and well-established national craft players.
Angel City Brewery recently made its first foray outside of Southern California, partnering with Bonanza Beverage Company for distribution throughout Las Vegas, Nevada. Angel City beers, including Pilsner, Social IPA, and West Coast Wheat, are now available on draft and in 6-packs of bottles and cans throughout the city.
January and February were brutal months for industry-wide beer shipments, which declined 6.9 percent, according to the Beer Institute. As harsh winter storms and cold weather ransacked the northeast into early March, DC Brau CEO Brandon Skall stared at tanks full of beer and nowhere to put it.
One Chicago retailer has opted not to sell SweetWater Brewing’s imperial stout known as “Happy Ending” over what its store manager called “sexist, borderline racist” label art, according to the Chicago Tribune. The label in question depicts a clear silhouette of a geisha and a box of tissues, an apparent allusion to the seedy practice of receiving sexual favors at massage parlors. According to the article, the Binny’s Beverage Depot in Lincoln Park sent back three cases of the beer, which is packaged in 22 oz. bottles. Lakeshore Beverage, SweetWater’s wholesaler in the area, told the Tribune that no other store declined to stock the beer.
Lagunitas Brewing will expand its distribution deeper into Pennsylvania this week after the nation’s sixth largest craft brewery signed with Ace Distributing. Beginning Thursday, Lagunitas beers will be available throughout York, Adams, Franklin, and Fulton counties, according to a press release from Ace. The brewery has existing relationships in the state with Frank Fuhrer Wholesale, BeerMart and Origlio Beverage, according to its website.
Building on its strategic partnership with North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountain Brewing (AMB), Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) today announced it has signed an agreement to become the company’s master distributor. The new agreement will give the smaller brewer access to CBA’s nationwide network of Anheuser-Busch wholesalers in exchange for an undisclosed per-case distribution fee.
The Brewers Association today released its annual ranking of the top 50 U.S. craft breweries, based on 2014 sales volumes. This year’s list, however, had two glaring differences from prior versions. Four previously-excluded companies, including the top brewer, Yuengling, made the list in 2014 after the BA altered its definition of what it means to be a “craft brewer” last March, dethroning longtime leader Boston Beer Company for the title of “largest U.S. craft brewery.”
Heineken this morning announced a number of major organizational changes, restructuring its regional strategy and leadership teams in an apparent effort to cut costs. In a press statement, Heineken USA also revealed a key shift in the executive roster of its U.S. operations, highlighted by the departure of CEO Dolf van den Brink, who will transfer to the company’s Mexico division.
Atlantic Importing, the Massachusetts-based beer, wine and spirits distributor of brands like Dogfish Head, Stone Brewing and Boston-area stalwart Jack’s Abby today announced plans to open an outpost in Rhode Island. Citing an opportunity to “expand regional visibility” as a triple threat wholesaler, Atlantic has invested in new, centrally located 12,000 sq. ft. distribution facility in Coventry, RI. The new site will serve as the company’s home base for statewide distribution of select beer, wine and spirits brands.
Southern California’s Golden Road Brewing has announced plans to expand distribution throughout Arizona next month, bringing its full line of beers to consumers outside its home state for the first time. The brewery has signed with Golden Eagles Distributors, which will sell the company’s core line and seasonal offerings to retailers for both on- and off-premise consumption. The rollout is scheduled for early May.
Oskar Blues has agreed to purchase Michigan’s Perrin Brewing Company, a smaller craft operation founded in 2011. The pickup may be the first in a series of investments for Oskar Blues, a top-25 craft brewery. The acquisition is backed by investments from Fireman Capital Partners and former West Side Distributing owner, Keith Klopcic, according to Oskar Blues’ founder, Dale Katechis. He said the transaction is expected to close within the next 60 days.
