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.
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).
Monster Brewing will cease operations in Utah late next month, the company announced Thursday. Production of its Utah-based brands Wasatch Brewing and Squatters Brewing will shift to other facilities within Monsters’ bicoastal network, according to a statement from Monster Brewing president Ray LaRue.
Constellation Brands’ lowering of its medium-term forecasts Wednesday may not have been a total surprise to industry members given the volatility of the beer market, stacked on top of today’s tumultuous economic climate.
Get out your day-glo body paint and fuzzy boots because festival season is about to start with Coachella’s two-weekend-long party – and this year the adult non-alcoholic (ANA) category is coming out in force.
