In its second quarter earnings report, the Boston Beer Company today announced net revenue growth of 28 percent, an increase of $50.3 million over the same period last year. Second quarter core shipment volume of approximately 1.1 million barrels represents growth of 25 percent over the same period last year.
The idea of a mega merger between Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller Plc. may soon skunk like a bottle of Bud left out in the sun for too long. Given the announcement that Molson Coors CEO Peter Swinburn will retire at the end of 2014, an analyst for Edward Jones told Bloomberg Businessweek that if such a merger were, in fact, “imminent,” a change in the top chair would be unlikely, hinting the company is thus not readying itself for consolidation.
We learned a valuable lesson during our recent Brew Talks event in San Diego: if you give three bar owners enough beer and ask them about the local beer scene, duck and cover. The hour-long conversation featured plenty of diatribes about competing with brewery tasting rooms, increasingly difficult buying decisions, escalating beer prices and the importance of strengthening relationships with craft suppliers.
Despite South Carolina’s passage of the “Stone Bill,” the Palmetto State is no longer being considered as a location for Stone Brewing Co.’s planned East Coast facility. First reported by GSA Business, Stone, the country’s 10th largest craft brewery’s decision to look elsewhere was due to “logistical and geographic” reasons.
The Brewers Association (BA) today reported mid-year growth for the country’s small and independent craft brewers. According to the latest data, craft beer production is up 18 percent through the first six months of 2014. Through June, BA-defined craft brewers have sold about 10.6 million barrels of beer, up from 9 million barrels in 2013, the BA said.
To close out the Brew Talks West Coast Tour last week, a panel of publicans in the San Diego area discussed the myriad challenges of building relationships with both brewing partners and customers. Sitting on the panel held at Stone Brewing Co.’s Liberty Station restaurant was Scott Slater, founder of Slater’s 50/50, Scot Blair, founder of Hamilton’s Tavern, and Tom Nickel, owner of O’Brien’s Pub.
Earlier this week, Green Flash Brewing announced a “handshake agreement” with St-Feuillien whereby the Belgium-based brewery would produce, bottle and ship West Coast IPA for broader distribution throughout Europe. In an interview with Brewbound, Green Flash co-founder Mike Hinkley said he wasn’t sure how to exactly define the new partnership.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday the formation of the New York Craft Brewer Workgroup, a collection of brewers and industry representatives close assembled to expand the state’s burgeoning craft beer sector.
During the final stop of last week’s Brew Talks West Coast Tour, Brewbound had the opportunity to examine a variety of beer industry trends with Lost Abbey partner Tomme Arthur. Among other top-of-mind issues, Arthur tackled quality concerns, rotating tap handles, and franchise laws.
Reyes Beverage Group today announced it has hired former Firestone Walker vice president of sales Steve Almaraz as its new craft category development director. In the newly created position, Almaraz will be focused on “improving the company’s capabilities against craft beer sales.”
There’s a lot happening in the world of craft beer this summer so let’s jump right in to this week’s edition of press clips. Yesterday The Washington Post published a profile on Ian Hughes, Goose Island Beer’s environmental safety manager or, as the Post calls him, “the man who wants to make sure climate change… Read more »
A new beer and wine wholesaler based in Portland, Me. is hoping to attract small craft brands with an unconventional approach to beer distribution. Vacationland’s co-founder, Jim O’Brien, said he believes it is the first wholesaler in the country to directly challenge state franchise laws by offering beverage manufacturers fixed-length contracts capable of being nullified at any time.
Add Heavy Seas Beer to the neverending list of craft breweries that are expanding production capabilities. The Baltimore, Md.-based beer company has secured $6 million in bank financing to install a new 60-barrel, 5-vessel brewhouse and ultimately grow its production capacity by 250 percent. According to a press release, the expansion project — which will… Read more »
Craft brewers talk a fair amount about building a footprint in a chain account. But at least one chain account, 167-store Fresh & Easy, is much more focused on keeping its craft beer selections as local as possible, rather than looking for chainwide one-size-fits-all offerings.
