Two Roads Brewing today announced it will increase production capacity to 176,000 barrels as part of a $2.4 million expansion project. In addition to investing in new capacity, the Stratford, Conn.-based brewery will also add filtration, cooling and storage equipment, which, the company said is “necessary to keep up with demand.”
In a competitive environment, advanced retail planning is essential to scaling production, growing sales and getting the attention of key decision makers at large regional and national chains. Tom Fox, a nationally recognized leader in category management and partner at CM Profit Group, will present key strategies for earning chain authorizations at the May 29 Brewbound Session in Boston.
File this marketing stunt under the genius column. In an effort to promote the release of its new summertime seasonal beer, Swill, the folks over at Bend, Ore.-based 10 Barrel Brewing filled a vending machine with the beer, rigged it up to dispense free product and hit the road for a tour of the Pacific… Read more »
After successfully launching its products with Wirtz Beverage Group in Illinois last year, Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery today announced that beginning July 1, its beers will be available throughout Wisconsin, per an agreement with the distributor’s outfit in the Badger State.
Sales of Maine-made craft beer could soon rival those of Vacationland’s most celebrated crustacean and iconic product — the lobstah. According to a new economic study released by the Maine Brewers Guild, craft beer production in Maine is projected to grow by 200 percent in the next four years.
The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) has hired Lester Jones, formerly of the Beer Institute, to serve as the organization’s chief economist. In his new role, Jones will examine the economic factors that impact the beer distribution industry, as well as alcohol policy regulations at the local, state, and federal levels.
McGreevy will lead the trade association’s efforts to represent the beer industry before federal and state lawmakers, as well as other regulators, when he assumes the role on June 23. McGreevy had been with the ABA since 2005 and represented the interests of non-alcoholic beverage producers, distributors and franchise companies.
SanTan Brewing will expand distribution to Texas next month, per an agreement with wholesaler Ben E. Keith Beverages. The Chandler, Ariz.-based craft brewery will launch its lineup — which includes Devil’s Ale, HopShock IPA, SunSpot Gold, Mr. Pineapple Wheat Beer and a variety pack — in both on and off-premise accounts throughout the state in June.
Brothers Kurt and Rob Widmer, the co-founders of Portland’s Widmer Brothers Brewing, took to Reddit yesterday to host an AMA, shorthand for “Ask Me Anything,” in which they answered questions posted by beer drinkers on a swath of topics. While their answers were terse in comparison to those from Brooklyn Brewery’s Steve Hindy, who hosted a session of his own in April, the pair did touch on a couple of top of mind issues.
Sales of Narragansett Beer’s recently released Del’s Shandy are “out of control,” according to Mark Hellendrung, the president and CEO of the Rhode Island-based craft brewery. “There are some stores that sold 100 cases just yesterday,” he said. “It’s nuts. We’ve got retailers going to the distributors, picking it up on off-day deliveries.”
Craft Brew Alliance’s Hawaiian-themed craft brand, Kona Brewing, today unveiled its first major advertising campaign, “Dear Mainland.” The new televisions spots will begin airing this month in urban beach communities like San Diego and Los Angeles as well as Orlando and features two Hawaiian brothers commenting on “common mainlander customs,” like multi-tasking and the brevity of happy hour.
Last week, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (N.H.), on behalf of a bipartisan group of more than 50 Congress members, submitted a letter to FDA commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg commending the administration’s “proper judgment in the rulemaking process by agreeing to resubmit the proposal.”
Coronado Brewing is expanding distribution into Michigan per a wholesale agreement with the M1 Group, a network of 11 distributors that operate throughout the state. Beginning today, the brewery’s core series, which includes Coronado Golden, Islander IPA, and Mermaid’s Red, will be available on draft and in bottles in Michigan.
Since marijuana became recreationally legal in Colorado earlier this year, a common fear has emerged among the brewerati: that weed might crowd out what has been up until now a near-insatiable demand for craft beer in the state. While hops and buds both carry the Cannabaceae family name, the thinking has gone that there isn’t enough room in the Centennial State for both genera. But brewers and dispensers aren’t too worried about losing business to one another.
