Beyond Beer

Growth is slowing down for spirits-based RTDs, but gains in the on-premise and emerging flavor categories hint at opportunities, according to bev-alc consulting and data firm 3 Tier Beverages.

Ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs) remain one of the hottest segments in bev-alc, seemingly avoiding the quick rise and fall of the former new kid in town, hard seltzer (for now). Even the previously formidable flavored malt beverage (FMB) segment is starting to see the impact of consumers moving away to the more premium, typically spirits-based offerings.

Hemp-derived THC seltzer brand Delta Beverages recently unveiled a new visual identity and a marketing campaign that seek to “humanize” the brand while eliminating the stigma often associated with cannabis use.

Are THC-infused beverages the next stage of evolution for craft distillers? The leaders of one Milwaukee distillery believe so.

Sazerac is facing legal heat again for selling malt-based versions of Fireball and Parrot Bay that allegedly misled consumers who believed they were spirits-based products.

Tito’s Handmade Vodka has struck a deal to acquire a majority stake in LALO Tequila, a fast-growing tequila brand often dubbed the “Tito’s of tequila.”

New Belgium Brewing is investing $20 million in Bell’s Brewery’s Kalamazoo production facility and Eccentric Cafe taproom, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business reported.

Call it a late career shift or just a beverage-alcohol professional trying something new, but the former brewmaster for White Claw is launching an energy drink.

Charlie Sheen is the latest celebrity wading into the non-alcoholic beer business. The Hollywood star has teamed up with Barrel One Collective’s Harpoon Brewery and “innovation brand shop” The Silent Group to create Wild AF Brewing.

Bev-alc sales declined in the two-week period (L2W) ending September 6, although cider, as well as wine and spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) continue to buck the trends, according to analysis of NIQ data from Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

Hard Italian soda Bravazzi is bucking flavored malt beverages’ fizzling trends.

When Kin Euphorics debuted in 2018, the nootropic-infused non-alcoholic alternative was just ahead of its time. Now, the largest U.S. spirits and wine distributor has caught up.

British mixer brand Fever-Tree is feeling good about its collaboration with Molson Coors as it posted 4% revenue growth in the U.S. in its first half 2025 earnings results last week.

Summer ended with Dogfish Head riding momentum in both canned cocktails and its beer portfolio.