Beyond Beer

Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola are expanding their ready-to-drink (RTD) line with a larger can size, signaling how spirit-based RTDs are searching for incremental growth through convenience retail.

The beverage-alcohol landscape has “radically” changed over the last decade, but small and independent producers – both in beer and hard cider – are primed to take advantage, Brewers Association (BA) president and CEO Bart Watson shared at CiderCon last week in Providence, Rhode Island.

Hard cider was one of three beer segments to record consistent growth in 2025, escaping the declines that plagued most of the category as beverage-alcohol tackled increased supply costs, consumer purchasing shifts and numerous macroeconomic headwinds.

The U.S. spirits market continued to face headwinds in 2025, with revenues declining for a second consecutive year, the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) reported Thursday in its annual economic briefing.

The impending federal ban of hemp-derived THC products continues to loom over the emerging beverage category, but that isn’t deterring investors from capitalizing on the “generational opportunity” to get in, should the law change.

As hard sports-drink-inspired RTDs appear set to dominate innovation in 2026, Bump Williams Consulting examined the segment’s early movers’ 2025 performance. Plus, Real American Beer refreshes packaging; Brewers Association CEO Bart Watson shares what’s working; Athletic enters Puppy Bowl; and much more.

Non-alcoholic (NA) beer BERO is cruising into its sophomore year with new investment and a pair of high-profile summer marketing opportunities.

The court-appointed receiver for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey says the embattled whiskey company is insolvent – with a 60-day countdown on its survival if there’s no intervention.

Coke’s New Revenue Streams unit is transferring control of its Red Tree Beverages bev-alc play to different structural leadership, according to Beer Business Daily.

This March, Owl’s Brew will launch Spiked Pop (4.8% ABV), a new flavored malt beverage (FMB) line into the re-emerging hard soda market.

Monster Brewing is selling off the equipment assets of Deep Ellum Brewing (Dallas, Texas) at auction, after shuttering the brewery’s taproom and shifting production of the brand’s beers to other facilities last year. In other auction news, Trillium Brewing’s outdoor bathrooms have got to go. The Boston brewery is auctioning off the bathrooms from its former beer garden.

The majority of adult non-alcoholic (ANA) beverage buyers are new consumers to the category, suggesting opportunities for suppliers looking to have a greater impact on the category, according to new data from market research firm NIQ.

The best New York bars for non-all (NA) cocktails don’t heavily rely on NA spirits, according to the Inaugural NYC’s Best Bars for NA 2025 Awards.

With Constellation Brands and Live Nation now in its corner, Hiyo is focused on defining the positioning of its relaxing “social tonics.”