Big Beer

Beer category dollar sales were roughly flat (-0.3%) to start the year at off-premise retailers tracked by market research firm Circana. Sales reached $2.854 billion at multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C) in the first four weeks of 2025, through January 26.

Sapporo Holdings has taken a more than $91.5 million (JPY 13.9 billion) impairment charge on the goodwill of its Stone Brewing business, which the Japanese brewing giant acquired nearly three years ago for $165 million.

Boston Beer Company executives will receive raises between +3% and +8%, 95% of their allocated bonus pool in 2025, and restricted stock units (RSUs) according to an 8-K form filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 11.

Super Bowl LIX attendees will have a choice of “American” lagers – as opposed to “domestic” beers at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday. The switch follows Anheuser-Busch InBev U.S. CEO Brendan Whitworth’s call for “domestic” beers to be reclassified as “American” beers in a 600-word missive to distributors earlier this week, first reported by Beer Business Daily.

With a leadership team all well under two years on the job, it would be logical to view 2025 as a rebuilding year for Heineken-owned Lagunitas Brewing. But the Petaluma, California-headquartered brewery took distributor and retailer feedback to heart in the past year-plus, which drove Lagunitas to develop a 2025 plan that’s consistent, focused and hinges on collaboration with its partners.

More Super Bowl LIX viewers plan to buy beer than other bev-alc options for their game-watch celebrations, according to consumer research firm Numerator.

Spirit suppliers got a brief reprieve when President Donald Trump delayed tariffs with Mexico and Canada on Monday, but the threat of a trade war has still hampered the growth outlook for one of the industry’s biggest players. Meanwhile, Guinness continues to be a bright spot in Diageo’s portfolio, achieving its eighth consecutive half of double-digit growth, delivering +17% organic net sales growth in the period.

Ball Corporation’s full-year earnings call proved eventful, with the world’s largest can manufacturer announcing plans to build a new dual-line can manufacturing facility in Oregon, as well as acquire a Florida manufacturer in a $160 million deal.

Molson Coors Beverage Company is getting in on the mixer set with a new strategic partnership with Fever-Tree, taking an 8.5% minority stake in the business and granting the alcohol giant exclusive U.S. commercialization rights to the premium brand beginning February 1.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) has reached an agreement with Bellingham, Washington-headquartered Sound Beverage Distributors to acquire brand rights to A-B’s portfolio and other products.

Monster Beverage expects to take another impairment charge on Monster Brewing, the bev-alc division created after it acquired CANarchy, executives shared during a conference call for investors Tuesday.

Anheuser-Busch is still gunning for a share of the energy drink segment, announcing today a new partnership with sports nutrition business 1st Phorm to launch a RTD energy line.

Dick and Jake Leinenkugel have gone public with their efforts to buy back their family’s namesake brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, from Molson Coors, which plans to cease operations at the facility on Friday, January 17, and lay off 56 workers.

Mark Anthony Brands is narrowing its focus in 2025, with a “dramatically” simplified portfolio, Mark Anthony Brands president David Barnett shared Monday during Day 2 of Beer Business Daily’s Beer, Wine and Spirits Summit in Palm Beach, Florida.