Big Beer

Massachusetts-based Quality Beverage has filed a lawsuit against Constellation Brands, alleging the bev-alc giant has interfered with its pending sale to wine and spirits wholesaler Martignetti Companies.

Monster Energy is “all-in on alcohol” and “thinks it could be big for them by 2025,” according to Goldman Sachs equity analyst Bonnie Herzog’s report from the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) trade show. The energy drink maker, which entered beverage-alcohol with the acquisition of CANarchy in January 2022, displayed its forthcoming hard tea, Nasty Beast Hardcore Tea during the show, Herzog wrote.

This year has been “nothing short of tumultuous” for the beer industry, National Beer Wholesaler Association (NBWA) outgoing chairman Gordon Green said during Monday’s general session at the trade organization’s Annual Convention in Las Vegas.

Happy Thursday! No, we haven’t mixed our days up. Happy Thursday is a new spiked refresher from Molson Coors, announced today.

Constellation Brands continues to grow its beer business, increasing net beer sales +12% year-over-year (YoY) in Q2 of fiscal year 2024 (+$253 million), to more than $2.39 billion.

Four years after debuting the revitalization plan that helped put it on its current path, Molson Coors rolled out a new acceleration plan to continue its growth during a strategy day for investors on Tuesday. Thanks to “substantially improved financial flexibility,” Molson Coors will enact a $2 billion share buyback program over the next five years, chief financial officer Tracey Joubert said in a press release.

Tilray Brands has closed its acquisition of eight Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) beverage brands, including seven craft beer brands.

The Beer Institute (BI) has updated its Advertising and Marketing Code, including new guidelines on social media marketing and advertising placement standards.

One-third of the top 30 craft brands recorded gains in both dollar sales and volume in Circana-tracked multi-outlet grocery and convenience stores in the 12-week period ending September 10, which includes the bulk of the summer selling season.

Craft continues to battle declines, with dollar sales for the segment down -1% in the last 52 weeks (ending September 19) and volume down -5.3% in Circana-tracked channels. But the ebbs and flows of craft are what make it a “success,” Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch said last week during the company’s annual media brunch at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

Diageo’s largest market is under new leadership. The global spirits company has appointed Sally Grimes, the former head of Clif Bar, as CEO of North America effective next month.

Coors Light is going solo to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. Molson Coors CMO Sofia Colucci revealed last week during the company’s annual distributor convention in Orlando that the company would again purchase commercial time during the Super Bowl, and this year’s ad time would be devoted to Coors Light.

Molson Coors is refreshing the Blue Moon brand in 2024, company leaders shared during its distributor meeting earlier this week. Blue Moon made a surprise cameo in February during Molson Coors’ first Super Bowl ad in 30 years, which helped grow display and drive social chatter. However the top-selling craft beer in the U.S. has still been down in scan year-to-date.

Molson Coors Beverage Company’s innovation strategy moving forward will focus on the segments where the company believes it has “a right to win.” Those areas include low- and no-alcohol beer, flavored adult beverages, whiskey, energy drinks and pure-play non-alcoholic beverages