Big Beer

Read the latest beer industry news relating to Big Beer including earnings reports and updates from key players such as A-B Inbev, Molson Coors, Constellation Brands, Heineken, Diageo, Boston Beer, and others. Explore market trends, global expansion efforts, and strategic partnerships within the beer industry.

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Ball’s North American Can Supply Largely Spoken for Through 2030

Ball’s North American Can Supply Largely Spoken for Through 2030

Ball Corporation’s North American and European aluminum can supply will be hard to come by for the foreseeable future – into the end of the decade, CEO Ron Lewis shared during the manufacturer’s Q1 earnings call earlier this week.

A-B Q1 2026: Depletions +0.3%, Shipments -3.2%; Cutwater’s Rise Continues

A-B Q1 2026: Depletions +0.3%, Shipments -3.2%; Cutwater’s Rise Continues

Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) outperformed the U.S. beer industry in the first quarter of 2026, the company reported Tuesday. In the U.S., A-B’s Q1 depletions (sales to retailers) increased 0.3% year-over-year (YoY), which the company credited to “beer and beyond beer share gains and an improved industry.” Shipments (sales to wholesalers) declined 3.2%.

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Anheuser-Busch’s ZX Ventures Acquires UK-Based Spirits Company

Anheuser-Busch’s ZX Ventures Acquires UK-Based Spirits Company

In recent years, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s “global growth and innovation team” ZX Ventures has invested in at least nine international breweries, and now the company is pushing into spirits. ZX Ventures today announced the acquisition of Atom Group, a United Kingdom-based spirits, eCommerce and import business. Specific financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Constellation Beer Sales Top $4.6 Billion in Fiscal Year 2018

Constellation Beer Sales Top $4.6 Billion in Fiscal Year 2018

Constellation Brands reported its fiscal-year 2018 earnings on Thursday, which were highlighted by a 3 percent increase in total net sales, to more than $7.6 billion. Net sales of Constellation Brands’ beer brands — including Mexican import labels Corona, Modelo and Pacifico as well as craft breweries Ballast Point and Funky Buddha — increased 10.1 percent, to about $4.7 billion.

CBA Earnings: Kona Depletions Grow 10 Percent

CBA Earnings: Kona Depletions Grow 10 Percent

Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) officially announced its 2017 earnings today, which fell in line with preliminary financial results shared on February 1. Those results were again highlighted by net sales increasing 2 percent to more than $207.5 million and 10 percent depletion growth for the Hawaiian-themed Kona brand.

Boston Beer Shipments Decline Again in 2017

Boston Beer Shipments Decline Again in 2017

Boston Beer Company yesterday reported a shipment decline of 6.2 percent in 2017, driven by shrinking sales of its Samuel Adams and Angry Orchard brands. In an earnings report released Wednesday, the country’s sixth largest beer company — which makes Samuel Adams beer, Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Twisted Tea, and Truly Spiked & Sparkling seltzers, among other products — said it shipped about 3.8 million barrels of product in 2017, compared to 4 million barrels shipped in 2016.

Molson Coors Sales Surpass $11 Billion in 2017

Molson Coors Sales Surpass $11 Billion in 2017

Despite continued negative domestic volume trends for its flagship light lager brands, Molson Coors’ worldwide sales increased 0.2 percent to more than $11 billion in 2017, according to company earnings released today.

Kona Carries CBA with 10 Percent Depletion Growth

Kona Carries CBA with 10 Percent Depletion Growth

While its legacy Widmer and Redhook brands continue to decline, Kona offerings are up double-digits year-to-date in a Craft Brew Alliance portfolio that has grown to include a number of regional craft brewery partners in recent years.

Kona Continues to Propel CBA in Second Quarter of 2017

Kona Continues to Propel CBA in Second Quarter of 2017

During a call with investors and analysts on Thursday, Craft Brew Alliance CEO Andy Thomas characterized the company’s second quarter results as “another win,” even though company-wide depletions dipped 2 percent amidst pressure from more than 5,500 breweries competing for an evolving consumer set that Thomas called “alien.”

Molson Coors Reports Second Quarter Earnings

Molson Coors Reports Second Quarter Earnings

Molson Coors today reported its second quarter earnings results, which were highlighted by a 2.3 percent increase in global brand volumes, to 26.4 million hectoliters.

Boston Beer Company Reports Improved Revenue, Depletions Trends

Boston Beer Company Reports Improved Revenue, Depletions Trends

After revenue and depletions declined 14 percent during the first quarter of 2017, Boston Beer Company rebounded in Q2, today reporting revenue growth of 1 percent and depletion decreases of just 3 percent versus the same period a year ago. In a press release, the company – which makes Samuel Adams beer, Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Twisted Tea, Truly Spiked & Sparkling seltzers and other offerings — said it sold nearly 1.1 million barrels of product during the 13-week period ending July 1, 2017. The company sold about the same amount of liquid during the second quarter of 2016.