California

All of Firestone Walker’s brand platforms have new news in 2022, including new IPAs, more cans, fruited beers and even a hard seltzer.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company is sailing into 2022 “with the wind at our back,” co-founder David Walker said in an intro video to the company’s annual business plan presentation, streamed virtually to distributor and retailer partners late last month. Current projections place the Paso Robles, California-headquartered craft brewery finishing 2021 up about +20%, Walker said, despite the continued challenges of the pandemic.

The near future for Sierra Nevada will see the Chico, California craft brewery launch an upscale “lifestyle” hard tea brand and once again line extend the Little Thing family with a wheat beer.

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B) Cacti Agave Spiked Seltzer is facing a proposed class action complaint that claims the brand misled consumers to believe Cacti contained agave spirits, rather than agave sweetener.

Los Angeles County will require proof of vaccination to be shown before patrons can enter breweries, wineries, indoor bars, nightclubs and lounges, according to FOX11. LA County public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer told the LA County Board of Supervisors Wednesday that the order will require patrons to have at least one dose of a vaccine for COVID-19 by October 7. Both doses will be required by November 4.

Reyes’ appetite for acquisitions, especially in California, has yet to be satiated. The largest beer wholesaler in the U.S. today announced an agreement to acquire a large share of Classic Beverage’s beer portfolio in Southern California.

Sierra Nevada has filed a counter lawsuit against Matagrano, Inc., the Chico-headquartered craft brewery’s former South San Francisco-based wholesaler, in the Superior Court of the state of California, County of San Mateo. The trademark lawsuit between Constellation Brands and Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Grupo Modelo over the former’s ability to produce and sell Corona Hard Seltzer will continue, despite Constellation’s motion to dismiss, a federal judge ruled this week.

Leading hard kombucha brewery JuneShine announced the completion of Series A funding today, led by several celebrity investors.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Wednesday making permanent alcohol to-go sales in Texas, the Texas Tribune reported.

Stone Brewing is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year by getting nostalgic. May 10, the Escondido-headquartered craft brewery will be launching its “comeback” anniversary campaign, asking fans to vote for their favorite past Stone brews to come back in 2022.

Matagrano, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. alleging the Chico-headquartered craft brewery breached the companies’ contract when it terminated its relationship with the South San Francisco-based wholesaler on April 2. In a lawsuit filed in Superior Court of the state of California on April 23, 20 years to the day after Sierra Nevada signed on with Matagrano for distribution, the wholesaler alleged that “as a result of defendant’s breach of the distributorship agreement, Matagrano has been damaged in an amount not yet ascertained, but which exceeds $8 million.”

California craft brewers had a rougher 2020 than the overall industry, as in-state volume production declined 11% compared to 9% nationwide, Brewers Association (BA) chief economist Bart Watson reported last week during his presentation at the California Craft Brewers Association’s spring summit.

California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) executive director Lori Ajax and lobbyist Chris Walker shared the progress the organization has made on behalf of the state’s craft breweries yesterday during what board chair Lynne Weaver called the “second and hopefully last” virtual conference. California is home to 958 craft breweries, which produced 3.3 million barrels in 2020, making it No. 1 in craft beer production nationwide.

Firestone Walker has reached a deal to acquire the Cali-Squeeze brand from SLO Brewing Co. Firestone Walker added that it has been “historically reluctant to develop beers outside the traditional footprint.” Nevertheless, the company has toyed with fruited beers but ultimately “recognized that Cali-Squeeze already had everything we were looking for.”