Small and independent U.S craft brewers generated $79.1 billion in economic impact in 2018, which represented roughly 0.4 percent of the gross domestic product, according to industry trade group the Brewers Association’s (BA) 2018 Economic Impact Report.

Bear Republic Brewing Company co-founder Richard R. Norgrove will step down as CEO, the Northern California-based company announced Monday. Mr. Norgorve’s son, Richard G., will take over as the company’s chief executive. In addition to the younger Norgrove’s transition into the CEO role, Bear Republic named long-time employee Peter Kruger as its new chief operating officer. He takes over for Richard G. Norgrove, who also goes by “Ricardo.”

In this week’s edition of Last Call: There Colorado breweries are set to close; Sierra Nevada asks breweries to honor their Camp Fire pledges; U.S. beer shipments decline in April; Boston Beer delays its downtown Boston taproom opening; and more news.

Dan Gordon has regained majority control of Gordon Biersch Brewing Company. A new investor group assembled by Gordon has acquired the San Jose, California-based production brewery from the Fertitta family — founders of Nevada’s Station Casinos and Zuffa, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which sold for more $4 billion to WME-IMG in 2016.

Two of the largest U.S. states now boast a record number of breweries. According to an economic impact study released Tuesday by the California Craft Brewers Association, California continues to be home to the most breweries in the nation, with more than 980 in operation as of April 2019. Meanwhile, an economic impact study released today by the New York State Brewers Association, found that 434 craft breweries were operating in the Empire State at the end of 2018.

Colorado-headquartered Ceria Beverages plans to begin selling its THC-infused, non-alcoholic beers in Southern California within the next 90 days, according to co-founder Keith Villa.

Green Flash Brewing Company chief executive Michael Taylor is “bullish” on the San Diego craft brewery’s prospects for a turnaround in 2019. In a conversation with Brewbound, Taylor — a former Anheuser-Busch executive who was hired as CEO last June — said he’s projecting 20 percent growth for a Green Flash business that ran into significant financial turmoil around this time last year.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has a new CEO. Brewery founder Ken Grossman named former chief operating officer Jeff White to the position last October, the California-headquartered brewery confirmed to Brewbound.

After nearby wildfires forced Sierra Nevada Brewing to temporarily cease operations at its Chico, California-based production facility over the weekend, the craft brewery has resumed making beer. The country’s third-largest craft brewery also announced the creation of a fund to help those affected by the blaze.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: A study finds the economic impact of San Diego brewers exceeds $1 billion; the Brewers Association analyzes GABF winners; a price-fixing probe in India snares A-B InBev, Carlsberg and United Breweries; and more news from the week.

Nearly 30 months after first announcing plans to build a new production facility in Sonoma County, Russian River Brewing Company will open its nearly $50 million, 85,000 sq. ft. brewery, taproom and restaurant on Thursday, October 11.

Thousands of California beer industry professionals met in Sacramento last week for the California Craft Brewers Association annual three-day Craft Beer Summit, Expo and Beer Festival. As an official media partner of the event, Brewbound hosted 10 hours of live streamed interviews, and sat in on a variety of seminars during the show. Here’s what we learned.

A record 7,000 breweries will be in operation in the United States in 2018, Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson shared Thursday during the opening session of the California Craft Brewers Association’s Craft Beer Summit, Expo and Beer Festival in Sacramento. Watson called it a “virtual certainty” that the industry will reach that milestone this year, and more breweries are on the way with more than 9,000 active permits filed with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau at the midway point of 2018.

Midway through 2018, Lagunitas Brewing Company is the only top five U.S. craft beer brand gaining dollar share, according to CEO Maria Stipp. Speaking to Brewbound, Stipp shared the company’s results through the first half of 2018, noting that Lagunitas ranks fourth in dollar share (up 4 percent) and sixth in volume (up 5 percent) through July 14, according to data from market research firm Nielsen.