Cannabis

Big Grove Brewery has acquired a majority stake in Climbing Kites, an Iowa-based maker of Delta 9 THC- and CBD-infused, non-alcoholic sparkling water.

8th Wonder Brewery, Distillery and Cannabis has been acquired by Bayou City Hemp Company, a Houston, Texas-headquartered cannabis company.

More than 300 winners were honored during the Brewers Association’s (BA) 2023 World Beer Cup (WBC) during Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville this week. Guinness Baltimore Blonde – the signature offering of brewing operations at Diageo’s Relay, Maryland-based production facility – has become such a local icon that one Baltimore County official wants to invest $500,000 in a local brewer to keep the beer flowing, according to the Baltimore Banner.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for beer both at home (+6.1%) and away from home (+5.5%) outpaced overall inflation (+5%) in March 2023 compared to March 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Constellation Brands recorded an impairment charge of $66.5 million pertaining to what’s left of its craft beer division in its fiscal year 2023 fourth quarter, according to its most recent 8-K form filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Canadian cannabis company Hexo Corp, a former partner of Molson Coors, has been acquired by Tilray Brands, in a deal valued at around $250 million, the company announced yesterday in its Q3 earnings report.

Boston-based Harpoon Brewery is expanding beyond bev-alc and into cannabis, announcing the launch of Rec. Weed, a THC-infused non-alcoholic beverage.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) may have ceded advertising exclusivity rights to Super Bowl LVII, but the world’s largest beer manufacturer will continue to have an outsized presence during breaks in the game.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be cracking down on CBD food and beverage brands as the federal agency sent warning letters last week to five companies selling infused products.

Don’t discount alcohol and make sure you have an attorney. That was the core advice from legal experts during the Massachusetts Brewers Guild’s (MBG) Mass Brewers Conference Monday.

Constellation Brands is simplifying its approach to the cannabis industry as the company announced plans today to convert its common shares of Ontario-based Canopy Growth Corporation into new non-voting exchangeable shares.

Cannabis beverage producer Cann announced today it has acquired Toronto-based CBD drink maker Sweet Reason, marking the company’s first acquisition as it seeks to build out a platform for alcohol alternatives. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Last week, many THC-infused cannabis beverage brand leaders received long awaited recognition in the mainstream press when the New York Times ran a feature covering the surging popularity of the emerging category in legal markets. But the piece, titled “Weed Drinks Are a Buzzy Alcohol Substitute. But Are They Safe?” didn’t sit right with many… Read more »

Boston Beer’s head of cannabis, Paul Weaver, discusses the Truly Hard Seltzer and Twisted Tea maker’s foray into cannabis-infused beverages in Canada. Weaver shares why tea was the perfect vehicle for a THC-infused drink, how the July launch of Teapot has gone, and how the narrative of cannabis stealing occasions from beer has changed.

THC-infused soda maker Green Monké has secured an exclusive long-term partnership to co-create beverages with one of the cannabis industry’s best-known brands. Plus, Canadian cannabis giant Tilray has signed on with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits to distribute its forthcoming portfolio of CBD-infused beverages starting this fall.