Explore the world of craft beer, from performance reports and innovation tactics to the state of the industry and breaking news.
Anyone looking for an answer to when craft’s current era of compounding hurdles and declines will come to an end received a reality check Wednesday during Brewers Association (BA) president and CEO Bart Watson’s state of the industry address, held at the start of Day 2 of the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Indianapolis.
Around 10,000 industry members are expected to make the trip to Indianapolis for the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America (April 28 to May 1). The gathering takes place against a backdrop of growing headwinds for craft breweries and an overhaul of CBC’s host organization, the Brewers Association.
Craft’s rolling four-week losses improved to start 2025, according to the most recent report from market research firm Circana. The segment’s off-premise dollar sales declined -3.1% and volume, measured in case sales, declined -4.6% in the four-week period ending January 26 (L4W) at multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C). That marked an improvement over the prior four-week period (through December 29, 2024), when craft dollars declined -5.1% and volume declined -6.5%.
“Focus” has been one of the buzziest words for craft breweries over the last 2+ years: focus within portfolios; focus across distribution networks; focus in annual planning and innovation launches, etc.
Club West, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based craft brewery formerly known as Sycamore Brewing, is in the process of being sold and will reopen this weekend, according to multiple reports published Thursday.
Two months into her role as president of Portland, Maine-based Oxbow Brewing Company, Bri Warner is finding her groove and taking on more of the hands-on, day-to-day operations. The leadership transition allows founder Tim Adams to spend more time evangelizing for Oxbow and Rising Tide, which the company acquired in early 2025.
Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter March 9-11, including headlines from Boston Beer, Black Frog, The Brewers Association and more.
Chicago’s Half Acre Beer Company and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery have merged into what the brands’ leaders are calling “a long-term commitment to Chicago as a great beverage city.”
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who is running in the Democratic primary to challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, weaved local and national politics into her roughly 15-minute speech, drawing a direct line from the White House’s impact on universal issues such as affordability, tariffs and sustainable energy to the struggles felt across the Pine Tree State.
Craft’s trends leveled out slightly in February after a strong January, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana. The segment’s dollar sales are now about flat (+0.3%) year-to-date (YTD) through February 22.
New Trail Brewing (Williamsport, Pennsylvania) has expanded distribution to Western New York via Wright Beverage, marking its sixth state. Dedicated gluten-free craft brewery Holidaily Brewing (Golden, Colorado) has entered the Utah market with Salt Lake City-based General Distributing and Ogden-based Wasatch Distributing, both Anheuser-Busch InBev-aligned houses.
New York’s 42 North Brewing has entered its second decade with a new mindset about what it means to be a craft brewer, founder John Cimperman said on the latest episode of the Brewbound Podcast.
Nearly 500 workers will lose their jobs with the closure of 38 BrewDog-owned pubs across the U.K. following Tilray’s acquisition of parts of the Scottish craft brewery, consultant firm AlixPartners shared in a press release.
Tilray Brands has struck a deal to acquire some assets of Scottish craft brewery BrewDog, it announced today. The deal, which closed today, includes BrewDog’s global brand and intellectual property, its brewing operations in Ellon, Scotland, and 11 pubs across the U.K. and Ireland.
Lawson’s Finest Liquids ended 2025 with double-digit dollar sales growth in NIQ-tracked channels, the Waitsfield, Vermont-headquartered craft brewery announced Tuesday.
The Colorado Beverage Coalition – which represents the state’s breweries, wineries, cideries, distilleries and related partners – has come out against a bill that would raise fees on beverage-alcohol by 60%.
805 is heading to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Firestone Walker has launched the 805 portfolio – including flagship 805 Blonde, 805 Cerveza and 8ZERO5 non-alcoholic (NA) – in Minnesota via Johnson Brothers-owned Artisan Beer Company, the Duvel Moortgat-owned brewery announced.
