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%.
Upper Hand Brewery, opened by Bell’s Brewery founder Larry Bell in 2014, is about to change hands. Kirin-owned New Belgium acquired Escanaba, Michigan-based Upper Hand when it merged with Bell’s in 2021.
Kirin-owned New Belgium Brewing and Bell’s Brewery both built their foundations on amber ales. More than three decades later, their portfolios look a little different, in very intentional moves to stay relevant with the rapidly changing bev-alc market, CEO Shaun Belongie shared during Beer Marketer’s Insights’ seminar, held this week in New York City.
Could craft off-premise scan data be beginning to turn the corner as the calendar heads toward the holidays? In the four-week period ending November 3 (L4W), craft dollar sales declined -1.9% year-over-year (YoY) and volume (case sales) declined -3.4% in multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C), according to the most recent report from market research firm Circana.
Now operating in its third century, Providence, Rhode Island-headquartered Narragansett Brewing is proof that it’s possible to stay afloat on the industry’s changing tides and remain resonant with drinkers. In the latest edition of A Round With – an exclusive Q&A series with industry leaders for Brewbound Insiders – we caught up with Lee Lord, head brewer at Narragansett’s innovation brewery and taproom in Providence.
Boston Beer Company will increase investment across its entire portfolio in 2025, the company shared with its distributor partners in nearly 30 in-person meetings held across the country over the last two months. The investment will be made in both traditional and digital media, in addition to “new dynamic partnerships.”
More than a decade after the first states legalized recreational cannabis, the interaction between it and craft beer remains as nebulous as ever. Plus, ss intoxicating hemp beverages proliferate, the Beer Institute recently clarified its positions on the segment.
What was it like for CPG businesses to bear the brunt of a once-in-a-thousand-year hurricane? In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact in September, we spoke with a handful of brands from North Carolina to hear how they are rebuilding from loss through communal support and entrepreneurial resilience.
Lord Hobo Brewing and Lone Pine Brewing announced plans to merge today, bringing together a pair of New England craft breweries under a single ownership structure. The companies declined to share financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in Q4, pending regulatory approval.
Coralville, Iowa-based Backpocket Brewing has acquired the Peace Tree Brewing brand and recipes. Peace Tree was founded by Megan McKay 15 years ago in Knoxville, Iowa, making it Iowa’s first 100% woman-owned brewery. McKay had sought a buyer for the brewery since last year, and the company ceased operations this summer.
Allagash Brewing is heading to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Portland, Maine-headquartered craft brewery will enter Minnesota this month with Clear River Beverage Company, it announced in a press release.
Revolution Brewing will permanently close its brewpub in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood on December 14, the brewery announced on Saturday.
Austin, Texas-based Independence Brewing is nearly old enough to drink itself. Founded in 2004, Independence has long been a bastion of traditional beer styles with Texan flair and has watched a dynamic craft beer scene grow up around it. Brewbound got a round with co-founder and president Amy Cartwright to look back on the brewery’s… Read more »
Boston Beer Company’s Q3 financials were described by one analyst, Bernstein’s Nadine Sarwat, as “a messy set of results.” The company’s portfolio – including Samuel Adams, Dogfish Head, Truly Hard Seltzer, Angry Orchard, Sun Cruiser and Hard MTN Dew – reported a -1.9% year-over-year (YoY) decline in shipments (sales to wholesalers) and -3% decline in depletions (sales to retailers) in the quarter.
Boston Beer Company eked out a year-over-year (YoY) increase in revenue in Q3, despite another quarter of contracting shipments and depletions, and several impairment charges for its craft brands.
