Craft Beer

Sapporo Holdings has taken a more than $91.5 million (JPY 13.9 billion) impairment charge on the goodwill of its Stone Brewing business, which the Japanese brewing giant acquired nearly three years ago for $165 million.

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%.

With a leadership team all well under two years on the job, it would be logical to view 2025 as a rebuilding year for Heineken-owned Lagunitas Brewing. But the Petaluma, California-headquartered brewery took distributor and retailer feedback to heart in the past year-plus, which drove Lagunitas to develop a 2025 plan that’s consistent, focused and hinges on collaboration with its partners.

Three state guilds are kicking off 2025 with new leaders: the Brewers Guild of New Jersey, the Wisconsin Brewers Guild and the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild.

Firestone Walker’s new high ABV Mind Haze Rage line of “lemonade-infused turbo radlers” are now arriving on retail shelves.

Brewbound asked retailers, distributors and data analysts which trends they’re watching and why at the start of 2025. From non-alcoholic (NA) adult beverages and imports to draft and on-premise shifts, here are the trends our respondents will be tracking this year.

Citing a challenging beer market, Sapporo-Stone Brewing has undergone a restructuring that has cut 1% of all roles, which affected 2% of total employees, a spokesperson confirmed to Brewbound.

IPA remained the top craft style by far in 2024, with a 49.41% share of segment dollar sales in off-premise retailers, gaining 2.49 share points, according to Circana.

Rhinegeist Brewery has added former New Belgium Brewing CEO Steve Fechheimer as an advisor to its board of directors.

As many drinkers take a break from craft beer and other alcoholic beverages in January, craft breweries such as Notch are using the month and its lighter traffic to close taprooms temporarily as they undertake renovation projects.

Brewery and beverage incubator Pilot Project celebrated its fifth anniversary in August, and is now setting its sights beyond Chicago and Milwaukee, toward becoming a nationally recognized name.

The largest, dedicated non-alcoholic (NA) beer maker in the U.S. is attempting to put a new spin on “Dry January.” Athletic Brewing Company has launched “Athletic January,” a new campaign that puts the brand’s name at the forefront of a month in which many consumers abstain from alcohol.

Craft Collective and Homegrown Distribution have merged to form Craft Collective Homegrown Distribution (CCHGD) with statewide coverage in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the companies announced today.

The word of Brewbound Live 2024 could arguably be “focus,” which was highlighted in the panel discussion that kicked off Day 2 of the business conference last month in Marina del Rey, California.