Craft Beer

The Brewers Association (BA) will honor a trio of industry members with nearly a century of experience among them during its annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) later this month in Philadelphia.

The brewmaster who helped shape Stone Brewing’s portfolio during the mid-2000s craft ascension and established New Realm Brewing has joined Abita Brewing Company. Mitch Steele, known for helping popularize hop-forward beers, is Abita’s new director of brewing operations.

Craft’s off-premise trends turned negative in March after two months of positive dollar sales, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana. Year-to-date (YTD) through March 22, the segment recorded declines in dollar sales (-0.3%) and volume (-2.1%) at Circana-tracked multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C).

Dogfish Head is looking to extend its long, strange trip back to growth in 2026. Following the launch of Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale last year – which helped return Dogfish Head to growth – the Boston Beer Company-owned craft brewery is leaning even further into its partnership with the Grateful Dead and releasing a “Volume 2” collaboration: Citrus Daydream Lager.

As the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments marched into Final Four weekend, craft was the only segment to lose share of volume and dollar sales across all four regions, according to on-premise data firm BeerBoard.

Dallas-based Four Corners Brewing Company and Oklahoma City-based Coop Ale Works “have combined operations” in a “strategic merger” to create the Frontier Beverage Collective, according to an April 1 note shared with distributor partners and obtained by Brewbound.

Allagash Brewing founder Rob Tod brought something of a family heirloom – and a piece of American beer marketing history – for a show-and-tell segment in his keynote address to the New York State Brewers Conference in Albany last month.

Abita Brewing Company’s 40th year could be its biggest since the mid-2010s craft beer boom. The Louisiana craft brewery’s forecast for 2026 is 170,000 barrels – nearly double its previous annual output, Abita president Troy Ashley told Brewbound.

Firestone Walker is taking over U.S. production of Trumer Pils and acquiring the U.S. rights of the craft pilsner from The Gambrinus Company, the companies announced today.

Sixteen leaders from 12 bev-alc brands (and adjacent) were named to Inc.’s 2026 Female Founders 500. Representing craft beer are Holidaily Brewing (Golden, Colorado) founder Karen Hertz, Hot Plate Brewing (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) founder Sarah Real and Talea Beer Co. (Brooklyn, New York) co-founders LeAnn Darland and Tara Hankinson.

“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.