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%.
For craft breweries to return to growth, they have to do more than just make great beer, Brewers Association (BA) chief economist and VP of strategy Bart Watson said during his state of the industry address Tuesday on Day 2 of the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Las Vegas.
Four Black-owned craft beverage-alcohol brands are uniting in California to create a strategic alliance greater than the sum of its parts. The Circle of Crowns Beverage Group (CCBG) includes Inglewood-based Crowns and Hops, Fresno-based Full Circle Brewing and its sister brands Speakeasy Ales and Lagers and Sonoma Cider.
The 2024 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) and BrewExpo America will take place from April 21-24 in Las Vegas, Nevada, hosted by the Brewers Association (BA).
The highlight of every Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) for me is Brewers Association (BA) chief economist Bart Watson’s “State of the Industry” presentation. Watson gives a data-filled pulse check on the health of the industry, insights on where the business is heading and some much needed real talk on the future now that growth isn’t a given.
The Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) was the first industry event I ever attended, so I see it as the unofficial start to a new year. It’s also a great pulse check on how the industry – and all the folks you catch up with – have changed and evolved since the last CBC.
Before you head to Las Vegas for the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference, we’ve put together a primer of Brewers Association (BA) stories (and one video) from the past six months to help you prepare. Consider this the CliffsNotes version.
A pair of New England craft breweries have shared the results of their philanthropic efforts. Portland, Maine’s Allagash Brewing and Waitsfield, Vermont’s Lawson’s Finest Liquids each shared their respective impact reports this month.
The country’s five largest craft brewers by volume in 2023 remain unchanged from 2022, according to the Brewers Association (BA), which released its annual craft brewery production report today.
Small and independent craft brewery production totaled around 23.4 million barrels in 2023, a -1% decline compared to 2022, the Brewers Association (BA) reported today.
In a time when it seems like just about anything can be an alcoholic beverage (Distilled Doritos Nacho Cheese, anyone?), some craft breweries have embraced the trend, expanding their portfolios with canned cocktails, flavored malt beverages (FMBs) and even bottled spirits.
Beer industry veteran Carlos Alvarez, who founded the Gambrinus Company and was the first to import Corona Extra to the U.S., died this week. Beer Business Daily first reported the news this morning, citing an internal message at the brewery, and other outlets, including the San Antonio Express-News, followed.
Employees at Minneapolis-based Indeed Brewing have agreed to organize with Unite Here Local 17 and brewery management has voluntarily recognized the union.
Eight industry members are the latest to be awarded scholarships from the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling (MJF), a foundation meant to further the careers of Black, Indigenous and people of color in the brewing and distilling industries.
Placentia, California-based The Bruery plans to open an outpost later this year in Meridian, Idaho, CEO Barry Holmes shared. The Idaho tasting room is expected to open by fall 2024.