Craft Beer

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.

The Brewers Association (BA) slashed nearly every line in its 2025 expenses, but the cuts were still not enough to offset declining revenue, according to the trade group’s annual report.

Longmont’s Bootstrap Brewing is the latest Colorado brewery to join Left Hand Collective, a craft brewing “alliance” formed last year with the merger of Left Hand Brewing and Dry Dock Brewing.

Barrel House Z ceased operations earlier this month after nine years, the Weymouth, Massachusetts-based craft brewery announced last week.

The latest joining of craft brewing forces occurred in Bend, Oregon last week, with the creation of the Oregon Beverage Collective (OBC).