Data

Hopes for continued beer volume gains following September’s positive trends were dashed with the latest report from the Beer Institute (BI). Domestic tax paid shipments returned to the red in October, declining 3.8%, to 11 million barrels of beer.

Both draft (-10%) and packaged beverage-alcohol (-14.9%) suffered double-digit volume declines in the on-premise on the night before Thanksgiving, according to market research firm BeerBoard.

Christmas came early for any fans of Bump Williams Consulting’s (BWC) annual growth strategies report. In the consulting firm’s final monthly update of 2025, founder Bump Williams shared beverage manufacturer, distributor and retailer growth strategies for 2026 and 2027 – one month earlier than historically released, and with a bonus fourth tier: the consumer.

Beer bounced back in the latest scans after a “dismal performance” in the prior week, according to Circana and the market research firm’s EVP of BevAl, Scott Scanlon.

Spirits and wine ready-to-drink (RTD) suppliers are likely feeling the holiday cheer as they bucked declines across categories for the two-week period ending November 15, according to analysis of NIQ data from Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

The Brewers Association’s (BA) biennial Salary and Benefits Benchmarking Report is back, with wage and responsibility information representing more than 7,000 employees across the craft brewing industry. The BA surveyed 92 small and independent breweries, gathering information on 67 jobs.

Wholesalers remain in a holding pattern to avoid end-of-year overstocks, according to the latest Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).

Bev-alc had a “slight bounce” back in the latest week, with dollar sales in Circana-tracked off-premise channels increasing 1% week-over-week (WoW) in the period ending November 16, compared to the week ending November 9, Circana EVP of BevAl Scott Scanlon reported. However, bev-alc sales remained in the red compared to 2024.

A new report from market research firm CGA is further proof that while beer is seeing red in off-premise scans, the category can find growth opportunities in on-premise retailers.

Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) president Dave Williams has a running list on his phone of the specific challenges or obstacles bev-alc industry members are facing today.

Craft beer’s off-premise losses accelerated in October, according to the most recent monthly report from market research firm Circana. In multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C), craft’s dollar sales have declined 4.5% and volume, measured in case sales, declined 6% year-to-date (YTD) through November 2, according to Circana.

As Circana EVP of BevAl Scott Scanlon put it: “The improved data from the Halloween holiday was fun while it lasted.” Scanlon’s somber comments accompanied Circana’s latest weekly off-premise scans report, in which total bev-alc dollar sales declined 4.5% year-over-year (YoY) and 6% week-over-week (WoW), for the period ending November 9.

With the snap of Thanos’ fingers, Creature Comforts Los Angeles branded taproom is no more. The taproom closed in October after two years in business.

The COVID-19 pandemic, increases in remote and hybrid work, inflation and economic uncertainty … all have contributed to many Gen Z consumers feeling lonely. In a recent survey, 15% of Gen Z said they “never” felt lonely in the past year, compared to 60% of baby boomers who said the same, David and Jonah Stillman, the co-founders and father-and-son duo behind consulting firm GenGuru.