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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.
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (SGWS) has consistently charged independent retailers as much as 12% to 67% more than national and regional chains for the same products, according to newly unsealed redactions in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) price discrimination case against the distributor.
The California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) is “getting very aggressive” on legislative initiatives in 2022, Chris Walker, the trade group’s lobbyist, said Monday at its members conference in San Diego.
Stone Brewing Company has filed its first post-trial motion seeking a permanent injunction to prevent Molson Coors from “ongoing infringement of the Stone trademark” in the wake of its $56 million jury award following last month’s trademark infringement trial.
2022 will be a “make or break year for a number” of craft brewers, Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson shared during a press conference Tuesday to discuss the 2021 production numbers and top 50 breweries list.
The Brewers Association (BA) also released its 2021 rankings of the top 50 craft breweries by sales volume, in addition to sharing that craft brewer volumes increased by +8% last year.
A year after recording the first production decline of the modern era, U.S. craft brewers were back in black in 2021. The Brewers Association shared that production at U.S. craft brewers who meet its craft brewer definition collectively increased production +8%, to an estimated 24.8 million barrels of beer in 2021.
A jury awarded Stone Brewing $56 million in its trademark infringement lawsuit against Molson Coors for its Keystone Light rebrand last Friday. Courthouse News Service reporter Bianca Bruno joins the Brewbound team to discuss what it was like inside the courtroom and where the case goes from here, including post-trial motions. Plus, Harris Beach partner Brendan Palfreyman returns.
E-commerce beverage-alcohol platform Provi has filed a complaint against Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits and Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) – the country’s two largest wine and spirits distributors – alleging that the companies have unlawfully stifled the growth of its platform.
Molson Coors is in the process of a packaging refresh for Keystone Light, chief legal officer Anne-Marie D’Angelo shared with the company’s distributor partners in a memo Tuesday afternoon. The company shared plans for the packaging refresh just days after a jury awarded Stone Brewing Company $56 million in its long-simmering trademark infringement lawsuit against Molson Coors.
Massachusetts state senators voted last week to continue outdoor dining and cocktails to-go allowances through April 1, 2023.
A bill introduced in the New Jersey state Senate last month proposes the creation of a new tax class for flavored malt beverages (FMBs). The bill would tax FMBs at $4.40 per gallon, far closer to New Jersey’s rate for distilled spirits ($5.50 per gallon) than for beer ($0.12 per gallon).
In closing arguments Wednesday of Stone Brewing’s trademark infringement case against Molson Coors, the San Diego craft brewery’s attorney Noah Hagey urged jurors to award his client $216 million, according to Courthouse News Service.
The trademark infringement trial between Stone Brewing and Molson Coors continues to grind along with more revelations daily via Courthouse News Service’s coverage. Highlights in recent days from the trial included testimony from Stone co-founder Steve Wagner and Molson Coors’ archivist.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) hosted a virtual listening session Tuesday with other members of Congress and a handful of bar and restaurant owners to discuss replenishment of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).
Stone CEO Maria Stipp revealed that her company owes its investor, VMG/Hillhouse, $464 million and has considered selling, according to a report in Courthouse News Service.
