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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.
Kevin McGee used his law degree more than he expected when his family took over legacy California craft brewery Anderson Valley Brewing Company, including in legal battles over distribution rights.
Check out news items from August 25-26, initially reported in Insider editions of the Brewbound Newsletter.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has added can ends and lids to the list of aluminum derivatives under Section 232 tariffs, effective Monday, August 18.
Several bev-alc trade groups, including the Brewers Association (BA) and Beer Institute (BI), submitted comments to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) last week, raising concerns over notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding nutrition and allergen labeling on wine, distilled spirits and malt beverages.
A legal dispute between two Pacific Northwest cider brands is bringing into question what defines a “recipe” and how airtight – and specific – agreements between bev-alc brands and their manufacturing partners need to be. Schilling Cider has filed a civil complaint against Incline Cider and its parent company Compass Brands, LLC, alleging Incline breached a “recipe agreement” and shared confidential information with a competing company
One of the most prominent voices in spirits is at the center of a new lawsuit with control of a storied Tennessee distillery on the line.
The Trump administration has imposed a “universal” tariff on every country for goods imported into the U.S., with a 10% baseline for those that the U.S. holds a trade surplus – meaning the U.S. exports more than it imports – and 15% for those the U.S. runs a deficit. The latter amounts to around 40 countries, with 26 countries facing tariffs higher than 15% rate.
E-commerce beverage-alcohol platform Provi and Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) have reached a “mutually satisfactory resolution” of their yearslong legal battle, which has ended with a settlement, the companies announced.
Beer volume from Brewers Association-defined (BA) craft breweries has declined 5% through the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, according to the trade organization’s midyear market report, which was published Wednesday following a survey of members.
The state excise tax rate on beer in Missouri has been cut by two-thirds. Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law House Bill 1041 on Thursday, which set the excise tax rate at $0.62 per barrels for all malt-based alcoholic beverages produced at Missouri breweries, a drop of $1.24 per barrel from the previous rate of $1.86. The new rate is the lowest beer excise tax in the nation.
The parent company of Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer is being sued by a licensing firm that alleges the concept for the lager brand was swiped by its former executives. Carma Holdco, a Chicago- and Las Vegas-based branding house, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on July 8… Read more »
TRVE Brewing to close; Australian PE firm bids $3.75M for Alamo Beer; Trump delays tariff implementation until August; Patagonia and Deschutes update packaging, plan to launch co-branded IPA; Beer Institute/Morning Consult survey results.
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping omnibus package dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law on July 4. Included in the legislation are provisions that benefit businesses such as beer distributors.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vetoed a bill that would have banned intoxicating hemp products in the state, sending the hotly debated issue back to the Legislature through a special session tasked with producing “strict, fair and legally sustainable” regulations.
