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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 beer industry has been deemed essential under guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), something the heads of beer trade associations worked to secure.
The Brewers Association (BA) today released the results of its second member survey on the effect of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 on the craft brewing industry, and the results paint a bleak picture for many small and independent craft brewers.
After consecutive weeks of consumers stocking up on alcoholic beverages at off-premise retailers in mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the first signs of a slowdown began to show during the week ending March 28, according to market research firm Nielsen.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) announced Tuesday that it will postpone tax payments and filing deadlines as its constituent businesses grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Craftworks Holdings has laid off its nationwide staff of 18,000 people, according to Westword.
The Brewers Association tapped representatives from law firm McDermott Will & Emery to educate members on the $2.2 trillion stimulus package signed into law last week to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.
San Diego-headquartered Stone Brewing’s long-running trademark infringement lawsuit against Molson Coors’ Keystone brand will move to trial in October. Stone first brought the lawsuit against MillerCoors in February 2018 in the U.S. District Court Southern District of California, alleging that the April 2017 packaging and marketing refresh for the company’s Keystone Light brand that more prominently featured the word “Stone” infringed on the craft brewery’s intellectual property.
The state of Massachusetts, which temporarily banned on-premise dining and drinking on March 17, has taken a step toward approving to-go sales of beer and wine, something most other northeastern states have had in places since their on-premise bans began.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the $2.2 trillion stimulus package Friday afternoon and sent the bill to President Donald Trump, who signed the bill into law at 4 p.m. ET in the Oval Office. U.S. brewers shipped 11,350,000 barrels in February, a decline of 0.7% compared to February 2019, according to national trade group the Beer Institute.
Ball Corporation has added production of 32 oz. crowler cans and expects to have a supply ready to hit the market in two days. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the $2 trillion stimulus package to aid the public health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Deschutes Brewery founder Gary Fish told the Bend Bulletin that the company has laid off about 60% of its staff.
As on-premise consumption has ceased almost nationwide in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, the preservation of capital is now paramount for both packaging and taproom breweries, attorney Mike Drumm advised craft brewers during a Brewers Association (BA) Power Hour session titled “Beer in a Time of Disruption” on Monday.
In California, where more than 1,000 breweries are in operation, the state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has offered temporary regulatory relief for license holders such as drive-thru windows for off-premise transactions, packaged goods sold to-go from on-premise retailers and delivery to consumers.
As states enforce bans on on-premise consumption at breweries, bars and restaurants to stop the spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic, some are also loosening restrictions on takeout and delivery of alcoholic beverages.
One week after canceling the annual Craft Brewers Conference in San Antonio due to concerns over the coronavirus disease COVID-19, the Brewers Association (BA) today announced the cancelation of SAVOR, the trade group’s annual craft beer and food pairing event in Washington, D.C.