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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.
Leaders from the beer industry’s three largest trade associations are vowing once again to unite brewers and distributors in an effort to return the category to growth. Speaking to a group of nearly 700 U.S. beer distributors attending the annual National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) legislative conference on Monday in Washington, D.C., Beer Institute CEO Jim McGreevy called on industry members to work together to curb volume losses.
In this week’s edition of Last Call: A Massachusetts A-B wholesaler is cleared in a pay-for-play case; New Holland buys a building in Battle Creek for a third Michigan brewery; Sony sues Knee Deep Brewing over Breaking Bud; and more.
In this week’s edition of Press Clips: Stone Brewing fires back at MillerCoors; BrewDog buys a UK cider maker and eyes an IPO; Reuben’s Brews identifies a new production space; and Tow Yard Brewing closes.
It took two months, but MillerCoors has finally responded to Stone Brewing’s trademark lawsuit. In February, the San Diego craft brewery filed a lawsuit against the multinational beer company alleging that its rebranded packaging and advertisements for the Keystone brand infringed upon Stone Brewing’s own “Stone” trademark. Early this morning, MillerCoors answered back with several counterclaims.
In this week’s edition of Last Call: Allagash begins canning; a Louisiana lawmaker yanks a bill to allow younger adults access to alcohol; and more.
For the second consecutive year, U.S. craft beer exports grew in the low-single digits. However, growth of international shipments has slowed considerably as the export market has matured and competition from brewers in those foreign markets has increased. The Brewers Association (BA) announced Tuesday that U.S. craft beer exports grew 3.6 percent, to 482,309 barrels, in 2017.
In the latest Legislative Update: A Louisiana Senator wants younger adults to drink; Massachusetts says no to CBD beer; and more from South Dakota and Kansas.
In the latest Legislative Update: Maryland’s Reform on Tap Act dies in committee; the Massachusetts Senate revives franchise law reform bill; and more state news.
Concerns over potential price gouging are mounting after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last Thursday to impose a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum. In a letter sent yesterday to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, four beverage trade groups — the Beer Institute (BI), Brewers Association (BA), Can Manufacturers Association (CMI) and American Beverage Association — cited “major concerns about how the 10 percent tariff could cause price-gouging within aluminum markets.”
In the latest Legislative Update: Sunday sales are now legal in Indiana; South Dakota is on the verge of increasing its barrel cap; tensions run high in Maryland; and more state news.
In a move that would have wide-ranging effects on the beer industry, President Donald Trump yesterday announced plans to implement a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum. The move comes weeks after the Commerce Department recommended tariffs on aluminum and steel as a national security precaution, citing the nation’s inability to build military weapons without foreign steel and aluminum.
In this roundup of legal news: MillerCoors is attempting to block a former top executive from joining Constellation Brands; Bell’s loses a nearly 3-year-old trademark fight; and a federal judge is allowing a lawsuit filed by the son of Thelonious Monk against North Coast Brewing Co. to proceed.
In today’s Legislative Update: Wisconsin Senate committee asks for more study of the “alcohol czar” proposal; Denizens owner picked as Maryland gubernatorial candidate’s running mate; the Virginia House and Senate pass at-rest provisions; and more.
The U.S. Congress voted along party lines to pass the Republicans’ $1.5 trillion rewrite of the federal tax code, which includes two years of excise tax relief for alcohol producers and importers. The bill now heads to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law before the end of the week.
