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Craft brewers’ production volume fell a collective 5.1% in 2025, according to the Brewers Association’s (BA) annual Industry Production Report, published today.
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.
As painful as 2024 was for craft brewers, the year seemed to be equally as challenging for the trade group that represents them. The Brewers Association’s (BA) total revenue declined -9.3%, to $20,972,476 in 2024, according to its annual report, which was published Monday.
As President Trump moves forward with tariffs, the spirits industry is bracing for a trade war that could bring price increases and shake up the backbar.
President Donald Trump launched a trade war today with the United States’ North American trade partners, Canada and Mexico, implementing 25% tariffs on goods imported from each country. Trump also doubled existing duties on goods from China to 20%.
Distributor sentiment cratered in February 2025, with the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) survey recording a 14-point, year-over-year (YoY) decline to an index of 35.
Maryland lawmakers are considering a bill that would expand beer and wine sales licenses to the state’s grocery, convenience, mass retail and warehouse stores. However, House Bill 1379 “faced tough questioning in committee and faces a tough road to passage in the House,” Maryland Matters reported, citing a nearly three-hour debate over it last week.
Georgia craft brewers may soon have more options to take their products to market, as the state Senate is considering a bill that would legalize self-distribution. The Craft Beer and Local Economy Revitalization Act (S.B. 122) would permit small breweries to sell up to 3,000 barrels annually “to retailers licensed in this state that are located within a 100-mile radius of the small brewer’s licensed premises,” the bill reads.
Constellation Brands is facing a federal securities class-action lawsuit from an investor who alleges the company shared false information about its positive outlook for its challenged wine and spirits division.
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 Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) in its annual economic briefing on Tuesday warned that the declining U.S. spirits market will likely continue to face challenges for the foreseeable future.
American bev-alc suppliers are still in the crosshairs of a trade war. On Sunday, President Donald Trump reignited trade tensions with the European Union, threatening to bring back policies that hit American spirits exports hard in his first term.
President Donald Trump announced plans to levy 25% tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% additional tariffs on China over the weekend. However, duties on goods imported from Mexico received a one-month reprieve on Monday following a border security deal.
Days after the former U.S. surgeon general called for cancer risk warning labels to be placed on alcoholic beverages, two state Legislatures are considering bills that would expand cancer warnings for bev-alc consumers.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has proposed new rules for nutrient and alcohol content labeling on wine, beer, and spirits.
All major beverage-alcohol industry trade groups have united in opposition of a draft study about alcohol consumption’s effect on health, which was released Tuesday.
