NBWA

Bars, restaurants and social gathering spaces are beer’s “moneyball” opportunity, National Beer Wholesalers Association VP of analytics and chief economist Lester Jones shares during the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. Jones is the first of two interviews this week. Adam and Amanda Kroener, the founders of spirits-based cocktail brand Carbliss, also join this week’s podcast.

The beverage-alcohol industry has endured an “onslaught of negative news” about health concerns and alcohol consumption in 2025, Bernstein analyst Nadine Sarwat shared during a panel discussion this week at the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) Annual Convention in Las Vegas.

Garage Beer’s Jason Kelce on beer’s social connection; Hemp Beverage Alliance leaders on bans, tax revenue; Boston Beer’s Social Pop debut.

Low-ABV IPA maker Dad Strength is poised to disrupt the beer category, according to recent investor and Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec.

More than five years beyond the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. continues to battle a “loneliness epidemic,” where consumers feel isolated, concerned and alone in a world of economic uncertainty, rising costs, political turmoil and more online socialization than in-person interactions.

Outgoing National Beer Wholesalers Association chair Rebecca Maisel stressed the importance of distributor independence from “undue supplier influence” in making business decisions, during her opening remarks at the trade group’s 88th annual convention in Las Vegas.

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.

The May Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) showed “sequential improvement” compared to the previous three months, with the overall index reading 45 and at-risk inventory hitting 47, falling below the 50 benchmark for the first time since January, the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) shared Friday.

The U.S. beer industry generated $470.96 billion in economic output in 2024, holding 1.58% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the biennial Beer Serves America study commissioned by the Beer Institute (BI) and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).

The first quarter of 2025 was rocky for the beer industry, as National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones reported last week. Brewbound’s coverage of Jones’ presentation of quarterly data from bev-alc invoice tech platform Fintech continues with a deeper dive into craft, hard tea and non-alcoholic (NA) beer…. Read more »

Overall beer category dollar sales declined in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, but those losses were unbalanced between the channels, according to the most recent report from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and Fintech. Beer dollar sales reached an estimated $15.8 billion in the first quarter of the year, down about 4% year-over-year (YoY).

As some suppliers and wholesalers warm to intoxicating hemp beverages, bev-alc trade group leaders are looking for regulatory parity between their members’ products and the burgeoning segment.

Beer distributors’ top priority in lobbying visits with congressional members during the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) legislative conference was to push for permanence for lowered tax rates put in place by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

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.