The National Beer Wholesaler Association’s (NBWA) annual legislative conference reconvened, albeit virtually, a year after the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 event.
With vaccines now available to all adults, governors are beginning to roll back the restrictions placed on bars and restaurants aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Construction is moving forward at Tree House Brewing Company’s future taproom, beer garden and retail outlet in Sandwich, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, despite opposition from a group of neighbors. “Progress is brisk and we are looking forward to opening as soon as possible and welcoming neighbors and the public into our brewery in Sandwich,” Tree House co-founder and head brewer Nathan Lanier told Brewbound.
Two Robbers Hard Seltzer has raised $6 million in a Series A funding round led by New York-based Brand Foundry Ventures. The company has plans to add six new markets to its footprint: Maryland, Virginia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington, D.C.
California craft brewers had a rougher 2020 than the overall industry, as in-state volume production declined 11% compared to 9% nationwide, Brewers Association (BA) chief economist Bart Watson reported last week during his presentation at the California Craft Brewers Association’s spring summit.
Anheuser-Busch InBev has forged a master distributor agreement with Canteen Spirits, while its growth and innovation arm ZX Ventures has made an investment in the 2-year-old ready-to-drink canned cocktail brand.
After initial projections that the hard seltzer segment would grow at a rate of 70-100%, Boston Beer CEO Dave Burwick said the expectation is now in the 60-90% range, with Truly outpacing the segment.
Boston Beer Company’s torrid run driven by Truly Hard Seltzer and Twisted Tea continued into the first quarter of 2021. Through the first 13 weeks of 2021, Boston Beer — whose brands include Samuel Adams, Truly Hard Seltzer, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard — reported a 48% increase in depletions and a 60.1% increase in shipments.
Allagash Brewing has launched a pair of recycling programs as part of the Portland, Maine-headquartered craft brewery’s commitment to sustainability.
Mass. Bay Brewing Company and the Massachusetts Brewers Guild (MBG) have launched Hop Forward Equality, a website with resources and a job board with the goal of creating a more diverse and equitable industry and consumer base for Bay State breweries. “We have to ask ourselves why, and we have to do a better job truly encompassing and embracing our communities,” MBG executive director Katie Stinchon said in a press release.
The loss of higher-margin on-premise consumption cost the beer industry more than $20 billion in 2020, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones reported yesterday during a webinar. “Volumes went up a little bit, maybe 0.5-1% up, but spending shifted dramatically,” Jones said. “
Canadian cannabis firm Canopy Growth announced today a partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits to distribute its portfolio of CBD-infused beverages in the U.S.
California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) executive director Lori Ajax and lobbyist Chris Walker shared the progress the organization has made on behalf of the state’s craft breweries yesterday during what board chair Lynne Weaver called the “second and hopefully last” virtual conference. California is home to 958 craft breweries, which produced 3.3 million barrels in 2020, making it No. 1 in craft beer production nationwide.
Off-premise dollar sales of craft beer have maintained a “moderate growth” rate through the first three months of 2021, as dollar sales increased 6%, to $1.3 billion, according to NielsenIQ data shared by Bump Williams Consulting.
