Top Features

The inspiration for Shake Up Cocktails didn’t come from a bar or a boardroom …  it struck at a Midwest state fair.

Nearly a year on the job, new-ish Lagunitas CEO Bernardo Spielmann is seeing opportunities for the legacy California craft beer brand.

Untappd, the Next Glass-owned craft beer rating social platform whose users have anointed some craft brewers and crushed the souls of others, has expanded ratable products to include spirits, wine, adult non-alcoholic (ANA) beverages, ready-to-drink cocktails (RTD), THC-infused seltzers, coffee, soda and “more,” according to a press release.

Canned water brand Liquid Death has signed with four mostly craft-centric distributors in Southern California and the Pacific Northwest. Liquid Death, which is preparing to launch an energy drink line in early 2026, has signed with Hand Family Companies’ subsidiary Sunset Distributing (California), The Odom Corporation (Washington), Bigfoot Beverages and Summit Beverage Distribution Co. (both Oregon).

There are only two days left to submit your nominations for BevNET’s 2025 Spirits Awards! Nominations close this Friday, November 21.

Tilray Brands CEO Irwin Simon’s visits to college campuses and venues across the U.S. “suggest there’s more price sensitivity” influencing the decline in consumption.

BeatBox, the cross-category party punch producer, is reportedly discussing a potential acquisition with Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B), according to a story by the Wall Street Journal. Citing unnamed “people familiar with the matter,” the WSJ estimated the deal at $700 million, but couched that negotiations could “fall apart.”

Craft beer’s off-premise losses accelerated in October, according to the most recent monthly report from market research firm Circana. In multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C), craft’s dollar sales have declined 4.5% and volume, measured in case sales, declined 6% year-to-date (YTD) through November 2, according to Circana.

Monster Brewing’s 2026 innovation slate will include a pair of lagers and the company’s first spirits-based, ready-to-drink offering.

Increased costs related to President Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade policies are weighing on consumers’ minds heading into the Thanksgiving holiday, according to data insights firm Numerator.

The nominees for the 2025 Brewbound Awards reflect the evolution of the industry over the past year, from category-defining craft leaders to breakout brands, operational trailblazers, and champions of modern brewing culture. Their work represents the creativity, resilience, and strategic thinking moving the industry forward.

Rogue Ales & Spirits informed the landlord it owed nearly half a million dollars that it was shutting down on Friday, according to local news reports. The Newport, Oregon-headquartered craft brewer and distiller allegedly owes the Port of Newport $545,000 in rent and Lincoln County $30,000 in taxes. The Port of Newport owns the building that houses Rogue’s 47,000 sq. ft. production brewery, warehouse and taproom.

As Circana EVP of BevAl Scott Scanlon put it: “The improved data from the Halloween holiday was fun while it lasted.” Scanlon’s somber comments accompanied Circana’s latest weekly off-premise scans report, in which total bev-alc dollar sales declined 4.5% year-over-year (YoY) and 6% week-over-week (WoW), for the period ending November 9.

Bev-alc retailers are adjusting their buying habits as the Trump administration’s signature economic policy continues to add volatility to the spirits and wine industries.