Since marijuana became recreationally legal in Colorado earlier this year, a common fear has emerged among the brewerati: that weed might crowd out what has been up until now a near-insatiable demand for craft beer in the state. While hops and buds both carry the Cannabaceae family name, the thinking has gone that there isn’t enough room in the Centennial State for both genera. But brewers and dispensers aren’t too worried about losing business to one another.
Today’s craft beer drinker is a promiscuous one, eschewing the loyalty their daddy’s daddy showed to his favorite brew so many years ago in favor of exploration. But heck, Gramps didn’t have a fraction of the options enjoyed by the contemporary consumer.
A little more than 100 days have passed in 2014 and the craft beer category is showing no signs of slowing down. Craft sustained its 20-plus percent growth pace, with year-to-date craft dollar sales up 24.6 percent, through April 20, across IRI’s multi-outlet and convenience store universe (MULC), which includes grocery, drug, Wal-Mart, Club, Dollar,… Read more »
After the Boston Beer Company posted record-breaking fourth quarter revenue gains in 2013, it’s hard to believe that the country’s leading craft brewer could sustain momentum and continue increasing volume and growing sales through the first three months of 2014. But that’s exactly what the makers of Samuel Adams, Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard Cider did in the first quarter of the year, growing revenues 35 percent and core shipment volumes 32 percent.
Florida craft brewers could face stricter retail regulations under a new bill passed by the Senate on Tuesday. This morning, the Florida Senate voted 30-10 in favor of SB 1714, an amended version of the controversial bill introduced by Republican Sen. Kelli Stargel that would limit the amount of beer brewers can sell directly to… Read more »
Picture this: It’s 10 A.M. and Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione, the veritable poster child for craft beer, is sipping from a translucent green Heineken bottle in front of 800 beer distributors. He plucked the bottle from a range of options, passing up his brewery’s own 60 Minute IPA in favor of the import lager.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking “necessary steps” to clarify its intent regarding a controversial proposal to further regulate how brewers discard their spent grains, according to Michael Taylor, the administration’s deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.
At the 2014 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), held earlier this month in Denver, Colo., it seemed like most attendees were, at one point or another, immersed in a discussion about the relationship between craft brewers and distributors. Building upon those conversations, Brewbound asked attendees what the most important considerations are when making new distributor selections. Those responses are included in the latest installment of our video series.
During a panel discussion on succession planning at this month’s Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, Colo., New Belgium co-founder Kim Jordan along with Schlafly co-founder Dan Kopman and First Beverage Group vice president, J.B. Shireman, shared insights into the various succession strategies for craft brewers.
After 15 years, Indiana’s second-largest brewery decided it was time to make a change. To better capture the quality of its beers and the company culture, Bloomington-based Upland Brewing Co. overhauled its identity, redesigning everything from marketing materials to tap handles. “You don’t thrive and grow for 15 years by not making changes,” the company… Read more »
Florida’s Senate Rules Committee voted 9-4 yesterday in favor of a bill that would tighten regulations within the state’s three-tier alcohol distribution system. Under Senate Bill 1714, brewers that produce more than 2,000 kegs (approximately 1,000 barrels) annually and operate on-premise retail fronts would be required to first sell their beer to distributors before buying… Read more »
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Chris Furnari, David Eisenberg and Joshua Pratt
If you ask a group of beer industry professionals for their take on the Brewers Association (BA) definition of a “craft brewer,” take cover — it’s a polarizing topic. So, at last week’s Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, Brewbound asked a number of brewers for their thoughts on the revised craft brewer definition. The latest installment in our video series is published above for your viewing pleasure.
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Chris Furnari, David Eisenberg and Joshua Pratt
Run your own race. That’s the advice Marty Ochs, the founder of E3 Craft Strategies and the former vice president of sales for Ninkasi Brewing, gives to craft brewers when they ask him how to measure success. Last week, Brewbound asked a number of CBC attendees how they defined success, beyond brewing a quality pint.
IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, and GuestMetrics, an on-premise data provider, announced Tuesday that they have formed an alliance that will integrate the research of both entities. The alliance will provide IRI clients with in-depth information about on-premise consumer purchases via GuestMetrics that will be placed against the context of IRI’s off-premise data.
