Category: Business of Beer
Industry news related to the brewing industry and the business of beer
News Cicerone Certification Program Offers New Course on Selling Beer to Retailers
The Cicerone Certification Program is offering a new online course designed specifically for brewery and wholesaler sales teams and will emphasize how to become a trusted advisor to retailers by promoting the beer category and improve profitability.
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News NBWA October ‘Beer Purchasers’ Index’ is Good News for Beer – But Not for Craft
The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) released the Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) for October 2023, which shows increased ordering trends for six out of seven segments. The craft index for October continues to signal contraction, but it is stronger relative to the October last year.
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News Chicago Brewseum Rebrands as ‘Beer Culture Center’ with Hopes to Expand
The Chicago Brewseum has officially rebranded itself to the Beer Culture Center. While the non-profit organization currently hosts in-person events at various locations along with virtual programs, their goal is to have a physical home where visitors can take in engaging, interactive exhibits profiling stories of beer history and culture around the world.
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News Beer Segment Continues to Sag in 2023 – Domestic Beer Shipments Down 5.1% in August
The Beer Institute (BI) published its estimate of domestic tax paid shipments by beer brewers for August 2023. It was another poor performance in a year that has consistently been down compared to 2022. Only one month this year has shown growth.
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News Ackley Brands Winery Buys Mac & Jack’s
There are a lot of craft brewery owners who are ready to exit the industry and are quietly looking for a buyer. But who is buying craft breweries in this new era of slow growth? The wine industry may be one avenue to look at. Ackley Brands, a family-based, Pacific Northwest company that owns several Northwest wineries announced that it has acquired Mac & Jack’s Brewing of Redmond, Washington.
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News Industry Celebrates National Black Brewers Day – Interview with Alana Koenig-Busy of NB2A
Less than 1% of craft breweries in the U.S. are owned by African Americans. The National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) was recently formed as a membership-based non-profit organization to help African American brewers and brewery owners with their specific needs and issues. Today we celebrate the first National Black Brewers Day, the day in 1970 that Peoples Brewing Company became the first Black-owned brewery in U.S. history. NB2A Program Manager Alana Koenig-Busey discusses with ProBrewer co-founder Mark Silva the details of this monumental day and more about the mission of NB2A.
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News Slowing Interest in Draft Beer May Impact Brewery Tap Rooms
Draft sales across the on-premise trade have still not recovered since the pandemic and are struggling to reach 2019 levels. This is likely a trend that won’t change anytime soon, as retailers balk at higher keg prices, non-beer products take more tap handles and consumer habits continue to shift in new directions. While this decline in draft beer sales has been noticed in the retail sector, concern is growing that the trend may begin to impact the brewery tap room business.
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News Beer Institute Updates Advertising and Marketing Code
The Beer Institute has announced updates to its Advertising and Marketing Code. The updates include new language regarding alcohol variants of non-alcohol products, updated language regarding social media influencers and social media content, updated language regarding outdoor signage among other changes.
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News It’s Final – Molson Coors Owes Stone Brewing $56M in Trademark Dispute
In a legal dispute that dates back to 2018, a judge has denied a request for a retrial, making it final that Molson Coors must pay Stone Brewing $56 million for violating Stone’s trademark when using the word “stone” in its ad campaign for Keystone Light. The court also rejected Molson Coors’ bid to cut or overturn the damages payment.
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News Brewery Closures Offer Opportunities for Brewery Expansions
Hardship is not universal in these challenging times. Many breweries are doing well, and in fact thriving, despite the slow-to-no growth in the craft beer sector. For those breweries that are doing well and looking to add capacity or additional on-premise space, buying a brewery that has closed can be exceptionally beneficial and far less costly than building out a space from scratch.
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News Cannabis Cafes Legalized in California
It was only a matter of time. Consumers in California will have another option in how they spend their social time out come 2024. The state legislature has passed a bill that will allow cannabis dispensaries to prepare and serve food and non-alcoholic drinks on-site, opening the door to cannabis cafes across the state. The measure is on the desk of Governor Gavin Newson where it is expected to be signed.
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News Beer Takes Another Tumble in July – Domestic Shipments Down 8.4%
The Beer Institute published their estimate of domestic tax paid beer shipments by brewers for July 2023 which showed a 8.4% decline versus the same month last year. Domestic shipments are now down 6.8% for the year through July compared to last year.
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News BA Now Accepting Speaker Proposals for Educational Seminars at CBC 2024
The Brewers Association accepting proposals for educational seminars and researcher presentations at the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference. The 2024 CBC will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, April 21 through Wednesday, April 24.
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News BA to Offer New Online Training Center for Brewing Professionals
The Brewers Association (BA) has launched a new online training center to support training and development needs for industry professionals. The training center features online courses that can be completed in short sessions via a computer, tablet, or mobile device. The BA will be rolling out new content and feature releases over the next year, including training modules on beer quality management, beer ingredients, and human resources.
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News Craft Maltsters Guild to Hold 2024 Conference in Davis, Calif. – Seeking Speaker Proposals
The Craft Maltsters Guild has selected the University of California Davis Conference Center in Northern California as the location for the 2024 Craft Malt Conference that will be held on February 23 and 24, 2024.
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News Falconer Foundation Offering Full Scholarship to ABG Education Program
The Falconer Foundation is offering a full-tuition scholarship to the American Brewers Guild’s Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering program, a 22-week distance education program with a final week of residential instruction. The course is designed for brewers and homebrewers who lack formal training in brewing science and covers all the fundamentals of beer production and quality assurance.
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News Bud Light Sales Continue to Fall as Modelo Extends Lead as #1 Beer in U.S.
It seems like it will never end. In a consumer boycott that has extended far beyond anyone’s expectations, sales of Bud Light continue to fall over the summer months, allowing Modelo Especial to widens its lead as the top selling beer in America. The Mexican beer now accounts for 8.4% of beer sales in off-premise stores year-to-date through Aug. 19, compared to 8.2% for Bud Light.
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News Tilray Jumps Deeper into Cannabis Drinks
As Anheuser-Busch sheds craft beer brands and Molson Coors exist the cannabis drinks business, Tilray jumps in. A week after Tilray announced that they were buying eight craft brands from Anheuser-Busch, Tilray said they will acquire the remaining 57.5% equity ownership of cannabis-infused drinks maker Truss Beverage from Molson Coors Canada.
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News Garrett Marrero and Maui Brewing Step Up to Support Local Community – You Can Help
Garrett Marrero, CEO and co-founder of Craft ‘Ohana (Maui Brewing/Modern Times) in Kihei, Hawaii has been working non-stop since the devastating Maui fires to help the local community, another shining example of how craft breweries can make a significant impact in times of need. The following is an update from Garret and how you can help the Maui Brewing team support their employees and local community.
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News Beer Continues to Slip but Remains Top Alcoholic Beverage
Beer continues to be the number one alcoholic beverage among American consumers over spirits and wine with 37% saying beer is their preferred drink with 31% choosing spirits and 29% choosing wine. But the numbers continue to slide downward for beer, with nearly 50% of consumers choosing beer as their preferred drink over wine and spirits 20 years ago.
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News Maui Brewing Initiates ‘Kokua Project’ to Help Victims of Fire
The craft brewing industry has always inspired its community to help others in times of need. There are hundreds of examples of craft breweries who have raised funds to support local causes. Garret Marrero, CEO and co-founder of Craft ‘Ohana (Maui Brewing/Modern Times) in Kihei, Hawaii and chair of the Brewers Association board of directors, has created the Kokua project to support the ongoing needs of the people affected by the tragic fires that took place last week on the island of Maui.
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News Craft Beer Down 2% Mid-Year – Number of Breweries Continues to Increase
The Brewers Association (BA) mid-year look at the numbers shows that BA defined craft breweries are down 2% through the first half of 2023, the first decline of the industry since the BA began tracking numbers, with the exception of the pandemic year 2020.
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News The Future of Hard Seltzer
Posted by Tom McCormick
Don’t count out hard seltzers, at least according to one industry consulting firm. Although hard seltzers have generally gone through a rather quick boom/bust cycle, the category is forecast to grow globally at a compound annual growth rate of 8.2% up until 2028.
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