Category: Beverage Industry News
- Business of Beer 776
- Commentary 159
- Crisis Response 190
News Patagonia Partners with Breweries to Brew Beer with Innovative New Sustainable Grain
Working with Patagonia Provisions, the food and beverage division of the famed outdoor apparel company, Aslan Brewing in Bellingham, WA has brewed a beer with Kernza grain, a “regenerative perennial grain, has the potential to transform the brewing industry.”
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News NBWA June ‘Beer Purchasers’ Index’ Indicates Craft Beer Still Declining
The just released National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) for June 2023 shows that the BPI for all beer categories rose above the benchmark (50) to 54, but remains below the nine-year average of 60. The craft beer index at 38 continues to signal contraction but is slightly above the June 2022 reading of 33. This indicates the beer market is still soft, with continuing declines in the craft segment.
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News Wisconsin Bill to Overhaul Alcohol Regulations
Wisconsin legislators in the Assembly passed a sweeping bill that will overhaul the three-tier system in the state and give craft brewers additional privileges. The bipartisan bill passed the Assembly 90-4 and heads to the Senate where it is expected to pass.
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News Ireland’s Bevcraft Enters US with Acquisition of Tripod Canning
Ireland-based Bevcraft Group, which specializes in canning solutions for craft beverage makers throughout much of Europe, has made a move into the U.S. by acquiring the mobile canning business of Tripod Canning in New Jersey. It is another indication of the growing consolidation within the allied trade industry serving the craft brewing business.
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News Beer Institute Calls Out Liquor Companies in New Consumer Website
The Beer Institute has launched a new consumer-facing website StandWithBeer.org, which sheds a light on “how large liquor companies inflate their bottom line by exploiting loopholes in our tax code.” It is a unique push by an alcohol industry trade group to inform the consumer of legislative “advantages” afforded to another industry segment.
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News Heineken Buys Remaining Shares of Dutch Craft Brewery Odeipus
Heineken has announced that it will take full control of Amsterdam-based brewer Oedipus. After buying a minority share of the craft brewery in 2019, Heineken will now take on full ownership of the formerly independent brewer.
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News Application Deadline for Michael Jackson Foundation Scholarship is Friday June 23
Michael James Jackson Foundation, which funds technical education and career advancement for black, indigenous, and people of color in the brewing and distilling industries is now accepting applications for the Spring 2023 enrollment period. The application deadline is this Friday, June 23rd at 9:00 pm EDT.
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Coca Cola HBC to Acquire Finlandia Vodka
Coca Cola HBC has announced that it will acquire Finlandia vodka from Brown-Foreman for $220 million. It is another step in the blurring of lines between alcoholic and non-alcohol brands as companies in both segments look to expand their shelf space presence.
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News Bud Light Continues Decline with Broad Impact on the Industry
In a story that continues to disrupt the beer industry, Bud Light sales have continued to decline for the ninth week in a row and has now fallen an astounding 24.4% over that period. The downfall has led to significant sales declines at AB wholesalers across the country, an uptick in sales for competing brands and has allowed Modelo to replace Bud Light as the number one selling beer.
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News GABF Festival and Competition Registration Open This Week
Registration for the Great American Beer Festival competition is now open. The deadline for registration ends on June 21st. Festival registration is open from June 15-28th. The GABF will take place in Denver, CO September 21-23rd with the awards ceremony being held on Saturday, September 23rd.
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News California Brewery Partners with Tech Firm to Make Beer from Wastewater
Beer has again become the poster child for a successful development in treating wastewater to be reused in consumable products. Devils Canyon Brewery in San Carlos, CA has partnered with Epic Cleantec to make beer from treated wastewater, a step forward in developing technology to turn certain types of wastewater into potable water for consumption.
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News Anchor Brewing to End All Sales Outside California
The storied Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, without question the founding linchpin of the craft brewing movement, announced that they would cease sales of all Anchor beers in the US except for in California. They will also discontinue making the iconic Anchor Christmas Ale.
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News Beer Shipments Continue Downward Trend
The Beer Institute published its monthly unofficial estimate of domestic tax paid shipments by beer brewers for April 2023 which showed a decline of 4.0% versus April of last year. It was the second worst month of the year following a 6.0% decline in March.
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News Mergers Cross Sectors as Bayou City Hemp Buys 8th Wonder Brewing
Merger Mania isn’t just about craft-on-craft acquisitions; it has included all sectors of the craft beverage industry pairing up to seek greater efficiencies. That now includes the cannabis industry as Bayou City Hemp Company announced that it has purchased 8th Wonder Brewery and Distillery.
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News Sierra Nevada CEO Jeff White to Retire – Ken Grossman to Take Over During Search for Replacement
Sierra Nevada Brewing CEO Jeff White has announced his retirement and will be stepping down from the position in the near future. Founder Ken Grossman will assume to role of interim CEO while the company conducts a search for a permanent replacement.
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News Pandemic-Era Laws Continue to Change the On-Premise Landscape
Illinois’ bars and restaurants can continue to sell to-go cocktails until 2024 after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into a law a three-year extension of the measure that was adopted during COVID-19. It is yet another pandemic-era allowance that has been extended or made permanent across the country, changing forever the landscape for how the alcohol business can respond to changing consumer habits induced by the pandemic.
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News Merger Mania Continues – River Horse Buys DuClaw
DuClaw Brewing Company, the 25-year-old Maryland brewery that is distributed in 21 states has been acquired by River Horse Brewing Company in Ewing, NJ. It is the third acquisition or merger in the craft brewing industry in the last few weeks.
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News Is ‘Premiumisation’’ on the Decline?
Posted by Tom McCormick
Premium alcoholic beverages have been outperforming other price categories for many years, helping to drive the steady growth in craft beer. But the first half of 2023 has begun to show some cracks in premiumization, which may not bode well for craft beer, which is already slowing due to multiple other factors.
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