News Cans Continue to Grow – Now Account for 76% of Packaged Craft Beer
The Brewers Association released its annual report on packaging trends, which showed a 4.0% decline in packaged sales volume by BA-defined brewers in 2024 compared to the year prior. The report also highlighted the steady increase in the use of cans versus bottles by craft brewers with 76% of all BA-defined craft beer being sold in cans.
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News Registration Open for New York International Beer Competition
Registration is now open for the 14th annual New York International Beer Competition. Beer, hard seltzer, cider, mead & non-alcohol products are included in the competition and do not need to be sold in New York state to be entered.
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Expert Topic Beyond Beer: Exploring Wine and Cocktails On Draft
As the landscape of craft beverage service evolves and breweries and bars change their menus to attract consumers with shifting interests, the face of the tap list looks different. Beer has long dominated draft almost to the exclusion of all others. Post-pandemic, bars continue to reduce their draft beer offerings but that doesn’t mean the lines are sitting empty.
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News Tariffs on Aluminum and Steel ‘Here to Stay’ – Diageo Warns of Hundreds of Jobs Losses
The President told reporters last night aboard Air Force One that the 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imported into the U.S. are “here to stay.” Meanwhile, Diageo has warned that tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico could put thousands of American jobs at risk.
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News TTB Issues Guidance on How to Label Malt Beverages Produced with Ingredients Exempt from Formula Requirements
The Alcohol and Tabacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has just issued guidance on how malt beverages produced with ingredients exempt from formula requirements be labeled. The guidance covers options for the class/type labeling designation of a malt beverage produced with ingredients exempt from formula approval requirements.
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News ProBrewer Marketplace Updates – Now Offering Auctions
ProBrewer is happy to unveil the latest updates to our classified ads system — now known as the ProBrewer Marketplace. As we further expand the capabilities of our member to member sale system, the name Marketplace encompasses what the features currently are whereas Classified Ads is a name that really has disappeared along with print newspapers.
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News Demand for Direct-to-Consumer Shipping Remains High – But Little Progress Made to Expand Privileges
2024 saw little movement to expand access to DtC shipping of beer despite the efforts of state guilds to change state laws. Legislation was introduced in several states that would have given brewers permission to ship equal to what wineries currently enjoy, but no bill was ultimately successful.
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News Wine Industry Decline Mirrors That of Craft Beer – Winery Closures Outpace Openings in 2024
Independent small breweries saw more closures than openings in 2024, but craft beer is not alone. For the first time in a generation, the number of wineries in the U.S. declined in 2024 as well. There were 11,450 wineries at the end of 2024, 1.5% less than the previous year.
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Expert Topic Adding a Brand Manager to a Craft Brewery
In the dozen or so years that Country Boy Brewing has been around, the Kentucky brewery has grown into multiple locations and used its influence to help change state laws to better help breweries. Feeling confident about the beers and the direction of the beverage program, during the COVID-19 pandemic one of the founding partners, Daniel “DH” Harrison took on a different role as brand manager.
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News Off to a Bad Start – Domestic Beer Shipments Down 8.7% in January
Hope for a new year with stronger beer sales didn’t start well as the Beer Institute published its unofficial estimate of taxable removals shipments by beer brewers for January 2025 which clocked in at a disappointing -8.7%. The decline represents a total of slightly over a million barrels.
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News AB InBev Tests New Draft System that Includes Automated Line Cleaning
AB InBev-owned Budweiser Brewing Group has launched an automated draft dispensing system called the Budweiser Ultimate Dispense System (BUDS). The system includes an automated line cleaning system eliminating the need for retailers to clean lines manually.
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News The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling Names New Awardees & Releases Impact Report
The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (The MJF) has announced its latest cohort of awardees, as well as the release of its first Impact Report, showcasing the foundation’s contributions toward lowering financial barriers to technical education for people of color within the brewing and distilling industries.
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Expert Topic Making the Most of Can Label Space
In an increasingly difficult and competitive beer space, breweries need to dial in on the message and visibility. One of the best ways to do this – especially for breweries that are distributing – is to maximize the use of can labels. Even breweries that only sell out of their taprooms should be thinking about how to best use label real estate.
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News NBWA Beer Purchasing Index Takes a Tumble in February – Drops by 14 Points
After an encouraging start to the year, beer distributors reported a decline in their purchasing outlook during February. The National Beer Wholesalers Association reported that the Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) fell to 35, a 14-point decline from February of last year. A reading greater than 50 indicates the segment is expanding, while a reading below 50 indicates the segment is contracting.
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News Asahi-owned Octopi Brewing Announces $35 Million Expansion
Asahi has announced a $35 million expansion of the Octopi Brewing production facility, with the goal to make Asahi Super Dry beer at the upgraded brewery. The goal is to expand distribution beyond Asian and Japanese restaurants and into off-premise chain stores, bars and restaurants.
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News Boston Beer Shipments Down 2.4% in 2024 – Plans More Marketing and Slight Price Increase in 2025
Boston Beer Company released their fourth quarter and full-year financial results yesterday which showed shipments down by 2.4% and depletions down by 2% in 2024 versus 2023. Net revenue for the year increased 0.2% to $2.01 billion. The drop in shipments across the spectrum of brands shows that even with a highly diversified portfolio of beer and non-beer beverages growth can be elusive in the current alcohol beverage industry.
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Expert Topic Beer Books for Your Shelf
To be in the brewing industry means walking a continuously path of discovery. From processes to ingredients, unlocking history, and more cerebral pursuits, there are endless avenues to explore. Over the last several months there have been a number of books released that offer insight or can be inspiring to brewing professionals. From histories that give us context on today, to thoughtful guides, or peeks inside operations, there are a lot of tomes to choose from.
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News Survey Shows Draft Beer Sales Down by 12.7% During St. Patrick’s Day Weekend
Posted by Tom McCormick | Leave a Comment
It’s not the whole picture, but it is a snapshot of beer industry health. A BeerBoard survey of draft beer sales on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, what is traditionally one of the biggest party weekends of the year, shows that draft volume was down -12.7% when compared to the same period in 2024.
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