Category: Business of Beer
Industry news related to the brewing industry and the business of beer
News American Craft Beer Hall of Fame to Hold Inaugural Inductees
The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame will hold its inaugural group of inductees, set to be revealed during a special livestream event on February 15, 2025, at 3:00 PM EST. The Hall of Fame was recently formed to celebrate the trailblazers, innovators, and visionaries who have made significant contributions to the craft beer movement in the United States.
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News TTB Proposes Mandatory Disclosures of Allergens and Alcohol Facts in Labeling
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has published two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) that would require the disclosure of allergen as well as Alcohol Facts information on labels of alcohol beverages. Although the specifications were expected in some form, the proposed new requirements would be a major labelling change for alcohol beverages at a time when the industry is struggling with declining sales across all categories.
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News Nationwide Collective Beer Effort to Support LA Fire Victims
Common Space Brewery of Hawthorne, CA has initiated a call for breweries nationwide to brew a beer called “WE LOVE LA” with proceeds being directed to a selection of non-profits supporting the victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.
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News NA Beer Tops NA Wine and Spirits During Dry January
According to a recent survey by the Beer Institute, 22% of those consumers participating in ‘Dry January’ prefer NA beer versus 10% who choose NA liquor and 13% who prefer NA wine. Of those participating in Dry or Damp January, they cited improving wellness (49%) and saving money (48%) as the top reasons.
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News BA Rolls Out New Marketing Campaign to Promote Members During Dry January
The Brewers Association has rolled out a new consumer-facing marketing campaign in an attempt to drive business to its members breweries after the holidays and during “dry January.” The campaign reveals two evolving trends for the BA; marketing directly to the consumer in an effort to drive more business to its members, and promoting the fact that member breweries offer more than just traditional beer
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News Harpoon and Smuttynose to Merge – More Deals May Follow
Two pioneering and iconic New England beer brands are merging. Thirty-year old Smuttynose of Hampton, NH will merge operations and ownership with 38-year-old Harpoon Brewery of Boston, MA. The new company more than hinted that they may be looking for more brands to acquire.
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News SPB Hospitality Sells Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch Locations
SPB Hospitality has sold Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, ChopHouse & Brewery, Ragtime Tavern and Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery to Kelly Companies of Southern California. The transaction of this sale includes 16 restaurants, with flagship and airport locations included.
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News BA Estimates a Decline of 2% or More in 2024 Craft Beer Production
The Brewers Association (BA) is estimating that 2024 will be a second year of declining sales for independently owned craft breweries. In the BA’s midyear survey, craft saw an estimated decline in production of -2% and the association estimates that the full-year number may be weaker than the midyear estimate.
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News TTB Exempts 24 Brewing Ingredients from Formula and Approval Requirements
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is expanding its list of exemptions from the formula requirements for brewery products made with certain ingredients by exempting 24 additional ingredients. The exemption of was in responds to two petitions filed by the Brewers Association (BA) requesting further exemptions from formula requirements.
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News Craft Beer Leads the Way in On-Premise Analysis
A detailed analysis of draft beer sales over a 12-month period through March of this year shows that draft beer handles are continuing to increase in the on-premise across the US despite a continued slowdown in overall on-premise beer sales.
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News BA Cuts Staff – Restructures Organization
The Brewers Association announced today that they will cut six staff members, which is 11% of the BA workforce, effective today. Additionally, the organization will restructure the senior management by “reducing the number of CEO direct reports,” according to statement today by BA President & CEO Bob Pease.
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News ABInBev to Shutdown Elysian Brewery in Seattle
Anheuser-Busch InBev has announced that they will close the Elysian Brewing Company Georgetown brewery in Seattle, WA. The brewery employs about 90 people and is the largest brewery in Washington state. It is yet another sign that global brewers have a waning interest in the craft beer category.
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News Domestic Beer Shipments Down 8.3% in September – Beer Sales Down 3% YTD
Another tough month for domestic beer production as the Beer Institute (BI) published its estimate of domestic tax paid shipments by brewers which shows a decrease of 8.3% compared to September 2023. Year-to-date beer shipments through September is now down 3.8% compared to the same time last year.
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News Molson Coors to Close Historic Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls
Molson Coors has said it will close both its historic Leinenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls and Leinenkugel’s 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee early next year. The Chippewa Falls brewery has been in operation for 157 years.
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News BI Package Mix Report Shows Draft and Cans Rebounding
The Beer Institute released its updated Packaging Mix Report showing the distribution of beer volume by aluminum cans, glass bottles, and keg by state. The report shows that cans have made a gain in 2023 after showing a decline in 2022, and draft continues a slow upward trend since the pandemic.
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News Asahi to Help Fund Research Project Aimed at Stemming British Hop Decline
Asahi UK has announced it will help fund two research projects looking into the development of sustainable solutions to protect British beer hops, as hop production in the UK has halved in size over the last decade.
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News DSSOLVR Launches Collaboration Beer to Support Asheville’s Rebuilding
DSSOLVR, an Asheville-based craft brewery, has announced the release of Higher Calling, a nationwide collaborative project based on a Hazy IPA recipe brewed to support the rebuilding efforts of the Western North Carolina beer community in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
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News New Glarus to Build New $55M Brewing and Distilling Facility
It’s not all doom and gloom. Even in an industry with declining sales and waning consumer interest, there are those who thrive. New Glarus Brewing Co. has announced that it will build a $55 million, 65,000 -square-foot brewing, distilling and hospitality addition to their existing brewery.
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News Tilray Price for Molson Coors Craft Brands: $120 a Barrel
When Tilray announced the purchase of four craft breweries from Molson Coors a few months ago, no financial terms were released. It has now been announced that the company, originally founded in Canada in 2014 as a cannabis and pharmaceutical company, paid a stunningly low $23 million, or $120 per barrel of annual sales.
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