Category: Beverage Industry News
- Business of Beer 833
- Commentary 159
- Crisis Response 193
- Distribution & Retail 225
- Industry Events 19
- International 271
News IMPORTANT: MJF Kicks Off Matching Grant Challenge Leading up to CBC
In this third year of ProBrewer support for The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling’s annual $100k Matching Grant Challenge drive, we checked in on the foundation and the impact it has had on the industry. We caught up by email with Garrett Oliver, MJF founder and Head Brewer for Brooklyn Brewery, and heard directly from The MJF Director of Operations, Breeze Galindo along with MJF recipients who have advanced their careers as a direct result of the many donations from people like yourself.
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News BI and NBWA Beer Metrics Show Optimistic Signs for Year-to-Date
The Beer Institute has released their estimate of domestic tax paid shipments by beer brewers for February 2024 which shows shipments of 11,900,000 barrels for the month, an encouraging increase of 7.9% compared to February 2023 removals of 11,024,243. It follows an increase of 1.8% in January, which indicates that the huge declines of last year may be leveling off.
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News Three Big Brewers Drop 1 Million Barrels of Craft Sales in 2023
Three global brewers with “craft” brand ownership lost a combined 1 million barrels in sales in 2023 according to estimates from Beer Marketer’s Insights. Meanwhile, Constellation sold off their remaining craft brands, in a growing trend of Big Beer losing interest in the US craft beer segment.
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News Kendall-Jackson Becomes First NBA Wine Partner
Winemaker Kendall-Jackson has reached a deal with the National Basketball Association to become the league’s first official wine partner. It is another signal that the wine industry is making moves to capture consumers who are moving away from drinking beer.
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News ADI to Hold Annual Craft Spirits Conference & Vendor Expo in Baltimore August 27-28
The American Distilling Institute will hold its 21st annual Craft Spirits Conference and Vendor Expo in Baltimore August 27-28 at the Baltimore Convention Center and Hilton Inner Harbor. Early Bird registration rates are now open.
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News Beer Institute Honors Top Industry Employees with ‘Best in Brew Award’
The Beer Institute has recognized 12 beer industry employees with its inaugural Best in Brew Award, which honors exceptional employees from Beer Institute member companies. The awards are given to beer industry workers who go above and beyond, demonstrating outstanding dedication and contributions to their respective companies and the beer industry.
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News The Michael Jackson Foundation Announces New Scholarship Recipients and Annual Matching Funding Drive
The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (The MJF) today announced the latest winners of its scholarship awards, as well as its third annual matching funding challenge. Beginning today, The MJF will launch its 2024 matching challenge to match the first $100,000 in donations made through April 23rd, the start of the Craft Brewer Conference in Las Vegas.
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News UK Brewery Closures Increase by 82% in 2023
The number of breweries in the UK breweries that closed in 2023 grew by 82%, rising from 38 in 2022 to 69 by the end of December. The reasons for the sudden spike in closures seems to mirror those in the US where an increase in cost of goods, reduced consumer spending due to inflation and changing consumer drinking habits all had an impact on craft breweries.
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News Nancy Johnson to Retire as VP of Events at Brewers Association
The Brewers Association announced today the retirement of Nancy Johnson, senior vice president of meetings and events. Nancy has been the band leader and calm demeanor in charge of BA events for three decades. She will leave the organization at the end of 2024 and will be missed by all.
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News Ray Daniels Sells Cicerone Program to Two Industry Veterans
Founder Ray Daniels announced today that he has sold the Cicerone Certification Program to two Master Cicerones with deep experience in the beer industry. Dan Imdieke and Jason Pratt will take over the sixteen-year-old program which will continue to be based in Chicago
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News Deschutes Brings NA Production Inhouse and Expands Offerings
Follow the leader. And right now, the leading segment in beer is nonalcoholic. Deschutes Brewing has recently installed new technology and equipment to their Bend, Oregon brewery to make nonalcoholic Black Butte Porter in-house, and will soon roll out a nonalcoholic version of Fresh Squeezed IPA.
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News Monster Lays Off 12 Employees at Cigar City – Will Move Production to Oskar Blues
In another consolidation move to maintain efficiencies in a contracting craft beer segment, 12 employees at Cigar City Brewing have been laid off, as the brewery’s owner, Monster Beverage Corp plans to move production of Cigar City beers to their Oskar Blues Brewery in North Carolina.
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News Hard Fought Franchise Reform Passes in Wyoming
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has signed Senate File 0079 (SF 0079), a franchise reform bill into law. The bill has been a long fought and negotiated compromise between the states beer wholesalers and craft brewers to provide some relief to small brewers when terminating a distributor.
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News CHEERS Act Would Give Tax Break to Bars and Restaurants That Serve Draft Beer
The CHEERS Act, a congressional bill that would provide a tax break to restaurants and bars that utilize draft beer systems and help revitalize the hospitality industry has been introduced in Washington, DC.
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News Asahi to Close Meantime Brewery in UK
Asahi announced that it is closing Meantime Brewery in Greenwich, UK and will move the brewing of Meantime beers to its Fuller’s site in Chiswick. The move is becoming familiar as large brewers close small craft breweries that they acquired in order to consolidate production.
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News TTB Takes Input from Brewers on Ingredient Labelling
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is considering whether to require nutritional information on alcoholic beverages such as what the Food and Drug Administration has long required on other foods and beverages. The TTB is currently taking public comment – including those from the industry – until March 29.
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News Britain Puts the Freeze on Alcohol Tax Increases for 12 Months
Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt today announced a freeze on any increase in alcohol taxes until February 2025. The announcement was met with mixed reviews as many in the alcohol industry have been pushing for a reduction in taxes.
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News AB Dodges Workers Strike in Last Minute Contract Agreement
Anheuser-Busch and the Teamsters union have averted a strike in agreeing to a tentative deal that gives workers an immediate pay raise with additional raises over the course of the eight-year contract. The agreement was reached at the final hour as the current union contract was set to expire at the end of today with 5,000 employees ready to go on strike.
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News Boston Beer Reports Tough Year with Shipments Down 6% – Announces New CEO
Dave Burwick, CEO and president of Boston Beer Company has announced his retirement as of April 1st. He will continue to serve in an advisory role with the company through March 2026. The news comes after the company released its fourth quarter financial results which show shipments down by 6.2% for the full year 2023.
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