NEWS

The Brewers Association (BA) will honor a trio of industry members with nearly a century of experience among them during its annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) later this month in Philadelphia.

The Milan-based parent company of Fernet-Branca has invested in alcohol-removal technology, but don’t expect a zero-proof Fernet (at least yet).

The brewmaster who helped shape Stone Brewing’s portfolio during the mid-2000s craft ascension and established New Realm Brewing has joined Abita Brewing Company. Mitch Steele, known for helping popularize hop-forward beers, is Abita’s new director of brewing operations.

Craft’s off-premise trends turned negative in March after two months of positive dollar sales, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana. Year-to-date (YTD) through March 22, the segment recorded declines in dollar sales (-0.3%) and volume (-2.1%) at Circana-tracked multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C).

Beverage-alcohol recorded another week of growth to close out Q1, ending the quarter with positive momentum going into the remainder of the year, according to the latest weekly report from market research firm Circana.

Non-alcoholic (NA) and better-for-you brands across both bev-alc and greater CPG have become some of the greatest revenue growth drivers for beer distributors. But those offerings aren’t the top priorities for distributors looking to add to their portfolios, according to a new survey from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC).

Dogfish Head is looking to extend its long, strange trip back to growth in 2026. Following the launch of Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale last year – which helped return Dogfish Head to growth – the Boston Beer Company-owned craft brewery is leaning even further into its partnership with the Grateful Dead and releasing a “Volume 2” collaboration: Citrus Daydream Lager.

The latest NIQ on premise update highlights a beer category under pressure, with both value and volume declining over the past year. In contrast, spirits and RTDs continue to capture share, supported by price-led growth and shifting consumer preferences.

If, for some reason, you have a hard time meeting people at a music festival who are um … also into music – HEINEKEN thankfully has you covered! Yes, meet “The Clinker!”

Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter April 2-3, including headlines from the Brewers Association, Molson Coors, Sierra Nevada and more.

When two spirits giants merge, what does that mean for smaller, independent suppliers?

As the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments marched into Final Four weekend, craft was the only segment to lose share of volume and dollar sales across all four regions, according to on-premise data firm BeerBoard.

Dallas-based Four Corners Brewing Company and Oklahoma City-based Coop Ale Works “have combined operations” in a “strategic merger” to create the Frontier Beverage Collective, according to an April 1 note shared with distributor partners and obtained by Brewbound.

U.S. beer shipments did a 180 in February, increasing 0.2% year-over-year (YoY) after a 1 million barrel loss in January, according to the latest report from the Beer Institute (BI).

In the wake of major shakeups in the middle-tier that will see the largest distributors getting even bigger and major manufacturers adding brands to their portfolios, Fingers newsletter author Dave Infante joins the Brewbound Podcast to recap a wild couple of weeks in the bev-alc industry.

Mocktail Club, the NA sparkling beverage brand founded by Pauline Idogho in 2019, has accomplished an unlikely feat: landing placement in 100 Virginia ABC stores, possibly one of the first times an adult non-alc (ANA) brand has cracked a control state system.

The luck of the Irish carried on for the beer category in the week after St. Patrick’s Day. Off-premise dollar sales of beer increased 3.1% week-over-week, to $863.3 million, for the week ending March 21, in NIQ-tracked retail channels. That marked a $33.7 million boost from the $829.6 million in sales the prior week.

Tilray Brands’ hit a company revenue record in Q3, generating $207 million in the quarter, but there was little help from the global cannabis firm’s bev-alc brands.

Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter, including headlines from Tilray, Diageo, Andrews Distributing & more.

Bardstown Bourbon’s president Pete Marino is leaving his post in June after three years with the company.