At their wholesaler meeting last month, Bell’s Brewery VP Laura Bell hinted at “a big new market” for the Michigan brewer in 2017. Now we can confirm that Laura was in fact alluding to the state of Texas.

It’s hard to believe that Boston Beer’s original agreement for its craft incubator, the Alan Newman-led Alchemy & Science project, turns five this year.

Mikkeller is finally opening its long-awaited U.S. outpost later this month. Recall that the Danish brewer will brew in the old facility belonging to AleSmith, whose new digs are just blocks away. AleSmith Brewing chief Peter Zien and Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, founder of Denmark-based Mikkeller, will both hold ownership stakes in Mikkeller Brewing San Diego (though they won’t directly quantify those stakes/investments).

Maybe Constellation knows what they’re doing. Their billion dollar deal to purchase Ballast Point last year left many scratching their head, but Constellation’s CEO Rob Sands may have turned a few of those cynics into believers today after he rattled off some numbers from the San Diego brewer in Constellation’s earnings call.

Well, we figured there would be at least a few newcomers to the Brewers Association’s annual list of Top 50 Craft Brewers, just released for 2015: Lagunitas, Founders, Ballast Point and Breckenridge all made deals that disqualified them for inclusion under current BA definition.

Narragansett Brewing Company is finally returning home to Rhode Island.

Latest IRI to March 20, craft actually fell under double-digit growth for the latest four weeks. It’s up 9.4% in dollars for the multi-outlet and convenience channel, vs. 11.4% YTD. Volume for the latest four week period is only up 6%. Interestingly, both imports and domestic super premiums are up slightly less in dollars, but more in volume than craft for both YTD and the latest four weeks: Imports are up almost 8% in volume for latest four week period, while domestic super premiums are up almost 9%.

We were saving this news for next week, but things leak like a sieve in this industry these days. It’s not an April Fool’s joke: Boston Beer is launching an alcoholic seltzer water called Truly Spiked & Sparkling. It’s been in the works for more than a year, and top secret. Until now.

Some say injection from private equity isn’t perpetual. The way they portray it is: PE firms pump funds down a syringe into their asset until the plunger stops, then they take their beefed up creation to the auction block.

Perhaps the most shocking revelation at Bell’s wholesaler meeting yesterday (see BBD for Larry Bell’s candid industry outlook) was the brewer’s decision to overhaul their logo and packaging. The tension in the room was palpable as marketing director, Scott Powell, stood on stage and made the announcement that the Bell’s logo, which has spanned more than three decades, would be changing this year. It’s one in a sea of such updates among top craft brewers (Harpoon and Deschutes have undergone recent brand makeovers, off the top of our heads).

The Brewers Association has reported craft beer export volumes up 16.3% as of 2015, totaling 446,151 barrels and worth $116 million. Canada again topped international markets for American craft beer, accounting for 51% of U.S. craft exports.

What was billed as a stellar lineup of brewing big shots did not disappoint the hundreds of brewers and beer fans at the fifth annual Meeting of the Malts presented by Brewers of PA. Boston Beer’s Jim Koch, D.G. Yuengling & Son’s Dick Yuengling and Sierra Nevada’s Ken Grossman headlined the event last Thursday in Bethlehem, PA.

Modern Times Beer is set to celebrate its three-year anniversary this July, but you wouldn’t know it at first glance. The San Diego-based brewery founded by former Stone Brewing employee, Jacob McKean, is running, while most breweries a few years in are still learning to balance upright.

Modern Times Beer is set to celebrate its three-year anniversary this July, but you wouldn’t know it at first glance. The San Diego-based brewery founded by former Stone Brewing employee, Jacob McKean, is running, while most breweries a few years in are still learning to balance upright.

Last year Sierra Nevada had a blockbuster Q1, with big new launches like Hop Hunter. This year, the big bet is slightly different for the famous Pale Ale brewer: Otra Vez, a low ABV, slightly tart beer with a Spanish name. We caught up with sales and marketing chief Joe Whitney to hear about their progress and plans to date.