Dear Client:   Former Anchor Brewing employees raised more than $70,000 this week after starting a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal fees and other expenses as they develop a business plan in an attempt to buy the historic 127-year-old San Francisco brewery.  Members of Anchor’s union (International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 6) launched the GoFundMe … Continue reading “Anchor Employees Launch GoFundMe in Bid to Buy Brewery”

Dear Client:   Longtime Anheuser-Busch vet, Shreyas Balakrishnan, is on the move to a different kind of “bud,” taking on the role of CEO at cannabis company Blaze Life Holdings, per company announcement today. For those unfamiliar with Shreyas, well, he’s been kind of a big deal at A-B.  His most recent position at the company … Continue reading “A-B Hot Shot Shreyas Balakrishnan Appointed as CEO of Ambitious Cannabiz, Blaze Life Holdings”

Dear Client:   Leaning into consumers’ preferences for moderation, HOP WTR is partnering with large and growing Mexican import brand, Pacifico, on a co-branded marketing campaign across retailers (with a national rebate) and social media this fall. Recall, Pacifico’s parent company in the U.S, Constellation, also owns a minority stake in HOP WTR – making this … Continue reading “Moderation Goes Mainstream in Co-Branded HOP WTR/Pacifico Campaign”

Dear Client:   Newly independent Appalachian Mountain Brewery is entering a joint venture with Asheville’s Green Man Brewing to produce their beer for distribution. AMB opened their second location in Mills River in June— after buying back the brewery from Anheuser-Busch. Recall that A-B had acquired AMB when the big brewer purchased Craft Brew Alliance brands … Continue reading “Appalachian Mountain Brewery Enlists Asheville’s Green Man for Contract Brewing Partnership”

Dear Client:   A new chapter cometh for Crispin Cider. The once prominent cider brand is making a return to market this fall, thanks to a new long-term licensing agreement between Minneapolis Cider Company and Molson Coors. Recall, Crispin has been out of commish for a little over two years now, following the discontinuation of the … Continue reading “Crispin Cider Comeback”

Dear Client:   Famed California brewer, Russian River, is taking on a first this fall – sending canned beer to store shelves, per North Bay Business Journal. The 26-year-old brewer will begin this new venture with two brews: STS Pils and Velvet Glow lager, putting both brews in 6-packs of 12-oz. cans “after years of producing … Continue reading “Russian River to Send Some Cans to Store Shelves”

Dear Client:   Non-alc craft beer is a small but fast-growing category, and some players are striving to stake their claim during these boom days. With non-alc craft category leader Athletic Brewing Co. having posted a 3-year 2,281% revenue growth rate (very publicly, thanks to Inc. and other outlets), big distributors and retailers seem ready to … Continue reading “Chicagoland’s Go Brewing Aims to Scale its Non-Alc Craft Just Right”

Dear Client:   Fresh hop beer season is upon us, and while it’s typically a time for showcasing the best of what craft beer has to offer – at peak freshness on draft – a gaggle of Oregon brewers this fall are opting to can their fresh hop offerings as draft sales continue to wane.  Indeed, … Continue reading “Oregon Craft Brewers Opt to Can Fresh Hop Beer as Draft Trends Wane”

Dear Client:   Lots of details to bring you from our sit in on Firestone Walker’s 2024 Annual Business Plan stream this afternoon, which we’ll get into in due time this week, but today we’ll keep the focus on their strategy at large for winning in the upcoming year. At a high level, the California brewer … Continue reading “Firestone Walker’s Four-Step Approach To Winning in 2024”

Dear Client:   Good news for craft beer. After having reached a bottom late last year — posting a 23 in October and 24 in December — August Beer Purchasers Index data shows craft marching toward expansion, at an index of 42.  Craft’s 42 read is still below 50, the threshold indicating “expansion.” Still, the number … Continue reading “Craft Rebounds in BPI Data”

Dear Client:   News hit last year that Tree House Brewing had purchased a country club in Tewksbury, Massachusetts with plans to convert the club into a craft beer destination – all while maintaining the primary feature of the property… a golf course. Well, the top taproom brewer made good on those plans earlier this month, … Continue reading “Tree House Brewing Opens Nine-Hole Golf Course”

Dear Client:   While craft has been one of the few beer segments failing to achieve off-premise dollar growth over the past couple of years, there are signs that the segment is hitting “a bit of a turning point,” 3-Tier Beverages co-founder, Joe Sepka, shared in a Brewers Association-hosted webinar last week. The segment is now … Continue reading “What’s Behind Craft’s Turnaround in Scans?”

Dear Client:   In the few months since the National Black Brewers Association (NBBA) made its public debut at the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville early this summer, [see CBD 05-08-2023] the organization has been working toward making a name for itself and the Black-owned breweries it represents.  Case in point: In a story this week … Continue reading “National Black Brewers Association Eyes a Black Brewers Holiday “

Dear Client:   In the latest bev alc data development, e-commerce company LiquidData has acquired fellow e-commerce platform TapRm, along with its client base. LiquidData is known for providing “customer service, customer enablement success and marketing” through its SaaS platform, with marketing being a “real differentiator for them.” Meanwhile, the acquisition of TapRm will “provide LiquidData … Continue reading “LiquidData On Building Compliant “Turnkey National Distribution” Online”

Dear Client:   Luna Bay, which is making inroads with the hard kombucha segment in the Midwest, has entered its “Chapter 2” with a new line of hard teas, Clubhouse Sparkling Hard Tea.  The new line, which is pegged as “low-sugar,” comes in at 5% ABV for all three “classic cocktail” inspired flavors: Transfusion, Sunrise and … Continue reading “Luna Bay on Entering “Chapter 2” With Wellness-Focused Hard Tea”