Editor’s note: This column appeared in the March 2016 issue of All About Beer Magazine. Despite the number of breweries climbing, anecdotal evidence at beer festivals and brewing establishments seems to indicate that a large number of drinkers are working hard to keep their waistlines in check. Beer drinkers, long associated with the stereotype of the... View Article
In the days surrounding the California Craft Brewers Summit in September, a handful of developments rocked the state’s beer world. Lagunitas Brewing Co. announced its joint venture with Heineken, and MillerCoors announced it would buy a majority stake in Saint Archer Brewing Co. just days before people in the business of making, distributing, selling and... View Article
Editor’s note: This article appeared in our January issue, and several additional acquisitions and consolidations have occurred since it was written. Buckle your seat belts. The speed at which sales are happening across the beer industry is frightening, and earlier this summer I had a front seat to one of the more talked-about acquisitions. I... View Article
When we finally close the book on 2015, it’ll be a story we tell for years to come. Plot twists, cliff hangers, tales of joy and woe—the beer industry gave us all that and more. Brewery growth in the United States (4,000-plus and counting) and around the world kept brewers busy. Once the calendar flips,... View Article
Lately, there’s been a shift in the beer conversation. Or, more accurately, the volume has been turned up. If a brewery is not striving for quality, defect-free and clean beer for each and every batch, it should either correct this problem immediately or pack up and move on. There are many fronts in the fight... View Article
Three relatively small beer segments represented less than 7 percent of total volume in 2005, but expanded to almost 14 percent by 2014. In that time, craft steadily tripled to near 19 million barrels (31 gallons each), according to Beer Marketer’s Insights. Cider held at just a couple-hundred thousand barrels while it wasn’t even being... View Article
On the evening of this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, I found myself sitting in Galaxy Brewing Co. After driving five hours to Binghamton, New York, I was in serious need of refreshment and a bit of distraction. I found it on ESPN, where the sports network had collaborated with Marvel Comics for a... View Article
Here’s a fun fact: There’s an awful lot of sleeping around within the beer industry: craft brewers sleeping with distributors, distributors sleeping with big brewers, big brewers even sleeping with craft brewers (so dirty) and what-have-you. Even beer journalists get in on the Dionysian revelry—I myself have carried on various trysts with craft brewers, big... View Article
Peak summer. Heavy heat, bright sun, and the lawn still has to be mowed. The moment just screams “beer!” somehow. Lots of other common summer moments do, too: firing up the grill for a Memorial Day barbecue, taking the boat out on the lake, teeing off, tanning poolside, stretching mid-seventh inning. Over years of the... View Article
