Beer Industry News, Insights, Jobs, & Events

Uncle Nearest founders Fawn and Keith Weaver have made their final courtroom arguments to take back ownership of the troubled bourbon company after it defaulted on more than $100 million in loans and went into receivership.

Job cuts at Diageo; Michelle St. Jacques’ landing spot; Victoria and Pacifico’s new lead; Sierra Nevada’s next Little Thing; Modelo’s new creative; and Allagash and Russian River’s enduring friendship.

New Trail Brewing (Williamsport, Pennsylvania) has expanded distribution to Western New York via Wright Beverage, marking its sixth state. Dedicated gluten-free craft brewery Holidaily Brewing (Golden, Colorado) has entered the Utah market with Salt Lake City-based General Distributing and Ogden-based Wasatch Distributing, both Anheuser-Busch InBev-aligned houses.

Phusion Projects is exploring a potential sale of its infamous Four Loko brand, which could carry a $400 million value, Reuters reported.

New York’s 42 North Brewing has entered its second decade with a new mindset about what it means to be a craft brewer, founder John Cimperman said on the latest episode of the Brewbound Podcast.

In the latest installment of 3 Up, 3 Down, 3 Tier Beverages founder Donn Bichsel Jr. and consultant Danelle Kosmal share a trio of insights on industry growth – including trends in non-alcoholic (NA) and domestic beer, and high and low ABV bev-alc – as well as three accompanying downward trends affecting six-packs, craft and wine.

Spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs) posted another blowout two-week period, up more than 30% in dollar sales, as brands such as Cutwater and Sun Cruiser continued to pull consumers away from former leaders, according to an analysis of NIQ data from Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

Check out news items were initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter March 2-4, including headlines from Boston Beer Company, Constellation Brands, NIQ and more.

Constellation Brands leaders believe Pacifico and Victoria can be the Mexican beer importer’s next big brands alongside flagships Modelo and Corona. The company has “huge ambitions” for Pacifico, aiming to double its volume to 75 million cases by 2030, Mallika Monteiro said.

Festivus is still nine months away, but there is already an airing of grievances among industry thought leaders before the end of Q1.

The Beer Institute (BI) has tapped Chris MacArthur as its new director of federal affairs, the trade group announced Tuesday. MacArthur joins the BI from the office of Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) – who owns a hop farm and represents a district that includes Yakima Valley – where he served as a senior adviser. In that role, he supported Newhouse on appropriations, national security and agricultural policy.

More people went out to bars and restaurants to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year compared to 2025, according to the last on-premise report from market research firm NIQ, citing “CGA intelligence” data.

Nearly 500 workers will lose their jobs with the closure of 38 BrewDog-owned pubs across the U.K. following Tilray’s acquisition of parts of the Scottish craft brewery, consultant firm AlixPartners shared in a press release.

Constellation Brands wasn’t immune from the beverage-alcohol industry’s “tough” 2025, beer division president Jim Sabia acknowledged Monday during the opening session of the company’s Gold Network Summit with distributors in Las Vegas.