Beer Industry Woes Could be Cyclical

Dear Client:  The U.S. beer industry, long considered resilient, faces significant short-term challenges stemming primarily from cyclical economic factors and cautious consumer sentiment, according to Andrew Heritage, chief economist at the Beer Institute. Amid a lot of doom-and-gloom and fud in the world of bev-alc, Andrew provides a valid theory that the industry's recent woes are temporary. "Beverage alcohol sales have converged in negative territory," said Andrew, speaking recently at the annual meeting of America Beverage Licensees, where your editor