Dear Client: The latest label rundown from bw166 reveals an interesting bit of action brewing in the RTD space. Recent approvals found by the firm appear to show a new production partnership emerging between Tetra Pak wine/RTD startup Beatbox and Constellation; the expansion of another, as Beam and Boston Beer look to introduce a new … Continue reading “Partnerships and Blurring Continues in RTDs”

Dear Client: Summer is over, and as Boston Beer takes a hefty Q3 charge for crushing obsolete inventory as they reformulate Truly after it crushed oversold Truly last year, and Wall Street using language like “seltzers haven’t found their bottom” and “a recovery in SAM will be largely tethered to stabilization in seltzers (not there … Continue reading “Saving Seltzer: Where’s the Bottom?”

Dear Client: On Boston Beer’s Q3 earning’s call yesterday, chief Dave Burwick said their “long-term goal is to become the no. 1 player in the fast-growing beyond beer segment,” where they’re already a strong number two (with the No. 1 FMB in Twisted Tea, No. 2 hard seltzer in Truly, and No. 1 hard cider … Continue reading “Boston’s Directive: Fuel Twisted, Support Dogfish Cocktails, Stabilize Truly”

Dear Client: A couple weeks ago, Columbia Distributing chief Chris Steffanci joined Beernet Radio for a wide-ranging conversation that hit on all the hot topics. We talked labor environment, pricing, out-of-stocks, Blue Cloud and more.  But of course, we talked plenty on Columbia itself too, which had been involved in two fascinating deals in the … Continue reading “Columbia Chief on What’s Next for “The Full-Blown Beverage Co.””

Dear Client: As Molson Coors gears up for its big launch of Topo Chico Spirited next spring, the supplier is asking its distributors in “both consolidated and unconsolidated markets” to fill out a “Request for Information Assessment.” The responses to the assessment will “inform Molson Coors of network interest, expectations for the brand and help … Continue reading “MC Asks Distribs to Show their Spirit for Topo Chico Spirited”

Dear Client: The Bang show rolls on.  For all the fireworks caused by last week’s news that Bang’s parent company Vital Pharmaceuticals had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following its nine-digit court losses this year, its lenders have again opened up their pocketbooks.  Bloomberg reports a bankruptcy judge gave Bang the green light to tap … Continue reading “Bang on its Ninth Life”

Grokking the efficacy of innovation. Dear Client: On our little web show, BeerNet Radio, recorded last week in a Chicago restaurant during the NBWA Convention, Houston distributor Don Faust had the contrarian take that brewers should be careful not to over-innovate at the expense of losing focus on the “core brands that pay the bills … Continue reading “Class of 2019:  Where Are They Now? “

Dear Client: As the NBWA and the Beer Institute concluded their respective annual conferences and meetings yesterday in Chicago, and as your editors drag laptops back home with boiled eyes and worn feet, we’re closing out our coverage of both events, although I’m sure we’ll have some more observations and your feedback next week as … Continue reading “And That’s a Wrap”

Dear Client: Inflation and the possibility of a crippling recession rivaled even Blue Cloud as a lightning rod issue amongst beer people in Chicago this week at the NBWA Convention, which continued into the Beer Institute’s Annual Meeting.  In a panel moderated by the BI’s Danelle Kosmal, Credit Suisse Managing Director of Equity Research Kaumil … Continue reading “On Inflation and Recession”

Dear Client: Hot off the press: Yuengling will open three new states — Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas — next year in Q1, via the Molson Coors JV. We chatted with Yuengling general manager Pat Pikunas about the details.  “It’s all being serviced outta [the Molson Coors plant in] Fort Worth,” he told BBD.  Obviously, that’s … Continue reading “Yuengling Opening Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, Mostly Via MC Network (and Breakthru)”

Dear Client: The Beer Institute has found its new chief, and he comes from the hospitality industry. At the trade organization’s Annual Meeting today in Chicago, Molson Coors chief and vice chairman of the BI, Gavin Hattersley, took the stage to share that they have named Brian Crawford as the next president and CEO of … Continue reading “Beer Institute Names New Chief”

Dear Client: Big Soda’s cannonball into the beer industry (Pepsi with Blue Cloud, and Coke with product partnerships) was among the big headliners at the opening session of NBWA’s 85th convention in Chicago this week. So was employee retention and recruitment, as “a workplace revolution is unfolding in real time,” said NBWA chief Craig Purser.  … Continue reading “NBWA Highlights “Controversy” Surrounding Blue Cloud”

Dear Client: The first week of October this year proved to be quite fruitful on the innovation front for beer companies, as several suppliers unveiled their 2023 plans ahead of the National Beer Wholesalers Conference which kicked off last night in Chicago. It was a lot of news, so we took the weekend to take … Continue reading “Suppliers’ Innovation Roundup”

Dear Client: “No brewery shall enter into any agreement with more than one beer wholesaler for the purpose of establishing more than one agreement for its brands of beer in any territory.” That sentence comes directly from Virginia’s state law regulating franchise laws, called the Beer Act.  Blue Ridge Beverage (Bob Archer) and Premium Distributors … Continue reading “Breaking: Reyes, Archer Take on Boston/Pepsi”

New brand to shadow High Noon. Dear Client: There was a fair amount of innovation unveiled at the Mark Anthony Brands distributor meeting in Chicago yesterday. The company revealed new flavors to bolster its positioning in areas where it’s leading; brands to attack areas where other companies are leading; better-for-you options for some of its … Continue reading “Introducing White Claw Vodka + Soda”