📉 Beer SKUs Decline as Shelf Space Shrinks
In this issue: New Beer SKUs Decline, Shelf Space Shrinks; Beyond Beer ROS +69% in On-Premise; Arkansas Sake Maker Plots Future Growth; Mayflower Halts Closure; Trump on Tariffs; Sales Chief on Peroni’s Growth Trajectory; Three Floyds Launches Light Lager.
Rhinegeist Leans Into High ABV innovations for 2025; Depletions +7% in 2024; Shipments top 121K
Riding +7% depletions growth in 2024, Rhinegeist Brewery is looking at high ABV line extensions of its two biggest brand families to bolster that growth in 2025.
IPA Continues to Dominate Craft Styles, Sales Top $2.27 Billion in 2024
IPA remained the top craft style by far in 2024, with a 49.41% share of segment dollar sales in off-premise retailers, gaining 2.49 share points, according to Circana.
‘The Other White Wine’: Arkansas Sake Maker Plots Future Growth
Sake is a staple of drinking culture in Japan, but in the U.S. bringing the category to new consumers takes a variety of approaches. Arkansas-based Origami Sake is attempting to make the traditional rice wine more approachable to American drinkers by pairing its premium-positioned products with transparent packaging callouts and a new non-alc variety that caters to moderating consumers.
Featured Jobs
Beer SKUs Contract as Shelf Space Continues to Shrink; New SKUs Decline -20% Categorywide, Per Dave Williams
Beer’s battle for shelf space is nowhere near over, according to data from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC), shared by president Dave Williams earlier this month during Beer Business Daily’s Beer, Wine and Spirits Summit in Palm Beach, Florida.
Insider’s Week in Beer: 🍻 A Sendoff For a Legendary Beer Pitchman
This week’s beer goes out to one of beer’s all-time greatest pitchmen, Mr. Bob Uecker, who died this week at the age of 90 … and they just don’t make ‘em like Bob anymore. He’s of course known for the Major League movies and Mr. Belvedere in the ’80s, and to an older demo as one of the top Tonight Show guests ever (with 100+ appearances). Plus, he also called BREWERS games in Milwaukee for 54 seasons. 🤯
NIQ: Adult Non-Alc Nears $1B; RTDs Drive Growth
Total bev-alc retail sales reached $112 billion in 2024 but, excluding ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, no category saw growth in dollars or volume, according to market research firm NIQ.
Rhinegeist Adds Steve Fechheimer as an Advisor
Rhinegeist Brewery has added former New Belgium Brewing CEO Steve Fechheimer as an advisor to its board of directors.
TTB Proposes New Rules For Alcohol Labeling
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has proposed new rules for nutrient and alcohol content labeling on wine, beer, and spirits.
Unexpected Pros of Slow Business: Dry January Spurs Taproom and Brewery Renovation Projects
As many drinkers take a break from craft beer and other alcoholic beverages in January, craft breweries such as Notch are using the month and its lighter traffic to close taprooms temporarily as they undertake renovation projects.
CGA: Last 2 Weeks of December -6%; Trends Flat Through New Year’s
On-premise sales velocity declined -6% for the two-week period ending December 28 and was flat through the New Year’s holiday for the week ending January 4, according to the latest report from CGA, NIQ’s on-premise division.
Notes From D.C.’s Mindful Drinking Fest
The Mindful Drinking Fest returned to Washington, D.C. this past weekend, bringing together over 1,200 attendees and nearly 220 adult non-alcoholic products in a Dry January celebration that has grown 10 times since its first iteration three years ago and 40% since just last year. Brewbound’s sibling publication BevNET stopped in for the second year in a row and saw the energy and acceleration brought by the sober curious crowd firsthand.
Former Dairy Farmers of America Exec to Lead American Cider Association
The American Cider Association (ACA) has named its next CEO. Monica Cohen, a former executive for Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), has been appointed CEO of the hard cider trade association, taking over less than a month ahead of the ACA’s largest annual industry event, CiderCon (February 4-7).
Brewbound Podcast: New Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie on Asheville Recovery Efforts, Mini Ripper Cans, Hard Refreshers and Oberon Light
New Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the comeback in Asheville, the company’s still-unfolding contingency plans and the road ahead.