Milwaukee-based brewpub The Explorium is taking over Good City Brewing’s four taproom locations, according to On Milwaukee.

This week’s Brewbound Podcast features a pair of interviews with 2024 Brewbound Award Winners. Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver shares why fonio is a game-changing ancient grain for brewers. Plus, Breeze Galindo discusses the work of the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling.

Spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails are projected to grow at a +6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the U.S. through 2028, according to market research firm IWSR.

Two New England legacy craft houses are merging in a deal that unites 14 brands. The parent companies of Harpoon and Smuttynose – Mass. Bay Brewing Company and FinestKind Brewing, respectively – have merged to form Barrel One Collective, the companies announced today in news first shared with Brewbound.

Russian River co-owner Natalie Cilurzo shared how that release 14 years ago was both a “game changer” and a “nightmare,” during the keynote speech of this year’s Brewbound Live business conference in Marina del Rey, California.

This year’s spirits news was full of big names and bold moves: warring tequilas, sudden closures, celebrities popping in and out of the industry, and even an intern blowing things up. Here are the top 10 BevNET spirits stories, as ranked by popularity.

The final Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) of 2024 revealed “a slightly cautious outlook for distributor sentiment” heading into the new year, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).

So – who’s ready for 194 non-alcoholic beer stories in a 2-week period!? 🥳 Enjoy this very brief sweet spot between folks moving on from their “Top Holiday Drinking Recommendations!” missives and into their “People don’t drink anymore!” stories.

The shifting brewing landscape permeated Brewbound’s most-read stories of 2024. From job changes to layoffs, acquisitions and consolidation to closures, the most-read stories captured the volatility of the market.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of consumers plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve – and many of them report planning to buy beer, according to market research firm Numerator.

As Dogfish Head’s 30th anniversary approaches, co-founder Sam Calagione shared why he believes the Milton, Delaware-based craft brewery will return both its beer and canned cocktail brands to growth in 2025. Part of that strategy is the launch of a new year-round beer, Dogfish Head and Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale, which Calagione shared with attendees of the 2024 Brewbound Live business conference earlier this month.

Cynthia Fisher, the wife of Boston Beer founder and chairman Jim Koch for more than three decades, will one day inherit his controlling interest in the company, Koch told the Wall Street Journal.

The Brewbound Podcast in 2024 featured a mix of interviews with industry heavyweights, analysis and a new roadshow component with stops at the California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento, the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas and the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Annual Convention in San Diego.

Top beer vendors continued to post a mixed bag of results heading into the final month of 2024, according to the most recent report from off-premise market research firm Circana.