Read the latest beyond beer news relating to companies involved with RTD cocktails, hard cider, hard seltzer, hard kombucha, spirits, cannabis, and non-alcoholic products. Take a comprehensive look at developments in these evolving sectors, offering valuable insights into the innovations, trends, and market forces shaping the world of beer and beyond.
Submit News
Involved in the beyond beer space and have company or product news? Submit your news.
Former Angry Orchard head cider maker Ryan Burk has joined Blake’s Beverage Company as VP of quality and innovation. Burk has been advising Blake’s and its portfolio of brands – Blake’s Hard Cider, Austin Eastciders and AVID Cider Co. – for a couple years, including through the launch of its most recent innovations.
Allagash Brewing is launching its first non-alcoholic (NA) offering this week with the release of Allagash Hop Water. Hop Water will exclusively be sold in 12 oz. can 6-packs at the brewery’s tasting room in Portland, Maine, starting later this week.
The once-booming flavored malt beverage (FMB) segment is “showing some concerning declarations over recent weeks,” Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) founder Bump Williams noted in a recent report. FMB volume gains dropped by half – from +2.2%, to +1.1% – from the four-week period to the one-week period ending May 18, according to NIQ retail measurement data cited by BWC.
Boston Beer Company adjusted its full-year forecast for shipments and depletions growth after a significant slowdown in the hard seltzer segment in the second quarter. The company previously projected full-year growth of 40-50% in shipments (sales to wholesalers) and depletions (sales to retailers), but has trimmed that projection to 25-40%. Its depletions increased 24% during Q2, decelerating by half from Q1’s growth of 48%, according to remarks from founder and chairman Jim Koch in the quarterly earnings release. “To be totally honest, we’re surprised at the sharpness and the suddenness of the change in trajectory,” Koch said during a conference call with investors and analysts.
Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, which Coke launched this year in partnership with Molson Coors Beverage Company, is now available in 17 markets worldwide with plans to be in 28 markets by the end of the year.
8th Wonder Brewery and Distillery in Houston released a Delta 8 THC non-alcoholic seltzer last week, advertised as the first Delta 8 seltzer product in Texas — a state that has been debating the legality of Delta 8 products in recent months.
Non-alcoholic craft brand Athletic Brewing has signed a lease for a new facility in Milford, Connecticut, that could triple its capacity. “Once complete, we’ll have over 150,000 barrels capacity on each coast, with the potential to triple in the new facility over time,” CEO and co-founder Bill Shufelt told Brewbound.
Stone Brewing Company’s entry into the $4.5 billion hard seltzer segment — Buenavida Hard Seltzer — is now available in Southern California.
Beverage alcohol sales at some convenience stores have begun to decelerate as the on-premise channel reopens, Goldman Sachs analyst Bonnie Herzog reported in her Q2 “Beverage Bytes” survey of c-store retailers. Half of survey respondents reported no impact to alcohol sales during the July 4 holiday weekend. Meanwhile, 33% reported a moderate negative impact, and 17% reported a significant moderate impact.
Over two years after cannabis industry investment firm SOL Global took a minority stake in Jones Soda, the Seattle-based craft soda maker is finally preparing to launch infused edibles and beverages.
Boston Beer Company and Beam Suntory today announced a joint venture to extend two of the companies’ most popular brands — Truly Hard Seltzer and Sauza tequila — across categories.
Beer industry depletions (sales-to-retailers) volumes tracked by beverage alcohol invoicing and logistics firm Fintech have increased 9% year-to-date through Week 27 compared to the same period last year, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones and Fintech director of distributors Jim Kallies shared yesterday during a quarterly review of the industry’s performance.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced draft legislation today that would federally decriminalize marijuana.
Ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails’ share of Drizly sales is growing at 15 times the rate of hard seltzer, according to e-commerce alcohol marketplace Drizly’s 2021 Consumer Report.
Consulting firm BW166 reported that label approvals for seltzer and seltzer-like products are accelerating, with approvals trending at 334 per month compared to the 228 per month in 2020. More than half (53%) of on-premise visitors went to a bar or restaurant during the July 4 weekend, according to CGA, an on-premise market research firm.
The river has run its course for Coors Seltzer, Molson Coors Beverage Company told wholesalers today. In a message to the company’s wholesalers this afternoon, Molson Coors chief marketing officer Michelle St. Jacques and U.S. sales president Kevin Doyle announced the company will cease production of Coors Seltzer, asking wholesalers to sell through remaining inventory.
Hard seltzer could account for 10% of total beverage alcohol sales by 2025, according to a report from financial services firm Credit Suisse. Since 2019, hard seltzer, which currently accounts for 3.5% of total beverage alcohol, has been pulling share from all three categories.
