Lion

New Belgium Brewing eliminated the roles of seven employees Thursday as part of a reorganization of its sales and marketing structure, a spokesperson told Brewbound.

Production at craft breweries falling outside of the Brewers Association’s (BA) craft brewer definition collectively declined -4% on a comparable basis, to more than 8.68 million barrels in 2022, according to data shared by the trade group in the May/June edition of the New Brewer Magazine.

Large regional breweries that fall outside of the BA’s definition of a craft brewer collectively produced more than 8.64 million barrels of beer in 2021, a +2% increase on a comparable basis, according to data provided by the trade organization. The BA excludes companies that are at least 25% owned by a larger brewing company from its craft brewery data set and sets a production ceiling for BA-defined craft brewers at 6 million barrels.

Following the acquisition of Bell’s Brewery earlier this week, Lion Little World Beverages said managing director Matt Tapper will exit the company next year after a 25-year career, and New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer will lead the company’s U.S. craft brewery platform.

Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages has struck a deal to acquire Bell’s Brewery, the second largest craft brewery in Michigan and the seventh largest Brewers Association-defined craft brewery by volume in 2020.