May marked the largest year-over-year (YoY) decline in domestic tax paid estimates so far this year, decreasing -7.7%, to 13.3 million barrels, according to the Beer Institute (BI). 

The BI’s monthly report uses numbers from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB):

• May’s decline was nearly double April’s -4% YoY decline;
• Domestic tax paids have declined YoY 4 of the 5 months reported by the BI so far in 2023, with the exception of February (+1% YoY);
• Year-to-date through May, domestic tax paids are down -4.4%, to just over 62.86 million barrels, a decrease of nearly 3 million barrels versus the same five-month period in 2022. 

As a reminder, these numbers are estimates and could change slightly as more data comes in.

Insiders can read the full story here.

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Black-owned Funkytown Brewery has been named the winner of the 12th annual Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Brewing & Business Experienceship. 

Through the experienceship, the Chicago-based brewery has won:

• “Unparalleled access to brewing and business resources from experts,” including Boston Beer founder Jim Koch; 
• An invite to the Samuel Adams Boston brewery to collaborate on a specialty beer, which will be served at their respective taprooms in Boston and Chicago;
• Tickets to the Brewers Association’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

Insiders can read the full story here.

Funkytown and its founders Rich Bloomfield, Zach Day and Greg Williams are no strangers to winning awards. The brewery won Brewbound Live’s 13th annual Pitch Slam Competition in 2021. And last fall, Day was named one of the winners of the Michael James Jackson Foundation’s Sir Geoff Palmer Award for Brewing. 

Rewatch Funkytown’s Brewbound Live Pitch Slam final round here. The trio also joined the Brewbound Podcast in April 2022 to discuss expanding craft communities.

Bloomfield also returned to the Brewbound Live stage in 2022 to discuss the importance of crafting a strong brand identity, chatting with Talea Beer Co. co-founder LeAnn Darland and Shojo Beer Co. co-owner Haidar Hachem. Rewatch that panel here.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy continues to delay signing a bill rolling back restrictions on breweries and taprooms, asking for more “board-based liquor license reform” to be included, KYW Newsradio reported. 

The state’s Legislature unanimously passed the bill last week, which removes special license conditions passed in 2018, including on-premise event limitations and food vendor restrictions. 

In the KYW Newsradio report, New Jersey Brewers Guild executive director Eric Orlando described breweries as “hostages” in the situation, as Murphy allegedly won’t sign the bill anytime soon due to it not “falling within his timeline.” 

To help breweries, the state’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has signed a temporary hold on restrictions that pauses enforcement of the special conditions while new legislation is still pending.

Brewbound’s next installment of Brew Talks takes place Wednesday afternoon live in Boston from the Samuel Adams brewery in Jamaica Plain. Get your tickets today.

Conversations will touch on the state of the industry, growth opportunities, what’s next for the hazy IPA style and the status of Massachusetts’ craft beer scene. Featured guests include:

• Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head;
• Kristen Burke, Burke Distributing;
• Andrea Starr, Total Wine & More;
• Dave Williams, Bump Williams Consulting;
• Dino Funari, Vitamin Sea;
• Naveen Pawar, Mighty Squirrel;
• Kimberly Golinski, Wormtown Brewery;
• Megan Parisi, Samuel Adams Boston taproom; 
• Adam Romanow, Castle Island.

Some of the proceeds will go to the Massachusetts Brewers Guild. If you can’t make it to Boston, check out a live feed starting at 3 p.m. ET.

Also this week, look out for a fresh Brewbound Podcast a bit earlier than usual as we converge on Boston.

With a shortened week, here are a few of the stories you might have missed while OOO.

• Who is the craft beer drinker in 2023? Zoe recaps the Brewers Association and Harris Poll’s latest survey on the Brewbound Podcast. Not an audiophile? Read the report;
• Firestone Walker plucked Tony Amaral from Lagunitas to lead its sales team;
• JuneShine’s founders discuss growing up, building a canned cocktail business and why variety packs will spice up their hard kombucha biz;
• Layoffs hit Bang, following a proposed sale to Monster;
• Father’s Day wasn’t too shabby for bars and restaurants, per CGA.