Santa brought the gift of positive scans this Christmas, according to the latest weekly report from Circana EVP of BevAl, Scott Scanlon. 

Both beer and spirits were back in the black in the latest data (ending December 28), with total bev-alc sales up 1% YoY as consumers filled their carts for holiday celebrations. 

In today’s Brewbound Insider Newsletter and on Brewbound.com, Insiders are diving into all the details, including what major beer brands helped push beer into positive territory. Insiders are also reading about:

• Impactful marketing tactics from JuneShine, Rupee Beer and Garage Beer;
• Why VC firm Quench is optimistic about the intoxicating hemp industry;
• Blake’s Beverage Company’s new distribution deal in TX;
• And new NA offerings from A-B, Stone and HOPWTR.

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“A day of shopping during the Christmas week can make a significant difference” to bev-alc’s off-premise scans, according to Circana EVP of BevAl, Scott Scanlon. 

Total bev-alc dollar sales were up 1% YoY and 12% WoW in the week ending December 28, which included Christmas Day, Scanlon shared in his latest weekly report. Bev-alc dollars neared $1.65 billion in the week, compared to $1.47 billion in the prior week, ending December 21, when “the Grinch stole the green” (dollar sales -7.6% YoY, volume -6.8%). 

Beer dollar sales were also in the green in the latest week, recording more than $915 million in sales to be just above flat (+0.9%) YoY, while volume was down 0.5%. The latest figures mark a notable improvement compared to the prior week, when beer dollar sales declined 5.2% YoY, to $789 million, while volume fell 6.5%.

Insiders can dive deeper into the data, including beer segment and top brands performances.

Thanks to significant social media investments, the name of Willie’s Remedy+ often precedes it in new markets.

JuneShine Brands president and CCO Whitney Stevenson said: “You can literally walk into a market with no POS, no nothing – we haven't launched at all – and because of the investment that we made on social, people know about us before we even get there."

Stevenson discussed breakthrough marketing tactics new but already beloved brands are using to reach consumers as part of a panel discussion last month at the Brewbound Live business conference in Los Angeles. She was joined by Garage Beer CMO Kevin George and Rupee Beer co-founder Van Sharma. 

Insiders can hear more from the panel, including how the brands connect with relevant influencers and niche communities.

New funding could be a sign of optimism from the investor class as hemp-derived THC drinks await regulatory clarity.

THC brand Jeng (Montauk, NY) is entering Dry January with a seed round investment from beverage-focused venture capital firm Quench Ventures. 

Quench is betting on intoxicating hemp beverages as the category waits in a regulatory limbo between President Trump’s December executive order rescheduling cannabis and the existential threat after Congress passed a spending bill in November, potentially banning hemp-infused consumables.

Insiders can read more about Jeng here.

Dollar sales growth from several key decades-old brands buoyed the beer category in 2025, according to the latest monthly report from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC).

The top 10 beer category brand families that recorded growth in absolute dollar sales – which BWC referred to as “incrementality” – added an estimated $570 million in off-premise sales YTD through December 20, according to NIQ data shared by BWC. 

Founder and CEO Bump Williams wrote: “Because we are dealing with a situation where none of the three major BevAl categories saw any collective growth in dollars or volume through tracked NIQ Off-Premise channels, the term ‘incrementality’ may take on a different meaning depending on how you like to use it.”

Insiders can read more from the report, including how the top innovation brands contributed to growth.

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