The leaders of BeatBox have taken their time finding a 2nd act to their highly successful flagship party punch brand. Yes, there was a short-lived hard seltzer that came and went during the COVID-19 pandemic. But something kept bringing them back to Tajin, chamoy, sweet, salty, spicy flavors. 

BeatBox co-founder Brad Schultz and SVP of global marketing Zech Francis shared details of Chillatas, a new FMB line set to launch in February that is not a chelada – no tomato, no beer. Insiders are reading their plans for the launch in today’s Brewbound Insider Newsletter and at Brewbound.com.

Insiders are also reading about: 

• Boston Beer’s Q3 call highlights;
• Cricket Hill’s plans to sell;
• Ballast Point’s planned layoffs;
• And Next Glass’ acquisition of Ekos.

Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content.

Become a Brewbound Insider today!

Or, be in the know on all food and beverage news from Brewbound, BevNET and NOSH with Insider All Access.

Stop waiting years for profits. Boost margins. Cut costs. Go to market faster. Scale faster. Maintain quality and flavor. All by working with BarrelRM precision contract manufacturing. Optimize your bev-alc brand today and capture market share before competitors catch up, or catch on. Learn more

The founders of BeatBox are hoping 2026 will bring them their 2nd hit brand aimed at a new generation of consumers.

BeatBox parent company Future Proof will launch Chillitas in February, a new-to-world, FMB outside of the company’s flagship party punch brand. 

Chillitas will target 2nd-generation Latino consumers, who make up 20% of the U.S. population and are expected to grow to 33% by 2030, BeatBox co-founder and chief marketing and experience officer Brad Schultz and SVP of global marketing Zech Francis told Brewbound.

Insiders can read more about Chillatas and the strategy behind it.

Beyond beer now accounts for 85% of Boston Beer's volume, driven by its largest brands, Twisted Tea and Truly Hard Seltzer. Through Q3 (data ending October 5), both have declined in dollar sales and volume in Circana-tracked MULO+C data.

Twisted Tea (dollars -5%, volume -6.9%) and Truly’s (-14.4%, volume -16.2%) losses have outpaced their segments’ declines (-3% in dollars and -5.3% in volume for FMBs; -5.1% in dollars and -7.8% in volume for hard seltzer). 

Insiders can read more about the company's tough Q3, brand-level updates, as well as new guidance for the company’s gross margin and see Jim Koch’s thoughts on bev-alc equivalence (Spoiler: They haven’t changed).

This week’s Brewbound Podcast features 2 interviews recorded at the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) Annual Convention in Las Vegas.

Guests include NBWA chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones, who chats about why promoting socializing will be key for bev-alc companies, and Carbliss co-founders Adam and Amanda Kroener, who discuss the spirits-based RTD brand’s rapid rise and continued expansion plans. 

Look for the episode midweek, with more Brewbound Podcast On Location interviews to come. 

Also this week, Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) will report its Q3 FY25 earnings early Thursday, followed by a call with investors and analysts. Look for coverage at the end of the week.

Submitting a nomination guarantees the brand, product, or person will be considered by our selection committee and included on the published list of nominees. The deadline to submit is this Friday, October 31. Learn more

Although wine is struggling with a lot of consumers, NBA players aren’t among them. Pro basketball players formed wine clubs, started bottle swaps and even made friendly wagers for bottles. Insiders Week in Beer weekend newsletter writer Sean McNulty bemoans beer’s missed opportunity and suggests a new pro athlete target market. 

Insiders are also getting a dose of double jeopardy in this week’s beer, one with an extra high ABV and one your grandma asked you about after her daily gameshow viewing. Catch up on the latest headlines of the last week here.

Consumers wallets are feeling the strain, but it’s not stopping them from spending in on-premise retailers, National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones shared during a webinar Thursday.

Jones was joined by Fintech VP of distributor strategy Eric Kiser in a joint presentation on beer category trends through Q3. 

“The narrative for me is that people want to be away from home, they want to be out, they want to be socializing. It's an important narrative, and the data continues to support it,” Jones said.

Retailers are paying attention, and putting their money where the power is, according to Fintech’s database of 281,726 retailer’s wholesaler purchase invoices.

Insiders can dive into on- and off-premise retailer purchase trends here, including which beer segments, suppliers and brands are gaining share.

The annual Brewbound Awards are accepting nominations for 2025, but not for long! 

Submitting a nomination guarantees the company, product, or person will be considered by our selection committee and included on the published list of nominees. The deadline to submit is this Friday, October 31. 

Submit Brewbound 2025 award nominations.

Craving more? 👉 See what Insider members get access to.

Have feedback? 📝 Take the Survey Now >>

Want to share news or tips? ✉️ Submit a press release or reach out to news@brewbound.com.

Interested in other beverage coverage? 👀 Check out the BevNET Daily Briefing covering the broader beverage industry, including energy drinks, cannabis and other non-alcoholic beverages. Want to stick to the hard stuff? Subscribe to our Spirits Newsletter (published every 2 weeks). 

We'll be back in your inbox tomorrow.