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| DAILY BRIEFING: LITE EDITION | | A preview of today's news & insights for the beer industry. |
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|  | 🚨 What You're Missing 🚨 | | | After a soft summer, early fall brought a welcome boost to craft beer’s off-premise trends, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana.
In today’s Brewbound Insider Newsletter and on Brewbound.com, Insiders diving into how craft’s Q3 compared to Q2, and varying performances across the top 30 craft brand families. Insiders are also reading about: - Boston Beer’s new chief operating officer;
- The death of RNDC interim CEO Robert Hendrickson;
- Beer’s consistent losses in the latest weekly scans;
- 21st Amendment’s farewell bash;
- Craft beer’s response to The New York Times;
- And Crowns & Hops’ refreshed packaging.
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. |
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| Today's Top Story | | | | Craft beer ended Q3 with decelerated declines compared to the end of Q2, and some notable growth acceleration from some of the segment’s top brands, according to the latest report from market research firm Circana.
Total craft dollar sales in the last 4 weeks [L4W] (data ending October 5) declined 4.8%, while volume, measured in case sales, fell 6.1%, marking a slight acceleration in declines compared to the previous 4-week period (dollar sales -4.1%, volume -6.1%, data ending September 7). However, in the L12W, dollar sales declined 3.9%, while volume fell 5.6%, demonstrating improvement compared to YTD trends (dollar sales -4.8%, volume -6.1%) and compared to trends near the end of Q2 (dollar sales -5.4%, volume -7%, data ending July 13). Insiders can dive deeper into the report, including segment and top craft brand performances across off-premise channels.
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| | Brewbound Headlines | | | | Boston Beer Company’s chief supply chain officer (CSCO) Phil Hodges has been promoted to chief operating officer, effective immediately, the company announced after market close Monday with a press release, and 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Hodges’ new responsibilities include overseeing “day-to-day operations across all functions." He will report directly to Boston Beer founder and chair Jim Koch, who retains his role as CEO. Insiders can read more here, including details from Hodges’ offer letter. |
| | | | | Robert Hendrickson, interim CEO and president of RNDC, has died. The news was first made public Monday by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA).
According to RNDC, Hendrickson died Friday, October 17, though a cause of death was not released. Insiders can read more here.
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| Data Dive | | | | Bev-alc remained in the red in the latest week (data ending October 12) with dollar sales down 3.8% YoY and 1% WoW in Circana-tracked off-premise channels, according to the latest weekly report from the market research firm’s EVP of BevAl, Scott Scanlon.
Total bev-alc volume, measured in case sales, declined 5.4% in the latest week, similar to declines recorded in the previous week (dollar sales -4.6%, volume -5.9%). Scanlon noted that “a bounce” was anticipated for bev-alc “after last week’s relatively dismal results,” and while that occurred for wine, “beer did not follow suit.” Insiders can read more, including beer, wine, spirits and RTD trends and top beer brand family figures.
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| | ICYMI | | | Molson Coors Beverage Company will eliminate around 400 salaried positions across its Americas business unit by the end of December, the company announced today in a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The cuts amount to around 9% of Molson Coors’ salaried Americas workforce, “including hundreds” of open roles and others “granted voluntary severance” as part of the restructuring. Insiders can read more here. ‼️ Missed yesterday's newsletter? The Brewbound Insider Newsletter was delayed due to the AWS outage. Catch up on Monday's news here. |
| | Save the Date | | | The application deadline has been extended for the Brewbound Live Pitch Slam, the leading business pitch competition for emerging beer, beyond beer, and adult beverage brands. The competition will take place during Brewbound Live 2025, held in Marina del Rey, December 10 & 11. The new deadline to apply is now by midnight TONIGHT (Tuesday, October 21). This year, the Pitch Slam gets a high-impact makeover: a new 1-day format, a tighter slate of finalists, and an intentional spotlight on innovation across RTDs, NA, cannabis, and beer categories. The Brewbound Live Pitch Slam is open to early-stage adult beverage brands across beer, hard seltzer, hard cider, hard kombucha, RTD cocktails, THC-infused beverages and more. Whether you’re pre-launch with a product ready to sample or already in market for less than two years, we’re looking for disruptive brands with innovative concepts and the potential to scale. All applicants should be focused on the U.S. market and capable of providing packaged samples. Space is limited. Apply Now >> Plus, EARLY REGISTRATION for Brewbound Live ends this week. Register today to lock-in discounted tickets. |
| | Now Hiring | | | | | | 👋 That's all for today's Brewbound Newsletter | |
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