Brewbound Live 2025 concludes today. Make sure to check out our livestream to see the final discussions, as well as the announcement of the 2025 Brewbound Live Pitch Slam winner.

In addition to today’s stage content, Brewbound.com also features coverage brewery closures and production changes from Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) and Thrive Market’s drop of all bev-alc brands in favor of adult non-alcoholic (ANA) offerings.

In today’s Brewbound Insider Newsletter Insiders are also reading about Otherwise Brewing’s newest distribution deal and Founders’ contribution to the NA beer segment. 

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

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8 finalists pitched their brands in the 2025 Brewbound Live Pitch Slam today.

This year’s Pitch Slam, in a dynamic new 1-day format, featured a tight slate of finalists and an intentional spotlight on innovation across ready-to-drink, non-alc, cannabis, and beer categories.

The judges will now select a winner from a diverse list of finalists:

• Little Friends Brewing
• Roseade Wine Spritzer
• Kick Fizz
• Fabric
• Ikasu Brewing
• Darling Drinks
• Bondi Beer
• Sake High!

Each entrepreneur had 4 minutes to present their brand to the panel of judges, including Samantha Fletcher, senior category merchant of adult beverage for Whole Foods Market; Ryan Lake, managing director of beverage investment banking at J.P. Morgan; Donn Bichsel, founder of 3 Tier Beverages; and Ray Biebuyck, the founder of Hurray’s Girl Beer and last year’s champion.

Tune into the Brewbound livestream today (December 11) at 12:15 p.m. PT to watch us announce the champion at the closing of the winter conference.

In addition to bragging rights, the winner will walk away with a Brewbound awareness package, event registration for 2026, a $35,000 data and consulting prize from NIQ and 3 Tier Beverages, as well as featured coverage on Brewbound.com. 

They’ll join the cohort of previous winners including Sunboy, Funkytown Brewery, Lunar Hard Seltzer, Crowns and Hops, Willie’s Superbrew, Novo Brazil Brewing, Armada Brewing, and Border X Brewing.

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Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) will sell 1 brewery and shutter another 2, the company announced today.

The Goodman Group, a property developer with $6.8 billion in assets under its management, will acquire A-B’s brewery in Newark, NJ, with a plan to redevelop it. A-B will shutter its facilities in Merrimack, NH, and Fairfield, CA, early next year. The changes follow A-B’s efforts to upgrade its U.S. manufacturing network.

Insiders can read more here.

Online grocery retailer Thrive Market announced Wednesday it is adding more than 100 SKUs across 20 brands to its adult non-alcoholic (ANA) beverage set, while simultaneously dropping all of its existing alcoholic offerings.

The expansion now adds products from a wide array of brands in multiple NA categories including NA brewers Athletic Brewing Company, Mash Gang and Best Day, zero-proof wine makers Gruvi and Surey, and RTD mocktails from hiyo, BREZ, Recess, De Soi and Free AF.

Insiders can read more here.

Brewbound revealed the winners of its 2025 industry awards today during Day 1 of the bev-alc trade publication’s Brewbound Live business conference in LA. 

In a bev-alc industry facing increasing headwinds with industry leaders and analysts debating whether the pain is structural or cyclical, several brands endured and even thrived in 2025. 

The 2025 Brewbound Awards celebrates those transcendent brands, products, leaders and entrepreneurs. 

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