The Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (SGWS) bribery probe could be a “template” for future investigations by federal agencies into middle-tier pay-to-play schemes, McDermott Will & Schulte partner Julian André shared during the law firm’s webinar last week.

André’s Take: “You can expect whenever the government discovers some sort of misconduct within any industry that they're going to then start looking for that same misconduct elsewhere. At a minimum, scrutiny over this area – over improper trade practices, use of billbacks, gift cards – is going to continue, and it may very well increase given the results of this prior investigation.”

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Talea Beer co-founder and co-CEO Tara Hankinson will share how the New York City-headquartered, woman-founded-and-led craft brewery manages multiple locations and stays profitable during this December’s Brewbound Live business conference.

By ditching hardcore industrial design, adding splashes of color to their own-premise locations and embracing sours and light lagers, Hankinson and co-founder LeAnn Darland have found a way to make their tasting rooms resonate with women by offering a differentiated craft brewery experience.

Don’t miss Hankinson’s presentation during Brewbound Live, taking place December 9-10 in Los Angeles.

Learn more and register

The Brewbound Insider Newsletter has even more, with news that’s not in our free edition and has yet to go up on our site. Today’s edition details the closure of a CA craft malthouse. 

Brewbound Insiders get access to everything we publish on Brewbound.com, including the full stories behind the headlines teased in this issue.

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

Become a Brewbound Insider today!

Want It All? Be in the know on all food and beverage news from Brewbound, BevNET and NOSH with Insider All Access.

Earnings reports return this week. Constellation will share its Q2 FY2027 financial results after the market closes Tuesday and host an earnings call Wednesday morning. Look for coverage on Brewbound.com. 

Earnings season is back and so are ABPs. This week’s Brewbound Podcast will feature a conversation with Chris Russell and Eric Rabinovitz, the co-founders of Groundhog, an operating system that aims to simplify supplier-distributor planning. Look for the episode midweek.

Plus, fall travel is kicking into gear:

• Brewbound senior reporter Zoe Licata will be speaking at the Glass Packaging Institute Meeting Tuesday in Charlotte;

• Brewbound sibling pub BevNET will be attending NACS this week;

• Brewbound managing editor Jessica Infante will head to GABF on Friday; 

• And then the whole crew will be in Orlando starting Sunday for the NBWA’s Annual Convention, followed by the BREW and Women in Beer: Making Moves event.

Mars Inc. did the corporate version of yelling “my bad” last week when it renounced the collaboration between its Pop-Tarts brand and Sazerac’s BuzzBallz after criticism that the resulting drinks could be seen as appealing to minors. 

The company said it would no longer support any marketing of the 2 orb-shaped RTDs inspired by classic Pop-Tarts flavors, but BuzzBallz has no plans to pull them from the market after their late August launch.

Insider’s Week in Beer newsletter writer Sean McNulty side-eyes the whole ordeal in Saturday’s edition, along with other GIF-worthy news from the week. 

Check it out

These were the most-read stories on Brewbound.com last week. Become a Brewbound Insider for full access to these headlines:

• Diageo to Shut Down Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore

• Breakthru CCO Talks RNDC Deal Exit, Emerging Categories

• People Moves at A-B, BrewDog & Molson Coors, the Walmart-ification of Kroger

• Coors Distributing Fights Constellation, Mark Anthony Exits

• New Belgium CMO: Winning Brands Don’t Blame Consumers, They Evolve to Meet New Realities

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

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). 

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