A new framework for intoxicating hemp products continues to take shape in Texas, with a recent executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott. The latest move kicks off a rulemaking process to enact age restrictions, and labeling and testing requirements. 

Meanwhile, the price of bev-alc continues to rise, according to the latest Consumer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Brewbound managing editor Jess Infante dove into all the numbers, including beer, wine, spirits and total bev-alc at and away from home. 

Insiders are catching up on both stories in today’s Brewbound Insider Newsletter and on Brewbound.com. 

Plus, Insiders are reading newsletter-exclusive coverage, including:

• The latest middle-tier moves in Ohio;
• How beer prices compared to cost of goods price hikes;
• And a past Brewbound Pitch Slam participant’s primetime debut. 

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

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Less has been more with BrewDog’s U.S. business over the last year and a half. 

On the latest episode of the Brewbound Podcast, BrewDog USA chief sales and marketing officer Eric Teodoro Franco explains how the business has “done fewer things better,” leading with a focus on its core brands, which helped the brand increase volume 26% last year, to 89,084 barrels of beer, according to data from the Brewers Association (BA). 

Franco shared: “We were very, very famous and very willing to be famous for throwing a lot against the wall and seeing what would stick for many, many years. We can do that in the U.K. where you have a 50-plus share and you can develop a lot of things and trial and try new things. 

“In this market, we did that and it didn’t work. We’ve really taken our range plan, we’ve taken our focuses down to really doing fewer and better things.”

In the episode, Franco also discusses how the exits of founders James Watt and Martin Dickie have affected the U.S. business, how the company is approaching innovation and how the company has rethought both its distribution footprint and its taproom strategy.  

Before the interview, Justin, Jessica and Zoe break down the impending closure of 21st Amendment, the removal of a study about alcohol consumption and health from the dietary guidelines process and the challenges of making an alcoholic version of better-for-you soda. They also dig into TikTok trends and the latest grousing about Gen Z’s bar habits. 

Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed an executive order mandating age restrictions on the sale of hemp-derived THC products, roughly 3 months after he vetoed a bill that would have outlawed the intoxicant entirely.

The order is geared toward “protecting children” and orders the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Department of State Health Services to begin a rulemaking process to develop a new framework barring the sale of hemp-derived products to minors.

Insiders can read more about additional proposed rulemaking for hemp products. Revisit Abbott’s veto of the bill that would have killed Texas’ hemp industry here.

If going out seemed expensive in July, dining and drinking budgets were likely stretched further in August.

The CPI for alcohol away from home (+3.8% YoY) and food away from home (+3.9% YoY) far outpaced overall inflation (+2.9%) in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) most recent monthly report. 

Insiders can read more about CPI changes across bev-alc categories both at home and away. 

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Other Half Brewing (Brooklyn, NY) is used to large growth targets, posting double-digit volume growth nearly every year since its inception in 2014, according to data from the Brewers Association (BA). 

In 2025, the craft brewery is aiming for more slow and controlled growth, co-founder and chief commercial officer Andrew Burman shared with Brewbound.

Burman said: “We used to be able to rely on a line around the block of 500 people every Saturday – it made life a lot easier. Now it's focusing on how do we make every little thing a little bit better. There's a lot more internal focus than it once was.”

Insiders can read more, including details on how Other Half is tackling beyond beer innovation and communications with consumers, such as social and e-mail marketing. Plus, what recent trend is giving Burman hope for craft’s future.

Brewbound Live, our annual business conference for beverage-alcohol professionals returns to Marina del Rey, California, on December 10 and 11.

Tickets are available now for the 2-day gathering of founders, entrepreneurs, c-suite executives, retailers, distributors and suppliers from across the industry. The event will include on-stage conversations with industry leaders, networking and pre-arranged one-to-one conversations with retailers and distributors.

Several speakers and one-to-one participants have been announced, with more on the way. 

Register for Brewbound Live 2025 >>

Brewbound Live is presented by Powered by Sorse, Fast Track Packaging, Strike Visuals, John I. Haas, Can-One, and Tripleseat Software LLC. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for those seeking to elevate their presence beyond participation.

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

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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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