Plans have quickly changed for 21st Amendment Brewery. The founders initially planned on stepping back from day-to-day operations to make room for a new CEO and the next chapter of the business. However, the company is now winding down operations and seeking a buyer.

In today’s Brewbound Insider Newsletter and on Brewbound.com, Insiders are reading details on the cause for the sudden shift in plans and what led up to changes at the brewery. 

Insiders are also reading about a new investment in Garage Beer, which raises the light beer brand’s valuation to about $200 million, and diving into the latest monthly report from Bump Williams Consulting, with the latest figures on beer pricing and packaging trends. 

Plus, Insiders are checking out newsletter-exclusive coverage, including:

• An update on tariffs, and why they may not be enforceable;
• Details on the price tag for Super Bowl LX’s sold out ad space;
• And a look at the latest Oberon extension from Bell’s Brewery.

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21st Amendment Brewery is ceasing operations after 25 years, as founders Shaun O’Sullivan and Nico Freccia seek a buyer for the legacy craft beer brand. 

Over the next 60 days, 21st Amendment will wind down operations at its San Leandro production facility with a target date during the first week of November, Freccia told Brewbound. 

The company plans to maintain its taproom at the facility and 2nd Street San Francisco brewpub as long as possible, depending on staffing, he added. 

Insiders can read more from Freccia on what led up to the decision, including the challenges faced by 21st Amendment following the pandemic and a switch to co-packing, as well as a dive into the company's volume trends.

Garage Beer, the light beer brand that achieved national prominence when NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce invested in it last year, has received “strategic growth investment” from Durational Capital Management, the company announced today. This funding round, Garage Beer’s 1st, sets the company’s valuation at "roughly $200 million,” the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Insiders can read more about the investment and Garage Beer’s recent scan data performance. 

Columbia Distributing leaders believe they’ve tapped into a pipeline for the next generation of beer industry workers.  

On the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast, Columbia president and CEO Chris Steffanci, VP of sales, Portland Chris Watzig and former intern Rebecca Logan share the ins and outs of the Pacific Northwest distributor’s Beer Careers Program.

Watzig and Logan offer decades-apart experience of the 10-week paid internship program, which introduces participating students to all elements of Columbia’s business and operations. The discussion covers how candidates are selected, why the company believes it's important to invest in career development programs and what employers can learn from the emerging Gen Z workforce.

Before the conversation, Justin, Jess and Zoe share their Labor Day weekend adventures and cover the latest news, including Sierra Nevada’s 2026 plans and Constellation Brands’ negatively revised guidance.

Listen here or on your preferred podcasting platform.

Consumers’ interest in single-serve and other “alternatives to the norm” in package sizes could be a sticky trend across not just beer, but other bev-alc categories as well, according to the latest monthly report from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC). 

Can 1-packs led share gains of total beer dollar sales (+0.7 share points) in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels YTD through August 16, BWC reported. 

Other package sizes gaining share this year include bottle 1-packs (+0.2 share points), can 30-packs (+0.1 points), can 3-packs (+0.1 points) and can 24-packs (+0.1 points) – all atypical from the historically dominant pack sizes in the category. 

Insiders can read more here.

Who drinks draft beer these days? 

The typical draft consumer is an older white man who is “relatively affluent" and spends around $201 monthly on dining and drinking in on-premise outlets, according to the latest “On Premise Draft Opportunity” report from CGA, NIQ’s on-premise arm, and Draftline Technologies, a firm that tracks more than 1 million draft beer lines across 40 states and sells products for maintaining draft lines.

Draft beer drinkers are 67% male (33% female), 49% aged 55 and up (15% 21 to 34; 36% 35 to 54) and 85% white (8% Hispanic, 5% Black) with an average household income of $107,000, per a CGA on-premise user survey.

The “highest-spend customers with the most disposable income are the draft beer drinkers,” Phil Thomas, who leads Draftline’s new business development, told Brewbound. He emphasized that knowing who those draft beer drinkers are, and marketing towards those consumers, could be vital for sustaining the industry. 

Insiders can go deeper into the report, including the most effective ways of advertising to consumers in bars and restaurants, how much sales increase with tighter cleaning cycles and why variety matters on draft towers.

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.

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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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