• 🎙️Pitch Slam Winner Hurray’s Girl Beer
• 🍉 FIFCO Revamps Seagram’s Escapes
• 📰 News from Molson Coors, Fair State
• 🍋 Owl’s Brew Collabs with Chelsea Handler

Hurray’s Girl Beer won Brewbound’s 2024 Pitch Slam competition during the Brewbound Live business conference last month in Marina del Rey, California. 

Founder Ray Biebuyck joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss how Hurray’s Girl Beer is working to reclaim the term “Girl Beer,” the brand’s post-ironic, satirical and humorous vibe and why it’s attempting to create a discourse about women and beer. 

Biebuyck explains why she’s interested in bringing women into the beer category, while getting her beer to stand out both on shelf and in social media algorithms.  

Hear more from Biebuyck in this week’s featured interview. Plus, the Brewbound team dives into the latest news, including the split between the Brewers Association and the American Homebrewers Association and hard times at Sapporo-Stone and Monster Brewing.

Also, Another Round or Tabbing Out returns with discussions around “faux-stalgia” lager brands, cannabev advertising and a surprising cameo by Angry Orchard. 

Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

FIFCO USA has unveiled several changes coming to its FMB brand Seagram’s Escapes, including the addition of slim cans and the reformulation of some core flavors. 

The company has refreshed packaging across Seagram’s Escapes’ lineup, with new “bold, colorful graphics” and more “eye-catching designs that highlight the tropical, fruit flavors consumers love,” according to a press release. 

Additionally, the company has added a 12 oz. slim can 12-pack to its lineup, featuring four of its core flavors (all 3.2% ABV): Jamaican Me Happy, Blueberry Acai Lemonade, Peach Bellini and Black Cheery Fizz. The majority of Seagram’s Escapes’ existing products are packaged in 11.2 oz. bottles, with the exception of Seagram’s Escapes Refreshers – which launched in 12 oz. slim can 12- and 24-packs in early 2024 – and some 24, 16 and 7.5 oz single-serve cans of the brand’s core lineup.

Seagram’s Escapes brand director Jaime Polisoto said in the release: “Slim cans open up new consumption opportunities in places where glass is not allowed, while their modern design gives customers extra incentive to purchase more frequently. The brand will also continue to offer the classic bottle format, focusing our packs on best-selling fan favorites, including trending flavors.”

Insiders can read more, including details on a reformulation and a new variety pack, and 2024 scan data for the FMB brand.

🤝 Molson Coors has struck a strategic partnership with Fevertree Drinks, the parent company of UK-based NA tonics, mixers and beverages maker Fever-Tree that will see the company take an 8.5% stake in the business, making it the second largest shareholder. 

Starting February 1, Molson Coors will take over exclusive commercialization rights of Fever-Tree’s offerings in the U.S., as well as co-manufacturing production, marketing, sales and distribution. 

Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley said: “Our strategic partnership with Fever-Tree in the U.S. is a meaningful step in Molson Coors’ journey to becoming a total-beverage company with a winning portfolio of drinks for a wide variety of consumer occasions. We’ve made progress here, and today we are building on that progress in a significant way with Fever-Tree as the latest and largest non-alc brand to join our portfolio.”

🏷️ A listing for Night Shift Brewing’s Everett, MA, location popped in our feeds last week, but we’d like to ease the stress of any fans of the brewery or its taproom.

Sam Hendler, CEO of Night Shift’s parent company Hendler Family Brewing, insists that Night Shift has no plans to leave the location. Instead, the company is working with its landlord to add an additional tenant, which will use the 28,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space that has gone unused at the location for a few years. 

Hendler told Brewbound: “There's a mutual interest in getting an additional tenant there as soon as possible. They are actively looking for tenants … it's in our interest for this all to be resolved in a long-term manner as soon as possible.

“This is a long-term issue that hopefully will find a really positive resolution that secures the Night Shift taproom staying in Everett for a long time.”

🏭 Minnesota’s Fair State Brewing Cooperative is closing its St. Paul production facility following continued economic “headwinds,” the company told employees this week. The news – which comes nearly a year after the brewery filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy – was first reported by Fingers founder Dave Infante on BlueSky. 

Fair State’s Minneapolis taproom and small-batch brewery will remain open. The production facilities assets will be sold, with the lease transferred to a third party, and a “wind down” planned for the next few months, CEO Evan Sallee wrote in the employee memo.

Hard tea and RTD maker Owl’s Brew has joined forces with comedian Chelsea Handler to launch Vodka Lemonade. 

The stats:

• 3 flavors (Classic, Pink and Mint);
• Non-carbonated;
• Vegan, gluten free and 100 calories;
• 5% ABV;
• Available online Feb. 1 and in stores Feb. 10.

Owl’s Brew is also the official sponsor of Handler’s upcoming book tour, set to kick off on Feb. 24 in Northvale, N.J., and make stops in New York City, Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Brewbound asked retailers, distributors and data analysts which trends they’re watching and why at the start of 2025. 

Brewbound Insiders can read all the details from our respondents, including thoughts on draft, on-premise trends, single-serves, non-alcoholic adult beverages and more.