Welcome to Brewbound’s Inside Look at the Beer Business for the week that was … Saturday, July 12, 2025.

It’s about time we start this newsletter with some good news, no? Move over Spirit Halloween stores – we’ve found a new use for former brewery space! 

So, how do y’all feel about, uh, “growing fish” instead of making beer? A few years ago, a SF startup called WILDTYPE took over what was, as far as I can tell, the old ALMANAC Brewing space in the Dogpatch neighborhood to build out facilities to make lab-grown fish. 

WILDTYPE is also keeping the beer theme going in another way, as the salmon apparently take as little as 2 weeks to uh, make – or basically the same time as it takes to brew your standard IPA.

Now, in summer 2025, as the company finally received FDA approval on its process, WILDTYPE finally just had its first salmon served in a U.S. restaurant last month – and that restaurant was naturally in the beer mecca of … Portland, OR. Don’t ya just love the brewery circle of life?

No word if it was a hazy or West Coast-style. 🥁 I’ll see myself out.

If you’re looking for perhaps more … practical ways to use your brewery space other than growing fish – be sure to check out the first episode in a BREWBOUND Podcast series of episodes with folks sharing tactics that are working for them in the beer space.

Of course the first episode is in Jersey (it’s in Jess’ contract), so take a listen as DEATH OF THE FOX dives into how coffee went from about 20% of its sales, to 70%.

YUP: Top 3 beer innovations in 2025 in the off-prem thru June 15, according to CIRCANA data cited by BMI:

• BUSCH LIGHT Apple: $35M
• MICH ULTRA Zero: $20.4M
• CORONA Sunbrew: $20.3M

Separate but related – BUSCH family brand sales are +4.2% in the off-prem YTD through June 15, according to CIRCANA data.

THEN: Over at BEERBOARD, here’s what they had to say about on-prem sales in Q2 YoY:

• Draft: -5.7%
• Package: -9.3%
• RTDs: +10%
• Wine: flat
• Spirits (ex. RTDs): -7%

OOF: Well, so much for summer season optimism. Craft beer sales in grocery channel for the L4W ending June 15, according to CIRCANA:

• Sales: -9.4%
• Volume: -10.9%

Overall off-prem craft sales in that time period:

• Sales: -6.7%
• Volume: -8.4%

Beer overall in the time period:

• Sales: -5.2%
• Volume: -6.5%

All of those numbers are notably worse than the YTD trends for each sector, respectively.

Final note – only 5 of the top 30 craft brands saw sales improve in that L4W period vs. YTD trends:

• ELYSIAN Space Dust IPA
• GOOSE ISLAND Tropical Beer Hug DDH IPA
• CIGAR CITY Jai Alai IPA
• GEORGETOWN Bodhizava IPA
• LAGUNITAS A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale

The Kelce-backed beer is looking at volume gains in the range of +400% to +500%, according to the company, and if it hits the 300k BBL target – it’ll put GARAGE BEER just outside the Top 10 on the BA list based on 2024’s numbers.

Going from 6 states in 2024 to all 50 in 2025 (mostly via the MC distro network), including placements in about 80% of WALMART’s footprint, certainly helps those trends.

The GARAGE team is also still rather lean at just 25 folks, as the beer is contract brewed at CITY BREWING in Memphis and at FOUNDERS.

The “strategic partnership” will see MA’s HENDLER FAMILY BREWING take over sales, marketing and production for the NY brewery.

No equity is changing hands, and SLOOP will still run its taproom. Its production facility will now focus on innovation, and there are no job losses at the brewery.

HFB had 86k BBL of output across all of its brands (JACK’S ABBY, WORMTOWN, NIGHT SHIFT and its contract brewing arm), and is tracking to cross 100k BBL in 2025.

SLOOP made 26,359 BBL in 2024 (down from 31.8k BBL in 2023) according to BA numbers, and had been looking for a new contract situation beyond its own 25k BBL capacity. 

First DOGFISH’s Grateful Dead beer became its fastest-selling new beer ever earlier this year – and now Willie Nelson is doing the same for JUNESHINE. 

Willie’s Remedy+, a hemp-based THC-infused “social tonic,” sold out in March when it launched, and 3x’d sales in both April and May to become the company’s fastest-growing new product to date. 

JUNESHINE also just launched 3 new SKUs of THC-infused seltzers under the brand, which are now hitting retail shelves in 4 states, with 3 more coming this summer.

Now – does anyone have Phish’s phone number, perchance?

NEW TRAIL BREWING

Brewer – Williamsport, PA

BIG COUNTRY ORGANIC BREWING

Director of Brewing Operations – Pflugerville, TX

WILDING BRANDS

Bankrupt adult NA retailer BOISSON has new leadership – consultants Holly Berrigan and Hannah Delaney are now CEO and president, respectively.

• RNDC’s exit from California will result in the loss of about 1,750 jobs. 
• OHIO EAGLE DISTRIBUTING is laying off 178 folks as a result of its sale to REDWOOD HOLDINGS.

Well, it was bound to happen eventually … although I don’t know that ‘severe changes in immigration policy’ was the card most folks were holding as to what would lead CONSTELLATION’s beer sales trends into negative territory.

Or, as CONSTELLATION CEO Bill Newlands called it, “non-structural socioeconomic factors.”

Q1 2025 numbers (which in CONSTELLATION time is March thru May):

• Shipments (sales to wholesalers): -3.3% YoY
• Depletions (sales to retailers): -2.6% YoY
• Net Sales: -2% YoY ($2.23B)
• Operating Income: -5% ($873M)

Nothing quite like the smell of a … 30 total beer number for a June BPI score from the NBWA. Yikes.

Just a reminder – way, way up there at 50 indicates that wholesalers plan to order more of a given category in the month ahead, and by all indications – don’t call them, they’ll call you.

Also, with craft now at a … 15, I’m also pretty sure we’re just giving craft beer away to distributors along with their #PizzaFriday lunch orders for the staff.

The 38 for Imports certainly explains the CONSTELLATION earnings report, and when FMB/Seltzer is back in the top spot – that really says all you need to know.

Ah wait – one number was above 50! Ah dammit, it was the at-risk inventory number (52), indicating beer inventory at distributors’ warehouses is within 30 days of its out-of-code date.

Wake me up in September – football will save us, right? 

• CASAMIGOS has (finally) entered the RTD market with a margarita product line in 4 flavors. They come in 200mL packaging at 10% ABV and will launch in 3 states to start. 
• MAHOU USA is investing $3M in FOUNDERS for brewery upgrades, including de-alcoholizing equipment, as the company is targeting 50% of EBITDA to come from non-beer products by 2030.
• TRILLIUM is expanding beyond beer as well, rolling out a line of spirits-based RTDs available at its taproom locations. The brewery recently completed a “multi-million dollar distillery expansion” last year.
• Australian NA RTD brand NAKED LIFE is now available nationwide in the U.S. via its strategic partnership with MOLSON COORS.
• Missouri cut the excise tax on beer by ⅔, down to $0.62 per bbl, the lowest in the U.S., which should help a certain large in-state brewery in particular.
• TX’s ALAMO BREWING CO. is emerging from bankruptcy with a new owner in Australian PE firm SKJ CAPITAL, who bought the brewery for $3.75M, according to the San Antonio Business Journal. 
• CO’s TRVE is calling it a day after 13 years, saying the brewery “has run its course”. Both taprooms – original CO and NC, which opened last year – will close after this weekend.
• SC’s PALMETTO BREWING (part of the MADE BY THE WATER consortium) has closed its doors after 32 years.
• Fresh out of bankruptcy URBAN CHESTNUT in St. Louis has acquired the O’FALLON beer brands, which shut down last year after 24 years. 
• MAUI BREWING became the 6th largest brand family in Hawaii beer sales for the 13wk period ending June 15, surpassing KONA (which is not part of A-B in HI), according to CIRCANA data cited by BMI.
• AND FINALLY, A KUDOS: To ATHLETIC donating $2.3M in 2024 to 210 non-profit organizations, and its Two for the Trails initiative has given over $6.3M since it was established to help preserve and grow trails and outdoor space initiatives.

It may be July on your calendar, but it’s December in your hearts! (don’t worry – your heart is in Marina del Rey, so it’s warm).

So git ‘er dun and book your hotel room now – and save $100 with early registration! 

I mean, you know you’re going anyway – Justin said Mrs. Brewbound got him a new plaid shirt to wear this year and you can’t miss that – so why not take the discount as well? 

Look at that – more #protips! CA’s RED BUS BREWING owner Erik Schmid joins the podcast to discuss how slushies have helped his bottom line, becoming 10% of RED BUS’ business sales, and breaks down the specifics on the costs and upside contained therein.

BUT FIRST: The BREWBOUND trio dive into the big RNDC layoffs, latest openings and closures in the beer biz, and if Justin is joining the kids in essentially adding vodka to his sports drinks.

LISTEN HERE! Or just search “Brewbound” on your podcast listening platform of choice. And leave a review and rating, would ya? (Good ones only, plz)

This week’s beer goes out to the folks at COORS LIGHT for finally classing things up a bit. 

As peak wedding season hits, so does sweating through your shirt and suit jacket at the cocktail hour that for some reason is being held outside in the sun at 4 p.m. on a July afternoon (really, Ted and Shauna?).

Enter, the COORS LIGHT Cold Tux! It keeps a “refrigerating core powered by ice pack rods,”and comes with a built in CL mountain indicator that turns blue when the suit jacket is properly chilled . . . so take that, Armani!

But wait – there’s more! It comes with a BrrTie 🎀, a refrigerated bow tie that delivers “up to 40 minutes of refreshing cool” around your neck, which I’m pretty sure is what Mahomes got married in as well.

Sadly the tux jacket seems like it was just a stunt, but you can totally buy the bow ties – er, BrrTies at this URL.

Also, a congrats to Megan & Ryan in Florida who actually got married with the Cold Tux as a witness last month. So, get a good look at your future there Megan – and no complaining when Ryan installs the MILLER LITE keg Christmas tree this December.

Slainté!

-Sean McNulty