Industry members heard numerous calls for beer to fight against threats from spirits this week during the National Beer Wholesaler Association’s (NBWA) Annual Convention in Las Vegas.

However, Mary Guiver, global principle category merchant for beer at Whole Foods, reminded attendees that beer also needs to battle its own past if the category wants to bring in more consumers, during the BREW and Alliance for Women in Beer: Making Moves event Wednesday – an add-on event hosted by the NBWA.

Guiver said: “Spirits did a damn good job of appealing to women and people of color in a way that beer is extraordinarily behind – not even behind, but has to dig itself out of several decades of absolute garbage marketing, positioning women not as consumers of beer, but as trophies or whatever else trash that we saw there in the ’90s and the 2000s even.

“Beer has some healing to do. And it needs to happen fast if it wants to curb the erosion of sales to spirits and wine.” 

More than 335 beer industry members attended Wednesday’s event, co-organized by the Alliance for Women in Beer and BREW. The former focuses on uniting all three tiers of the industry “to transform beer into an exciting industry of opportunity for women,” while the latter, which stands for “Building Relationships and Empowering Women,” aims to “attract, connect and elevate women in beer and beverage distribution,” according to the groups’ respective websites. 

Guiver spoke on a “state of the union” panel with Mark Anthony Ventures VP and general manager Tracey Sivak and Gulf Distributing SVP of legal and government affairs Rebecca Maisel. The panel was moderated by NBWA CEO and president Craig Purser.

“It's been the women in the room, in our company anyway, who have said, ‘Hey, we can't do the same thing over and over again and expect different results,’” Maisel said. “And, at least for us, we have put a massive investment and emphasis on changing our culture.

“We've got to be better than our competitors,” she continued. “We've got to have the culture of inclusivity.”

Insiders can read more here.

Brooklyn-based Talea Beer Co. has crossed the East River to open a new taproom in Manhattan’s West Village.

Talea West Village opens today and features the women-owned brewery’s beer, as well as espresso, wine, cocktails, non-alcoholic offerings and shareable plates. 

Co-founders Tara Hankinson and LeAnn Darland tapped an all female design and construction team to build the West Village taproom and its sister location near Manhattan’s Bryant Park, which is slated to open in December.

Darland said: “As two women leading a company in a male-dominated field, we make a pointed effort to highlight other female voices within our community in New York, the beer industry and beyond. We want to ensure our mission of inclusivity and challenging perceptions translates to the consumer side, creating space and support for everyone to feel welcome.”

Auction house Rabin Worldwide is hosting an online public auction for brewing equipment in excellent condition, located Reno, NV. The sale includes 3-vessel brewhouse, fermenters and brite tanks, hot liquor tank, bottling line, walk-in cooler and much more. Bidding until October 24th. Learn more

Ohio-based brewpub chain Saucy Brew Works has kicked off its third crowdfunding campaign with a maximum goal of $5 million using StartEngine.

Saucy has previously raised $1.45 million on the platform, which has helped it open a new location, expand beer distribution and begin selling coffee on Amazon, the company wrote in a note to investors. 

So far, Saucy has raised $25,250.19 from 27 investors. The company is valued at $64.9 million with nearly $20 million in long- and short-term debt, according to financial information included in the crowdfunding documents. Saucy’s most recent fiscal year ended with -$2.1 million in net income. 

In 2022, the company produced 6,442 barrels of beer, an -8% decline from 2021, according to the May/June issue of the Brewers Association’s (BA) New Brewer. In June, the company abruptly closed its Detroit taproom, with CEO Brent Zimmerman saying the less than 2-year-old taproom “never caught any steam.”

For the first time in its 19-year history, Hyannis, Massachusetts-based Cape Cod Beer has signed a distribution agreement with Mayflower Brewing to distribute its portfolio in eastern Massachusetts. Cape Cod has self-distributed with a 50-mile radius, but never sold its products farther north than Plymouth, Massachusetts, the first mainland town across the Cape Cod Canal. 

Mayflower will sell 16 oz. cans of four Cape Cod beers: Cape Cod Blonde, Cape Cod Red, Cape Cod IPA and Cape Cod Pilsener. Cape Cod is Mayflower’s first distribution supplier.

The new territory includes the greater Boston area.

President and brewmaster Todd Marcus said: “Over the years, we’ve seen a growing demand for our beer off Cape from summertime visitors and seasonal residents. They come here and fall in love with Cape Cod Blonde, or one of our other beers, and then call disappointed when they can’t find it near their home off-Cape.”

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for beer at home in September increased +4.7% year-over-year (YoY) and +0.4% compared to August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Beer at home outpaced YoY increases in the CPI for total alcohol at home (+2.9%), spirits at home (+3%) and wine at home (+1.4%). 

Month-over-month (MoM), wine at home recorded the steepest increase in CPI at +0.5%, followed by total alcohol at home (+0.4%, tied with beer at home) and spirits at home (+0.2%).

The CPI increase for beer away from home YoY (+5.7%) trailed total alcohol away from home (+6.4%), spirits away from home (+7.8%) and wine away from home (+6.7%). Compared to August, the CPI for wine away from home (+1.2%) recorded the steepest increase, followed by total alcohol away from home (+0.9%), beer away from home (+0.8%) and spirits away from home (+0.7%). 

Nearly all categories of the bev-alc industry outpaced the CPI for all items, which increased +3.7% YoY before seasonal adjustment and +0.2% MoM. 

The Brewbound Live business conference returns December 6-7 in Marina del Rey. Speakers and conversations to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Registration and the discounted room block is now open. Find out more details here.

From Generation Z to the silver tsunami, keeping up with consumers and their rapidly changing drinking habits isn’t easy. 

The 2023 Brewbound Live business conference (December 6 + 7 in Marina del Rey) will try to break the mystique with a presentation by NIQ beverage alcohol vertical director of thought leadership Kaleigh Theriault and 3 Tier Beverages analytics and client success consultant Stephanie Roatis.

Theriault and Roatis will provide fresh perspectives and share strategies to help brands better understand the consumer, from changing demographics to sober curiosity to consumer powered trends on flavor, pack size and channel choices.

This session is your ticket to unlocking a level of consumer engagement as strong as Swifties watching a Kansas City Chiefs game.

Theriault and Roatis join a speaker roster that includes: Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson, NBWA chief economist Lester Jones, Tilray president of U.S. beer division Ty Gilmore, National Black Brewers Association executive director Kevin Asato, Bell’s Brewery EVP Carrie Yunker, BuzzBallz founder Merrilee Kick, BeatBox co-founder Aimy Steadman, and Stateside Vodka CEO Clement Pappas. More speakers to be announced in the coming days.

Brewbound Live takes place December 6 and 7 in Marina del Rey, California, at the Marina Del Rey Marriott Hotel (4100 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA). 

Tickets are available now.

Coop Ale Works continues to partner with non-alcoholic beverage brands on creating bev-alc versions of iconic brands.

The latest, coming in 2024, is Welch’s branded ready-to-drink canned cocktails (RTDs), inspired by some of the major juice brands iconic flavors.

Coop teased the 7.5% ABV spirits-based offerings on the NBWA trade show floor in Las Vegas, along with new flavor and package innovations from Sonic Hard Seltzer and Tampico Hard Punch.

Stay tuned for more information coming soon to Brewbound.