• 📉 January 2025 Shipments -8.7% YoY
• 🫧 Jiant Wants to be Hard Tea’s Olipop
• 🌑 Blue Moon Denver Brewpub to Close
• 🍹 A Round With Austin Cocktails Founders
• 📰 WellBeing Deal; Saugatuck Closures
• 🥉 Circana: 3 of 10 Segments Post Growth
• 🚫 'You Can’t Fucking Make Beer Legally in DE'
• 🖐️ Constellation’s Rule of Five Hard Punch

Domestic beer shipments are off to a rough start in 2025. 

U.S. beer shipments declined -8.7% year-over-year (YoY) in January 2025, as brewers shipped 10.55 million barrels, according to estimates of domestic tax paid shipments from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), shared by the Beer Institute (BI). The decline amounted to more than 1 million fewer barrels being shipped YoY. 

The numbers are a stark reversal from January 2024 when shipments increased +2.9% (more than 11.55 million barrels) and February 2024 when shipments grew +9.6% (more than 12.1 million barrels), before a big drop off in March (-15.8%, to 12.4 million barrels).

With a month in the books, the total beer supply for 2025 stands at -5.5% YoY, which BI chief economist Andrew Heritage described as “a soft month.”

Notably, the total beer supply for full-year 2024 was down -1.8%, while BI depletions for the category declined -2.5%, Heritage wrote. 2024’s volume declines were driven by a soft summer, with 87% of the losses occurring June through September.  

Heritage added that January and February 2024 saw “historically high shipments levels due to some front loading of supply as a precaution in case of labor disruptions (which also contributed to a soft March to even out Q1 inventories).”

Meaning, expect “some distortion to the monthly trends” in the YoY comps in Q1.

Heritage also pointed to instability in the greater economy as “uncertainty over future economic policy is leading to a pullback throughout the economy.”

Heritage wrote: “The Economic Policy Uncertainty Index, which compiles mentions of economic uncertainty in major newspapers, reached a 40-year high and is seven times the historical average for the first week of March 2025. The index has increased steadily since late January. Consumers seem to have taken notice and are pulling back spending on consumer goods, including beer. 

“Consumer confidence will likely rebound as uncertainty fades in the coming months.”

Insiders can go deeper into the numbers, including state shipment declines and import growth.

Gain cutting-edge insights from industry leaders, explore new technologies, and hone your skills at the Craft Brewers Conference, April 28-May 1 in Indianapolis Learn more

The hard tea segment operates similarly to soda, with one or two leading national players, and a handful of regional winners. 

With that analogy, and Boston Beer Company’s Twisted Tea equating to a Coke or Pepsi, California-based hard tea maker Jiant believes it can be hard tea’s Olipop – a flavor-forward, ingredient-focused functional brand that connects with new and lapsed consumers.  

Co-founder and co-CEO Larry Haertel Jr. told Brewbound: “Sure, we want to capture some share from the big yellow tea company, but we also want to bring new consumers to hard tea who might not be drinking hard tea right now, or might no longer be drinking hard tea because they've aged out of the product or category for whatever reason.”

To help attract more consumers, Jiant launched the Paradise Pack last month, a new variety pack featuring four 5% ABV yerba mate-based hard tea flavors: Pineapple Lime, Tropical Mango, Paradise Punch and Guava Lemonade. 

The offering – which boasts “real tropical fruit” and “75% less sugar than typical hard teas” – debuted with a national rollout through Whole Foods, and will hit other retailers’ shelves later this year, including Kroger, Total Wine, H-E-B, Safeway-Albertsons and more. 

The lower ABV of the Paradise Pack also opens up new opportunities for Jiant, with its existing portfolio, and creates a “set on the shelf” with its 7% ABV hard tea variety pack.

Insiders can read more, including why Jiant wanted a lower ABV hard tea offering, what’s on deck for 2025 and an update on its LA fire relief efforts. 

Molson Coors will close the Blue Moon brewpub in Denver’s River North Arts District at the end of the month, Brewbound has confirmed. The Denver Post first reported news of the closure. 

The closure coincides with the expiration of Molson Coors’ lease on the 26,000 sq. ft. space after nearly 9 years. 

In a statement shared with Brewbound, Molson Coors VP of Blue Moon Courtney Benedict thanked “the dedicated team who has made our RiNo brewpub a welcoming stop in Denver.”

Benedict also pointed to plans for the Blue Moon brand in 2025, “including a new national campaign, new product innovation and the opening of two new branded spaces in Atlanta and Dallas, plus enhancing our hometown Sandlot Brewery [at Coors Field] in Denver, where Blue Moon was first created in 1995.”

The closure is the latest paring down of Molson Coors’ footprint and portfolio of craft beer brands, which included selling 4 craft beer brands to Tilray Brands in 2024 and ending large-scale production at Leinenkugel’s Chippewa Falls brewery and the company’s Tenth Street Brewery in Milwaukee in mid-January. The company also shut down the AC Golden Brewing Co. in August. 

Insiders can read more about Blue Moon’s 2025 so far and future plans.

Sisterhood is powerful, especially for Kelly Gasnik and Jill Burns, founders of Austin

Cocktails. The sisters started the spirits-based RTD cocktail brand in 2012, helping to spearhead the current wave of canned cocktails. 

Constellation Brands first invested in the brand in 2018 as part of its Ventures program’s Focus on Female Founders initiative, and followed with a full acquisition in 2022. We chatted with the founders about how they would’ve spent their time and energy differently as a startup, what lessons they learned in the acquisition process, and why building a company is not a straight line. 

Here’s a snippet of the conversation: 

The RTD market has certainly changed since you founded the company. What are some of the biggest challenges in the market now, and how are you addressing them?

Jill: When we launched Austin Cocktails, the RTD space was dominated by a handful of value brands that lived on the bottom shelf in a dark corner of the store. As consumers became more health-conscious and demanded premium, natural-ingredient options, the category evolved. Major players recognized the potential, leading to the rise of powerhouse brands such as High Noon and Cutwater, backed by massive marketing budgets.

One of our biggest challenges today is maintaining shelf presence and competing for consumer attention with fewer resources. As a family-owned brand, we always scrutinized every marketing dollar spent and remained deeply involved in every campaign. 

After joining Constellation, we experienced rapid expansion, which made it more challenging to oversee marketing efforts with the same hands-on approach. Given the category’s explosive growth and increased competition, Constellation has taken a step back to ensure that our marketing investments are strategic, targeted, and impactful – focusing on the right retailers and key consumer touchpoints.

Insiders can read more from Jill and Kelly about their acquisition experience and lessons learned as entrepreneurs.

🤝 MNG 2005 Inc., the parent company of CBD Kratom cannabis dispensary, has acquired WellBeing Brewing Company, an NA beer maker based in St. Louis, St. Louis Magazine reported. The deal opens the door for CBD- and THC-infused products within WellBeing’s portfolio.

WellBeing’s offerings will continue to be produced at Schlafly Beer, which formed a joint venture in July 2022.

🫗 Michigan’s Saugatuck Brewing has permanently closed its taprooms in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, as it shifts its focus to distribution, MLive reported.

The company will continue to operate its pub and barrel room in Douglas, MI. The company produced an estimated 12,244 barrels of beer in 2023 (-1% YoY), according to Brewers Association data.

❌ In the latest walkback on tariffs, President Donald Trump has suspended the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada for most goods covered in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The delay would push off tariffs until April 2.

Only 3 of the beer category’s 10 segments have recorded off-premise dollar sales growth YTD through February 23, according to Circana’s most recent monthly report:

• FMBs, +0.5%, to $595.4 million;
• Domestic super premiums, +3.5%, to $563.9 million;
• And non-alcoholic beer, +25.8%, to $82 million.

Overall beer sales declined -2.7%, to $5.8 billion at MULO+C stores, primarily driven by declines in the c-store channel (-3.4%) and slightly offset by lesser declines at grocery (-1.7%). 

Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione delivered this morning’s keynote address at the 9th annual New England Craft Brew Summit, hosted by the Maine Brewers’ Guild in Portland, Maine. 

Sam described being the first brewery in Delaware and hanging up the first Dogfish Head sign with co-founder Mariah Calagione on the company’s first brewpub:

“A guy walks by and says ‘It’s illegal to open a brewery,’ so I literally got in my car that moment, drove to Dover and asked, ‘Which one’s the House, which one’s the Senate?’ and I wrote the first brewing bill for the state of Delaware.”

Look for more summit coverage next week in this newsletter and on Brewbound.com.

An unfamiliar face was included among Constellation Brands’ portfolio in the decked out brand room at this year’s Gold Network Summit in Orlando, Florida. 

Rule of Five Hard Punch is a new 6% ABV offering from the beer giant, available now in limited markets. The offering is meant to “set a new standard in the [hard punch] category,” made with Constellation’s “signature take on the historic recipe for punch comprised of 5 key components: “sour, sweet, strong flavor, weak flavor and spice,” a spokesperson shared with Brewbound. 

The stats:

• Availability: Des Moines, IA; Madison & Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis, MN; and Tampa, FL;
• Flavors: Strawberry Watermelon Lemon Punch, Cherry Pineapple Orange Punch, Passionfruit Mango Lime Punch and Mango Apple Lemon Punch;
• Packaging: Variety 12 oz. can 12-pack, plus 24 oz. single-serve cans of Strawberry Watermelon Lemon and Cherry Pineapple Orange.

The offering will be supported by sampling events and activations, dedicated paid social, “influencer engagement” and out-of-home advertising, as well as a “premium line of customized merch” and a sponsorship of Don’t Tell Comedy, a national stand-up comedy company.

The Brewbound team is hitting the road and heading to the Craft Brewers Conference on April 28 – May 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Brewbound trio will be on the ground, covering all the latest news and presentations coming out of the conference, as well as hosting live podcast interviews at the Brewbound booth (#512).

Make sure to stop by our booth #512, where Brewbound will be chatting with brewery founders and owners, beverage entrepreneurs and c-suite leadership across the industry. Whether you’re a business vet or just starting out, we’d love to meet you and hear what’s new.

How to Connect with Us:

• Stop by our booth (#512): We’re excited to set up our Brewbound Podcast studio at BrewExpo America and engage with brewery leaders and industry suppliers. Swing by to meet our team, watch a podcast interview recording, participate in social content, and walk away with a T-shirt.
• Submit your news: Have news or updates from your brewery? Our team is covering the event and would love to hear from you. Submit your news here.
• Contact us to set up a time to chat: Want to schedule time to connect or be part of our coverage? Reach out to us at news@brewbound.com.

World Brewing Alliance CEO Justin Kissinger dishes on the global beer market, non-alcoholic beer trends, the rise of West African ancient grain fonio and emerging markets in the latest episode of the Brewbound Podcast. 

In addition, Kissinger dives into the dietary guidelines that are under review and may be revised. He also shares his favorite places in the world to drink beer.

Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.