• 📉 Craft Dollars -4%, Volume -5% YTD
• 🍻 NB2A Names 3 Board Leaders
• 🍓 Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers Arrive
• 💰Oregon Tax Increases; City Brewing Update
• 🔮 Guinness on the Podcast; Notes from Maine

Dollar sales of craft beer declined -4.2% YTD, to more than $596.2 million, through February 23 in off-premise retailers tracked by market research firm Circana. 

Craft volumes YTD were deeper in the red, dropping -5.4% YoY. Those early declines outpaced the overall beer category (-2.7% dollars, -4.5% volume) through the first 2 months of 2025.

The craft segment holds a 10.26% share of beer category dollars, shedding -0.17 share points thus far this year. 

Craft’s dollar sales declines were steepest in the grocery channel (-5%, to more than $323 million), while sales in c-stores fared slightly better (-2.4%, to more than $217.9 million). 

As a reminder, off-premise scans capture only a part of the overall industry data puzzle. 

11 of the top 30 craft brands increased dollar sales and volume through the first 2 months of the year. 3 of the top 5 best-selling craft brands YTD increased both dollars and volume:

• No. 2 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA +5% dollars, to $27.5 million; +3.5% volume;
• No. 3 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA +12.1% dollars, to nearly $24.7 million; +10.1% volume;
• No. 4 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Things IPA +1.9% dollars, to nearly $17.5 million; +1.5% volume.

Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Belgian White remained the top-selling craft beer in off-premise channels by a nearly $5.8 million margin over Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA. Nevertheless, Blue Moon remained in the red in both dollars (-4.7%, to nearly $33.3 million) and volume (-6.9%) in early 2025.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale rounded out the top 5, declining -4% in dollars, to $11.56 million, and -5.3% in volume. 

Other craft brands in growth in early 2025 included 4 brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B), 2 from Molson Coors, and 1 each from New Belgium and Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist.

Insiders can go deeper into the early year trends, including which brands are declining, which brands are popping up in grocery or c-stores and how NA-beer maker Athletic is faring through 2 months.

The National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) has named 2 additional board members, in addition to board president Jon Renthrope. 

Funkytown Brewery co-founder and CEO Rich Bloomfield and Vine Street Brewing co-owner and business development manager Annie McGinnis were named to the board as treasurer and secretary, respectively. Both are joining the NB2A board for the first time. 

Bloomfield plans to bring his project management skills to his role as treasurer. Chicago-based Funkytown kicked off a seed funding round late last year as it works to open its own taproom on the city’s West Side. 

Renthrope, the CEO and brewmaster of New Orleans-based Cajun Fire and a founding board member, has taken over the presidency from Marcus Baskerville. [Insiders can read more from Renthrope, including his goals for his term in his exclusive A Round With Q&A.]

Insiders can read more about the NB2A’s new leaders, along with comments from McGinnis and Bloomfield.

Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers are rolling out to 10 states this month.

A collaboration between Kraft Heinz and Harpoon maker Barrel One Collective, the 3.8% ABV vodka-based seltzer has 77 calories per 12 oz. serving, making it “the lowest-calorie ready-to-drink [RTD] cocktail on the market,” according to a press release. The new product also boasts 0 carbs and 0 sugar.

Initial markets include ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NJ, OH, IL and WI, according to a Barrel One spokesperson. A wider roll out is planned for 2026, according to the release.

Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers will be available in Wild Strawberry and Lemonade, each sold in 12 oz. can 4-packs with a suggested retail price of $9.99. More flavors and a variety pack are slated for next year. 

Insiders can read more about the product’s specs, target demos and consumer insights that led to its creation.

💸 Oregon legislators are not giving up the fight to impose tax increases on bev-alc, with Rep. Tawna Sanchez introducing amendments to H.B. 3197 last week, proposing a nearly +1,200% tax increase over the next 7 years. 

The amendments would slowly add a retail sales tax rate to “malt beverages, cider and wine,” beginning with a rate of 2% of the retail sales price for purchases made on or after July 1, 2026, and increasing to 4% on January 1, 2028; 6% on January 1, 2030; and 8% on January 1, 2032. 

The move comes 3 months after Sanchez submitted the final report from the Oregon Task Force on Alcohol Pricing and Addiction Services, which failed to “collectively endorse” any recommendations for the state. 

🏭 City Brewing is considering a deal with its creditors that would potentially see its lenders assuming control of the contract brewing giant, according to a Bloomberg report. City’s investors include Charlesbank Capital Partners and Oaktree Capital Management.

S&P Global reported in January that City missed quarterly principal payments on loans due at the end of 2024, and entered into a forbearance agreement with its lenders to temporarily pause payments. City also received a $35 million bridge loan. 

City is a major contract producer for brands from Boston Beer (Truly Hard Seltzer), Mark Anthony Brands (White Claw) and Pabst Brewing, which entered into a supplemental contract brewing agreement with Anheuser-Busch in January. In a 10K filing, Boston Beer said it expects 20% of its domestic shipment volume to be brewed at City facilities in 2025, down from 26% in 2024.

On this week’s Brewbound Podcast, Ryan Wagner, Guinness head of marketing and national ambassador for the Open Gate Brewery, talks all about the Irish import ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. 

Plus, look for coverage from Jess and Zoe’s trip to the New England Craft Brew Summit in Maine, and continued coverage of Constellation Brands’ Gold Network Summit, including plans for Corona, Pacifico and Victoria. 

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.

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.