• 🌾 Saint Arnold Brewing Celebrates 30 Years
• 🪧 Fort Worth Teamsters Vote to Ratify Contract
• 👀 Albertsons Execs Allegedly Deleted Texts
• 🎙️ The Toll of Burnout and Craft’s Barriers to Entry
• 💰 Sapporo-Stone's $60 Million Expansion Plan
• 📱 The Best Beer, According to TikTok

Next month, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewery in the state of Texas, will celebrate its 30th anniversary. It only took about half that time for it to become “an overnight success,” joked Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner. 

After working in investment banking for a few years post college, Wagner decided to turn his homebrewing hobby into a business. 

He told Brewbound: “Craft breweries were starting to open around the country, and Houston – where I lived – was the largest city that didn't have a microbrewery in it. I thought ‘this is going to be easy.’”

It was not. Turns out, “people in Houston and in Texas had no idea what craft beer was,” Wagner said. He spent the first decade of his business focused on education – anything from Saturday tours, to samplings, and beer tastings that included other craft beers as well.

Texas laws were also among the most restrictive in the country, and it wasn’t until 2013 when a package of bills lobbied for by Wagner and other brewers brought sweeping reform, creating a modern framework for craft beer in the state. 

Wagner now looks back at the fruits of his labor: More than 100 releases; a historic city building with a state-of-the-art brewery and neighboring 25,000-square-foot beer garden and restaurant;, a staff of over 200; and 29 Great American Beer Festival medals and 14 World Beer Cup awards, more than any other brewery in the South. 

Much of those accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t stayed focused on his home market, Wagner said.

Insiders can read more from BevNET spirits editor Ferron Salniker’s conversation with Wagner, including Saint Arnold’s local focus and how the company beat its reputation as a “stuffy old brewery” in the fast-evolving craft beer scene.

Teamsters have voted to ratify a contract with Molson Coors, ending a more than three-month-long strike at the major brewer’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility.

The three-year agreement, which covers 420 workers, “secures wage increases, improves benefits and restores retiree health care,” Teamsters shared on Twitter/X. 

Jeff Padellaro, director of the Teamsters brewery, bakery and soft drink conference, said: “Our members never gave up; they pushed back on this company until they got a fair contract that recognizes their contributions. Teamsters don’t back down from a fight, and we will always fight for what we deserve.”

Molson Coors Chief Supply Officer Brian Erhardt wrote to distributors: “I am pleased to share that earlier today brewery workers represented by Teamsters Local 997 at our Fort Worth Brewery voted to ratify an agreement with Molson Coors for the renewal of their collective bargaining agreement. Brewery workers will return to work on Wednesday, May 29.

“This new three-year collective agreement is fair and equitable for both our employees and the company and will contribute to our collective success.”

Insiders can read more, including additional comments from Erhardt and a recap of the past three months.

The latest update in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s ongoing review of the merger between Kroger/Albertsons was definitely not on our bingo card this week. The federal regulator is alleging Albertsons execs deleted text messages related to the case. 

During in-house administrative proceedings on Friday, the agency said it has been trying to retrieve text messages and notes made by witnesses in the case. The FTC called the messages “highly probative of issues in the case.” 

Albertsons’ refusal is “particularly concerning,” the complaint states, because at least two executives deleted text messages for nearly a year after the grocer was required to retain documents. The missing texts allegedly suggest some individuals questioned claims Kroger made about the merger’s consumer benefits. 

Kroger produced “hundreds of pages” of annotated hard copy documents from meetings attended by Stuart Aitken – the retailer’s chief merchant and marketing officer and a preliminary witness for both sides – but is now refusing to provide any additional materials.

Kroger defended itself by claiming the FTC has had more than a year to build its case while the grocer only has the discovery period – which ends in three weeks – to create its defense. 

Catch Up: Kroger/Albertsons Add 166 Stores and Support Assets To Updated Divestiture Plan With C&S.

Infinite Ingredient founder and executive director Katie Muggli joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss burnout in the brewing industry, how to recognize it, and what resources are available for both industry leaders and individuals. Recognizing burnout can help industry members physically and mentally, and can help strengthen business's bottom line, according to Muggli. 

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, so it’s a perfect time for this discussion, which was recorded on the trade show floor last month during the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas. 

Then, Ashlie Randolph chats with Brewbound managing editor Jess Infante about Lifting Lucy, the company Randolph co-founded that helps provide resources to women and non-binary people of color in the industry. Lifting Lucy helps industry members form deeper connections in beer, including providing financial assistance to travel to, attend and speak at conferences and networking events. 

Randolph is also the global vice president for Pink Boots Society, International and on the advisory board for the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A). 

Later in the episode, Justin and Zoe review the latest headlines, including Gallo’s strategic investment in Montucky Cold Snacks, and Boston Beer Company founder Jim Koch’s comments on the company’s need to repair its “embarrassing” reputation. Plus, the duo plays Another Round or Tabbing Out on resealable bev-alc packaging and candy-inspired beverages. 

Listen here or on your podcast platform of choice.

Sapporo-Stone Brewing Co. unveiled a $60 million expansion plan Tuesday that will double the company’s annual capacity to about 700,000 barrels. 

The news comes less than two years after Japanese beer giant Sapporo acquired Stone Brewing, then the seventh-largest independent craft brewery in the country, for $165 million. Post-integration, the joint company has 850 employees, 600 of whom are based in San Diego County. 

The new capacity will be spread across the company’s breweries in Escondido, California and Richmond, Virginia. The first phase of the expansion, valued at $20 million, is nearly complete, according to a press release. Part of the first phase included the addition of 200 new jobs, 125 locally and 75 outside of San Diego County. Additionally, “more than 150 team members have been promoted or moved into new or expanded roles since the acquisition,” according to the release. 

Sapporo-Stone interim CEO Zach Keeling said in the release: "Operationally, this acquisition looks a lot like a merger. Our two companies are now fully integrated – innovating, brewing, selling, marketing and operating as a single, combined business. The Sapporo and Stone Brewing brands will maintain their individual identities, but we are Sapporo-Stone in name, operations and culture."

Keeling was given the interim CEO role in January, following the departure of Maria Stipp, who had held the position at Stone for more than three years. Keeling previously served as chief financial and strategy officer. 

Insiders can read more, including the latest scan data for Sapporo and Stone.

Fun Fact: I (Zoe) have been in charge of the newsletter this week as Jess wraps her maternity leave and Justin takes a vacation after years of us begging him to. Today, I’ve decided to totally abuse the power I’ve been given and create a new newsletter section – Social Stream – to share something that came across my TikTok FYP. 

There have been numerous conversations in the past year about beer losing occasions to spirits with the influx of spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails and hard seltzers. 

Not to worry. Apparently there are still many beer occasions, according to a clip from the podcast It’s Me, Tinx featuring host and “TikTok’s older sister” Tinx and internet personality Connor Wood (a.k.a. the “I have purse guy” #IYKYK). 

In the clip, Tinx and Connor list their “best beers” – not the brands they love the best, but rather the specific scenarios where you’re drinking a beer and it’s the absolute best. For example: The beer you have when you’re transitioning from the day to the night while on a trip with friends. 

Check out the full clip and all their “best beers” here. Also highly recommend checking out the other examples in the comments.

The Brewbound Live business conference returns December 11 and 12 in Marina del Rey, California.

Brewbound Live will feature beverage-alcohol industry leaders taking part in business-focused conversations, data presentations, networking and much more across two days at the Marina del Rey Marriott.

Brewbound announced the first speakers for this year’s conference. They include:

• Russian River co-owner Natalie Cilurzo;
• Deschutes Brewery CEO Peter Skrbek;
• National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones;
• Draftline Technologies founder and president Jennifer Hauke.

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Register for Brewbound Live 2024.