Welcome to Brewbound’s Inside Look at the Beer Business for the week that was … Saturday, May 24, 2025.

As summer dawns upon us, it seems the #beerbiz is finally getting its drip on! And thankfully not in a way that subsequently involves a call to your draught system maintenance company.

PACIFICO and QUICKSILVER have extended their partnership to create 17 new styles for the 3rd year of their fashion collab, and DALE’S is also getting into the fashionista lifestyle by releasing 15-packs in classic denim-wrapped cases this summer.

Plus, yours truly was invited to his first beer/fashion event! 😱 No, Zoe, it wasn’t to do modeling work, but thanks for asking (even though I know you were doing so sarcastically – and clearly Dave Williams gets those calls before I do).

Rather, it was for a gathering to celebrate a summer collab between MONTAUK BREWING and the FAHERTY clothing brand. 

MONTAUK has a beer in the works called The Apres Surf Beer that will be available at the Montauk, NY taproom and at select events with FAHERTY this summer (it’s still being brewed, hence this scenic photo with another summer-themed MONTAUK beer from the FAHERTY NYC showroom this week).

OH: Jess – the FAHERTY line is run by folks from the Jersey Shore where they have an IRL location, so you and I will totally have to do a pop in this summer to create an ’80s movie-style fashion montage for the BREWBOUND social channels.

Hopefully they’re OK with us bringing our own beer into the store. 🤞

PLUS: The 2 biggest beer sales share gainers in CIRCANA data YTD through April 20, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights?

• N/A: +0.3 share
• SUPER PREMIUM: +0.6 share (but this is all MICH ULTRA – sales for the rest of the category are -5%)

AND: TILRAY’s 10 BARREL announced a new entry in that growing NA field, NA Apocalypse IPA.

FINALLY: You can always count on Hulk Hogan to make beer proud (just watch out for flying full beer cans at promo events), as REAL AMERICAN BEER is making plans to submit a bid for the HOOTERS brand, according to Business Insider. I’m sure Mr. Bollea will be nothing but a classy brand steward for the IP.

CGA’s NIQ did a check in on where volume stands in the on-prem vs. the late 2019/early 2020 pre-COVID times, and here’s the volume levels for each category now:

• LIQUOR: 93% of pre-COVID volume 🤌
• BEER: 83% 🥴
• WINE: 66% 😬

Which has led to a new beer industry trade group tagline being put in the works: “Beer: at least we’re not wine.” It’s a work in progress. But maybe wine should try uh, raising prices? 🤷‍♂️

Here are the price increases for each category in the on-prem since pre-COVID:

• BEER: +26%
• LIQUOR: +25%
• WINE: +12%

Finally here’s how the dollar share works out for the TTM period ending March 22:

• LIQUOR: 46.3% (-0.3%)
• BEER: 39.9% (+0.1%)
• WINE: 12.7% (-0.2%)
• RTD: 1.2% (+0.4%) – this is largely seen as taking share from the liquor category.

Yeah these 2024 Top 10 brewery production numbers from the BA are … varied! That can be construed as a positive word, right?

1. YUENGLING: 2.5M BBL (-232,500 BBL,  -8% YoY)
2. BOSTON BEER: 1.1M BBL (-320,580 BBL, -23%), this includes DOGFISH and SAM ADAMS, but none of the FMBs at the company (i.e. beer only).
3. SIERRA NEVADA: 1.07M BBL (+15,757 BBL, +2%)
4. TILRAY: 783K BBL (-114K BBL, -13%)
5. FIRESTONE WALKER: 480K BBL (-15K BBL, -3%), but if you add in BOULEVARD and BREWERY OMMEGANG, it was 647K BBL.
6. GAMBRINUS: 454K BBL (-3%)
7. FX MATT: 403K BBL (+20,662 BBL, +5%)
8. ATHLETIC BREWING: 400K BBL (+141,500 BBL, +55%), this brewery made about 9K BBL just 5 years prior.
9. BROOKLYN BREWERY: 359K (+9K BBL, +3%)
10. MONSTER BREWING: 303K (-35,252 BBL, -12%), this does not include FMBs like The Beast.

BUT: 28 of the Top 50 on the 2024 BA list saw production increases! That’s up from 20 in 2023.

HOWEVER: As you see above – those that declined … declined pretty hard, so total Top 50 volume was -4% to about 11.6M BBL.

The Top 50 volume comprised 50.2% of all BA-defined craft beer in 2024. Zoe has the full breakdown of the numbers for the “bottom 40” of the Top 50 here. That’s some nice calculator work. 👏

FOOTHILLS BREWING

Key Account Sales Mgr – Winston-Salem, NC

CEREBRAL BREWING

Marketing & Events Manager – Denver, CO

VICTORY BREWING

The new expectation for 2025 beer volume decline from distributors, according to a JEFFERIES survey of the sector. Projections were at -1% in the fall survey.

Craft is projected to have the largest decline (-4%, hope you were sitting down for that), followed by:

• Malt-based seltzers: -3%
• Domestic premium:-2%
• Hard cider: -1.5%
• “Economy:” -0.5%

Although Imports’ revised 1% growth is really the thing dampening the outlook among wholesalers.

The growers?

• NA beer: +6%
• Domestic super premium: +2.5%
• FMBs: +2%

Zoe has more survey response insights here, with outlooks for various #bigbeer players, including MC’s worsening shelf space challenges this year.

• BEATBOX is on track to hit $260M in sales this year, up from $176M in 2024. 84% of its 130K accounts are buying every month.
• DIAGEO is going to cut costs by $500M to add $3B in cash flow in FY26, and is considering axing “significant” assets by 2028. Although it reiterated that GUINNESS is not on the list of things it’s currently looking to sell.
• Texas is a Governor’s signature away from banning THC and THCA hemp products come September.
• IA’s BIG GROVE is doing its first location expansion outside of Justin’s home state, opening outposts in Omaha and Kansas City … using a store-owned business model that it’s already employed in 3 of its Iowa locations.
• Another week, another distributor deal – TX’s ANDREWS bought all assets from fellow TX distributor SOUTHERN DISTRIBUTING, making for ANDREWS’ 6th location in the state and increasing business by 5.3M cases.
• CLASSIC BEVERAGE of Southern California is laying off 276 workers, as it closes down 2 locations as part of its acquisition by HAND FAMILY COMPANIES.

It’s a 2 for 1! Nice to see the podcast get in the ‘25 spirit of also offering deals to move product.

FIRST UP: SIERRA NEVADA chief commercial officer Ellie Preslar and chief brewing officer Brian Grossman join the pod to talk about Pils, Big Little Thing’s recent glow-up and Pale Ale’s partnership with National Parks.

THEN: NEW TRAIL chief operating officer Mike LaRosa joins to discuss what it means to join the BA’s Top 50 list, the brewery’s volume gains and IPA innovation.

PLUS: Jess & Zoe discuss:

• Jess’ rather divergent religion-themed viewing habits of late
• Zoe’s inner struggle with the Masshole moniker in light of a new beer launch #punintended
• CA distribution changes and booze delivery intel
• Then Jess shares some uh, interesting choices of personality descriptors for herself that she seems very happy with. 

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 Norm himself, George Wendt, which is both an easy choice this week, and one that’s well-deserved … as beer sadly loses another icon from the ’80s.

Sure, Bob Uecker moved a lotta MILLER LITE … but Norm was clearly brand agnostic, in that we really have no idea what beer Cheers was in theory serving (I always like to think it was STROH’S in the early seasons, may it RIP).

I think we can all agree Norm is someone the beer biz could really use here in 2025. I mean, you just can’t picture a show like Cheers where people are sitting at the bar drinking HIGH NOONs. #ThanksGenerationZoe

So if you’re out to the bar this holiday weekend, order a draft beer for Norm. And well, the beer business too, but mostly to send a toast out to Mr. Wendt … I hope the beer is as cold in the afterlife as it is in Justin’s basement.

Slainté!

-Sean McNulty 

(you can always reach me here on LinkedIn)