Welcome to Brewbound’s Inside Look at the Beer Business for the week that was … Saturday, April 19, 2025.

Where ya gotta love the fine needle that THC brands will need to thread tomorrow as 4/20 lands on Easter Sunday.

Social media managers – maybe just get really creative today with 4/19 +1 posts, and take the Sunday off like you usually do. Look – we’ve even created these uh, MILLER LITE flavored PRINGLES infused with the essence of brats or beer can chicken for you to enjoy after enjoying some of your own product.

I mean, you can almost taste the perspiration from the MC marketing group trying to convince anyone that the MILLER LITE taste totally shines through both the potato product and BBQ’d meat flavoring.

AND: The 5 beer vendors to record sales growth in the off-prem this year through March 23, according to CIRCANA data (note – only 3 also grew volume):

• ATHLETIC (dollar sales +27.8%, volume +30%); 
• GELOSO (dollar sales +5.9%, volume +6.6%);
• SIERRA NEVADA (dollar sales +3.2%, volume +2.5%);
• MARK ANTHONY (dollar sales +1.2%, volume -1.3%);
• DIAGEO (dollar sales +1%, volume -3.8%).

PLUS: BEERBOARD puts on-prem draft volume for Q1 at -8.5% YOY for the locations it tracks. Although packaged beer was +6.4%.

• 10 NA beer brands accounted for 6.4% of that 6.4% (it’s a thinker, but you’ll get there).
• Jan ‘25 NA beer volume was +27% and sales +33% YoY.

OK first things first – the BA put 2024 volume at -4% (23.1M BBL).

But thankfully beer’s overall 🥴 fortunes have kept BA craft’s share of the beer market at 13.3%, and 24.7% of dollar sales.

Also, the top number here 👇 was bigger than the bottom number for the first time since 2005.

• 2024 Brewery Closings: 501
• 2024 Brewery Openings: 434

U.S. BREWERY COUNT (craft and non-craft):

• 2024: 9,680
• 2023: 9,747

Where 6 of the top 10 on the list were really craft beer conglomerates (rollups of several brands). Aren’t the mid 2020s grand? The other 4 basically have one main brand (YUENGLING, SIERRA, ATHLETIC, BROOKLYN). Now, who had 2024 in the office pool as for when a non-alcoholic brand cracked the Top 10?

This time, we actually have two! ✌️

FIRST UP:

Massachusetts, as Cape Cod’s HOG ISLAND Beer Co. has acquired MAYFLOWER Brewing, whose brewery has about a 15K BBL a year capacity.

No financial details were disclosed, and 2023 was the last year of BA-reported production data for both:

• MAYFLOWER: 4K BBL
• HOG ISLAND: 1.1K BBL

NEXT UP:

Over in California, SF’s FORT POINT is merging with Sonoma county’s HENHOUSE, although sadly they’re not going with the name FORT HEN (we also would have accepted HEN POINT, which also coulda been fun).

FP CEO Justin Catalana will lead FORT POINT HENHOUSE as CEO and HENHOUSE CEO Collin McDonnell will be the chief sales officer, with other co-founders of the respective breweries continuing in their current roles.

The combined output of the brands (which will remain separate) is expected to be 40K BBL this year.

• 5K BBL in 2024
• 8K BBL in 2025
• 11.5K BBL in 2026
• 14K BBL in 2027
• 19K BBL in 2028

That’s the growth plan Colorado’s WESTBOUND & DOWN is pitching its crowdsourcing investors, in an effort to raise $1.2M.

It also projects $3M of profits in 2028, when it will have almost quadrupled production over a 4-year period … if projections are met.

“The first quarter was just shitty, there’s no way around it.”

DESTIHL BREWERY

Shift Brewer – Normal, IL

SUNBOY

Regional Sales Rep – Southern California

FINBACK BREWERY

MC honcho Gavin Hattersley will retire at the end of the year after 6 years in the CEO role and 28 years in the industry. He’ll also exit the board, as well as his role as Beer Institute chairman. MC will be enlisting “a nationally recognized search firm” to find a successor. MC – Justin has my email when you’re ready to talk.

Heading to CBC in Indy in 2 weeks? Come by booth #512 and see the BREWBOUND team!

Just a reminder that Zoe will be conducting all interviews in one of those huge wicker sun hats and chic black sunglasses so that as soon as the conversation is done she’s able to bolt on her private jet to Miami for the F1 race … where she will tell people that BREWBOUND is a new boutique clothing line that she’s started.

Email news@brewbound.com to reach out about setting a time to chat, and submit your news around CBC here.

 “About 10% of every can in the United States comes from Canada.”

• CONSTELLATION has sold many of its lower priced wine brands like WOODBRIDGE, SIMI, MEIOMI and others to THE WINE GROUP. A price was not disclosed.
• A CA distiller called THE OBSCURE DISTILLER has filed a federal lawsuit against NY, accusing the state of an unfair trade barrier as out-of-state distillers can only ship into NY if their state allows NY distillers to ship to theirs.
• The MJF (Michael James Jackson Foundation) has given out over $507K in grants to 58 awardees since it began 2021.
• The number of grocery and big-box stores that sell wine & beer as well as spirits in Colorado will be capped at its current 36 number thanks to a new law to protect independent liquor stores in the state.

IBOTTA chief revenue officer Chris Riedy joins the pod to talk all things cashback rewards! Sadly, there is not one for hosting a podcast, but certainly quite a few ideas here on how breweries can utilize the tactics.

PLUS: The BREWBOUND crew dive into:

• Their biggest surprises from the BA’s new Top 50 list
• Beer conglomerate brewing location consolidation
• More small brewery mergers
• Drinking beer in the shower and much more!

This week’s beer goes out to WALMART, who seems to be coming for that sweet, sweet KIRKLAND action.

Yes, according to Ad Age, WALMART is prepping a BREWMASTERS SELECTION line of beers, working with CITY BREWING in CA to make the golden goodness.

Names like Golden Cerveza, Brewmasters Premier and Brewmasters Lite appear to be the initial selections – no word on any barrel aged stouts yet, but obviously those need some time and love.

“Can wine be far off?” noted KIRKLAND Sauvignon Blanc enthusiast Jess is asking from the corner. Hey, in the magical world of the mid 2020s bev-alc business, all dreams are possible, JI (although there’s no evidence of that out there on the interwebs).

So, add a major U.S. beer retailer starting their own line of (likely discounted) beer to your list of “good news!” in the industry, just 4 months into the year.

Slainté!

-Sean McNulty 

(you can always reach me here on LinkedIn)