Welcome to Brewbound’s Inside Look at the Beer Business for the week that was … Saturday, March 8, 2025.

Ya gotta love when the CPG industry listens to the demands of the people, and finally cuts out the middleman to make all of our lives that much easier and more fulfilling. 

Yes, Zoe’s darty crowd will no longer have to mix their CRYSTAL LIGHT and vodka themselves, as the KRAFT HEINZ people have indeed read all of your letters (Zoe, please tell Donny to cool it on the postcards), and finally giving us 3.8% ABV Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers!

Although obviously if you still need an extra kick of that impossible-to-resist and unmistakable CRYSTAL LIGHT taste … by all means continue to carry the extra mix packets to your parties.

THEN: Just my occasional blatant plea for West Coast beer on the East Coast – RUSSIAN RIVER and FIRESTONE WALKER are putting out STiVO pils again (portmanteau of FW’s Pivo Pils and RR’s STS Pils). Sadly, it’s only at FW taprooms in CA … but I’m really hoping it becomes available in Justin’s fridge soon, or better yet, mine. 

AND: Yeah, the Super Bowl didn’t save beer. Again. BWC dove into the NIQ off-prem numbers, where beer sales were down YoY in the weeks around the big game for the 2nd year in a row, with L4W sales ending Feb. 15 at -3.5% (volume -5.2%).

• Obviously summer is the big change that needs to happen for beer this year – the SB period typically represents only 3.5% of annual beer biz sales – but having a hole in the first key beer buying period of 2025 is never a morale-boosting event.
• You’ll also see this reflected in the February BPI down below today.
• The 2 previously positive sectors of Imports and FMBs also saw YoY declines in that L4W period, although to a lesser extent than overall beer sales.
• The 2 things that did grow? Super Premium (driven by MICH ULTRA, which seemingly also had a large marketing spend in the period) and non-alc. Zoe has your full details here.

PLUS: The BI is putting tax-paid U.S. beer shipments at -8.7% for January (or more than -1M BBL). Jan. 2024 was +2.4% YoY. 

• BI chief economist Andrew Heritage cited economic uncertainty among consumers due at least in part to the actions of the new administration as a cause here of the pullback.
• He also said “Consumer confidence will likely rebound as uncertainty fades in the coming months,” which I’ll just say is a bold prediction about uncertainty fading. 

THEN: CIRCANA data for the following week, ending Feb. 23, was -8.1% for beer, and -6% for total bev-alc both YoY and WoW. 

• SO: A lot riding on ya this year, St. Patrick! What? It’s on a Monday?! FML. (although GUINNESS sales were at least +2.4% in that week ending Feb. 23 period).
• OR: Maybe all we need are more 10% ABV beverages served in the responsible packaging of 19.2 oz. cans. Yup, that’ll do it. 👍

Let’s shine some light on folks doing some good for others.

While the overall category numbers are what they are – the industry is still the most local of all sectors in the industry, and it’s nice to see some businesses still creating opportunities for others.

FIRST: IA’s BIG GROVE has set up a micro-grant initiative ($250 to $1,000) for local individuals and organizations doing “small-scale, high-impact community projects,” to be funded by sales of a new lager called The Neighborhood Beer and $20k in seed funding from the brewery. Well done, folks!

THEN: SAM ADAMS opened up the application process for its annual Brewing the American Dream experienceship, giving an opportunity for mentorship from and collaboration with SAM ADAMS leadership. The process is open here through March 21.

Total revenue for craft beer’s trade organization was -8.5% in 2024, to $20.9M. 

While every revenue-driver was down YoY, membership actually had the smallest decline at -2.3% ($3.04M, or about 14% of the total).

The organization’s largest revenue-driver by far is events, which was -11% YoY (to $12.3M), although the cancellation of Homebrew Con as its own event likely played a role in this.

Jess has your full breakdown of the details here.

While President Trump seems to have a new take on tariffs a couple times a week these days (frankly, I’m loath to even put what the current policy is as it may very well change by the time you read this) – Canada has definitively made its move.

Or at least the province of Ontario has, as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is ceasing imports of U.S. produced beer, wine and spirits, and canceling existing orders. Obviously this is just one province – but it contains Toronto and Ottawa so … pretty meaningful.

The LCBO imports around $965M of bev-alc products a year. Now, it does not.

TALEA

Sales Rep – NYC and NJ

CINDERLANDS BEER CO

Sales Rep – Pittsburgh, PA

WILDING BRANDS

Packaging Technician – Denver, CO

Heading to CBC in 2 months? Come by booth #512!

I’m told that if you know the secret word, the BREWBOUND crew will give you a signed 8x10 glossy. See you in Indianapolis at the end of April (well, they will – I was told I have to sit at BREWBOUND headquarters back East in case any packages come in). 

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

Yes, I’m afraid we’re in for a fun … well, at least another 4-week period of winter both figuratively and literally, as the February BPI from the NBWA for total beer was -14 points YoY to a 35. 🥺

Even Imports are now skirting closer to 50 than one would like to see, at a 55. 

Below Premium and FMB were the only ones to see YoY growth, but even then – both were well below 50 (43 and 36 respectively).

As for Craft – with these trends, I’m thinking it’s only a matter of a few months before Lester just stops asking. It came in at 17.

The company has 2 new “beyond beer” offerings that are rolling out in limited markets:

• Sinless Spirits – 4.5% ABV vodka-based RTD cocktails, launching in 3 markets in April.
• Just Hard Squeezed – 4.2% hard juice FMBs with real fruit juice and alcohol from cane sugar. Those will roll out in 4 markets. 

AND: SAM ADAMS decided that beer names with 6 words are out, and 4 words are in – Wicked Hazy Juicy New England IPA will now just be New England Juicy IPA. 

• MOLSON COORS is shuttering the Denver RiNo district BLUE MOON brewpub at the end of March, when MC’s lease expires after a 9-year run.
• MI’s SAUGATUCK BREWING has closed the doors at its Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids taproom locations, according to MI Live, but will continue to exist in the off-prem and keep its location in Douglas, MI.  
• NJ’s BROTHERTON BREWING has also decided to close up shop after 10 years.
• OK, yeah, just so we don’t have all closings news here this week – Zoe has you covered about the insights she took away from CONSTELLATION’s Gold Network Summit with distributors this week in Orlando. Apparently they’re doing quite well! Nice to see MODELO just 2 years away from printing up those 35 Years of Uninterrupted YoY Growth! T-shirts. 

World Brewing Alliance CEO Justin Kissinger joins the pod this week to talk all things:

• Global beer market (and his favorite places to drink beer in the world)
• Non-alcoholic beer trends
• The rise of West African ancient grain fonio and more

PLUS: The BREWBOUND gang talk Q4 earnings season, and their biggest takeaways from the BOSTON BEER, MONSTER and A-B calls last week.

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 the folks at MILLER, as it is somehow the most-searched for beer brand in the U.S. according to recent GOOGLE Trends data from the folks at COFFEENESS.

Now, why the “definitive resource on all things about coffee machines” is diving into beer brand GOOGLE search data is a bit uncertain … but let’s just be thankful for the data we have in these crazy times.

Let’s also not really ask why there are apparently so many questions about the MILLER brand that people feel the need to actively search for it in 2025 … but I will give a special shout out to GUINNESS, which was #1 in 3 states – including New Jersey, so clearly my hard work is paying off.

Slainté!

-Sean McNulty 

(you can always reach me here on LinkedIn)