Welcome to Brewbound’s Inside Look at the Beer Business for the week that was … Saturday, June 22, 2024.

While it’s nice to be the official beer of a sports league  ... it’s apparently another thing to supply beer for player celebrations. I mean, we’re not made of money, folks.

So alas, the only visibility that MICH ULTRA had in the CELTICS locker room celebration after winning the NBA Finals was … some signage in the background, as players celebrated with MILLER LITE, CORONA, HIGH NOON and even Boston’s own JACK’S ABBY. OK fine yes, and BUD LIGHT according to Zoe.

Either way – the thing about basketball players is that you can see what they’re drinking across a crowded room, as well as the sign of the league official sponsor behind them 👍.

PLUS: Nothing like being “that guy” and getting a jump on your GABF competition plans this year – registration is now open here.

AND: Come to the beach 🏖️ with BREWBOUND in mid-December! (Zoe's not saying a darty will be involved, but she's not saying it won't 🤫).

BREWBOUND Live is returning to Marina del Rey, CA, on Dec. 11 & 12 for 2 days of insightful conversations and analysis, plus top-notch industry networking opportunities. 

New speakers recently announced:

• Mary Mills, consultant for 3 Tier Beverages;
• Arthur Moye, owner and CEO of FULL CIRCLE Brewing;
• Kaleigh Theriault, director of thought leadership, beverage alcohol vertical at NIQ;
• Brian “BK” Krueger, VP of business development and portfolio strategies at BWC

They join these folks 👇, and you can register now here to get the special early registration pricing! 

That would be Art Larrance, who died of a heart attack at 80 years old in late May. While a sale to an investment group was in the offing in 2020, it turns out that full deal never closed and Art still owned the brewery  – something Art’s family was not aware of, and the family trust cannot sustain CASCADE financially, so here we are.

The brewery made about 1,800 BBL last year.

Art is well-known in Oregon’s beer community and beyond, having co-founded PORTLAND BREWING in 1986, and the OREGON BREWERS FESTIVAL in 1988, before starting CASCADE in 1998.

Other brewery closings

• Los Angeles craft OG EAGLE ROCK Brewing is closing, after a 15-year run. The brewery produced 923 BBL in 2023 according to BA numbers.
• PEACE TREE is going to call it a day after 15 years in Iowa, although the company’s taprooms in Knoxville and Des Moines will continue on “for the foreseeable future,” eventually shifting to guest taps when PEACE TREE beer runs out. The brewery made about 2,700 BBL last year, according to BA numbers.

AND: St. Louis’ URBAN CHESTNUT is facing two lawsuits from lenders, with claims that the brewery owes them more than $400K due to not making payments on them since 2016 (the loans were made in 2013).

BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING

Brewing – Anaheim, CA

FIDDLEHEAD BREWING

Senior QC – Shelburne, VT

DESCHUTES BREWING

Bernstein analyst Nadine Sarwat joins the pod this week to talk all aspects of a potential BOSTON BEER COMPANY sale. 

PLUS: The BREWBOUND trio throw some 🔥this week for both MILLER LITE and Tayor & Travis 😯, plus, they talk ATHLETIC’s new West Coast expansion plans, Hulk Hogan beer and more.

Listen Here!

• Zoe has a good look at why Hard Kombucha never quite became “a thing.” She is also not the boss of me. Except for anything related to gifs or Boston.
• 74% of craft beer sold in NIQ scans was in cans for the 4-week period ending May 18, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.
• Which is good news for BALL, who hopes to up its market cap by $9 billion to $30 billion by 2030. Half of BALL sales come from its North and Central America division.
• On-prem beer sales increased their share of total on-prem bev-alc sales +1.5% (to 34.4%) in the two-year period from April 2022 to April 2024, according to CGA, the on-premise arm of market research firm NIQ. Spirits still rule at 49.5% (-1.4% in the period).
• REYES subsidiary DET Beverages acquired around 1.6 million cases from CHEROKEE Distributing Company in two TN counties. Separately but related – AJAX Distributing is purchasing five counties in West Tennessee from DET.

This week’s beer is going out to true beer innovation. Sure, adding Lucky Charms to your imperial stout was cute, but Bolivia is showing us how it’s really done.

Meet coca-infused beer! Yes, that coca ... as in add an “ine” on the end and you’ve got yourself an episode of Miami Vice. The EL VIEJO ROBLE distillery has been making liquor from the coca leaves for years, and is now making a beer using the leaf (which has other properties and uses other than turning into a white powder).

However, it’ll only be available at artisanal fairs in Bolivia and Peru, where the leaf is legal (uh, as long as it’s not used to make cocaine), and if you thought craft beer nerds were chatty about beer at U.S. beer festivals, wait til they’ve had a coca-infused beer at an artisanal fair. 

But as we all know, no journey is too far to make in the name of innovation … just maybe don’t bring any back in your luggage. If you do – definitely mention Justin’s name at customs instead of mine.

Slainté!  

-Sean McNulty 

(you can always reach me here on LinkedIn)