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

It’s always great when someone pours a fresh can of gasoline on the perennial kids in taprooms bonfire that seems to eternally burn in the craft beer world … thanks, NY Times.

The takeaway? Congratulations, you run a hospitality business – do what you see fit for your facility, clientele and neighborhood, of which there are probably about 9,500 variations in this industry. This isn’t APPLEBEE’S, even though many folks continually want to treat craft beer as some monolithic entity.

Also, folks somehow managed to find places to take kids before every county had 5 breweries, so I think we’ll be fine with whatever policy you like.

Here are the June bev-alc numbers:

• Total bev-alc: +1.4% YoY 
• Overall CPI: +2.8%

As for away-from-home numbers:

• Total bev-alc: +3.2%
• Spirits: +3.9%
• Beer: +3.1%
• Wine: +2.9%

5.6 beers a week to 4.8 beers

That’s the trend cited by Lester Jones at the NBWA for the change in 12 oz. beer consumption among 21+/LDAs from 2015 to 2024, and I’m pretty sure that’s just because of me and Justin. 

Sorry everybody, although if we’re including non-alc – we’re getting the number back up there!

A big change in craft beer leadership this week, as BARREL ONE Collective and HARPOON co-founder Dan Kenary announced that he’s stepping down as CEO and transitioning to a president role after taking an 8-week sabbatical.

BARREL ONE prez Nathaniel Davis will step up to the CEO role, as Dan plans to only work 40 to 45 hours a week, which ironically is the same amount of time I tell Justin that it takes me to do this newsletter. 🤫

Davis joined MASS. BAY Brewing Co. in 2023 after a long career at A-B and a 5-year stint as the CEO of DRINKWORKS, the KDP/A-B JV #eyechart centered on a pod-based, at-home drinkmaking system.

BREWERY BRANDING CO.

Account Manager – Portland, OR

INDUSTRIAL ARTS BREWING CO.

Packaging Operator – Beacon, NY

GUARDIAN DISTRIBUTORS

NIQ shared its 2025 “Halftime”/mid-year report this week, and here’s what we got in off-prem sales, which topped $53B through July 5:

• Total bev alc: -3%
• Beer: -3.1% (42.7% total bev-alc dollar share)
• Spirits: -5.9% (27% share)
• Wine: -2.8% (18.1% share)
• RTD: +1.7% (12.3% share)

Every category lost volume. Justin has further intel from the report here.

• OUTLAW LIGHT from TIVIOLI Brewing is on track to hit nearly 109k BBL of sales this year, up from 62k last year, as it closes in on a national distro footprint.
• Zoe checks in on the progress that the ALES FOR ALS effort is making, as it hits $1M raised so far.
• GALLO is joining the march over to REYES in CA with its spirits and select wine SKUs, after moving HIGH NOON over earlier this year.
• Spirits giant PROXIMO moved its portfolio over to BREAKTHRU in CA, with whom it’s already partnered in CO, MO and NV.
• REDWOOD HOLDINGS is buying OHIO EAGLE, moving its 7M CEs to its portfolio, according to BMI. No price was disclosed.
• BARSTOOL’s Dave Portnoy is having a week – first a big deal with FS1, and now he’s also a marketing partner for a new energy drink called PHX, although he does not have a financial stake in the company.
• LIQUID DEATH is also entering the energy drink space, according to the WSJ, with a Sparkling Energy drink line.
• BOSTON BEER renewed its deal with FENWAY PARK for another 10 years, after kicking it off in 2018.
• ATHLETIC extended its brand partnership with ARSENAL F.C. in the U.K., expanding ATHLETIC offerings at the club’s EMIRATES STADIUM, and adding a co-branded brew in the future.
• The VERMONT BREWERS FESTIVAL is giving Canadians a $17 discount to boost ticket sales from the north-of-the-border contingent that typically makes up 10% of attendees, and who is now … a bit more reticent about crossing the border these days. VT border crossings are -23% through May this year.

OK, it’s mid-July and I have a lotta newsletters to go until December, so I gotta save some of my “best” material til at least the fall.

Hence – just book your hotel room now here and save $100 with early registration! 

WORTH BREWING co-founder Peter Ausenhus joins the pod this week to discuss how adding an AIRBNB to the brewery location has increased business for the brewery, sharing insights about the steps required and potential upside as part of the pod’s Taproom Tactics series.

BUT FIRST: The BREWBOUND trio dive into:

• The change atop BARREL ONE
• SLOOP and HENDLER’s new partnership
• Some drama around the Hulkster’s REAL AMERICAN BEER 😱
• Jess’ beach beer advertising report
• How we make Zoe a reality TV star

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 me for once! And this time I really deserve it.

I’ve spent the week in L.A. for work (Justin said to go do a hand count of MODELO on shelves to make sure the Q2 sales numbers are checking out), and I went to 4 different WHOLE FOODS looking for some PLINY (or any RUSSIAN RIVER) like I’m some beer nerd in 2016 and … nothing! Total strike out. 😩

Either I’m just picking all the wrong stores in the greater L.A. area … or we need to have a talk, California. A trip out here without a PLINY just doesn’t feel complete. Eh, let’s go check Justin’s basement beer fridge – that always cheers me up. 

And boss, if you had any RR in there –  just know that it went to a good place.

Slainté!

-Sean McNulty