🏍️ Wisconsin Brewing & Harley-Davidson's NA Beer Collab

You’re receiving the Lite Edition of Brewbound’s daily newsletter. 

Join us as a Brewbound Insider to receive the full version which includes:

• Details on the rollout of a Harley Davidson-branded NA beer;
• The innovation strategy of Tip Top Cocktails;
• A reminder of how small most breweries are, from Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson;
• A look at the latest Beer Mail from Brewbound editor Justin Kendall.

Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content.

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Harley-Davidson is rolling into the non-alcoholic (NA) beer segment via a licensing deal with Wisconsin Brewing Company. 

Wisconsin Brewing president Paul Verdu spoke with Brewbound about the partnership, as well as how the company is taking a targeted approach to the rollout. 

Become a Brewbound Insider to get all the details. 

Tip Top Proper Cocktails would have released 11 new styles of canned cocktails this year, if it had the resources.

How many did they settle for and why do they believe constant innovation is so important? Become a Brewbound Insider to find out and read comments from co-founder and chief brand officer Neal Cohen.

Brewbound Insiders are getting all the details from today’s featured stories, including comments from Wisconsin president Paul Verdu and Tip Top Cocktails co-founder and chief brand officer Neal Cohen. 

Insiders are also reading two newsletter-exclusive stories today, including Data Dive into brewery production stats, and a peek at Justin’s latest non-alcoholic haul.

Become a Brewbound Insider to receive these insights and more.

Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content.

Become a Brewbound Insider today!

Or, be in the know on all food and beverage news from Brewbound, BevNET and NOSH with Insider All Access.

It’s American Craft Beer Week. Today through Sunday, May 19 is “the unofficial start of beer season” and a time to push consumers into taprooms, according to  the Brewers Association (BA).

As part of the kickoff, the BA is opening early registration for the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) on May 14. BA “members who register between May 14 and June 2 to participate in the festival will pay $0 for a festival booth, and receive four brewery badges and one complimentary GABF competition entry,” the trade group said.

This week’s edition of the Brewbound Podcast features more conversations from the Craft Brewers Conference, including 3 Tier Beverages’ Donn Bichsel Jr. and Mary Mills, on the latest beer category trends. Then, New Belgium Brewing lead research and development brewer Kelly McKnight discusses innovation trend lines, flavor and more. Justin and Zoe will also recap the latest news. Look for the episode midweek.

Also, Boston Beer founder Jim Koch will take part in a fireside chat at the Goldman Sachs Global Staples Forum on Tuesday. We’ll be listening to see if anything comes out of it.

Great Lakes CEO Mark King resigned from the Cleveland-headquartered craft brewery at the end of April. The company shared the news last week, along with the appointment of interim co-CEOs Chris Brown and Steven Pauwels, effectively immediately.

Brown previously served as chief commercial officer, while Pauwels was chief operations officer. 

Great Lakes wasn't alone in CEO shakeups. James Watt, co-founder of Scottish craft brewery BrewDog, announced he was stepping down from the CEO role, while taking the role of “captain.” The move ends a tumultuous term for Watt leading the brewery. Chief operating officer James Arrow will take over as CEO for the company, which is seeking a return to profitability, according to the BBC. 

Brewbound Insiders can dive deeper into BrewDog’s trends.

In other craft beer news …

The 20th anniversary release of Russian River’s Pliny the Younger generated $8.6 million in economic impact, according to a report shared by the California-based brewery and the Sonoma County Economic Development Board. Russian River co-founder Natalie Cilurzo told Brewbound that the total impact increased +36.5% compared to the 2023 release. 

Urban South founder and CEO Jacob Landry shared what it’s like to operate in New Orleans in the latest edition of the Insider exclusive A Round With Q&A. Landry shared how the company’s hard tea collab with rapper Juvenile is performing, what he’s learned from the launch of a THC-infused seltzer and the biggest opportunities ahead for the company.

The latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast On Location from the Craft Brewers Conference features interviews with the BA’s Bart Watson and Katie Marisic. They dive into the state of the industry, give a federal affairs update and explore opportunities for brewers. Plus, Zoe and Justin recap a bumpy April for craft.

Insiders can watch videos of the conversations with Watson and Marisic. 

Speaking of those trends, Justin dives into craft’s April off-premise scan trends, exploring trends within the top 30 craft brands and price swings.

March shipments decelerated and took Q1 numbers into the red, the Beer Institute shared.

NIQ on-premise division CGA previews expectations for Mother’s Day and why beer is the top summer drink choice.

Anheuser-Busch InBev closed out Q1 with U.S. shipments -10.1% and depletions -13.7%. The year-over-year comps don’t cover the Bud Light boycott period. Nevertheless, management highlighted the rebalancing of its portfolio in the months after the Bud Light fiasco.

Also last week:

• NIQ: As RTDs Become Mega Category, FMBs, Spirits-Based RTDs Grab Shelf Space
• BA Focusing on Legislation to Widen Market Access for Craft Brewers

The Brewbound Live business conference returns December 11 and 12 in Marina del Rey, California.

Brewbound Live will feature beverage-alcohol industry leaders taking part in business-focused conversations, data presentations, networking and much more across two days at the Marina del Rey Marriott.

Brewbound announced the first speakers for this year’s conference. They include:

• Russian River co-owner Natalie Cilurzo;
• Deschutes Brewery CEO Peter Skrbek;
• National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones;
• Draftline Technologies founder and president Jennifer Hauke.

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Register for Brewbound Live 2024.

At Brewbound Live in Marina del Rey, CA on December 11 + 12, beer and beverage-alcohol brands can participate in retailer one-to-ones. Leaders from Whole Foods Market will be available for private, pre-scheduled meetings. Brands will be selected at each retailers’ discretion.

As the world’s leader in natural and organic foods, with a vast network spanning over 500 stores, Whole Foods holds substantial influence in the market. These meetings present a unique opportunity for beer and beverage-alcohol brands aspiring to excel in retail channels focusing on natural and organic products. 

Participating brands can gain invaluable insights and strategic guidance tailored towards facilitating growth within these specialized retail environments.

You must be registered for Brewbound Live to be considered for a retailer meeting. Once you register for the event, you will receive an email with instructions for signing up.

Register for Brewbound Live Winter 2024.

Sharing your news & press releases is now easier and quicker than ever.

With our new self-service press release portal, you can get your press release/news posted more quickly with increased control over formatting AND the ability to make changes after publishing.

🍷 Expanded Coverage: Wine, Supplier & Service Provider News, & More

We’ve expanded our coverage to include wine, suppliers, service providers, and more. Press releases on BevNET.com, Brewbound.com, and Nosh.com cover non-alcoholic beverages (RTDs, powders, mixes), beverage alcohol (spirits, wine, RTDs), cannabis beverages, beer and related (FMBs, hard seltzers, cider, sake), and packaged food products.

Additionally, we now cover industry-related supply chain topics and service providers. This includes co-packers, flavor and ingredient companies, industry related software companies, and retail and distribution related topics.

Learn more and submit a press release now.