🫗 Sour Trailblazer Cascade Brewing Closes After Art Larrance's Death

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• 🫗 Cascade Shutters Following Death of Founder
• 💸 RationAle Receives Family Office Investment
• 📊 Circana Weekly Scans: Trends Hold Steady
• 📈 NIQ: Memorial Weekend Fails to Boost Bev-Alc
• 🧢 Eagle Rock to Close This Month
• 🏆🏀 Beers for Banner 18

Weeks after the death of founder Art Larrance, Portland, Oregon-based Cascade Brewing ceased operations on Monday, the Oregonian reported.

Alissa Larrance, Art’s daughter, told the Oregonian that she delivered final paychecks to brewery staff Tuesday, though the brewery’s website says it is “temporarily closed.”

Art Larrance died after suffering a heart attack at age 80 on May 26, according to New School Beer. 

Larrance founded Cascade in 1998 and sold it to an investor group in April 2020, but the deal never closed, leaving Larrance with a controlling share in the business at the time of his death, Alissa Larrance told the Oregonian. The Larrance family was unaware its patriarch still owned the brewery, and the family’s trust is unable to sustain Cascade financially, she said.

Alissa Larrance told the Oregonian: “This has all been a big shock during an already stressful time.”

The liquor licenses for both Cascade Blending House in Beaverton and Cascade Barrel House in Portland were in Art Larrance’s name and expired 10 days after his death, Alissa Larrance told the publication. However, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s (OLCC) database lists the brewery-public house license for both locations as valid through March 31, 2025. 

The investor group that was announced as Cascade’s new owners four years ago was “on a payment plan that would eventually result in full ownership,” according to New School Beer, citing Art Larrance.

Insiders can read more about Cascade’s production history.

💔 Remembering Art Larrance

Cascade honored Art Larrance in an Instagram post three weeks ago:

“To say we are heartbroken doesn't do it justice. Art was founder, innovator, advisor, inspiration, champion and most importantly a friend to us all. Not only here at Cascade, but to craft beer fans and producers all around the world. 

“He liked to say his favorite beer was the one in his hand, and it showed in his desire to promote new and diverse styles, much like the Northwest Sour Ale. He had a passion for things that brought people together, to toast in friendship.”

At Cascade, Art Larrance and brewmaster Ron Gansberg pioneered sour beers, which helped the brewery establish itself among a sea of West Coast IPAs. 

Cascade was only one chapter in Art Larrance’s impact on Oregon’s craft beer industry. 

An early craft trailblazer, he co-founded Portland Brewing in 1986 with Fred Bowman and Jim Goodwin, one year after helping to lobby for the creation of Oregon’s first brewpub license. 

In addition to founding two noteworthy breweries, Art Larrance created the Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) in 1988, which grew to become one of the country’s largest craft beer festivals and generated $20 million in economic impact annually, according to its website.

Larrance’s death happened on the third day of the Celebration of Oregon Brewers Festival during Portland Rose Festival CityFair, which began hosting the OBF in 2023. Festival organizers hosted a memorial celebration on June 1. 

Non-alcoholic beer maker RationAle has received an investment from Bochi Investments, RationAle co-founder and CEO Jamie Fay shared on LinkedIn.

Fay wrote: “As most founders know, it is beyond challenging to not only raise capital in this current market but also find the perfect partner that is willing to lean into your business in all ways possible – that is even more rare! 

“Our partnership was founded in trust, authenticity, experience, passion, appreciation for high quality beer and the impact we are making in this huge global shift of consumers evaluating their personal journey with alcohol.

“I am personally super stoked to have the time back to put 1000% of my efforts into driving the hell out of our business market by market, account by account, customer by customer and can by can.”

Bochi co-founder J.B. Handley wrote that the private investment firm was “excited to throw our hat in the non-alcoholic ring with what we believe is the best-tasting NA beer in the world, expertly run by Jamie Fay and Wendy Pickett. Wendy and Jamie, thank you for letting Bochi join your rocket ride!”

Bochi’s portfolio includes Nectar Hard Seltzer, an Asian-owned hard seltzer company known for its use of TikTok to market its products and document the highs and lows of running a bev-alc company.

Total bev-alc dollar sales increased +0.8% year-over-year (YoY) and were flat week-over-week in Circana-tracked off-premise channels in the week ending June 9, according to the market research firm. 

Beer was in line with total bev-alc trends, with dollar sales increasing +0.8% and volume declining -0.6% YoY. Over the last four weeks, beer dollar sales (-1.5%) and volume (-3%) were both in decline. 

Spirits continued to lead growth, with dollar sales increasing +3.5% and volume +4.5%. In the last four weeks, spirits were the only bev-alc category in the black (dollar sales +1.4%, volume +2%). 

Wine posted the largest declines in the latest week (dollar sales -1.7%, volume -3.3%) and in the last four weeks (dollar sales -2.4%, volume -4.4%). 

Circana’s Scott Scanlon wrote: “The data appears to be range bound for [the] next several weeks until the July 4 holiday heats up the categories. Still believe beer and spirit-based RTDs [ready-to-drinks] will be the beverages of choice this holiday. Boxed wine, Mexican beer and the high growth spirits RTDs in the top 10 likely to carry the upcoming holiday.”

Brand performances to note from the latest week:

• Constellation Brands’ Modelo increased its lead as the No. 1 beer brand by dollar sales, with dollars increasing +11.9% and volume +11.2% YoY;
• Modelo sibling brand Pacifico recorded the largest dollar sales growth within top 50 beer (+31.3%);
• Boston Beer Company’s Twisted Tea returned to double-digit growth after a slower week prior (dollar sales +15.2%, volume +13.2%);
• Gallo’s High Noon Sun Sips is poised to once again pass Tito’s as the No. 1 spirits brand if the spirits-based hard seltzer brand has a strong July 4, after increasing dollar sales +18% and volume +16.8% in the latest week;
• Sazerac-owned BuzzBallz is nipping at the heels of Smirnoff (No. 7 in spirits), increasing dollar sales +47.9% and volume +33.3% YoY in the latest week.

The latest data set from NIQ shows total bev-alc sales accelerated their decline in the two-week period ending June 1, reflecting faster volume drops and slightly softer pricing growth, according to analysis from Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

NIQ uses U.S. x AOC (extended all outlet combined) including convenience stores to summarize multi-channel markets and aggregate all national cross-outlet market data, and includes certain retailers (such as Whole Foods Market) that other providers do not.

Here’s an overview:

• Dollar sales recorded a -1.6% drop for the two weeks ending June 1, down from a -1.4% decrease in the four-weeks and a marginal -0.2% decline in the 12-week period;’
• Volume declines were down to -3.6% in the two-weeks, compared to -3.5% in the four weeks and -2.7% in the 12-weeks;
• Price increases softened slightly, increasing by +2.1% in the recent two weeks compared to +2.2% in the four weeks and +2.6% in the 12-weeks;
• From a category standpoint, volume deteriorated nearly across the board for wine, spirits, FMB, hard seltzer and cider, but with beer holding relatively steady, down -3.5% for two-weeks (vs -3.6% and -2.6% for four-weeks and 12-weeks).

Insiders can dive deeper into the trends for RTD cocktails, FMBs and hard seltzer.

Eagle Rock Brewery will close later this month after 15 years in business, the Los Angeles-based craft brewery announced Monday.

“Well friends, the time has come for us to hang up our hats and say farewell. It feels strange to say these words after nearly 15 years of operations, but we know in our hearts it is time,” the brewery wrote.

Eagle Rock continued: “The community of good beer in LA has grown far beyond our humble, early goals. And just as beer itself is alive and continuously evolving, so too is Beer Culture. We are grateful to have contributed to that evolution, but we also recognize our role in it. 

“We have given our all to this effort, and now we must step aside to make room for the next generation of brewers with new energy, new ideas, and new contributions. The future of beer is in their hands as much as it is in your hands, friends. We pass this torch so that you may keep that future shining bright!”

Eagle Rock was founded in 2009 by Jeremy Raub, his wife, Ting Su and his father, Steven Raub. Eagle Rock produced 925 barrels of beer in 2023, according to data from the May/June issue of the Brewers Association’s New Brewer Magazine.

Brewbound is excited to announce three additional speakers for the Brewbound Live business conference December 11 and 12 in Marina del Rey, California. 

The two-day conference will bring together leaders from all three tiers for business-focused conversations on driving the bev-alc industry forward, data presentations, networking and brand building at the Marina del Rey Marriott. 

Joining the speaker roster are:

• Arthur Moye, owner and CEO of Full Circle Brewing;
• Kaleigh Theriault, director of thought leadership, beverage alcohol vertical, NIQ;
• Brian “BK” Krueger, VP of business development and portfolio strategies, Bump Williams Consulting.

They join previously announced speakers include: 

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

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. Interested in speaking? Follow this link to see our speaker guidelines. 

In addition to the mainstage programming and networking parties, Brewbound Live will feature opportunities for one-to-one conversations between brewers and bev-alc brands and retail buyers from chains such as Whole Foods Market. Registered attendees will be considered for meetings with buyers, as space is limited. Find out more details here.

Brewbound Live tickets are available now.

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.

The Boston Celtics are NBA champions once again, beating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 Monday in game five of the NBA Finals.

While Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B) Michelob Ultra is the NBA’s global beer partner, the light lager was far from the only alcoholic beverage in players’ hands during locker room celebrations Monday night. 

In just one 47-minute video of the locker room chaos, players are seen surrounded by Michelob Ultra branding, but also drinking: 

• A-B’s Bud Light;
• Jack’s Abby’s Banner City;
• Molson Coors’ Miller Lite;
• Constellation Brands’ Corona Extra; 
• And Gallo’s High Noon Sun Sips. 

Local craft brands are also celebrating the occasion with speciality releases. 

Jack’s Abby, the official craft beer of the Boston Celtics, has created a limited championship edition of its Banner City light lager with a commemorative can design, available in 16 oz. can 4-packs exclusively at the brewery’s beer hall in Framingham, Massachusetts, until June 23 (limit of three per customer).