If you’ve ever wondered why massive, international beer behemoths like AB InBev, which is already home to Budweiser and dozens of others, keep gobbling up small craft brewers? Because more Americans are sneering at mass-produced lagers and seeking out local and craft brews instead. As a country, we’re still drinking plenty of beer; we’re just not drinking Bud. [More]
craft beer
Craft Brewers Hoping To Crowdfund $213B To Buy Anheuser-Busch InBev
By 10.16.17
With Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, Sapporo, and other beer behemoths snapping up craft brewers left and right, the Craft Brewers Association is asking why this acquisition spree can’t also go the other way, which is why it’s trying to crowdfund a mere $213 billion to buy AB InBev, and then do… something, maybe, with it. [More]
Sapporo Goes Shopping In Craft Beer Aisle, Picks Up Anchor Steam For $85M
By 8.4.17
With a dwindling beer-drinking population in its home country of Japan, Sapporo Brewing has set its sights on U.S. shores to bolster its business, snapping up Anchor Brewing Company — maker of Anchor Steam — for $85 million. [More]
Craft Brewers Want Off Beer Review Site After Learning AB InBev Is An Owner
By 6.19.17
Many craft brewers rely on word of mouth and good, honest reviews to reach new customers, but some beer makers are questioning whether an independent beer review website can remain untainted even after the world’s largest beer company buys an ownership stake. [More]
Kona Brewing Accused Of Misleading People Looking For Hawaiian Beer
By 3.3.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
What do the words “Liquid Aloha” bring to mind? Swaying grass skirts and leis, or the frigid New England coast? You’re likely thinking more “Hawaii” and less “New Hampshire,” which is why two beer drinkers are suing the parent company of Kona Brewing Co., accusing it of misleading consumers into thinking they’re swilling Hawaiian beer when it’s actually made thousands of miles away. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Walmart’s Private Label Craft Beer Is “Wholesale Fiction”
By 2.13.17
It can be hard to tell if that craft beer on the grocery shelf comes from the vats of a small, independent brewer, or if it is the product of a commercial vat. That’s the crux of a new class-action seeking lawsuit that claims Walmart is deceiving consumers with its private label “craft” beer brands in an effort to inflate prices. [More]
Walmart Is Selling Its Own “Craft” Beer — Not That You’d Know It
By 1.27.17 — Updated: 1.30.17
Is that craft beer in your grocery cart really brewed by a small, independent brewery, or does it come from the same commercial vats as other non-craft beverages? It can be hard to tell, especially now that big name retailers like Walmart are selling their own private label “craft” brands. [More]
Kirin Expanding Craft Beer Efforts With Minority Stake In Brooklyn Brewery
By 10.12.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
Craft beer: it’s not just for American hipsters anymore. In a move that signals Japanese breweries’ interest in attracting customers with new kinds of brews, Kirin Brewery Co., the country’s second-biggest brewer, is acquiring an approximately 25% stake in Brooklyn Brewery. [More]
State Wants Craft Brewers To Keep Info On Every Person They Sell Beer To
By 8.5.16
Why would the state need to know your name, phone number, where you live, wand how old you are when you buy beer? It’s unclear, but that kind of detailed info is exactly what Alabama regulators have proposed craft brewers collect from anyone buying beer to bring home. [More]
Judge Dismisses Blue Moon “Craft Beer” Lawsuit Against MillerCoors (Again)
By 6.20.16
Last year, a California man sued MillerCoors over its continued labeling of its Blue Moon brew as a “craft beer.” In October, a federal court threw out the case against the mega-brewer. A federal judge has now ended the argument once and for all, dismissing an amended complaint the plaintiff filed after the first case was tossed out. [More]
Anheuser-Busch Buys Breckenridge Brewery, Third Craft Brewer In One Week
By 12.22.15
As if the pending $107 billion merger with SABMiller wasn’t enough of a portfolio boost for Anheuser-Busch InBev, the beer giant has purchased not one, but three craft brewers in the last week. The company’s most recent holiday gift for itself is Breckenridge Brewing of Colorado. [More]
Anheuser-Busch Distributor Incentive Program Raises More Concerns Of A Stifled Craft Beer Market
By 12.10.15
With its $107 billion merger with SABMiller making waves and federal regulators investigating its purchase of several small distributors, one might think that Anheuser-Busch InBev would lay low when it comes to rocking the distribution boat. But that’s apparently not the case, as the company recently unveiled an incentive program that would provide distributors with a sliding scale of bonuses if most of the beer they sell comes from the brewer. [More]
MillerCoors Gets Court To Throw Out Blue Moon “Craft Beer” Lawsuit
By 10.27.15
Earlier this year, a California man sued MillerCoors (which is half-owned by SABMiller, which is currently in the process of a massive global merger with Anheuser-Busch InBev) over its continued labeling of its Blue Moon brew as a “craft beer.” But yesterday, a federal court threw out the case against the mega-brewer. [More]
No Babies On Beer Bottles In New Hampshire After Governor Vetoes Labeling Bill
By 6.3.15
There are babies on beer bottles in plenty of states, but there will be nary a cherubic child gracing the labels of beer bottles sold in New Hampshire, after the state’s governor shut down a measure that would’ve allowed some depictions of kids on alcoholic beverages. [More]
Yuengling Takes Top Craft Brewer Crown In U.S. From Current King Samuel Adams
By 4.1.15
In the game of beer thrones, Yuengling has emerged as the winner over the former ruler, Samuel Adams, as the top craft brewer in the country. The win comes after a national beer group switched up its rules about what kinds of ingredients craft brewers can use as a “traditional” beer maker. [More]
3 Things We Learned From A Guide To Ordering Craft Beer
By 1.29.15
While craft beer has been enjoying increasing popularity in the last few years, not everyone is confident enough to stride into that new beer hall down the street and roll a beer order right off their tongue like a beer sommelier fresh from beer sommelier school. Even if you’re not steeped in hops lore, there are a few things you can learn about ordering something you won’t hate, and not feeling like a total n00b when you do. [More]
Lagunitas To Drop Trademark Suit Against Sierra Nevada After Twitter Backlash
By 1.14.15
Just two days after Northern California-based Lagunitas Brewing Company filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against fellow craft brewer Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the company’s founder announced he would drop the case following backlash from a court of a different kind: that of public opinion. [More]
Craft Breweries Run Out Of Good Names, Sue Each Other
By 1.5.15
If you like beer, it’s great news that there’s a proliferation of craft breweries opening up across the American beerscape. There’s a problem with this entrepreneurial fervor, though: breweries are running out of names for their businesses or their brews. [More]
