Another day, another Chapter 11 case, as Fullerton, CA's Bootlegger's Brewery filed for Subchapter V protection last wk in California Central Bankruptcy Court. Co listed between 50-99 creditors with between $1 mil and $10 mil in claims against $100K-$500K in assets. The three largest creditors are On Deck Capital, to which co owes $272K across 2 loans; Clara Capital Servicing, to which it owes $132K, and Headway Capital, to which it owes $121K. Co's total liabilities came to ~$1.9 mil, and it is required to submit a Small Business Subchapter V plan to the ct by mid-Jan.

The federal govt shutdown has put two yrs of expansion planning at risk for Richmond, VA's Brainstorm Brewhouse, reports WRIC. Bolo's Eatery opened this summer and has been serving beer thru a distributor, but it's been hard sledding. "It's costing us money. The whole point of the brewery is to make beer. We have 20 taps here, and we can't do anything," said Head Brewer Darryl Puller. Darryl said co submitted its application for a federal brewing license in July and was nearing approval when gov shut down on Oct 1. "We have worked very hard to get to this point, and we're so close to the finish line, and just to see this hurdle out of our control is very frustrating, very disheartening," said Head Beer Taster C.M. Bryant. Brainstorm produced 118 bbls in 2024 per BA estimates and is "ready to start brewing" at new location "as soon as the license is approved," per report.

North Hudson, NY's Paradox Brewery acquired the rights to Phoenicia, NY's Woodstock Brewing, co announced in press release. "Woodstock has carved out a strong position in the higher end market, while Paradox has built a proven sales and distribution network. By joining forces, we deliver on both strengths and create new opportunities for craft beer growth across the Northeast," said Paradox's ops mgr Devon Hamilton. Woodstock, which produced 1K bbls in 2024 per BA estimates, "will now expand into premium on- and off-premise accounts across New York and the greater Northeast, targeting craft-forward city bars, boutique hotels, ski resorts, and curated retail locations," per release. The rollout strategy will focus on Woodstock's flagship brands including Endless Cycle IPA, Baby Dragon Pale Ale and Raspberry Gose Sour Ale.

Just days after Boise, ID's Mad Swede announced it would close at the end of the yr (see Oct 15 issue), the former head brewer at 10 Barrel has purchased its assets and equipment and will open the Wild Frontier Beer Project in its South Cole Rd taproom early next yr, reports Boise dev. Chris VanSickle said he's hopin' for a soft opening in Jan followed by grand opening in Feb, depending on his ability to get federal govt approvals during the shutdown.

As Ocotillo Holdings sold off the rest of its Scout Distribution biz earlier this yr, co placed its remaining chips on Harland Brewing, which has become sizable in SoCal craft and continues to grow. Last we heard, Harland Brewing expected to grow double digits to 20K bbls in 2025 vs yr ago. But co's fine-tuning Harland's taproom footprint in the process and honing in on locations that offer full food menus, closing its original One Paseo taproom as it plans to open a new restaurant in its hometown San Diego by year-end, San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

After temporarily closing in Dec 2024, this time the Huntsville, Alabama-based Brewer's Cooperative closed its doors for good, according to AL.com. The 10K-sq-ft facility made beer, wine and spirits as well as food for onsite consumption and was a collab between 5 brands: Good People Brewing Company, Avondale Brewing Company, Straight to Ale Brewing, Druid City Brewing Company and Salty Nut Brewery. Tho several of those entities had already merged. Good People acquired Avondale back in 2017, and Straight to Ale bought Druid City Brewing in late 2019 as well as Salty Nut in early 2020. The brewers continue to operate their own taprooms.

Brooklyn Brewery's headin' to its first airport with plans for a bar at JFK airport's new $4.2 bil Terminal 6, per press release. Co will join iconic NYC restaurant PJ Clarke's, For Five Coffee Roasters and others, and will open with the terminal next yr (while construction won't be completed until 2028, some gates will open in 2026). "Having a presence in JFK's new Terminal 6 marks a meaningful step for us, giving both New Yorkers and travelers from around the world the opportunity to enjoy our delicious beers while on the move," said Robin Ottaway, prexy of Brooklyn Brewery.

Launched in Feb, a rebrand for the Wachusett Brewing brand fam is paying off for the Barrel One Collective, sprawling portfolio of mainly New England craft brands led by Harpoon, Long Trail, Smuttynose and more. Total Wachusett depletions are up 4.3% since Feb, co shared yesterday. And it's driven by longtime lead brand Blueberry Ale, up 11.7% since the rebrand, and even faster for last 3 mos. The "significant visual change" for the brand, built around "Catch a Good Time" tagline and country charm of brand's hometown of Westminster, was announced right before the big merge of Mass Bay (Harpoon, Long Trail+) and Finestkind (Smuttynose, Wachusett+) around the new year, worked on by Finestkind team for many mos prior. But "the results are so much better than expected," Barrel One mktg veep Rob Day told Craft Brew News.

The Beer Insights Seminar is coming right up Nov 9-10 at the New York Athletic Club in New York City, and the meeting agenda is now available. So sign up today to reserve your spot! We have a stellar speaker lineup at the 2025 Beer Insights Seminar.