Vol 6, No 11   March 17, 2025

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BeerBoard Snapshots: Mainstream Lagers Still Half of Draft Volume; Craft ~30%, Imports 19% EXPRESS – Mar 10 On premise beer sales continue to decline vs yr ago in early 2025. Yet looking at mo-to-mo trends, imports, craft and beyond beer products were gaining ground on premise while mainstream lagers collectively lost a bit of share in Feb vs Jan 2025, according to BeerBoard data tracking chains representative of a typical beer-centric casual dining, sports bar and pub account profile. Mainstream lagers (including premium, subpremium and superpremium brands) still made up just under half of draft volume (49.9 share) and 43.7 share of $$ in Feb BeerBoard data. That was down slightly from 50.6 share of volume and 44 share of $$ in Jan. Craft segment rose 0.3 pts to 30.2 share of draft in Feb vs Jan 2025, but $$ dipped slightly to 32.2 share, suggesting the segment isn’t taking price up as much as other segments on prem.

Monster Beverage Co-CEO Sacks Sets Jun Retirement, Ceding Reins to Longtime Partner Schlosberg; Continues as Chmn Involved in Marketing, Innovation, Litigation BEV INSIGHTS – Mar 11 The leadership partnership that turned a sleepy juice maker into an energy drink juggernaut and created tens of billions of investor value will come to an end this Jun. That was the gist of a corporate filing last Mon that indicated that Monster co-CEO Rodney Sacks, 75, has set Jun 12 as his retirement date, when he’ll cede sole leadership of the California co to his co-CEO Hilton Schlosberg, like him a South African-born entrepreneur. The disclosure puts to an end the uncertainty that had stressed both investors and people inside the company as Sacks eased back without ceding the reins to a partner who was shouldering most of the workload. Sacks had promised to clarify his status this year and now he’s delivered on that commitment. He’ll continue to serve as chmn, subject to re-election at shareholder meetings this year and next.

Michelob Ultra Zero Up to 7 Share of NA For 1 Week and Top Innovation in Total Beer YTD in Circana MULC EXPRESS – Mar 12 Mich Ultra Zero is “already hitting milestones after just two full months on shelves,” according to an AB release out Wed afternoon. Ultra Zero up to a 7 share of fast-growing NA beer segment in latest week thru 2/23 of Circana multi-outlet + convenience data. Its fast start has catapulted it to the “#1 innovation in total beer so far in 2025,” the co said citing Circana yr-to-date thru 2/16. AB #1 player in NA with 3 of the top 5 brands in NA and nearly 40 share of category, AB adds. That’s “more than double the closest competitor” for full yr 2024 in Circana. (Athletic much closer to AB late in 2024). Michelob Ultra Zero “is already contributing to the rapidly growing category, expanding occasions for our base of current drinkers and introducing the brand to new consumers looking for lighter choices while maintaining an active lifestyle,” said chief commercial officer Kyle Norrington. 

More Tariff Whiplash as Trade War Heats Up; Trump Threatens 200%Tariff on European Alcohol EXPRESS – Mar 13 Troubled tariff tales feature dramatic twists and wrenching changes on almost a daily basis. Last Thur, it was European alc bev biz caught in crosshairs. That morning President Trump pulled out even bigger guns. He threatened to levy 200% tariff on “all wines, champagnes, & alcoholic products coming out of France and other E.U. represented countries” if the EU’s retaliatory tariffs aren’t “removed immediately.” Tho most of his Truth Social post focused on wine and spirits, at presstime it was again impossible to definitively determine what that’d mean for European imported beer. Alc bev stocks broadly down following President Trump’s warning, including Heineken and ABI. DISCUS ceo Chris Swonger reiterated: “We want toasts not tariffs.” Beer Institute has made no statement at presstime. In 2024, US imported roughly $5.4 bil of wine from the EU, including about $1.7 bil in sparkling wine, according to the Wall St Jnl, citing Census Bureau data.

DGA Report Comments, Part 1: The Numbers, Surprising Takes, Nuance and Threats ALCOHOL ISSUES – Mar 13 The Dept of Health and Human Services (HHS) received 305 public comments during a short 30-day window early this year, all ostensibly responding to two government reports designed to inform federal alcohol guidance in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Just over 80 comments came from industry members or folks echoing industry views, largely voicing support for the report from the National Academies (NASEM) and concern about the report from the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD). Yet over 130 comments from public health advocates and their supporters mostly made the opposite endorsement. Then too, many comments were anonymous or came from individuals who did not disclose ties to either of those camps. Another 30 or so comments did not endorse either report but offered additional context. That includes about a half-dozen comments urging HHS to incorporate more specific language related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Most of the others either endorsed moderation, with a large chunk seeking special treatment for wine, or fixated on warning labels, seemingly spurred by reporting on the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer.

Bud Light Still #1 Brand by Vol in US Last Yr but Especial & Ultra Closing In; MC Top Brands Held Share, Dipped in Rank; Busch Light Passed Bud BEER INSIGHTS – Mar 14 More big trend swings among the industry’s biggest brands in 2024 led to some significant shifts in rankings among top 10 beer brands in the US. However, the #1 brand by volume was still Bud Light last year, even after posting two years of tuff double digit declines. Bud Light shipments declined an estimated 11.5% to 15.8 mil bbls in the US, INSIGHTS figures. It lost 2 mil bbls in 2024, 8 mil bbls in the last 2 yrs. Yet its 15.8 mil bbls was still the lead barrelage. Tho not by much, especially excluding exports, as Modelo Especial surpassed 15 mil bbls for the first time and Mich Ultra jumped to 14.4 mil bbls, we estimate. Both Modelo Especial and Mich Ultra surpassed MC’s Coors Light, which slipped to #4 brand overall as shipments dipped 2%. Miller Lite held onto #5 rank overall but declined nearly 3%.

Southern Crown Will Buy AB Distrib KW Beverage in South Carolina EXPRESS – Mar 14 Southern Crown Partners announced on Fri that it will buy KW Beverage in Columbia and Piedmont, SC, with deal expected to close in May “subject to supplier review processes.” Tho case volume undisclosed at presstime, KW is sizable and will be one of several Southern Crown distrib deals in South Carolina since 2012. It was created thru merger of Southern Eagle (Will Dorminy) and Crown Beverages (Schipp Johnston). And it now will sell most of AB’s 20+ mil cases in SC. Southern Eagle started in GA and still has multiple locations there. After series of SC acquisitions, it likely sells in the neighborhood of 25 mil cases in 2 states. Co “proudly distributes a diverse portfolio of leading beer, wine, spirits and non alcoholic beverages throughout GA & SC,” co said in a release.

Time for a Poppsi Break? Pepsi Picking Up Poppi, Bloomberg Reports; Move Follows Seeming Abandonment of SoulBoost Gut Pop Launch BEV INSIGHTS – Mar 14 Looks like the show floor rumblings at Expo West might have been on the money: gut pop breakout brand Poppi seems headed toward an exit. Bloomberg News reported on Fri that Austin-based co is in advanced talks with PepsiCo about acquisition for more than $1.5 bil, tho one source is telling us price tag is closer to $2.5 bil. From what we hear, it’s an outright purchase that includes earnouts that will keep leadership team in place, including CEO and former Sparkling Ice leader Chris Hall, chief sales officer and ex-Heineken exec Bridget Lasda and chief growth officer Jeff Rubenstein. It’s not clear yet whether charismatic frontwoman Allison Ellsworth, who founded co in Dallas with her husband Stephen, will stay in mix on innovation or marketing sides. Final paperwork hasn't been signed yet, so it’s by no means a completely done deal, but announcement could come as early as today, we hear.

Change Afoot as Great Lakes Rebalances Lager, IPA Brands, Focuses on Building Core in Home Mkt CRAFT – Mar 14 With new leadership settled in, new brands within a more focused portfolio and a clear plan to correct the “misses” of 2024, Ohio’s Great Lakes Brewing Co looks to keep solidifying its biz in 2025. Last yr was “good, not great,” co-CEO Chris Brown told Craft Brew News. GLBC finished the yr “slightly behind plan” in terms of volume, shipping just shy of 115K bbls, he shared, down low single digits. That’s on par with a number of other top craft players that didn’t necessarily grow but outperformed the craft segment and beer category. Co was actually “well ahead” thru the first half of the yr and into the second half, “having an incredible year,” Chris shared. But then “what happened to everybody” hit Great Lakes too as “everything just hit the brakes.” Recall, co’s founders Pat and Dan Conway and the board appointed Chris and Steven Pauwels to lead the company as co-CEOs after the departure of prior CEO Mark King last spring.

Just 2 Days Away! Sign Up for CBN’s Craft Update Webinar & Report Get a comprehensive overview of the craft beer landscape with our annual Craft Update Webinar & Report, coming right up this Wednesday! Make sense of industry trends with this exclusive resource, featuring full-year 2024 results for total US craft, top players, brands, styles, specific regions and more. Presented by the Craft Brew News editorial team, the webinar will be Wed, March 19 from 1-2:30PM EST with a recording available to all attendees. It costs just $260 per person including the data-rich companion report plus the accompanying presentation deck. Sign up today to reserve your spot!

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