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The Americas
USA | When cutting costs cut deep: Diageo announced that it will close its Baltimore Guinness Open Gate Brewery on 1 November, with the loss of reportedly 175 jobs. Opened in 2018, at the height of the craft beer boom, the USD 90 million brewery was the first Guinness brewery location in the US since 1954 – although it never brewed Guinness stout. Spanning a massive indoor-outdoor space with a taproom and restaurant, it was mainly designed as a Guinness brand experience, with the beer imported from Ireland, which has drawn over 2 million visitors to date.
The Americas
USA | The next big legal battle over distributor franchise rights looms. Denver-based Coors Distributing Company (CDC), owned by Molson Coors, is asking a court to stop two of its biggest suppliers from walking away. Constellation Brands (Corona, Modelo) and Mark Anthony Brands (White Claw, Mike’s Hard Lemonade) both notified the company in September that they want to end their distribution agreements within 30 days. CDC says losing them would cut roughly 40 percent of its volume overnight. Constellation's proposed exit alone puts around 6 million cases of annual distribution volume at risk for the distributor, which moves product across Colorado's central Front Range from Boulder to Limon.
The Americas
USA | AB-InBev is shifting its primary financial metric from EBITDA to EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes) as part of its newly launched “Reignite” growth phase to provide a more accurate picture of its operational efficiency, structural discipline, and true capital returns. During its 2026 Capital Markets Day in St. Louis (23 September), the company announced an annual organic EBIT growth target of 5 percent to 9 percent, which is realistic and not too ambitious for a Big Brewer in the current consumer staples environment.
The Americas
USA | Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, one of the largest alcohol distributors in the US, has settled with US federal prosecutors over an investigation into improper payments and benefits. It struck a non-prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and agreed to pay USD 12.5 million to the US Treasury.
The Americas
Brazil | In late 2025, Brazil faced a severe public health emergency, caused by methanol-contaminated alcoholic beverages, that led to several deaths and hundreds of people taken ill. To prevent future counterfeiting of its products, drinks firm Diageo has introduced a seal in Brazil that can be authenticated using consumers’ smartphones.
The Americas
USA | Lawson Whiting, the retiring CEO of drinks group Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel’s), played down the demise of the American whiskey category, stating (2 September) that “interest is very high”, even though demand in developed markets, including Germany, France and the UK, is likely to remain under pressure this year. Renewed trade tensions with Canada pose an additional challenge.
The Americas
USA | Saothair Capital Partners is taking over the brewery, bringing two former North American Breweries executives back with it, media reported on 3 September. What happens next remains to be seen. Established in 1878, Genesee Brewery has been through a lot in Rochester, New York, not least a string of different owners. Add one more to the list.
The Americas
USA | Just 54 percent of around 1200 Americans aged 18+ told Gallup in its recent poll (20 August) that they “have occasion to use alcoholic beverages”. Gallup's trend data also shows that beer’s stated preference among regular drinkers has fallen to 36 percent (a 7-point drop since 2016), narrowing its lead over spirits to just four percentage points. Can this be true? National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) Chief Economist Lester Jones immediately pushed back heavily against these findings, characterizing them as “squishy numbers” and an “almost non-story” due to statistical limitations.
The Americas
USA | US President Trump signed a series of executive orders banning the import of Canadian alcohol, dairy and motorcycles, which will begin on 29 September.
The Americas
USA | What an ignominious end. After selling the Stone brand in April, Sapporo is preparing to cut more than 200 positions as it permanently closes Stone’s longtime Escondido headquarters. The first 58 workers are expected to be laid off in October. The cuts include workers in warehouse, logistics, packaging, and quality assurance roles, along with eleven brewers. More than 200 employees are expected to be affected through the broader layoff plan. Sapporo will keep Stone’s East Coast brewery in Richmond, Virginia, where it will brew its own brands for the US market.
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BRAUWELT on tour
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BRAUWELT on tour
