A-B and SpikedSeltzer inventors head to trial over earnout clash

USA | Is it a case of “sue us if you can”? After quietly simmering in the Connecticut Superior Court for the past three years, a contract dispute between Anheuser-Busch (a subsidiary of AB-InBev) and the inventors/investors of SpikedSeltzer is headed to trial by jury. This was ruled by a judge on 30 April. The dispute centres on whether Anheuser-Busch (A-B) underpaid earnout bonuses owed from its 2016 acquisition of Boathouse Beverage, the inventor of SpikedSeltzer.

BrewDog records multi-million pound loss in US market slump

USA | The Scottish brewer and bar operator BrewDog has reportedly lost almost GBP 7 million (USD 9.3 million) in America last year as the company cuts back its operations, media reported on 3 May.

Boston Beer says tariffs could cost up to USD 30 million

USA | Boston Beer, the maker of Samuel Adams beer, Truly hard seltzer, and other drinks, said the extra costs due to tariffs this year will be between USD 20 million and USD 30 million. The big driver of those costs is the aluminium Boston Beer uses for its cans.

USA | Constellation Brands anticipates a USD 1 billion financial hit this year from the 25 percent tariffs introduced by US President Trump, which took effect on 4 April. The levy applies to all imported canned beer and empty aluminium cans.

Cannabis firm Tilray ceases operations at Hop Valley brewery

USA | And another brewery goes. As cannabis firm Tilray pushes further into alcohol, it has acquired a slew of breweries and brands, both from AB-InBev and Molson Coors over the past two years. The most recent spate of acquisitions included Hop Valley, one of four brands acquired from Molson Coors in August 2024. On 10 April, the newssite Brewbound reported that Tilray will cease operations at Hop Valley’s brewery in Eugene, Oregon.

USA | As AB-InBev continues to streamline its craft brewing operations in the US, it announced on 28 March that it would invest USD 1 million in the operations of Wicked Weed in Asheville, North Carolina, which it acquired in 2017. The news coincided with the winding down of operations at its production facility in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, “over the next few months”.

Labatt shifts Mill Street’s production from Toronto to London, Ontario

Canada | Labatt Breweries is closing the Mill Street brewery in Toronto when the current ten-year lease expires later this year, the company said on 27 March. The move will result in 39 job losses, but workers will be offered roles at other Labatt operations.

Canada | The ongoing tariff rift between Canada and the US is set to raise the price of beer cans on both sides of the border. Industry group Beer Canada expects Canada’s beer industry to take a CAD 330 million (USD 230 million) hit this year.

With beer consumption declining, US barley farmers now fear tariffs

USA | American barley farmers worry that tariffs could take away key export markets. The industry has already been faced with tight margins. Besides, beer drinking levels in the US are at the lowest in 40 years. Barley farmer and Vice President of the Montana Grain Growers Association, Steve Sheffels, told media on 21 March, that farmers will ultimately pay for tariffs.

Over 200 breweries shower Los Angeles with a “We Love LA” beer

USA | Inspired by Sierra Nevada’s Resilience IPA and Maui Brewing’s Kokua Project, Common Space brewery’s fundraiser to help Los Angeles, which was devastated by wildfires in January, has already found plenty of supporters in the US and around the world.