Moosehead Breweries will no longer sell its beer in bottles

Canada | Moosehead Breweries, the country’s largest privately-owned beer firm, announced on 18 September it will stop selling beer in bottles early next year. Its entire product line will move to cans and kegs, with the final run of bottles taking place in December.

A spirit in a pouch: Tilray launches Mountain Shot

USA | Cannabis-to-alcohol firm Tilray has been “extremely encouraged” by initial orders of its innovation, called Mountain Shot, from its Breckenridge Distillery. The first time I heard of Mountain Shot, a brand which is described as an “occasion-centric bourbon and malt-based shot with its own unique packaging”, was on the website Craft Business Daily on 21 August. It has already been rolled out to select US markets.

Diageo closes Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ontario

Canada | Drinks firm Diageo will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., in February next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the US and bottling for Canadian consumers to its plant in Valleyfield, Quebec, the company announced on 28 August. The decision is part of its USD 625 million cost-saving programme, Accelerate, over the next three years.

Historic deal between distributor Southern Glazer’s and AB-InBev

USA | AB-InBev wants to tidy up its red network, its system of 500 nominally independent distributors, separating the good distributors from the bad ones, observers say. To that end, AB-InBev is willing to divest a big asset. On 20 August, the brewer announced it had sold its New York City distribution operation to Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Privately-owned Southern Glazer’s is the largest wine and spirits distributor in the US, operating in 47 states with an estimated revenue of USD 26 billion in 2024.

Canada | The Canadian government has removed all tariffs on goods from the United States, including alcohol, that are covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) on 1 September.

Boston Beer founder Jim Koch returns as CEO

USA | Is Jim Koch, 76, becoming the Warren Buffett of the craft brewing industry, going on and on? Despite his advanced years, he returned to Boston Beer’s C-suite in mid-August, after the firm’s CEO, Michael Spillane, stepped down due to personal reasons. Mr Spillane has served on Boston Beer’s board of directors since 2016 and became President and CEO in April 2024. He will remain on the board as a nonexecutive director.

USA | The Spaghett, a combination of Miller High Life beer and Aperol, signals weaker consumer spending, which could push the economy into a recession, says the website Business Insider (27 July). Also known as the “NASCAR spritz”, or the “trailer park spritz”, it is a way to fancy up your drink without fancying up the price tag too much. Considering that a typical Aperol spritz could cost anywhere between USD 15 and USD 20 in New York City, the cheaper price of the beer version is a big part of the appeal.

Brewers Association midyear 2025 review: a tough time for all

USA | The Brewers Association’s 2025 Midyear Report, published on 23 July, shows an industry still facing strong headwinds. Yet, some craft brewers fare better than others, especially the smallest on-site brewers. As of June 2025, 9269 craft breweries were operating in the US, down 1 percent from a year ago.

Your wish is my command: Coca-Cola to launch cola with cane sugar

USA | After a nudge from President Donald Trump to use cane sugar instead of corn syrup in its beverages Coca-Cola quickly complied. A new product line will be launched in the autumn, media reported on 22 July. However, Coke has made it clear that the new cola line will just be an additional offering. Corn syrup will continue to be used in its core range.

Canada’s Beer Store adds more locations to a growing list of closures

Canada | The increased competition from stores allowed to sell beer for the first time has forced the Ontario-based beer retail chain The Beer Store to shrink. It has already shuttered around 50 stores this year, with an additional ten stores closing in August and another ten in September.