Canada | The world’s leading brewer, AB-InBev, and cannabis firm Tilray have ended their partnership by mutual agreement. According to Tilray’s CEO Irwin Simon, on 6 January 2022, AB-InBev was unwilling to launch THC beverages in Canada. Cannabis drinks can legally contain either THC, which is psychoactive, CBD, which is non-psychoactive, or a blend of the two. They must not contain any alcohol, though.

USA | Molson Coors has disposed of San Diego’s craft brewer Saint Archer after seven years. It has pulled the brand from store shelves and sold the brewery (capacity: 100,000 barrels) and two local taprooms to Kings & Convicts, the owner of craft brewer Ballast Point.

USA | Who needs a pricey dispensing machine for cocktails at USD 300 each that will only clutter up your kitchen counter? On top of splurging out on a machine you needed carbon dioxide (a two-pack of cannisters cost USD 15) and the pods, which set you back USD 16 for a 4-pack. So why invest in a Drinkworks kit, if you can buy pre-mixed cocktails for around USD 10 for a 4-pack?

Mexico | The brewer of Corona beer agreed to build a new brewery in southeastern Mexico, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The agreement between Constellation Brands and Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Obrador, announced in December 2021, comes two years after the government forced Constellation to close its nearly completed 10 million hl Mexicali plant near the US-Mexican border. The plant’s exact location has yet to be announced.

USA | The current shortage of aluminum has allowed the Ball Corporation, a leading supplier of beverage cans, to weed out its customer base. Ball reportedly plans to increase the minimum purchase of printed cans from one truckload to five, as of 1 January 2022.

USA | Good grief: Is it really a worry who will legally own Bell’s brewery after the sale? The announcement in early November 2021 that Bell’s owner Larry Bell had sold his firm to Australian brewer Lion did not illicit the usual sneers (“shame on you for selling out to a Big Brewer”) that accompanied craft brewery sales in the past. Instead, a commentator on vinepair.com wondered who would legally own Bell’s as of now.

USA | The maker of energy drinks, Monster Beverage, is said to be exploring a deal with beer and drinks company Constellation Brands. The megadeal, first reported by Bloomberg on 21 November 2021, would potentially bring together beer, energy drinks, spirits, RTDs, and even cannabis, thus reactivating the concept of a total beverage company, which went out of fashion more than a decade ago.

USA | So it is hard tea now for AB-InBev. On 15 November 2021, it purchased Hoop Tea, a Maryland-based beverage company known for its tea-infused malt beverages and seltzers, which are sold in cans and pouches.

USA | It must have been a tough decision to take: Boston Beer, the maker of Truly hard seltzer, threw away excess stock, instead of discounting it. This was in response to a category-wide sales slowdown.

USA | Michigan’s Bell’s Brewery, which was among the first wave of craft breweries in the 1980s, has agreed to be sold to the Australian beer company Lion and its parent, Japanese brewer Kirin. This was reported on 10 November 2021.