Missouri’s American Beer Act: a tax cut to support local industries

USA | Missouri has signed a law that will cut taxes on US beer to lowest in the nation. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, a Republican, signed the American Beer Act into law on 10 July, in a bid to support the malt industry, manufacturing and jobs overall. The ceremony took place outside AB-InBev’s St. Louis Brewery.

USA | Some marijuana companies and trade groups are pushing US Congress to close a loophole that allows the production and sale of intoxicating substances derived from legal hemp. The hemp industry, however, wants to leave the federal definition of hemp unchanged. The current Farm Bill is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year 2025. This means Congress will need to reauthorise or revise the existing legislation.

Indigenous groups oppose Heineken’s brewery project in Mexico

Mexico | Mayan communities and activists have condemned the construction of a Heineken brewery in Kanasin in the state of Yucatan and reject the alleged indigenous consultation that the company claims to have carried out for approval at the end of 2024. “We know nothing about this consultation,” declared the communities, which are part of the Assembly of Defenders of the Mayan Territory of Múuch' Xíinbal, in June.

Constellation’s beer sales decline in quarter until end of May

USA | Constellation Brands’ CEO Bill Newlands blamed “non-structural socioeconomic factors” for his firm’s declining beer sales. In the first quarter of its financial year 2026 (the three months ended 31 May), Constellation’s beer depletions dipped 2.6 percent, while shipments (to retailers and consumers) dropped 3.3 percent.

USA | The federal government revises the dietary guidelines every five years, and the previous administration began that process in 2024. In December, the Biden administration released the scientific report that was to undergird the guidelines. But Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has since promised to start from scratch and remake the recommendations to match his convictions about how Americans should be eating.

TransLink and Patina Brewery release collab beer Platform Pilsner

Canada | TransLink, the publicly-owned and -operated transportation authority for metro Vancouver, has teamed up with Patina Brewery for a limited edition Pilsner four-pack, media reported on 19 June. TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the Platform Pilsner beer.

Canada | Ahead of the G7 summit (16–17 June), which was hosted by Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney in Kananaskis, Alberta, the province of Alberta lifted its embargo on American liquor imports. The move was meant to smooth negotiations for a new Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement. The Saskatchewan liquor board similarly relented and said on 11 June that it will start buying and distributing American booze to retailers again.

Heineken to invest USD 2.75 billion in Mexico

Mexico | Oriol Bonaclocha, CEO of Heineken Mexico, confirmed on 11 June that his company plans to spend a total of USD 2.75 billion between 2025 and 2028. The majority of the funds are designated for a new brewery with a capacity of 4 million hl beer in the municipality of Kanasin, which will become the company’s eighth facility in the country.

Book review: The Firkin Saga by David Bruce

The Prince of Ales | The Brewers Association’s Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo was a different animal in 1998 compared to the giant show it is now. Held in Atlanta, Georgia, in the April of that year, it was like a family affair, though it drew a crowd. The mood was exuberant as this was the time when many communities in the US got their first brewpub. The count of brewpubs from 1996 to 1998 had just jumped from under 700 to 1000. Those who attended the Atlanta conference might remember that the keynote speaker was David Bruce, a Brit, nicknamed the Prince of Ales, who hopped on to the stage in a frog costume.

Fever-Tree and Molson Coors to split cost of US tariffs

USA | Tonic maker Fever-Tree Drinks said on 5 June it would equally split costs of the 10 percent tariff to be imposed on UK imports to the US with brewer Molson Coors. This shall mitigate the short-term impact.