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The Americas
USA | Michelob Ultra claimed the top spot as the best-selling beer in retail channels in the 52 weeks ended 14 September, parent company AB-InBev announced on 22 September, citing data from Circana. The light lager is also the top seller in bars and restaurants, according to Nielsen IQ data for the 52 weeks ended 12 July.
The Americas
USA | The long-term future of Genesee Brewing is uncertain as its parent company FIFCO is being sold to Heineken for USD 3.2 billion. FIFCO announced on 22 September that it has agreed to sell its beverage, food, and retail businesses in Central America and Mexico. But the deal expressly leaves out FIFCO USA, based in Rochester, New York.
The Americas
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.
The Americas
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.
The Americas
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.
The Americas
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.
The Americas
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.
The Americas
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.
The Americas
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.
The Americas
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.
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BRAUWELT on tour
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BRAUWELT on tour
