Canada | Recreational cannabis is set to enter a new era later this year when drinkables and edibles will become legal. In June 2019, Health Canada officials announced the regulations for those new categories as well as a timetable for their coming to market.

USA | One of Germany’s oldest breweries is to establish a brewing base in Charlotte, North Carolina, a city 200 km to the east of Asheville. Founded in 1526 in Hannover, Gilde (German for "Guild") fell on hard times after it was bought by Belgium’s Interbrew in 2003.

USA – Praise where praise is due. Craft brewers saw their number and their sales rise last year. In a beer market that declined overall by 1 percent, craft beer continued to grow, with barrel output up 4 percent over 2017 to reach 26 million barrels (30.5 million hl).

USA – When does a price promotion turn into a price cut? The question is pertinent as Constellation Brands, the number three brewer in the US, appears to be discounting Corona family 12-packs of cans in markets across the country for weeks to come.

USA – It is not a ruling MillerCoors must have hoped for. A US court on 24 May 2019 only barred AB-InBev from using some parts of its advertising that said rival MillerCoors used corn syrup in the production of its light beers.

Canada – Ontario is expanding the sale of beer, wine and cider to almost 300 corner stores this summer as part of Premier Doug Ford’s push to liberalise liquor rules in the province. The bill, which was passed on 6 June 2019, entails ripping up an agreement with The Beer Store. The retailer has already signalled it will fight the move in the courts.

Colombia | The Chilean brewer CCU, which is part-owned by Heineken, and the domestic beverages company Postobón, on 3 May 2019 opened a USD 480 million brewery in an attempt to topple Bavaria’s stronghold.

USA | It is a pity. Portland’s longest-running craft brewery, BridgePort, has closed for good. After ceasing production at its brewery in February, its pub was shuttered on 10 March 2019.

USA – Danish brewer Mikkeller is expanding into Portland, the US craft beer capital, as it teams up with Portland restaurant group Chefstable to open a Mikkeller pop-up bar in the recently closed Burnside brewery.

USA | Beer hotels have become the new must-have. Yuengling, America’s oldest brewery and largest craft brewer, is moving forward with plans for a beer-themed hotel and tourist attraction in Tampa, Florida.