All those hopefuls. According to the Brewers Association (BA), there were 5,005 breweries in the US in operation in December 2016, compared to 10,000 wineries. Almost all are small and independent craft brewers.

What investors think of stock market-listed brewers may just be a narrow-focus snapshot of the brewing industry in general but it would be unwise to ignore it altogether.

Thanks to Kirin buying a 25 percent stake in Brooklyn Brewery in October 2016, which ranks 12th among US craft brewers, the firm has the funds to build an USD 80 million brewery and warehouse to support the rapid expansion of its iconic brand. While the two-year long search for a site continues, an aspect has come to the fore that should raise a few eyebrows but apparently does not.

It does not look like BrewDog’s latest crowdfunding scheme is a hit with US investors. In August this year, Scottish brewer BrewDog launched a USD 50 million campaign to help pay for its new 300,000 hl brewery in Columbus, Ohio, which is slated to go on stream in 2017. The company is also planning to open a brewpub in any American city where at least 500 people invest in the company’s Equity for Punks USA crowdfunding campaign.

What will tobacco firm Altria do with its cash windfall from the SABMiller sale is a question that has irked analysts for some time. As part of its deal with AB-InBev, Altria received a greater-than-expected amount of cash – USD 5.3 billion. Actually, and this is the really juicy bit of info, the tobacco company had to work hard to negotiate an alternative to receiving cash only in exchange for its 27 percent stake in SABMiller stake.

Could it be that the Big Brewers are spooked by weed without firm evidence? According to US media, the investment bank Cowen recently asserted that legal marijuana is driving down beer sales. Drawing on data from the states of Colorado, Washington and Oregon, where weed has already been legalised and enjoys a proper retail infrastructure, Cowen’s analysts argue that beer there has “underperformed” during the past two years.

As the Canadian government plans to bring forth laws to decriminalise and regulate recreational weed in the spring of 2017, brewer Molson is looking to the US state of Colorado for insight on the possible effects that the legalisation of marijuana could have on its beer sales.

After only six months on the job, Mauricio Restrepo, Chief Financial Officer of brewer Molson Coors resigned on 17 November 2016 with immediate effect “because of matters regarding personal conduct” not related to its business. The company didn’t offer more details about the issues that led to Mr Restrepo’s departure.

Jittery nerves or what? Investors have been dumping Coke, Procter & Gamble and other defensive stocks, shifting funds toward infrastructure and banking sectors after Donald Trump’s victory, US media say.

What do brewing industry executives do after they retire? Well, they join a craft brewer. David Ryder, the former Vice President of brewing, research, innovation and quality for MillerCoors, has joined Milwaukee’s City Lights Brewing Company, as chief innovation officer.