What goes best with sun and sand? A beer, by all means! In the Caribbean this is an unbeatable combo. Each part of the Caribbean has a different taste when it comes to the beers produced and consumed, which range from pale lagers to strong stouts and non-alcoholic malts. For the Caribbean countries, their beers are a source of national pride. As symbols of nationhood, these local brands are often larger than life.

There are competing proposals currently in Congress to significantly cut the federal excise tax – or eliminate it altogether – depending on the size of the brewery. The most recent one is by Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, who in early June 2015 introduced the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act into Congress.

And we thought that California was water-stressed? One of northern California’s largest craft breweries is setting down roots in Los Angeles. Lagunitas Brewing Company, based in Petaluma, north of San Francisco, and known for its hoppy pilsner, amber ale and IPAs, announced via its owner’s Twitter account at the end of June 2015 that it is currently building a new brewery in Azusa, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Congratulations. In 2011, the Brewers Association’s revenues were USD 10.5 million, but last year they stood at USD 21.1 million, says Beer Marketers Insights, a trade publication.

It would have been purely for economic reasons that AB-InBev transferred the production of Beck’s for the U.S. market from Bremen to St. Louis at the end of 2011. Allegedly, AB-InBev thus saved USD 9 million per annum in transportation costs alone.

So PepsiCo’s CEO Indra Nooyi is “puzzled” by her younger consumers because they seem “confused”? Consumers “confused”? That’s a bit much. But Ms Nooyi would say that, wouldn’t she, as Millennials obstinately refuse to fall for her marketing spin.

In this interview Brian Sudano from the Beverage Marketing Corporation talks to Ina Verstl and explains why big brewers were too slow to respond to the challenges of craft beer, all the while relinquishing their share of throat to spirits.

It was only a matter of time. Scots craft beer maker BrewDog, on 6 June 2015, at its AGM revealed plans to build a brewery in Columbus, Ohio, which is expected to create around 100 jobs. The 100-barrel brewhouse with an estimated annual capacity of 56,000 hl will be the company’s first brewery outside Scotland and will house its U.S. offices, a visitor centre, a craft beer restaurant and a taproom, BrewDog announced.

Life writes the best stories. Snoop Dogg (who he?), a U.S. rapper, is suing Pabst Brewing, saying the firm owes him money from the sale of the company and its beer lines last year, various media reported on 9 June 2015.

What is “craft” about the production of sodas, many wonder? But with the success of craft beer, it’s been seemingly inevitable that U.S. soft drinks companies will launch their own craft lines too.