Sierra Nevada has long supported parks and outdoor organizations, but buying Pale Ale can now be an act of political defiance and I am here for it.

Me, sneaking into the woods as a teen to sneak beers with friends: “Score, Busch Light!” Today’s teens, having gone full galaxy brain:

On the latest episode of The Gist, @bryandroth.bsky.social and I discuss: + who the hemp-derived THC consumer is today + how pricing is impacting various spirits categories + whether NA beer will ever hit a SKU ceiling ... and more in < 30 minutes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-oq...

jack the price and make illicit market more favorable but also police the illicit market more sounds like these things will certainly work out with no ill effects

The latest episode of Sightlines’ The Gist is live on YouTube! @bryandroth.bsky.social and I discuss: + how wine can bounce back + why gambling vs. alcohol is overblown + which bev-alc predictions miss the mark and more in just 26 minutes! Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cDz...

Our young people show ingenuity, teamwork, and care that will shape our nation’s future

On this episode of The Gist, @bryandroth.bsky.social and I tackle: + will the Surgeon General’s warning on alcohol and cancer change consumer behavior? + what Fed data on spending means for premiumization + why Dry January is all about new buzzes … in < 30 min open.spotify.com/episode/4xUW...

Surfside (+360% dollar sales growth in 2024) has been so successful Boston Beer wanted to take some of its shine with Sun Cruiser, but now AB InBev is coming with their own take, Skimmers, in 2025. Who wore it better?

Q: There was a massive drop-off in consumption of liquor in Japan from 1999 to 2000, a shift that has only started to reverse 20 years later. What happened? Seeking help! Can't discover a neat answer. Taxes? Availability? Other?

There's no more important factor to hemp-derived THC sales than geography. To drinkers, THC is THC, so where cannabis isn't legal, hemp bevs are the obvious choice. @bryandroth.bsky.social and I have done deep reporting on this space for Sightlines. If you're interested in our work here, DM me.

Global non-alc drinks sales are less than just the beer Anheuser-Busch and Constellation Brands sell in retail stores the US alone. An estimated $24 billion in global alc-free in 2024 while AB and CB sold close to $30 billion

Joined the Business of Drinks podcast to talk trends, consumer behavior, and what's impacting narratives around all kinds of alcohol. Sampling of what I watched in 2024 and will be of conversation in 2025! Listen in: Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/6LFO... Apple podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/4...

ya filthy animals

For the first time since craft beer’s mid-2010s apex, Total Wine is a place to find newly canned product. Stopped counting the number of different hemp-derived THC brands at my local shop, which is overwhelming. (Citrus a very popular flavor across orange, lime, lemonade-focused SKUs)

D9 and THCA so last thanksgiving

This month at Sightlines, @bryandroth.bsky.social and I dive into one of the most important demographic changes occurring in the U.S.: the rise of multigenerational households. www.sightlines.news/analysis/key...

On The Gist, @bryandroth.bsky.social and I give you all the bev-alc news you need in < 25 minutes. This episode: + how to better understand today's THC consumer + why everything is energy now + do the latest non-alcoholic beer moves add up? www.sightlines.news/the-gist-pod...

Every time I see the Pedro Pascal ad for Corona I get to the end and can only make one assumption: The director called "CUT!" just as he tried to take a sip with the lime still protruding from the top. The look into the middle distance The tilt of the bottle The pursed lips Can't unsee

young people don't drink wine the industry complains oh i'm sorry have you not thought about the lasting cultural impact of pixar

The gassiest & skunkiest

Anarchy in the USA

To me, the height of luxury is drinking three liquids at once: one for hydration, one for energy, and one for fun

The most Washington thing I’ve seen today

SCOOP: Fingers has confirmed for the first time why Brown-Forman execs suddenly and quietly pulled a well-known promotional photo of the company's founder in 2023. It was a doctored image: white liquor baron George Garvin Brown, superimposed on Black abolitionist and teetotaler Frederick Douglass.

How it started /// how it’s going $100 million later

Overall, teens are drinking less much less than prior generations, but the percentage of teens who say they use both cannabis and alcohol is increasing. @bryandroth.bsky.social gives context on why this happening and what it means: www.sightlines.news/analysis/tee...

for dudes only i guess

You'll likely see headlines this week about new Gallup poll results on Americans' attitudes toward alcohol. But those results miss some crucial demographic and behavioral context. For Sightlines, @bryandroth.bsky.social and I fill in the blind spots: www.sightlines.news/analysis/con...

song of the summer

chaotic politics everywhere, the country is on fire, and yet,

drinking a beer

Join an audio road trip across the country as we hear from craft beer enthusiasts whose love for the small and independent has never wavered. To them, craft beer is cool ... and it makes them feel the same. Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/5TM0... Apple podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

streams got crossed

pumpkin beers drop in 2 weeks

die hard is the song of the summer

Things are going great

In March-May 2024, Mexican imports accounted for just over 83% of all import beer into the U.S. tracked by the Beer Institute each month. This is the first time Mexican beers have held a share of at least 83% for 3 consecutive months. This is a +10% jump from 5 years ago: May 2019 was ~73%.

sure dry heat is great but have you tried

I asked AI to create an image of a "craft beer enthusiast" and it gave me images of an increasingly lonely bearded guy sent further away from people because he won't shut up about something-hops-preservative-long voyage

@davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social ICYMI: bsky.app/profile/wine...

10 years ago, beer made and shipped in the U.S. outpaced imported beer 6:1 It's now ~3.5:1 Mexican beer accounted for ~60% of imports in 2014 Now represent ~82%

Smirnoff Ice's brand family made ~$560 million last year in chain retail and I get that incremental sales are incremental sales. So, while others are chasing Twisted Tea ... I guess we needed:

Prime time to swoop in after Uber shut down Drizly

White Claw: “happy new year! here’s a non-alcoholic seltzer!” Boston Beer: “Leeeroooooy Jeeeenkins”

In "nobody likes beer anymore" news... "...effective immediately, CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective will operate under the name Monster Brewing Co. CANarchy’s new alcohol products, The Beast Unleashed and Nasty Beast Hard Tea, now represent the majority of the company’s alcohol beverage sales."

Et tu, Brew Hub? www.fox5atlanta.com/news/woke-fr...

Everything is made up and only the dollars matter Telling that the accompanying art that shows up as part of a PE investment announcement for a Company Formally Known For Hard Kombucha is a buncha canned cocktails.

From a Monster Beverage year-end presentation, the ICYMI look at their hard tea entry, expanding on "The Beast Unleashed" Monster FMB:

The RTD category has gone too far