Running on fumes — co2 shortages, higher prices add to breweries’ rising costs

August 8, 2022

Ongoing disruptions to breweries’ supply of carbon dioxide have made national news on the heels of a decision by Massachusetts-based Night Shift Brewing to outsource most beer production in part because it was unable to source the gas needed to carbonate its beer. Combined with higher costs breweries are already paying for items like aluminum, malt, and packaging materials, the burden of having less CO2, paying more for it, or not being able to carbonate and sell as much beer as planned represents a crisis for breweries’ profit margins.

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What 4 beer companies see in consumer drinking habits amid high inflation

August 4, 2022

As consumers face higher costs for nearly everything they buy, there have been reports of shoppers trading down to cheaper brands in different food and beverage categories, including beer. But not all beer makers are seeing a wholesale switch to economy brands.

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Craft breweries are facing tough decisions amid a nationwide carbon dioxide shortage

August 3, 2022

Breweries have already been facing higher costs for raw materials like aluminum and barley as a result of inflation. Craft breweries across America have been on the front lines of businesses facing higher material costs because of inflation. Now, many are confronting a shortage of a key ingredient: carbon dioxide, the gas that gives beer its crisp, effervescent taste. And one brewer has already said it plans to shut down a key manufacturing plant and lay off workers as a result.

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Wait your turn — craft beer looks to inflation and competition for permission to raise prices

July 14, 2022

On July 13, the top story on The New York Times’ homepage wasn’t about the war in Ukraine, the January 6 Committee hearings, or President Biden’s diplomatic trip to the Middle East. It’s about inflation, which rose to 9.1% in June, its highest rate since 1981.

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NBWA’s Beer Purchasers’ Index for December 2021 shows craft beer’s expansion and seltzer’s continued contraction

January 3, 2022

The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) recently released the Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) for December 2021. This December’s total index reading of 71 is the highest ever recorded for a December survey. Continued supply chain challenges combined with planned/expected price increases in 2022 are driving higher index readings as distributors and retailers seek to build their inventories heading into the new year.

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Beer DTC State of the Industry 2021

December 31, 2021

The current state of affairs for shipping beer direct to consumers (DTC) is not that great. Breweries in the United States can only ship to nine states plus the District of Columbia, which equates to only 17% of the U.S. population. For comparison, U.S. wineries can ship to 47 states and 97% of the U.S. population. Beer DTC is still in a state of infancy, but the good news for breweries is there’s a tremendous amount of untapped opportunity.

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