Trade News

---

→ Online publicationSmartAssetnamed Cincinnati the #1 city in the nation for beer drinkers. Editors ranked U.S. cities on five factors: Total number of breweries; number of breweries per 100,000 residents; average number of beers per brewery; bars per 100,000 residents; and the average price for a pint of domestic beers. Cleveland ranked #10. Of the top 50 cities, 19 are in Western States and 15 are in Midwestern States.

Other cities in the Top 10 included St. Louis (MO), Portland (OR), Asheville (NC), Pittsburgh (PA), Denver (CO), Bend (OR), Madison (WI) and Missoula (MT).

→ Mark Anthony Brewing Company is building a $250 million manufacturing center in Glendale, Arizona to keep up with the national demand for White Claw hard seltzer. The center is expected to open in June and employ up to 250 workers.

→ MarketWatchreported that Constellation Brands said it will make its biggest-ever single-brand investment to launch its Corona brand hard seltzer — $40 million. The seltzer is expected to launch in the spring and will come in four flavors: Tropical Lime, Mango, Cherry and Blackberry Lime.

→ The number of Americans drinking wine dropped for the first time since 1994, according to industry tracker IWSR, a leading source of data and analysis on the global beverage alcohol market. The report was issued in January and showed that the volume of wine consumption in the U.S. decreased 0.9 percent in 2019. It now represents 11 percent of the total beverage alcohol market in America.

This decrease, which was first reported byThe Wall Street Journal, is primarily attributed to a generational shift as millennials increasingly turn to alternatives like hard seltzers, cocktails and non-alcoholic beer.

→ The market for no- and low-alcohol products in the U.S. is expected to grow about 32% between 2018 and 2022, and Anheuser-Busch is taking note, says a recent article inAdWeek.

The beverage company has introduced four new no- and low-alcohol beers (NABLAB) to its portfolio. The new products, which are made by craft brewers, owned by AB InBev, arrive as more consumers are ditching alcohol for new beverage options that fit into a sober-curious lifestyle.

The new products include So-Lo from Goose Island; Gilt Lifter from Four Peaks Brewing Company; Resolution Blueberry Acai Golden Ale from Breckenridge Brewery; and Mango Cart Non-Alcoholic Wheat Ale from Golden Road Brewing.