Quick Hits – “Big Beer” Numbers For AB InBev, Ballast Point To Chicago And More!

American Craft Beer|July 31st, 2017|

The beer biz never sleeps at American Craft Beer. And a lot has been happening while you were binge-drinking your way through the weekend.

The World’s Biggest Brewer Delivers For Wall Street (Belgium) – AB InBev, home to global brands like Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona, as well as a growing family of ‘crafty’ properties, announced their second quarter earnings last week and it was generally good news for the world’s biggest brewer.

The Good News – Overall AB InBev global revenue grew by 5% in Q2, a vindication of sorts for the company’s decision to merge with SAB Miller in 2016 which afforded them greater reach into new markets like South Africa. AB InBev now sells more than twice the amount of beer as nearest rival Heineken.

Strong growth in China also helped to buoy AB InBev’s positive results as did the cost cutting measures which afforded the company $335 million in savings.

The Bad News – AB InBev continues to struggle in the US where sales of flagship brands Budweiser and Bud Light showed continued declines. And in spite of having acquired 10 American craft breweries since 2011, half-year revenue fell by 1.3% in the United States.

Words To Drink By (Laguna Beach, CA) – “Do not fuck with someone until you know exactly who the fuck you’re fucking with.” Author Don Winslow from Savages

Ballast Point To The Windy City (Chicago, IL) – San Diego’s Ballast Point which was acquired by Constellation Brands for $1 billion in 2015 announced last week that they’ll be bringing their brand to Chicago in 2018.

Ballast Point plans include a 12,000 sq. ft. 3 barrel pilot brewpub in the city’s Fulton Market District, one of Chicago’s coolest transition neighborhoods, where former meatpacking plants are being replaced by trendy restaurants, uber-boutique hotels and corporations like Google.

A Roof Top Bar and Restaurant are also part of Ballast’s Point’s plans for their future Windy City brewpub, which not surprisingly will also be near to Constellation Brand’s Chicago division offices in the Loop.