Among the current gloom and doom one positive news stands out: on 15 November, the American craft brewer Sierra Nevada officially celebrated its 45th anniversary. One of its original brands, Pale Ale, is possibly the only beer in the US to have remained relevant for that entire time. Not only that, it helped build the third-largest craft brewing company in the United States. This is no small feat: in a market, where consumers like to try new and different beers, Pale Ale is the one that drinkers always come back to, secure in the knowledge that it will taste the way it always has.
Over the past 45 years, beer trends have come and gone. Remember the light beer wars? The low-carb trend? The race to make the bitterest IPA or even the weirdest beer? But Pale Ale’s recipe has remained unchanged. Unbeknown to many, its sales remain strong, but in actual fact it has been surpassed by Hazy Little Thing, Sierra Nevada’s own take on the hazy IPA, first launched in 2018.
“Staying independent has helped Sierra Nevada remain a leader in craft beer across the board – from sustainability to community to brewing methods to the beer itself. These careful decisions have not only helped Sierra Nevada as a business thrive at 45, they’ve pushed American craft beer forward and have inspired many to join the industry and make their own marks,” the website insidehook.com commented.
Josh Velez, brewer at New York City’s Talea Beer, is probably not alone in believing that for as long as Sierra Nevada is around, “I know our industry is bound to not only survive but come out much stronger than before.”
The Siebel Institute of Technology relocates from Chicago to Montreal, effective 1 January 2026. One of the reasons given for the move (25 November) is “increased student visa challenges to enter the United States”. John Hannafan, General Manager and Director of Education at Siebel, said: “Recent regulatory changes in the US have made it much more challenging for many of our international students, who have become the majority of our student body, to attend classes in person.”
Siebel will be co-located with the new Lallemand Baking Academy and Application Technology Training Facility. Lallemand has owned the Siebel Institute since 2000. During the covid pandemic, Lallemand’s financial support was instrumental in ensuring the school’s survival and continued service to the global brewing community.
Shutdown compromise: US Congress redefines hemp with major THC limits. The three-bill “minibus” package to reopen the government on 10 November seems to have closed the federal hemp loophole in the Agriculture spending bill. The new rules take effect in one year and could spell the end of the hemp-derived THC drink industry, which topped sales of USD 1.1 billion in 2024. The hemp industry is furious, accusing the cannabis and alcohol industries of having lobbied Congress to eliminate a competitor.
Under the new legislation, the amount of THC in finished products derived from hemp is capped at 0.4 mg – a trace amount and substantially lower than in most products currently on the market. In addition, the revised definition would prohibit synthetic cannabinoids derived from the hemp plant.
The one-year implementation delay allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Food and Drug Administration, and state regulators to update rules and issue guidance before enforcement begins in late 2026.
Molson Coors to close Cork’s Franciscan Well brewery in the new year. The closure will impact 15 staff members. Molson Coors said economic pressures and a struggling craft beer sector forced the decision. Unable to grow the brands to the level needed to sustain the site as part of the Molson Coors UK and Ireland production network, the brewery and the brands have been put up for sale. The decision to sell must have been on the cards for a while. Although the brewery has a capacity of 75,000 hl beer per year, its output was only between 16,000 hl and 20,000 hl beer per year. Already in 2024, Molson Coors handed over its distribution in Ireland to Heineken, so it was a bit of an anomaly to be still running a brewery.
Molson Coors takes USD 75 million hit on Blue Run Spirits. Diversifying beyond beer has proven rocky for Molson Coors, especially its foray into spirits. In its third quarter 2025 statement (4 November), the firm recognised a USD 75.3 million impairment charge for Kentucky-based Blue Run Spirits, which declared its first major spirits acquisition practically worthless. Molson Coors acquired the bourbon and rye whiskey producer in August 2023. It paid USD 78 million for a 75 percent stake, of which USD 65 million were in cash.
Prior to the sale, in March 2023, Blue Run had announced plans for a swish USD 51 million distillery and headquarters in Georgetown, Kentucky, which were expected to open in 2025. Molson Coors promised that the distillery plans would continue. But ground was never broken and Blue Run continues to source its products from other distilleries, media report.
Guinness to double capacity of still-unfinished Kildare Brewery in Ireland. Diageo, the brand’s owner, is seeking a 10 year planning permission for the scheme. Construction work at the site has been continuing since June 2024 and an opening date for the EUR 200 million brewery is set for 2026. The proposed expansion, estimated to cost EUR 257 million, will more than double the brewery’s capacity to 4.5 million hl.
Diageo will be hoping for a smoother passage through the planning system for the new application. Plans were lodged for the brewery in July 2022 and permission was granted one year later. But then the sole objector to the brewery, John Lynch, mounted a High Court challenge, seeking to have the brewery relocated to another site in Ireland. Fortunately, the farmer and undertaker withdrew his proceedings after successful mediation talks with Diageo and construction work could begin.
Diageo halts maltings at Roseisle until next summer as Scotch whisky faces deepening strain. Farmers, maltsters and producers are feeling the squeeze as demand slows and costs rise, media reported on 18 November. The Press and Journal, a newssite, revealed that Diageo has already told some grain merchants it will not take grain from next year’s harvest – a prospect causing considerable anxiety among growers as they try to secure contracts for 2025.
The Scotch whisky industry’s export values were down in 2024 compared to 2023, yet up from pre-pandemic levels. It faces economic uncertainty, fluctuating consumer spending, and the ongoing impact of trade dynamics, including American tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Some observers fear that the pause at Roseisle, which is also home to a distillery that came online in 2010 and released its first single malt in 2023, may go on for much longer than anticipated.
“Drastic Dave” shall save embattled Diageo. Diageo’s shareholders breathed a sigh of relief on 10 November, after the drinks group announced the appointment of its new CEO, Sir Dave Lewis, as of 1 January 2026. The news that Diageo had not only ended an awkward four-month long recruitment drive, but had sent for the man widely credited with saving the UK retailer Tesco, boosted Diageo’s shares by as much as 7 percent that day.
Mr Lewis, 60, who was knighted in 2021 for services to the food industry, was CEO of Tesco from 2014 to 2020, taking over during a time when the supermarket chain was widely regarded as having lost its way – and business to Lidl and Aldi. Before Mr Lewis came on board, billions of pounds had been wiped off Tesco’s value after a botched growth strategy had eroded the trust of shareholders.
Despite never having worked in retail, Mr Lewis ultimately reversed the supermarket’s fortunes, by improving customer service, repairing relations with suppliers and engaging with disgruntled employees in his bid to fix the supermarket’s reputation. During his tenure, he halved Tesco’s debt pile by GBP 22 billion, while the stock climbed more than 60 percent by the time he moved on, media reported on 10 November.
Some analysts praised the Guinness owner’s decision to bring in “Mr Fixit” after five years away from the chief executive world. Others expressed scepticism, due to his lack of experience in the spirits industry.
Thailand U-turns on afternoon booze ban – until mid-2026. Since 8 November, anyone caught drinking alcohol between 2 pm and 5 pm would have been fined up to THB 10,000 (USD 308). Then came a swift backlash from the tourism and hospitality sectors. They argued that the rule hampered the usual service patterns at restaurants and bars and created confusion for tourists. In response, the government, on 13 November, suspended the restriction for six months. The pilot could be extended past mid-2026 if the trial proves successful, Bloomberg reported. A proposal to extend drinking hours beyond midnight remains under discussion.
Germany’s food retailer Edeka has pulled ten major brands owned by AB-InBev, media reported on 14 November. The two have been at loggerheads over pricing for months. The cooperative with some 10,000 outlets told media that AB-InBev wants far more money for its brands – including Beck’s, Corona, Franziskaner wheat beer and Löwenbräu – than can be explained by the brewer’s cost increases in production. Allegedly, AB-InBev wanted to hike prices by up to EUR 0.20 (USD 0.23) per bottle. However, customers will not face empty shelves immediately. Edeka has merely reduced its procurement volume – to what extent we do not know – which should cause severe shortages. Discussions are ongoing while both parties seek an agreement.
A similar dispute between Heineken and the second-largest Dutch retailer Jumbo came to an end after 18 months this summer. But before, Heineken had taken the unprecedented step and dragged Jumbo to court in an effort to obtain a re-listing. The court dismissed Heineken’s case.
Shareholders tell Heineken: invest where it pays, or else. Several operating companies in Europe (“more than ten”, said Heineken CEO Mr Van den Brink on 23 October) have already been given notice that their current momentum is unacceptable: “Either you fix it, or you partner, or you exit,” Mr Van den Brink had told their general managers. Heineken urgently needs to prove that its cost savings – some EUR 500 million annually – actually boost profitability. Some analysts complained that Heineken’s total cost savings of more than EUR 3 billion (USD 3.5 billion) since 2021 seemed to have had little impact. Others insisted on more concrete efforts to cut costs, such as brewery closures in low-growth European markets.
Heineken may take pride in being Europe’s major brewer, but its operating companies in 18 countries run some 54 breweries, representing some 76 million hl of beer volume (2024). Heineken Austria has the most breweries – 12 – but beer sales amount to only 6 million hl. By comparison, AB-InBev operates just 19 breweries in seven countries (UK, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Ukraine).
There are only four European countries which Heineken now considers its focus markets: Spain, France, UK, and Italy. Which ones among the remaining 14 markets have been put under strict surveillance, we can only guess.
Dutch Court to quantify damages Heineken must pay Greek MTB. The case has been making its way through the courts since 2015, when Greece’s competition regulator fined Athenian Brewery EUR 31.5 million for its anti-competitive practices between 1998 and 2014. But MTB, a rival brewer, would not leave it at that. It has since employed all legal options to also hold Heineken responsible for the conduct of its Greek subsidiary, since they constitute a single economic undertaking that infringed EU competition law.
MTB is seeking more than EUR 180 million (USD 210 million), with interest to date already amounting to roughly half the claim’s value and still accruing. A final ruling on the amount Heineken will have to pay is expected in the first half of 2026, as the Amsterdam court, during a hearing on 11 November, seemed very eager to move things forward.
Heineken faces similar claims from other competitors, most notably Carlsberg, which is seeking more than EUR 300 million in a near-identical action also arising from anti-competitive practices in the Greek market.