Beer CPA, A Craft Brewery CPA Firm

We’ve heard this story before, and according to the Brewers Association, we’re likely to hear it again. Do you remember at the end of 2023 when Congress postponed funding the federal government until the following year? Well, that deadline is fast approaching. Congress has until March 14, 2025, to either pass a continuing resolution or other legislation to fully fund the government through September 30, 2025. So far, negotiations have been rocky. Republican leadership, which controls both the House and Senate in the 119th Congress, set ambitious goals, but internal discussions have not gone as smoothly as expected. The most likely outcome is a continuing resolution, extending the deadline once more. However, there are concerns that if Republicans fail to reach an agreement within their own party, a government shutdown could happen. In the past, Democrats have stepped in to help pass the necessary legislation, but if Republicans can’t secure enough votes from their own members to fund the government, they shouldn’t count on Democrats to bail them out.

Paul Martinez's article in Craft Brewing Business highlights 5 product liability cases that affected U.S. craft breweries, offering vital lessons and insights for the industry. A must-read for brewers aiming to protect their brands! #CraftBeer #BrewingIndustry Imagine this: your brewery is serving customers when suddenly a bottle explodes and injures a customer. This may not seem like a likely scenario, but just a few years ago, our industry saw a case where a Corona bottle exploded, injuring a customer’s eye resulting in total vision loss in that eye. Product liability cases are a difficult issue in the craft brewing industry as well. While we do not always see exploding beer cans and bottles, there are a wide range of product liability challenges a brewery has to navigate that can prove costly and damage a brewery’s reputation in the industry and with customers.

Bitchin’ Kitten Brewery, the No. 1 cat-themed brewery based in Morrisville, Pa., is bringing back a great fundraiser / beer release that benefits the Girl Scouts. The only difference this year is Bitchin’ Kitten’s Adventures in Scouting beer fundraiser earns CBB’s Craft Beer Marketing Idea of the Week*. “Due to the popularity of the beers in 2024, we had to bring it back” said Michael Crosson, owner of Bitchin’ Kitten. “This is such a fun beer to brew as it gives back to a local organization and gives people a fun way to indulge in girl scout cookies compared to the typical beer pairings.” The Adventures in Scouting beers are set to release Thursday, January 16, starting at noon, and will be accompanied at the brewery by Girl Scout Troop #2888, who will be at the brewery selling cookies. Sales of the beers and cookies will be available while supplies last and are expected to sell-out again.

As we pause to remember the presidency of Jimmy Carter, he is often celebrated for his emphasis on human rights, energy conservation, and the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. However, one of Carter’s less heralded but equally impactful contributions was his role in transforming the homebrewing landscape in the United States. By signing the legalization of homebrewing into law in 1978, Carter not only democratized beer production but also set the stage for a cultural and economic renaissance in the brewing industry. This article explores how Jimmy Carter’s actions reshaped the homebrewing sector, fostering innovation, community engagement, and economic growth.

As 2024 comes to a close, the Brewers Association (BA)—the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers—recaps a year of decelerated growth and continued honing of offerings. In the BA’s midyear survey, craft saw a slightly more significant estimated decline in production (-2%) compared to the full year 2023 data (-1%). There were no significant year-over-year (YOY) variations in sales volume share by channel, and one distributed channel did not overtake another, suggesting a balance between where consumers are purchasing and where breweries are supplying. In the second half of the year, Q3 scan data suggested weaker performance than the first half of the year, though there has been some deceleration of declines in recent periods. This suggests a full-year number that may be weaker than the midyear estimate. Here’s a look at the highlights defining the Year in Beer.

In several recent articles, in the aftermath of the recent United States election unfolds, industries both domestically and globally are striving to understand the impact of Donald Trump’s second-term victory on their interests. The U.S. beer industry, particularly the craft brewing sector, is closely monitoring these developments. Both have faced a range of challenges—including competition from imported beers, tariffs, and a decline in consumer consumption—that have contributed to falling sales. While the potential for high tariffs on the booming Mexican beer market and the broader import market could encourage consumers to switch to domestic brews and help reverse the sales downturn, other factors may counteract these gains. Here are some forward-looking insights from the Brewers Association which is part of a comprehensive post-election roundup which also examines the status of regional races and their potential impact on the Small Brewers Caucus in the Senate.

One of the sadly neglected problems in modern science is the question of how best to keep beer cool once it has been poured into a glass. Now one scientist has come up with a novel solution by developing a mathematical model that determines the optimal shape of a beer glass that keeps beer cool. The problem is well known to generations of beer drinkers the world over. As soon as beer is poured into a glass, it starts to warm up. So an important goal is to minimize the heat entering the beer so that it stays colder for longer. Typically, beer drinkers have solved this problem with foam sleeves, insulating mugs and by adding handles to reduce contact with the drinker’s hand. In an article from phys.org, Claudio Pellegrini, a professor of thermal and fluid sciences at the Federal University of São João del-Rei in Brazil, has calculated the optimal shape for a beer glass to keep the beer cold for as long as possible. He has written a paper describing his analysis of beer glass shapes.

A baby born in the parking lot of his parents’ favorite microbrewery in Michigan was named after the business, which in turn created a special brew to honor the newborn. Aaron and Kyle Baker were on their way from Vicksburg to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo on the baby’s due date when they realized they would not make it in time. They called for an ambulance and pulled over into the parking lot at One Well Brewing, which happens to be their favorite microbrewery, and baby Forrest Wells Baker was born mere moments later. “We’ve been joking that Forrest just wanted to swing by for a quick beer on the way to the hospital, just like his dad would,” Kyle Baker said. “When people first heard, everybody thought we were just sitting in here having a beer when I went into labor.” One Well Brewing celebrated baby Forrest Wells’ arrival by coming up with a blood orange blonde ale, which his parents were invited to come help mix at the brewery. The beer, aptly named Special Delivery, is due to be tapped later this month.

The Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) is a monthly survey conducted by the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) that measures distributor purchasing sentiment. A reading above 50 indicates expansion or growth in purchasing activity, while a reading below 50 signals contraction, meaning distributors are reducing their orders. For September 2024, the BPI recorded a reading of 31, indicating a significant contraction in beer purchasing activity by distributors. This continued downshift suggests that the market conditions for beer sales are challenging, particularly for craft brewers. According to Craft Brewing Business, after a summer of heightened ordering levels, the combination of index readings for at-risk inventory (47) and BPI (31) reflects a more cautious outlook among distributors as they head into the fall months. The brutal call of the craft index also continues.

The Brewers Association has acknowledged that the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut could have mixed impacts on craft brewers. On the positive side, lower borrowing costs may help craft breweries manage existing debts or finance new projects, including expansions and equipment purchases. However, the broader economic environment, including inflation, remains a challenge for many small brewers. Input costs, such as raw materials and labor, are still high, which limits the benefit of lower interest rates. But trying to make specific predictions for what this rate cut will mean for the craft beer industry in the short term is difficult since the Federal Reserve tends to be forward looking. What really remains to be seen, is the impact on disposable income and whether inflation remains controlled. https://buff.ly/3XQqk3K