Summary: Craft Brew News 10/4/19<br>(courtesy of BrewBound <a href="http://www.brewbound.com" rel="noopener">www.brewbound.com</a>)<br><br>Brewers Association: US Craft Brewing Industry Contributes $79 Billion to US Economy<br><br>Small and independent U.S craft brewers generated $79.1 billion in economic impact in 2018, which represented roughly 0.4 percent of the gross domestic product, according to industry trade group the Brewers Association’s (BA) 2018 Economic Impact Report.<br><br>The Boulder, Colorado-headquartered not-for-profit added that the $79.1 billion amounted to a 4% increase over 2017’s $76.1 billion in output. A similar report shared by the BA in 2012, reported $33.9 billion in economic output.<br><br>The release of the new analysis comes about a week before the BA’s largest consumer-facing event of the year, the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver.<br><br>According to the BA, the craft brewing industry was responsible for creating more than 559,545 total jobs last year, with 150,055 jobs directly at breweries. The craft brewing industry also contributed more than $5 billion in direct wages and benefits to its workers.<br><br>The BA also broke down the economic impact in each state and released a list of the five states with the greatest economic impact. California — where 1,000 independent breweries are in operation as of August 2019, according to the California Craft Brewers Association — once again led the way with an output of $9 billion. Pennsylvania ($6.3 billion), Texas ($5.1 billion), New York ($4.1 billion) and Florida ($3.6 billion) rounded out the top five.<br><br>A-B’s Natural Light Hard Seltzer and Big 12 Conference Announce Partnership<br><br>Anheuser-Busch and the Big 12 Conference announced a partnership this week to make Natural Light Seltzer the “Official Hard Seltzer of the Big 12 Conference.”<br><br>The sponsorship will include elements during games, online and social media, as well as advertising during the conference’s baseball, football, and men’s and women’s basketball championships, according to Forbes. The partnership is solely with the athletic conference, not the 10 universities within the league, the outlet noted.<br><br>Ricardo Marques, vice president of core and value brands at Anheuser-Busch, told Forbes that the sponsorships would help increase Natural Light Hard Seltzer’s market share due to hard seltzer being “still in its early days as awareness.”<br><br>The deal is the latest is an ongoing trend of hard seltzer brands partnering with sports leagues and teams, including Boston Beer’s Truly Hard Seltzer being named the “official hard seltzer” of the National Hockey League earlier this week.<br><br>Anheuser-Busch InBev Acquires Markstein Beverage Co. in San Marcos<br><br>California’s beer distribution system is being shaken up once again.<br><br>Anheuser-Busch InBev announced Friday evening the planned acquisition of “key assets” from Markstein Beverage Co. in San Marcos, California. The company will add those assets to its existing wholly owned distributor, Anheuser-Busch Sales of San Diego.<br><br>The move comes about 15 months after Markstein, under threat of termination, was forced to sell the distribution rights to the Constellation Brands portfolio of Mexican import brands, including Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, and Pacifico, among others, in northern San Diego County to the Reyes Beverage Group.<br><br>Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close upon closing requirements being met.<br><br>Beyond A-B products, Markstein’s portfolio in San Marcos includes craft brands such as Sierra Nevada, Hangar 24, Speakeasy and Drake’s Brewing, as well as offerings from Craft Brew Alliance, including Kona Brewing, Redhook, Widmer Brothers and Square Mile Cider. The future of those brands’ distribution appears unclear.<br><br>White Claw Maker Investing $250...
