Mashing-In News: Legacy Breweries, CBC 2026
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025 — Daryl Hannah turns 65 today!
Today’s craft beer news reads like a multiverse flight board—aliens and amnesia in the Grit & Grain studio, legacy breweries fighting gravity, World Cup watch parties, conference calendars, pub-culture origin myths, and fresh data showing where Americans actually spend their beer money.
Beer for Aliens, Amnesia, and the Final Flight: Episode 169 with Erik Dahlin
Grit & Grain sits down with Erik Dahlin of The Odom Corporation to test-drive a new set of universal beer questions—final flights, alien diplomacy, beer amnesia, and the essential drinking canon—revealing how a distributor’s brain blends hard-won wisdom, nostalgia, and cosmic humor into every pint. The podcast taping is at 4:30 p.m. today in Peaks & Pints’ Events Room. (Grit & Grain Podcast)
Why Legacy Breweries Struggle—and Which Ones Are Surviving the Shift
A deep-dive analysis explores why legacy craft breweries struggle as consumer tastes evolve, arguing that aging flagships, slower adaptation, and shifting IPA expectations—not just debt—drive their decline, while highlighting the few breweries successfully reinventing themselves through continuous, subtle evolution. (Beervana)
Reuben’s Brews Hosts World Cup Draw Party and Debuts New Coffee Program
Reuben’s Brews is hosting a World Cup draw watch party on December 5, unveiling its new Chipper Coffee program while celebrating founder Adam Robbings’ twin passions for beer and soccer with prizes, breakfast specials, and a weeklong prediction contest tied to Seattle’s 2026 World Cup matches. (Washington Beer Blog)
Craft Brewers Conference 2026 Opens Registration for Philadelphia Gathering
The Brewers Association has opened registration for the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, set for April 20–22 in Philadelphia with a streamlined new schedule, a keynote from hospitality leader Will Guidara, expanded education and networking, and the World Beer Cup Awards closing the event. (Washington Beer Blog)
The Beer Story Project Collects 150 Tales From Craft Beer’s Past
The Beer Story Project, a new 270-page anthology compiled by author Marty Nachel, gathers more than 150 stories from 100+ craft-beer veterans to chronicle the industry’s forgotten tales, quirky misfires, origin myths, and behind-the-scenes moments that shaped American craft brewing. (The New School)
How Hobgoblin Built a Cult, Changed Pubs, and Slowly Faded Away
A sprawling new feature traces how Wychwood’s Hobgoblin evolved from a scrappy rural ruby ale and rock-leaning pub chain into a cult brand that helped reshape UK pub culture and cask-ale marketing—only to fade under corporate ownership while its rebellious DNA echoed on in newer “craft” upstarts. (Pellicle)
Study: Nearly Half of U.S. Alcohol Spending Happens On Premise
A new CGA by NIQ study shows that the on-premise still drives nearly half of all U.S. alcohol spending, with consumer traffic strengthening and channel behaviors diverging across casual dining, neighborhood bars, nightlife, fine dining, and niche venues—making precise, venue-specific strategy more essential than ever for craft brewers. (Craft Brewing Business)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
