Industry

Christmas-themed packaging and formats help beer brands extend relevance, drive incremental holiday sales, and stretch a short seasonal window. (beercrunchers.substack.com)

Kombucha faces slowing growth, crowded by prebiotic sodas, but brands see revival through education, innovation, and new use occasions. (bevnet.com)

Hop water pivots to wellness, leveraging zero-calorie, functional appeal for growth. (fooddive.com)

CleanCo leader reflects on career twists and purpose in expanding non-alc accessibility. (thegrocer.co.uk)

AB InBev’s new UK dealcoholisation unit signals major commitment to non-alc beer growth, boosting local production, supply chains, and consumer choice. (thedrinksbusiness.com)

ALTR appoints Domingo Rodriguez to lead commercialization of its flavor-first alcohol-removal platform. (linkedin.com)

More people are choosing low and no alcohol to feel healthier, save money, and socialize with flexibility. (ceotodaymagazine.com)

Craft beer is losing Gen Z as sales drop, forcing brewers to modernize styles, venues and messaging. (thedrinksbusiness.com)

Online grocer, Thrive Market drops alcohol and expands with 100 new zero-proof SKUs as consumption habits shift. (emarketer.com)

Taste Radio Podcast: Hiyo’s founders turned personal alcohol wake-up calls into a fast-growing NA brand now scaling with 100-plus SKUs and a new Live Nation partnership. (tasteradio.com)

HotStart VC Podcast: Katy Perry–backed De Soi scales as CEO Scout Brisson reveals how the brand became Target’s top NA cocktail. (youtube.com)

Health

Ireland delays mandatory alcohol warning labels, raising doubts about their impact on drinking culture. (bbc.com)

Culture

A call for all, global Dry January events. (linkedin.com)

Map shows U.S. dry counties persisting, with alcohol restrictions concentrated in the South. (visualcapitalist.com)

Code 3: Life Reinvented Podcast: Milan Martin shares his leap from ad executive to Free Spirits founder. (podcasts.apple.com)

Non-Non-Alc

Scientists say humans’ alcohol cravings trace back to primates seeking fermented fruit. (wsj.com)

The spirits RTD boom was inevitable once hard seltzer exposed a flawed malt base and cultural, economic, and regulatory signals aligned for premium spirits-based entrants. (linkedin.com)

Michelin will begin rating wineries with a new Grapes system, raising questions for traditional critics but promising broader visibility for wine. (wineenthusiast.com)