DOES WHEAT BEER HAVE A PROBLEM?

Dear Client:On the recent CBA call, Andy Thomas and Co. let onto a new strategy for Widmer Hefeweizen. The brand would "continue to evolve and draw crossover consumers," though it's "not going to hold the same place in our portfolio that it once did." One Q2 earnings caller pressed Andy Thomas on…

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10 BEST BEER STATES OF 2011

3. OregonNumber of breweries: 121Capita per brewery: 31,622Production in 2010: 2.8 million barrelsConsumed per capita in 2010: 22.7 gallonsOregon's beer empire is built on craft, and anyone who's found themselves amid too many brewpubs in Portland with too little time to see all of them knows it…

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BRANDS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

Andy Thomas, new chief of commercial ops, was the star of CBA's Q2 call today, outlining the portfolio strategy and market milieu with a swagger not usually heard through the crackling ether.But first, chief Terry Michaelson delivered the numbers that we all read about yesterday: depletions up 6%,…

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CRAFT BREWERS ALLIANCE'S NET EARNINGS JUMP ON FULTON STREET BREWING SALE

Craft Brewers Alliance Inc. said today that net earnings jumped nearly fivefold on a one-time, $10.4 million gain on the sale of its stake in Chicago's Fulton Street Brewing. Otherwise, second-quarter earnings were mostly flat as higher expenses offset higher sales.The Portland-based holding…

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CRAFT BREWERS EARNINGS SOAR

Craft Brewers Alliance Inc. reported a fourfold increase in earnings as the Portland-based craft beer maker improved margins and completed the $16.3 million sale of its stake in Fulton Street Brewery LLC.Craft (Nasdaq: Hook) reported a second quarter profit of $8.1 million on $44.8 million in…

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