Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association

NBWA Chief Economist Highlights Shifts in Beer Drinking Occasions

In an article for FSP magazine and an appearance on the Tapped In Beverage Podcast, NBWA Chief Economist Lester Jones emphasized the fluid nature of today’s occasion-shifting beer consumer. While restaurants and bars grew their share of beet purchases by more than $300 million last year (+2.6% YoY) amid a broader shift toward on-premise consumption, Jones noted that economic pressures – including higher gas prices – could push some of those occasions back toward the off-premise.

On-Premise Beer Trends and the $300 Million Shift Back to the Taproom Alcohol sales have seen better days. But after a slow start, 2025 turned into a meaningful growth story for beer on-premise. While alcohol spending lost momentum in the first half of the year, the second half saw on-premise operators gain dollar share in the alcohol category, with beer leading the w...

Cheers to American Craft Beer Week! 🍻

Beer distributors marked the 20th annual American Craft Beer Week by highlighting craft brands they carry and helping consumers discover local favorites. NBWA celebrated the role independent distributors play in growing craft beer across the country.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYU3bqUDow5/?utm_source=NBWA%27s%20Weekly%20Delivery%20Newsletter%20(Formerly%20Daily%20Brew)&utm_campaign=5e08ce92f8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_11_7_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_935b7e0b70-5e08ce92f8-37274839

It’s a great time to be a beer lover! America’s beer distributors have played a key role in the rise of craft beer — helping brewers bring bold new tastes to fans across the country. 🍻 NBWA members carry an average of 65 craft brands and 300 unique SKUs, delivering fresh flavors and longtime favorites to store shelves 🚚 Strong distribution networks and retailer relationships connect craft brewers to markets coast to coast 📢 Distributor sales and marketing teams help build brands, from winning tap handles at bars to driving excitement through events and digital spotlights Locally crafted beer × local distributor expertise = a win for beer lovers everywhere. Cheers to Craft Beer Week!

Land of the free, because of the brave. Raising a glass to those who gave their all today. 🇺🇸🍻

Team USA’s Gold Medal Beer Run 🇺🇸🍻

Members of the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team shared how a nerve-racking late night beer run became a critical moment of bonding during the team’s gold medal campaign.

Matthew and Brady Tkachuk tell the story of Team USA smuggling beer into the Olympic Village The Tkachuk brothers reveal how a beer run into the Olympic Village galvanized the 2026 US men's hockey team on their iconic quest for gold.

Play Ball! Watch a Distributor Prepare for Opening Day ⚾️

Go behind-the-scenes with NBWA member Treu House of Munch as its team works hard to get Toledo Mud Hens fans ready for another exciting baseball season.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYFbGfOuShj/

Play ball — and pass the beer! Go behind the scenes with NBWA member Treu House of Munch as they get Toledo Mud Hens fans ready for opening day. Across the country, beer distributors like Treu House of Munch make sure every ballpark is set for game day. More than 135,000 professionals deliver products, rotate to ensure freshness and help bring the fan experience to life through local marketing and community engagement.

NHL Team’s “Beer Skates” Go Viral ⛸️🍺

The Carolina Hurricanes sold nearly 5,000 skate-shaped, 28 oz beer mugs in one evening after the novelty items blew up on social media during a playoff game. Already through their entire supply for the postseason, the team learned an important lesson: never underestimate hockey fans’ love for beer!

www.espn.com

Applying Agentic AI in Beer Distribution

In this week’s BIECC webinar, Sean Taylor of Wil Fischer Companies shared how his distributorship is using agentic AI across its operations. Panelists also highlighted practical use cases, implementation insights and key AI security considerations. The webinar is now available on demand.

Agentic AI - Next Steps for Beer Distributors This is "Agentic AI - Next Steps for Beer Distributors" by NBWA on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Retailers Predict a Bright Year for Beverage Sales 📈

According to a recent Goldman Sachs survey, c-store operators now forecast 4.6% growth in 2026, following a 1.5% increase in beverage sales in Q1. Retailers cited improving beer trends, higher traffic and continued growth in non-alcoholic beverages – led by energy drinks – as key drivers of growth.

Retailers Predict Brighter Year for Beverage Sales Operators expect to allocate more space to nonalcoholic offerings this year, according to a recent Goldman Sachs survey.

How Beer Helped Build One of Baseball’s Most Trusted Partnerships ⚾️🍻

Former MLB stars Bronson Arroyo and David Ross say sharing beers off the field helped build the trust behind their on-field success. The World Series-winning battery credits beer-fueled bonding for stronger communication in pressure moments.

A pitcher and catcher drank beer, played guitar and rapped together. It made them better There may be no closer partnership in sports than that of pitcher and catcher. And that partnership is far more art than science.

Celebrate Mom with a brew! 🍻