Next year the oldest millennials turn 40 and the youngest will be in their mid-20s. It’s time to quit thinking of them as kids. 

In recent years, as it has snapped up small east coast breweries, developed a non-beer division, and streamlined properties, Craft Brew Alliance has resembled the company it courted. But today, we learned AB InBev would not complete a long-anticipated buyout. 

Two days ago, a property firm in Hong Kong, CK Asset Holdings, announced the purchase of the UK’s largest maker of traditional cask ales. It must be a statement of our times, but the news created such a small stir I didn’t even hear about it until yesterday afternoon.

A friendly competition pitting pilsner-brewers from Oregon and Washington made for a most tasty weekend. 

The humble pale ale, the style that built American craft brewing, had been the very model of constancy for 35 years. That era has passed—but what comes next?

Over the past three years, the beer industry has suffered its share of grim sales reports. Here’s a bit of research that suggests things may not be as bad as they seem. 

Nobody knows the answer. 

For three years, beer industry watchers wondered if AB InBev would be making a big purchase in August 2019. The megabrewer did indeed announce a purchase today, but it’s not the one we were expecting.

If beer is a story, then an “off-flavor” is actually just an element that doesn’t fit into our construct. But it may be a critical part of a different story.