## Constellation Brands Delivers Strong Q3 Amid Beer Stabilization
Constellation Brands reported better-than-expected third quarter results, with beer sales falling only 1% compared to a 7% drop in the prior quarter (The Drinks Business, January 2026, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/01/constellation-brands-beats-forecasts-as-beer-stabilises/). This improvement signals rare optimism in a tough US beverage alcohol market, where shares rose 3% after losing 37% in 2025 (The Drinks Business, January 2026, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/01/constellation-brands-beats-forecasts-as-beer-stabilises/).
Demand for flagship Mexican beers **Modelo Especial** and **Corona** softened due to President Trump’s 50% tariffs on aluminum, which accounts for 41% of Constellation’s Mexican beer packaging, alongside impacts on Hispanic consumers from immigration policies (The Drinks Business, January 2026, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/01/constellation-brands-beats-forecasts-as-beer-stabilises/). However, commodity brands like **Pacifico**, **Victoria**, **Corona Sunbrew**, and **Corona Familiar** saw upticks as households tightened budgets (The Drinks Business, January 2026, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/01/constellation-brands-beats-forecasts-as-beer-stabilises/).
CEO Bill Newlands highlighted **dollar and volume share gains** in tracked channels for beer, while wines and spirits outperformed the US industry despite a 51% net sales drop from portfolio disposals like Svedka vodka (The Drinks Business, January 2026, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/01/constellation-brands-beats-forecasts-as-beer-stabilises/). The company forecasts annual earnings per share of $9.72 to $10.02, with organic net sales down 4-6%, beer sales off 2-4%, and steeper wine/spirits declines (The Drinks Business, January 2026, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/01/constellation-brands-beats-forecasts-as-beer-stabilises/).
## Boston Beer Innovates with Vodka Tea as Twisted Tea Declines
Boston Beer posted Q3 revenue of $537.5 million, down 11.2% year-over-year, but expanded gross margins to 50.8% by shifting 90% of production in-house (247 Wall St, January 13, 2026, https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/01/13/one-beer-maker-bets-on-vodka-tea-innovation-as-its-rival-defends-legacy-brands/). **Twisted Tea**, its $1.2 billion brand, fell 5% in off-premise channels versus a 3% category decline, hitting lower-income drinkers hardest (247 Wall St, January 13, 2026, https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/01/13/one-beer-maker-bets-on-vodka-tea-innovation-as-its-rival-defends-legacy-brands/).
Countering this, **Sun Cruiser** vodka tea surged to become the fourth-largest ready-to-drink spirits brand, leading on-premise and offsetting 20% of Twisted Tea’s volume loss with higher margins (247 Wall St, January 13, 2026, https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/01/13/one-beer-maker-bets-on-vodka-tea-innovation-as-its-rival-defends-legacy-brands/). CEO Jim Koch called it “the next iconic brand,” amid broader industry pressures from economic uncertainty and Hispanic consumer caution (247 Wall St, January 13, 2026, https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/01/13/one-beer-maker-bets-on-vodka-tea-innovation-as-its-rival-defends-legacy-brands/).
Molson Coors reported $11.21 billion in trailing twelve-month revenue but faced negative earnings from restructuring, emphasizing portfolio defense over innovation (247 Wall St, January 13, 2026, https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/01/13/one-beer-maker-bets-on-vodka-tea-innovation-as-its-rival-defends-legacy-brands/).
## Distribution Shifts Reshape US Beer Landscape
RNDC plans to offload assets to Reyes Beverage Group, potentially confirming warnings about consolidation among major US wine and spirits distributors with implications for beer channels (The Drinks Business, January 2026, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/01/rndc-to-offload-assets-to-reyes-beverage-group/).
## Michigan Brewers Gear Up for Key Industry Event
Brewing experts Chad Schramm and John Hieronymus will headline the **Michigan Great Beer State Trade Show & Conference** on January 14-16, 2026, at Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo, drawing hundreds of professionals via Michigan Brewers Guild, MSU Extension, and MBAA (The Brewer Magazine, 2026, https://thebrewermagazine.com/schramm-hieronymus-to-headline-michigans-great-beer-state-trade-show-conference/).
## Craft Beer Faces Continued Pressures
Craft beer dollar sales and volumes dipped 4.9% and 6.3% recently, with closures outpacing openings for the second year, though nearly 9,800 firms remain (SevenFifty Daily, 2026, https://daily.sevenfifty.com/6-beer-industry-trends-to-watch-in-2026/; VinePair, 2026, https://vinepair.com/articles/hop-take-beer-stories-to-shape-2026/). Brewers Association data shows a 4% volume drop persisting from 2024 (Beer Connoisseur, 2026, https://beerconnoisseur.com/state-of-craft-2026/).