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The beer category as a whole is struggling and it's not just 1-2 suppliers this yr, New Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie shared to open up co's natl distrib meeting yesterday in Fort Collins, CO. Each of the top 10 brewers by volume are down in scans for last 52 wks, he pointed out. That now includes Kirin-Lion at #10, still rising in the ranks, ahead of FIFCO USA this yr. It's also the largest craft brewery in US scans. But while it's not down as much as some others, it's "feeling the same" challenges as rest of the industry, Shaun acknowledged. Yet there are "bright spots" that continue to grow "despite category challenges," and "we have some of those brands," he underscored. Voodoo Ranger is the #1 franchise in craft beer and still gaining ground, up 0.5 pts to 8.7 share of craft in NIQ. Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA is the #2 craft brand by itself, still growing 3% by volume in its 8th yr. Juice Force is the #3 craft brand overall, still growing 10% in its 5th yr. And in yr two, Tropic Force is still growing double digits YTD, making it 2d largest growth brand in craft scans, only behind Juice Force. Voodoo Ranger is gonna keep meeting consumers "on their terms" while bringing "fun" back to craft beer without following a craft playbook, CMO Rebecca Dye Yonushonis promised. Co will continue to expand the Voodoo Ranger brand "smartly" thru unique "partnerships" and intentional innovation that drive incremental growth.For Bell's, the Hearted family is flattish in Great Lakes, significantly outperforming craft in the region. Two Hearted is still #1 IPA and #3 craft brand in the region, Hearted variety pk is the top selling craft variety pk, and Big Hearted ranks among top launches. Oberon fam is growing significantly this yr in the core region, boosted by Oberon Light as the #1 new craft brand in the Great Lakes region (#3 nationally despite limited footprint) and #1 growth brand in MI. Co will look to build on those strengths in 2026, underlining its status as a "timeless standard." Kirin Ichiban is "just scratching the surface" of what it can do in the US, Shaun declared. It was a bit of "a mess" amid initial production and distribution transitions, he openly acknowledged. But now that they're set, NBB views Kirin Ichiban as a "third leg to our beer stool," with the oppy to become "as big as Two Hearted," if not bigger, said Shaun, leaning into premium, quality, heritage and authenticity cues, added Rebecca."We Don't Want to Give Up" on Beyond Beer; Different Approach; "Incubator" Innovation; 90% of Focus on Priority Brands With LightStrike hard refreshers, co learned that "new RTD brands&hellip;take time" and the "craft playbook" doesn't work in this space. Despite setbacks on LightStrike and Voodoo Ranger Hardcharged Tea amid big competition, "we don't want to give up on this part of the category" and feel co's proven it has "a right to play and win," asking for distributors to "continue to work with us on how to build these brands out." But co's "got to approach it differently than we've done to this point," Shaun said, putting greater emphasis on single-serves in 2026.While 90% of the focus will be on its priority brands and SKUs across the portfolio, Kirin-Lion also vowed to "keep pushing for what's next in this beyond beer space," shifting to an "incubator approach" in targeted geographies to "make sure we have something before we expand it more broadly," Shaun explained. But keep betting on "the winners" of the portfolio. While the category's challenged, Kirin-Lion portfolio has "green shoots" and "those are the ones you're really putting dollars behind."Significant Capital in Facilities Over Next Few Yrs; Daleville Taproom As Kirin-Lion's US portfolio evolves, it's planning to make "significant capital investments" in its brewing facilities in Ft Collins, CO, Asheville, NC, Comstock, MI and Daleville, VA over the next few yrs, chief supply chain officer Tom O'Connell shared separately. "These projects are tailored to meet site-specific needs and scope." In Ft Collins, co made 13-yr commitment to expand its 250K sq-ft distribution center for additional capacity and further upgrades. Co's also adding a taproom to the Daleville, VA production site, in addition to increased hospitality investments in Asheville, Ft Collins and Kalamazoo.

Kirin-Lion Still a Bright Spot Amid Industry Challenges; Kirin Upside; Not Giving Up on LightStrike; Incubator Innovation; Investing in Facilities

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