For years, society and industry celebrated declines in two key trends: alcohol-related traffic fatalities and teen drinking rates. Final figures for 2019 show "alcohol-impaired driving fatalities decreased by 5.3%," vs 2018 Natl Highway Traffic Safety Admin (NHTSA) reported recently. What's more, alcohol-impaired crash deaths were 28% of total crash deaths; that was the "lowest percentage since 1982, when NHTSA started reporting the data." Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities − any crash involving a car driver or motorcycle rider with a BAC of 0.08 or more − fell especially sharply among passenger vehicles, -11%. Preliminary figures for 2020 crash deaths skewed by pandemic and stay-at-home orders, natch, but so far looks like an increase in the fatality rate per mile driven, a measure that fell 3.5% in 2019.

Holiday slowdown continues as pandemic pressures weigh trends down, even as on-premise locking down. For 4 wks thru Dec 12, total beer/FMB/cider volume up 7.1%, $$ +10.1% in Nielsen all outlet scans. That's 4-point drop off compared to +11.3% and +15.2% yr-to-date, respectively. Indeed, $$ trend off 4 full percentage pts compared to 4 wks ended mid-Nov. So significant swing over just last mo. Every top supplier saw $$ sales slowdown for latest 4 wks vs YTD, with some steep decelerations mixed in. Mike's 4-week $$ trend up "just" 34.4% compared to +82.2% YTD, while Boston Beer up 36.5% for 4 weeks vs +51% YTD. Both cos still gaining $$ share albeit less than yr-to-date: Mike's +1 share for 4 wks, Boston +0.8. Meanwhile, Diageo no longer gaining share as co's $$ trend fell to +7.6% vs +23.7% YTD. And even tho AB and MC each donating close to 2 share points YTD, both losing less in latest period. Down closer to 1 share in latest 4 weeks.

Following tuff spring, then gains each mo Jun thru Oct, Nov taxpaid shipments by domestic brewers slipped 96K bbls, -0.8% in Nov, estimates Beer Inst. For 11 mos, taxpaids down 1.3 mil bbls, -0.8%. Revisions still expected, Beer Inst reminds, due to postponed report requirements/tax payment due dates. With imports near even thru Oct, total US shipments still off 1.5 mil bbls YTD, -0.8%. That's right about where NBWA economist Lester Jones pegged 2020 shipments trend during last's week's seminar with Fintech, pending revisions.

Stocks of global brewers taking a hit today as rise in Covid-19 cases and news of a new strain of the virus spreading in the UK in particular, per Seeking Alpha. ABI shares down 3.9% in US, Carlsberg off 2.5.% in Copenhagen and Heineken shares slipped 3.3% in Amsterdam. "The development pushes back the expected timeline for a return of on-premise beer sales to 2019 levels and could lead to revised downward estimates for Q4," warned Seeking Alpha. Recall, just a few weeks ago, UK brought back, what The Independent called "devastating" restrictions on pubs, bars and restaurants thru most of England.

While AB's acquired handful of non-alc products in recent yrs, it's also marketing in-house NA brands, beer and beyond, in new ways heading into 2021. "NAB Lab," as co refers to it, is collection "no-alcohol beer" brands like O'Douls, Busch NA, Bud Zero, plus craft brewer additions in Golden Road Mango Cart NA, Karbach Free & Easy NA IPA, and new non-alc seltzers called MoodRing and Spiri+. The "bartenders" of NAB Lab, include several AB execs and vets, headed by VP of Corporate Social Responsibility Comms, Adam Warrington, Sr Director of Innovation for Brewers Collective, Joy Young and VP of Innovation for AB, Jake Kirsch, per website. VPs of mktg for Bud and Value portfolios, Monica Rustgi and Daniel Blake, Karbach and Golden Road brewmasters, Eric Warner and Victor Novak, and AB master cicerone Max Bakker round out team.

, Next Beer Insights Webinar, Coming Jan 27

Bill to regulate New Jersey's recreational cannabis biz just went to Gov Murphy, who's expected to sign it. Key provisions, as outlined by MJBiz Daily, make alcohol regulation seem simple. Among 'em: 1) six separate classes of license, from cultivator to delivery, some combos will be possible, tho process "complicated"; 2) limits apply to licenses, except for "microbusinesses"; 3) an "application points system," yet to be determined, will be based on "operating, environmental and safety and security plans"; 4) "impact zones," areas that suffered from previous cannabis enforcement, granted several "priorities"; 5) municipalities can opt out of legal sales, but legislation put some roadblocks in to make it "more difficult"; 6) states sales tax will be 7%, a "social equity fee" may be applied and municipalities will be able to tack on up to 2% local tax, and more. Key to passage, reportedly: "Murphy and leading lawmakers agreed to target 70% of the tax revenue to communities most harmed by the war on drugs." Keys to further delays in developing what MJBiz Daily pegs to approach $1 bil mkt by 2024: 1) final rules unlikely to be adopted for another 6 mos; 2) current inability to meet medical marijuana demand, which has to be solved before those operators can sell for recreational use. In any case, NJ law "expected to ignite a domino effect across the Northeast and Middle Atlantic, especially putting pressure on neighboring New York and Pennsylvania to legalize adult use," MJBiz observes.

Joe Cunningham, D-SC, recently lost re-election in his Charleston, SC district, making him a one-term member of the US House, after defeating ex-Gov Mark Sanford in 2018. During farewell speech on floor yesterday, Cunningham cracked a can of DC Brau's Joint Resolution, a hazy IPA, natch. House rules, of course, prevented him from taking even a sip. (They also barred him from bringing a sixer on to the floor last yr that he'd planned to give to Rep Peter DeFazio who chairs Small Brewers Caucus.) Cunningham hoisted the Joint Resolution to toast bipartisanship: "For the betterment of this country, we have to come together. We have to sit down and listen to each other and maybe even have a beer. The spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation. I raise this glass to my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans." Republican Nancy Mace, who defeated Cunningham last mo, immediately released a statement: "I'll drink to that." Meanwhile, America continues to wait for Santa Claus to come to town with some stimulus in his sack.