1. Wholesaler Reyes Beverage has acquired the rights to Constellation Brands from two more California distributors. Reyes will now distribute Corona, Modelo, Pacifico, and Ballast Point in territories previously managed by Triangle Beverage and Beauchamp Distributing. The deal adds 4.1 million cases to Reyes' business. Constellation comprised about half of Triangle's volume. The Encinitas-based distributor offered a voluntary severance package to 100 employees, with about half of the distributor's employees leaving the company the same day it stopped selling Constellation products. Constellation has been working to consolidate its distributors into the Reyes network since June. – BREWBOUND

2. Registered beer trademarks set a record in the U.K. in 2017. The 2,372 trademarks represented a 20% increase over 2016. "The craft beer market has grown to a scale where some of the intellectual property behind the brands is extremely valuable," said Ben Mark of the Roland, Chamberlain, and Porter law firm. "Protecting the value of those brands is becoming increasingly important." – BLOOMBERG

3. Colorado-based New Image Brewing will open a 10,000 sq. ft. production facility in 2019. The new space will feature a 4-vessel 20-barrel brewhouse and the facility's capacity will max out at 30,000 barrels annually. The Arvada brewery's portfolio includes New England IPAs and kombucha kettle sours, along with more conventional styles. The four-year-old brewery plans to brew between 6,000 and 8,000 barrels in 2019. – WESTWORD

1. The former heads of Saint Archer Brewing Company have started a beer and wine wholesale company called Scout Distribution. Saint Archer co-founder Josh Landan is joined by the company's former VP Jeff Hansson and marketing manager Anthony Levas on the new project that will serve as both a distributor and marketing consultant. The trio left the Texas-based brewery 18 months after its sale to MillerCoors. Scout will work with its brands to expose them to potential investors and even invest in paid social media posts for them, something Hansson says traditional distributors would never do. – BREWBOUND

2. Canada has suspended a tariff on imported U.S. aluminum cans. The country's brewing industry was facing a shortage following retaliatory tariffs placed on U.S. steel and aluminum imports in response to President Trump's tariffs. "It’s very positive for us," said Beer Canada trade association president Luke Harford. "The 473 ml tall cans are all purchased from U.S. suppliers and that particular can is one of the fastest-growing cans." Beau's Brewing Co. founder Steve Beauchesne said the exemption puts Canadian breweries on equal ground with U.S. breweries importing beer to Canada, since filled cans of beer are not subject to the tariff. – FINANCIAL POST

3. Oregon-based Rogue Ales & Spirits owner and president Brett Joyce will step down from his role with the brewery and distillery at the end of the year. Brett Joyce will retain an ownership stake and his seat on the company's board following his departure. General manager Dharma Tamm, who joined the company last year, will take on Joyce's responsibilities. Since peaking at 117,000 barrels in 2014, sales of the 30-year-old brewery's beer fell to 98,000 barrels in 2017. Tamm says he will focus on improving product quality instead of growth and expansion. – BREWBOUND

4. The Ohio Craft Brewers Association has teamed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to form a safety information platform for the state's brewers. The Master Brewers Association of the Americas, the Brewers Association (BA), the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation are also involved in the alliance. The groups will work to establish training programs and provide access to resources like the BA's online safety training and OSHA's on-site consultation services. – BREWERS ASSOCIATION

5. San Diego-based Modern Times Beer plans to open a new space in Oakland. The brewery currently operates auxiliary restaurants and breweries in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California, with two more planned California locations including a Santa Barbara taproom and a 32,000 sq. ft. sour facility in Anaheim. The company has not yet released specific details on the business plan for the Oakland facility that will be located in the city's Uptown neighborhood. – EATER

4. Convenience stores represent an opportunity for potential new off-premise growth for breweries facing overall slowing sales, according to beer writer Bryan Roth. Beer sales at convenience stores and gas stations were flat halfway through 2018 compared to a 1.1% decline for grocery stores, according to Beer Marketers' Insights. The above premium category, which includes craft beer, grew 8.3% in these stores, while sales of offerings from major beer conglomerates fell. The growth of new packaging formats, including grab-and-go 19.2-oz. single cans, has created new opportunities for craft brands to occupy shelf space in that is typically reserved in these stores for larger beer makers. – GOOD BEER HUNTING

5. Brooklyn-based Other Half is considering a new outlet in the Ivy City district of Washington, D.C. The city's former Pappas Tomato Packaging building is being redeveloped to house a cafe, restaurant, axe-throwing lounge, and Other Half's third location. The New York brewery's new space would include a production area, taproom, and cellar-level storage. – URBAN TURF

1. Fallout continues from that journal article earlier this week that predicts future barley shortages and a resulting spike in beer prices due to climate change, however NPR is now trying to put the breaks on the panic. A rep for the Idaho Grain Producers Association suggests that the panic is overblown, saying that farmers always have to adjust to extreme weather events and "I just don't see us being unable to produce however much barley brewers want." And Stone Brewing co-founder Greg Koch calls the media freakout over the story "a bit myopic" given the myriad ways human activity is affecting the planet, and the many things that may go wrong as a result. – NPR

2. Responding to criticism that it has crossed too many lines with its promotional activities, UK-based mega craft brewer Brewdog is vowing to start getting more mature. But have the brewery already alienated some of their strongest supporters, the rank and file of its Equity for Punks (EFP) investors? That's the question raised in an editorial from The Full Pint, which speaks to multiple Equity Punks, some of whom are just proud to have invested in a company that is continuing to produce "proper beer" for the masses. The biggest recent backlash came from a botched press release (which Brewdog tried to distance itself from) that was offering free beer to Trump supporters. For its part, Brewdog says, "We know some [of our ideas] were just ill-advised full stop." – THE FULL PINT

3. Beer & Brewing Magazine has just released its picks for the 18 best beers of 2018, a full two months and change before 2018 is over. Among the mag's picks are high-profile collaboration brews like Braupakt, a hefeweizen made by Weihenstephaner, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Fort George Brewery's 3-Way IPA, made in collaboration with Modern Times and Holy Mountain. The editorial team also picks a pair of Vermont beers — Hill Farmstead Arthur from Greensboro Bend and vonTrapp Brewing's Oktoberfest from Stowe — as well as a few from California: Alvarado Street's Contains No Juice, Societe's The Swindler, and Bottle Logic Brewing's Fundamental Observation. – BEER & BREWING

4. The country's 26 best selling beers are mostly what you'd expect, but Mexican brands are gaining market share. This year's numbers from Beer Marketers' Insights already told us that the world of Big Beer remains largely unchanged, with the top three bestsellers still Bud Light, Coors Light, and Budweiser. Miller Light stands in 4th place and Corona at 5th, well above popular college binge beers like Natural Light and Busch Light. As investors are noting, the biggest news overall is that Mexican brands are rising in popularity, with Modelo Especial (#7 on the list) now shipping 7.2 million barrels compared to 1.6 million barrels in 2007. – 24/7 WALL STREET