Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 21/09/2026🚨 5TH PAID-IVERSARY SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE 🚨 Five years ago this week, I turned on paid subscriptions for Fingers. To celebrate, I’m offering 50% off (!!!) on annual subscriptions to the first 50 people to upgrade. Score one before they're gone: www.fingers.email/upgrade?offe... 22112
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Some personal news: This has been my first week of orientation at the University of Montana's law school. Making this decision has been invigorating, daunting, and thrilling. You'll still see me writing about beverages, though less frequently. (Brace for a 100% increase in Marisa Tomei content.) 8380
Reposted by Kate BernotCrow @abbyjane.cloverdalelane.com · 14/08/2026I think about this a lot. 7895082494
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Went on the BBC’s Business Daily podcast to talk about Diageo’s woes, particularly in the US, and how new leadership hopes to turn them around. bbc.com/audio/play/w...bbc.comBBC Audio | Business Daily | What's next for Guinness owner Diageo?Guinness owner Diageo launches a reset after profits fall and shares slide 062
Reposted by Kate Bernotwhet moser @whetmoser.com · 12/08/2026finally, i can eat a heatmap graphic 29916
Reposted by Kate BernotJaya Saxena @jayasaxena.com · 07/08/2026I hate having a memory of things that happened in the media industry 0737
Reposted by Kate BernotBrewbound.com @brewbound.com · 06/08/2026Ball Corp. CEO Ronald Lewis says beer remains “an important category” for aluminum cans — but no longer the company’s biggest — as CSDs and energy drinks help drive growth. Global packaging shipments rose 4.3% in Q2. 🍺🥤brewbound.comBall CEO: Beer ‘an Important Category’ But ‘Not Our Only Category’Beer, carbonated soft drinks and energy drinks are “delivering growth” for Ball Corporation, but beer is no longer the largest share of the aluminum can manufacturer’s business, CEO Ronald Lewis shared during the company's Q2 earnings call. 001
Reposted by Kate BernotBrian Alberts @brewedculture.org · 06/08/2026More from my Oktoberfest obsession: 1973 article claiming that roughly *half* of Oktoberfest goers that year were from the U.S. (?!?!), and also describing Oktoberfest beer as "golden" by default 🤔🤔🤔 Sharing the second photo mainly for "Demonstration in Litership." 121
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 06/08/2026In this follow-up newsletter, I explore how Korean wellness drinks are poised to follow K-beauty's U.S. trajectory. feelgoodsinsights.com/analysis/us-... 140
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 04/08/2026The language and aesthetics of beverage are all over the beauty and skincare aisle lately. (Lassi Lips Lip Oil, Seltzer Spritz Hairspray, Espresso ‘Tini Lip Balm ...) This isn't surprising, and I see more overlap ahead. I dig into why, and what's next: feelgoodsinsights.com/analysis/bev... 021
Reposted by Kate BernotJosh Sternberg @joshsternberg.com · 03/08/2026There are 7 PR people for every journalist in the US. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti... 171824584
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 31/07/2026These stickers are now for sale via The Fingers Shop (just put a note saying you want this design specifically.) All proceeds support more independent journalism about drinking in America: dinfontay.bigcartel.com/product/fing... 5215
Reposted by Kate BernotBrigit @brigit.bsky.social · 24/07/2026MISSOULA! MISSOULA WE HAVE A FOOD TRUCK LOCATOR AGAIN!!! www.zootowneats.comzootowneats.comZooTown EatsMissoula food truck menus, locations, and today's schedule. 051
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 22/07/2026TIL the American Museum of Tort Law's logo is a flaming Pinto, 10/10 no notes 070
Reposted by Kate BernotJay Willis @jaywillis.net · 21/07/2026The writer-editor relationship is so important cc @jduffyrice.bsky.social 1694549
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 13/07/2026SOURCE CALL: If you work or recently worked at Maine Beer Co. and would like to tell me what Dan Kleban is like as a boss, I'm all ears. Email me dave@dinfontay.com or securely text dinfontay.11 on Signal. Anonymity available. (RTs appreciated!) 11811
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 13/07/2026"In terms of rituals and behaviors, at-home shooters are one of the final frontiers." — @kbernot.bsky.social feelgoodsinsights.com/analysis/twi... 121
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Beer pitchers are underrated. For the price of two cold Coors Lights, you can have four lukewarm Coors Lights. 3425
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Strikes me too that in super-crowded cold cases where it's unclear what half the drinks even *are* (hard tea? lemon vodka RTD? spiked Gatorade?) retro lager branding conveys "beer," plain and simple. You don't even have to read to figure it's a light, yellow, effervescent beer. 082
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 10/07/2026What's with all the new lager brands wanting to look like they're 50 years old? I dig into the dynamics behind the retro branding boom for WaPo: www.washingtonpost.com/food/2026/07...washingtonpost.comNew beers are doing everything they can to look oldA fleet of retro-branded light lagers is coming to the beer aisle and tapping into shifting consumer tastes. 3429
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 09/07/2026"Shooters satisfy a number of priorities for younger LDA on-premise consumers. They’re flavor-led, relatively low-alcohol compared to shots, inexpensive, social, and provide a unique ritual experience that a drinker generally isn’t going to recreate at home." feelgoodsinsights.com/analysis/led... 292
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Not pretending I've never written something that required a correction but if an outlet ever saw fit to issue a correction to a retraction of my reporting I would yeet myself into the sun. 161
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Also worth noting that this range is also where macro lagers (Coors, Miller Lite, Mich Ultra, etc.) have squarely lived forever. And if you want that ABV with a local angle, there are regional versions like Natty Boh, Narragansett, Rainier, etc. Hard for craft to differentiate on the ABV alone. 2110
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 26/06/2026"For years, provocateurs have suggested alcohol is becoming the new tobacco. By this, they mean that alcohol is falling out of favor socially thanks to more widespread understanding of its health risks. We now have years of post-COVID data to indicate this isn’t true." — @kbernot.bsky.social 1103
Reposted by Kate BernotJW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 13/02/2026So say we all. orbooks.com/catalog/we-h... 14014
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Some UM students about to raid this church’s food pantry like raccoons 000
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 25/06/2026In our latest Feel Goods Insights newsletter: Plenty of data shows a disconnect between what young wine drinkers expect from a wine and what they perceive. Could wine packaging be part of the problem? And why is wine uniquely opposed to visual cues? feelgoodsinsights.com/analysis/you... 000
Reposted by Kate BernotEconReporter @econreporter.bsky.social · 24/06/2026The curious case of why UK and Canada CPI use grocery scanner data but the US can’t A deep dive on why the US's—the world's most important economy—inflation statistics enhancement progress has surprisingly... en.econreporter.com/58106/why-uk-ca…en.econreporter.comThe curious case of why UK and Canada CPI use grocery scanner data but the US can’tA deep dive on why the US's—the world's most important economy—inflation statistics enhancement progress has surprisingly lagged compared to the UK and Canada? 27415
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 22/06/2026👀 Florida has surpassed Minnesota as the nation's largest hemp-derived THC beverage market, per @hempbevalliance.bsky.social/VIP data for CY 2025. 010
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 22/06/2026Paying subscribers get exclusive access to The Fingers Podcast! It's how I publish longform interviews with interesting people from the wild world of booze—and beyond. Here's a recent episode with @kbernot.bsky.social:fingers.emailDecoding zoomer/boomer bev-alc doomerismFeel Goods' Kate Bernot on how demographic and workforce shifts are rocking the booze business 133
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 22/06/2026A newsletter that’s deeply reported *and* a pleasure to read—if you don’t subscribe already, do yourself a favor and fix that. 131
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 16/06/2026Despite how some in the beer industry refer to the hard seltzer "bubble," malt-based seltzers currently have greater share in U.S. convenience stores than craft beer. *And* they grew sales volume in that channel by ~3% over the past 52W. 251
Reposted by Kate BernotKen Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 15/06/2026SCOOP from @by-cjewett.bsky.social & me: Markwayne Mullin urged the Department of Health and Human Service to remove warnings from the FDA website about the health risks of the gas station drug kratom. Mullin owns equity in a leading kratom company called Botanic Tonics that could have benefited.nytimes.comHow an Addictive Gas Station Drug Found Allies in Trump’s Cabinet 15332051521
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 15/06/2026For my debut at @newrepublic.com, I compared the performative sobriety of prominent GOP operatives and manosphere podcasters (but I repeat myself) with the more complicated realities reshaping the American right's relationship with alcohol.newrepublic.comAre Republicans Really Quitting Booze?It’s hardly a neo-Prohibition movement, but MAGA personalities and far-right trolls are swearing off drinking—for predictably weird reasons. 27516
Reposted by Kate BernotMeredith Shiner @meredithshiner.com · 10/06/2026Today we learned there are significant differences in the profanity guidelines of the @chicagotribune.com and @chicago.suntimes.com 21981137
Reposted by Kate BernotJoseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 10/06/2026Some really crazy cases in here - cop looked up ex-girlfriend and family in Flock 100+ times - cop stalked wife giving "test" as reason - cop searched one plate 395 times in 10 months; was later fired Cops keep getting arrested for using Flock to stalk people www.404media.co/cops-keep-ge...404media.coCops Keep Getting Arrested for Using Flock to Stalk PeopleThere have been more than a dozen cases around the country where police use Flock to obsessively and illegally stalk people. 8933421436
Reposted by Kate BernotBen Casselman @bencasselman.bsky.social · 10/06/2026I'm interested in talking to workers about how A.I. is affecting their careers, and how they're adapting. Have a story to tell? Share it here: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/10/b...nytimes.comIs A.I. affecting your career? We want to hear from you. 166
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 04/06/2026Writing about functional beverages while consuming the GOAT fxbev 060
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 03/06/2026What does it mean for US bev-alc that the very wealthy will be the sole drivers of alcohol spending growth in the near future? Listen to my chat with Dave, and read my full analysis for Feel Goods: feelgoodsinsights.com/analysis/alc... 081
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 03/06/2026Here's @kbernot.bsky.social on the World Data Lab report that virtually all growth in bev-alc spending will soon come from the ultra-wealthy: 252
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 03/06/2026Today Fingers has a big new interview with @kbernot.bsky.social, longtime bev-alc journalist and lead analyst at Feel Goods Insights, about the booze industry's ticking retirement time bomb, the trade's mostly dismal outreach to Gen Z customers, CPG brands' AI slop obsession, and more.fingers.emailDecoding zoomer/boomer bev-alc doomerismFeel Goods' Kate Bernot on how demographic and workforce shifts are rocking the booze business 294
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 02/06/2026TLDR craft beer production down ~ 4% last year. (Previous data from the Brewers Association trade group had it down -6%) 260
Reposted by Kate BernotMaureen Ogle @maureenogle.bsky.social · 28/05/2026This fascinating. From @kbernot.bsky.social #beer www.beerandbrewing.com/brewing-ingr...beerandbrewing.comFonio Calls, and Craft Brewers AnswerBreweries big and small are discovering the huge, modern potential of this tiny, ancient grain. 3136
Reposted by Kate BernotT Block @tblockrva.bsky.social · 03/05/2026Bucket of beers has a new meaning 051
Reposted by Kate BernotDave Infante @dinfontay.com · 15/05/2026lol brutal lede: richmondbizsense.com/2026/05/15/t... 65710
Reposted by Kate BernotChris Drosner @wibeerbaron.bsky.social · 14/05/2026OK, not quite official, but I'm calling it: Schlitz is gone. My story on what losing this beer means to Milwaukee, and Kirby Nelson and Wisconsin Brewing Co.'s effort to send it off proper. www.milwaukeemag.com/schlitz-is-g...milwaukeemag.comSchlitz Is Gone, But First It’s Getting One Last HurrahAn icon of Milwaukee’s beer baron era has been discontinued by Pabst Brewing Co., but Wisconsin Brewing is planning one last toast to Schlitz this summer. 72613
Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 24/04/2026I joined the Business Wars podcast to chat non-alcoholic beer and where it fits into the overall bev-alc landscape: open.spotify.com/episode/7Gfn...open.spotify.comAthletic Brewing and the NA Beer Revolution | Is NA Here to Stay? | 3 020
Reposted by Kate BernotBen Casselman @bencasselman.bsky.social · 15/04/2026With a killer kicker from Sonu Varghese: Whether at the grocery store or the gas pump, “one person’s inflation,” he said, “is often just someone else’s margin expansion.” 34016
Reposted by Kate BernotBen Casselman @bencasselman.bsky.social · 15/04/2026Tariffs? Inflation? War? For all the turmoil in recent years, nothing has stopped U.S. corporations from earning record profits. There's little reason to think the latest energy shock will be any different. Smart story from @talsmith.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/b... 46021