Good news for beer as spring approaches, and it is now Pink Boots season.

Just Tapped 

For the past several months, looking at the Beer Purchasers' Index offered us an exercise in character building. It's taught us to find joy in the little things. But halleloo! Hope springs eternal as spring is about to, uh, spring. We have some good news at last! Let's get to it!

C'mon, craft! Keep climbing! 

As beer retailers and their wholesalers gear up for spring resets, we worried that their plans would include putting less beer on the shelves this spring and summer, but today we share some happy news that might suggest otherwise. On Monday the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) released the Beer Purchasers' Index for February. For the first time in many months, the BPI provides some positive, optimistic news. Overall, February's BPI was 54. (A reading above 50 indicates wholesalers ordered more beer than the same month last year and a reading below 50 indicates they ordered less. Read more about the BPI here.)

Turning to craft beer in particular, February's craft-specific BPI number was 34. While that's not exactly a fantastic number, it represents a significant rebound from the past few months, as the graph below illustrates. There are no guarantees, but here's hoping craft beer maintains an upward trajectory.

We're curious. If you're a retailer or a bar manager, what does your spring reset look like? What will fill your shelves? What do you imagine folks wanting to drink this spring and summer? Send us a message or leave some feedback below. We read it all.

It's Pink Boots season

International Women's Day is March 8th and that means most local chapters of the Pink Boots Society are gearing up to brew their annual collaboration beers to support the cause. In fact, some have already brewed and released their Pink Boots beers. There are more than 80 chapters worldwide, the majority of which are in the USA. The Pink Boots beers make use of the Pink Boots blend, a unique blend of hops created and supplied by YCH Hops.

It's a great organization with a noble mission: "The Pink Boots Society aims to assist, inspire and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education." That mission includes a scholarship program, among other things.

A great organization, but also a good story. It speaks to a sense of community, inclusion, and diversity to which many people can relate. In recent newsletters, we've talked about what speaks to Millennial and Gen Z consumers. These kinds of beer consumers need to hear this kind of story. There is very likely a Pink Boots Society chapter in your area. Learn more about Pink Boots, find your local chapter, get the beer, and tell the story. 

Around the Web 

• Athletic Brewing introduces Suped Up. It's a coffee-infused, non-alcoholic beer dubbed "the world's first pre-workout beer." (Report by PR Newswire.)  

• This brewery relied on ChatGPT to create a new beer. Designed using artificial intelligence (AI), but real humans still had to brew it. (Report by Detroit Free Press.)

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This week's Taster Tray was composed by Kendall Jones.