What the labels say

Seasonal guides and longer pieces, written from Hop Grail's register of approved beer labels.

From the registerNew Zealand hops are on a third of US labels that name a hop33% of new US beer labels that name a hop now name a New Zealand one, up from 13% on the same dates in 2019. Nelson Sauvin has nearly tripled its share, and Riwaka went from 2 beers to 42.Nov 1, 20264 min

StylesPißwasser, Patriot and No Mames Vice City label approvalsA Doral, Florida brewery has three can labels approved with Grand Theft Auto beer names on them. The approvals settle less than the headlines suggest.The Register Desk · edited by Curtis VaughanOct 26, 2026

SeasonalOktoberfest Beers 2026: First Labels Approved in MayFest Bier from Lawsons Finest Liquids was the first Oktoberfest label Hop Grail saw this year, approved May 27, 2026. Six more labels follow below.By Curtis VaughanOct 23, 2026

SeasonalFresh Hop Beers 2026: The First Labels ApprovedThe first fresh hop label Hop Grail saw this year was approved on Jun 29, 2026. Here is who came next, and what a label approval does and doesn't tell you.By Curtis VaughanOct 23, 2026

SeasonalPumpkin Beers 2026: The First Labels ApprovedThe first pumpkin label Hop Grail saw this year was approved Jun 1, 2026, well before fall. Here are six labels from the season so far.By Curtis VaughanOct 23, 2026

SeasonalWinter Beers 2026: The First Labels Are Already ApprovedThe first winter and holiday label of 2026 was approved May 28, and a handful more have followed since, from Oregon to Pennsylvania.By Curtis VaughanOct 15, 2026

From the registerFiled today, on tap in about two weeks: the lag, measuredA TTB label approval is public the day it happens, but it isn't a release date. For beers approved since July, we measure the gap to first public appearance — and publish the sample size with the number.Sep 4, 20264 min

From the registerHow many beer labels does the TTB approve? The register's countEvery beer label approval is public, and Hop Grail reads them daily. Here is the monthly volume since full coverage began, the working-day rhythm, and what last month was made of — refreshed nightly.Sep 4, 20263 min

From the registerFall arrived in the filing cabinet in May145 Oktoberfest labels have been filed since May 1 for a style nobody drinks until September. Beer's paperwork season runs a quarter ahead of its drinking season - and hop acreage just found its floor.Aug 28, 20263 min

The industryTerrapin's kettles go cold, and the brand sails onTilray ends brewing at the Athens home of Terrapin on September 25 - part of a restructuring that touches Redhook, Atwater, Hop Valley, and Revolver. The register saw the paperwork get busy first.Aug 28, 20264 min

From the registerDrinkers want 3.5%. Breweries are filing 6.4%Low-ABV is the loudest demand in beer right now. In the last 90 days of federal filings, barely 2% of new labels sit at 3.5% or under. The gap is the story - and the opportunity.Aug 28, 20264 min

The industryBrooklyn Brewery's move is the taproom bet, written in brickAfter 30 years, the Williamsburg warehouse closes August 29 - and the brewery is moving four blocks into a room four times the size. The healthiest numbers in craft explain why.Aug 18, 20264 min

The industryCraft beer is quietly leaving the grocery shelfCostco's craft experiment is winding down, draught is taking channel share from packaged - and a third of new label filings are for kegs, beer that will never see a shelf at all.Aug 18, 20264 min

FiledThe 2026 Bourbon County lineup, as filedGoose Island's autumn stouts showed up in the federal register in May, weeks before anyone announced them. Nine filings, with dates.Aug 3, 20264 min

The industryHalf of craft beer is growing. The average is fallingThe Brewers Association's midyear numbers look like decline. Underneath them, most breweries are up. Both things are true, and the gap is the story.Aug 3, 20267 min

MethodologyNobody agrees how many breweries there are, including us9,344, 12,238, or 7,204, depending on who is counting and what they think a brewery is. Here is every number we hold and exactly what each one means.Aug 3, 20268 min

From the registerIs the lager turn real? What 4,260 filings sayEveryone says lager is back and the haze craze is over. The federal label record has an opinion, and it only half agrees.Aug 3, 20266 min

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The Friday Pour is the short version: the week's new beers, every Friday. Every new label from every brewery is on New this week, and the calendar tracks the releases that only come once a year.