American Whiskey in crisis, the end of Rogue Ales, protein booze, and banning single men from bars!

This week we're diving into some truly bonkers stories. First up, the big trend for 2026 isn't Buzzballs, it's Protein Booze! A company called Mate just snagged $7 million to launch a vodka protein water, proving you can finally wash down those weak vegetarian meals with a protein beverage.

Then, we head across the pond to Manchester, UK, where a bar owner is raising hell by banning single people, specifically single men, from his cocktail bar because they "creep other people out" and are "nothing but trouble". Speaking of the UK, the Stonegate Pub Group is offloading a thousand of its best pubs and blaming the "the dying BrewDog" for impacting their business.

But the big story is the impending Whiskey Extinction Event. American whiskey exports - including bourbon - are absolutely getting obliterated, with losses of 85% in Canada, 12% in the EU, and 30% in the UK. Compounding the problem, Canadian tourism to the Tennessee Whiskey Trail is down 31%.

An OG of craft brewing, Rogue Ales, has abruptly closed its doors in Newport, Oregon, reportedly owing over half a million dollars in back rent. We're tipping one out for the pioneering brewery that gave us Dead Guy Ale and, infamously, the horrendous Rogue Voodoo Maple Donut.

Finally, we cover some high-stakes corporate drama: Anheuser-Busch is in talks to acquire Beatbox for a massive $700 million to fight Buzzballs at their own game. Plus, we talk about the EU ruling that non-alcoholic gin can no longer be called gin and how this relates to the ridiculous taxes causing a "soft prohibition" on cigarettes, leading to massive black market smuggling. And finally, find out which American restaurant Mike says is obscenely priced but "still good."

#BarrelsAndBuzz #BreweryNews #Whiskey #Bourbon #RogueAles #Brewdog #BeerNews #ProteinBooze #AlcoholTrends #Cocktails #Gin #Buzzballs #Beatbox #DiveBar #Commander'sPalace #CraftBeer #BreweryClosure