Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 17h

Oh, *for dogs*, right right right

A shelf display of PB & Chill “calming peanut butter for dogs” packets

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 2d

Fun assignment for @saveur.com, looking into the modern side of mead. With new producers, new formats, and a diminished focus on the ren faire set, mead is proving surprisingly versatile.

Find it in the latest issue!

A cover of the fall/winter 2025 issue of SAVEUR shows a vertical photo of Chinese noodles on a yellow table

An interior page from the SAVEUR issue shows text as well as a large, center photo of a bottle of dark purple mead from Superstition Meadery

2 4

Reposted by Kate Bernot

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 3d

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 3d

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

59 1.1K 3.8K

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 3d

Affluent Americans have carried water for much of the economy, but they can’t do it forever—particularly not in general CPG.

My latest Sightlines report looks at what's happening to premiumization as even wealthy shoppers slow their spending: www.sightlines.news/analysis/whe...

3

Reposted by Kate Bernot

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 4d

Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

140 3K 5.8K

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 10d

Paul Grey didn’t open his distillery in order to host Taylor Swift-themed trivia, yet such events have become critical to keeping the business’ doors open.

For Craft Spirits Magazine, I report on how small distilleries are using events to drive visitation: issuu.com/americancraf...

Craft Spirits September/October 2025

issuu.com

Reposted by Kate Bernot

American Association of Wine Economists AAWE @wineecon.bsky.social · 12d

Composition of U.S. Wine Consumption, 1967-2023.
Note:
(1) Gradual decline in dessert wine, with the steady rise of table wine over the decades.
(2) Stark decline in table wine from 2021-2023, much smaller drop in sparkling wine.
(3) Growth of wine-based RTDs as successor to the 1980s wine coolers

1 1 8

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 12d

There are sensory and aesthetic parallels between natural wine and certain beers. Can brewers get the natty crowd on board with saison or craft lager?

My latest for the Brewing Industry Guide: brewingindustryguide.com/pitching-nat...

Pitching Natural Beer to Natural-Wine Drinkers

Whether it’s a table beer that expresses terroir or a bare-bones local lager that lets its ingredients shine, there may be opportunities for small breweries to tap into a segment of wine that’s buzzin...

brewingindustryguide.com

1 8

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 13d

This would heal me

A still from the Charlie Brown Christmas special where all the characters play music and dance on stage

16

Reposted by Kate Bernot

The TRiiBE @thetriibe.com · 14d

NEW — Video posted to social media shows Unraveled Press co-founder Steve Held being detained by federal agents outside the Broadview immigration facility earlier this evening.

A collection of Chicago newsrooms is calling for his immediate release.

thetriibe.com/2025/09/chic...

Chicago journalist detained while covering protest outside Broadview immigration facility • The TRiiBE

Video posted to social media shows Unraveled Press co-founder Steve Held being detained by federal agents earlier this evening.

thetriibe.com

31 960 1.9K

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 15d

In this episode of The Gist podcast, we explore America’s massively successful campaign against underage drinking, and what it means for broader trends in alcohol consumption.

Listen in:
www.sightlines.news/the-gist-pod...

From Underage to Uninspired - Younger Audiences are Waiting on Booze — Sightlines

In this episode of The Gist podcast, Michael Kiser and Kate Bernot explore America’s massively successful campaign against underage drinking, and what it means for broader trends in alcohol consumptio...

www.sightlines.news

3

Reposted by Kate Bernot

Dave Infante @dinfontay.com · 15d

you are about to see the nation’s beer distributors—aka “the toughest lobby you’ve never heard of”—lose their fucking minds

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 15d

* TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RESTRICTING COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSES FOR NON-U.S. CITIZENS, USDOT SAYS

@reuters.com

54 610 2.7K

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 21d

Functional beverage MadLibs

Three products on a grocery store shelf: Energy strips, “tropical sauce,” and a bottle of pickle juice

3

Reposted by Kate Bernot

Dave Infante @dinfontay.com · 22d

College and pro football have returned. Beer sales have not. In my column this week at @vinepair.com, I broke down the short- and long-term trends dragging the beleaguered industry down during what had been one of its most dominant occasions.

Beer Is Losing Its Grasp On Football. Here's Why.

Late last month, I received a comment from a reader about my column on the American brewing industry’s collective overcapacity problem. Well, more of a request, really. “Dave can you put out a piece t...

vinepair.com

1 3 10

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 22d

Additional data from the federal SAMSHA survey shows that declines in late high school and college-age (sub-21 yo) drinking rates are what's notable in recent years.

Teens really are waiting until they're 21—or slightly beyond that—to begin drinking.

A chart titled "Past-Month Alcohol Use Trends 2021-2024" shows no statistically significant change in rates for most groups, except for a decrease among those ages 18 to 25.

1 1

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Sep 5

It’s partially a COVID ripple effect: With kids more isolated, teens’ reported use of almost all measured substances decreased dramatically between 2020 and 2021.

Notable: Teen drinking and drug use have remained low—or continued to decrease—since the pandemic, even as public spaces have reopened.

www.sightlines.news

1 4

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Sep 5

In today’s Sightlines newsletter: The kids are alright.

New federal data shows young people ages 12-18 showed statistically significant decreases in alcohol use, cannabis use, major depressive episodes, and suicidality compared to four years ago.

Why? Changes to the way kids socialize.

1 2 3

Reposted by Kate Bernot

American Association of Wine Economists AAWE @wineecon.bsky.social · Aug 27

Global Vineyard Area, 1900-2024

3 9 9

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Sep 5

Beer's long been king at convenience stores, but spirits—led by RTDs—are making inroads.

For NACS Magazine, I report on why they're succeeding, and how stores are expanding their selections to meet the moment. www.nacsmagazine.com/Issues/Augus...

Raise a Can to Spirits

The #1 trusted source of information for decision makers in the convenience industry.

www.nacsmagazine.com

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Aug 27

Trump issued an EO repealing the Biden admin's directive for the FTC to examine anti-competitive practices in the bev-alc industry. The trade group representing beer wholesalers has been pushing for the move for months. Here's background on why: www.goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines/2...

Minding the Store — Feds Take Critical Look at ‘Big Beer’ Strategy of Organizing Retail Shelves — Good Beer Hunting

Some of the most powerful retail sales practices for alcohol are getting a closer look from federal regulators, with the potential to upend decades of precedent that shape the way beer, wine, and liqu...

www.goodbeerhunting.com

1 1

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Aug 26

Brewers need not feel bewildered by the growth in RTD cocktails. For the Brewing Industry Guide, I report on how malt-based products can address many of the same occasions and drinker demands: brewingindustryguide.com/malt-based-r...

How Breweries Are Answering the Cocktail Call with Malt-Based Drinks

When done thoughtfully, fruited sours, spiked sodas, and even hard seltzers can address many of the same drinker demands as RTD cocktails.

brewingindustryguide.com

5

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Aug 25

As the hazy New England and bright West Coast styles drift toward opposite poles, Midwest IPA—like the region from which it hails—has proudly held the middle. I wrote about where it stands today for Craft Beer & Brewing: beerandbrewing.com/midwest-ipa/

Why Midwest IPA Is... Nice

Ope! Midwest IPA is just gonna sneak right past the two coastal substyles as a unique approach all its own, rooted in modern tradition while evolving for the future.

beerandbrewing.com

8

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Jul 31

I didn’t read hardly any of the dating books covered by this podcast at the time but they seeped into the zeitgeist in ways I didn’t even realize. (I was today years old when I found out the author of HJNTIY was a SATC writer…)

2

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Jul 31

What struck me during this otherwise very romping episode: There was almost no critical engagement with this book/movie at the time (fair) and it went on to sell 1m+ copies and influence the way a generation of women think about themselves, and dating, and relationships generally !!

1 2

Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · Jul 31

For the Brewing Industry Guide, I profiled Austin's Hold Out Brewing. Unlike most breweries, which act as agents of change in a neighborhood, Hold Out seeks to preserve what's there—physically and spiritually. brewingindustryguide.com/case-study-h...

Case Study: Hold Out Is on a Quest to Keep Austin Beer’d

These hospitality veterans are leveraging a quirky location and daylight synergy with coffee and cocktails to tune a vibe that's in sync with their city.

brewingindustryguide.com

3