Texas' craft brewing market is on the decline, as closures outpaced openings last year and production slipped.

Why it matters: The once-thriving industry is now struggling amid shifts in alcohol consumption, particularly among younger people, and brewers are looking for ways to adapt.

By the numbers: Texas craft beer production reached 1.34 million barrels in 2024, an 8.7% drop from 2023, according to new data from the Brewers Association.

• With less production comes a smaller economic impact for Texas — about $4.7 billion in 2024, a 10.6% drop from 2023.

What's happening: Texas saw 29 craft breweries close and just 22 open in 2024, per the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, mirroring national trends. Openings in Texas slowed by more than half since 2023.

• Greater Houston lost several craft breweries to closures or mergers in the last couple of years, including Buffalo Bayou Brewing, Ingenious Brewing and Twisted Acre Brewery.

Yes, but: Saint Arnold Brewing, the Bayou City's oldest craft brewer, sold 5.2% more barrels in 2024 than 2023, per Chron.

Zoom out: Nationally, craft beer production hit 23.1 million barrels in 2024 — a 4% decline from the previous year and the largest drop in industry history outside the pandemic.

• The number of small independent breweries operating in the U.S. decreased for the first time in nearly 20 years, with 529 closures compared to 430 openings.

What they're saying: Consumers have a lot of beverage options to choose from these days — like seltzers, CBD and THC beverages and nonalcoholic brews — Caroline Wallace, executive director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, tells Axios.

• That leads some breweries to pull back on limited seasonal releases and focus on flagship beers and best-sellers, which can lower production, Wallace says. Some are even ramping up production on their own line of seltzers instead.

What we're watching

The economy has taken over border security as a top concern for Texas Republicans, according to a new poll from UT/Texas Politics Project.

Driving the news: The share of Republicans who identified immigration or border security as the state's most pressing issue declined for the sixth poll in a row, falling from 68% in February 2024 to 35% last month.

• Meanwhile, a growing number of Republicans cited prices or the economy as the state's most important problem — from 9% to 23% over the same period.

Zoom out: 47% of Texas voters approve of the job President Trump is doing and 46% disapprove.

• "Continued economic uncertainty and shifts in the terrain of immigration are likely affecting both President Trump's approval rating and many Texas voters' views of state priorities as the Texas Legislature enters the final weeks of their 140-day session," the Texas Politics Project's report says.

🍎 Houston ISD cut more than 400 teachers who were instructing without certification. (Houston Chronicle)

👑 A judge ordered the sale of the Texas Renaissance Festival after a lengthy court battle. (Houston Public Media)

🏞️ Texas parks are becoming more inclusive with rentable track chairs, adaptive hiking gear and sensory tools. (Chron)

Yesterday, Pope Leo XIV was named the first pontiff from the United States.

Why it matters: The surprising choice is now the second consecutive pope from the Americas.

• He's also the Catholic Church's first Augustinian pope.

Zoom out: The majority of popes have been from a version of what is now modern-day Italy.

• Pope Francis, who hailed from Argentina, was the first pope from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere.
• Newly selected Robert Prevost is a Chicago native.

France is the second-most common location for papal ancestry, according to PopeHistory.com.

• Three popes have come from the African continent, all of whom were associated with the Roman Empire, per the World Population Review.

Behind the scenes: Betting markets previously predicted the next pope would be Pietro Parolin from Italy (37% probability), Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines (26%) or Pierbattista Pizzaballa from Italy (10%).

• Prediction markets did not forecast Prevost's selection.

Go deeper: Papal conclave ends on second day, in line with two centuries of tradition

👋 Jay here! Hi, mom — and mothers everywhere.

The Houston Zoo sent over these photos of mothers and offspring, and I couldn't pass up spreading the joy of how cute they are.

The bottom line: Happy Mother's Day!