Headlines: June 2009

Wind And Hailstorms Heavily Damage German Hop Fields

On May 26, a huge wind and hailstorm caused serious damage to German hop fields in the areas of Hallertau and Tettnang, the world’s largest hop growing region. Early estimates were that 2,500 hectares of 15,000 hectares planted with hops in the Hallertau region were damaged. Czech hops fields were also damaged by the same storm.

Posted: June 9, 2009

Magic Hat’s New Artifactory

Magic Hat Brewing of Vermont opened its reconstructed Artifactory and brewery in South Burlington in May. The work took a year and Magic Hat’s Conductor of Cosmic Symphonies, Alan Newman, said: “The banging has stopped, the buzzing has subsided and our new brewery and Artifactory are ready to shine.”

Posted: June 9, 2009

A Bar Mitzvah for a Beer

Shmaltz Brewing, the brewer of HE'BREW - The Chosen Beer, has launched a national photo contest in which beer lovers can submit Bar/Bat Mitzvah photographs for potential inclusion on the label of Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah — the 13th Chosen Beer in 13 years of Shmaltz. Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah will be brewed with 13 malts, 13 hops and achieve an ABV of 13 percent. It will be released nationally in 22-oz bottles and on draft in September. The photo contest runs until July 4 and images can continue to be submitted until Chanukah 2009. All photos will be posted on the Shmaltz website. The winning pictures in each of the categories listed will receive a HE'BREW Bar Mitzvah Gift Set. Images can be submitted to info@shmaltzbrewing.com or via Facebook by joining Shmaltz’s group, ”The Jewbelation 13 Project.”

Posted: June 9, 2009

New Beer Releases

Billed as the first genuine table beer imported to the U.S., Avril (3.5%) from Brasserie DuPont (Belgium) is aromatic, yeasty, malty and citrusy with a “whisper light” finish. Available in 750-ml bottles.

Karl Strauss Brewing (CA) has released Tower 10 IPA (6.5%), an American-style IPA brewed with a blend of caramel and pale malts and large amounts of Pacific Northwest Cascade, Chinook and Centennial hops in the kettle (and for dry hopping). Tower 10 replaces Stargazer IPA, an English-style IPA. Available in 12-oz bottles and on draft.

The fall seasonal beer from Michelob Brewing (MO), Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale (5.5%), is brewed with pumpkins, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, clove, carapils and caramel malts and Hallertau and Saaz hops. Available in 12-oz bottles.

Posted: June 9, 2009

American Craft Beer Week

American Craft Beer Week runs from May 11 to 17. It’s a nationwide celebration with more than 110 breweries and retailers hosting 286 events. To date almost 5,000 people have signed the Declaration of Beer Independence on Facebook to show their support. The brewers want the week to inspire beer enthusiasts to declare their independence by supporting breweries that produce fewer than two million barrels of beer a year and are independently owned. In the works are special brewery tours, beer and food pairing events, special release craft beers and festivals all across the U.S. The Declaration of Beer Independence is available on the American Craft Beer Week fan page on Facebook.

Posted: May 12, 2009

Brewers Association 2009 Achievement Award Winners

Three predominant members of the brewing community were recognized with awards for their dedication and service to the industry at the opening session of the Brewers Association's annual Craft Brewers Conference in Boston in late April.

The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Ken Allen, founder of Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville, CA, and former chair of the Association of Brewers, a precursor organization of the Brewers Association. Winners of the Brewers Association Recognition Award are selected each year by the Brewers Association Board of Directors from nominations submitted by association members.

The Brewers Association presented the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing to Steve Parkes of the American Brewers Guild and Otter Creek Brewing and Wolaver’s Organic Ales, both of Middlebury, VT. Parkes received this year's award for demonstrating creativity, excellence in brewing and substantial contributions to the craft brewing community, as well as serving as lead educator for hundreds of today's craft brewers.

The Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing was first given in 1997 to honor Russell Schehrer, who died in 1996 at 38 years old, for his contributions to the brewing industry. Schehrer was a founding partner and original head brewer at Colorado's first brewpub Wynkoop Brewing. He was also one of the first brewers to produce mead, doppel alt, cream stout and chili beer.

The Brewers Association presented the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award to Eric Wallace of Lefthand Brewing in Longmont, CO. Eric led the charge to successfully preserve beer drinker choice and selection in helping defeat damaging legislation in Colorado. The F.X. Matt Award is given in honor of a champion of small brewers, F.X. Matt (1933–2001), president of F.X. Matt Brewing in Utica, NY, from 1980–1989 and Chairman from 1989–2001.

Posted: May 12, 2009

A Craft Beer Ad for the Next Superbowl?

Greg Koch, CEO of Stone Brewing in California, was the keynote speaker at this year’s Craft Brewers Conference in Boston presented by the Brewers Association. As part of his multi-media presentation, Koch showed a video he produced extolling the virtues of craft beer vs. mainstream beer. The clip has been making the rounds on the Internet and the effervescent Koch, always bubbling with ideas, approached fellow craft brewers and media at the end of the conference with a proposition: A groundswell micro-funding program circulated by beer enthusiasts to pay to put a 30-second version of the video, I Am A Craft Brewer, on the docket of ads for the next Superbowl. The longer version of the video can be seen on the Stone website.

Posted: May 12, 2009

Reunion – A Beer for Hope

The 2009 fundraising campaign for Reunion – A Beer for Hope has been launched, commemorating the birthday of project co-founder Virginia MacLean. Reunion was created back in 2007 by MacLean and former Pete's Brewing co-workers Alan Shapiro and Pete Slosberg. One hundred percent of the profits generated by the sale of Reunion as well as independent donations benefit The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. This year Reunion will be a Double Wheat Ale with a hint of lemon, available exclusively on draft in selected markets to be announced in June. Regional brewing partners for 2009 include Bison Brewing in California and Terrapin Brewery in Georgia.

Posted: May 12, 2009

American Beverage Licensees Celebrates Tavern Month in May

For the 56th consecutive year, American Beverage Licensees celebrates Tavern Month this May. The organization of bar and tavern owners across the country asks beer, spirits and wine lovers to “Hoist your glass and offer a toast to your local tavern, the Friendliest Place in Town.”

Posted: May 12, 2009

Hillshire Farm Miller High Life Beer Brats

Hillshire Farm has partnered with Teams with MillerCoors to release Hillshire Farm Miller High Life Beer Brats as bun-sized sausages.

Posted: May 12, 2009

Beer Industry Contributes Nearly $200 Billion to U.S. Economy

A new economic impact study shows America's beer industry, made up of brewers, beer importers, beer distributors, brewer suppliers and retailers, directly and indirectly contributes more than $198 billion annually to the U.S. economy. The study, commissioned by the Beer Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), also shows that the industry provides nearly 1.9 million jobs, generating nearly $62 billion in wages and benefits. The industry also paid $41 billion in business, personal and consumption taxes in 2008.

According to the study, the beer industry directly employs more than one million people, paying $28 billion in wages. Beer sales help support roughly 888,000 retail jobs, including those at supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, bars, stadiums and other outlets and generate more than $25 billion in economic activity in agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

The Economic Impact study was conducted by John Dunham & Associates based in New York City and covers data compiled in 2008. The complete study, including state-by-state and congressional district breakdowns of economic contributions, is available at Beer Serves America.

Posted: May 5, 2009

Sierra Nevada Brewing Launches Wild Rivers Campaign with Western Rivers Conservancy

Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, CA) has launched the “Wild Rivers” campaign with Western Rivers Conservancy to help keep waterways clean and healthy. For every 12-pack of Pale Ale and Summerfest Lager purchased in the U.S. this May, Sierra Nevada will donate a portion of proceeds to Western Rivers Conservancy, a non-profit organizations based in Portland, OR. Proceeds from the Wild Rivers campaign will support Western Rivers Conservancy’s work to create river parks and protected natural areas along rivers like the Klamath River in California, the John Day in Oregon, the Hoh River in Washington and the Bear River in Utah.

Posted: May 5, 2009

Wynkoop’s Liquid Poetry Project Returns

On April 18 at 7 pm, Wynkoop Brewing in Denver will host its second annual Liquid Poetry event, featuring the 2009 Liquid Poetry beer, and beer-minded poetry written and read by Denver Poet Laureate Chris Ransick and acclaimed local poets Mike Henry, J. Diego Frey, Aaron Anstett and Catherine O’Neill Thorne.

Last year’s event saw a standing-room-only crowd that enjoyed a raucous night of beer-themed poetry from Ransick and others.

“We blew the doors off the poetry hut,” Ransick said of the 2008 Liquid Poetry release party. “We’re going to do it again this year, with an Irish twist.”

The 2009 version of Liquid Poetry, a special one-time-only beer brewed in honor of Denver Poetry Month, an Irish Red style of beer, malty and gently hopped.

Posted: May 5, 2009

Bill Brand -- Noted SF Beer Writer: RIP

Former Oakland Tribune reporter and nationally known beer writer Bill Brand died in San Francisco this week after being struck by a Muni Metro train. Brand, 70, covered the beer scene with gusto after retiring from the Tribune, but his interest in good beer -- and writing about it -- began in the early 1980s with his Tribune column, What's on Tap. He was one of the 'Grand Old Men' among U.S. beer writers.

Posted: March 6, 2009

Cody Christman -- Wynkoop's 2009 Beerdrinker of the Year

Cody Christman, a Golden, CO, electrical engineer and longtime Wynkoop Brewing customer, has won Wynkoop's 2009 Beerdrinker of the Year title. Christman (a devout beer lover, homebrewer and beer educator) has been drinking at Wynkoop since 1991. His lofty knowledge of beer and its history, paired with his beer ambassadorship and sense of humor, helped him land a beer nut's dream: free beer for the rest of his life at his brewpub of choice -- and, of course, that will be at Wynkoop, where he never misses a Friday evening.

At the championships, Christman became a local hero for Denver beer lovers. He's the first person to win the tile from a state that wasn't on the East or West Coasts. Among the boisterous standing-room-only crowd of local supporters were Wynkoop founder and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and his son Teddy. Video footage from the finals is available at www.BeerTapTV.com.

Posted: March 6, 2009

Brewers Association Announces 2008 Craft Brewer Sales Numbers

The Brewers Association, which tabulates industry growth data for U.S. breweries, announced, "today's small independent craft brewers are gaining alcohol market share due to a shift toward full flavor beer and increased support for local breweries." From 2007 to 2008, estimated sales by craft brewers were up 5.8 percent by volume and 10.5 percent in dollars. Overall share of the beer category from craft brewers was 4.0 percent of production and 6.3 percent of retail sales. More than 1 million new barrels of beer were sold in 2008, and close to half of those barrels were beer from craft brewers.

Posted: March 6, 2009

Bud Light Debuts New Packaging

Bud Light bottles, cans, secondary packaging and point-of-sale materials will now include the words "superior drinkability" along with new coloring and design elements. The beer will remain the same. Bud Light's new secondary packaging will include a Spanish language version in key Latino markets featuring the tagline "Tomabilidad Superior" (superior drinkability). Bud Light will continue to use the applied plastic label on its bottles that the brand introduced in 2004 as its replacement for paper labels.

Posted: March 6, 2009

First St. Pauli Girl Selected Via Online Vote -- Katarina Van Derham

Katarina Van Derham, originally from Slovakia, is the new St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel for the 2009 calendar year. Van Derham will bring the German barmaid brand icon to life and will appear on the 2009 St. Pauli Girl poster. She'll travel across the country on the St. Pauli Girl media tour and be featured on www.stpauligirl.com and promotional materials. Van Derham is the first St. Pauli Girl chosen through an online vote, beating out three other finalists on Maxim.com. She's the 26th spokesmodel selected in the brand's history.

Posted: March 6, 2009

One Of The World's Most Expensive Beers Launched By Carlsberg

Carlsberg's Jacobsen Brew House in Copenhagen, Denmark, has launched the second brew in its Vintage trilogy. Vintage No. 2 is sold for more than 250 Euros a bottle. Only 600 bottles of this most expensive beer in the world were brewed. The beer was kept in J.C. Jacobsen's (Carlsberg's founder) 1847 crypt-like cellar where it aged in French oak casks for 100 days. Vintage No. 2 is described as having "...a jet-black color and espresso-like foam. And it reveals flavors of vanilla and cocoa/mocha. The aroma is distinct with hints of tar and ropes, which come from the peat-smoked, Scottish malt, which has been transported from Scotland solely for this brew."

Posted: March 6, 2009

Olde Main Brewing Launches Name the Stout Contest

Olde Main Brewing of Ames, Iowa, wants beer lovers to name its nameless stout. The winner will get free Olde Main beer for a year, plus a party and brewery tour at Olde Main Brewing & Restaurant. Entries are being accepted at www.NameTheStout.com until March 31.

Posted: March 6, 2009

Lemp Beer Tapped at the Lemp Mansion

The Lemp Mansion and Restaurant in St. Louis recently acknowledged the 1904 suicide death of William Lemp, Sr. with an event titled "Waking the Dead," at which the first keg of Lemp Beer to be brewed in the city of St. Louis since Prohibition was tapped. William Lemp, Sr. of the former Lemp Brewery, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on February 13, 1904. At the time of his death, his brewery was one of the largest brewers of lager beer in the United States and covered 11 city blocks. Lemp Beer was sold and distributed in North America, South America, Australia and Europe. Following Prohibition, Griesedieck Beverage Co. began brewing Falstaff beer, which had been a brand name used by the Lemp Brewery but was sold to Joseph Greisedieck by William Lemp, Jr. Now, many years later, Lemp Beer is once again being brewed in St. Louis.

Posted: February 20, 2009

A-B Drops "Born On" Date for Small Beer Brands

The St. Louis Post Dispatch has reported that Anheuser-Busch (now A-B InBev after being purchased by Brazilian/Belgian brewing conglomerate InBev) has stopped using the highly touted Born On date on labels on some of its beer brands. The reason given was that improvements in brewing and packaging reduce the amount of oxygen introduced into the beers and shelf life can be extended, up to 180 days. Beers dropping the Born On date include Bud Ice and Michelob Porter, Honey Lager and Pale Ale. These beers still have a code showing the packaging date. Mega brands such as Budweiser, Bud Light, Bud Select, Busch and Natural Light will retain the Born On wording and a 110-day selling period.

Posted: February 20, 2009

Michigan Governor Touts Local Beer

During her recent State of the State Address, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm was pushing Michigan residents to "buy Michigan." In addition to mentioning Detroit's cars, she added Bell's beer as a state product worthy of purchase. Bell's Brewery is one of the state's oldest micros.

Posted: February 20, 2009

College Freshmen Drink Less

The results of the 2008 UCLA U.S. College Freshman Study shows that beer drinking among college freshmen continues to decline to record lows, with the percentage of college freshmen who reported drinking beer frequently or occasionally at the lowest level since tracking began in 1966. The rate of drinking is 21 percent lower than in 2000 and down 48 percent since its peak in 1982.

Posted: February 20, 2009

Sierra Nevada Brewing Creates Ethanol From Spent Yeast

Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, CA, and E-Fuel Corp. have created a joint project to produce high-grade, inexpensive ethanol fuel from discarded beer yeast using the Efuel 100 MicroFueler. The first-ever home ethanol systems will be housed at the brewery. The beer yeast contains between five and eight percent alcohol content, but the MicroFueler is expected to raise the level to 15 percent.

Posted: February 20, 2009

New Belgium's Mighty Arrow Aims To Please

New Belgium Brewing Company, the Fort Collins, CO-based company who make the much celebrated Fat Tire Amber Ale, has just announced their new spring seasonal - Mighty Arrow Pale Ale. Created as a tribute to CEO Kim Jordan's beloved Aussie/Border collie mix, the beer is described by Assistant Brewmaster Grady Hull as a "moderately hopped pale ale with plenty of body and a nice, clean finish." The beer will be available in all New Belgium retail markets for $7.99. www.newbelgium.com

Posted: February 13, 2009

First Woman Achieves Certified Cicerone Status

In a press release sent out January 30, Ray Daniels, Director of The Cicerone Certificate Program, announced that Annette May became the first woman to pass the examination for Certified Cicerone - the equivalent of passing the exams to become a sommelier for wine.

May, a beer department manager at Merchant's Fine Wine in Dearborn, MI, got her start in the business as a bartender in 1995, and worked at Chicago's Map Room - one of the area's best-known specialty beer bars prior to joining the team at Merchant's Fine Wine. "She understands the full scope of beer and its production," said Daniels in the letter sent to various media outlets. "[She] knows how to manage beer so that it will reach the consumer in good condition and can guide consumers in pairing beer with food."

Posted: February 13, 2009

Seeing Red

Odell Brewing Company has just released their spring seasonal Red Ale. The beer was crafted on the brewery's five-barrel Pilot Brewing System and tested and tasted by the staff - the end result is a beer with "aggressive American hops" with "robust hop aroma and flavor." Red Ale follows on the heels of Odell Brewing's winter release Isolation Ale. Red Ale will be available through May and retails for $9.49-$9.99. A summer seasonal is currently in development. www.odellbrewing.com

Posted: February 13, 2009

75 Years of Post-Prohibition Beer

December 5 marks the 75th anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition in the U.S. Glory Halleluiah!

Posted: December 5, 2008

Saint Arnold Brewing Company Invites Chefs to a Showdown

Thirty teams using Saint Arnold beer as an ingredient will face off at the second annual One Pot Showdown in Houston, TX. Saint Arnold Brewing (also in Houston), the oldest craft brewery in the state, is accepting entries for the Showdown scheduled for Sunday, January 25. Thirty teams will have up to four hours to toil on their best concoction. Judges will award prizes to the top three recipes based on creativity, use and distinction of the Saint Arnold beer in the recipe and overall taste. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit the Houston Food Bank, which feeds 80,000 different people each week and nearly a half million people each year. Last year's event raised $1,800 for charity. Tickets will be available through the brewery. Rules for the Saint Arnold One Pot Showdown are available at www.saintarnold.com/news/onepot.html

Last year, the winning team created a finger food that the brewery renamed "Saint Arnold Fried Beer," using Saint Arnold Winter Stout as an ingredient. It can be downloaded from the Saint Arnold Brewhouse Blog at www.saintarnold.com/mt. A chili recipe using Saint Arnold Amber Ale took second place and a soup recipe using Saint Arnold Brown Ale was third.

Posted: December 5, 2008

Budweiser Honors 75 Years of Memorable Moments with Commemorative Holiday Book

Since 1933, the Budweiser Clydesdales have made appearances across the U.S. and have been featured in numerous print and TV ads. To celebrate 75 years of the Clydesdales, Budweiser has released a commemorative, limited edition holiday coffee table book featuring more than 200 pages of historical and full color photography (available through www.budweiser.com, www.budshop.com and at select retail outlets.)

Posted: December 5, 2008

Dirty Jobs - Picking Hops

The Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs series recently featured host Mike Rowe picking hops in Yakima County, WA, with HopUnion LLC.

Posted: December 5, 2008

Bell's Brewery Is 2009 De Proef Brewmaster's Collaboration Partner

SBS Imports of Seattle, WA, has asked Bell's Brewery of Kalamazoo, MI, to be the 2009 partner for the latest brew in the De Proef Brewmaster's Collaboration Series. The yet to be designed beer will be brewed in March at De Proef Brouwerij in Lochristi, Belgium, and released in the U.S. in September 2009. The initial beer in the series was Signature Ale, brewed in 2007 with Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing/Lost Abbey of San Diego, CA. Jason Perkins of Allagash Brewing in Portland, ME, collaborated in 2008 on Les Deux Brasseurs. De Proef Brouwerij was created in 1996 by highly regarded brewing engineer and professor, Dirk Naudis. The ultra-scientific brewery blends modern equipment and technologies with both traditional and new world brewing techniques.

Posted: December 5, 2008

The Beer Gauge

"Ask yourself the following: Is your bartender sloppy, cavalier or imprecise when pouring your favorite micro-brew, or is he just trying to increase his profit margin?" This is the question posed by the inventor of The Beer Gauge, a gadget that lets a drinker quickly and easily determine if a full measure has been poured. -- Ya gotta love American ingenuity. (www.thebeergauge.com)

Posted: December 5, 2008

European Beer Star Awards
November 2008 - Germany

Consumer Favourites
Gold: Düsseldorf-Style Altbier, Privatbrauerei Ernst Barre, Germany
Silver: South German-Style Weizenbock (pale), Brauerei-Gasthof Drei Kronen, Germany
Bronze: Unifiltered & Unbunged Lager, Brauerei Raschhofer, Austria

Posted: December 5, 2008

It's All Over for an Independent A-B

The deal was completed in November. InBev, the Belgo-Brazilian brewing behemoth, closed the deal to purchase Anheuser-Busch, the largest U.S. brewer. The new company, called Anheuser-Busch InBev, with a new web site and a new logo, is located in St. Louis, MO, A-B's HQ since the mid-1800s.

Posted: November 19, 2008

LivingSocial: Beers

There's always a new angle with websites. LivingSocial: Beers (www.beer.livingsocial.com) calls itself "a social discovery and cataloging community that allows people to review and share their favorite beers with friends, family or strangers." The site is a subsidiary of LivingSocial, a six million-user site where people have catalogued more than 102 million of their favorite items. There's even an iPhone application so that users can "snap on-the-spot photos of the latest beer trends to instantly share with their friends and family." Or to use at the grocery or beer store when staring at dozens of beers and trying to decide which to buy.

Posted: November 19, 2008

College Beer

On October 25, students from Colorado State University's Brewing Science and Technology course once again brewed at Odell Brewing in Ft. Collins, CO. Hoppy Days IPA was tapped at Odell's taproom on November 13. This is the third beer brewed at Odell by the CSU class.

Posted: November 19, 2008

Beer-In-Box

It's new! It's improved! It's Beer-In-Box! Ankerbräu of Noerdlingen, Germany, debuted its new beer packaging at the Brau Beviale exhibition in Nuernberg, Germany, in November. The improved Beer-In-Box holds 25 liters of beer and it's claimed that it can be "easily integrated into any type of any existing dispense system."

Posted: November 19, 2008

Craft Beer Sessions for Women

On November 23 in Glendale, WI, Sprecher Brewing teamed up with Sugar Maple American Craft Beer bar for "Maltylicious," the first in Tasting Women, a series of craft beer sessions for women. The class is designed to "help women feel more comfortable in their beer knowledge and encourage experimentation." Anne Sprecher of Sprecher Brewing led the discussion, which focused on malt Ñ the varieties, value and complexity of malts in craft beer.

Posted: November 19, 2008

Seasonal Beers on the Web

The Brewers Association has a new web site dedicated to seasonal beer releases (www.seasonalbeerandfood.org). All the postings come directly from breweries, and the site lists seasonal beers in a database that is searchable by state and season. There's also each brewery's suggestion on what food to pair with its seasonal beer.

Posted: November 19, 2008

Apple and Cappuccino Beer

The German brewery Veltins has introduced two new products, V+ Apple and V+ Cappuccino. These flavored beers aren't available in the U.S. but are expected to sell over 7.2 million cases in Germany this year.

Posted: November 19, 2008

The Griffin Trophy for The Churchill Arms

The Churchill Arms in Kensington, London, has been awarded the Griffin Trophy, the prestigious pub of the year award, from Fuller Smith & Turner, London's only remaining traditional family brewer. The Griffin Trophy is awarded to the Fuller's pub "that delivers the highest standards in every aspect of its business." In 2008 The Churchill Arms also won the 'Best Managed House' and 'Best Pub in London' awards in the Morning Advertiser 'Great British Pub Awards,' and recently won first place in the 'Love your Local' competition to find London's best pub. Licensee Gerry O'Brien has been at The Churchill for 24 years, and this is his third Griffin Trophy win. He was also victorious in 1989 and 2002.

Posted: November 19, 2008

Fuller's Brewer's Reserve

A new limited edition ale from Fuller, Smith & Turner is Brewer's Reserve, matured in 30-year-old whiskey casks for nearly a year and a half. The beer is only for sale in the UK and is expected to become a collectible. Only 25,000 bottles are available and each is individually numbered and comes in an upscale presentation box.

Posted: November 19, 2008

The British Pint Downsized?

In an AP story, it was reported that Britain's beloved pint might be facing a downsizing. The UK office that sets measurement standards may allow for a two-thirds pint measure for draft beer as early as April. The reasoning is to give customers more options at the bar--plus appeal to female drinkers.

Posted: November 19, 2008

And Less Beer Sales in the UK?

Beer sales in the UK fell 7.2 percent in the third quarter of 2008, following last quarter's 4.5-percent drop, according to the British Beer & Pub Association in its Quarterly Beer Barometer report. In total, 161 million fewer pints were sold in July to September this year compared to the same period in 2007Ña fall of 1.8 million pints a day and the largest third-quarter fall for a decade.

Posted: November 19, 2008

Zima Iz Dead

Coors discontinued the Zima line of citrus-flavored-almost-beers due to challenging malternative sales and declining consumer interest in the category. Coors is asking retailers to replace Zima with Sparks.

Posted: November 19, 2008

Casket-Conditioned Ale

On Halloween, Oskar Blues Brewery served "casket-conditioned" beer for its annual Halloween party in Lyons, CO. The beer was served from a coffin dispenser found buried in the hills above town. Well, not really. The casket was built by the brewery's resident carpenter/folk artist; The beer in the casket was Rest in Peace Ale (a.k.a. RIPA), a special version of Dale's Pale Ale "wet hopped" with fresh Warrior hops flown in from the Northwest.

Posted: November 19, 2008

Three Sheets

MOJO HD's cult hit series returns for another season of adventures abroad in Three Sheets: Season 3. The third season features host and comedian Zane Lamprey pub-crawling in Chile, Rio de Janeiro, Portugal, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Gibraltar, Denmark, Saigon, Scotland, Barcelona, Cognac, Bangkok, Argentina and Moscow.

Posted: November 19, 2008

Beer-Lovers' Airport Guide

Travel search site Cheapflights.com has introduced its first "Beer-Lovers' Airport Guide" that tells travelers where to find the best brews in 15 of the country's busiest airports.

Posted: November 19, 2008

World Beer Awards, London, England, UK

World's Best Lager: Primator Exkluziv
World's Best Ale: Tripel Karmeliet
World's Best Stout/Porter: Rogue Shakespeare Stout
World's Best Wheat Beer: Kaltenberg Konig Ludwig Weissbier

Category Winners

World's Best Pale Ale: Tripel Karmeliet
World's Best Dark Ale: Oakham Hawse Buckler

Sub-category Winners

World's Best Standard Lager: Carling, C2
World's Best Premium Lager: Kaltenberg Spezial
Highly commended: DAB Original & AK Damm

World's Best Dark Lager: Primator Premium Dark
Highly commended: Sam Adams Dark Black Lager

World's Best Strong Lager: Primator Exkluziv 16 percent
World's Best Standard Pale Ale: Deschutes Bachelor ESB
Highly commended: Fuller's London Pride

World's Best Strong Pale Ale: Tripel Karmeliet
Highly commended: Adnam's Innovation

World's Best Standard Dark Ale: Harvey's Lewes Castle Brown Ale

World's Best Strong Dark Ale: Oakham Hawse Buckler

World's Best Stout: Rogue Shakespeare
Highly commended: Deschutes Abyss

World's Best Porter: Sam Adams Holiday Porter

World's Best Grain-Only Wheat Beer: Konig Ludwig Weissbier
Highly commended: Primator Weizenbier

World's Best Flavoured Wheat Beer: Sam Adams White Ale
Highly commended: Blue Moon

Posted: November 19, 2008

The 12th Annual Great International Beer Competition took place on Friday, November 7, 2007, in Providence, RI, one day before the 15th Annual Great International Beer Festival. One hundred eighty-seven beers from 39 breweries representing 10 states entered the competition, and first, second and third place awards were presented in 17 categories of ales and lagers.

The winners are:

Wheat Beer
1) Cape Cod Dunkel Weizen, Cape Cod Beer, Hyannis, MA
2) Blue Moon Belgian White Ale, Coors Brewing, Golden, CO
3) In Heat Wheat, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Light Ale
1) Copper Hill Kälsch, Cambridge Brew House, Granby & Torrington, CT
2) Haverale, Haverhill Brewery/The TAP, Haverhill, MA
3) Certified Gold, Willimantic Brewing/Main Street Cafe, Willimantic, CT

English Pale Ale/Bitter
1) Samuel Adams Pale Ale, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
2) Whistling Pig Red Ale, Jasper Murdock's Alehouse/Norwich Inn, Norwich, VT
3) Mayflower Pale Ale, Mayflower Brewing, Plymouth, MA

American Pale Ale
1) Mojo IPA, Boulder Beer Co., Boulder, CO
2) Long Hammer IPA, Redhook Ale Brewery, Woodinville, WA & Portsmouth, NH
3) Ipswich Harvest Ale, Mercury Brewing, Ipswich, MA

American Amber Ale
1) Cape Cod Red, Cape Cod Beer, Hyannis, MA
2) American Amber Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
3) Long Trail Ale, Long Trail Brewing, Bridgewater Corners, VT

IPA
1) Seeing Double IPA, Amherst Brewing, Amherst, MA
2) Celebration Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico, CA
3) Offshore IPA, Offshore Ale Co., Oak Bluffs, MA

Brown Ale
1) Lackey's Brown Ale, Martha's Exchange Brewing, Nashua, NH
2) Pig's Ear Brown Ale, Woodstock Inn Brewery, Woodstock, NH
3) Friar Brown, Union Station Brewery, Providence, RI

Porter
1) JW Dundee's Porter, High Falls Brewing, Rochester, NY
2) Mayflower Porter, Mayflower Brewing, Plymouth, MA
3) General John Stark Dark Porter, Milly's Tavern, Manchester, NH

Stout
1) Two Sister's Stout, Amherst Brewing, Amherst, MA
2) Ipswich Oatmeal Stout, Mercury Brewing, Ipswich, MA
3) Shakespeare Stout, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Honorable Mention: Oatmeal Stout, Milly's Tavern, Manchester, NH

Lager
1) Coors Original Banquet Domestic Lager, Coors Brewing, Golden, CO
2) Old School Pils, Gardner Ale House, Gardner, MA
3) Bohemian Pils, Trinity Brewhouse, Providence, RI

Amber Lager
1) Feuerwherman Schwarzbier, Pennichuck Brewing, Milford, NH
2) Dry Hopped Red, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
3) Vienna Lager, Gardner Ale House, Gardner, MA

Bock
1) Harvest Bock, Buzzards Bay Brewing, Westport, MA
2) Dead Guy Ale, Rogues Ales, Newport, OR
3) Incinerator Dopplebock, Amherst Brewing, Amherst, MA

Oktoberfest
1) The Big O, Pennichuck Brewing, Milford, NH
2) Lewmeister Octoberfest, Amherst Brewing, Amherst, MA
3) Oktober-Bier, Cambridge Brew House, Granby & Torrington, CT

Strong Beer: Other
1) Hop Goddess, Offshore Ale Co., Oak Bluffs, MA
2) Samuel Adams Utopias, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
3) Double Bag Ale, Long Trail Brewing, Bridgewater Corners, VT

Strong Beer: Russian Imperial Stout
1) Kinspin Imperial Stout, Watch City Brewing, Waltham, MA
2) Joshua Norton, Haverhill Brewery/The TAP, Haverhill, MA
3) Saranac Imperial Stout, FX Matt Brewing, Utica, NY
Honorable Mention: Pozharnik Espresso Russian Imperial Stout, Pennichuck Brewing, Milford, NH

Strong Beer: Mixed Styles
1) Bagpiper Scottish Ale, Pennichuck Brewing, Milford, NH
2) Dr. Hoppenstein's Double IPA, Martha's Exchange, Nashua, NH
3) Old Crustacean, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR

Fruit/Spice: Ale & Lager
1) Beejesus Hop Crisis BPA, Watch City Brewing, Waltham, MA
2) Raspberry UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA
3) Wye Winter Wassail Spiced Lager, Pennichuck Brewing, Milford, NH

Posted: November 19, 2008

Alpha King Challenge — 2008

Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing (San Marcos, CA) was crowned "Alpha King" at the Falling Rock Tap House in Denver for the second time in five years. Arthur's Hop 15 Double IPA took first place in the 2008 Alpha King Challenge. He's only the second brewer in the competition's ten-year history to wear the crown twice. (Brendan Moylan of Moylan's Brewing won back-to-back Alpha King Challenges in 2001 & 2002 for his Moylander's Double IPA.)

Second place went to another previous winner, Ed Bennett, and his Boundary Bay Imperial IPA, from Boundary Bay Brewing (Bellingham, WA). Bennett won top honors at the 2006 Alpha King Challenge.

The third place winner was Jeff Erway of Chama River Brewing (Albuquerque, NM) for The March Hare (an IPA).

A total of 70 beers from the U.S. competed in this year's 10th annual Alpha King Challenge. A team of 18 judges including brewers and beer writers selected the top three beers in a blind tasting.

The contest was sponsored by Hopunion LLC, Brewing News and Three Floyds Brewing and takes its name from Three Floyds' Alpha King Pale Ale.

Posted: October 24, 2008

Corona is King in Cancún

At least in the four resorts owned by AMResorts on Cancún (Secrets Maroma Beach, Secrets Capri, Secrets Silversands and Paraiso de la Bonita), where the draft beer is either Corona Extra or Negra Modelo. Who can complain with the sun, sand, sea and wind that are "muy maravillosos?" Hops are for americanos del norte (bitter people that they are).

Posted: October 24, 2008

Brewpubs — Now Saképubs?

The first saké brewery/restaurant in the world outside of Japan has opened in Minneapolis. The new place, called moto-I, makes handcrafted sakés on-site and pairs them with Japanese food.

Posted: October 24, 2008

Better Beer: College Team Creating Anticancer Brew

A group of Rice University students are using genetic engineering to create beer that contains resveratrol, a chemical in wine that's been shown to reduce cancer and heart disease in lab animals. Rice's "BioBeer" will be entered in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in November in Cambridge, MA, the world's largest synthetic biology competition, a contest where teams use a standard toolkit of DNA building blocks to create living organisms that do odd things.

Posted: October 24, 2008

4th Annual Great American Distillers Festival

Nearly 1,300 spirits enthusiasts sampled the finest creations of America's new breed of craft distillers at the 4th Annual Great American Distillers Festival held in Portland, OR, last August. Close to 30 craft distillers brought their tastiest vodkas, rums, gins, whiskeys, brandies and other spirits for two days of sampling, seminars and informal interaction with the distillers. More than 50 micro-distilled products were available. There was also the second annual Mixmaster Mixology Contest sponsored by the Oregon Bartenders Guild, Rogue Spirits and Imbibe Magazine.

Posted: October 24, 2008

New Belgium Brewing Named One of 15 "Top Small Workplaces" in the United States by The Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces

New Belgium Brewing of Ft. Collins, CO, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale, has been named one of the Top Small Workplaces in the United States by The Wall Street Journal and its partner, Winning Workplaces. New Belgium was selected from more than 400 entries for a variety of reasons, including open-book management, sustainable business practices and its commitment to an employee-owned culture.

Posted: October 24, 2008

2009 Beerdrinker of the Year Search is Underway

Wynkoop Brewing of Denver, CO, is seeking beer resumes from the nation's most beer-minded men and women for the 2009 Beerdrinker of the Year contest. The 13th annual contest seeks and honors the most passionate, knowledgeable beer lovers and beer ambassadors in the United States.

The 2009 Beerdrinker of the Year wins free beer for life at Wynkoop Brewing and $250 of beer at their local brewpub or beer bar. They also win apparel proclaiming them The 2009 Beerdrinker of the Year, and have their name engraved on the Beerdrinker of the Year trophy at Wynkoop. They also brew a special beer with Wynkoop head brewer Andy Brown that is served at the 2009 Beerdrinker of the Year National Finals on February 21, 2009.

Complete details are available at www.wynkoop.com . The deadline for entries is December 31, 2008.

Posted: October 7, 2008

2008 Los Angeles International Beer Competition

The California Fermentation Society has announced the results of the 2008 Los Angeles International Beer Competition:

Best Of Show Finalists

Posted: October 7, 2008

13th Annual Great Eldorado BBQ, Brews and Blues Festival — The Winners Reno, NV — August 2008

Best of Show: Tamarack Amber Ale, Sequoia Brewing People's Choice Award: Firestone Walker Brewing

Other first place awards for Light Ales to Stouts included: Blue Moon's Honey Moon Summer Ale, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Pyramid Ales' Pyramid Hefeweizen, Napa Smith's Pale Ale, Moylan's Brewery's Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout and Lindemans' Framboise.

Second place prizes: Buckbean's Black Noddy, Third St. Ale's Kölsch Bier, Sierra Nevada Brewing's Crystal Wheat, Kona Brewing's Firerock Pale Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale, BJ's Brewhouse's Lasto's Oatmeal Stout and Blue Moon's Wit.

Third place prizes: Alaskan Brewing's Summer Ale, Kona Brewing's Longboard Lager, Silver Peak Brewery's Baileywheat Hefeweizen, Hoppy Brewing's Total Eclipse Black Ale, Anheuser-Busch's Shock Top Belgian White and Firestone Walker Brewing's Pale 31 and DBA.

Posted: October 7, 2008

Bill Leinenkugel

Bill Leinenkugel, for many years the president of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co, died on September 22. He joined the company as a salesman following World War II, and served as president from 1971 to 1986, the fourth generation of his family to do so. When he retired, his son Jake Leinenkugel stepped into the position heading the nation’s seventh oldest brewery.

Under Bill Leinenkugel’s leadership, the brewery itself in Chippewa Falls, WI became a destination for beer lovers and vacationers, with the addition of a hospitality and tour center. He served the beer industry as a director and past president of the Brewers Association of America and director and secretary of the Wisconsin State Brewers Association.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the Community Foundation of Chippewa County in memory of William and Mary Lou Leinenkugel, St. Joseph’s Hospital Home Hospice, Family Support Center, or Zion Lutheran Preschool.

Posted: September 26, 2008

Goose is Cooked in London

Chicago’s Goose Island Brewery made a spectacular entrance into the British market in September with a beer dinner at the legendary White Horse pub in Parson's Green, south London.

Hosted by brewmaster Greg Hall, the evening comprised a six-course meal of mini Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and hot horseradish accompanied by Goose Island IPA; fresh English mussels in a white wine and cream soup with Matilda blond beer; sorbet with Urban Wheat beer; roast stuffed goose and seasonal vegetables backed by Honkers Ale; chocolate and vanilla torte with Bourbon County Stout; and British cheese board with Pere Jacques Trappist-style ale.

Roger Protz, a top table guest among many beer writers present, commented: “The marriage of beer and food was brilliant and the beers are truly memorable. IPA and Honkers have been available in Britain for some time, but the news from Greg that such amazing and succulent brews as Pere Jacques and the stunning stout will also go on sale here is truly exciting.”

Posted: September 15, 2008

Grow Old — Drink Less

A comprehensive, long-term health study published in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Medicine found that people generally drank less as they got older and later generations drank less than their predecessors. It was also found that the participants in the study drank less beer and more wine as they got older, with that shift more pronounced for men than for women. Beer made up at least half of men's alcohol intake before they reached their mid-30s, but only about one-quarter by their mid-70s.

The study of residents of Framingham, Mass., included 50 years of data of 8,600 white adults, all of whom were born between 1900 and 1959 and were at least 28 years old when they began reporting in detail on their health and lifestyle habits.

Posted: August 18, 2008

Spiegelau Beer Glass Collection

Maximilian Riedel, CEO of Spiegelau USA, presented the Bavarian glass making firm’s new Beer Glass Collection at an Oktoberfest in August luncheon in NYC recently at Blaue Gans, an Austrian “wirtshaus.” The collection consists of the Lager, Stemmed Pilsner and Wheat Beer glasses, each specifically designed to showcase the aromas and flavors of these beer styles. The glasses each are sold in sets of two and packed in tubes.

Reidel, an 11th generation member of the Reidel glass making family (which owns Spiegelau) and CEO of Reidel Crystal USA, co-presented the tasting with Brewmaster Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery, who Reidel called his “mentor for beer.” He said the decision was made to have Spiegelau design the beer glasses because the Bavarian firm has more of a history with beer glasses than Reidel, an Austrian company more in tune with wine glasses. Spiegelau began making beer glasses in 1521.

Posted: August 18, 2008

New Zealand International Beer Awards 2008

The Supreme Winner at the New Zealand International Beer Awards 2008 was Rogue Ales of Oregon with I2PA. There were 12 classes of awards, all of which can be seen at www.nz-beer-awards.co.nz/results.htm

Posted: August 18, 2008

San Diego County Fair Craft Brewers Competition & Festival, Del Mar, CA

The best-of-show beer was West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewery of Vista, CA. There were 27 classes of awards, all of which can be seen at www.sdfair.com/fair.

Posted: August 18, 2008

Great British Beer Festival — Champion Beer of Britain 2008

Alton's Pride, brewed by Triple fff Brewery in Hampshire, is the Champion Beer of Britain 2008 at the Great British Beer Festival, held August 5-9 at Earl's Court in London. Alton's Pride, a true session beer at 3.8% ABV, was judged by a panel of brewers, beer writers and journalists from a field of sixty finalists in seven beer style categories. The Triple fff Brewery opened in 1997. The Silver award went to Black Dog Freddy from Beckstones (Cumbria), and the Bronze went to current National Winter Beer of Britain winner, Station Porter from Wickar Brewery (Gloucestershire). A complete list of winners is available at www.camra.org.uk.

Posted: August 9, 2008

U.S. Craft Beer at the Great British Beer Festival — Top American Cask-Beer

Seventeen American craft breweries were represented at this year's Great British Beer Festival. The breweries served 57 beers in the Bières Sans Frontiers area of the festival. The Export Development Program of the Brewers Association facilitated the beers’ trip to Great Britain.

The 2008 Champion American Cask-Conditioned Beer Award went to The Angel's Share from Lost Abbey Brewery in San Marcos, CA. The 12.5% ABV beer, hardly a session beer, is brewed with copious amounts of caramel malt to emphasize the vanilla and oak flavors found in the freshly emptied bourbon casks, where it spends six months maturing. Second place went to Mayflower Brewings' Porter, a new brewery in Plymouth, MA, and third place went to The Cambridge Brew Houses' IPA from Granby, CT.

Posted: August 9, 2008

Schlitz Is Back

Schlitz, “The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous,” has returned to its birthplace in what is claimed to be the original formula (gleaned from old notes and interviews with former brewmasters). Schlitz is brewed by Pabst, the maker of another retro beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon. Schlitz was first brewed more than 150 years ago and was the top-selling beer in the U.S. for most of the 20th century. The brand died an ignoble death as clueless brewery owners dumbed down the recipe, eventually making it undrinkable for many of its regular customers. The Schlitz brewery closed in 1981 and the next year the owners sold the brand to the Stroh Brewery of Detroit, which later sold Schlitz and other brands to Pabst.

Posted: August 9, 2008

A Year’s Supply of Miller Lite

For those who don’t prefer full-flavored beer, Miller is offering a year’s supply of Miller Lite to anyone catching a grand slam baseball at a Major League game this season. Proof of the catch must be a picture of the ticket stub, a picture of the caught ball and proof the catcher is of legal drinking age. Complete rules are available at www.MillerLite.com.

Posted: August 9, 2008

Jim Koch of The Boston Beer Company Receives American Homebrewers Association Award

Jim Koch, founder of The Boston Beer Company and Brewer of the Samuel Adams line of beers, was recognized with an award for his outstanding service to the community of homebrewers at the opening session of the American Homebrewers Association’s annual National Homebrewers Conference in Boulder, CO. Koch received the American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee Recognition Award for his many years of “proudly marketing his homebrewing roots as part of the Boston Beer Story.” Over the years, Boston Beer Co. has created national promotions and advertising campaigns encouraging consumers to learn how to make their own beer. One of these is the LongShot Competition, in which homnebrewers compete to have their beer brewed and bottled by Boston Beer Co.

Posted: August 3, 2008

New Gallup Poll Shows Increased Preference for Beer

A new Gallup poll shows that U.S. adult consumers now prefer beer to wine by a double-digit margin. In 2005 wine supplanted beer in the poll and there were many “beer is dead” articles in the press. The pollsters said the trend back to beer reflects a shift among drinkers aged 30 to 49 years old. Gallup’s data from 2004 to 2005 concludes that wine and beer were almost equally preferred. Wine as a favorite peaked at 39 percent in 2005 and has since slipped to 31 percent. Beer is now chosen first by consumers 47 percent of the time. Drinkers indicated they consumed an average 3.8 alcoholic drinks a week, a drop from a high of 5.1 drinks per week in 2003. Daily drinking among college graduates and those earning more than $75,000 is more common than it is among non-graduates and those earning less. The poll included 1,016 telephone interviews conducted July 10-13.

Posted: August 3, 2008

Miller Lite Brewers Collection Test Suspended

WMillerCoors has suspended the test of the Miller Lite Brewers Collection because the brand did not perform as well as hoped in test markets. Instead, MillerCoors will focus its attention on its priority brands: Coors Light, Miller Lite, Blue Moon, Miller High Life, Keystone Light and MGD 64 (which has been performing well as it ramps up for a national launch). The Miller Lite Brewers Collection included Miller Lite Wheat, Miller Lite Amber and Miller Lite Blonde Ale.

Posted: August 3, 2008

Beer Sales Down in Britain

Beer sales in Britain declined sharply in the second quarter, dropping 4.5% compared with the same period last year. Beer sales in pubs were down 10.6%, according to the British Beer & Pub Association. Approximately 107 million fewer pints were sold in April to June compared with the same period last year — a shortfall of 1.2 million pints a day. On-premise beer sales fell by 144 million pints, down 1.6 million pints a day. The BBPA attributed the drop to pub closures, rising prices and lower consumer confidence. Over the first half beer sales were down by 2.9% compared with 2007, while total beer sales in 2007 were -3.9% from 2006. Beer sales in pubs are now at their lowest level since the Great Depression.

Posted: August 3, 2008

Budvar Not Yet for Sale

Budejovicky Budvar, the Czech brewer of Budvar (Czechvar in the U.S.) is owned by the Czech government, a holdover from the country’s Communist past. Rumors of the state selling off the brewery are always in circulation, but a recent announcement from the Czech Prime Minister’s offcice stated that no sale was imminent. Last year the government announced it would prepare Budvar for privatization, thus leading the way for a sale. Budvar and Anheuser-Busch have sued each other in dozens of countries over use of the Budweiser name for many years. Both companies claim exclusive rights to the name.

Posted: August 3, 2008

Beer for Gorillas

Wynkoop Brewing of Colorado has partnered with Denver-based Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund (MGCF) to raise money and support to aid the endangered mountain gorillas of Africa. From now until October, Wynkoop Brewing and its allied businesses (Cherry Cricket, Wazee Supper Club, Pearl Street Grill, Phantom Canyon Brewing, Gaetano’s Italian and Goosetown Tavern) will serve a special fundraising beer, Silverback Smoked Porter. The beer is an Imperial-style porter brewed with about 35% beechwood-smoked malts from Bamburg, Germany. Wynkoop is donating 25% of all sales of the beer to the MGCF. There’s also a drawing that gives the winner and a guest a chance to visit the mountain gorillas. The prize package for the “In the Steps of Dian Fossey” contest includes two roundtrip tickets from the U.S. to Rwanda or Uganda, hotel accommodations, transportation and two permits for gorilla trekking www.denvergorillarun.com.

Posted: July 28, 2008

New Belgium & Elysian Work Together

New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, CO, and Elysian Brewing of Seattle, WA, both independently owned, will work together in an “artisanal collaboration” to brew their beers at each other’s breweries. The breweries said they will “increase efficiency, encourage creative experimentation and take a bold collaborative step into the future of American craft brewing.”

Posted: July 28, 2008

Marin County Beer Festival Raises $40,000 for Bay Area Cancer Clinic

The 8th Annual “Fermenting Change” Microbreweries Battling Breast Cancer, hosted by Marin Brewing, Moylan’s Brewing and Noonan’s Bar and Grill in California, made a donation of $40,000 to the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic, a clinic offering cancer services to low income women, with offices in Berkeley and San Francisco.

Posted: July 28, 2008

American Craft Beers Featured at July 4th Opening of New U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany

Beer from American craft brewers flowed in Berlin as dignitaries from Germany and the U.S. gathered to open the new U.S. Embassy on the Pariser Platz square on July 4th. Over 4,500 guests including current German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former President George H. W. Bush and former ministers of the German government attended the ceremony. The reception featured 47 different craft beer brands from 13 American craft breweries.

Posted: July 28, 2008

Duvel Buys Liefmans

In Belgium, Duvel Moortgat Brewery will buy Liefmans Brewery, which declared bankruptcy and ceased brewing in 2007. Liefmans was established in Oudenaarde in 1770. Duvel will resurrect some of the Liefmans brands, such as the brown ales and fruit beers.

Posted: July 28, 2008

Football and Sprecher Beer: Share the Passion

A beer promotion in Glendale, WI, from Sprecher Brewing is a pre-season mini-camp, Football and Beer: Share the Passion. Geared especially for women, the mini-camp is “designed to shatter myths and increase appreciation for football, beer and tailgate food.” Ten percent of all class registration fees will be donated to Red Cross Wisconsin Floods Relief.

Posted: July 28, 2008

Northwest Craft Breweries Finalize Merger to Form Craft Brewers Alliance

Two of the country’s original craft breweries, Portland, OR-based Widmer Brothers Brewing and Woodinville, WA-based Redhook Ale Brewery (with a second brewery in Portsmouth, N.H.), have completed their merger to form Craft Brewers Alliance.

Posted: July 28, 2008

MillerCoors

SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing have created MillerCoors, with headquarters in Chicago. The new entity was launched on July 1.

Posted: July 28, 2008

Avery Graphics Wraps World’s Largest Beer Can

The world’s largest beer can, a replica of a 1970s Old Style Beer (from The G. Heileman Brewing Co., owned by Pabst Brewing) has been wrapped by Avery Dennison Graphics & Reflective Products of Painesville, OH. The beer can was commissioned by Dave Leach, a Chicago-based collector of the world’s largest items.

Posted: July 28, 2008

It's All Over Except for the Whinnying of the Clydesdales

After weeks of wait-and-see by beer industry watchers, Anheuser-Busch sold itself to InBev, the Belgian/Brazilian beer monolith, for $70 a share, equal to an enterprise value of $61 billion (according to analysts Mark Swartzberg and Mark S. Astrachan of Stifel Nicolaus Associates). Two A-B directors, including August Busch IV, will serve on the board of InBev, to be renamed Anheuser-Busch InBev. The closing date of the deal wasn’t announced, but it’s expected to take place in a month or two.

The corporate takeover melodrama began with InBev making an unsolicited bid to purchase A-B for $65 a share. That was rejected by A-B’s board. InBev countered with a lawsuit seeking to oust the A-B board of directors with one more to InBev’s liking. A-B punched back with a lawsuit claiming InBev made false and misleading accusations against A-B, and that InBev’s Cuban business dealings ran counter to U.S. law and would make InBev ownership of A-B impossible.

A-B’s historic home, St Louis, is expected to become the headquarters of the North American operations of the new company. This was one promise made by InBev to A-B in its original letter offering to purchase the longtime American brewer (in business since 1852). Other promises included globally expanding the Budweiser brand and no closures of A-B’s 12 U.S. breweries. The fate of the Clydesdales and A-B’s many other businesses (theme parks, aluminum cans, malting facilities, hop farms, etc.) is unknown. The Brazilian bankers who control InBev are known internationally as ruthless cost-cutters with their eyes on nothing but the bottom line. Many industry analysts expect to see A-B cut back, the craft-style and marginal-selling brands discontinued, the frills trimmed and for the Budweiser brand to bob in a beery sea of international brands sold by InBev.

Posted: July 20, 2008

Anheuser-Busch Rejects InBev Proposal—InBev Files Suit

The A-B board of directors gave InBev a big “No thanks,” to the Belgian-based brewer’s unsolicited, non-binding proposal to acquire all outstanding shares of A-B for $65 per share. A-B’s board of directors “unanimously determined that the offer is financially inadequate and not in the best interests of A-B shareholders.”

InBev countered with a statement saying it “remains committed to its proposed combination with A- B,” and at the same time started the process of what looks like a hostile takeover. The Belgian-Brazilian beer company is seeking a declaratory ruling in Delaware to seek alternative routes to make the deal happen they way InBev wants. The company filed suit in Delaware Chancery Court seeking a judgment to confirm that shareholders acting by written consent may under Delaware law remove without cause all thirteen of the present A-B directors.

Posted: July 1, 2008

Small Brewer Wins Silver Telly Awards

Stampede Brewing, the Texas-based brewer of Stampede Light (a vitamin-fortified light lager) won five awards at 29th Telly Awards. The competition honors local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, film and video productions and web commercials, videos and films. The award-winning Stampede Light commercial can be seen in several cities or online at www.stampedebeer.com or on YouTube under Stampede Beer Commercial.

Posted: July 1, 2008

Sean Sears Crushes The Competition at Third Annual Bud Light/USA Rock Paper Scissors League Championship

Sean Sears, 23, of Chicopee, MA, emerged from hand-to-hand combat with more than 300 of the nation’s finest Rock Paper Scissors players to claim the 2008 Bud Light/USA Rock Paper Scissors League (USARPS) Championship and its $50,000 first prize. The third annual tournament, to be aired Monday, October 6 as part of a special edition of FSN’s Best Damn Sports Show Period, took place June 21-22 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where competitors from all corners of the United States converged to compete for the title of America’s best Rock Paper Scissors player. All participants won regional Bud Light-sponsored USARPS tournaments across the country. Sears is now on a two-month training regimen leading up to the inaugural International Rock Paper Scissors Federation (IRPSF) Championship to be held in Beijing, China, during the Summer Olympics. There, Sears will compete against Rock Paper Scissors champions from Canada, Guam, Hong Kong and Ireland for global recognition as the world’s best Rock Paper Scissors player.

Posted: July 1, 2008

Great Lakes Brewing Turns 20

On September 6, Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland, OH) celebrates its 20th anniversary. As part of the celebration, Great Lakes will release a specialty four-pack of Imperial Dortmunder (7.5%, a bigger version of the micro’s flagship beer, Dortmunder Gold Lager) in July. There will be 20 days of celebrations at the brewery, starting on August 17.

Posted: June 23, 2008

Samuel Adams Creating the American Dream

Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Co. (brewers of the Samuel Adams beers) has created Samuel Adams Creating the American Dream, a philanthropic program to assist lower-income entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry who “have a dream and a plan but need a little help.”

Posted: June 23, 2008

A New Brewery For Samuel Adams

Boston Beer Co. has completed the $55 million purchase of the former F&M Schaefer Brewery in Upper Macungie Township, PA (the Leheigh Valley). Boston Beer bought the brewery from Diageo, the world’s largest drinks company (spirits, wine, beer). Boston Beer has plans to brew up to two million barrels of beer a year at the brewery. “It’s an interesting brewery,” said Boston Beer Co. founder Jim Koch. “It’s probably the most modern traditional brewery in the United States.” Schaefer opened the brewery in 1972. It was sold to Stroh in 1981 and to Pabst in 2001, which sold it that year to Diageo.

Posted: June 23, 2008

Miller-Molson-Coors Merger

The U.S. Department of Justice antitrust division has finished its eight-month investigation of a proposed joint venture between Molson Coors Brewing and Miller Brewing, concluding that the joint venture would not reduce competition in the market. Miller Brewing is owned by London-based SABMiller. Molson & Coors merged in 2005.

Posted: June 23, 2008

Pacifico VW Busses

Seattle-based advertising agency Creature has created a fleet of hand-painted 1960s Volkswagen buses as part of the marketing campaign for Pacifico Beer. This fleet of vintage, hand-painted buses, many of which were designed by Seattle artists, will serve as the beer brand’s official vehicles across the U.S.

West Coast surfers on trips to Baja California, Mexico, first discovered Pacifico, and the folks at Creature wanted vehicles that embodied the brand’s identity. Creature located 19 VW vans to serve as their “Surf Buses,” mainly consisting of Type II Split Window Buses released from 1958 thru 1967 and two 1971 Bay Window Buses. These vehicles were commonly used by surfers in California in the 1960s to travel down the California coast and into Mexico to surf.

Posted: June 23, 2008

Will Anheuser-Busch be the next to Go Foreign?

InBev, the world’s largest beer conglomerate, has made a bid to buy Anheuser-Busch, the largest brewer in the U.S., to create, as InBev puts it, “the global leader in beer with Budweiser as its flagship brand.”

InBev was created in 2004 as a merger between Belgian brewing group Interbrew and Brazilian brewing group AmBev. Always mentioned in news reports as a Belgian company (the headquarters are in Leuven, Belgium), many beer industry analysts privately refer to InBev as a Brazilian company because the CEO is Brazilian and Brazilian banks are large shareholders of the company.

If the deal, unsolicited by A-B’s management, goes through, the new company would be one of the world’s five largest products companies, according to a statement put out by InBev.

In a letter to A-B’s CEO August Busch IV, Carlos Brito, InBev’s CEO, said that the name of the new company would evoke Anheuser-Busch’s heritage, the Budweiser brand would expand globally, the North American headquarters and global home of Budweiser would remain in St. Louis, MO, and there would be no closure of A-B’s 12 U.S. breweries.

Busch IV was quoted earlier this year as saying that A-B wouldn’t be sold “under my watch.” Busch family members have run the company and been involved in top management since the brewery’s founding in 1852 by Eberhard Anheuser.

InBev’s major international brands include Stella Artois, Beck’s, Bass, Hoegaarden and Leffe from Europe, and the much lesser-known (in North America and Europe) Brazilian brand Brahma. InBev and A-B entered into an agreement last year in which A-B imports many of InBev’s European brands into the U.S. and distributes them through the extensive A-B distribution network, considered to be the best in the U.S. beer business.

U.S. nationalist sentiments are in play with the creation of websites such as www.savebudweiser.com and www.SaveAB.com. InBev countered with www.globalbeerleader.com.

Posted: June 19, 2008

Mondial de la Bière 2008

Considered by many beer lovers to be the best beer fest on the planet, the 15th edition of Mondial de la Bière, held in Montréal, Québec, from May 28 to June 1, had a plethora of beers (including 15 beers brewed especially for the festival), ciders, wines, conference speakers and awards. 75,000 people visited the festival and more than 450 products were served, including 235 new ones.

The Mbière Jury, made up of nine experts representing the worldwide brewing industry, awarded two platinum and ten gold medals.

The platinum winners (the highest award) went to Le Bilboquet (Québec) for La Corrivaux, and to Hopfenstark (Québec) for Saison Station 10.

The ten gold winners were (beer name followed by brewery):
Ergot (Benelux)
Boulevard Saison (Boulevard Brewing)
Aphrodisiaque (Brasserie Dieu du Ciel)
Tchucké (Broadway Pub Brasserie Artisanale)
Big Swell IPA (Maui Brewing)
La Grivoise Double (Micro-Brasserie Le Trou du Diable)
Imperial Red Ale (Rogue Ales)
Imperial India Pale Ale (Rogue Ales)
Chocolate Stout (Rogue Ales)
Chipotle Ale (Rogue Ales)

The favorite three beers of the public were:
Gold: Aphrodisiaque (Brasserie Dieu du Ciel)
Silver: Rosée d’Hibiscus (Brasserie Dieu du Ciel)
Bronze: St-Ambroise à l’Abricot (McAuslan Brewery)

There was also the first edition of the Cartoon Beer Contest, organized in conjunction with Oleg Dergachov, MA, cartoonist and sculptor, and Deborah Wood, homebrewer and Master of Arts degree holder. Participants in this contest had to create a cartoon featuring beer.

The winners were:
Gold Beer Stein: Mihai Danielescu (Romania)
Silver Beer Stein: Ivan Anchukov (Russia)
Bronze Beer Stein: Bretislav Kovarik (Czech Republic)

Mondial de la Bière will return to Montreal in 2009 from June 3 to 7, and also next year, for the first time, to Strasbourg, France from October 16 to 18.

“We wanted to establish ourselves in Europe, and Strasbourg, the French beer capital, was a natural choice,” said Jeannine Marois, founder and president of the Mondial de la Bière. “Several French and Québec partners have contributed to the success of this project, which will symbolize nothing less than the creation of a Montréal-Strasbourg brewing axis. We are embarking on a great adventure!”

Posted: June 19, 2008

Fire In The Brewery

New York’s F.X. Matt Brewing, an independent regional brewery founded in 1888, suffered more than $10 million in damages in a fire on May 29. Matt brews the Utica Club and Saranac brands.

Posted: June 19, 2008

A Luxury Beer from Foster’s

Foster’s Brewing of Australia recently sent the Queen of England a gift-wrapped bottle of Crown Ambassador Reserve Lager, the first beer in a limited release of 5,000 champagne-style bottles which sell for $60 each (and only in Australia). The brand, packaged in a 750-ml bottle and billed as a luxury beer, has been produced sporadically by the brewery since 1954 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s first visit to Australia.

Posted: June 19, 2008