Wednesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1951. With the tagline “Something more than Beer” followed by “… a mark of good taste,” a couple is apparently unwrapping wedding gifts. The expression on the woman’s face is priceless as she looks over a statue she’s just opened, while her new hubby arrives to rescue her with a tray of beers and snacks.
Archives for April 10, 2013
Micro-Malting
The publishers of a new online magazine, Modern Farmer, let me know about an interesting article in their latest issue, Meet The Micro-Malts, about the trend of locally grown barley and wheat for brewing. I’ve been hearing more and more from brewers looking for ways to get their ingredients closer to home, and this is certainly one of the first steps in making that more of a reality. We also need more small, regional malting houses, too. I wonder if anybody’s addressing that need?
Sonoma Film Festival Beer Dinner Thursday Night
I know it’s late notice but Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, is doing a beer dinner tomorrow night, Thursday April 11, in conjunction with the Sonoma Film Festival. The dinner is sponsored by New Belgium Brewing but also features beer from several breweries. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at Ramekins Culinary School & Inn located at 450 West Spain Street in Sonoma. Tickets for the four-course dinner are $75 and can be purchased at Eventbrite. Sean’s dinners tend to be amazing, and I’m confident this one will be no different. And because it’s a school night, it’s a modest dinner by his standards, a good one to start with if you haven’t been to one his extravaganzas before.
Here’s the menu:
Pre-Movie Snacks
Popcorn
Duck fat fried heirloom popcorn, dusted in fennel pollen, grains of paradise and truffle salt
cedar smoked bacon fat popped popcorn with tomato powder, thyme salt and porcini mushroom dust
Flatbread
“The Bejkr” dough baked in the wood oven with Russian River Consecration barrel staves, shaved fennel, Sonoma Dry Jack, local olive oil, sea salt and chili
Paired with Hoppy Bock and Fat Tire
First Course
Unicorn Sashimi
Carpaccio of beets, carrots, radishes, fennel fond, arugula, shaved Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, hazelnut sesame sunflower seed butter, tarragon, sunflower sprouts, Ranger IPA foam
Paired with Rampant Imperial IPA
Second Course
The Man Who Lived on His Bike
Sea scallops poached in Sunshine Wheat and bergamot peel, sautéed lacinato kale with sage, green beans, and Tripel coriander sabayon
Paired with Brewery Vivant Biere De Garde
Third Course
Bird and Business
Sonoma County chicken and duck, mixed with Lips of Faith Cascara Quad soaked dates, caramelized shallots, black garlic sausage on a breaded Paul’s Produce rutabaga film reel, escarole & green garlic topped with a abbey coffee mustard sauce
Cheesy Movies
Pt. Reyes Bay Blue, Laura Chenel Cheese, Delice de la Vallee with Abbey Ale orange peel honey, La Folie beer jelly, clove smoked cashews, hop salt, local breads and crackers
Paired with Lost Abbey Bretta Beer and Prickly Passion Saison
Concession Stand
Movie Treats
1554 beer brittle topped with dark chocolate, toasted pistachio and smoked salt with Heavenly Feijoa beer marshmallow dipped in white chocolate with rose dust
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Peach Porch Lounger ice cream with Tripel caramel ripple with Biere de Mars goat milk sherbet
Paired with Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout and Transatlantique Kriek
Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef
Beer Balance Value: Bitterness Units To Gravity Units
Today’s infographic is a homebrewing chart showing the balance value of different types of beer based on their bitterness units and their gravity units. It was created by a homebrewer and posted on his own personal homebrewing website.
Click here to see the chart full size.
The Top 50 Annotated 2012
This is my seventh annual annotated list of the Top 50 so you can see who moved up and down, who was new to the list and who dropped off. So here is this year’s list again annotated with how they changed compared to last year.
- Anheuser-Busch InBev; #1 last seven years, no surprises
- MillerCoors; ditto for #2
- Pabst Brewing; ditto for #3
- D. G. Yuengling and Son; Same as last year
- Boston Beer Co.; Same as last year
- North American Breweries; 3rd year on the list, same position as last year
- Sierra Nevada Brewing; Same as last year
- New Belgium Brewing; Same as last year
- Craft Brewers Alliance; Same as last year
- Gambrinus Company; Same as last year
- Minhas Craft Brewery; Up 3 from #14 last year
- Deschutes Brewery; Down one from #11 last year
- Lagunitas Brewing; Up 3 from #16 last year after jumping up 10 from #26 the previous year, having been at #36 three years back
- Bell’s Brewery; Down 1 from #13 last year
- Matt Brewing; Down 3 from #12 last year
- Harpoon Brewery; Down 1 from #15 last year
- Stone Brewing; Up 1 from #18 last year
- Brooklyn Brewery; Up 2 from #20 last year, after jumping up 5 the year before
- Boulevard Brewing; Down 2 from #17 last year
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Down 1 from last year, after being up 5, 9, 5 and 4 the four previous years
- Abita Brewing; Up 4 from #25 last year
- World Brew/Winery Exchange; Up 4 from #26 last year, after jumping up 11 the previous year
- Shipyard Brewing; Up 1 from last year, having moved up 4 the prior year
- Alaskan Brewing; Down 2 from #21 last year, their second drop in as many years
- August Schell Brewing; Down 2 from last year, also their second drop in as many years
- New Glarus Brewing; Up 2 again this year from #28 last year
- Long Trail Brewing; Down 5 from #22 last year
- Great Lakes Brewing; Down 1 from last year, after jumping up 4 the previous year
- Firestone Walker Brewing; Up 4 from #33 last year, after rising 3 spots the year before
- Anchor Brewing; Up 2 from #32 last year
- Rogue Ales Brewery; Up 5 from #36 last year
- Summit Brewing; Down 1 from #31 last year
- Full Sail Brewing; Down 4 from #29 last year
- SweetWater Brewing; Up 1 from #35 last year, having rise 3 the year before
- Victory Brewing; Up 4 from #39 last year
- Oskar Blues Brewing; Up 5 from #36 last year, having jumped up 8 the previous year
- Pittsburgh Brewing (fka Iron City); Down 7 from #30 last year
- Mendocino Brewing; Down 1 from #37 last year
- Cold Spring Brewing; Down 5 from #34 last year, after jumping up 13 the prior year
- Flying Dog Brewery; Down 2 from #38 last year
- Founders Brewing; Not in Top 50 last year
- Ninkasi Brewing; Up 2 from #44 last year
- CraftWorks Breweries & Restaurants (Gordon Biersch/Rock Bottom); Down 3 from #40 last year, after the two merged during 2011 and were #42 and #48 in the year before the merger
- Odell Brewing; Down 2 from #42 last year
- Bear Republic Brewing; Up 2 in their second year on the list
- Stevens Point Brewery; Down 3 from #43 last year
- Blue Point Brewing; Down 1 from #46 last year
- Southern Tier Brewing; Not in Top 50 last year
- Lost Coast Brewery; Same as last year in their second year on the list
- Karl Strauss Breweries; San Diego CA; Not in Top 50 last year
Not too much movement this year, except for a few small shufflings. Only three new breweries made the list; Founders, Southern Tier and Karl Strauss.
Off the list was BJs Restaurant & Brewery, Narragansett Brewing and Goose Island Beer, which had plummeted 30 from #18 the year before, after selling their production brewery to Anheuser-Busch InBev.
If you want to see the previous annotated lists for comparison, here is 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006.
Top 50 Breweries For 2012
The Brewers Association has also just announced the top 50 breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2012. This includes all breweries, regardless of size or other parameters. Here is the new list:
- Anheuser-Busch InBev; St Louis MO
- MillerCoors; Chicago IL
- Pabst Brewing; Woodridge IL
- D. G. Yuengling and Son; Pottsville PA
- Boston Beer Co.; Boston MA
- North American Breweries; Rochester, NY
- Sierra Nevada Brewing; Chico CA
- New Belgium Brewing; Fort Collins CO
- Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc.; Portland, OR
- Gambrinus Company; San Antonio TX
- Minhas Craft Brewery; Monroe WI
- Deschutes Brewery; Bend OR
- Lagunitas Brewing; Petaluma CA
- Bell’s Brewery; Galesburg MI
- Matt Brewing; Utica NY
- Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA
- Stone Brewing; Escondido CA
- Brooklyn Brewery; Brooklyn NY
- Boulevard Brewing; Kansas City MO
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Miilton DE
- Abita Brewing; New Orleans LA
- World Brews/Winery Exchange; Novato CA
- Shipyard Brewing; Portland ME
- Alaskan Brewing; Juneau AK
- August Schell Brewing; New Ulm MN
- New Glarus Brewing; New Glarus WI
- Long Trail Brewing; Burlington VT
- Great Lakes Brewing; Cleveland OH
- Firestone Walker Brewing; Paso Robles CA
- Anchor Brewing; San Francisco CA
- Rogue Ales Brewery; Newport OR
- Summit Brewing; Saint Paul MN
- Full Sail Brewing; Hood River OR
- SweetWater Brewing; Atlanta GA
- Victory Brewing; Downington PA
- Oskar Blues Brewery; Longmont CO
- Pittsburgh Brewing; Pittsburgh PA
- Mendocino Brewing; Ukiah CA
- Cold Spring Brewing; Cold Spring MN
- Flying Dog Brewery; Frederick MD
- Founders Brewing; Grand Rapids MI
- Ninkasi Brewing; Eugene OR
- CraftWorks Breweries & Restaurants (Gordon Biersch/Rock Bottom); Chattanooga TN/Louisville KY
- Odell Brewing; Fort Collins CO
- Bear Republic Brewing; Cloverdale CA
- Stevens Point Brewery; Stevens Point WI
- Blue Point Brewing; Patchogue NY
- Southern Tier Brewing; Lakewood NY
- Lost Coast Brewery; Eureka CA
- Karl Strauss Breweries; San Diego CA
Here is this year’s press release.
Top 50 Craft Breweries For 2012
The Brewers Association just announced the top 50 craft breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2012, which is listed below here. For the sixth year, they’ve also released a list of the top 50 breweries, which includes all breweries. Here is the new craft brewery list:
- Boston Beer Co.; Boston MA
- Sierra Nevada Brewing; Chico CA
- New Belgium Brewing; Fort Collins CO
- Gambrinus Company; San Antonio TX
- Deschutes Brewery; Bend OR
- Lagunitas Brewing; Petaluma CA
- Bell’s Brewery; Galesburg MI
- Matt Brewing; Utica NY
- Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA
- Stone Brewing; Escondido CA
- Brooklyn Brewery; Brooklyn NY
- Boulevard Brewing; Kansas City MO
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Milton DE
- Abita Brewing; New Orleans LA
- Shipyard Brewing; Portland ME
- Alaskan Brewing; Juneau AK
- New Glarus Brewing; New Glarus WI
- Long Trail Brewing; Bridgewater Corners VT
- Great Lakes Brewing; Cleveland OH
- Firestone Walker Brewing; Paso Robles CA
- Anchor Brewing; San Francisco CA
- Rogue Ales/Oregon Brewing; Newport OR
- Summit Brewing; Saint Paul MN
- Full Sail Brewing; Hood River OR
- Sweetwater Brewing; Atlanta GA
- Victory Brewing; Downingtown PA
- Oskar Blues Brewery; Longmont CO
- Cold Spring Brewing/Third Street Brewhouse; Cold Spring MN
- Flying Dog Brewery; Frederick MD
- Founders Brewing; Grand Rapids MI
- Ninkasi Brewing; Eugene, OR
- CraftWorks Breweries & Restaurants (Gordon Biersch/Rock Bottom); Chattanooga TN/Louisville KY
- Odell Brewing; Fort Collins CO
- Bear Republic Brewing; Cloverdale CA
- Stevens Point Brewing; Stevens Point WI
- Blue Point Brewing; Patchogue NY
- Southern Tier Brewing; Lakewood NY
- Lost Coast Brewery; Eureka CA
- Karl Strauss Breweries; San Diego CA
- BJs Chicago Pizza & Brewery; Huntington Beach CA
- Breckenridge Brewery; Denver CO
- North Coast Brewing; Fort Bragg CA
- Left Hand Brewing; Longmont CO
- St. Louis Brewery, Inc./Schlafly Beers; St Louis MO
- Saint Arnold Brewing; Houston TX
- Ballast Point Brewing; San Diego CA
- Big Sky Brewing; Missoula MT
- Allagash Brewing; Portland ME
- Uinta; Salt Lake City UT
- Tröegs Brewing; Hershey PA
Five breweries are new to this year’s Top 50 Craft Breweries list; Cold Spring Brewing/Third Street Brewhouse, Southern Tier Brewing, Ballast Point Brewing, Allagash and Tröegs Brewing. Here is this year’s press release.
I’ll have my annual annotated list shortly.