Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Bhutan Beer

By

bhutan
Today in 1949, Bhutan signed a bi-lateral treaty with India, and while it has no official independence day, this was as close as I could find.

Bhutan
bhutan-color

Bhutan Breweries

Bhutan Brewery Guides

Other Guides

  • CIA World Factbook
  • Official Website
  • U.S. Embassy
  • Wikipedia

Guild: None Known

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC 0.08%

bhutan

  • Full Name: Kingdom of Bhutan
  • Location: Southern Asia, between China and India
  • Government Type: Constitutional monarchy
  • Language: Sharchhopka 28%, Dzongkha (official) 24%, Lhotshamkha 22%, other 26%
  • Religion(s): Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%
  • Capital: Thimphu
  • Population: 716,896; 165th
  • Area: 38,394 sq km, 137th
  • Comparative Area: About one-half the size of Indiana
  • National Food: Ema datshi
  • National Symbols: Druk (thunder dragon); Takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana); Blue poppy; Bhutan Cypress
  • Affiliations: UN
  • Independence: Signed a bi-lateral treaty with India, August 8, 1949 / Became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king, 1907

bhutan-coa

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 18
  • BAC: 0.08%
  • Number of Breweries: 2

bhutan-money

  • How to Say “Beer”: ཆང་སྐོལ
  • How to Order a Beer: N/A
  • How to Say “Cheers”: ཆང་མཆོད
  • Toasting Etiquette: N/A

bhutan-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 100%
  • Wine: <1%
  • Spirits: <1%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 0.22
  • Unrecorded: 0.33
  • Total: 0.55
  • Beer: 0.21

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 0.2 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Stable
  • Excise Taxes: No
  • Minimum Age: 18
  • Sales Restrictions: Time, places, specific events, petrol stations
  • Advertising Restrictions: Yes
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: No

Patterns of Drinking Score: 3

Prohibition: None

bhutan-asia

Côte d’Ivoire Beer

By

cote_d_ivoire
Today in 1960, Côte d’Ivoire gained their Independence from France.

Côte d’Ivoire
cote-d-ivoire-color

Côte d’Ivoire Breweries

Côte d’Ivoire Brewery Guides

Other Guides

Guild: None Known

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC 0.08%

cote-d-ivorie

  • Full Name: Republic of Cote d’Ivoire (f.k.a. Ivory Coast)
  • Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
  • Government Type: Republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960
  • Language: French (official), 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken
  • Religion(s): Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none 16.7%
  • Capital: Yamoussoukro (Political), Abidjan (Economic)
  • Population: 21,952,093; 55th
  • Area: 322,463 sq km, 69th
  • Comparative Area: Slightly larger than New Mexico
  • National Food: Alloco; other cuisine
  • National Symbol: Elephant
  • Affiliations: UN, African Union
  • Independence: From France, August 7, 1960

ivory-coast-coa

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 18
  • BAC: 0.08%
  • Number of Breweries: 4

ivory-coast-money

  • How to Say “Beer”: bière
  • How to Order a Beer: Une bière, s’il vous plait
  • How to Say “Cheers”: Santé
  • Toasting Etiquette: N/A

ivory-coast-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 14%
  • Wine: 7%
  • Spirits: 1%
  • Other: 78%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 4.48
  • Unrecorded: 2.00
  • Total: 6.48
  • Beer: 0.61

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 4.5 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Stable
  • Excise Taxes: Yes
  • Minimum Age: 18
  • Sales Restrictions: Specific events, intoxicated persons
  • Advertising Restrictions: Yes
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: No

Patterns of Drinking Score: 3

Prohibition: None

cote-d-ivoire-africa

Bolivia Beer

By

bolivia
Today in 1825, Bolivia gained their Independence from Spain.

Bolivia
bolivia-color

Bolivia Breweries

Bolivia Brewery Guides

Other Guides

  • CIA World Factbook
  • Official Website
  • U.S. Embassy
  • Wikipedia

Guild: Sociedad Industrial Del Sur SA

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC 0.07%

bolivia

  • Full Name: Plurinational State of Bolivia
  • Location: Central South America, southwest of Brazil
  • Government Type: republic [note: the new constitution defines Bolivia as a “Social Unitarian State”]
  • Language: Spanish (official) 60.7%, Quechua (official) 21.2%, Aymara (official) 14.6%, foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2%
  • Religion(s): Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
  • Capital: La Paz
  • Population: 10,290,003; 83rd
  • Area: 1,098,581 sq km, 28th
  • Comparative Area: Slightly less than three times the size of Montana
  • National Food: Picante de Pollo
  • National Symbols: Llama, Condor; Patujú and Kantuta
  • Affiliations: UN, OAS
  • Independence: From Spain, August 6, 1825

bolivia-coa

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 18
  • BAC: 0.07%
  • Number of Breweries: 11

Bolivia-money

  • How to Say “Beer”: cerveza
  • How to Order a Beer: Una cerveza, por favor
  • How to Say “Cheers”: Salud
  • Toasting Etiquette: Wait for a toast to be made before taking the first sip of your drink. The host makes the first toast. The most common toast is “Salud!” When you lift your glass, look at the person being toasted.

bolivia-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 76%
  • Wine: 2%
  • Spirits: 22%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 2.62
  • Unrecorded: 2.50
  • Total: 5.12
  • Beer: 2.17

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 2.6 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Increase
  • Excise Taxes: Yes
  • Minimum Age: 18
  • Sales Restrictions: Days, places, specific events
  • Advertising Restrictions: No
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: Yes

Patterns of Drinking Score: 3

Prohibition: None

bolivia-so-amer

Jamaica Beer

By

jamaica
Today in 1962, Jamaica gained their Independence from the United Kingdom.

Jamaica
jamaica-color

Jamaica Breweries

Jamaica Brewery Guides

Other Guides

Guild: None Known

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC 0.035% or 0.08%

Jamaica

  • Full Name: Jamaica
  • Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
  • Government Type: Constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
  • Language: English, English patois
  • Religion(s): Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%
  • Capital: Kingston
  • Population: 2,889,187; 139th
  • Area: 10,991 sq km, 168th
  • Comparative Area: Slightly smaller than Connecticut
  • National Food: Ackee and Saltfish
  • National Symbols: Green-and-black Streamertail; Lignum vitae; Blue Mahoe
  • Affiliations: UN, Commonwealth, OAS
  • Independence: From the UK, August 6, 1962

jamaica-coa

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: None (to drink); 18 (to buy)
  • BAC: 0.035%
  • Number of Breweries: 2

jamaica-money-2

  • How to Say “Beer”: beer
  • How to Order a Beer: one beer, please
  • How to Say “Cheers”: cheers
  • Toasting Etiquette: N/A

jamaica-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 42%
  • Wine: 3%
  • Spirits: 52%
  • Other: 2%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 3.50
  • Unrecorded: 1.50
  • Total: 5.00
  • Beer: 1.49

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 3.5 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Stable
  • Excise Taxes: Yes
  • Minimum Age: 18 (to purchase); None (to drink)
  • Sales Restrictions: Time, location
  • Advertising Restrictions: No
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: No

Patterns of Drinking Score: 2

Prohibition: None

jamaica-carib

Craft Beer Grows 14% In First Half Of 2012

By

ba
More great news for craft beer. The Brewers Association announced today that dollar growth for craft beer is up 14% over the first half of this year. For the same period, volume was also up 12%.

From the press release:

“Generally, most craft brewers are continuing to see strong growth in production, sales, brewing capacity and employment, which is to be celebrated during challenged times for many of today’s small businesses,” said Paul Gatza, director, Brewers Association. “Plus it’s a fact that beer drinkers are responding to the quality and diversity created by small American brewing companies. India pale ales, seasonal beers, Belgian-inspired ales and a range of specialty beers are just a few of the beer styles that are growing rapidly.”

The other piece of great news is the rising number of breweries, with new ones opening seemingly every day. The American brewery count now stands at 2,126, representing 350 new brewery openings since June 2011!

125_Brewery_Count

More from the press release:

The BA also tracks breweries in planning as an indicator of potential new entrants into the craft category, and lists 1,252 breweries in planning today compared to 725 a year ago. Additionally, the count of craft brewers was at 2,075 as of June 30, 2012 showing that 97 percent of U.S. brewers are craft brewers.

“Beer-passionate Americans are opening breweries at a rate faster than at any time since the day Prohibition ended for the beverage of moderation,” Gatza added. “There is nearly a new brewery opening for every day of the year, benefiting beer lovers and communities in every area across the country.”

Burkina Faso Beer

By

burkina_faso
Today in 1960, Burkina Faso gained their Independence from France.

Burkina Faso
burkina-faso-color

Burkina Faso Breweries

Burkina Faso Brewery Guides

Other Guides

  • CIA World Factbook
  • Official Website
  • U.S. Embassy
  • Wikipedia

Guild: None Known

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: None

burkino-faso

  • Full Name: Burkina Faso (f.k.a. Upper Volta)
  • Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana
  • Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
  • Language: French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
  • Religion(s): Muslim 60.5%, Catholic 19%, animist 15.3%, Protestant 4.2%, other 0.6%, none 0.4%
  • Capital: Ouagadougou
  • Population: 17,275,115; 61st
  • Area: 274,200 sq km, 75th
  • Comparative Area: Slightly larger than Colorado
  • National Food: Sorghum, millet, rice, maize, peanuts, potatoes, beans, yams and okra
  • National Symbol: Lion
  • Affiliations: UN, African Union
  • Independence: From France, August 5, 1960 / Republic Day, commemorates the day that Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community, December 11, 1958

burkina-faso-coa

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 18
  • BAC: None
  • Number of Breweries: 3

burkino-faso-money

  • How to Say “Beer”: bière
  • How to Order a Beer: Une bière, s’il vous plait
  • How to Say “Cheers”: Santé
  • Toasting Etiquette: N/A

burkina-faso-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 9%
  • Wine: 2%
  • Spirits: 9%
  • Other: 80%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 4.48
  • Unrecorded: 2.50
  • Total: 6.98
  • Beer: 0.41

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 4.5 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Increase
  • Excise Taxes: Yes
  • Minimum Age: 18
  • Sales Restrictions: Time, location, specific events, intoxicated persons, petrol stations
  • Advertising Restrictions: Yes
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: No

Patterns of Drinking Score: 3

Prohibition: None

burkina-faso-africa

Bistro IPA Festival Winners 2012

By

bistro
For the second straight year I missed the Bistro IPA Festival, but owner Vic Kralj was kind enough to send me the list of the winners. Matt Cole’s IPA, Head Hunter, from Fat Heads in North Olmstead, Ohio, was chosen best in show at the 15th annual IPA Festival today at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The full list of winners is below.

Niger Beer

By

niger
Today in 1960, Niger gained their Independence from France.

Niger
Niger-color

Niger Breweries

Niger Brewery Guides

Other Guides

Guild: None Known

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC 0.08%

niger

  • Full Name: Republic of Niger
  • Location: Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
  • Government Type: Republic
  • Language: French (official), Hausa, Djerma
  • Religion(s): Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%
  • Capital: Yaounde
  • Population: 17,078,839; 62nd
  • Area: 1,267,000 sq km, 22nd
  • Comparative Area: Slightly less than twice the size of Texas
  • National Food: Vegetable Stew
  • National Symbol: Coctu Spectabilis
  • Affiliations: UN, African Union
  • Independence: From France, August 3, 1960

niger-coa

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 18
  • BAC: 0.08%
  • Number of Breweries: 1

niger-money

  • How to Say “Beer”: bière
  • How to Order a Beer: Une bière, s’il vous plait
  • How to Say “Cheers”: Santé
  • Toasting Etiquette: N/A

niger-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 56%
  • Wine: 11%
  • Spirits: 33%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 0.09
  • Unrecorded: 0.25
  • Total: 0.34
  • Beer: 0.05

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 0.1 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Stable
  • Excise Taxes: Yes
  • Minimum Age: 18
  • Sales Restrictions: Time, location
  • Advertising Restrictions: No
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: No

Patterns of Drinking Score: N/A

Prohibition: None

niger-africa

Switzerland Beer

By

switzerland
Today in 1291, Switzerland founded their Swiss Confederation.

Switzerland
switz-color

Switzerland Breweries

Switzerland Brewery Guides

Other Guides

Guilds: Bierconvent International e.V; Swiss Brewers Association (Schweizer Brauerei-Verband)

National Regulatory Agency: Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Labels must include the following information: Name of product, Name and address of producer and importer (if applicable), Product designation, Alcohol content or actual alcoholic strength, Volume (in metric quantities only), Country of origin, Net content, Special instructions for use or storage (if applicable)

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC 0.05%

switzerland

  • Full Name: Swiss Confederation
  • Location: Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
  • Government Type: Formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic
  • Language: German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch (official) 0.5%, other 2.8%
  • Religion(s): Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Muslim 4.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1%
  • Capital: Berne (Bern)
  • Population: 7,655,628; 96th
  • Area: 41,277 sq km, 136th
  • Comparative Area: Slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
  • National Food: Cervelat; Fondue; Rösti
  • National Symbols: Edelweiss; Alphorn; Swiss Cross
  • Affiliations: UN
  • Independence: Swiss Confederation founded, August 1, 1291

switzerland-coa

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 16 for beer and wine in most cantons (though 18 in some); 18 in all cantons for spirits
  • BAC: 0.05%
  • Number of Breweries: 75

switzerland-money-vert

  • How to Say “Beer”: bier / bière / birra / biera, gervosa
  • How to Order a Beer: Ein Bier, bitte / Une bière, s’il vous plait / Una birra, per favore / in biera, per plaschair
  • How to Say “Cheers”: Prost / Votre Santé, Santé / Salute / Viva
  • Toasting Etiquette: When proposing a toast, wait until everyone has been served a drink (whether it is wine or mineral water) and then say, “Prost” (cheers, in German). The toast in German-speaking Switzerland is prost; in French-speaking Switzerland, it is votre santé or simply santé; in Italian-speaking Switzerland, salute. After your host has proposed a toast, look directly at him or her and respond, preferably in the local language. Then, clink glasses with everyone at the table, or at least those within your reach. Only then may you take your first sip.

switz-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 31%
  • Wine: 50%
  • Spirits: 18%
  • Other: 1%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 10.56
  • Unrecorded: 0.50
  • Total: 11.06
  • Beer: 3.10

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 10.4 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Stable
  • Excise Taxes: Yes
  • Minimum Age: 16 (18 for spirits)
  • Sales Restrictions: Hours, location, specific events
  • Advertising Restrictions: Yes
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: Yes

Patterns of Drinking Score: 1

Prohibition: None

switz-eu

Bud Light Beer Camp?

By

bud-light
Did anybody else see this? I was watching the Colbert Report last night, as I often do, and happened to catch a commercial for “Bud Light Beer Camp.” If I’d had a beer at the time, I might have done a spit take. As litigious as Anheuser-Busch InBev has been, is it really possible that they could not have noticed that Sierra Nevada has been running a pretty high profile beer camp now for several years? Sierra Nevada Beer Camp has to date done at least 43 beer camps (I did #41), which is how many are listed at the Beer Camp website. But since 43 was held in 2011, it’s probably closer to 50 by now. Certainly, there’s been enough of them for ABI to have noticed. [UPDATE: Since I originally posted this, a colleague sent me a note that they knew someone who did Beer Camp #67 and believe that it’s closer to 80.]

bud-lt-beer-camp-2

I can just hear ABI’s lawyers, if the situation was reversed, arguing that this would create confusion in the mind of the consumer. I couldn’t find any of the commercials on YouTube, so I just photographed it on my television screen.

bud-lt-beer-camp-1

Doing a Google search, all I could find was links to a few comedian’s websites talking about how they were involved in a series of “Bud Light beer camp” ads for Comedy Central. One conedian, Adam Newman, even had an embedded video, but it has been taken down. That site said it was a “six-part Bud Light ‘Beer Camp’ series” and included “other hilarious comedians Trevor Williams, Zack Poitras, Craig Rowin, and Jermaine Fowler.” He said it was “running this summer on Comedy Central.”

bud-lt-beer-camp-3

A second Bud Light Beer Camp commercial ran at the end of the Colbert Report, and that one included a screen promoting the Port Paradise Music Festival, which appears to be a two-day music festival and cruise to the Bahamas that they’re sponsoring.

I assume that even with all of Sierra Nevada’s resources, they still won’t be taking ABI to court over this, though I imagine if the situation was reversed, that’s exactly what Bud would do.

BeerCamp