Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Reading The Beer Meter

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meter-dials
I was watching a documentary today about the Library of Congress and they talked about how the library is digitizing their collection, so I took a look at the website and discovered this little gem from 1937. Post-prohibition, apparently our government experimented with different methods for ensuring that breweries paid the correct amount of taxes. The “beer meter” was one such device they came up with, shown below.

beer-meter

The caption below is cut off in the original in the library’s collection, which is why it ends mid-sentence.

And now a beer meter. Washington, D.C., May 1. To aid Uncle Same in collecting the tax on the millions of barrels of beer brewed in this country every year, the National Bureau of Standards has designed a master beer meter for use of the alcohol unit of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, U.S. Treasury. Government inspectors employ this master meter in checking the accuracy of the brewery beer meter to determine the volume of beer brewed. In the photograph the large tank receives the liquid [after passing] thru the meter where it is weighed to get [the] true volume. Carl F. Stoneburner is reading ….

Beer Production Infographic

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graphchart
A recent book on beer and homebrewing, entitled Beer Craft appears to include the clever use of graphics, and in particular infographics, the best of which which are able to convey a great deal of information in a economical amount of space. Written by William Bostwick and Jessi Rymill, one of their charts was chosen by Fast Company’s Co.Design as the Infographic of the Day a few days ago. The infographic shows the number of breweries in America, along with total beer production, from 1800-2010.

BeerCraft_Production-2010

At the beginning (of the timeline, at least) there were only around 200 breweries. Rum, and other spirits, were king, and the U.S. boasted 14,000 distilleries. The advent of pilsner in 1842, along with a wave of German and European immigration, helped along by the industrial revolution, saw the number of breweries steadily increase until around 1850, when all hell broke loose. At that point, the rise of breweries in America can only be described as meteoric. When the dust settled two decades later, the number of breweries peaked in 1873 at 4,131. Consolidation, and other facts, cut the number in half by 1900 and another score of years later the number was zero, thanks to the anti-alcohol zealots who pushed through Prohibition in 1919.

Even once Prohibition ended thirteen years later, the brewing scene never recovered to anything approaching its glory days of the late 19th century. Both the business world and the world in general had changed considerably — especially after World War II — and anti-alcohol factions never admitted defeat, but merely changed tactics and continued to attack alcohol using different strategies that continue right through to the present day.

The low point is around 1980, when a mere 44 breweries made a staggering amount of beer, most of it tasting exactly the same. Since that time, total production of beer has risen only slightly, but more promisingly, the number of breweries has exploded with the microbrewery revolution that began in 1976 (and which had its origins in 1965 San Francisco). Today, we’re at nearly 1,800 breweries, the largest number since the turn of the last century. And according to the Brewers Association’s crack brewery detective, Erin Fay Glass, there are roughly 600 new breweries in various stages of their start-up phases. At the rate things are going, we should hit 2,000 breweries in America pretty soon, and quite possibly before the end of next year. Yea, beer!

South Carolina Beer

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south_carolina
Today in 1788, South Carolina became the 8th state.

South Carolina
State_SouthCarolina

South Carolina Breweries

South Carolina Brewery Guides

Guild: South Carolina Brewers Association

State Agency: South Carolina Department of Revenue

maps-sc

  • Capital: Columbia
  • Largest Cities: Columbia, Charleston, North Charleston, Greenville, Rock Hill
  • Population: 4,012,012; 26th
  • Area: 32007 sq.mi., 40th
  • Nickname: Palmetto State
  • Statehood: 8th; May 23, 1788

m-south-carolina

  • Alcohol Legalized: April 14, 1933
  • Number of Breweries: 14
  • Rank: 37th
  • Beer Production: 3,726,460
  • Production Rank: 21st
  • Beer Per Capita: 25.8 Gallons

south-carolina

Package Mix:

  • Bottles: 35.5%
  • Cans: 59.3%
  • Kegs: 5.0%

Beer Taxes:

  • Per Gallon: $0.77
  • Per Case: $1.73
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $23.81
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $23.81

Economic Impact (2010):

  • From Brewing: $3,804,637
  • Direct Impact: $883,919,695
  • Supplier Impact: $317,601,830
  • Induced Economic Impact: $625,465,783
  • Total Impact: $1,826,987,308

Legal Restrictions:

  • Control State: No
  • Sale Hours: On Premises: On-premise closing times are local option and are not set by the state.
    Off Premises: 24 hours for beer and low-alcohol wine, 9am-7pm Mon-Sat. at liquor stores
  • Grocery Store Sales: Yes
  • Notes: 14% ABW (17.5% ABV) cap on beer
    Wine > 16% ABV sold in liquor stores
    No hard liquor sales after 7 p.m. and none on Sundays.
    No off-premise alcohol sales after midnight Saturday until 7 a.m. Monday, except in Aiken, Greenville, Spartanburg, Horry County, Colleton County, Richland County, Charleston County/city and Beaufort County. No sales on election days at liquor stores.

south-carolina-map

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.

Deborah Carey: Champion Of Change

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new-glarus
Congratulations to New Glarus Brewing co-founder Deb Carey, who was selected as a Champion of Change by President Barack Obama and the White House. It’s great to see someone from craft brewing honored.

Here’s the write-up for Carey on the White House website:

Deborah Carey’s decision to start New Glarus Brewing Company was rooted in doing what was best for her family rather than becoming the local woman who broke down barriers to start a brewery. As she worked on a business plan, her husband Dan, a master brewer, gathered the materials, grains and equipment needed for start-up. In 1993 they negotiated to rent a warehouse in New Glarus, exchanging the lease for stock in the New Glarus Brewing Company.

They sold their home and raised $40,000 in seed money, yet still needed more cash to fund the startup. Deborah pitched her story to local newspapers, and the media attention brought $200,000 from investors. In the early days, the couple worked hard to establish the brewery’s reputation for consistent quality beers. Deborah’s marketing plan was to develop a very loyal customer base. She set up beer tasting classes along with offering brewery tours. Beer distributors started noticing the little brewery that was developing a strong consumer following.

New Glarus Brewing Company has grown to 50 full-time employees, has registered growth in profits of 123 percent from 2007 to 2009, and is Wisconsin’s number one micro-brewery relative to sales volume.

South Beer Cup Winners Announced

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great-south-cup
Regular readers have probably noticed that my usual output has been diminished here of late, that’s because I’ve been in Buenos Aires, Argentina since Monday. I was fortunate enough to be invited to judge at the very first South Beer Cup, South America’s version of the Great American Beer Festival and the Craft Brewers Conference combined. It was put on by the Centro de Cata de Cerveza with support from the very active local homebrew club, Somos Cerveceros.

They had 280 beers from 72 breweries entered in 20 categories from four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. Along with the local judges, made up of brewers and BJCP certified judges, four experienced judges from North America were on hand to help out. In addition to myself, there was Stephen Beaumont, Doug Odell and Pete Slosberg. The four of us also each gave a short talk during the conference portion of the event.

But more about that later, last evening at a gala awards ceremony held at the rooftop of the American Club. It was a great event, and perhaps the best part was seeing the enthusiasm and passion on display as the excited winners went up to accept their awards, all to some very dramatic music. So without further ado, here s the list of the winners for the first South Beer Cup:

great-south-cup

  1. Pilsner
    • Bronze: Colorado (Brazil)
  2. Oktoberfest
    • Bronze: Buller (Argentina)
  3. Pale Ale
    • Bronze: Davok (Uruguay)
  4. Golden/Blonde Ale
    • Silver: TIE: Duff (Argentina) / Eisenbahn (Brazil)
    • Bronze: Carmela (Argentina)
  5. India Pale Ale
    • Gold: Davok (Uruguay)
    • Silver: Fenicia (Argentina)
    • Bronze: Backer (Brazil)
  6. Amber/Red Ale
    • Gold: Yeska (Argentina)
    • Silver: Antares (Argentina)
    • Bronze: El Viejo Hobbit (Argentina)
    • Honorable Mention: Piltri (Argentina)
  7. Wheat Beer
    • Silver: Baden Baden (Brazil)
    • Bronze: Bier Hoff (Brazil)
    • Honorable Mention: Cabezas Bier (Uruguay)
  8. Dry Stout
    • Silver: Bodebrown (Brazil)
    • Bronze: TIE: Carmela (Argentina) / Kross (Chile)
  9. Imperial Stout
    • Silver: Montecristo (Argentina)
    • Bronze: Antares (Argentina)
  10. Porter
    • Bronze: TIE: Antares (Argentina) / Alumine (Argentina) / La Cruz (Argentina)
  11. Brown Ale
    • Bronze: Fenicia (Argentina)
  12. Barley Wine
    • Bronze: Davok (Uruguay)
    • Honorable Mention: TIE: La Cruz (Argentina) / Una Mas (Argentina)
  13. Smoked Beer
    • Gold: Gulmen (Argentina)
    • Silver: Bamberg (Brazil)
    • Bronze: Berlina (Argentina)
  14. Specialty Beer
    • Gold: Baden Baden (Brazil)
    • Additional Honorable Mentions [w/style]: Baden Baden [Golden] (Brazil) / Dowel [Grape] / Silberweizen [Weizen Bock] / Sixtofer [Scarlet] (Argentina) / Szot [Strong Ale] / Von de Brauer [Red Ale] / Jerome [Diablo] (Argentina)
  15. Honey Beer
    • Silver: TIE: Antares (Argentina) / Fenicia (Argentina)
  16. Kolsch
    • Bronze: Antares (Argentina)
  17. Dunkel
    • Silver: TIE: Bamberg (Brazil) / Eisenbahn (Brazil)
  18. Belgian Dark Ale
    • Bronze: Eisenbahn (Brazil)
  19. Munich
    • Silver: Bamberg (Brazil)
  20. Schwarzbier
    • Silver: Bamberg (Brazil)
  21. Bock
    • Bronze: Blest (Brazil)
  22. Old Ale
    • Silver: Bodebrown (Brazil)

Congratulations to all the winners.

And here’s all the participating breweries:
logos-great-south-cup

Minnesota Beer

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minnesota
Today in 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state.

Minnesota
State_Minnesota

Minnesota Breweries

Minnesota Brewery Guides

Guild: Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild

State Agency: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Alcohol and Gaming Enforcement

maps-mn

  • Capital: Saint Paul
  • Largest Cities: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Duluth, Rochester, Bloomington
  • Population: 4,919,479; 21st
  • Area: 86943 sq.mi., 12th
  • Nickname: North Star State / Land of 10,000 Lakes
  • Statehood: 32nd, May 11, 1858

m-minnesota

  • Alcohol Legalized: December 5, 1933
  • Number of Breweries: 41
  • Rank: 13th
  • Beer Production: 3,567,334
  • Production Rank: 23rd
  • Beer Per Capita: 21.2 Gallons

minnesota

Package Mix:

  • Bottles: 35.1%
  • Cans: 49.1%
  • Kegs: 14.9%

Beer Taxes: 3.2 Beer

  • Per Gallon: $0.08
  • Per Case: $0.17
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $2.40
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $2.40

Beer Taxes: Over 3.2 Beer

  • Per Gallon: $0.15
  • Per Case: $0.33
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $4.60
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $4.60

Economic Impact (2010):

  • From Brewing: $113,322,308
  • Direct Impact: $1,130,070,508
  • Supplier Impact: $639,572,828
  • Induced Economic Impact: $1,008,229,846
  • Total Impact: $2,777,873,181

Legal Restrictions:

  • Control State: No (but see Notes)
  • Sale Hours: On Premises: 8 a.m.–2 a.m. 7 Days
    Off Premises: 8 a.m.–10p.m. (Mon–Sat)
  • Grocery Store Sales: 3.2 Only
  • Notes: Local and/or County ordinance prevails for hours of operation for off-sale licenses. No alcohol off-sale on Sunday. Growler sales allowed until 10 p.m. Monday–Saturday. Certain municipalities may establish municipal liquor stores; they are permitted, but not required, to exclude privately owned stores.

minnesota-map

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.

Next Session Collects Your Breweriana

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session-the
Our 52nd Session takes thing down a notch, and it is a bit easier than last month’s. At least you don’t have to go out and buy anything, although you may want to after reading about everybody else’s collections of breweriana. Our host, Brian Stechschulte, of All Over Beer , has chosen the topic Beer Collectibles & Breweriana, which he explains as:

As host of Session #52, I’ve decided not to focus on the substance of beer, but the material that plays a supporting role. Bottles, coasters, cans, labels, ads, tap handles, church keys, hats, t-shirts, tip trays, glassware and signs have been collected by fanatics ever since beer has been sold. These objects constitute the world of breweriana, a term that surfaced in 1972 to define any item displaying a brewery or brand name. The majority of highly prized objects are from the pre-prohibition era, but ephemera from every period in brewing history, including craft beer, finds a home with each beer drinking generation.

So what old or new beer related items do you collect and why? It’s that simple. This is your opportunity to share the treasured objects your wife or husband won’t let you display on the fireplace mantle. You don’t need to be a major collector like this guy to participate. In my mind, just a few items constitute a collection. Maybe you have mementos from a beer epiphany or road trips? You can focus on a whole collection or tell the story behind a single item.

So open your closets, your cabinets and cupboards; wherever you keep the tchotchkes, logowear and beer “collectibles” that have piled up in your home since falling in love with beer. You know you have them. Don’t pretend otherwise. It will be good therapy to get your obsessions out in the open, and Brian has offered us the perfect opportunity to lie on his virtual couch and unload your breweriana for the next Session on Friday, June 3.

P.S.: Don’t forget about Session #51.5, part two of the Great Online Beer & Cheese-Off, taking place on May 20.

Louisiana Beer

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louisiana
Today in 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state.

Louisiana
State_Louisiana

Louisiana Breweries

Louisiana Brewery Guides

Guild: None Known

State Agency: Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control

Other Trade Groups: Beer Industry League of Louisiana

maps-la

  • Capital: Baton Rouge
  • Largest Cities: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, LaFayette, Lake Charles
  • Population: 4,468,976; 22nd
  • Area: 51843 sq.mi., 31st
  • Nickname: Pelican State
  • Statehood: 18th, April 30, 1812

m-louisiana

  • Alcohol Legalized: April 13, 1933
  • Number of Breweries: 6
  • Rank: 43rd
  • Beer Production: 3,849,482
  • Production Rank: 18th
  • Beer Per Capita: 27.1 Gallons

louisiana

Package Mix:

  • Bottles: 40.8%
  • Cans: 55.6%
  • Kegs: 3.4%

Beer Taxes:

  • Per Gallon: $0.32
  • Per Case: $0.73
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $10.00
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $10.00
  • * Municipalities and counties may assess a tax of up to $1.50 per barrel

Economic Impact (2010):

  • From Brewing: $36,209,782
  • Direct Impact: $868,936,804
  • Supplier Impact: $394,401,774
  • Induced Economic Impact: $848,102,310
  • Total Impact: $2,111,440,888

Legal Restrictions:

  • Control State: No
  • Sale Hours: On Premises: No state imposed restrictions on on-premise hours. “24 hour” bars are common in New Orleans and in Jefferson Parish. Some municipalities and parishes require on-premise service to stop at 2:00 am.
    Off Premises: No restrictions on hours of package sales statewide.
  • Grocery Store Sales: Yes
  • Notes: Packaged alcoholic beverages of any strength may be sold in supermarkets, drug stores, gas stations, and convenience stores 24 hours a day. Local municipalities may not restrict this. As a result, dedicated “liquor stores” are mostly specialty stores in larger cities, and some supermarkets have large selections of liquors and wines, and compete on the basis of liquor prices and selection.

    Alcohol can be consumed in plastic cups in the streets of New Orleans and taken from club-to-club if the establishment allows it. Otherwise it depends on the locality. Most parishes other than Orleans Parish do not permit alcoholic beverages served at on-premise establishments to be taken from the premises. However, many parishes and municipalities permit consumption of packaged beverages (for example, cans of beer) on the street, as long as the packaging is concealed. Glass bottles on the streets are prohibited. One can enter most bars at 18 years of age but must be 21 years old to purchase or consume alcohol.

louisiana-map

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.

Maryland Beer

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maryland
Today in 1788, Maryland became the 7th state.

Maryland
State_Maryland

Maryland Breweries

Maryland Brewery Guides

Guild: Brewers Association of Maryland

State Agency: Maryland Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Bureau

maps-md

  • Capital: Annapolis
  • Largest Cities:Baltimore, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Bowie, Rockville
  • Population: 5,296,486; 19th
  • Area: 12407 sq.mi., 42nd
  • Nickname: Old Line State
  • Statehood: 7th, April 28, 1788

m-maryland-2

  • Alcohol Legalized: December 5, 1933
  • Number of Breweries: 23
  • Rank: 22nd
  • Beer Production: 3,343,296
  • Production Rank: 25th
  • Beer Per Capita: 18.4 Gallons

maryland

Package Mix:

  • Bottles: 45.3%
  • Cans: 44.2%
  • Kegs: 4.9%

Beer Taxes:

  • Per Gallon: $0.09
  • Per Case: $0.20
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $2.79
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $2.79

Economic Impact (2010):

  • From Brewing: $41,776,563
  • Direct Impact: $940,459,495
  • Supplier Impact: $453,776,947
  • Induced Economic Impact: $948,842,606
  • Total Impact: $2,343,079,048

Legal Restrictions:

  • Control State: Variable by locality
  • Sale Hours: Variable by locality
  • Grocery Store Sales: Variable by locality
  • Notes: Baltimore County prohibits the sale on Sunday in some areas.
    Montgomery County, Somerset County, Wicomico County, and Worcester County are alcoholic beverage control counties.
    Garrett County prohibits the sale on Sunday except in some areas.
    The sale of alcohol at grocery and convenience stores varies by county.
    There are no dry counties, but some individual voting districts within counties restrict or prohibit alcohol on a local-option basis.

maryland-map

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.

Boycott Under Way On Beer Stocked By Alabama A-B Distributors

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alabama
Free the Hops, the organization in Alabama that successfully won the fight over hard opposition to allow beer over 6% abv in the state, is calling for a boycott of both Anheuser-Busch products along with those beers distributed by A-B Houses in Alabama. The boycott is a result of A-B distributor lobbyists “blocking the Legislature’s passing [of] the Brewery Modernization Act,” which Free the Hops helped pass “in the Alabama Senate earlier this month.” The Birmingham News has a full account of the story in an article entitled Free the Hops calls for boycott of beers stocked by Anheuser-Busch distributors in Alabama. Free the Hops also has a boycott statement on their website along with a list of the distributors involved. Essentially the law would simply allow brewpubs to no longer be subject to antiquated laws, such as having to be located in “a historic building” or be located in “a county that had a brewery prior to 1918.” Ridiculous stuff. It would be hard to argue that the law as it stands makes any sense or is a fair under any definition. But apparently the A-B beer distributors in Alabama see it as competition that cannot be allowed, despite the fact that in most of the other 49 states, brewpubs and beer distributors happily co-exist with one another.

I was originally in favor of the boycott, as it seems like there isn’t much choice insofar as what the Bud houses are doing. But as several people have pointed out, it will also harm a great number of craft brewery’s business in the state as well. Free the Hops obviously recognizes that fact and their concern is buying craft beer from one of the A-B distributors is still “channeling profits to wholesalers.” So in a way, it’s a bit like chemotherapy. Honestly, I’m conflicted. As Lew Bryson said in an exchange we had on Facebook. “This is odd territory for most beer drinkers: asking them to boycott a DISTRIBUTOR rather than a brand is confusing enough, but asking them to boycott craft beers to help craft beer…? Not going to work. If I were in Alabama, I would directly encourage people not to support a boycott of any craft brands for this reason. This is not the way to do it.” So I think we all agree that boycotting the ABI products is the way to go, but as for the craft brands … that seems like a much trickier, thornier issue. I can see both sides of the argument, and am left unsatisfied by either one. In the end, I think it’s going to be up to everyone’s individual conscience on what to boycott.