Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Feeding The World

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food-good
I try to stay away from politics for the most part, because beer lovers come from all walks of life and are from all sides of the political spectrum, too. Beer brings people together, and I find it’s usually best to keep it that way. Regular readers know that I do break that rule from time to time, more often than not when it has something to with beer. So this one’s more of a stretch, except that as I do feel that “beer is agriculture,” and because we all eat food, usually paired with our beer, it’s still within the scope of the Bulletin. If you don’t agree, feel free to just skip this particular rant. Actual beer news will follow.

Here in sunny California, there are a number of contentious propositions on the November election ballot this year, but none, it seems to me, is more combative than Prop. 37, which is about the labeling of GMOs. Although it appears to be an imperfect proposition — aren’t most of them? — the very fact that big agribusinesses and other large mega-corporations are pouring money into the state to defeat it makes me, no compels me, to be supportive of it. I am swayed by the fact that over sixty other nations require GMO labeling. I can see no harm in knowing what’s in my food. I am not persuaded that it will be as costly as the opposition claims. They said the same thing about nutritional labels on food packages, but they’re all still in business today, having endured that “hardship.” I am not persuaded by the number of newspapers against it, because most of the food producers lining up to defeat it also advertise in newspapers. Coincidence? Don’t be so naive. Of course, that could come down to simply lying. I saw yesterday that although television ads against the proposition list the San Francisco Examiner as one of the papers against 37, in fact they have endorsed it.

Even if it passes, it isn’t likely to change peoples’ eating habits any more than warning labels on cigarette cartons stopped smoking. And that’s another argument I can’t abide. Even if true — which it probably is — I tend to err on the side of having more information rather than less, and tend to be suspicious of businesses that actively try to suppress information. Corporations telling me “trust us” or “don’t worry, it’s safe, because we say so” do not exactly inspire the same confidence that transparency does. Especially when the history of corporate malfeasance is so rich with examples of companies placing profits way, way ahead of people.

I suspect it won’t pass. Money does really make a difference in how these propositions fare, and I think most people’s default position is to vote “no” on any of them that are confusing, unclear or contentious. Better to leave things the way they are than change things in an uncertain way. I have certainly felt that way on more than a few occasions. And I suspect that the doubt placed in many voter’s minds by the $34 million barrage of “No on 37” ads will lead many to do just that. I have, however, questioned much of what I’ve seen in the attack ads trying to defeat the proposition, even as for some of it I haven’t known quite what to think. Earlier today, the Yes on 37 campaign posted this video, answering atleast some of those concerns:

I confess my mind’s not made up about GMOs across the board. I certainly don’t think they’re all bad, and there have certainly been instances throughout history where tinkering with nature has been a good thing for us humans. I also know this issue came up a few years ago when Greenpeace attacked ABI for using rice in their beer that may have contained GMOs. While I don’t often side with them, I did think that Greenpeace was out of line there. I should also note that some of the No on 37 ads mention that beer is exempt under the proposition, but that has more to do with the fact that the proposition applied the same standard currently used for labeling all food products, and under current regulations, beer is exempt. So it appears the reason is not conspiratorial.

But can you decide how to vote based on who’s supporting which side of an issue? Maybe. I certainly think there’s a story in who’s on which side. The “Yes on 37 supporters” is a long list that includes (according to the website) 3,643 endorsements that is made up of consumer and public health organizations, food groups (safety, manufacturers, retail), dietary advocacy groups, farmers, farmers markets, co-ops, farming associations, individual farms, medical groups and associations, doctors, political parties, local governments, elected officials, political organizations, natural health businesses, progressive and social justice groups, GMO activists (as you’d expect), labor unions, environmental groups, academics, food writers, chefs and quite a few more.

On the other side of the aisle, No on 37 Donors number around 68 companies, all of which appear to be food or chemical companies. Of the nearly $35 million donated to defeat Prop 37, Monsanto is apparently the leader, with around $7.1 million given to kill it, with Dupont in second place. But the whole lists reads like a who’s who list of ginormous corporations, and includes such well-known players as Bumble Bee Foods, the Campbell Soup Company, Cargill, Clorox Company, Coca-Cola, ConAgra Foods, Dole, Dow, General Mills, Heinz, Hershey, Hormel Foods Corporation, Kraft Food Group, Nestle, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Sara Lee, Smithfield Foods, the Snack Food Association, Sunny Delight, J.M. Smucker and Unilever. At the bottom of the “No on 37” website, they claim that their efforts are “sponsored by Farmers, Food Producers, and Grocers. Major funding by Monsanto Company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Grocery Manufacturers Association” and others. But the only “farmers” there are the giant agribusiness type, while the Yes supporters include what appear to be actual farmers, or, at a minimum, dozens of places with farm-like names.

Is that dispositive? Perhaps not all by itself, but it does, I believe, lead to additional questions about why the majority of the opposition to labeling GMO foods almost entirely have something to do with their creation, manufacture or use. Is their self-interest on the other side? Undoubtedly there is, but for many, if not most, of the supporters, it appears more to be part and parcel with their core beliefs already, not manufactured arguments against transparency.

Whether true or not, it certainly feels somewhat Goliath vs. David-like. I really wish people outside California would leave us alone to vote how we will, instead of pouring money into the state to influence our politics. That always feels intrusive to me, like when the Mormons in Utah spent their millions to defeat the proposition for gay marriage a few years ago. I’ve never understood why foreign nations and their citizens are not allowed to attempt to influence our elections, but people (whether corporate “people” or the regular individual kind) from any state can spend money to influence politics in other states where they don’t live. What’s the difference? I’m certain Monsanto, for example, does business in our state, but they’re a Missouri corporation. Likewise, Dupont is a Delaware corporation. They should stay the fuck out of our politics. That, or move their companies here and start paying state taxes like the rest of us do.

A couple of days ago, someone sent me an article by Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé in the Huffington Post, entitled Seven Things to Tell Your Friends About GMOs. And while I’m no fan of HuffPo — Hey Arianna, how about paying your writers instead of pocketing the millions you make for yourself, you hypocrite — the piece is interesting and brings up a number of good points, at least for a newbie to the issue like myself. Which is, I suspect, the situation most California voters find themselves. We’ve all heard a lot about GMOs, but would be hard-pressed to call ourselves experts on the subject. Since they’re so new, I doubt many people could confidently claim to be experts, but lots of people have their cherished opinions. If you’re a California voter, I’d certainly recommend the Lappé’s 7 Things. At the bottom of the piece, there’s also a link to a video by Food MythBusters: the Real Story About What We Eat which, while not exactly on point for GMOs, is nonetheless interesting and talks more generally about the misinformation spread by the big agribusinesses that are currently spearheading efforts to quash Prop 37.

So hopefully everyone in California will get out and vote this election and will think carefully about this proposition, as well. The rest of the country, and especially the food industry, is closely watching which way this one goes. I personally would love to see it pass, but as I said, I suspect it won’t, and if that’s the case hopefully the architects of it will listen to both the opposition and the honest concerns that many people had with its implementation and fix those aspects of it before re-introducing it again. One final word about it, from a molecular biologist in the San Jose Mercury News, Belinda Martineau: A scientist says yes on Prop 37 to label genetically engineered food, who gives at least one scientist’s perspective on it. For additional reading, see the Ballotpedia entry, discussing both sides of Prop 37 and there’s also the California Voter Guide, which also strives to present both sides fairly.

UPDATE: A good friend of mine tells me that the Lappés’ piece contains numerous mis-statements, so perhaps it should be taken with a grain of salt after all. But here’s another worthy read. Vandana Shiva: Why Monsanto Is Fighting Tooth and Nail Against California’s Prop 37. And SF Weekly’s Anna Roth looked into both sides of the debate over Prop 37 in Three Things I Learned When I Forced Myself to Learn About Proposition 37.

Beer Bouncing Back

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bouncingball
Nielsen, the company that tracks all things trackable, is speculating on their NelsonWire that beer is bouncing back and that this may signal the “beginning of a beer boom.” According to their data, “Beer sales are seeing a surge in growth, up 5 million cases (1.4 percent) in the last 12 weeks through September 1, 2012, in Nielsen-measured retail outlets. The same period last year saw a decline of 1.7 million cases.”

Total-Beer1k-2012

The main reason they cite for this is choice.

With more options on shelves and innovative product offerings, new consumers were attracted to the beer category. Nearly half of the households who were new to malt, or cider-based beverages (beer, flavored malt beverages and cider) in the past six months had bridged over from solely buying wine or spirits last year.

But as they’re focused to a greater extent on the bigger players in the category, they mean choice in a different way than you and I normally understand it. When Nielsen refers to choice, they mean “flavors, formats and packaging,” though in my experience it’s always “packaging options” that seem to get the most attention. But even with the term as common as flavor, it’s used here as more jargon instead of what you’d ordinarily think it means. By “new flavors,” they don’t mean more different styles or kinds of beer on the average beer set shelf. No, they mean line extensions like the two they give as examples: “Bacon Maple and Blue Raspberry Lemonade,” as a part of other already-established brands.

So while this is good news, and we should all welcome a coming “beer boom,” I can’t help but wonder if this “boom” of which they speak — which quite frankly the craft beer side has been seeing for a decade — is not going to favor them as much as the regional breweries and even the smaller craft breweries. That’s what it’s been doing for several years now, and I can’t see any reason to suspect that will change in the coming months or years, no matter how “bright the last quarter of 2012 may be for beer.” Still, a coming “beer boom” sure has a nice ring to it.

Higher Alcohol Taxes Reduce Tax Revenue

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beer-tax
Given that the anti-alcohol folks, and especially my churlish neighbors Alcohol Justice, are continually beating the drum about alcohol taxes being too low, this news is not going to be particularly welcomed with open arms. A British think tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), recently took a close look at the effect of higher taxes in alcohol and their report, Drinking in the Shadow Economy, found that the British “Treasury is losing as much as £1.2 billion every year to the illegal alcohol industry.” That, they conclude, is one of the effects of higher taxes on alcohol, because it creates an incentive for people to go outside the law and the safe world of regulated alcohol to make a quick buck. They found that “the illicit alcohol market is also closely associated with high taxes, corruption and poverty. The affordability of alcohol appears to be the key determinant behind the supply and demand for smuggled and counterfeit alcohol.” So place too high taxes on alcohol, and you invite in the wrong element, which we’ve seen in the U.S. before during Prohibition, and which we’re seeing right now with the war on drugs. If that futile policy was reversed, we’d save as much $13.7 billion annually by legalizing, regulating and taxing just marijuana, not to mention we’d remove the criminal element, make it safer and drastically reduce burdens on police, the justice system and prisons.

But back across the pond, the study also notes that the “demand for alcohol is relatively inelastic,” meaning people generally don’t drink less when prices go up, they instead find new ways to address the rising prices. As study after study has concluded, tax hikes are regressive and almost always hit poorer families the hardest, while not eliminating the problem the proponents of such measures claim they will fix.

But here’s that again, said another way:

Our analysis indicates that the affordability of alcohol does not have a strong effect on how much alcohol is consumed. Once unrecorded alcohol is included in the estimates, it can be seen that countries with the least affordable alcohol have the same per capita alcohol consumption rates as those with the most affordable alcohol.

I suspect that’s the case here, too. We know that price hikes cause people living near borders with other states to simply buy their alcohol in the next state over, causing further economic erosion. I don’t know if we have the same issue with counterfeit or illegal beer. Certainly there’s still Moonshine, but beer is probably not profitable enough on its own to warrant illegal breweries flaunting the tax code, not to mention how labor intensive and technology-dependent it is.

Another interesting portion of the report, answering the question “Why Tax Alcohol?”

Temperance and public health campaigners typically dismiss the black market as a problem that can suppressed through rigorous enforcement and tougher sentencing. At worst, they view a growing unofficial market as a price worth paying for a more sober society. This view is rooted in the belief that affordability is the main driver of alcohol consumption and that increasing prices by raising excise duty is therefore the single most effective way of reducing alcohol sales.

Ceteris paribus, economists would expect there to be some truth in this assertion, but there is too much real world evidence to the contrary for it to be taken as an iron rule. For example, alcohol consumption has fallen in most European countries since 1980 despite alcohol becoming significantly more affordable (OECD, 2011: 275).19 In Denmark, Sweden and Finland, the sudden drop in alcohol prices that resulted from EU accession did not bring about the kind of surge in alcohol consumption that the price elasticity models predicted.

A comparison of European countries suggests that affordability has a negligible and statistically insignificant negative effect on recorded alcohol consumption (see Figure 12). Moreover, as Figure 13 shows, when unrecorded alcohol consumption is included in the analysis, affordability does not appear to be a decisive factor in determining alcohol consumption from one country to the next.

Then there’s this long passage addressing some of the philosophy behind taxation which seems to fly in the face of much of the neo-prohibitionists propaganda playbook:

Contrary to temperance rhetoric, high alcohol taxes are not necessarily good for public health because, although excessive alcohol consumption undoubtedly carries risks to health, so too does moonshine. Counterfeit spirits and surrogate alcohol frequently contain dangerous levels of methanol, isopropanol and other chemicals which cause toxic hepatitis, blindness and death. These are the unintended consequences one associates with prohibition, albeit at a less intense level than was seen in America in the 1920s.

It should not be surprising that excessive taxation encourages the same illicit activity as prohibition since the difference is only one of degrees. As John Stuart Mill noted in 1859: ‘To tax stimulants for the sole purpose of making them more difficult to be obtained is a measure differing only in degree from their entire prohibition, and would be justifiable only if that were justifiable. Every increase of cost is a prohibition to those whose means do not come up to the augmented price’ (Mill, 1974: 170-171).

But in a less frequently quoted passage, Mill appears to approve of taxing alcohol to the apex of what we now call the Laffer Curve. Appreciating that governments need to raise funds and that these politicians must decide ‘what commodities the consumers can best spare’, Mill argues that taxation of stimulants ‘up to the point which produces the largest amount of revenue (supposing that the State needs all the revenue which it yields) is not only admissible, but to be approved of’ (Mill, 1974: 171).

This message tends to resonate more powerfully with politicians than Mill’s more libertarian pronouncements. Drinkers generally prefer low alcohol prices. Temperance campaigners nearly always demand higher prices. The politician, however, usually seeks to maximise tax revenues and will only react to the shadow economy when it becomes a serious threat to state finances. Nordlund and Österberg summarise the politician’s dilemma as follows:

‘Domestic economic actors can, of course, support the rules and regulations imposed by the state for controlling unrecorded alcohol consumption, but for these actors a better solution in combating unrecorded alcohol consumption would be the lowering of alcohol excise taxes… In most cases the state is not willing to follow this policy, as lower alcohol excise taxes in most cases mean lower levels of alcohol-related tax incomes. However, if the state is no longer able to control the amount of unrecorded alcohol consumption by different kinds of legal administrative restrictions the only remaining way to counteract, for instance, huge increases in travellers’ border trade with alcoholic beverages or an expansive illegal alcohol market is to lower the price difference between unrecorded and recorded alcohol by decreasing excise taxes on alcoholic beverages.’ (Nordlund, 2000: S559)

It scarcely matters to the politician whether unrecorded alcohol comes from legal or illegal sources. In either case, the treasury loses out on revenue. In Britain, HMRC estimates that the alcohol tax gap could be as much as £1.2 billion per annum, plus the costs of enforcement, and that this is largely because ‘duty rates on alcohol are far higher in the UK than in mainland Europe’ (National Audit Office, 2012: 2, 10). This is the price the state must pay for excessive taxation, but the politician is also aware that these high alcohol taxes raise £9 billion a year (Collis, 2010: 3). Being in possession of these facts he may conclude that reducing the illicit alcohol supply through tax cuts will probably reduce net alcohol tax revenues.

We argue that such a focus on maximising tax revenues is short-sighted and carries significant risks. Failing to deal with alcohol’s shadow economy threatens not only the public finances, but also public health and public order. Unrecorded alcohol has, as Nordlund and Österberg note, ‘the potential to lead to political, social and economic problems’ (Nordlund, 2000: S562). In addition to the health hazards presented by unregulated spirits, alcohol fraud in the UK is, according to the HMRC, ‘perpetrated by organised criminal gangs smuggling alcohol into the UK in large commercial quantities’ (HMRC, 2012: 8). Alcohol smuggling and counterfeiting is linked to other illegal activities, including drug smuggling, prostitution, violence, money-laundering and — in a few instances — terrorism.

Incidentally, you can download a pdf of the entire report here, and at the IEA website.

In the press release, the IEA concludes:

“The government’s focus on maximising tax revenues is short-sighted and dangerous. Aside from losing money by encouraging consumers to find cheaper illicit alternatives, public health and public order are also being put at risk by high prices. Policy-makers ought to take the threat of illicit alcohol production seriously when considering alcohol pricing in the future.”

“There is a clear relationship between the affordability of alcohol and the size of the black market. Politicians might view the illicit trade as a price worth paying for lower rates of alcohol consumption, but this research shows that the amount of drink consumed in high tax countries is exactly the same as in low tax countries.”

“Minimum alcohol pricing might seem like a quick fix to tackle problem drinking, but it is likely to cause many more problems by pushing people towards the black market in alcohol.”

While a fairly emphatic statement against higher taxes on alcohol, I assume that many will still wonder how applicable it is to the United States economy and society. Honestly, I’m sure there are differences, but the overall concept seems sound, at least to me. We can haggle over some of the details, but the idea that higher taxes isn’t always the answer just has the ring of truth to it.

The Formula For The Perfect Pint

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math
I can only assume that the UK pub chain Taylor Walker is, in the appropriate British parlance, taking the piss, with their commissioning of Mindlab to discover the formula for “the perfect pint.” Though there is a Mind Lab at the University of Sussex, this bit of news is not listed in their news or press section. At any rate, they claim to have “used complex mathematical modelling techniques to discover what conditions are required to enjoy the perfect pint.”
e-pint

So what is the formula for a perfect pint?

Here goes: E = -(0.62T2 + 39.2W2 + 62.4P2) + (21.8T + 184.4W + 395.4P + 94.5M – 90.25V) + 50(S + F + 6.4)

  • E is a factor describing overall enjoyment.
  • T is the ambient temperature in degrees Celsius.
  • W is the number of days until you are required back at work.
  • P is the number of people with whom you are drinking.
  • M is related to your mood whilst drinking the pint.
  • V is related to the volume of the music being played.
  • S and F are related to the availability of snacks and food.

Without the number variants, so slightly simpler, it’s E = -(T2+W2+P2) + (T+W+P+M-V) + 50(S+F+6.4), though it’s hardly E = MC2. Below a presumed “scientist” — he is after all, wearing a lab coat and surrounded by books and beakers — explains it all:

GABF Winners 2012

By

gabf-2012
Put a fork in the 31st Great American Beer Festival, it’s done, with some pretty impressive statistics again. A record 4,388 beers were judged in 84 categories by 185 judges, of which I was again privileged to be one. Some more factoids on the results and the festival:

  • Category with the most entries: American-style IPA: 203 entries
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 50.6
  • 666 breweries in the competition from 48 states, Washington, D.C. and Guam
  • 578 breweries in the festival hall
  • Over 2,700 beers served at the festival
  • 49,000 attendees

The Breweries That Won the Most Medals:

  • Devil’s Backbone; 8 medals
  • Barley Brown’s, Church Brew Works; 4 medals
  • Captain Lawrence, Figueroa Mountain, Firestone Walker, Green Flash, Lost Abbey, Redrock, Spoetzl, Thai Me Up, Tröegs, Uinta; 3 medals

Last year, one brewery won 8 medals, three won 6 and five won 4 apiece. This year again eight was the highest total medals won by a single brewery, but the next closest was 4.

The Most Gold Medals Won:

  • Spoetzl Brewery, Tröegs; 3 gold medals won
  • Boulevard, Devil’s Backbone, Firestone Walker, Funkwerks, Green Flash, Pizza Port San Clemente, Pizza Port Solana Beach, SandLot, Stevens Point, Thai Me Up; 2 gold medals won

Last year, one brewery won 4, two won 3 and five won 2. This year two breweries won 3 golds and ten breweries one 2 gold medals.

Medals Won by State:

  1. California = 49
  2. Colorado = 35
  3. Oregon = 24
  4. Pennsylvania = 17
  5. Virginia = 12
  6. TIE: Illinois, Wisconsin = 10
  7. Texas = 9
  8. TIE: Utah, Wyoming = 8
  9. TIE: Indiana, Washington = 7
  10. Missouri = 6

gabf-2012

The 2012 Great American Beer Festival Winners

Category: 1 American-Style Wheat Beer, 29 Entries
Gold: Wagon Box Wheat, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY
Silver: Shredders Wheat, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Bronze: American Wheat, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS

Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast, 29 Entries
Gold: MBC Wheat Ale, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT
Silver: Tumblewheat, Altitude Chophouse and Brewery, Laramie, WY
Bronze: Wrangler Wheat, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA

Category: 3 Fruit Beer, 58 Entries
Gold: Dry Dock Apricot Blonde, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Silver: ChChChCh-Cherry Bomb, Thai Me Up Brewery, Jackson, WY
Bronze: Strawberry Blonde Ale, DESTIHL, Normal, IL

Category: 4 Fruit Wheat Beer, 38 Entries
Gold: Ruby Raspberry Wheat, Mad Anthony Brewing Co., Fort Wayne, IN
Silver: Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing, Chippewa Falls, WI
Bronze: 5 Lizard Latin-Style Witbier, 5 Rabbit Cerveceria, Bedford Park, IL

Category: 5 Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer, 63 Entries
Gold: Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI
Silver: Anaheim IPA, RAM Restaurant and Brewery – Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Cucumber Saison, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL

Category: 6 Herb and Spice Beer, 114 Entries
Gold: Sweet Heat, Burnside Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: CBC Heather Ale, Cambridge Brewing Co., Cambridge, MA
Bronze: Utah Sage Saison, Epic Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 7 Chocolate Beer, 39 Entries
Gold: Cocoa for Coconuts, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: X – 1, DuClaw Brewing Co., Bel Air, MD
Bronze: Milk Chocolate Cherry Stout, Il Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category: 8 Coffee Beer, 63 Entries
Gold: Smog City Groundwork Coffee, Tustin Brewing Co., Tustin, CA
Silver: Hazelnut Coffee Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Bronze: Big Shot Espresso Stout, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO

Category: 9 Specialty Beer, 35 Entries
Gold: Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Rogue Brewery, Newport, OR
Silver: Alaskan Birch Bock, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: Exit 8, Flying Fish Brewing Co., Somerdale, NJ

Category: 10 Rye Beer, 62 Entries
Gold: Gramarye, Heretic Brewing Co., Pittsburg, CA
Silver: Kyles Baltic Porter, Flat Branch Pub and Brewery, Columbia, MO
Bronze: Roggenbier, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Phoenixville, Phoenixville, PA

Category: 11 Specialty Honey Beer, 33 Entries
Gold: West Bound Braggot, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Silver: George’s Fault, Nodding Head Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Kuhnhenn Braggot, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Warren, MI

Category: 12 Session Beer, 67 Entries
Gold: Twerp, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Dock Street/Thiriez Table Saison, Dock Street Brewery, Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Bitter American, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA

Category: 13 Other Strong Beer, 55 Entries
Gold: Reverb Imperial Pilsner, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Heart of Gold, Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, MO
Bronze: Double White, Marble Brewery, Albuquerque, NM

Category: 14 Experimental Beer, 62 Entries
Gold: Redrock Paardebloem, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Petit Obscura, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Track #8, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category: 15 Fresh Hop Ale, 34 Entries
Gold: Estate Homegrown Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Silver: HopTime Harvest Ale, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze: Colorado IPA Nouveau, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO

Category: 16 Indigenous Beer, 27 Entries
Gold: Got Beer, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Boulder, Boulder, CO
Silver: Signature Gratzer, choc Beer Co., Krebs, OK
Bronze: Hot Rocks Lager, Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, CA

Category: 17 Gluten-Free Beer, 20 Entries
Gold: Nikki’s Gluten Free Honey Pale Ale, Rock Bottom Arlington, Arlington, VA
Silver: Brown, New Planet Beer Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Pale Ale, Harvester Brewing, Portland, OR

Category: 18 American-Belgo-Style Ale, 71 Entries
Gold: Le Freak, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Chainbreaker WIPA, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Bronze: A Little Crazy, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, IL

Category: 19 American-Style Sour Ale, 34 Entries
Gold: Barrel Select – Gold, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Elmsford, NY
Silver: Red Poppy, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Bronze: Fitger’s Framboise, Fitger’s Brewhouse, Duluth, MN

Category: 20 American-Style Brett Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: Seizoen Bretta, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, Hood River, OR
Silver: Flemish Kiss, The Commons Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: TPS Report, Trinity Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, CO

Category: 21 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 51 Entries
Gold: Jerry Maker, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Chandler, AZ
Silver: Bourbon Barrel Aged Night Sail, Island Brewing Co., Carpinteria, CA
Bronze: Local Species, Blue Mountain Barrel House, Arrington, VA

Category: 22 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 103 Entries
Gold: The Manhattan Project, The Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Pappy Van Muckle, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Golden Delicious, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Elmsford, NY

Category: 23 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout, 65 Entries
Gold: Fourteen Fourteen, Central Waters Brewing Co., Amherst, WI
Silver: Silva Stout, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 24 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, 70 Entries
Gold: Lady Of The Woods, Cisco Brewers, Nantucket, MA
Silver: Sentience, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Denver, CO
Bronze: George’s Phunk, Nodding Head Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA

Category: 25 Aged Beer, 24 Entries
Gold: 2010 Old Trainwreck Barleywine, Silver Moon Brewing, Bend, OR
Silver: 2004 Triple Exultation, Eel River Brewing Co., Fortuna, CA
Bronze: Lovely Cherry Baltic Porter, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Category: 26 Kellerbier or Zwickelbier, 32 Entries
Gold: Bottle Rocket, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que – Lake Travis, Austin, TX
Silver: Redrock Organic Zwickel Bier, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Organic Hopworks Kellerbier, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR

Category: 27 Smoke Beer, 50 Entries
Gold: Bambastic, Fort Collins Brewery, Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Rauchtoberfest, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Lancaster, Lancaster, PA
Bronze: Smoke & Dagger, Jack’s Abby Brewing, Framingham, MA

Category: 28 American-Style or International-Style Pilsener, 26 Entries
Gold: Gold Country Pilsner, Auburn Alehouse, Auburn, CA
Silver: Redhook Pilsner, Redhook Brewery Woodinville, Woodinville, WA
Bronze: Gold Leaf Lager, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost, Lexington, VA

Category: 29 German-Style Pilsener, 52 Entries
Gold: Sunshine Pils, Tröegs Brewing Co., Hershey, PA
Silver: Hans’ Pils, Real Ale Brewing Co., Blanco, TX
Bronze: Paintbrush Pilsner, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY

Category: 30 Bohemian-Style Pilsener, 53 Entries
Gold: Hometown Blonde, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI
Silver: Summit Pilsener, Summit Brewing Co., St. Paul, MN
Bronze: This is the Pilsener, Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co., Midvale, UT

Category: 31 Munich-Style Helles, 42 Entries
Gold: 6X Helles, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery – Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Session Premium Lager, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Bronze: Longboard Island Lager, Kona Brewing Co., Kailua-Kona, HI

Category: 32 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest, 23 Entries
Gold: Move Back, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: Rolling Thunder Dortmunder, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Bronze: Celestial Gold, The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA

Category: 33 American-Style Lager, Light Lager or Premium Lager, 51 Entries
Gold: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Miller Lite, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Keystone Light, Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 34 American-Style Specialty Lager or Cream Ale or Lager, 34 Entries
Gold: Henry Weinhard’s Blue Boar Pale Ale, Blitz-Weinhard Brewing, Hood River, OR
Silver: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA
Bronze: Mickey’s Malt Liquor, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI

Category: 35 Vienna-Style Lager, 36 Entries
Gold: Vienna Lager, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost, Lexington, VA
Silver: Chuckanut Vienna Lager, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Danish Red Lager, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA

Category: 36 German-Style Märzen, 69 Entries
Gold: Shiner Oktoberfest, Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX
Silver: Mecktoberfest, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Charlotte, NC
Bronze: Dominion Oktoberfest, Old Dominion Brewing Co., Dover, DE

Category: 37 American-Style Amber Lager, 45 Entries
Gold: Point Oktoberfest, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI
Silver: Staghorn Octoberfest, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI
Bronze: Uberbrau, Humperdinks Restaurant and Brewery, Dallas, TX

Category: 38 European-Style Dunkel, 20 Entries
Gold: Knight Ryder Munich Dunkel, Equinox Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Pious Monk Dunkel, The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA
Bronze: Mother Earth Munich Dunkel, Mother Earth Brewing, Kinston, NC

Category: 39 American-Style Dark Lager, 12 Entries
Gold: Shiner Bock, Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX
Silver: Old Virginia Dark, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Bronze: Session Black Premium Dark Lager, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR

Category: 40 German-Style Schwarzbier, 32 Entries
Gold: Shiner Bohemian Black Lager, Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX
Silver: Baba, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Black Bear, Morgan Street Brewery, Saint Louis, MO

Category: 41 Bock, 33 Entries
Gold: Butt Head Bock, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO
Silver: Elixer Maibock, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA
Bronze: Turbo Cougar, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost, Lexington, VA

Category: 42 German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock, 19 Entries
Gold: Uber Bock, Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Silver: Samuel Adams Double Bock, Boston Beer Co. – Samuel Adams, Cincinnati Brewery, Cincinnati, OH
Bronze: Resurrection Doppelbock, Red Lodge Ales Brewing Co., Red Lodge, MT

Category: 43 Baltic-Style Porter, 31 Entries
Gold: The Hammer, Rock Bottom King of Prussia, King of Prussia, PA
Silver: Danzig, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Bronze: Polska Porter, American Brewing Co., Edmonds, WA

Category: 44 Golden or Blonde Ale, 67 Entries
Gold: Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA
Silver: Firemans #4, Real Ale Brewing Co., Blanco, TX
Bronze: TAPS Cream Ale, TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA

Category: 45 German-Style Kölsch, 61 Entries
Gold: Capital City Kolsch, Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, KS
Silver: Chuckanut Kolsch Style, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Sky Blue Golden Ale, Carolina Brewery, Pittsboro, NC

Category: 46 English-Style Summer Ale, 38 Entries
Gold: Cross of Gold:, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, IL
Silver: Sum’r, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Mother Lode Golden Ale, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Category: 47 Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: Royal Scandal, Peticolas Brewing Co., Dallas, TX
Silver: Gayle Force Pale Ale, Wind River Brewing Co., Pinedale, WY
Bronze: Hurricane Reef Pale Ale, Florida Beer Co., Melbourne, FL

Category: 48 English-Style India Pale Ale, 54 Entries
Gold: India Pale Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Silverspot IPA, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Bronze: Monumental IPA, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category: 49 International-Style Pale Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: River Runners Pale Ale, Eddyline Brewing, Buena Vista, CO
Silver: Southern Chaos, Hollister Brewing Co., Goleta, CA
Bronze: Pipe Organ Pale Ale, The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA

Category: 50 American-Style Pale Ale, 109 Entries
Gold: Brickstone APA, Brickstone Brewery, Bourbonnais, IL
Silver: The Weight, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
Bronze: Zombie Dust, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN

Category: 51 American-Style Strong Pale Ale, 111 Entries
Gold: Melvin, Thai Me Up Brewery, Jackson, WY
Silver: Lumberyard IPA, Lumberyard Brewing Co., Flagstaff, AZ
Bronze: Laughing Dog IPA, Laughing Dog Brewing, Ponderay, ID

Category: 52 American-Style India Pale Ale, 203 Entries
Gold: IPA, Tap It Brewing Co., San Luis Obispo, CA
Silver: Pallet Jack IPA, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Bronze: Duet, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA

Category: 53 Imperial India Pale Ale, 128 Entries
Gold: 2 X 4, Thai Me Up Brewery, Jackson, WY
Silver: Café Racer 15, Bear Republic Brewing Co. – Healdsburg, Healdsburg, CA
Bronze: Double Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category: 54 American-Style Amber/Red Ale, 87 Entries
Gold: Hopback Amber Ale, Tröegs Brewing Co., Hershey, PA
Silver: Fixed Gear American Red Ale, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Winterhook, Redhook Brewery, Woodinville, Woodinville, WA

Category: 55 Imperial Red Ale, 60 Entries
Gold: Organic Deranger Imperial Red Ale Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Imperial Red, Marble Brewery, Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: 547 Haight – The Toronado San Francisco’s 20th Anniversary Imperial Red Ale,
Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Category: 56 English-Style Mild Ale, 31 Entries
Gold: Bristlecone, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Breakside Session Brown, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: S.S. Minnow Mild Ale, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO

Category: 57 Ordinary or Special Bitter, 37 Entries
Gold: DBA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Mens Room Original Red Ale, Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Bronze: Sawtooth Ale, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO

Category: 58 Extra Special Bitter, 53 Entries
Gold: Crystal Bitter Ale, No-Li Brewhouse, Spokane, WA
Silver: The Tower E.S.B., Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Extra Special Ale (ESA), Yards Brewing Co., Philadelphia PA

Category: 59 Scottish-Style Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: Wee Heavy, Maui Brewing Co., Lahaina, HI
Silver: Isle of Skye Scottish Ale, Boscos Brewing Co., Memphis, TN
Bronze: MacPelican’s Scottish Style Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR

Category: 60 Irish-Style Red Ale, 48 Entries
Gold: Irish Red, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Silver: TAPS Irish Red, TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA
Bronze: Balefire Red, Echo Brewing Co., Frederick, CO

Category: 61 English-Style Brown Ale, 46 Entries
Gold: Sierra Blanca Nut Brown Ale, Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Moriarty, NM
Silver: Red Hydrant Ale, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Molly’s Titanic Brown Ale, Rock Bottom Westminster, Westminster, CO

Category: 62 American-Style Brown Ale, 61 Entries
Gold: Face Down Brown, Telluride Brewing Co., Telluride, CO
Silver: Upslope Brown Ale, Upslope Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Redrock Nut Brown Ale, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 63 American-Style Black Ale, 61 Entries
Gold: Wookey Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Turmoil, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Bronze: Black IPA, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Wilmington, Wilmington, DE

Category: 64 German-Style Altbier, 35 Entries
Gold: Balt Altbier, Union Craft Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
Silver: Land’s End Amber, Kannah Creek Brewing Co., Grand Junction, CO
Bronze: Little Red Cap, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, Loveland, CO

Category: 65 German-Style Sour Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: Berliner Metro Weiss, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Silver: German Sparkle Party, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Bronze: NBB Love Felix, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO

Category: 66 South German-Style Hefeweizen, 70 Entries
Gold: DreamWeaver Wheat, Tröegs Brewing Co., Hershey, PA
Silver: Ebel’s Weiss, Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL
Bronze: Yazoo Hefeweizen, Yazoo Brewing Co., Nashville, TN

Category: 67 German-Style Wheat Ale, 23 Entries
Gold: Wildpitch Hefeweizen, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: AlpenGlow, Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH
Bronze: Weizeneisbock, Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., San Jose, CA

Category: 68 Belgian-Style Witbier, 50 Entries
Gold: ZON, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: White Rascal, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: White Lightning Belgian White, Full Pint Brewing Co., North Versailles, PA

Category: 69 French- and Belgian-Style Saison, 68 Entries
Gold: Saison, Funkwerks, Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Saison, Aspen Brewing Co., Aspen, CO
Bronze: El Verano, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA

Category: 70 Belgian- and French-Style Ale, 68 Entries
Gold: Saint’s Devotion, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Silver: Your Favorite Foreign Movie, DC Brau Brewing Co., Washington, DC
Bronze: Domaine DuPage, Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL

Category: 71 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale, 42 Entries
Gold: Sour Reserve, Upland Brewing Co., Bloomington, IN
Silver: Barrel Select – FO/BB, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Elmsford, NY
Bronze: Sans Pagaie, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA

Category: 72 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale, 86 Entries
Gold: Green Flash Trippel, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Sanitarium, Bier Brewery, Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: ABT 12, Dock Street Brewery, Philadelphia, PA

Category: 73 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale, 51 Entries
Gold: Deceit, Funkwerks, Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Rhinoceros, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: AleSmith Grand Cru, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 74 Brown Porter, 44 Entries
Gold: Pluff Mud Porter, Holy City Brewing, North Charleston, SC
Silver: Exodus, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Bronze: Peter Brown Tribute Ale, Bear Republic Brewing Co. Factory Five, Cloverdale, CA

Category: 75 Robust Porter, 62 Entries
Gold: No Medal Awarded
Silver: Coco Loco, NoDa Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Bronze: Black Sand Porter, Kona Brewing Co., Kailua-Kona, HI

Category: 76 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout, 16 Entries
Gold: Seaside Stout, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Silver: Oyster Stout, Stewart’s Brewing Co., Bear, DE
Bronze: Ramsey’s Draft Stout, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category: 77 Foreign-Style Stout, 25 Entries
Gold: Starry Night Stout, Island Brewing Co., Carpinteria, CA
Silver: Whiteface Black Diamond Stout, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY
Bronze: Ramsey’s Export Stout, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category: 78 American-Style Stout, 43 Entries
Gold: Order in the Port, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Silver: American Stout, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Bronze: Ironman, Free State Brewing Co., Lawrence, KS

Category: 79 Sweet Stout, 32 Entries
Gold: Udder Love, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Milk Stout, Rock Bottom Westminster, Westminster, CO
Bronze: Udder Madness, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Category: 80 Oatmeal Stout, 45 Entries
Gold: Oats, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Silver: Stumbler’s Stout, Columbia River Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Bronze: Stagecoach Stout, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA

Category: 81 Imperial Stout, 58 Entries
Gold: Anastasia Russian Imperial Stout, Weasel Boy Brewing Co., Zanesville, OH
Silver: Imperial Stout, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Bronze: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Media, PA

Category: 82 Scotch Ale, 44 Entries
Gold: Way Heavy, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Silver: Iron Thistle, Rahr & Sons Brewing, Fort Worth, TX
Bronze: Scotch Ale, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR

Category: 83 Old Ale or Strong Ale, 31 Entries
Gold: Heini’s Hooch, The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA
Silver: Papier, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA
Bronze: AleSmith Decadence ‘10 Old Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 84 Barley Wine-Style Ale, 51 Entries
Gold: Johan the Barleywine, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Barley Wine, Charleville Vineyard & Microbrewery, Ste. Genevieve, MO
Bronze: Dr. StrangeLove, Strange Brewing Co., Denver, CO

2012 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition
Gold: More Fun Blonde, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Brewmaster: New Belgium Brewing Company, AHA Member: Jay Shambo
Silver: Pointon’s Proper – An English Mild RAM Restaurant and Brewery – Wheeling, Wheeling, IL
Brewmaster: Lanny Fetzer, AHA Member: Scott Pointon
Bronze: Classic American Pilsner, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Brewmaster: Mike Hoops, AHA Member: Kyle Sisco

The 2012 Great American Beer Festival Brewery & Brewer of the Year Awards

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Brewer: Devils Backbone Brewery Team

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA
Brewer: Steve Sloan

Brewpub Group and Brewpub Group Brewer of the Year
Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company, Madison, WI
Brewer: Rob LoBreglio

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Funkwerks, Fort Collins, CO
Brewer: Funkwerks Brewing Team

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Troegs Brewing Company, Hershey, PA
Brewer: John Trogner

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Pabst Brewing Company, Los Angeles, CA
Brewer: Gregory Deuhs

All Hopped Up For The Cure At Russian River

By

russian-river
It’s October now, and that means that Russian River Brewing is once again All Hopped Up For the Cure, their annual charity benefitting Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is the sixth year they’ve raised money for Sutter Breast Care Center in Santa Rosa. Last year, they donated $67,000 to the center. Their goal for this year’s efforts is $75,000. Stop by the pub this month, as they’ll be a lot going on and swag to buy to help support the cause. Here’s co-owner Natalie Cilurzo writing on the brewery’s blog about their charity drive:

We also have 3 different styles of commemorative “All Hopped Up For The Cure” shirts available for purchase at the pub and in our online gift shop! Original design on this year’s shirts is by local tattoo artist, Joe Leonard, and Matt Morgan from Farm Fresh Shirts. In addition to the beer and the shirts, we are raffling off some very cool items later in the month. The Pink Vespa, Pink Guitar, and Pink Bicycle are being delivered this week for our raffle on October 27th. Raffle tickets available and items on display at the pub all month long. I will post pictures once they show up. I have only seen the scooter in person, but the guitar and bike remain a mystery. And NEW this year is the 2013 Pin-Up Calendar also available for purchase at the pub!

This one is always personal to me, because my own mother passed away when she was only 42 — and I was just 22 — a victim of breast cancer. So please generously support Russian River’s All Hopped Up for the Cure.

P1080099
Bartender Amir Bramell and co-owner Natalie Cilurzo pouring pink beer as the month-long breast cancer awareness charity drive begins at Russian River Brewery.

P1080100
For a second year, they’ve brewed a special beer, Framboise for a Cure 2012, a perfectly pink beer brewed with raspberries. The beer uses Temptation as its base beer, to which 800 pounds of fresh raspberries are added, and then it’s aged for several months in Chardonnay barrels spiked with brett, lacto, and pedio. The beer is available only at the Santa Rosa brewpub (with 3 notable exceptions) on draft and in bottles throughout October (or until it runs out). 100% of the proceeds of this beer are donated to the local breast cancer charity. Bottles are $15. They will run out. BTW, it’s absolutely delicious, a near perfect blend of sour and sweet, tart fruit.

Beer From Beard Yeast, Yes; From Vaginas, No

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women
You most likely remember that Rogue harvested some yeast from the beard of their longtime brewmaster, John Maier, and White Labs analyzed it and propagated a brewing yeast that Rogue in turn used to brew a beer with. Not everyone responded favorably to the news, but in terms of attention and publicity, it’s been a huge hit, with almost every news agency, website and blog writing about it. I made it the subject of part of one of my newspaper columns back in July. A Google search of “rogue beard beer” turns up over 1.4 million hits.

But just when you think things can’t get any weirder, my wife — who’s been working in Shanghai this week — just sent me an article from a feminist blog she reads regularly, Jezebel. Inspired by John Maier’s beard beer exploits, they wrote an article about one more place known for its occasional yeast production that we can write off as a place to harvest for brewing. The article, entitled Just So You Know, You Can’t Make Beer With Your Vagina, answers the question I’m not sure anyone was asking. But now that I know there is an answer, I can’t look away. It’s like that car crash on the side of the road. I know I shouldn’t look, but I just can’t help myself.

Beginning with the premise that “[y]east is everywhere, even (as we ladies well know) buried deep inside our vaginas, waiting to go bad and ruin our week at any moment,” they wonder if anyone could “turn a yeast infection into a full-bodied IPA.” At this point, I’ll let author
Madeleine Davies share the results.

We did some research and, in a word, no. The yeast used in beer is a completely different strain of yeast than the one that causes yeast infections. And there goes your artisanal brewery idea!

The yeast used in beer is called Saccharomyces cerevisiae and works by converting carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and alcohols. This is also the yeast used in bread, which is why baking yeast can be used to brew beer, though it generally makes the end product doughy in flavor and texture. Yeast infections are caused by Candida albicans, a fungus that grows as both yeast and filamentous cells and can cause oral and genital infections in humans. Using this to brew would be entirely ineffective, not to mention, guh-ross.

So there you have it. No vagina beer. I, for one, am relieved. It was one thing to have Sam Calagione and his team spitting in his Peruvian-style chicha beer, and Maier’s beard never bothered me too much, because White Labs removed any lingering ick factor by growing the yeast in their San Diego lab. But in the on-going quest to push the envelope, generate publicity and maybe even make something worth drinking, this may be crossing a line. What do you think?

vergina
Close, but no vagina.

Beer Institute Releases Results Of New Beer Drinkers Poll

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beer-institute
According to the Beer Institute (BI), recent economic analysis has revealed “that brewing and importing accounted for $223.8 billion in the economic output of the United States — with employees earning nearly $71.2 billion wages and benefits, and generating more than $44 billion taxes. In 2010, the last year tax statistics were available, 45 percent of what every beer drinker paid for a beer went to taxes of some kind, which “makes taxes the most expensive ingredient in your beer,” Joe McClain, president of the BI, stated.

The Beer Institute has just released a national poll of 1,000 likely voters, which found strong opposition to increasing taxes on beer. Nine out of 10 voters in the poll agreed that “raising taxes on beer will mean working class consumers will have to pay more.”

The poll also found that self-identified “beer drinkers” are a larger proportion of the electorate than self-identified supporters of either the Tea Party of Occupy Wall Street movement, and were evenly split between Republican and Democratic parties.

Beer drinkers are also more political than the average likely voter:

  • 68 percent of regular beer drinkers say they discuss what’s going on in the presidential campaign with friends or co-workers.
  • 66 percent of regular beer drinkers say they are going to be watching the presidential debates, meaning they are more likely to watch presidential debates than watch the World Series or an NFL game.
  • 25 percent say they will likely donate or contribute money to a political party, cause, or candidate running for public office.
  • 14 percent (or one out of seven) beer drinkers say they will likely volunteer for a political party, cause, or on the campaign for a candidate running this year.

65 Major Brewery Projects In The Works

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factory
According to a press release by the Industrial Info Resources, there are at least “65 major capital and maintenance projects in the beer brewing segment that are under development or recently have started construction.” The public press release is very short, more of a tease really, as they want you to become a member and subscribe to their information. For just $5.95, I could read the terse 290-word press release, or instead I can tell you what they’re willing to tell is for free.

SUGAR LAND–September 27, 2012—Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)—Beer brewers, both large and small, are pouring investments into building new facilities and expanding existing operations to the tune of more than $800 million. Industrial Info has uncovered more than 65 major capital and maintenance projects in the beer brewing segment that are under development or recently have started construction. Project investment values range from $1 million to just more than $100 million.

Boston Investment Firm Buys Into Utah Craft Brewer

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squatters wasatch
The Boston Herald is reporting that investment firm Fireman Capital Partners is making a “major investment” in the Salt Lake City brewer Utah Beers, which owns both Wasatch and Squatter’s Pub. According to the story, the investment will be used to “support the expansion of the Squatters and Wasatch brewer’s distribution, marketing and brew pub business.”

Currently, “Squatters and Wasatch beer is sold in 12 states and the company operates five brew pubs and restaurants in Salt Lake and Park City, Utah.” Squatters co-founder Peter Cole was also quoted in the piece. “This investment opens the door to the next level for Squatters and Wasatch, and provides the financial firepower and expertise we need to meet rapidly growing demand for our beer and to reach new markets.”