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City Brewery Buys Former Coors Plant In Memphis

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city-wisc
Trying to catch up with all the news fluttering around the beer world, I see that last week the Hardy Bottling plant in Memphis, Tennessee has finally found a buyer. The brewery was originally built by Schlitz in 1971 and then Stroh’s operated it for a time before selling it to Coors, where they brewed their Blue Moon line of stealth micros, along with Zima and Keystone. MolsonCoors shut it down in 2006 and I seem to recall there were some labor disputes there, too. Then later that same year it was sold for $9 million and it became the Hardy Bottling Co.

City Brewing, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, agreed to buy the brewery for $30 million, plus will invest an additional $11 million to renovate and update the facility. When it reopens this summer, it will be renamed Blues City Brewery.

From the press release:

City Brewing Company is the 4th largest brewer in the United States. Prior to this acquisition, City Brewing had over 6,000,000 barrels of capacity between its breweries in La Crosse, Wis. and Latrobe, Pa. The Company currently has approximately 720 employees. With the addition of the Memphis brewery, City Brewing will exceed 10,000,000 barrels (135 million cases) of brewing capacity. The acquisition of the Hardy Bottling Plant in Memphis offers City Brewing the ability to rapidly increase its capacity for brewing, packaging and distribution for its existing customer base as well as to expand its brewing and packaging services to new customers and markets, including those currently served by Hardy. “City Brewing Company welcomes the opportunity to work with Carolyn Hardy and the current staff to fully develop the brewing and packaging capabilities of the Memphis facility.” stated City Brewing President George Parke. “This is truly a significant occasion for our industry and a unique and remarkable opportunity for Memphis, Tennessee.” Carolyn Hardy added.

Iron City Sold To NY Equity Firm

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iron-city
The struggling former Pittsburgh Brewing, who emerged from bankruptcy in 2007 as Iron City Brewing, has been purchased by a New York-based private equity firm, Uni-World Capital for an undisclosed sum. The investor group led by Timothy Hickman that purchased Iron City from bankruptcy is selling the “company’s Iron City and IC Light labels, some lesser brands and the company’s other assets.” Iron City remains headquartered in Pittsburgh, despite having moved production to nearby Latrobe, PA, where it contracts its beer from the former Rolling Rock brewery that was purchased by Wisconsin’s City Brewing when Anheuser-Busch abandoned it after buying the Rolling Rock brand in 2006. To read more, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the fullest account of this story.

Marzen Madness 2011 Winners

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Congratulations to the Connecticut Huskies, who last night bested Butler to win the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament. And thanks to everybody who played Märzen Madness again this year. Nobody’s more surprised about this than I am, but of the 42 people who played this year, I was the only one to pick UConn to go all the way. Of all people playing Yahoo’s tournament pick ’em game, only 3.3% took the Huskies. The majority picked either Ohio State (30.3%), Kansas (26.1) or Duke (16.1%). Every other team is in single digits. Here’s the top five finishers in our little game:

  1. Brookston (107)
  2. huskless (77)
  3. Day V (70)
  4. Unemployed in Greenland (66)
  5. Shoot the Damn Ball (64)

Wikio Beer Blog Rankings For April 2011

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wikio
The April 2011 standings have just been released for Wikio’s Beer Blogs. I’ve been knocked from my four month reign at the top, and Jeff from Beervana has once again assumed the #1 Spot. Congratulations Jeff. Here’s what happened to the Top 20 over last month:

Wikio April 2011 Beer Blog Rankings

1Beervana (+1)
2Brookston Beer Bulletin (-1)
3Brewpublic (+/-0)
4The New School (+/-0)
5Appellation Beer: Beer From a Good Home (+/-0)
6A Good Beer Blog (+1)
7Drink With The Wench (-1)
8Washington Beer Blog (+/-0)
9Seen Through a Glass (+2)
10The Daily Pull (+5)
11The Session Beer Project (+1)
12Seattle Beer News (+1)
13It’s Pub Night (+3)
14Stone Blog (-4)
15BetterBeerBlog (-1)
16KC Beer Blog (Not in Top 20 for Mar.)
17The Not So Professional Beer Blog (+1)
18Yours For Good Fermentables (Not in Top 20 for Mar.)
19Beer 47 (-10)
20Beer Therapy (Not in Top 20 for Mar.)

Ranking made by Wikio

As usual, I added the relative movements of each blog from last month. This month, three new blogs cracked the Top 20 (though some had been there before) and three dropped off. Apart from #1 and #2 switching places, there was again very little movement near the top, with three through five staying put from last month and the rest of the top 20 seemed less volatile this month, too. As always, I continue to stress that this is just a bit of fun and that we shouldn’t take it too seriously.

“Beer Hunter: The Movie” Seeking Donations

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jackson
There is an effort underway to create a film about the legacy of beer writer Michael Jackson’s. Here’s some information about the film, from the website:

Michael Jackson, beloved beer journalist, inspired thousands of brewers and beer enthusiasts with his books and television series, “The Beer Hunter.” He achieved cult status in the U.S., but many don’t realize his fame within the world of whiskey writing and tasting.

Filmmaker J.R. Richards traveled extensively with Michael throughout the United States and Europe, filming Michael as he got the story behind the world’s greatest beer and whiskey. Through this footage and interviews with leading brewers and beer enthusiasts, we are treated to an intimate picture of Michael: his enigmatic personality, his extraordinary life, his remarkable contributions, and his secret struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.

And here’s an early trailer:

But the filmmakers need your help to finish the movie and bring it to the world, helping to preserve Michael’s legacy. Please consider a small donation — just $10 will be appreciated — though if you want to be more generous, that will be appreciated as well. Donations of any amount can be made online through PayPal.

Jack McAuliffe Visits Russian River

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Quite by accident yesterday I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Jack McAuliffe, founder of New Albion Brewery. I had to meet some new friends from Argentina at Russian River Brewery (more on that later) and when I arrived, I found out that Jack was coming by to have lunch with Russian River owners Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo. I knew Jack was still in California because at CBC last week, where I met him for the first time (more about that later, too), he’d said as much. And I knew Natalie had invited Jack to come by their brewpub, where the original New Albion sign (that I later learned Jack made himself) hung behind the bar in a prominent place, but I didn’t know any of the details.

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Vinnie and Natalie with Jack McAuliffe and his friend Pat Crisco.

Vinnie and Natalie generously invited me join them for lunch with Jack and a friend of his, Pat, who he was staying with for the week. We sat below the New Albion sign and talked, drank and ate. For an amateur beer historian, it was nothing short of remarkable. Jack told great stories about his early days in brewing — some can be retold, others perhaps not — but all of them colorful and entertaining. I knew as much of New Albion’s story as had been told, but to hear it from the man who lived it was such a treat, plus Jack added many personal details that I’d never known before which was amazing to hear. Anyway, at some point, Jack pointed up at the old sign and asked Vinnie if he’d like him to sign it. I’m not sure we all believed he’d do it, but we got out the ladder and up he climbed, sharpie between his teeth like a beer pirate.

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Jack up on the ladder signing the New Albion sign.

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Signing it up close.

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Signing the sign.

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The finished old sign, now new again with Jack McAuliffe’s signature.

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Jack and me at Russian River. What a great afternoon.

UPDATE: During Jack’s visit to Russian River, I met Peter Stetson who does social media for the town of Calistoga, and he also took some photos and captured some video of Jack signing the New Albion sign. Thanks, Peter.

Moylan’s Releases Orange & Black Congrats Ale! For Giants’ Opener

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moylans
As the Giants get ready to take on the Athletics in the annual Bay Bridge Series that begins tonight, a local brewery gets set to release a new beer to honor San Francisco’s world series victory last year. Moylan’s, in Novato, California, will release Orange & Black Congrats Ale! on March 31 to coincide with the start of the regular baseball season. The special limited release is an American black ale, 6% a.b.v. and 32 IBUs. It will be available on draft, in growlers from the brewpub and in 22 oz. bottles.

Giants spec '11

From the press release:

In honor of the World Champions at the Cove, Moylan’s has created a smooth, American Black Ale brewed with orange zest. A hearty brew for the bleacher bums, the gardeners of turf and patient fans who have endured 54 years of pine-grabbing torture. This ale is a reflection of the many dedicated hearts and minds needed to brew a quality beer. It is made with Montana-grown pale two-row barley malted by Malteurop, crystal and black malted barley grown and roasted in Bamberg, Germany by Weyermann Specialty Malts. The robust flavors in the Black and Orange beer also include Canadian-grown barley supplied by Gilbertson and Paige and Mt. Hood and Liberty hops grown in the Yakima Valley by Puterbaugh Farms for Hops direct.

All the oranges used in this brew were grown locally in the California sunshine. Moylan’s offers an adult beverage to salute the Bat, the Stick, the Rally throng, the Crab, the Seal, the Golden voices in the box and all of the San Francisco legends that helped them see the dream become reality. The Orange & Black beer will be officially released on the Giants Opening Day on March 31st and will be available for a limited time. Alcohol by Volume 6.0%, total IBUs 36, 1.068 Original Gravity. This beer will be seen on draft at the pub and in select locations throughout the bay area.

This should be the perfect beer to enjoy as the Giants begin their run for back to back world series victories.

Top 10 Alcohol Drinking Cities

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all-america-city
I’m not sure where the source data comes from, but the latest issue of Playboy — in the Raw Data section — had an interesting Top 10 list of what they referred to as the “Tipsiest Towns in the U.S.” The list is “based on the average number of alcoholic drinks consumed per person.”

  1. Milwaukee, WI
  2. Fargo, ND
  3. San Francisco, CA
  4. Austin, TX
  5. Reno, NV
  6. Burlington, VT
  7. Omaha, NE
  8. Boston, MA
  9. Anchorage, AK
  10. San Diego, CA

Anheuser-Busch InBev Buys Goose Island

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goose-island
I received a press release this morning that Anheuser-Busch InBev is buying a controlling interest in Goose Island Brewing. ABI will pay $22.5 million for a 58% share of the Chicago brewery and the remaining 42% currently owned by the Craft Brewers Alliance will be sold to ABI for an additional $16.3 million in cash, bringing the total price of the sale to $38.8 million. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that “[a]n additional $1.3 million will be invested to increase production at Goose Island’s Fulton Street brewery” and that the “transaction is expected to close by the end of June.”

From the press release:

Chicago-based Goose Island, one of the nation’s most‑respected and fastest-growing small brewers with sales concentrated throughout the Midwest, today announced it had agreed to be acquired by Anheuser‑Busch, its current distribution partner, in a move that will bring additional capital into Goose Island’s operations to meet growing consumer demand for its brands and deepen its Chicago and Midwest distribution.

Goose Island’s legal name is Fulton Street Brewery LLC (FSB). Anheuser-Busch reached an agreement to purchase the majority (58 percent) equity stake in FSB from its founders and investors, held in Goose Holdings Inc. (GHI), for $22.5 million. Craft Brewers Alliance Inc. (CBA), an independent, publicly traded brewer based in Portland, Ore., that operates Widmer Brothers, Redhook and Kona breweries, owns the remaining 42 percent of FSB and reached an agreement in principle to sell its stake in FSB to Anheuser-Busch for $16.3 million in cash. Anheuser‑Busch holds a minority stake (32.25 percent) in CBA.

Goose Island sold approximately 127,000 barrels of Honkers Ale, 312 Urban Wheat Ale, Matilda and other brands in 2010. To help meet immediate demand, an additional $1.3 million will be invested to increase Goose Island’s Chicago Fulton Street brewery’s production as early as this summer.

“Demand for our beers has grown beyond our capacity to serve our wholesale partners, retailers, and beer lovers,” said Goose Island founder and president John Hall, who will continue as Goose Island chief executive officer. “This partnership between our extraordinary artisanal brewing team and one of the best brewers in the world in Anheuser-Busch will bring resources to brew more beer here in Chicago to reach more beer drinkers, while continuing our development of new beer styles. This agreement helps us achieve our goals with an ideal partner who helped fuel our growth, appreciates our products and supports their success.”

Hall will continue to be responsible for Goose Island beer production and the expansion of Goose Island’s Chicago brewery, where production will continue and its business will still be based.

“The new structure will preserve the qualities that make Goose Island’s beers unique, strictly maintain our recipes and brewing processes,” Hall said. “We had several options, but we decided to go with Anheuser‑Busch because it was the best. The transaction is good for our stakeholders, employees and customers.”

Anheuser-Busch has distributed Goose Island brands since 2006 as part of an agreement with Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. of Portland, Ore., a co-founder of CBA, that provides Goose Island access to the network of independent wholesalers that distribute Anheuser-Busch beers. Anheuser‑Busch also provides logistical support to all Anheuser‑Busch wholesalers distributing Goose Island and CBA beers as part of that agreement.

“These critically acclaimed beers are the hometown pride of Chicagoans,” said Dave Peacock, president of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We are very committed to expanding in the high‑end beer segment, and this deal expands our portfolio of brands with high-quality, regional beers. As we share ideas and bring our different strengths and experiences together, we can accelerate the growth of these brands.”

The two Goose Island brew pubs are not part of the deal, but will continue in operation, offering consumers an opportunity to sample Goose Island’s award-winning specialty beers and food selections.
As part of CBA’s agreement to sell its 42 percent block in FSB to Anheuser-Busch, in addition to cash, Anheuser-Busch will provide enhanced retail selling support for CBA brands, will reduce distribution fees payable by CBA to Anheuser‑Busch and will provide CBA additional flexibility with respect to future acquisitions and divestitures.

In a separate press release today, Goose Island announced that Brett Porter will become Brewmaster of the production facility, replacing longtime brewmaster Greg Hall. Porter’s most recent brewing job was with Deschutes and he’s also brewed at Portland Brewing and a couple of UK breweries.

UPDATE: Goose Island founder John Hall has released a short statement about their acquisition by ABI, which they call a Special Announcement.