Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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400-Year Old Ram Brewery to Close in Merger

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Two rival British brewers, Charles Wells and Young’s announced today that they will be merging, effective October 2 of this year. The new company will be named Wells & Young’s Brewing Company Ltd. All operations will be moved to Charles Wells’ Bedfordshire brewery and the Wandsworth Ram Brewery will be closed.

The Ram Brewery in Wandsworth (south London) is the oldest brewing site in England, having had a brewery at the location for over 400 years, since 1581, which was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Young’s family acquired the brewery in 1831 and have operated it there ever since.

The BBC is reporting the closure will cost about ninety jobs and will leave London with only two brewing giants, Fuller’s and Anheuser-Busch.

Reports in This is Money, a UK financial site, and The Morning Advertiser, a website dedicated to licensee’s (pubs), both have additional details on the merger.

From the press release:

The company will be owned 40 per cent by Young’s and 60 per cent by Charles Wells, reflecting the assets being contributed by each shareholder, which for Charles Wells include the freehold land and production facilities of the Eagle Brewery.

Wells & Young’s will be operated as an independent company, at arms length from its two shareholders. Both Young’s and Charles Wells will continue to operate their pub estates independently of each other and both have entered into separate three-year rolling (five-year minimum) supply agreements with Wells & Young’s.

Paul Wells and John Young toast the merger of their two companies.

Latrobe Rallys to Save Brewery

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According to local Pittsburgh television station, WPXI Channel 11, a rally will be held today in downtown Latrobe, Pennsylvania by local leaders to build support for the Latrobe Brewery and “find a buyer for the Latrobe brewing company plant in an effort to save 250 jobs.”

Anheuser-Busch announced last week that it was buying Rolling Rock and would be moving production of the brand to Newark, New Jersey. A-B also plans to sell the Latrobe Brewery, which was founded in 1883. It will most likely close this summer, sometime in mid-July seems likeliest.

Channel 11 plans on running a live report on their five o’clock report by news reporter Katrina Owens.

The Latrobe Brewer in downtown Latrobe, Pennsylvania, seen here in 2001.

First Radical Beer Open Winners Announced

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The first annual Radical Beer Open, sponsored by Real Beer and Brewers Supply Group, and inspired by Randy Mosher’s book, Radical Brewing, was held last week in New Mexico. Brewers were only allowed two entries and were judged by a blind panel of commercial brewers and BJCP judges. The results were announced today, with Real Beer News writing the story.

Here is a list of the winners:

CATEGORY 1: 5% ABV & LESS

Gold – Witbier, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, New Mexico
Silver: Orange Blossom Wheat, Papago Brewing, Scottsdale, Arizona
Bronze: Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse, Nodding Head Brewery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

CATEGORY 2: 5.1-7.5%

Gold: Temptation, Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa, California
Silver: Supplication, Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa, California
Bronze: Cerise Cassée, Cambridge Brewing, Cambridge, Massachusetts

CATEGORY 3: 7.6% ABV & MORE

Gold: Three Philosophers, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York
Silver: World Wide Stout, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, Delaware
Bronze: Samuel Adams Double Bock, Boston Beer Co., Cincinnati, Ohio (brewery)

CATEGORY 4: WILD

Gold: Le Woody, Pizza Port, Solana Beach, California
Silver: La Folie, New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colorado
Bronze: De Wilde Zuidentrein, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Flossmoor, Illinois

Randy Mosher’s Radical Brewing, which inspired the Radical Beer Open.

Heavyweight Brewing Down for the Count

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In two articles posted Saturday and this morning, the BeerYard is reporting that New Jersey’s iconoclastic Heavyweight Brewing will be throwing in the towel sometime this summer, most likely in mid-July. They have three more beers to brew and that’s it, according to the report. They’ll also be selling off their remaining stock of bottled beers.

In the BeerYard’s exclusive interview, owner Tom Baker indicated that he and his wife (and business partner) Peggy will most likely be looking to open a brewpub/good beer bar in the near future, probably in the Philadelphia area. So the news is bittersweet. While it’s sad news indeed that a craft brewer who made such interesting and delicious beers — I don’t think I ever had one of Tom’s beers I didn’t like — is closing, it sounds like there will still be a forum for Tom’s great beers, which is cause for great joy.

Heavyweight Brewing’s owners, Peggy Zwerver and Tom Baker.

Anchor Brewery as Travel Destination

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It’s funny to see how one our local breweries is viewed by the outside world. In this case, today’s Sun Sentinnel, from South Florida, had a travel piece about visiting the Anchor Brewery in San Francisco. On closer inspection it appears to be a reprint from the Washington Post which they ran in their travel section in early April. But it’s still an interesting read.

Alaskan Brewing Finalist for Business Awards

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Okay, I admit it. I’d never heard of the American Business Awards or the coveted Stevie Award — Greek for “crowned” — before I received the press release from Alaskan Brewing Co.

But out of 1,500 companies who entered, Alaskan Brewing is a finalist in four categories: Best Marketing Team, Best Creative Team, Best Marketer and Best Corporate Communicator. That last one made me chuckle, because my friend Kristi Monroe is the person nominated for that award and she’s also the person who sent out the press release telling me about it. But she deserves to win, so I’ll be rooting for her to win. Founders Geoff and Marcy Larsen are great people and they’ve managed to assemble a great group of people.

Oh, and they make great beer, too. Geoff, who also literally wrote the book about smoked beers, makes one of the best smoked beers in the world. The Alskan Smoked Porter is one of those rare beers that continues to improve dramaticially with age. I did a great lateral tasting of four vintages of the Smoked Porter a number of years ago put on by All Saints Brands at GABF.

From the press release:

The Alaskan Brewing Company is a finalist in every category it entered in its first year competing for the coveted Stevie Awards. Winners will be announced at the Fourth Annual American Business Awards in New York on June 12.

Citing innovative marketing programs and collateral materials, Alaskan Brewing is a finalist in four categories: Best Marketing Team, Best Creative Team, Best Marketer and Best Corporate Communicator.

“Our Brew Crew put together a series of highly effective marketing programs that catapulted Alaskan Brewing growth, making it the leading West Coast craft brewer during 2005,” said Sales and Marketing Director, Fred Hees, finalist in the Best Marketer category.

Hailed as “the business world’s version of the Oscars” by the New York Post (April 27, 2005), the American Business Awards are the only national, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in the workplace.

“With 1,500 nominees submitted for consideration, we are so excited to be recognized with the likes of Microsoft and other large corporations,” said Kristi Monroe, finalist for Best Corporate Communicator. “Despite being a small business on a conservative budget in a remote location of Alaska, we are producing quality programs and obtaining successful, measurable results.”

“Among the work recognized are our partnerships with the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Alaska Airlines and Alaska Seafood,” said Brand Manager Cindy Burchfield, a key member of the Creative and Marketing teams, both of which are finalists. “We are thrilled to share this honor with these friends of Alaskan Brewing and our longtime supporters.”

Good luck guys, I’ll be rooting for you.

A-B Buys Rolling Rock

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Last week it was just a rumor, today it’s now official. Anheuser-Busch, in it’s drive to pick up new brands, has agreed to purchase the Rolling Rock brand from rival brewing giant InBev for $82 million.

Since Rolling Rock is not technically a craft brewer, buying them is perhaps a little more curious than their courting of other craft brands. But Rolling Rock was sold, nationally at least, beginning in the 1980s as if it were a microbrewery. This was done quite successfully and it did in fact create a pretty good image for itself when their weren’t very many national micros. Those of us who grew up in Pennsylvania weren’t fooled but generally speaking the unsophisticated beer consumer believed — and perhaps still believes — Rolling Rock is a craft beer. And I think it’s that very quality, it’s status as essentially a faux micro, that makes it ideal as an A-B product. A-B is very good as selling brands as much more than they are in reality so this will, I think, be a marriage made in heaven, albeit a heaven with no real beer.

From the press release:

Introduced in 1939 by Latrobe Brewing Co. and acquired by InBev’s Labatt U.S.A. in 1987, Rolling Rock is an historic American lager that is well-known for its distinctive, full-bodied taste and painted green bottle. Rolling Rock has established itself as an authentic, iconic American lager with a loyal following.

Anheuser-Busch acquires the Rolling Rock brands and recipes with the transaction, and will now start to work with the existing Rolling Rock wholesaler network and Anheuser-Busch wholesalers to define plans for the future. Anheuser-Busch will begin brewing Rolling Rock and Rock Green Light in August using the brands’ same time-honored recipes, maintaining Rolling Rock’s craftsmanship and heritage that its fans expect and appreciate. Internationally, Rolling Rock will continue to be sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“We have an ideal opportunity to grow this historic brand,” said August A. Busch IV, president of Anheuser-Busch Inc. “This beer is not like others, and its consumer following is equally distinctive. We live in a diverse world where consumers are hungry for variety. Acquiring Rolling Rock enables us to reach a new audience and to continue building our broad portfolio of products that meet the wide-ranging needs of consumers.”

InBev plans to sell its brewery in Latrobe, Pa., separately to focus its U.S. business on imported beers. It is in discussions with potential buyers to determine the best available options for the brewery and its employees.

“The decision to sell the Rolling Rock brands was based on InBev’s strategic approach to the U.S. market, which is to focus on the high-growth import brands in our portfolio,” said Doug Corbett, president of InBev USA. “Our sales and marketing efforts will emphasize our leading imported beers, including Stella Artois, Bass Pale Ale, Beck’s, Brahma and Labatt Blue.”

Glen Hay Falconer Foundation Scholarships Announced

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The Glen Hay Falconer Foundation announced today the two recipients for this year’s brewing scholarships to the Siebel Institute in Chicago. This year congratulations go to Chad Kennedy, the newly named head brewer of Laurelwood Public House & Brewery and Ben Millstein of Kodiak Island Brewing. Kennedy and Millstein will attend the World Brewing Academy’s Concise Course in Brewing Technology held at Siebel Institute of Technology’s Chicago campus this November.

From the press release:

The Selection Committee, consisting of Tom Dalldorf of Celebrator Beer News, Jamie Floyd of Ninkasi Brewing Company, John Harris of Full Sail Brewing, John Maier of Rogue Ales, Ralph Olson of Hopunion, Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment Brewery, and Chris Studach of Cascade Brewers Society were tasked with selecting only two recipients from a deep and talented group of 25 deserving candidates. Speaking for the entire committee, one member highlighted the challenge: “The group of applicants was just too big and too talented to chose only two. It was the toughest decision that I have faced in years!”

In making its final decision, the Selection Committee members were impressed by Chad and Ben’s demonstrated accomplishment and dedication to furthering their brewing skills. In the words of a committee member: “Chad’s accomplishments in a fairly short time are only overshadowed by his clear desire to succeed in brewing. Perhaps even more important is his understanding of the open and sharing nature of the brewing community and his strong motivation to give something back to it.” And for Ben: “Ben’s dedication to the art of brewing is hugely obvious. To overcome the obstacles he has from a beginning homebrewer in remote Alaska, to successfully found and operate a homegrown, Alaskan brewery is inspiring.”

The Foundation extends congratulations to Chad and Ben and sincere appreciation to all the applicants for their interest and enthusiasm for the brewing scholarships. The Foundation also thanks the Selection Committee for its dedication and energy and wishes to express its deep gratitude to the Siebel Institute for its co-sponsorship and its continuing support for the Foundation’s brewing scholarship program.

The foundation honors the memory of iconoclastic brewer Glen Falconer, who died in a tragic accident in 2002. He brewed at Wild Duck Brewery in Eugene, Oregon.

Samuel Adams Brings Back the Longshot

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Back in the mid-1990s, Boston Beer Co. sponsored a contest for homebrewers. For a couple of years, homebrewers submitted their efforts in the hopes of seeing their beer in a six-pack. That’s because the two winners for each year’s contest would have their beer commercially brewed and sold under the Longshot label by Boston Beer. Some of them actually sold fairly well. When I was the beer buyer at Beverages & more, the Hazelnut Brown did okay, as did the Pale Ale. It was a fun promotion and did a lot to publicize homebrewing and brewing in general, I thought.

So I was happy to see that they’re bringing back the Longshot contest this year. Three lucky homebrewers will have their beer brewed and released commercially in a six-pack. The top five beers will be available to taste at the Great American Beer Festival this September. Festival attendees will choose the three winners by voting for their favorite. In February 2007, six-packs will be available for sale with two bottles each of the three top vote-getters. Beers must be submitted between August 1-18. For more details, there is additional information about the promotion on the Sam Adams website.

 

Good News for Modern Beer Drinkers

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I know Stan already posted this, but it was too good not to talk about again. Story so nice we mentioned it twice. The Publican, a magazine for the British pub trade, reported on a recent conference in Brussels that focused on the health benefits of beer. As if great taste wasn’t enough, many individual health benefits have been reported over the last few years with the increased research, especially in the EU, on beer and health. But the conference brought all the disparate research together and presented a new, more complete, picture of health benefits that moderate beer drinking brings to the table. These have been ignored and will doubtless continue to be ignored by the American press because in this country scientific research isn’t enough to overcome prejudice and puritanism. Still, it’s great to know that out in other parts of the civlized world, beer is being recognized as not being the evil the neo-prohibitionists would have us believe it is.

From the Publican article:

Many of the health benefits of moderate beer drinking are unique to beer because of its ingredients such as hops and malted barley. Of all the alcoholic drinks on the market beer is also relatively low in alcoholic strength.

Chairman Professor Jonathan Powell of the Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research in Cambridge said: “The media and public tend to focus on wine. However, the emerging evidence is the real benefits are related to the alcohol itself and so the positive story also relates to other drinks such as beer.

“Drinks such as beer have other nutrients and properties that can also be beneficial in terms of health. This conference is about redressing the balance.”

The nine health benefits of moderate beer drinking hightlighted at the conference:

  1. Reduces the risk of heart disease
  2. Helps keep blood pressure down and reduce the risk of stroke
  3. Benefits the immune system meaning healthy adults are less prone to get infections
  4. Has anti-inflammatory effects which contributes to heart health
  5. Could play a role in the battle against osteoporosis as it …
  6. Improves bone mineral density which contributes to healthy bones
  7. Helps fight cancer because of compounds in hops called flavinoids
  8. Decreases the risk of dementia due to its beneficial effect on preserving brain function in old age
  9. Can protect against type II diabetes