Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

Victory Brewing Reports Growth Milestone

By


In contrast to Anheuser-Busch’s woes (see previous post), Victory Brewing Co. of Downingtown, Pennsylvania (near Philadaelphia) reported yesterday that as of January 27th they had produced more beer than during their entire first year of production. Congratulations to Bill and Ron, who provided the following press release.

Victory Brewing announced today a significant benchmark reached in their growth as a thriving craft brewery. On Friday, January 27, Victory’s 2006 production exceeded their total first year production. This event signifies a milestone for the near tenth anniversary of Victory Brewing operations. In 1996, Victory’s first year, total number of barrels produced equaled 2,550. That production amount was met and exceeded Friday, January 27, showing the more than 13 time growth in barrel production achieved in the ten years of company existence.

“This milestone shows how far we’ve come as a company and an industry [microbrewing industry]. It proves what Ron and I believed when we started Victory ten years ago, that Americans would grow to cherish full flavor beer,” said Bill Covaleski, Brewmaster and President of Victory Brewing Company.

The growth trend at Victory Brewing is part of a much larger market segment trend as U.S. craft breweries continue to steal market share away from large industrial brewers. In 2005, U.S. craft brewer sales increased by an estimated 7.1%, while domestic large brewers saw sales dip by 2%. This increase marks the 35th straight year that U.S. craft brewers have been able to increase market share.

Anheuser-Busch Reports Substantial 4th Quarter Drop in Income

By


Anheuser-Busch, the makers of flavorless, mass-produced highly engineered food products, commands just a hair short of half the American beer market (49.8%). Their next closest competitor — Miller — has a mere 17.8% market share. And A-B got to that lofty position not by playing nice. Their bullying tactics, some would say underhanded, are legendary. I’ve heard more than a few first and secondhand accounts of their bluster. So while I generally don’t like to take too much pleasure in the misfortune of others, in this case I’ll make an exception. According to an AP wire story earlier today, A-B reported for the 4th quarter of 2005 a dip in profits of 39.8%. The spin on it was that “the increasing popularity of cocktails and wine kept beer sales flat.” But craft beer is up 7% so perhaps there’s something else at work here. Anheuser-Busch’s corporate website reported the 39.8% drop in net income but even more interestingly a 54.7% drop in income before taxes! (On a side note the same report also notes a drop in domestic market share to 48.7%). No wonder there were reports late last year about pairing up with the other big breweries to create a got milk?-like campaign for beer. Apparently the problem is not enough people are drinking beer. Well I plan to do my part. Would you like to join me for a pint? Let’s get that 7% up to ten.

Strong Beer Month Begins in San Francisco

By

Magnolia and 21st Amendment have again teamed up to bring Strong Beer Month to the Bay Area. This is always a fun event and everyone should make a point to visit both brewpubs during the month. This year, there will be at least ten special beers available. Below is the press release with all the information you could ever want about the month’s activities:

4th ANNUAL STRONG BEER MONTH STARTS TODAY!

Here it is Strong Beer Month already. Once again, the 21st
Amendment and Magnolia have worked together to present you with a cornucopia
of very special beers, five at each brewery, and they all go on tap today.
Pick up a punch card at either brewery and sample your way through all ten to
get a commemorative tasting glass.

This year, Magnolia will be featuring:
Old Thunderpussy Barleywine
Promised Land Imperial IPA
Tweezer Tripel
Slipping Into Darkness India Brown Ale
Smokestack Lightning Imperial Stout

The 21st Amendment will serve:
Lower de Boom Barleywine
Double Trouble Double IPA
Golden Doom Belgian Tripel
Mac’s Strong Scotch Ale
Hendrick’s Espresso Imperial Stout

In addition, both breweries will dig into their beer libraries and serve some
vintage strong ales. Magnolia will kick off the month with two vintage
versions of Old Thunderpussy Barleywine in addition to the 2006 release. A
tasting flight of all three will be available for a limited time. We’ll tap a
cask of Smokestack Lightning and follow that up with casks one after
the other of Promised Land, Slipping Into Darkness, and Old Thunderpussy. A
couple of other vintages of Old Thunderpussy will make brief appearances
throughout the month, as will the last of Batch 700 and some 2004 Smokestack
Lightning. Last but not least, we’ve got some Smokestack Lightning currently
aging in a bourbon barrel (Oakstack Lightning) as well as another barrel-aged
surprise. Look for those around President’s Day Weekend.

Magnolia’s weekend food specials will be tailored for pairing with various strong
beers and there will be a few other treats throughout the month, like a
reprise of last year’s popular Old Thunderpussy/Stilton Cheese pairing.

And we are all very pleased to have legendary artist Michael Everett on board
for the glass, t-shirt and poster design this year. Michael has done a
wonderful job and we can’t wait for you to see his work. All Strong Beer
merchandise will be available for sale at both breweries while supplies last.

Planning and brewing for this exciting exploration of the more esoteric side
of craft brewing is begun as early as September and tomorrow we invite all of
you to visit both breweries to enjoy the results.

State of the Union & Drinking

By


Today’s L.A. Times commentary by Heather Havrilesky, a television critic for Salon.com, includes some sanguine advice for how to cope with the fiction that will be this year’s State of the Union Address. Her advice? Drink. And not just a bubbly little sipping wine while you watch the horror unfold. No, her suggestion is far more devious. It’s a drinking game that has you take a drink every time the Prez says something specific, like “terror” or refers to “9/11” or countless other little gestures and phrases to watch out for. It sure seems like it will make the time pass less painfully. Sure, we’ll still have to sober up in the morning and face the real state of our nation, but please, not tonight. Tonight I’ll be drinking. Pass me the growler.

Pizza Port Acquires Stone Brewery in San Marcos

By


Pizza Port, with three locations in the San Diego area, have acquired the old Stone Brewing Co. production brewery in San Marcos. A press release should be forthcoming, but Pro Brewer and others began reporting the rumor a couple of days ago.

Tomme Arthur
Director of Brewery Operations

 I spoke with Pizza Port’s Director of Brewery Operations, Tomme Arthur, this morning and he confirmed the news. He was already onsite and brewing. So it’s official. It lools like bottled Pizza Port beer should become more widely available in the near future which is good news for beer lovers everywhere.

Stone Brewing moved to a new larger facility late last year in nearby Escondido, and negotations had been ongoing between the two breweries. The Beer Yard, a Pennsylvania distributor where Tomme Arthur recently visited reported that he told them the following.

Two distinct lines will be produced and bottled at the 30-barrel brewhouse. Port Brewing will produce draft and bottled versions of Pizza Port’s core beers while The Lost Abbey will do bottle-only versions of “Belgian-inspired ales.”

The first beers from the new brewery are expected to be released in California by March and in Arizona by summer.

Another Tempest in a Teapot: Legacy Brewing

By


Every few years one of these pointless beer label scandals comes around again, as if to remind us how Puritanical our American society really is. Off the top of my head there’s been Bad Frog Beer, Polygamy Porter, Wanker and Nude Beer, to name but a few. During their fifteen minutes, the press lavished them with free publicity and pandered to a vocal minority determined to force their own morality on the rest of us. Usually some fake debte is trotted out asking questions on the order of “is it too offensive,” “too obscene” and my personal favorite, “what about the children?”

The latest fake controversy comes from my hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania. The beer is question in from Legacy Brewing, but the last time I visited them it was called Fancy Pants and before that it was Neversink Brewing. This time the offending label is Hedonism Ale because it features — gasp — hedonism. Ot at least an artist’s rendition of hedonism. The artwork is not in the least bit tittilating; it reveals everything but shows nothing.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I like it. I think artist Deric Hettinger’s label drawing nicely conveys the idea of hedonism. And it’s different enough from most beer labels that controversy aside, it would stand out on a beer shelf. But it’s beer. It’s made specifically for adults. You know, people who can probably deal with a little hedonism, or at least should be mature enough to handle things like adults. So when beer distributors themselves complain, I have to laugh at the hypocrisy. Out loud. As reported in the online local news site, Lancaster Online (which covers the county directly southwest of Berks, where Legacy Brewing is located), Bob Dano, owner of Engleside Beverage Mart on South Prince Street sent his back, saying “[m]y wife thought it was obscene and so did I.” Well, golly Bob. Did you know you work in a beer distributor and sell beer to adults. If the state and the Feds approved the label, get over yourself. But wait, there’s more. What about the children? Who’s looking out for the children? Don’t worry, Apal Shah is on the case (pun intended). He’s still selling the beer, but he’s literally wrapping each case up in a brown paper wrapper. You can’t buy publicity like that at any price.

“It’s not proper for my store,” said Beer Ink (another yahoo beverage store, this one on Centerville Road) owner Apal Shah. “We have lots of small kids coming in here with their parents. I don’t want them seeing those pictures.” Small kids at the beer store? With their parents? Oh, the humanity! Are you kidding? Your objection is that children might see vaguely representational drawings of people touching one another. Do you think they’ll rush right out and try what they saw in the pictures. And then you’ll be somehow responsble? Will the parents who brought their kids in your store in the first place think it was your fault because you didn’t make a beer store safe for the kiddies? Hey Apal, your sign says “think you are old enough for this beer?” Isn’t everyone at the beer store old enough? My understanding of PLCB regulations is that you have to be of legal drinking age to shop in a beer store. Unless, of course, you’re fool enough to take your kids with you on a beer run. You never know what sort of hedonistic sights they might inadvertently see, ruining their innocence forever. Why they’d have to run home, bar the door and only watch clean, wholesome television. My point here is simply that kids are exposed to far worse — from the prude’s point of view — in an average hour of TV watching. And I’m not even talking about the programming, what’s affectionately known as “filler” by TV execs. Just look at sixty minute’s worth of television commercials and then look at this beer label. What’s the first thing you notice? That only a complete buffoon would have an objection to it, especially on the grounds that have been reported.

But since Legacy Brewing has thoughtfully provided a link to every story that has reported on the controversy, I’m pretty sure they’re on to the game. As PR people are fond of saying, there’s no such thing as good publicity or bad publicty, only publicity. So while I can’t necessarily blame Legacy for creating the controversy, I suspect that they had some idea of how some of their customers might react. After all, there are certainly no shortage of uptight, narrow-minded conservative types in the Reading area. Believe me, I grew up there. Religious intolerance is rampant in the Commonwealth I knew. They’ve got Arlen Spector and Rick Santorum. I defy you to find a state where both U.S. Senators are as conservative as these two chuckleheads. In Pennsylvania you can only buy wine and liquor from the state, in state stores, many of which in 2006 are still closed on Sunday because of traditional religiously-based blue laws. So the Legacy folks had to know what they were doing. They may not have been able to predict with absolute accuracy what would happen, but they must have known they were stirring the pot.

Anyway, the real test is how the beer tastes. Wanker and Nude Beer are mercifully no longer with us while Bad Frog isn’t really taken seriously by any beer enthusiast I know. Polygamy Porter is, at least, a decent Porter. So when the controversy ebbed, the beer could still flow. And that’s as it should be. If Hedonism Ale is a good beer, it should still be around when I make my next pilgrimage to Pennsylvania to see the family. And if that’s the case, I can’t wait to try a pint.

Russian River Named Brewery of the Year by Malt Advocate

By


Russan River Brewing Co. of Santa Rosa, California was named brewery of the year by Malt Advocate. The announcement was made today with the publication of the latest issue of the magazine. Malt Advocate is primarily a magazine for the whisky enthusiast but they do cover beer, as it does contain a considerable amount of malt, after all. The Malt Advocate Whisky Awards are given each year in a variety of categories including brewery of the year. This year marks the 12th year awards have been given by the magazine. Previous winners include Stone Brewing, Deus Brut des Flandres, Victory Brewing, and New Glarus Brewing. Congratulations to Vinnie and Natalie at Russian River.

John Hansell, Publisher & Editor of Malt Advocate, had this to say about Russian River Brewing:

Beer without boundaries. I’m not sure if the Russian River Brewing Company has a motto, but this one would certainly work. One glance through their beer portfolio and you’ll understand why: Supplication, a brown ale aged for 12 months in pinot noir barrels, produced with sour cherries and wild bacteria and yeast; Beatification, a blond ale aged in New Belgium Brewing Company’s La Folie Barrels for 22 months; Pliny the Elder, a high-alcohol, high-gravity, super-hopped double IPA. Their list of beers seems endless, restricted only by how many hours a day brewing craftsman Vinnie Cilurzo (pictured) is willing to brew, and not willing to sleep.

Vinnie first started brewing Russian River beers at the Korbel Champagne Cellars in 1997, and there is indeed a wine influence in many of the beers he produces today—both in his production methods and flavors. Since 2003, he has been producing his cutting-edge beers in downtown Santa Rosa, California. Within the past two years, he has already garnered many awards and accolades from the beer industry. It’s time that the rest of the world discovers his beers. He doesn’t make much, so it will make his already scarce beers even more coveted. But in the long run, we will all benefit.

Russian River beers transcend styles and marry cultures. Truly, beer without boundaries.

Hahn Premium Light: Fun with Gondolas, Fish & A Revealing Dress

By


Now to be fair, I’d never heard of Hahn Premium Light. It’s the “premium light” that tells you why. I tend to ignore beers with either “premium” or “light” in their name as not worthy of serious attention. Almost any beer — I can’t think of a single example, but there must be one — with the name premium cannot ever be premium, whatever that even means. It’s very use cancels out any possibility that it is, indeed, premium. A truly premium beer will be known by its taste, not its name, which is after all an extension of its marketing. And light beer is perhaps the most useless beer category ever invented, along with its step-children diet beer, low-carb beer and anti-aging beer. But as far as marketing goes, it’s an unmitigated, mind-boggling success. Like most beer geeks I know, I tend to eschew marketing and walk a different path, or is that drink a different path, or perhaps I drink to the beat of a different drummer? Alright, enough mixed metaphors, the point is there is absolutely no reason to drink a light beer … ever.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy their marketing. A case in point is this pretty funny ad for Hahn Premium Light, a beer made by Lion Nathan of Australia (and New Zealand). Lion Nathan is more well known — at least here stateside — for their other brands: Toohey’s, Steinlager, and Lion Red to name the most popular. I can only guess that Hahn Premium Light is Toohey’s Amstel Light. But enough speculation, it’s the ad that caught my attention and you’ll soon see why. I’ve always felt that the Australian sense of humor is broad and unpretentious and this ad is both of those. So take a look for yourself.

Hey, did you hear? Apparently sex sells. Who knew?

P.S. – The two prior ads, which are there on the website, are also worth watching for a laugh.

Beer Under a Microscope

By

I’m pretty sure this has been around for some time now, based upon some of the beers listed which are no longer with us (e.g., New Amsterdam, Nor’Wester and Saxer). But I just came across Beershots, which is “miscroscopic views of beers from around the world.” Essentially they’re photographs of beer taken through a microscope. Some of them are pretty amazing, as you can see in the samples below. There appear to be over a hundred different beers from dozens of countries.

Anchor Steam beer

Pete’s Wicked Ale

Samuel Adams Triple Bock

New Bottling Line for Lagunitas

By

I dropped by the Lagunitas Brewing Co. today on my way back from a photographic trip to Cotati. I was quite literally “in the neighborhood.” I recalled that Lagunitas was planning on being closed during the month of January and would be installing a new bottling line. So I figured I’d stop in and see if either owner Tony McGee or sales director Ron Lindenbusch were around. Happily, both were in residence so we chatted for a few minutes before Tony gave me a little look-see at the new line that’s being installed.

Bottles on the new line as engineers work to install everything.

Tony shows off the combination filler/bottle washer. It was made by Italian manufacturer BC Technologies. Apparently they’re doing a lot of business with smaller brewers who cannot afford Krones’ new pricing. Other breweries recently having installed a BC bottling line inclue Saint Arnold’s, Dogfish Head, Avery, Lost Coast and Rogue.

Tony explains how it works and how he can trick it into thinking there’s a bottle on the line.

Having tricked it into thinking there’s a bottle on the line, it got to work and sprayed a jet of water in an effort to clean the imaginary bottle.

It looks like it will be finished and up and running in another week, at most. In another part of the brewery, two new 300 BBL fermenters have been installed and one more is on order. Tony reports that sales of Lagunitas beer was up 23% last year, with their tasty IPA accounting for 70% of the business.

The fermenters out back. There is now room for five more along the back wall of the brewery.