Today’s beer video is from the long-running series How Stuff Works that originally appeared on the Discovery Channel.
Number Of Breweries In America Reaches 2700
The Brewers Association released preliminary numbers for how many operating breweries there were in the United States as of the end of last year. That number, the highest since America’s peak in the 1870s, was 2,722. That’s nearly 400 more than at the end of 2012. Those are broken down as follows.
- Regional breweries: 120
- Microbreweries: 1376
- Brewpubs: 1202
- Large breweries: 24
- Total: 2,722
From the press release:
98% of these breweries were small and independent craft breweries. It is interesting to note that 2013 marks the first year since 1987 that microbreweries outnumbered brewpubs in the country.
The total of 2,722 brewing facilities is the highest count since the US in around 140 years, more than when the country celebrated her centennial birthday. In 1876, the Register of United States Breweries lists 2,685 breweries. It is not however, the highest number of all-time, as the Register lists 3,286 in 1870.
In addition to the 2,722 brewing facilities, there were an additional 1,744 breweries in planning at the end of December, the highest year-end number in the BA database.
Beer In Ads #1071: Take A Glass, Any Glass
Tuesday’s ad is for Narragansett Lager Beer, from 1959. Showing eight different glasses, all but one filled with beer, they’re promoting “Gansett by saying you should use a glass, any glass. The “moral” of the story? “Glasses are for putting “Gansett in. ‘Gansett is for putting thirsts out. Works every time.” I especially the schmeer of a reflection made by the beer in the glasses.
Beer Film #14: Craft Beer — A Hopumentary
Today’s beer video is by Jeremy Williams and was made in the Bay Area. Craft Beer — A Hopumentary is just under 15 minutes and was shot in early 2013.
Beer In Ads #1070: Wilkes-Barre’s Best
Monday’s ad is for Lion Brewing, a.k.a. “Wilkes-Barre’s Best.” It was established in 1905, and I don’t know if the ad is from that time period, but it certainly looks like it.
Beer Film #13: 26 Interesting Facts About Beer
Today’s beer video is from the magazine Mental Floss, entitled 26 Interesting Facts About Beer, part of a weekly series. This one was shot at Sun King Brewing in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Beer In Ads #1069: Pilsner Urquell In The Atomic Age
Sunday’s ad is our third postcard for Pilsner Urquell, from what looks to be the 1950s based on the style of illustration on this postcard. This one shows a dapper man riding a red rocket into the air, holding a glass of pilsner in his hand. The air is filled with flying machines, which is what we were promised back then. I’m still waiting for my flying car that folds into a briefcase.
Beer Film #12: The American Brew Extras, Pt. 5
Today’s beer video is part five, the final one in a series of extras from the film The American Brew that was produced by Anheuser-Busch’s Here’s To Beer campaign in 2008. The DVD is still actually available from Amazon. Enjoy.
Beer In Ads #1068: Pilsner Urquell Delivers In Space
Saturday’s ad is another postcard for Pilsner Urquell, from what looks to be the 1950s based on the style of illustration on this postcard. SInce it shows a satellite taking Pilsner Urquell to a Moon family or aliens out for a joyride, it’s probably after Sputnik, which was 1957. I love this style of illustration and the idea that they’d been observing earth for some time, but only once we sent up a satellite they would “finally going to drink.” I mean, couldn’t they get take out? Did they have to wait until delivery service began?
Coors Banquet Beer Puts Out Fire
This is awesome news, somebody finally figured out a good use for Coors Banquet Beer. ABC News is reporting that a Texas firefighter used cans of Coors’ beer to put out a truck fire. Apparently, Houston fire captain Craig Moreau and his wife were returning home after a trip to Austin when they happened upon an 18-wheel big rig on the side of the road, on fire. The trucker and Moreau used a fire extinguisher, but it quickly ran out. They thought they got it all, but underneath the truck it was still burning, having started in the brakes but spread to a tire.
Moreau asked the trucker what his cargo was, and discovered the truck was full of cans of Coors Banquet Beer. They grabbed cans from the back, and the pair “began shaking and spraying cans of beer on the blaze, and the fire went out.”
“I have no doubt if the beer hadn’t been there, the whole trailer would have burned up,” Moreau said. According to the Houston Chronicle’s coverage, “the tire continued to burn and eventually exploded. Fortunately, the beer worked and the blaze was eventually extinguished.” Go Banquet Beer!
A story in every can, indeed.