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Geuze Op ‘t Kasteel

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belgium
Thanks to Pete Slosberg for sending me the link to this interesting video entitled Geuze op ‘t Kasteel. It’s by a Belgian production company, Hungry TV, and happily includes English subtitles. The YouTube description, however appears to be in Dutch, and here’s what Google Translate does with it:

The castle in Neufcour Eizeringen, which dates from the 18th century, originally served as a residential and later as a permanent residence for several noble families. End of 2010 was, however, as the backdrop for an extraordinary event. Geuze enthusiasts from all over the world came to Eizeringen to find out everything about the secret of the beer. Geuze is a skill.

Only a handful of people are familiar with this craft. Brew Engineer William Herreweghen is one of them. William revealed the secrets of spontaneous fermentation. He explained in great detail how different lambic beers with a good old geuze can be made.

It’s under ten minutes long, and also features a short interview with Chris Lively from Ebenezer’s Pub in Maine.

Beer In Ads #321: Bud Man

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ad-billboard
Today in 1969, Budweiser’s cartoon spokesman “BudMan” debuted. Though it was most popular throughout the Seventies, it’s still being used today. For a time, A-B produced different stickers, with new ones every year. So here are a few examples of Bud Man sticker ads over the years.

Budman

Budman-pils

budman-balloon

budman-tray

budman-coolers

budman-8

Nebraska Beer

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nebraska
Today in 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state.

Nebraska
State_Nebraska

Nebraska Breweries

Nebraska Brewery Guides

Guild: Nebraska Craft Brewers Association

State Agency: Nebraska Liquor Control Commission

maps-ne

  • Capital: Lincoln
  • Largest Cities: Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney
  • Population: 1,711,263; 38th
  • Area: 77358 sq.mi., 16th
  • Nickname: Cornhusker State
  • Statehood: 37th, March 1, 1867

m-nebraska

  • Alcohol Legalized: May 8, 1933
  • Number of Breweries: 18
  • Rank: 30th
  • Beer Production: 1,509,416
  • Production Rank: 36th
  • Beer Per Capita: 26.2 Gallons

nebraska

Package Mix:

  • Bottles: 33.6%
  • Cans: 54.9%
  • Kegs: 11.4%

Beer Taxes:

  • Per Gallon: $0.31
  • Per Case: $0.70
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $9.61
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $9.61

Economic Impact (2010):

  • From Brewing: $29,928,238
  • Direct Impact: $368,743,551
  • Supplier Impact: $292,456,172
  • Induced Economic Impact: $204,259,630
  • Total Impact: $865,459,353

Legal Restrictions:

  • Control State: No
  • Sale Hours: 6 a.m.–1 a.m. Legislation passed in 2010 allows for municipalities to extend on-premise sales to 2 a.m. with two-thirds approval of city or county councils.
  • Grocery Store Sales: Yes
  • Notes: Yes No on- or off-premises sales of spirits before noon on Sundays. All beer, wine, and champagne can be sold starting at 6 a.m. In Omaha, it was illegal to sell all liquor before noon. On December 19, 2006, the Omaha city council voted 5-1 to repeal the law.

nebraska-map

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.

Ohio Beer

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ohio
Today in 1803, Ohio became the 17th state.

Ohio
State_Ohio

Ohio Breweries

Ohio Brewery Guides

Guild: Ohio Craft Brewers Association [no website]

State Agency: Division of Liquor Control

maps-oh

  • Capital: Columbus
  • Largest Cities: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron
  • Population: 11,353,140; 7th
  • Area: 44828 sq.mi., 34th
  • Nickname: Buckeye State
  • Statehood: 17th, March 1, 1803

m-ohio

  • Alcohol Legalized: December 5, 1933
  • Number of Breweries: 60
  • Rank: 9th
  • Beer Production: 8,671,658
  • Production Rank: 7th
  • Beer Per Capita: 23.4 Gallons

ohio

Package Mix:

  • Bottles: 36.3%
  • Cans: 54%
  • Kegs: 9%

Beer Taxes:

  • Per Gallon: $0.18 ($0.16/gal. in Cuyahoga County)
  • Per Case: $0.41
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $5.56
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $5.58

Economic Impact (2010):

  • From Brewing: $1,555,415,429
  • Direct Impact: $3,566,617,431
  • Supplier Impact: $2,629,997,648
  • Induced Economic Impact: $1,569,465,065
  • Total Impact: $7,766,080,145

Legal Restrictions:

  • Control State: No
  • Sale Hours: On Premises: 5:30 a.m. – 2:30 a.m.
    Off Premises: 5:30 a.m. – 1 a.m.
  • Grocery Store Sales: Yes, under 21% abv
  • Notes: 12% ABV cap on beer. 21% ABV cap on wine. The Division of Liquor Control does not operate retail outlets; it appoints private businesses to act as its agents and sell its products in exchange for a commission. Normal proof spirits (>21% ABV) are sold only in a limited number of agent stores. Many retail outlets sell diluted spirits (diluted by water to 21% ABV) under a more readily obtained permit.

    No intoxicating liquor shall be handled by any person under twenty-one years of age, except that a person eighteen years of age or older employed by a permit holder may handle or sell beer or intoxicating liquor in sealed containers in connection with wholesale or retail sales, and any person nineteen years of age or older employed by a permit holder may handle intoxicating liquor in open containers when acting in the capacity of a server in a hotel, restaurant, club, or night club.

    Alcohol can be sold/given to people under the age of eighteen if given by a physician in the regular line of his practice or given for established religious purposes, or the underage person is accompanied by a parent, spouse who is not an underage person, or legal guardian.

ohio-map

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.

Proud Of British Beer

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uk
In quasi-answer to I Am A Craft Brewer, Britain’s Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has released a video of their own: Proud of British Beer. It’s very well produced, and I like that they included not just brewers, but also farmers, publicans and salespeople to show the entire chain from farm to glass. It was also great seeing so many familiar faces.

Of course, the original video was made for a trade conference, whereas SIBA’s effort seems aimed directly at consumers, and especially those that might be on the fence about whether or not to support Britain’s beer industry. I love the end, because it goes after the wisdom of more and more taxes on beer, a situation similar to what’s happening in America, too. The answer, of course — here as there — is that neo-prohibitionst and anti-alcohol groups are using the weakened economy to further their agenda of attacking and punishing alcohol for its perceived sins. It’s great to see the brewing industry fighting back, something that I feel desperately needs to happen in the U.S., too. But over here, the media tends to pay a disproportionate amount of attention to well-funded anti-alcohol propaganda while ignoring any contrary opinions. If our national discourse on alcohol is anything, it’s certainly not fair or balanced.

One reason Proud of British Beer is so good is that the script was written by Pete Brown, and you can read his thoughts about Proud of British Beer on his blog. Pete’s a kindred spirit when it comes to the neo-prohibitionists and he makes an important case for beer in the UK. Well done, Pete!

From SIBA’s Vimeo page:

“Proud of British Beer” is a short film produced by the Society of Independent Brewers. It features brewers, both large and small, hop and barley growers, maltsters and industry suppliers. Our concerns are that the continued above inflation increases in beer duty are destroying this indigenous British industry. Pubs, which are an integral part of the fabric of British society are also being forced to close at the rate of 29 per week. This cannot be allowed to continue.

We are proud of British beer. Are you?

Beer In Ads #320: Little Kings Mini Rocket Car

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ad-billboard
Today in 1997, the Boston Beer Co. took possession of the Hudephol-Schoenling Brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of their most well-known brands was Little Kings Cream Ale, so I found an ad for Little Kings from the early 1980s for Monday’s ad. It shows a scary-looking costumed Little King “introducing … The Little Kings Mini Rocket Car.” It was based on a real rocket car that the brewery sponsored, driven by Larry Nagel. Nagel has some nice reminiscing about the rocket car and even the brewery’s involvement in his Flickr gallery. Here’s his commentary for this ad:

Little Kings cream ale brewery sponsored my rocket car. Here is a picture of the promotional go kart, a mini replica of my rocket car they had built. Little Kings was a family owned brewery based in Cincinnati, OH and treated me like part of the family. Every year in Champaign, IL, a college town, they have Little Kings day. The bars open at 6am and people would belly up to the bar and have a bowl of cheerios with Little Kings instead of milk. I had the Pocket Rocket outside on display and when I went inside the bar, sitting there with all the kids eating his cereal drowned in beer, was Bill Schoenling, owner of Schoenling Brewing. I had a whole new respect for this man. Talk about staying in touch with your demographic.

little-kings-pocket-rocket

A Case For Beer: A Major Minor Dilemma

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kwik-e-mart
Here’s another odd duck, a promotional film created in the early 1970s by the National Association of Convenience Stores. It was apparently made by students at Kansas State in association with several sponsors, who also provided grant money for it, including the NACS, the Southland Corporation (7-11) and Falstaff Brewing. It also had the cooperation of four state alcohol agencies, from Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio, along with the United States Brewers Foundation.

Entitled A Case For Beer (A Major Minor Dilemma), it’s aimed at Convenience Store owners with tips on how to not sell to underage customers, while still being polite so as not to lose their non-alcohol business and not alienate them so that when they become adults they’ll still spend their money at the C-store. It’s a great time capsule — check out the cars, the fashion and the look of the stores themselves.

Some highlights:

  • Factoid: 2 out of 3 families use beer as a beverage.
  • The two things you have for determining a customer’s age: A Valid ID and “good judgment.”
  • Advice after a woman comes in the store in a bathing suit: “don’t allow yourself to be distracted (checked everything but her age).”
  • More feminine advice: “Beware of women, some have cheating hearts.”
  • Great final quote: “Americans love their leisure time, and convenience stores, with their quick shopping supply of beverages and related foods, contribute to the nation’s enjoyment of leisure time.”
  • Look quick at the end: and you’ll see a woman spreading relish on her hot dog with a beer can pop tab.

Number Of U.S. Breweries Reach 1,700

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ba
The Brewers Association just announced that the number of breweries in America has eclipsed 1,700 (and thanks to the other BA, Beer Advocate for the Twitter tip — a Twip?). According to the BA:

The count is at 1,701 operating breweries in the U.S. There are 9 percent more breweries in the U.S. than a year ago. As I blow the dust off the historical records, it appears that there were 1,751 breweries in 1900 and 1,498 in 1910. So we have more breweries than we have since around 1905. My resource for these data points is The Register of United States Breweries 1876-1976 (compilers Friedrich and Bull). There certainly are a lot more diverse brewing styles being offered today, particularly by craft brewers, and I’m betting quality is far greater now than then.

That’s great news. Two months ago when I needed a firm number for an article I was writing, the number was 1,677 so that’s nearly 25 brewery openings in less than sixty days. How cool is that?

Beer In Art #116: Albert Anker’s Still Life With Beer & Radish

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art-beer
This week’s work of art is by a relatively unknown Swiss artist, Albert Anker, though in his native Switzerland he’s often called his country’s “national painter” because the subject of his paintings so often depicted “19th-century Swiss village life.” Our painting today is a still life entitled “Bier und Rettich” or “Beer and Radish.” The oil painting was completed in 1898 and today hangs in the Kunstmuseum in Bern, Switzerland.

Anker-beer-and-radish-1898

There’s a biography of Anker at Wikipedia and also at the official Albert Anker website, although it’s only in French and German. You can also find links to more of Anker’s art at the ArtCyclopedia and at Art Prints on Demand.