By Jay Brooks
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Great Britain’s beer advocacy group has just completed a survey of pubs and how full they fill your pint, and it doesn’t look good. They’re calling for people to sign an online petition and asking the Prime Minister to fix the problem. In addition to CAMRA’s figures, a Telegraph story today has additional details.
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By Jay Brooks
New Belgium’s seasonal Skinny Dip, which debuted least year, is returning this month through September as their summer seasonal. From the press release:
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By Jay Brooks
The second of BridgePort’s new seasonal series will be out shortly. From the description, it sounds like it may be a good candidate for Lew Bryson’s “Session Beer Project.” We’ll know more, of course, when the samples start arriving.
BridgePort Brewing Co. is encouraging beer lovers to “Make hay while the sun shines,” an adage meaning to take advantage of any good opportunity that comes along. There’s no better truism for BridgePort’s new summer seasonal, Haymaker Extra Pale Ale: Haymaker is an ideal beer with which to take full benefit of the long summer days. Haymaker will appear on shelves and on draft the first part of May.
A refreshing extra pale ale, Haymaker features a distinct blend of four malts and three varieties of hops that create a slightly complex ale with a light body and a crisp finish. Its alcohol by volume of 5.3% complements the low bitterness — 15 bittering units — and original gravity of 12.8 degrees Plato. Bright golden in color, it can best be described as “sunshine in a glass.”
“We were looking to expand our seasonal lineup, and an extra pale ale was the ideal choice,” explained head brewmaster Karl Ockert. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the resulting color and flavor profile of the beer.”
Like the other two products in the BridgePort seasonal series, Haymaker’s packaging is a divergence from the BridgePort brand family. The beer’s label and six-pack carrier focus on a whimsical red rooster with a fiery crown standing upon a weathervane, set against the backdrop of a round sun bursting forth with rays of light. The rooster is tossing back an outline of a pint, which is filled with the golden sunlight. The blue sky and hay-colored fields evoke the warmth and imagery of summertime.
Haymaker is the second seasonal in a three part series, following BridgePort’s popular Beertown Brown. Haymaker will be available May through August, followed by Ebenezer Ale. The beer will be distributed in eight Western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington.
By Jay Brooks
Got the following press release today from Oskar Blues and thought I’d pass it along unadulterated.
Oskar Blues Brewery — the nation’s first microcanning craft brewery and makers of Dale’s Pale Ale — is expanding its brewhouse for the fourth time in four years.
This week the brewery is finishing the process of replacing four 60-barrel tanks with four 120-barrel tanks. The new tanks will allow Oskar Blues to double its brewing capacity. (A barrel equals 31 US gallons.)
“More and more are retailers and beer lovers are asking for our beer,” says Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis. “So we’re doing all we can to give them what they want.”
Last year the microcanning craft brewery (and creator of the Canned Beer Apocalypse) enjoyed its fourth straight year of significant growth, increasing its revenues 121% and its beer production by 64%.
In 2006 Oskar Blues produced 8219 barrels of Dale’s Pale Ale, Old Chub Scottish-Style Ale, Gordon and its other canned and draft beers. In 2005 the company produced 5000 barrels. (A barrel of beer equals 31 gallons.)
Since it began hand-canning its beer (two cans at a time on a table-top machine) in November of 2002, Oskar Blues’ production has grown by about 1200%.
Now that’s a tight fit. New tanks being installed at Oskar Blues in Lyons, Colorado.
More from the press release:
The company’s flagship, Dale’s Pale Ale, is the nation’s first hand-canned craft beer. A robust American pale ale (with 6.5% abv and 65 International Bittering Units) its honors include Top American Pale Ale from the New York Times, Top Colorado-Brewed Beer from the Rocky Mountain News, World’s Best Canned Beer from Details magazine, three “Top-Five American Pale/Amber Ale from Ratebeer.com, and gold and silver medals in the Stockholm Beer & Whiskey Festival.
About two dozen US microbreweries now brew and can their own beer. Oskar Blues’ beers are now canned five cans at a time on equipment from Cask Brewing Systems in Alberta, Canada.
Oskar Blues Brewery is located in Lyons, Colorado (pop.1500), a small mountain town 18 miles northwest of Boulder, Colorado. The brewpub and music venue was opened in 1997 by Katechis and his wife, Christi Katechis. Dave Chichura is the head brewer for Oskar Blues Brewery.
One of the new tanks upright in the brewery.
By Jay Brooks
The Brewers Association has just announced the top 50 breweries in the U.S. based on sales for 2006. Here is the new list:
From the press release:
The Brewers Association, which tabulates industry growth data, reports that in 2006 77.7% of the craft beer produced was made from the top 50 craft brewing companies. Additionally, 34 out of the top 50 brewing companies in the U.S meet the Brewers Association’s definition of a craft brewer.
“Beer made by small, independent and traditional breweries is definitely an American success story,” states Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association. “There’s a change in lifestyle going on. People are trading up and that is what is creating such strong demand for craft beer”.
With just under 1400 small breweries the segment eclipsed 6.7 million barrels in 2006. The fastest growing craft beer sector in 2006 was microbreweries (those under 15,000 barrels a year). Sales were up 16%, showing customer support for local breweries. Total craft beer industry sales have grown 31.5% over the last 3 years an early 2007 indicators point toward accelerating sales growth.
“If you Google craft beer you’ll see more press coverage than ever before. This is because beers from craft breweries provide diversity and flavor and that’s what people want,” stated Julia Herz, a spokesperson for the Brewers Association.
Twenty-two states are represented in the top 50 brewing companies list, according to the Brewers Association. California hosts (7) top breweries. Colorado has (5) and Oregon and Wisconsin each host (4) top producers. The remainder of the top 50 operate from New York (3), Pennsylvania (3), Vermont (3), Washington (3), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (2), Missouri (2), Alaska (1) , Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Michigan (1), Montana (1), Ohio (1) and Texas (1).
In 2006, while sales of large domestic brewers still lagged behind their 2004 peak, the craft beer segment continued to explode. Scan data from Information Resources Inc. shows craft beer with a 17.8% increase in supermarket sales for 2006—more growth than any other alcohol beverage category in the supermarket sales channel. For more sales statistics, the Brewers Assocation has set up a statistics page on their website.
This is more excellent news for craft beer, as the final number even exceeded easrlier estimates. Let’s raise a glass and offer a toast to craft beer’s continuing success. Cheers to all of those brewers making such wonderful, world-class beer.
By Jay Brooks
Austin to Host Conference on Craft Beer
Boulder, Colo. • In mid-April Austin will be flooded with flavorful craft beer and the brewers who make it. That’s when the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association for America’s small brewers, will hold its annual professional conference. Craft brewers from across the country will pour into Austin to attend the Craft Brewers Conference, the brewing industry’s largest gathering in North America. Attendance is expected to exceed 1,600.
Austinites will benefit from this surge of beer culture with public events at local venues featuring special beers on tap, craft beer-paired dinners and good elbow-rubbing time with the royalty of craft brewers. “Austin is a city rich in craft beer culture and we look forward to bringing the industry together in such a beer-friendly town,” said Cindy Jones, Marketing Director for the Brewers Association.
Today, sales of craft beers — beer made by small, independent and traditional brewers — are at an all-time high. 2006 marked an 11.7% increase for the category totaling a retail sales figure of $4.2 billion and 3.2% share by volume of the beer market with over 6.65 million taxable production in barrels. America’s craft beers are now a world-class brand being emulated and talked about globally.
“Having the Craft Brewers Conference come to Austin is a fantastic opportunity for the local brewers to showcase our beers,” says Chip McElroy of Live Oak Brewing Co. “We Austinites are proud of our town and the local things we have produced — especially music and beer. We just had the SXSW music conference in town, now bring on the brewers!”
Events open to the public include:
Event: American Homebrewers Association Rally
Presented by: Independence Brewing Company
Date/Time: Sunday, April 15, 3-6 pm
Location: 3913 Todd Lane #607, Austin, TX
Contact: 303-447-0816 x 123
Cost: Free for American Homebrewers Association (AHA) members or $33 for non-members– which includes a 1 year membership to the AHA!
To kick off the Craft Brewers Conference and support the American Homebrewers Association, Independence is hosting a rally. There will be special guest speakers, brewery tours, raffle prizes, complimentary beer tasting…and to top it all off, they’ll be pouring an experimental beer they’ve been working on. Visit the website for more details. www.independencebrewing.com
Event: American Beer Feast
Presented by: Alamo Drafthouse Lakecreek
Date/Time: Thursday, April 19 @ 7:30 p.m.
Location: 13729 Research Blvd., Austin
Contact: 512-219-8135
Showing of “American Beer”, the movie, with director Paul Kermizian and many other special guests. Ticket price includes pre-show appetizers and a three-course craft beer meal (many great beers) to accompany the film.
Cost: Admission is $65 and includes entrance, meal and beer. Guaranteed to be a special evening. Visit the website for more details. www.drafthouse.com/lakecreek/frames.asp
Event: Zax Pints and Plates Beer Dinner
Presented by: Zax Pints and Plates
Date/Time: Thursday, April 19 @ 7:00 p.m.
Location: 312 Barton Springs, Austin
Contact: 512-481-0100
Join your friends at Zax Pints and Plates for a 4 course beer and food pairing featuring fine ales and lagers from Victory Brewing Company. Space is limited so make reservations early.
Cost: Open to the public. Admission is $45.
Call 512-481-0100 for more information and reservations. www.zaxaustin.com
Event: John Langford Live and in effect!
Presented by: Opal Divines Austin Grill (Penn Field)
Date/Time: Friday, April 20 @ 7:00 p.m.
Location: 3601 South Congress Street. Austin
Contact: 512- 707-0237
A free concert and short film featuring the music of John Langford and featuring Dogfish Head Craft brewed ales.
Be sure and visit craft beer hotspots in the Austin area open year-round: Blue Star Brewing, Draught House Pub and Brewery, Fredericksburg Brewing Co, Independence Brewing, Live Oak Brewing, Lovejoys Taproom and Brewery, North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery, Real Ale Brewing Co. Visit beertown.org for a complete list of breweries by state and city.
For more information about the conference visit www.CraftBrewersConference.com. The Craft Brewers Conference is open to brewing industry professionals and media only.
By Jay Brooks
If you’ve ever been interested in becoming a brewer or a better brewer, this may be your chance. It’s time once again to apply for one of two brewing schloarships offered by the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation. It’s a terrific organization started by Glen’s brother Quentin to honor the memory of Glen and help other brewers perfect their craft.
The press release:
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR FALCONER FOUNDATION BREWING SCHOLARSHIPS
ABOUT THE BREWING SCHOLARSHIPS
In co-sponsorship with the Seibel Institute of Technology, the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation is offering two full-tuition brewing education scholarships in 2007.
One scholarship is for the World Brewing Academy Concise Course in Brewing Technology held at the Siebel Institute in Chicago in October/November 2007. The Concise Course in Brewing Technology is a two-week intensive program that covers every topic critical to successful brewery operations. The program is designed for brewers pursuing a wider knowledge of professional brewing standards and techniques in order to advance their brewing careers as well as individuals planning to enter the brewing industry.
The second scholarship allows candidates to apply for one of three two-week modules from the International Diploma in Brewing Technology Program held at Siebel’s Chicago campus in September/October 2007. This specialty brewing scholarship is intended for those brewers who seek an in-depth understanding of a specific brewing discipline. Candidates must designate which module they wish to attend.
Both scholarships are open to professional brewers as well as homebrewers from the Pacific Northwest (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Northern California regions (San Francisco Bay/Monterey Bay areas and north). Each scholarship includes a $750 stipend to help offset travel and lodging expenses.
For information on how to apply, visit the Siebel Institute website.
ABOUT THE FALCONER FOUNDATION
The Glen Hay Falconer Foundation is a non-profit organization created to commemorate and celebrate the life, interests, and good works of a well-loved and leading Northwest brewer.
The Foundation’s cornerstone event is the annual Sasquatch Brew Fest. The fifth annual Sasquatch Brew Fest will take place Saturday, June 2, 2007 in downtown Eugene, Oregon. Come join the fun and enjoy over 60 beers, live music, great food, and a lively silent auction and raffle. The Foundation is continuing the homebrewing competition with judging to coincide with the Sasquatch Brew Fest.
The Foundation also produces the Sasquatch BrewAm, a golf tournament pairing all levels of golfers and beer lovers with celebrity brewers. The third annual Sasquatch BrewAm will be held at McMenamins Edgefield on July 27, 2007 concurrent with the Oregon Brewers Festival in Portland, Oregon. Don’t miss the opportunity to play a fun-filled round of golf with brewing luminaries. Full information and registration details are posted on the Sasquatch website.
ABOUT GLEN HAY FALCONER
Passion, dedication, and creativity defined Glen Falconer’s beers and his entire approach to life.
Glen began his brewing career as an avid homebrewer and dedicated member of the Cascade Brewers Society, a clan of skilled homebrewers based in the Eugene/Springfield, Oregon area. As a professional brewer, Glen continued to support the craft of homebrewing by providing access to brewing ingredients, procedures and unique beer recipes.
In 1990, Glen followed his dream and pursued a professional brewing career, beginning at Steelhead Brewery in Eugene. Glen completed the Siebel Concise Course in Brewing Technology in 1994. Glen then refined his skills at the renowned Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon, working side-by-side with his close friend and mentor John Maier.
In 1996, Glen became head brewer at the Wild Duck Brewery in Eugene, providing six regular beers on tap as well as a wide variety of specialty ales and lagers each season. Glen continued as head brewer at the Wild Duck until his untimely death in 2002.
Enlarging on the tradition of brewing, laughing heartily and embracing adventure fully represented Glen’s life. While Glen won numerous professional craft brewing prizes and accolades, perhaps his finest accomplishment was the back-to-back Gold Medals received posthumously for his Auld Gnarly Head Barley Wine at the 2002 and 2003 Great American Beer Festival.
By Jay Brooks
The Pyramid Alehouse located on Gilman in Berkeley will be hosting a party March 1, beginning at 7:00 p.m. to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Washington brewery in California.
3.1
Pyramid Alehouse 10th Anniversary Party in Berkeley
Pyramid Alehouse, 901 Gilman Street, Berkeley, California
510.528.9880 [ website ] [ tickets ]
By Jay Brooks
The results are in and again craft beer has hit one out of the park. For the fourth straight year, growth in the sale of craft beer has shown signifcant improvement.
From the BA press release:
The continuing growth of craft beer entered double digit territory in 2006, with sales by craft brewers up 11.7% by volume for the year. This comes on top of strong growth in each of the prior three years and illustrates the ongoing surge of consumer interest in craft beers.
“American tastes are clearly changing thus the demand for more flavorful and diverse beers is exploding,” said Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association, which tabulates industry growth data.
The Brewers Association estimates 2006 sales by craft brewers at over 6,600,000 barrels (one barrel equals 31 U.S. gallons) up from an adjusted total of just under 6,000,000 barrels in 2005. The increase totals over 690,000 barrels or 9.5 million case-equivalents. For 2006 craft beer posted a retail sales figure of $4.2 billion.
A strong area of distribution for craft beer is grocery, convenience, drug and liquors stores. According to Information Resources Inc. (IRI), “The beer category reaped growth from import (+10.9%) and micro-brew (+16.9%) products, while suffering losses across domestic and non-alcoholic varieties.”
“Craft beer has become a great American success story and today U.S. craft brewers are being watched, emulated and celebrated globally.” stated Julia Herz, Director of Craft Beer Marketing for the Brewers Association. “Demand has become contagious. Craft beer is satisfying the thirst and beer enthusiasm of a continuously growing number of beer drinkers who are seeking flavor, diversity and value.”
A more extensive release of the 2006 production numbers will be available from the Brewers Association on April 19 at the Craft Brewers Conference in Austin, TX and unveiled in the May/June issue of The New Brewer magazine. The craft beer segment includes 1377 breweries.
The definition of craft beer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional. Craft beer comes only from a craft brewer. Small = annual production of beer less than 2 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent = Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional = A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands)
By Jay Brooks
The award-winning Pelican Pub & Brewery, along Oregon’s coast in Pacific City, is releasing two new beers, a saison and a Grand Cru. Both are now on tap at the brewpub and also available bottle-conditioned.
The first, Saison du Pelican, is described as “a spicy, herbal aroma from the special Belgian yeast and Golding hops, and a snappy, refreshing finish, Saison du Pelican combines traditional flavors with excellent drinkability.”
The second is the Grand Cru de Pelican.
Grand Cru de Pelican is the result of inspiration, creativity, and imagination. With a nod to the great brewing traditions of Belgium, we have been inspired to create this dark, sensous brew. Grand Cru de Pelican entices with a rich, complex aroma, and satisfies with deep malty and caramel flavors. Spicy, aromatic flavors provide a harmonious counterpoint to the malty foundation of this robust beer. A snappy finish and medium-light body enhance the smooth drinkability of this beer.
From the press release:
“We’ve really had fun thinking out of the box in creating these beers. They are unlike anything we have brewed before,” said Headbrewer Darron Welch.
The brewers brought in a special Belgian yeast for the production of the beers. Each beer also utilizes unique ingredients. The Saison du Pelican includes spelt, an ancient grain, adding texture and dryness to the finish. The Grand Cru de Pélican includes 115 pounds of hand caramelized sugar. It took Brewery Manager Ben Love two days to carmelize the sugar, 15 pounds at a time. The complex caramel flavors in the beer prove that all the work was well worth it.
Once the initial fermentation finished, the brewers added more sugar and then hand-bottled and corked the beers. Inside the bottle, a second fermentation occurred, adding complexity and natural carbonation in the beers.
These bottle conditioned beers are available in limited edition 750 ml bottles. The bottles will be available at the Pelican Pub & Brewery and at selected bottle shops in Oregon. Beer fans outside Oregon can have the beer shipped to them through Belmont Station or Liquid Solutions.
