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Goose Island brews Champion Beer at Wood and Barrel-aged Festival
Goose Island Beer Co. captured Champion Beer at the Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beer in Chicago, winning with Imperial Brown Goose.
More than 500 beer drinkers sampled nearly 70 different beer from 31 breweries in the third annual festival, held at Goose Island’s Wrigelyville brewpub. Breweries from 13 states sent beers to the festival/competition.
But popular Wisconsin brewery won’t expand beyond state
Wisconsin’s New Glarus Brewing Co. needs a new brewery that would triple it’s capacity.
“We just can’t keep up with our sales,” said Deb Carey, the brewery’s co-founder and president. “Our sales have grown about 40% for three or four consecutive years. And by the end of this year they’re going to be up over 60 to 70%.”
Oregon brewery makes major commitment to renewable energy
Full Sail Brewing has committed to using renewable energy that will have the same environmental impact as planting 33,000 trees.
The brewery will buy 140 blocks of Blue Sky renewable energy from Pacific Power in Hood River, Ore., where Full Sail operates.
Sam Adams lets drinkers choose next offering
Should Boston Beer Co. make a Bohemian Pilsner or Brown Ale its next Samuel Adams beer?
The company is letting beer drinkers decide. The “Beer Lover’s Choice” program allows consumers to sample each of the choices, then vote for the one they prefer. The winner will make its debut in January in the 2006 Brewmaster’s Collection, a mixed 12-pack. It will later be sold in six-packs.
Samuel Adams, BridePort also harvest gold in Brewing Industry International Awards
American breweries Sierra Nevada Brewing and Rogue Ales both took home multiple medals in the 2005 Brewing Industry International Awards handed out in Germany, while Samuel Adams and BridgePort Brewing also scored major victories.
The bi-annual awards are sometimes called “the Oscars of the brewing industry.” First run in 1886, they honor excellence in “the commercial worth of the beer quality” and are only judged by currently practicing professional brewers.
Colorado craft brewer hits 76% growth through mid-year
Oskar Blues Brewery, the first US microbrewery to brew and can its own beer, continues its strong growth curve with an increase in sales of 76% in the first half of this year.
“Mighty fine,” said company spokesperson Marty Jones. “We’re pretty sure we’ll reach the 100% growth mark by end of the year.”
New beer from Abita will help fund rebuilding New Orleans
The Abita Brewing Co., located 30 miles north of New Orleans but spared major storm damage from Hurricane Katrina, has launched two initiatives to help raise funds for Katrina victims.
“The rebuilding and restoration of the greater New Orleans area is vitally important,” said brewery president David Blossman. “We’re proud to be a Louisiana Company and feel blessed that we are still able to brew beer and keep our employees working.”
Belgium’s Duvel will brew some Ommegang Ale for American market
Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, N.Y., can’t make enough beer, so has turned to its “parent” – Duvel Moortgat in Belgium – for help.
Moortgat recently began brewing Ommegang’s flagship Ommegang Ale for sale in 750ml bottles in the United States, and will continue to do so until Ommegang’s capacity catches up with demand.
Pyramid to launch aggressive new branding campaign
Pyramid Breweries, Inc. announced yesterday a major branding campaign in an attempt to promote and showcase the visual point of difference and appetite appeal of unfiltered wheat beers. The highlight of the “Refreshingly Unfiltered” marketing campaign includes new “breakthrough packaging” for the craft-beer industry according to a company press release.
The Seattle-based brewer also announced the release of two new styles; Pyramid Apricot Weizen and Pyramid Apricot Ale.
Oregon brewery wins four gold medals in London
Oregon’s Rogue Ales won a history-making four out of 11 gold medals at the 2005 International Beer Competition in London, England. Rogue also won the title of “Supreme Champion” for its Mocha Porter.
Rogue also won a silver medal, when Shakespeare Stout finished second to Mocha Porter in Stouts and Porters. Boston Beer Co. also captured five medals.
Dogfish Head concoction based on 9,000-year-old recipe
Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware has brewed another ancient beer, this time replicating one made in China about 9,000 years ago.
The brewery turned a previous one, which was based on a 2,700-year-old recipe found in Turkey, into Midas Touch Golden Elixir, a regular beer in its portfolio. The most recent historic brew, Chateau Jiahu, was served only in the brewery’s restaurant-pub and special dinners but a larger batch may be brewed in the fall and eventually go into regular production.
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Texas’ oldest craft brewers has record year
After a record breaking year of sales in 2004, Texas’ oldest microbrewery, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, is adding equipment and personnel to increase capacity by one third.
The six-figure investment will include a new bright beer tank, extra refrigeration and a pair of new fermenters. Each of the fermenters will be twice the size of the Houston brewery’s existing fermenters. Meanwhile, the brewery’s staff has nearly doubled over the past year as they race to keep up with demand.
Sam Adams hopes to gather 100,000 signatures during American Beer Month
The Boston Beer Co. has written a Samuel Adams Beer Drinker’s Bill of Rights and hopes to get 100,000 beer drinkers nationwide to sign the document during American Beer Month.
Boston Beer, which brews Samuel Adams beer, is celebrating American Beer Month – a celebration of the brewing, diversity and flavor of American beer – by traveling across the country campaigning for quality beer and encouraging beer drinkers to “exercise their right” to enjoy it. Throughout the campaign, the company hopes to enlist more than 100,000 beer drinkers nationwide to show their support by signing the Beer Drinker’s Bill of Rights. Supporters can also sign the Bill of Rights online by visiting the Sam Adams website.
BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, received an unprecedented seven medals – one for every beer it entered – in the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA), which were held last month in Melbourne. Nearly 800 beers from 107 breweries competed in the AIBA. After being judged by a professional panel of industry experts, BridgePort’s brews walked away with a gold medal (for Ropewalk Amber Ale), three silvers (BridgePort IPA, Pintail Copper Ale and BridgePort ESB), and three bronzes (Blue Heron Pale Ale, Black Strap Stout and Ebenezer Ale).
Flying Dog Brewery to brew Gonzo Imperial Porter
Denver’s Flying Dog Brewery is getting ready to unleash Gonzo Imperial Porter, an official tribute beer honoring the late Hunter. S. Thompson. Flying Dog plans to release this special collectors’ beer in a four-pack this Summer. Gonzo Imperial Porter’s packaging features tribute illustrations from Hunter’s co-conspirator – world-renowned artist Ralph Steadman. Steadman will also sign the first 100 bottles of a special single bottle batch that will only be available from the Brewery’s tasting room.
Gonzo energy has been racing around the Flying Dog Brewery for over a decade. Brewery founder George Stranahan was Hunter’s friend and neighbor in Aspen, Colorado. They met gonzo artist Ralph Steadman back in 1991 in the Woody Creek Tavern. No one knows exactly what transpired the night they met, but the result was Road Dog Porter – the first authentic gonzo beer, illustrated by Ralph Steadman and inscribed with the words, ‘Good People Drink Good Beer’, by Hunter.
Brewery will triple in size as company nears 20th anniversary
With annual sales in excess of $10 million, Larry Bell is pouring about
$1.1 million back into his Kalamazoo Brewing Co.
Bell said work on a 10,000-square-foot addition to the 31,000-square-foot
building which serves as the company’s main production area began last week. The $625,000 addition will eventually house about $500,000 in new equipment.