Category: Beverage Industry News
- Business of Beer 779
- Commentary 159
- Crisis Response 190
With big brands away, micros play
Microbrewery workers in British Columbia are putting in long hours to meet rising demand after a strike halted distribution of major brands throughout the province. The strike against Brewers Distributor began May 1, and supplies of Canada’s two leading brands, Molson and Labatt, have begun to dry up along with beer such at Miller, Coors and Budweiser.
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Siebel to Offer Draught Technical Skills Program
The Siebel Institute will be holding another session of the Draught Technical Skills Certificate Program. The four day Draught Certificate program will be held from May 25th through 28th at the Goose Island Brewpub Wrigleyville facility in Chicago.
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Todd Ashman Joins Mid-America Brewing Supply
Mid America Brewing Supply, a Minnesota based distributor of brewing ingredients, has announced the appointment of Todd Ashman as Sales Coordinator/Technical Director. Ashman was most recently employed as master brewer at the Titletown Brewing Company of Green Bay, WI, and had previously served in the same capacity at the Flossmoor Station Brewing Company of Flossmoor, IL. Ashman’s “true to style” discipline in the brew house coupled with an “everything but the kitchen sink” sense of adventure has earned him a solid reputation as innovator and leader in the craft brewing industry, particularly in the area of wood aged beers. Over the course of his seven years at Flossmoor Station, Ashman earned 11 Great American Beer Festival medals, three World Beer Cup medals and eight Real Ale Festival medals and most recently won two medals at this year’s World Beer Cup competition as a Titletown employee. “Todd is the secret ingredient we’ve been missing in our customer service area,” said Mid America’s Vice President of Sales Kelly Kuehl. “Todd will be available to assist our customers with their brewing questions, beer recipe development and will be able to offer first hand product knowledge. We feel extremely fortunate to have someone of Todd’s caliber on our team.” Ashman will work out of Mid America’s Kasota, MN warehouse and may be reached at 1-800-374-2739 or todd@midamericabrewing.com.
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New Mexico’s Answer to DUI’s
Farmington, New Mexico, is home to a neo-prohibitionist proposal that would tighten the punishment on convicted drunk drivers. The proposal, advocated by District Attorney Greg Tucker and state Sen. William Sharer, both of Farmington, would prohibit anyone convicted of drunken driving in New Mexico from buying liquor for five years. The prohibition would be enforced via a special designation on the driver’s license or ID card of anyone convicted of drunk driving, indicating that the holder of the ID is barred from buying liquor. The proposal would put the onus on all liquor vendors to check all liquor purchasers IDs, regardless of age. Penalties would apply to those caught not checking IDs or selling to those under the liquor-purchasing prohibition.
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Rogue, Fish shine in England
Seven American breweries are among those celebrating success in England’s bi-annual Brewing Industry International Awards. Judges picked finalists in eight categories (23 classes) during judging March 26 in Burton and April 22 in London, but the actual medal positions won’t be revealed until the awards ceremony May 25 at Guildhall in London.
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Craft beer sales up 3.4%
U.S. craft beer sales grew 3.4% in 2003, according to figures gathered by the Association of Brewers. “2003 was a difficult year for the beer industry, but it was another solid year for craft breweries,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Association of Brewers. “Overall consumption was down, and imports’ growth rate of 1.9% was the lowest figure for import growth in 12 years. What this means is that craft beers are increasingly making headway in the areas of market share and consumer enjoyment.”
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Beer Sales Decline in Ireland
Ireland gave the world its favorite theme pub, but at home there are signs that the bar boom is over. Buried within this week’s release of disappointing retail sales data came a decline of 5.3 percent in bar sales. Publicans and their trade association, the Licensed Vintners, have been issuing dire warnings about declining interest in pubs. This week’s news seems to confirm their worst fears. Diageo, owners of the Guinness brand — which dates from 1759 — have had to re-launch in Ireland, thanks to falling beer sales. Drink sales fell 5 percent by volume last year.
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Dogfish declares high alcohol victory
The Beeryard, a Wayne, Pa. beer store, joined in the April Fool’s Day fun by posting several not-quite-true pieces of beer news at its website. One of the stories had Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware announcing it has brewed Raison C’est Fini, a beer that can best be described as “all alcohol, all hops, all the time.” It read:
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Green Flash Brewing, ReaperAle Form Strategic Alliance
Green Flash Brewing, Inc. and ReaperAle, Inc. have announced the formation of a comprehensive strategic alliance. Beginning immediately, Green Flash, Inc., brewer and marketer of Green Flash Brewing Co. beers, will produce and market the full range of ReaperAle beers. The alliance will bring together products that complement rather than overlap. Green Flash is known for microbrews that fit the laid-back Southern California lifestyle, while ReaperAle makes intense, high-octane ales with a macabre and humorous Grim Reaper theme. To facilitate the production of the ReaperAle products, Green Flash has invested in additional fermentation capacity and adapted their existing bottling line to fill both 12 oz. and 22 oz. bottles. The new capacity and capabilities will allow both companies to expand their respective product offerings and continue to grow strongly.
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Craft Brewers Conference Registrations Increase
Pre-conference registration for this years Craft Brewers Conference has already exceeded last year’s total attendance. The 2003 conference in New Orleans drew a little less than 1,000 participants, while so far this year, registration has surpassed 1,000. Cindy Jones, Sales and Marketing Director for the Association of Brewers, the conference host, expects total attendance this year to be over 1,100. “This is my third conference and I feel it is the best we’ve offered in my experience,” said Jones. “The San Diego and resort location seems to have helped.” The conference will be held in San Diego at the Town and Country Resort, a sprawling conference center with five restaurants, spa facilities, four swimming pools and golf course. This is the first time ever the CBC has been held in a resort-type setting and one of the few times the conference has been held in a relatively warm climate.
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It’s Scientific: Beer Bubbles Do Sink
Yes, it’s now been proven scientifically: beer bubbles can go down as well as up. Scottish scientists claim to have captured on video evidence that proves that bubbles in a glass of beer can move downwards. The Edinburgh University researchers used a high-speed digital camera to record the movement. By no small coincidence, the evidence was released to coincide with St Patrick’s Day, claiming that the effect is clearest in Irish stout. Sure, beer drinkers have claimed for years that they’ve seen bubbles sink to the bottom of their glass, but scientists had never really proved that it could happen. Now, scientists behind the joint Edinburgh University and Stanford University project said their study had given definitive proof. They found that bubbles touching the walls of a glass experience drag, and the drag prevents them floating upwards, while bubbles in the middle of the glass are free to rise. The result is a circular flow, which causes the bubbles near the edge of the glass to be pushed downwards, and was most observable in a dark beer like stout, as the contrast between dark liquid and creamy bubbles in stout made it most suitable for their research. The researchers employed an undisclosed quantity of beer in the experiments, but they insist that it was poured away afterwards to prevent any possible impairment of their judgment.
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