Expert Topic Considering Small Solutions for In-House Canning Lines
Mobile canning has been a boon for the craft beer industry. A good number of breweries have been able to grow and thrive by having outside companies come in with equipment to help move hazy IPA and more out the door. Even as those companies add more features to their equipment – including lines that can handle wild beers – some brewers are looking to add their own canning equipment.
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News Beer Institute Honors Top Industry Employees with ‘Best in Brew Award’
The Beer Institute has recognized 12 beer industry employees with its inaugural Best in Brew Award, which honors exceptional employees from Beer Institute member companies. The awards are given to beer industry workers who go above and beyond, demonstrating outstanding dedication and contributions to their respective companies and the beer industry.
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News The Michael Jackson Foundation Announces New Scholarship Recipients and Annual Matching Funding Drive
The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (The MJF) today announced the latest winners of its scholarship awards, as well as its third annual matching funding challenge. Beginning today, The MJF will launch its 2024 matching challenge to match the first $100,000 in donations made through April 23rd, the start of the Craft Brewer Conference in Las Vegas.
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News UK Brewery Closures Increase by 82% in 2023
The number of breweries in the UK breweries that closed in 2023 grew by 82%, rising from 38 in 2022 to 69 by the end of December. The reasons for the sudden spike in closures seems to mirror those in the US where an increase in cost of goods, reduced consumer spending due to inflation and changing consumer drinking habits all had an impact on craft breweries.
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News Nancy Johnson to Retire as VP of Events at Brewers Association
The Brewers Association announced today the retirement of Nancy Johnson, senior vice president of meetings and events. Nancy has been the band leader and calm demeanor in charge of BA events for three decades. She will leave the organization at the end of 2024 and will be missed by all.
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News Ray Daniels Sells Cicerone Program to Two Industry Veterans
Founder Ray Daniels announced today that he has sold the Cicerone Certification Program to two Master Cicerones with deep experience in the beer industry. Dan Imdieke and Jason Pratt will take over the sixteen-year-old program which will continue to be based in Chicago
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News Deschutes Brings NA Production Inhouse and Expands Offerings
Follow the leader. And right now, the leading segment in beer is nonalcoholic. Deschutes Brewing has recently installed new technology and equipment to their Bend, Oregon brewery to make nonalcoholic Black Butte Porter in-house, and will soon roll out a nonalcoholic version of Fresh Squeezed IPA.
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Expert Topic The Great Disappearing Bottle
Cans were the laughingstock of craft beer until they weren’t. Long gone are the days where beer cans signified cheapness or a lack of product quality. Once relegated to the world of flavorless, macro lager, cans now signal to consumers cool, fun, and engaging products. With the rise of canned craft beer, however, there is one obvious loser: the once ubiquitous bottle.
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News Monster Lays Off 12 Employees at Cigar City – Will Move Production to Oskar Blues
In another consolidation move to maintain efficiencies in a contracting craft beer segment, 12 employees at Cigar City Brewing have been laid off, as the brewery’s owner, Monster Beverage Corp plans to move production of Cigar City beers to their Oskar Blues Brewery in North Carolina.
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News Hard Fought Franchise Reform Passes in Wyoming
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has signed Senate File 0079 (SF 0079), a franchise reform bill into law. The bill has been a long fought and negotiated compromise between the states beer wholesalers and craft brewers to provide some relief to small brewers when terminating a distributor.
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News CHEERS Act Would Give Tax Break to Bars and Restaurants That Serve Draft Beer
The CHEERS Act, a congressional bill that would provide a tax break to restaurants and bars that utilize draft beer systems and help revitalize the hospitality industry has been introduced in Washington, DC.
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Expert Topic Draft Monitoring: Avoiding Loss
There are few clearer examples of losing money than watching beer overflow a glass or pour freely from a tap and cascade down the drain. On average, ten to twenty percent of draft beer is lost at the tap, cutting substantially into profits and needlessly increasing costs. For many owners, it’s just a literal cost of doing business. And for many consumers it’s an all too familiar sight. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
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News Asahi to Close Meantime Brewery in UK
Asahi announced that it is closing Meantime Brewery in Greenwich, UK and will move the brewing of Meantime beers to its Fuller’s site in Chiswick. The move is becoming familiar as large brewers close small craft breweries that they acquired in order to consolidate production.
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Sponsored Brewery HR 101
Crafting great beer is an art, but managing the human side of your brewery is equally essential for success. “Brewery HR 101” is designed to provide brewery owners, managers, and HR professionals with the foundational knowledge and tools necessary to build a strong and productive workforce in the craft beer industry. From hiring and training brewery staff to fostering a positive work culture and complying with industry-specific regulations, our guests will share insight on how to foster a thriving workforce.
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Sponsored WTF, Data?! Numbers = Profits! w/ Pulkit K. Agrawal
Almost every brewery is tracking their data – whether it’s in a spreadsheet, paper logs, or an electronic brewery management system. As breweries start scaling, there are two key areas that brewers and owners start looking at for their products — (1) making consistent quality beer and (2) improving costs over time.
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News TTB Takes Input from Brewers on Ingredient Labelling
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is considering whether to require nutritional information on alcoholic beverages such as what the Food and Drug Administration has long required on other foods and beverages. The TTB is currently taking public comment – including those from the industry – until March 29.
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News Britain Puts the Freeze on Alcohol Tax Increases for 12 Months
Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt today announced a freeze on any increase in alcohol taxes until February 2025. The announcement was met with mixed reviews as many in the alcohol industry have been pushing for a reduction in taxes.
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