Starting in June, nine U.S. states will begin receiving limited shipments of popular but hard to obtain craft beers via a new program called “Guest Brewer.” Brew Pipeline, a so-called “direct-access platform” started by Steven Kwapil and Trip Kloser, is playing matchmaker for craft breweries and wholesalers through the Guest Brewer program. Kwapil and Kloser have tapped industry veteran Marty Ochs — who served as Ninkasi’s director of sales between 2009 and 2013 before launching his own craft beer consultancy — with curating the program’s portfolio of breweries and building its network of wholesalers.
Zest Crazed is the kind of beer your parents warned you about. Wild-eyed, lurid tales of hop aromatics and citrus flavor follow this American pale ale around.
Over the last two years, brewery-owned taprooms and satellite retail outposts have emerged as both lucrative profit centers for emerging craft beer makers and an opportunities to deliver unique experiences to thirsty consumers. But as the number of taprooms has grown, so too have concerns about their impact on the three-tier system.
First Avenue and Surly Brewing present +1, an easy-drinking, classic-style golden ale ideal for the Mainroom, the Entry, the Turf, or anywhere the music hits you.
In the ever-mercurial craft beer industry, the need for strong branding and innovation has never been more important. Minnesota alone is home to more than 150 craft breweries, with new taproom doors opening almost daily. Surly Brewing Co. (Surly), the Minneapolis-based independent craft brewery, is facing 2018 head-on with strategic growth, innovative beer styles, and the addition of Bill Manley as the Director of Brand Development.
North American Breweries this week announced that Kris Sirchio, who has served as CEO since 2013, would step down. Adrian Lachowski, the general manager of Florida Ice and Farm Co.’s (FIFCO) Central American beer and FMB business, will take over as CEO in early February, the company said via a press release.
Minnesota’s first double IPA, it started life as 16 Grit, which is a size of abrasive grit once manufactured at the Sparky Abrasive factory, ancestral Brooklyn Center home of Surly Brewing Co.
In this week’s distribution roundup: Lord Hobo adds New Jersey and Pennsylvania; Two Brothers expands to Tennessee; Ska Brewing hits Iowa and Surly launches in Colorado. Additionally, Moody Tongue expands to Wisconsin and Alesmith Brewing lands in Georgia.
In this edition of Press Clips: Heineken reports earnings; Buffalo Wild Wings explores beer delivery; Indiana lawmakers review Prohibition-era laws; and more.
The Brewbound Podcast features interviews with beer industry executives and entrepreneurs, along with highlights and commentary from the weekly news. New episodes every Thursday.
