Craft beer industry news.
Border X Brewing used its Latino fusion flair to win the Brewbound’s Seventh Startup Brewery Challenge, held at the Paradise Point Resort in San Diego on December 1. Brewery founder David Favela beat out five other participants with his true-to-brand story and logo, his strong connections to the Hispanic community, and his contagious passion for bringing Latino-fusion brews to San Diego consumers.
Rogue Ales & Spirits announces the release of Santa’s Private Reserve Ale just in time for the Holidays. Here are 10 things you might not have known about this Yuletide favorite.
With almost 20 years of experience in the craft beer world, Neil Witte is pleased to announce the launch of a new company, Craft Quality Solutions. This business will be the first in the nation to provide scalable, market-based quality audits and services to the craft beer industry.
Hooligan Scotch Ale returns a wee bit early this holiday season – just in time to leave its indelible mark on 2016. This robust, mahogany hued ale is brewed in the classic Scottish Wee Heavy style, featuring a profound maltiness with layers of rich caramel and toffee, and a restrained hop bitterness. To commemorate five years of Hooliganism, this limited release will graduate to 22oz bottles – Catawba’s first ever bottle release from its rotating series of seasonal beers. Look for Hooligan Scotch Ale in Catawba’s three tasting rooms, and in distribution in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee (beginning January 2017), and in select areas of Alabama.
After maintaining popularity among craft beer enthusiasts in the Upstate for many years, Catawba beers are now available statewide in South Carolina. Catawba Brewing of Asheville and Morganton, NC is partnering with a network of nine distributors, including Crown Beverage (Florence, SC), Better Brands (Myrtle Beach, SC), H&S Wholesalers (Sumter, SC), Southern Eagle (Charleston, SC), and AB Bev (Aiken, SC). The rollout began in September, and had effectively covered the entire South Carolina market by October 15th, with launch parties and special events taking place around the state.
It is well-known that Maui Brewing Company is “fiercely local”, and its beers that are infused with locally-grown produce, never extracts or artificial flavors, command some respect. The latest limited release, POG IPA, is brewed with Horizon hops to provide a clean bitterness.
Big Storm Brewing Company is pleased to announce that Joel Moore has been promoted to Head Brewer of all brewing operations. Joel joined Big Storm in December of 2015 and spent much of the year focused on research and development at Big Storm’s Odessa location. Joel is responsible for some of Big Storm’s more popular offerings in the taprooms like the Merchant Porter, the Belgian Quad and Quintuple and the Palm Bender Gulf Coast IPA.
Portland Cider Company announces the release of Union Jack, a limited release cider available in 750ml bottles at Portland Cider Co. taprooms and select stores throughout the Portland metro area. Union Jack is a truly authentic English cider made from traditional cider apples grown here in Oregon, cold fermented over months and aged for over a year. This still, dry cider is a balanced, complex array of fruit flavors with soft tannins that compliment, and not over power, giving it a rich body and dry finish.
Bousa Brewing Company, the newest craft brewery in South Florida and Little River District’s first independent brewery, is pleased to announce the launch and distribution of its first flagship beer in partnership with leading wholesale distributor Eagle Brands. The brand will begin distribution to bars and restaurants in Monroe and Miami-Dade counties in December 2016.
Legalized marijuana is burning the craft beer business, according to Vivien Azer, Cowen and Company’s managing director and senior research analyst specializing in the beverage, tobacco and cannabis sectors. Speaking at the Brewbound Session today, Azer’s was just one of several voices that discussed a craft beer business that has experienced a decade of wild growth but has slowed in the past 18 months.
Saucey, the premier alcohol delivery e-commerce company, today announced its partnership with retail giant Bevmo!. Under the terms of the partnership, Saucey will be the preferred delivery partner for beer, wine, spirits, mixers and more. Bevmo! customers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento (as of Monday Nov 28th) can now order thousands of items from every beverage category and have it delivered in under an hour. Saucey also announced that Alan Johnson, former CEO of Bevmo!, and Patrick Steele, former CIO of Albertsons, have joined its Board of Directors. Both Steele and Johnson bring years of experience to Saucey and will work with the executive team to expand Saucey’s offerings and dominance in the space.
Yards Brewing Company today announced the launch of a winter favorite, the limited release Chocolate Love Stout, available now through February 2017. Traditionally available starting in January, Chocolate Love Stout hits shelves and taps a month early this year to give fans more time to enjoy this sensual brew throughout the winter months.
In an industry becoming more crowded and complex every single day, it’s important to look back at the accomplishments of brewers all fighting to stand out in a beer category that now includes nearly 5,000 companies. To recognize the achievements of some of these companies, Brewbound acknowledged the following recipients in the areas of philanthropy, marketing, collaboration, production innovation and overall business success. Winners of the 2016 Brewbound Awards were named during the Brewbound Session business conference, which took place on December 1, 2016 in San Diego, CA.
It’s not a fest until it’s a Session Fest. One of Full Sail Brewing’s annual favorites,gold-medal winning Session Fest is a holiday beer that comes in a stubby little bottle, makes a great stocking stuffer, and is the perfect beer to leave by the fireplace for Santa or to share with friends and family who may appreciate an approachable, yet flavorful holiday beer.
