Craft beer industry news.
J. Wakefield Brewing has announced expanded distribution plans, partnering with Cavalier Distributing as their distributor for Orlando and Tampa. Beginning immediately, Cavalier will distribute draught versions of J. Wakefield’s flagship beers including El Jefe Hefeweizen, Hops 4 Teacher IPA, Amber Waves, 24th Street Brown Ale, and UJP Porter, as well as seasonal and limited releases as they are available.
With six hop varieties, 6% ABV, and 60 IBUs, Highland’s new seasonal, Southern Sixer IPA, will have hop fiends grabbing another six-pack. Great hops and a deep dive into sensory panels and dry hop trials led this complex IPA to its final form.
Carton Brewing’s next small batch beers, Regular Coffee, Café Y’ Churro, and Caffé Corretto will be released in the Tasting Room Sunday, January 1st 12-5. Regular Coffee will be available in 4pk cans (four 4pks per person), Café Y’ Churro and Caffé Corretto will be available in mixed 4pk cans, 2 of each per 4pk (one case per person). Regular Coffee will be available for 64oz and 32oz growler fills, Café Y’ Churro and Caffé Corretto will be available for 32oz growler fills (one per person of each).
The waves can reach 50 feet high, sometimes higher. Competitors enter the waves under their own strength and face down one of natures most dangerous forces. One mistake and they’re in the biggest washing machine imaginable.
Catawba has big plans for their Small Batch Program, with 52 new beers destined for release in 2017. Every Thursday throughout the year, all Catawba tasting rooms will tap a new Small Batch beer brewed in their Asheville South Slope 7-barrel brewhouse. And now the brewery has a new rewards program for regular customers who want to go the extra mile toward Catawba beer enlightenment.
Our series of New-England saisons continues with Lineage Oat, a wild ale featuring Valley Malt Oats. This grain provides a subtle and balancing backbone to compliment the complex characteristics derived from aging in oak barrels with our wild yeast blend.
We said it one year ago and we’ll say it again: What an exhausting year. Much like the 12 months before it, 2016 brought plenty of headlines about the continued evolution of the beer segment. Dozens of craft brewery owners sold all or parts of their businesses, key executives at many of the country’s top beer companies vacated their positions and taproom culture began to boom at a time when sales for some of the largest and most established players softened. So, with another busy year in the books, let’s take a look back at some of the more noteworthy storylines in 2016.
Many within Boulevard Brewing Company believed Jeff Krum was preparing for retirement. Krum, Duvel USA’s vice president of corporate affairs and a 22-year Boulevard veteran, had spent 18 months months away from the brewery’s day-to-day operations after being assigned to complete special projects, such as a new visitors center and beer hall, which opened in July on Kansas City, Missouri’s Westside.
There’s bad blood brewing in Minnesota. Summit Brewing Company is suing two former employees, accusing them “of conspiring to sell the company’s confidential trade secrets to high-level executives for ‘a direct competitor,’” according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Dogfish Head is kicking off the New Year with a throwback release of one of its most popular seasonal beers. Olde School Barleywine, a classic, ageable ale, will be reintroduced into the world starting January 3, 2017, bringing unfiltered depth and fruity righteousness to worthy beer lovers across the universe, aka the clever 31 states + D.C. that sell delicious Dogfish Head Craft Brewery beers.
Bell’s Oatsmobile is heading to the canning line in 2017. Beginning in the spring, Bell’s hop-forward American Pale Ale will transition away from bottles as existing packaging materials are used up.
Fremont Brewing of Seattle, Washington will launch a new Spring Seasonal called Lush IPA on January 2, 2017 from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Fremont’s Urban Beer Garden. Lush IPA will be on draft and there will also be a Citra hop infusion, a Mosaic hop infusion, and a Lush IPA cask.
Beer distributors have been adapting to changes in the marketplace, on one level or another, for decades. When retailers asked distributors for greater levels of service, the merchandising department was created. As on-premise accounts added more draft lines, distributors were asked to clean the lines and assist with repairs or new installations. So what makes the SKU proliferation of the past decade, and the level of associated changes, different from the above-mentioned service layers?
Red Hare Brewing Company’s new Gem City Classic Craft Light Lager – or “Classic” for short – is brewed to drink easy and finish clean. The use of Citra hops in a light beer is very unique; and by adding Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops the crisp quality of this beer is complemented by fragrant aromas with no overpowering bitterness. At just 4.2% ABV and only 140 calories per can, Classic is the perfect beer for sports fans to drink while enjoying a game. “Inspired by Marietta’s reputation as the Gem City of the south, we set out to create a beer that reaffirmed the heritage of our Gem City,” says Roger Davis, Red Hare Founder and Managing Partner.
