Craft beer industry news.
Austin, TX — We’re very excited to introduce, Jester King / Live Oak: Kollaborationsbiermittschechischemhopfenundwilderbakterienhefekombination. ÔǪ(or Kollaborationsbier for short) — our collaboration with Live Oak Brewing Co.
Newport, RI — With a focus on citrus hops from the southern hemisphere and an oak barrel finish, this double India Pale Ale from Newport Storm is just the thing to get hysterical about- if you’re into that sort of thing.
The statement “I’m going blond” doesn’t usually imply the long term. Maybe a brunette seeks brief, superficial change to counter the monotony of stylistic routine. Perhaps she just wants to look like Kim Novak. Or Lance Bass. But no matter the motive, going blond is typically seen as something temporary. It remains to be seen if the beer industry should consider Guinness’ recent release of Guinness Blonde American Lager as an act of whimsy.
How do you earn wholesaler attention if you’re a small craft beer brand trying to compete in today’s crowded marketplace? “Elbow grease and shoe leather,” says John Bryant, a partner at No-Li Brewhouse, based in Spokane, Washington. Make that axel grease. Bryant will put about 50,000 miles on his truck this year, driving all over the Pacific Northwest to hand-sell his company’s portfolio.
WASHINGTON, DC — As Vice President and General Counsel for the Beer Institute, Mary Jane Saunders serves in a diversity of roles on behalf of brewers and beer importers, an industry that supports the employment of more than two million Americans and contributes $246.6 billion to America’s economy.
Based on recent sales data, one might deduce that on-premise consumption of craft beer is growing at the expense of premium light options. Taking a closer look at third quarter numbers, however, it appears that beer sales in restaurants and bars are experiencing a lull across the category. On-premise volume sales of premium light beer dipped by 1.9 percent through the first 10 months of 2014, as compared to the same time period in the previous year.
When Yuengling announced it would be launching into Massachusetts and Rhode Island earlier this year, Narragansett Beer president Mark Hellendrung expected sales to take a hit. The question was whether it would sink the brand. Hellendrung feared that sales of his company’s flagship lager — which makes up about 75 percent of ‘Gansett’s total production — would decline.
Cigar City’s search for a second production facility took the company to the Carolinas this week. As reported this morning by the Citizen Times, Joey Redner, founder of the Florida-based craft brewery, has been scouting locations in Western North Carolina as well as in Upstate South Carolina, in hopes of finding a place to build a new brewery comparable in size to its flagship facility in Tampa.
COMSTOCK, Mich. — Bell’s Brewery, Inc. in partnership with The Proper Possible Movement (Proper) and other Kalamazoo area businesses are teaming up to raise awareness and money to help fight cancer.
LOS ANGELES — Fireman’s Brew, a Los Angeles-based craft beer company founded by two firefighters, today announced that its hand-crafted beers are now available at all Fresh & Easy locations in California and Nevada. Now craft beer fans throughout both states will be able to buy Fireman’s Brew award-winning beers at their convenient local Fresh… Read more »
Washington, D.C. — Today the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) and the Global Alcohol Producers Group (GAPG) announced that Ann Keeling will serve as CEO of the new organization established as a result of the ICAP-GAPG merger.
Continuing to build out a footprint on the eastern half of the country, Deschutes Brewery has announced plans to expand distribution throughout Washington D.C. and northern Virginia early next month. The brewery, headquartered out of Bend, Ore., has signed agreements with Premium Distributors — part of the Reyes Beverage Group — in both markets.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Brew Hub, a company that provides brewing, packaging, distribution and selling services for craft brewers, has chosen MicroStar Logistics to meet their expanding keg needs.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Heineken today announced a landmark, long-term partnership agreement with Major League Soccer (MLS) to become the Official Beer of MLS. The partnership, which commences in January 2015, further establishes Heineken’s standing as a worldwide leader in the sport and gives the brand an additional springboard to challenge Americans to chase new… Read more »
