You might be asking yourself what significance the Cicerone Program reaching 10,000 “Certified Beer Servers” has. You might even be asking yourself what the heck a Cicerone is. According to the company website, a Cicerone is someone who has a “proven expertise in selecting, acquiring and serving today’s wide range of beers.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Beer Institute today released new data that show retail beer sales rose more than 2 percent in 2011, highlighting beer’s continued strength within the alcohol beverage sector. The growth in retail revenue, especially from restaurants and convenience stores, puts total retail sales at more than $98 billion last year.
It’s a becoming a common trend. “Big beer” wholesalers sharing craft brands across multiple territories in an attempt to help small brewers grow their brands through a wider distribution network. Last week, Evan Benn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that three of Missouri’s biggest Anheuser-Busch InBev distributors had reached an agreement to pool their… Read more »
When done properly, there are very few beers that have the appeal of a well-crafted Belgian IPA. Wiledeman is the first of 12 new beers being introduced this year by Flying Dog and if this offering is any indication of how the other 11 will turn out, we can’t wait to sample. It’s a variation… Read more »
Let’s be honest. Most brown ales aren’t going to knock your socks off. The nice part about a good brown ale is that its incredibly drinkable. Brown ales aren’t meant to exceed 6 percent ABV and they usually end up being very approachable. Redhook’s Nut Brown is no different. It pours a light brown, almost… Read more »
Harpoon Founders Dan Kenary and Rich Doyle settled their Super Bowl bet with Brooklyn Brewery president Steve Hindy, yesterday. As part of the bet, Kenary, Doyle and other brewery members had to don NY Giants garb and tap a keg of Brooklyn BLAST! in the brewery tasting room.
Arborway Imports is quickly becoming a key player in the craft beer distribution game in Massachusetts. The distributor, best known for its vast wine offerings, today announced a new distribution partnership with Framingham, Mass. based startup Jack’s Abby.
The cider category is officially hot. MillerCoors’ craft and import division, Tenth and Blake, announced today the purchase of Crispin Cider. The category has been receiving lots of attention as of late, even being described as ‘the next craft beer,’ by some beverage industry members.
It’s been nearly four years in the making, but the president of Mercury Brewing Co., Rob Martin, said he will soon be able to move his brewery to a new location. Mercury, which makes Ipswich Ale and Stone Cat Ales and Lagers, is ready to resume construction at its new home, a space much larger… Read more »
Odell’s newest single serve release is Footprint RegionAle, a beer that pays tribute to the brewery’s regional distribution model. Footprint features select ingredients from all 10 states that Odell beers are sold. But you might be surprised to learn exactly how the beer was crafted.
Sometimes there is just no replacement for a simple, well-made beer. Saranac White IPA is exactly that. In fact, it might be one of the better offerings to ever come out of the F.X. Matt brewery. The white IPA has become an increasingly popular hybrid style amongst many craft brewers but few have been able… Read more »
While it promises to offer faster routes to market and a reduction in transportation costs, the news that Sierra Nevada has decided to add a production facility on the other side of the country means that the company will likely face a new set of logistical challenges, according to beer industry experts.
So, is it beer? Wine? Both?!? Dogfish Head has blended the two cultures in one bottle with their Noble Rot offering. They’ve used a Belgian yeast with pils and wheat malts in conjunction with the juice of botrytis infected viognier grapes and pinot gris must. Put that all together in a Dogfish Head embossed bottle… Read more »
Smuttynose certainly doesn’t mess around when it comes to their BIG BEER series and Baltic Porter doesn’t disappoint. Baltic Porter is an incredibly well made beer with no frills, something that often goes unnoticed in an industry that prides itself on style innovation. This beer pours a jet black in color with a frothy mocha-colored… Read more »
