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Brewers Association Announces 2009 Craft Brewer Sales Numbers
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| March 08, 2010 - Boulder, CO - The Brewers Association, the trade association that tabulates production statistics for US breweries, today released 2009 data on the U.S. craft brewing industry. In a year when other brewers saw a slowdown in sales, small and independent craft brewers (see definition)1 saw sales dollars increase 10.3 percent and volume increase 7.2 percent over 2008, representing a growth of 613,992 barrels equal to roughly 8.5 million cases.
Overall, U.S. beer sales were down approximately 5 million barrels (31 gallons per U.S. barrel) in 2009.
"Beer lovers continue to find great value and enjoyment in fuller flavored craft beers," said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. "Americans have an increasing appreciation of craft beers, and the growing number of brewers behind them. They’re eager to try the latest seasonal release and to sample a variety of beers from different breweries."
In 2009, craft brewers represented 4.3 percent of volume and 6.9 percent of retail dollars for the total U.S. beer category. With the total U.S. beer industry representing an estimated retail dollar value of $101 billion, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figure from craft brewers in 2009 was $7 billion, up from $6.3 billion in 2008.
The total number of U.S. craft brewers grew from 1,485 to 1,542 in 2009, and they produced 9,115,635 barrels, up from 8,501,713 barrels in 2008. Overall U.S. beer sales fell from approximately 210.4 million barrels to 205.8 million barrels.
The 2009 growth and popularity of beer from small and independent breweries did not go unnoticed by industry observers. The National Restaurant Association Chef Survey (see results), for example, cited "locally-produced wine and beer" among its top five overall trends to watch for in 2010. In the alcohol and cocktails category, the organization ranked "locally-produced wine and beer" as its top trend, while "food-beer pairings" came in at number five on the list. |
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Left Hand Delivers the Good Juju
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| March 05, 2010 - (LONGMONT, CO) – Open your eyes and look within. Are you satisfied with the beer you're drinking? We know where we're going; we all know where we're from. We're leaving the dark of winter, y'all! We're going to the summer land. Emancipate yourself from the dead of winter, none but the vernal equinox can free the light. Everything's gonna be alright!
Welcome to Good Juju Ale, Left Hand Brewing Company's spring/summer seasonal, available throughout the longer, lazier days of summer that are just around the corner. Good Juju pours a clear, golden color with a rather thick white head. The ginger makes itself known in the nose right from the start, allowing a fresh and clean beginning to this most refreshing beer. Incredibly smooth mouthfeel, with the flavors going straight down the middle of your tongue. The addition of Biker Dude Hawaiian organic ginger root ties in well with the Centennial, US Golding and Sterling hops, allowing for a distinctive, crisp, drinkable beer. Incredibly light-bodied, with a bit of sweetness from the malt backbone, Good Juju finishes very mellow - the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day.
And as we eventually creep back to those shorter days, when the leaves begin to change and fall (and you're itchin' to rock your lederhosen), Good Juju will be replaced by the delicious malt-bomb we call Oktoberfest. And before we know it, light turns to dark, and Fade to Black enters. It's what we like to call the seasonal circle of life here at Left Hand.
Good Juju will be available in 6pks and draft every year.
Where to find some Good Juju
Colorado, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
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Congressman Peter DeFazio to Deliver Keynote Address at Craft Brewers Conference
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| March 05, 2010 - Boulder, CO • March 4, 2010—Keynote speaker Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) will officially open the Brewers Association's (BA) Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Chicago, Illinois on April 8, 2010. More than 1,600 of the world's leading brewers, brewery owners and brewing supply professionals are expected at this year's CBC.
As a long-time homebrewer and craft beer enthusiast, Congressman DeFazio brings real beer and brewing credentials to the annual gathering of brewers. As a legislator, he also understands the importance of ensuring that the voice of small brewers is heard on Capitol Hill.
This awareness lead Congressman DeFazio to co-found and co-chair the House Small Brewers Caucus in Washington, D.C. Bringing together more than 60 U.S. Representatives, the Caucus serves to educate Congress about the unique issues and challenges faced by America's small brewery businesses.
Congressman DeFazio has also championed the cause of small brewers through his early and influential support of H.R. 4278, the graduated excise tax reduction legislation now under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"Congressman DeFazio is a true advocate for small brewers, and we're extremely fortunate to have him join us in Chicago" said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association. "He has a real passion for the breweries, the brewers and the beer, and he truly understands the unique issues of our industry. Introducing him to the 1,600+ brewers attending CBC will be a real pleasure."
"American small brewers are true craftsmen, producing some of the finest beers in the world. As a home brewer myself, I have a deep appreciation for the quality of their work. But, perhaps more important than their fine beers, is their place in local communities. These small business men and women create jobs and economic activity, and are an integral part of local community culture. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to this growing group of innovative business leaders," Congressman DeFazio said.
About the Craft Brewers Conference
The Craft Brewers Conference is known for attracting renowned brewing industry professionals and supporters, such as Congressman DeFazio, as keynote speakers. The CBC is the nation's largest annual gathering of the professional brewing industry. This year's event takes place April 7-10 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.
Conference workshop presenters cover more than 30 topics ranging from technical brewing to how to manage and market a brewery. A complete list of speakers and selected seminar topics is available at CraftBrewersConference.com.
Also at the CBC this year is the BA's World Beer Cup®, an international beer competition held every two years. Awards for this competition will be presented on Saturday evening, April 10 at the World Beer Cup gala awards ceremony and dinner.
An additional component of the Craft Brewers Conference is BrewExpo America, the nation's largest trade show for the craft brewing industry, featuring more than 180 of the top vendors in the industry. Attendees will also enjoy numerous social opportunities to sample the diversity of beers available in the Chicago area.
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AMADA TO HOST BEER DINNER
WITH LOCAL BREWING POWERHOUSE STOUDT'S
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| February 26, 2010 - PHILADELPHIA, PA - On Monday, March 8, beginning at 6 p.m., Chef Jose Garces' acclaimed Old City Spanish tapas bar and restaurant, Amada (217-219 Chestnut Street, 215-625-2450), will host a special Beer Dinner in collaboration with local craft brewing powerhouse Stoudt's Brewing Company. Featuring a reception from 6 till 6:30 p.m. followed by a five-course dinner pairing Chef de Cuisine Macgregor Mann's flavorful cuisine with the brewery's extraordinary beers, the $65 per person dinner – set in Amada's gorgeous Matador Lounge and Private Dining Room – is co-hosted by Stoudt's founder and self-proclaimed "Queen of Hops" Carol Stoudt. Reservations are required.
"The wide variety of Andalusian tapas plates that we serve at Amada is complemented beautifully by the depth and complexity of Stoudt's beers," says Chef Mann. "This special dinner event is a fun way to highlight the work of one of our favorite local breweries alongside our delectable menu of Spanish dishes."
The menu will include: Oktober Fest paired with Smoked Sea Scallop with Barley Risotto; Bock paired with American "Brie Style" Cheese in Coral Form with Almond Crackers; Double IPA paired with "Hopped" Organic Egg, Black Garlic Puree, Crispy Bacon and Smoked Trout Roe; Fat Dog Stout paired with Malt Braised Venison Leg and Caramelized Yogurt; and Old Abominable Barley Wine paired with Dulce de Leche.
Amada has earned a strong reputation among beer lovers for their commitment to bringing unusual and exciting beers and pairings to Philadelphia. The restaurant was the first to offer Damm Inedit, a legendary Spanish wheat beer, in the state of Pennsylvania, and has hosted an ongoing series of hugely successful beer dinners, notably collaborating with Brooklyn Brewery's Garret Oliver for a memorable event during Philly Beer Week 2009.
Praise for Amada has been universal; Chef Garces, who won the prestigious James Beard Foundation's "Best Chef Mid-Atlantic" award in 2009 and was recently crowned Food Network's newest Iron Chef, has long been an ambassador of contemporary Latin cuisine, appearing regularly alongside his restaurants in The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel Channel's Epicurious TV, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and the Wall Street Journal.
Stoudt's Brewing Company is a 20-year-old microbrewery that reaches 17 states with more than 10,000 barrels of beer each year. Founded by Ed and Carol Stoudt, the brewery is located in Adamstown, PA and renowned for such flavorful offerings as their American Pale Ale and Scarlett Lady Ale. For more information, please visit www.stoudtsbeer.com.
Amada is open for dinner seven nights a week, and serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. For more information, or to make a reservation, please call (215) 625-2450 or visit www.amadarestaurant.com. |
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FLYING FISH BREWING COMPANY ANNOUNCES
THE NEWEST ENTRY IN THEIR BIG BOTTLE EXIT SERIES
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| February 26, 2010 - CHERRY HILL, NJ - Flying Fish Brewing Company (1940 Olney Avenue, 856-489-0061), is excited to announce the debut of their new Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA, the latest entry in their "Exit Series" of big-bottle beers honoring their home state of New Jersey. Exit 16 bottles will be available by mid-March and will also on be on draft in limited quantities throughout the region.
"Exit 16 is a fun, flavorful tribute to one of the Meadowlands' indigenous food sources: wild rice," says Flying Fish founder Gene Muller. "Even though the area is better known these days as home to pipelines, landfills, and some so-called ‘New York' sports teams, we see the beauty in the marsh landscape and wanted to celebrate its past and express our hope that it will be restored and preserved in the future."
On Monday, March 8 from 6 to 8 pm, Flying Fish will hold an Exit 16 launch event in center city Philadelphia at McGillian's Olde Ale House (310 Drury Street), on the second floor, with Muller and Head Brewer Casey Hughes tapping the first keg. Event will be pay-as-you-go.
Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA is named for the exit that leads travelers across the salt-marsh of the Meadowlands to the Sportsplex and Lincoln Tunnel. The beer was brewed with over 1,200 pounds of wild, organic brown and white rice, which helps the beer ferment dry to better showcase the five varieties of hops that are brewed in. It is later dry-hopped with generous additions of Chinook and Citra hops, creating a complex nose with hints of tangerine, mango, papaya and pine. The Exit 16 label includes a Web site, www.hackensackriverkeepers.org, with more information on preservation and restoration projects in the Meadowlands.
The Exit Series will continue with three or four beers a year to eventually encompass all turnpike exits; other entries have included Exit 4 American Trippel, Exit 11 Hoppy American Wheat and Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout. Recently, in response to the overwhelming popularity of series starter Exit 4, the brewery re-released it in six-packs.
Flying Fish was the world's first ‘virtual' microbrewery, establishing an Internet presence as early as 1995. That presence helped to generate press interest and woo investors to the fledgling brewery, which would not open for business until late 1996. Today, Muller and his team oversee four full-time styles, as well as a variety of seasonal beers. Their brews have been featured at the Great British Beer Festival, Oregon Brewers Festival and Canada's Biere de Mondial Festival. They have won medals at the Great American Beer Festival, Real Ale Festival and the World Beer Championships, and are the only New Jersey brewery featured in Best American Beers. Flying Fish was also named "Local Hero: Beverage Artisan of 2009" by Edible Jersey magazine. |
| February 25, 2010 - (LONGMONT, CO) - It's the year 2010. A plague of unbalanced, exaggeratedly hoppy beers have wiped out millions of palates in the United States since 1996. Only a small percentage of the population's discriminating palates have survived to this point. Many beer drinkers are now forced to live without the ability to taste malt. Left Hand Brewing Head Brewer Ro Guenzel volunteered to brew an antidote, going back in time when IPA's were more sessionable and balanced, and to help others discover that not all hops are of a big, citrusy character. The result? 400 Pound Monkey IPA.
Welcome to the jungle. Joe Schiraldi, VP of Brewing Operations, waxed poetic. "Just when you thought that the world needs another IPA like it needs another virus, we've started to brew a year-round IPA. But this one ain't like them others. It's an English-style IPA that separates itself from the ubiquitous bunch. Any monkey can throw 400 pounds of hops in a kettle."
Brassy in color, with an off-white head, the Monkey exhibits an earthiness quite different from American-style IPAs. Soft aromas of freshly cut hay, bitter orange and white cheese rind (courtesy of Boadicea and Sovereign hop varieties) are the first impression. But once the cage has been opened and a sip savored, a multi-pronged 12-monkey assault on the palate begins. The initial bready maltiness is attacked immediately by a variety of flavors ranging from green tea to glacier melt water to wild flower honey, coating your palate and refusing to leave.
"But just as one monkey arouses a great deal of amusement, two or more double the interest and amusement, which is why you should have more than one," says Ro. "If you allow this beer to warm up, that's where the Monkey really begins to shine. The malt starts to open, balancing the hop attack, but still allowing a very long herbal hoppiness to linger on your tongue. There's just a lot going on."
So, alas, comes the inevitable questions – what are the ABV and IBU? Well, the Monkey weighs in at 6.8% ABV, but the bitterness? Well, it depends on perception versus reality, but a polite monkey never tells. |
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Upslope Named Best Pale Ale by Maxim Magazine
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| January 20, 2010 - Boulder, Colorado -- Upslope Pale Ale has been awarded Best Pale Ale by Maxim Magazine. In its upcoming February issue, the magazine's cover feature, "The 25 Best New Beers In America" highlights Upslope as Best Pale Ale among other "top new brews of our nation's beer renaissance."
After sampling hundreds of new American beers, Maxim writer, Mike Dawson, declared Upslope Pale Ale to be among ... "the 25 tastiest, most life-affirming concoctions to hit the shelves recently." Chosen as Best Pale Ale, Maxim's review of Upslope goes on to say, "These guys opened shop in late 2008, and they already own our taste buds thanks to their pale. It's the most palatable craft beer we've gulped in a while. Check the ingredients: 'Snow melt, malt, Patagonian hops, yeast.' We're officially down with Upslope."
Still feeling the rush of bringing home two bronze medals from the Great American Beer Festival in September, Upslope is thrilled to add Maxim's recognition to the young brewery's momentum. "We're honored by Maxim's distinction as Best Pale Ale and couldn't be more pleased to be considered among the ranks of such breweries as Oskar Blues, New Belgium and Great Divide," said Matt Cutter, Founder of Upslope.
Upslope Brewing Company, a new microbrewery located in Boulder, Colorado, taps into today's on-the-go beer enthusiast's active lifestyle by offering superior quality hand-crafted ales in cans. The teaming of fine ales in cans allows Upslope's products to be fresh, mobile, and easily part of an active lifestyle. Shared with friends after a long mountain bike ride, enjoyed at the end of skinning up and skiing down a snowy trail, or ordered in a local pub, Upslope is a natural fit for the active beer consumer.
Upslope is pleased to join Maxim magazine in the challenge thrown down to its readers in its "Best New Beers in America" feature, "We dare you to take a slug and not smile!" |
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Oskar Blues Brewery Strikes Black Gold As Maxim Magazine Announces Ten FIDY in 25 Best New Beers In America
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| January 17, 2010 - LONGMONT, CO - Oskar Blues Brewery’s voluptuous Imperial Stout in a can was named in MAXIM Magazine's February cover feature "Top 25 Best New Beers In America". The avant-garde craft brewery, which aroused the craft-beer-in-a-can craze, continues to push the boundaries of what is expected out of a canned beer.
Mike Dawson, the author of the article says, "The beer pros at Oskar Blues have struck black gold. This canned, oh-so-drinkable skull-crusher is thick and black like Texas tea, smells like sweet pipe tobacco, and has deep notes of maple bacon, cherries, and mesquite".
In addition to "The Top 25 New Beers In America" Ten FIDY has been tagged with accolades that nearly stand up to the viscosity of the behemoth in a can:
· "The biggest, baddest, boldest beer in a can" from Celebrator Beer News
· "2008 Beer of the Year" The Denver Post
· "100 Rating" – Ratebeer.com
· "A-Rating" – Beeradvocate.com
Oskar Blues limited winter release, Ten FIDY, is approximately 10 percent ABV and made with an enormous amount of two-row malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, flaked oats and hops. The gargantuan grain bill creates inimitable flavors of chocolate-covered caramel and coffee that hide a hefty 98 IBUs underneath the smooth blanket of malt.
Ten FIDY is conveniently packaged in 12-ounce cans and sold in 4-pack carriers. It is sparingly available each year from October through February. The suggested retail price of this limited release is $14.49 per 4-pack. Oskar Blues Brewery’s Imperial Stout accompanies an impressive line-up of boundary busting canned beer getable in 25 states. For more information about where to purchase Oskar Blues beer visit http://www.oskarblues.com/about-us/beer-locator. |
| December 28, 2009 - (Probrewer.com) - Big QC Day, the industry's first large-scale analytical testing program for breweries of all sizes will take place again this January. Launched three years ago by White Labs, the goal was to encourage beer testing by offering convenience and a low price.
White Labs can accomplish this goal by collecting a large number of samples simultaneously.
Big QC Day 2010 includes all of the following tests: alcohol, IBUs, calories, color, pH, density, real extract, real & apparent attenuation, total VDK (diacetyl precursor), wild yeast, aerobic & anaerobic bacteria – and more
White Labs provides this annual Big QC Day to promote Quality Control testing and make it affordable for all brewers ranging from the largest to the "pico"-sized.
Brewers can order Big QC Day testing online at www.whitelabs.com (follow the links to Big QC Day or simply click the Big QC Day postcard image) or by calling 888-5-YEAST-5 (888-593-2785) by the Feb. 5, 2010, deadline. |
| December 23, 2009 - (Probrewer.com) - Brewery Ommegang is beginning another expansion of its facility to keep up with demand for its Belgian beers.
The first phase of the $1.8 million project will include the construction of an 8,000 square foot warehouse. Currently Ommegang has to warehouse its products off-site in New Jersey and California. The new warehouse will also provide additional warm cellaring space for the bottle conditioning and will free up space for production.
Recently, the demand has been so high for Ommegang's beers that for a time it was being brewed in Belgium and shipped to the United States.
The next phase of the expansion will see the creation of a new bottling hall, store, restaurant and office space. |
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