|
|
 |
| May 02, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - Brewers are cheering passage of bill that will allow stronger beer to be sold in stores across Vermont.
Beer with an alcohol contest of more than 8 percent are now only available in liquor stores. The bill, which was passed by the Vermont House last year and the Senate this week, would allow the beer to be sold at grocery and convenience stores statewide.
Gov. Jim Douglas is expected to sign the legislation loosening the distribution restrictions soon.
|
| April 29, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - Pyramid Breweries and Magic Hat Brewing Co. have signed a letter of intent for Magic Hat to acquire Pyramid through an all-cash tender offer.
Magic Hat will pay $2.75 for each Pyramid share. The offer represents a 56% premium over Monday's closing price of $1.76 for shares of Pyramid, a Seattle-based beer brewer.
The closing of the proposed transaction is anticipated to occur no later than August 31.
According to a joint press release, the board of directors of Pyramid has approved the transactions contemplated by the Letter of Intent.
"The combination of these two well established, high profile craft breweries will be very complementary given our respective brand portfolios and the geographies in which we predominantly operate. Additionally, there will be a number of important benefits for Pyramid to be part of a private company versus continuing to operate as a stand alone public entity. This consolidation makes both good strategic and financial sense and is well timed, particularly as the beer industry's competitive dynamics continue to intensify," Pyramid CEO Scott Barnum said for the press release. "The Company will continue to have offices in Seattle, its historical home, and will seek opportunities to capitalize on the enhanced assets and capabilities of the new combined entity."
Martin Kelly, CEO of Magic Hat said, "We have a great deal of respect for Pyramid's brand heritage, award-winning beers and its dedicated employees, and look forward to consummating this transaction, which provides both strategic and financial benefits both to Pyramid's and Magic Hat's stakeholders."
Kelly previously served as CEO at Pyramid before joining Magic Hat. |
| April 25, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - Adnams has launched what it calls the first carbon neutral beer brewed in the UK.
According to Adnams managing director Andy Wood, East Green is 25% less carbon intensive to produce than other beers. It has 1p-worth of carbon emissions per bottle, which the brewer has pledged to offset.
"If this beer sold in comparative volumes to Broadside it would be the equivalent of taking six cars off the road a year," he said. "It is a great-tasting light golden beer and it is greener than any other beer on the market."
Supermarket giant Tesco, which has begun a massive campaign to inform consumers of the carbon footprint of all products it sells, has struck an exclusive six month distribution deal for the beer. It will be available on draft sometimes after that.
|
|
New Belgium Best Place to Work
|
| April 23, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - New Belgium Brewing is the best place to work in America according to Outside magazine's inaugural "Best Places to Work" list.
New Belgium Brewing is ranked number one among companies with 250 or more employees. The full list and related stories is published in the May issue of Outside magazine.
"It's a tremendous honor to be recognized as a company where people love what they do and truly enjoy coming to work," said Bryan Simpson, media relations director for New Belgium Brewing. "One of New Belgium's core values is having fun, and that's actually a very important and fulfilling piece of our culture."
The extensive, year-long process initially identified a wide range of non-profit and for-profit organizations with at least 15 employees working in the United States. The companies were then sent a confidential employee satisfaction survey and employer questionnaire to collect information about benefits, policies and practices. The winners were then broken down into three categories: small (15-49 employees); medium (50-249) and large (250).
New Belgium Brewing is named number one for a variety of benefits that co-workers receive including:
After five years of employment, co-workers enjoy an all-expense paid pilgrimage to Belgium to learn about beer culture.
Co-workers are encouraged to commute by bike and receive a custom cruiser bicycle at the end of their first year.
New Belgium Brewing offers on-site yoga, a volleyball court, climbing wall, indoor slide, foosball table and ping-pong for co-workers.
Co-workers are welcome to enjoy a free case of beer per week and are allowed to bring their pets to work.
Co-workers are encouraged to give back to the community; therefore, for every two hours of time spent volunteering, they receive one hour of paid time off.
New Belgium Brewing has an extensive recycling program that is open to co-workers for personal household usage, taking in many products from co-workers that are not picked up curbside.
New Belgium Brewing is employee-owned and practices open book management style - all co-workers have full disclosure of financial data and other company performance indicators.
|
| April 15, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - Goose Island Beer Co. will close its brewpub after negotiations with the landlord failed to bring about a new lease deal.
Goose Island's Wrigleyville location, 3535 N. Clark St., will remain open.
"The lease came due and we couldn't come to an agreement on a lease renewal," says Charles Malk, president of Deerfield-based CRM Properties Group Ltd., which owns the Clybourn building. "It's that simple."
"It's an extremely sad day for me," says John Hall, founder and CEO of Goose Island. "It's where we started and where we developed our reputation and beers."
Hall says Goose Island is looking at other nearby locations but has not reached an agreement to open another brewpub. The 174,600-square-foot Clybourn building, built in 1928, was a former manufacturing center that was converted into retail space in the late 1980s.
Hall says his company brewed more than 2,100 batches of beer, in 200 styles, at the Clybourn location.
Goose Island also operates Fulton Street Brewery, 1800 W. Fulton St. Overall, the company brewed more than 90,000 barrels last year, a number Mr. Hall says could increase by up to 30% this year. |
| April 15, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - The Brewers Association announced its annual list of the top fifty brewing companies. Released are both a Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies list and a list of the Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies. Statistics are based on sales in 2007.
"The majority of breweries in the U.S. are independent craft brewers who continue to push the envelope in flavor and diversity and who continue to set the pace for the beer category," states Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association. "In 2007, 1,406 of the 1,449 breweries were small, independent and traditional brewers."
Twenty-one states are represented in the top 50 brewing companies list, according to the Brewers Association. California hosts eight top breweries. Colorado and Oregon each host five, and Pennsylvania hosts four top producers. The remainder of the top 50 operate from Minnesota (3), New York (3), Wisconsin (3), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (2), Missouri (2), Vermont (2), and Washington (2). Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas each host one.
The following are complete listings of the Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies and the Top 50 Overall Brewing companies.
Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies by Beer Sales Volume (Based on 2007 sales)
Rank Business Name City State
1 Boston Beer Co. Boston MA
2 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
3 New Belgium Brewing Co. Inc. Fort Collins CO
4 Spoetzl Brewery Shiner TX
5 Pyramid Breweries Inc. Seattle WA
6 Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
7 Deschutes Brewery, Inc. Bend OR
8 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
9 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
10 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
11 Alaskan Brewing and Bottling Co. Juneau AK
12 Magic Hat Brewing Co. & Performing Arts Center South Burlington VT
13 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
14 Bell's Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
15 Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland ME
16 Summit Brewing Co. St. Paul MN
17 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
18 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
19 Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
20 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
21 Rogue Ales / Oregon Brewing Newport OR
22 Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
23 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
24 Kona Brewing Co. Kailua-Kona HI
25 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
26 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
27 Great Lakes Brewing Co./Ohio Cleveland OH
28 The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
29 Flying Dog Brewery Denver CO
30 Sweetwater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
31 Bridgeport Brewing Co. Portland OR
32 Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Louisville CO
33 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
34 BJ's Restaurant & Brewery Huntington Beach CA
35 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
36 Mac and Jack's Brewery Redmond WA
37 Lost Coast Brewery and Café Eureka CA
38 Big Sky Brewing Co. Missoula MT
39 Pete's Brewing Co. San Antonio TX
40 Otter Creek Brewing Co. Middlebury VT
41 Karl Strauss Breweries San Diego CA
42 Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO
43 Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Chattanooga TN
44 Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Boonville CA
45 Boulder Beer Co. Boulder CO
46 North Coast Brewing Co. Inc. Fort Bragg CA
47 McMenamins Portland OR
48 Utah Brewers Cooperative Salt Lake City UT
49 Capital Brewing Co. Middleton WI
50 Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY
Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies by Beer Sales Volume (2007 sales)
Rank Business Name City State
1 Anheuser- Busch Inc. St. Louis MO
2 Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee WI
3 Coors Brewing Co. Golden CO
4 Pabst Brewing Co. Woodridge IL
5 Boston Beer Co. Boston MA
6 D.G. Yuengling and Son Inc. Pottsville PA
7 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
8 New Belgium Brewing Co. Inc. Fort Collins CO
9 High Falls Brewing Co. Rochester NY
10 Spoetzl Brewery Shiner TX
11 Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. Portland OR
12 Redhook Ale Brewery Woodinville WA
13 Pyramid Breweries Inc. Seattle WA
14 Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
15 Minhas Craft Brewery Monroe WI
16 Deschutes Brewery, Inc. Bend OR
17 Iron City Brewing Co. Pittsburgh PA
18 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
19 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
20 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
21 Alaskan Brewing and Bottling Co. Juneau AK
22 Magic Hat Brewing Co. & Performing Arts Center South Burlington VT
23 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
24 Bell's Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
25 Goose Island Beer Co. Chicago IL
26 August Schell Brewing Co. New Ulm MN
27 Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland ME
28 Summit Brewing Co. St. Paul MN
29 Mendocino Brewing Co. Ukiah CA
30 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
31 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
32 Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
33 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
34 Rogue Ales / Oregon Brewing Newport OR
35 Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
36 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
37 Kona Brewing Co. Kailua-Kona HI
38 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
39 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
40 Great Lakes Brewing Co./Ohio Cleveland OH
41 The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
42 Flying Dog Brewery Denver CO
43 Sweetwater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
44 Bridgeport Brewing Co. Portland OR
45 Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Louisville CO
46 Gluek Brewing Co. Cold Spring MN
47 Straub Brewery St. Mary's PA
48 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
49 BJ's Restaurant & Brewery Huntington Beach CA
50 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA |
| April 14, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - Some Yakima Valley hop growers are pulling other crops to add new acreage to hops in response to a worldwide shortage that caught everyone - brewers, dealers and growers - by surprise.
A decade of oversupply and low prices that sent acreage plummeting by more than a third is over, at least for now.
Washington, Oregon and Idaho grew hops on 30,911 acres last year, according to industry figures. Growers are feverishly reconditioning yards and adding new land at an unheard-of pace. Growers are receiving multiple-year contracts with prices front-loaded to help them shoulder the estimated $6,000-per-acre cost to plant yards and also upgrade equipment.
Growers couldn't make investments like that when prices were depressed.
"It's basic economics," observed Ann George, administrator of the Moxee-based Washington Hop Commission. "When everyone started making orders, we found we had a shortage. The price went crazy. People are willing to spend large sums."
Northwest hop acreage, which expanded by about 2,000 acres last year as the lack of supply became apparent, could grow by another 5,000 acres this year.
Ralph Olson, general manager of grower-owned HopUnion of Yakima, a buyer who deals primarily with smaller craft brewers, thinks the figure may be closer to 8,000 acres by the time all is said and done. That would be a jump of nearly 25 percent in acreage in one year.
|
|
Craft Distributor Thrives
|
| April 14, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - Early last year, with a leased delivery truck and a used keg cooler, Jeff LeVine founded Carolina Craft Distributing, a wholesaler of craft beers.
A year later, and now selling wine and liquor, LeVine is projecting $3 million in annual sales.
And last month, the Fort Mill resident purchased Charleston's Chavon Distributing, a mainly wine wholesaler, extending his reach from the top of the Palmetto State to the bottom.
"We literally doubled our business overnight," LeVine, 35, said last week in a rare moment of free time.
So, what's the secret to such a meteoric rise from start-up status? LeVine thanks the South Carolina Legislature.
Last April, state lawmakers changed an age-old law that banned beer with more than a 6 percent alcohol volume to allow for alcohol contents in beer up to 17 percent. That opened the door to a new market in South Carolina -- the world of specialty and craft beers, many brewed in small local breweries in other states or countries.
"Because of the wording, South Carolina can now actually sell beer with a higher alcohol content than North Carolina and Georgia," LeVine said, noting neighboring states only allow up to 14 percent alcohol volume. "So, because this is the Bible Belt, I'm sure somebody in Columbia got fired after we figured that out."
Cox said the addition of craft beers in South Carolina has been a boon to other distributors, too. Some of the state's mainstream beer wholesalers have begun carrying a selection of craft beers as bars and restaurants demand the variety, she said.
LeVine, in the beer business since age 20, including a stint in the Czech Republic with a European distributor, said he hopes someday to have headquarters centered in Columbia so he can better serve the whole state. But for now, he's content with his Rock Hill base.
"I couldn't afford to start a new business and move at the same time," he said. "So, Rock Hill it is."
With the purchase of Chavon, LeVine said in coming months he hopes to expand his wine and craft liquor business, where some bottles retail for more than $1,000.
|
| April 11, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - New Belgium Brewing has announced that it will be packaging and distributing its flagship Fat Tire Amber Ale in aluminum cans to limited markets this summer.
"Introducing cans was a natural choice given that they are outdoor-friendly, light for transport and readily recyclable," said Bryan Simpson, spokesperson for New Belgium. "In addition to the lighter carbon footprint, Fat Tire can now travel to places where glass is not an option."
Distributing cans will continue to help lessen New Belgium's footprint by saving fuel during transport to other states by lightening the weight of the trucks. New Belgium has begun this process by using biodiesel in its Ft. Collins distribution trucks and in the trucks used during the Tour de Fat traveling events.
The cans, which are 100% recyclable, will feature Fat Tire's original watercolor artwork.
|
|
Blue Moon Begets Pale Moon
|
| April 10, 2008 - (Probrewer.com) - Coors announced that they will leverage the huge success of Blue Moon by releasing a pale ale called Pale Moon. Pale Moon will test market in select cities starting next month.
Blue Moon has been perhaps the only faux-craft brand by a major brewery to garner success. Coors is projecting sales exceeding one million barrels this year.
The addition of an orange when serving Blue Moon on-premise has been a big draw and a product differentiation. Coors will be promoting the use of an orange with new POS materials, on-premise tastings and off-premise cross merchandising using displays of orange crates alongside the beer cases.
Lastly, Blue Moon is getting a baby brother, Pale Moon (a pale ale). Pale Moon will launch in several test cities next month and rollout nationally in 2009 if all goes well. |
PREVIOUS 10 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 - NEXT 10
|
|
|
|
|
|
