Canned beer rapidly becoming a trend among smaller breweries in the United States. There are obvious benefits to canning – cans are allowed in more places, lighter for shipping, shields beer from light, recyclable, etc. So why aren’t more Continue Reading →
Deschutes Brewery officially announced that it will begin selling Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale in Missouri starting the week of January 9, 2012.
Missourians along the I-70 corridor will be pleased to know that they can extend Continue Reading →
Short Version: Stevens Point Brewing is experiencing double digit sales growth. Another brewmaster is needed. Enter Gabe Hopkins from Oklahoma, a biochemist by trade.
Gabe’s brewing talents have been put to good use as the Stevens Point Brewery Continue Reading →
Singer Adele has made beer news by making a stipulation on her tour that North American beer is not acceptable.
Following a concert, Adele asks that her tour bus be stocked with a selection of “bite-size” chocolate bars, including Twix, Aero, Milky Way, and Mars. She also wants some organic muesli and six “Cereal bars.”
The singer also requires two bottles of the “very best quality red wine” and 12 bottles of “best quality European lager beer. ie Becks, Stella Artois, Peroni etc.” And if promotion staff had any confusion about her brew needs, Adele adds, “North American beer is NOT acceptable.”
Is this ALL North American beer? Or just big North American lagers? (Re: Bud, Miller, Coors, etc). See the documents below for the band’s dressing room and tour bus. [SmokingGun]
The band bus (NOT Budweiser, Miller or “National Brand.”)
Canned beer rapidly becoming a trend among smaller breweries in the United States. There are obvious benefits to canning – cans are allowed in more places, lighter for shipping, shields beer from light, recyclable, etc. So why aren’t more people doing it? Well, for one – expensive. You need a separate canning line, plus empty cans are sold by the 18 wheeler load – at a price of $30,000 dollars or more. Plus, a lot of small breweries just don’t have the real estate for canning apparatus.
That’s where The Can Van hopes to step in. The company was founded by 5 friends who met in the MBA program at Presidio Graduate School. Jenn Coyle, Lindsey Herrema, Kate Drane, Jake Blackshear, and Heath Cox have been fundraising to get The Can Van concept off the ground. Or… rolling as it were. The concept is simple. A big trailer with canning equipment, cans, and access to the the tanks. Boom, you’re canning. The company hasn’t mentioned how fast it is able to can, but I would bet at high speed, it could keep up with integrated canning systems.
Labels? That is an question. I highly doubt The Can Van has the capital to buy pallets of brewery specific pre-printed cans from Ball, or wherever the artwork is done. In theory, you could use government approved can label artwork on stickers. As of 12/7, they are running about 7,000 short of their fundraising goal. Check out the video. [IndieGo-Go]
Deschutes Breweryofficially announced that it will begin selling Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale in Missouri starting the week of January 9, 2012.
Missourians along the I-70 corridor will be pleased to know that they can extend the New Year celebratory festivities with Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter, the nation’s number one selling craft porter, in 22-ounce bottles and on draft. For those who view dark beer with suspicion, this deep, velvety brew dispels lingering myths and has been creating zealous enthusiasts for over 23 years. But the cup of kindness for auld lang syne doesn’t end there: Mirror Pond Pale Ale will be bringing its own definitive Cascade hop aroma and hop forward flavor into play. This quintessential, deftly balanced pale ale will likewise be available in 22-ounce bottles and on draft.
Deschutes will also be bringing in a limited amount of The Stoic, Black Butte XXIII and The Abyss for Missouri’s serious beer fanatics, as well as 22-ounce bottles of Hop Henge Experimental IPA. Six-packs of Mirror Pond, Black Butte Porter, Inversion IPA and Red Chair NWPA will be available later down the road.
“For years, our fans have been pleading with us to bring our beers farther east, and Missouri was the ideal step in that direction,” said Gary Fish, president and founder of Deschutes Brewery. “Our recent collaboration brew with Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City gave us tangible knowledge of just how passionate Missourians are about their craft beer. We’re looking forward to formally introducing our beers to the market there and getting to know the beer enthusiasts in this region even better.”
For the initial launch, Deschutes will partner with nine distributors to provide beer to the Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis markets, including Lohr Distributing, County Beverage, County Distributing, NH Scheppers Distributing, North Kansas City Beverage, HW Herrell Distributing, United Beverage, Grey Eagle and Krey. Phase two of the brewery’s entry into Missouri will expand distribution to the rest of the state via an additional 15 distributors in March.
For more information on where Deschutes Brewery beer will be available in Missouri, please contact one of the distributors listed above until a Deschutes Brewery Market Manager has been selected.
About Deschutes Brewery
Located in beautiful Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery is in the business of daring people to expect more from their beer. That’s why we started off in 1988, on the banks of the Deschutes River here in Bend, Oregon, by selling Black Butte Porter at a time when others were sure a dark beer would never catch on. Our brewers love to push the envelope, especially if it makes someone nervous. But for us, the highest praise is a raised glass and a toast of “Bravely Done!” For more information about Deschutes Brewery and its courageously crafted beers, please visit www.DeschutesBrewery.com.
Short Version: Stevens Point Brewing is experiencing double digit sales growth. Another brewmaster is needed. Enter Gabe Hopkins from Oklahoma, a biochemist by trade.
Gabe’s brewing talents have been put to good use as the Stevens Point Brewery continues to grow. Point Oktoberfest, for example, has proved so popular that production was increased by 70 percent this year. A new 12-pack can package for the fall seasonal was also introduced. To meet the ever-increasing demand for Point Oktoberfest and its other year-round and seasonal craft beers, the brewery expanded its production capacity by 25 percent to 100,000 barrels, adding more warehouse space, new aging tanks and new fermenting tanks.
Full Press Release:
STEVENS POINT, Wis. (December 6, 2011) – A new brewmaster is on the job at the Stevens Point Brewery, which expanded its production capacity earlier this year to keep pace with continued double-digit sales growth.
Gabe Hopkins, a native Oklahoman who is a veteran of regional breweries in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, joins long-time Brewmaster John Zappa to brew Stevens Point Brewery’s portfolio of handcrafted specialty beers.
“We expanded our production capacity to keep up with increasing demand and it was only a matter of time before we needed to bring in some brewing reinforcements,” said Joe Martino, Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner. “We are thrilled to add someone like Gabe, with his experience, talents and creativity, to our brewing team. Point beer lovers everywhere will reap the benefits.”
Originally from Stillwater, Okla., Gabe earned a degree in biochemistry from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. During his brewing career he has brewed everything from American-style “macro-beer” lagers to high-end craft ales and lagers.
“My brewing philosophy is very simple and straight-forward: I want to brew the best, most drinkable craft beers possible and continue to grow Point’s brands,” Gabe said. “Brewing high-quality, drinkable craft beers are what the Point Brewery does best and I am excited to become part of the team. Satisfying Point’s loyal customers and recruiting new craft drinkers from the world of macro-beers is what it’s all about.”
What is Gabe’s favorite Point beer? “I enjoy them all, but I would have to say Cascade Pale Ale is my favorite,” he said. “It is a hoppy, very well-balanced beer with an excellent clean finish. It is delicious.”
Gabe’s brewing talents have been put to good use as the Stevens Point Brewery continues to grow. Point Oktoberfest, for example, has proved so popular that production was increased by 70 percent this year. A new 12-pack can package for the fall seasonal was also introduced. To meet the ever-increasing demand for Point Oktoberfest and its other year-round and seasonal craft beers, the brewery expanded its production capacity by 25 percent to 100,000 barrels, adding more warehouse space, new aging tanks and new fermenting tanks
Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew their handcrafted beers, including flagship Point Special Lager, which won the gold medal in the American Premium Lager category at the 2003 Great American Beer Festival.
Seasonal specialty brands include Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a dark, abbey-style ale available from November through February; Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, an award-winning unfiltered wheat ale; and Point Oktoberfest, a Bavarian-style Märzen beer for the fall.
Point’s year-round specialty beers include Point 2012 Black Ale, a robust dark ale; Point Horizon Wheat, an unfiltered wheat ale; Point Belgian White, a Belgian-style wheat ale; Point Burly Brown American Brown Ale; Point Cascade Pale Ale, a hoppy American-style pale ale; and Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager. The brewery’s craft beers also include the Whole Hog Limited Edition Brewmaster’s Series of “big beers,” including year-round Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale, and seasonal Whole Hog Raspberry Saison, Whole Hog Russian Imperial Stout, Whole Hog Barley Wine Ale and Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale.
Stevens Point Brewery also brews the James Page specialty beers, including Iron Range Amber Lager, Burly Brown Ale, and Voyageur Extra Pale Ale.
Gourmet soft drinks from the Stevens Point Brewery include Point Premium Root Beer, Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda. Point Premium Root Beer, made with pure cane sugar, natural vanilla and Wisconsin honey, was awarded a gold medal by the Beverage Testing Institute.
For more information about the Stevens Point Brewery, visit www.pointbeer.com or call1-800-369-4911. Tours of the brewery are available, with schedules listed on the web site.
Anchor Brewing has joined the tech party. Recently they joined Twitter: @AnchorBrewing, and Facebook. Today they unveiled a new, beautiful website.
The site shows off the beer lineup & history, with a schwag store, and a trade login (for bars and restaurants.) If you scroll to the bottom, you can even find out what they are brewing and bottling on that day. The site is visually stunning and a huge step forward for one of America’s oldest craft breweries. [Anchor]
note: Anchor has been on Facebook for a little while, but it looks like they are interacting with it more.
Up to 7 Starbucks in the Chicago area will be expanding their menus to sell wine and beer by the end of 2012.
The Seattle-based coffee giant announced the plan this week, as the Seattle Times reports. Beer & Wine will be sold after 2pm.
Beer will be part of the store in some instances, while others will be retro fitted for beer sales. More live entertainment will be featured at these locations selling alcoholic beverages. This is just the beginning, as Starbucks plans to roll out more locations featuring beer (& wine) in the future.
By October 2012, Starbucks plans to open six to 10 new stores and remodel another 100. Each remodel employs 30 to 50 construction workers and new stores represent about 15 jobs apiece, he said. Starbucks employs about 5,000 people in the Chicago area… [Chicago Tribune, HuffPo]
