Blue Moon Christmas? Maybe. Gingerbread Ale. A wheat beer brewed with ginger, spices, and molasses. More entries from Blue Moon’s experimental draft series.
Style: Wheat Beer (w/ Ginger, Spices, and Molasses)
Availability: Draft only, as of 12/17/12
5.8% ABV
It took 2 cranes and six days. At the end of it, 16 more tanks were added to New Belgium Brewing’s Fort Collins, Colorado brewery. That’s 12 fermentation tanks, and 4 brite tanks (where finished beer goes) to bring NB’s Continue Reading →
A little bit on how much America drinks…
Healthline
Coming in 2013 is another edition of Stone Brewing Co’s Odd Year Releases. On the upcoming Old Guardian Oak Smoked Barleywine label (the follow up to Old Guardian Belgo 2011), founder Greg Koch meets some Georgia residents in Continue Reading →
Westvleteren XII, the day after. Dozens of boxes of the coveted beer have shown up on eBay for as much as $800. Some dbag wants you to buy the empty box for $100. Reminder to those that didn’t get any. Continue Reading →
Editors Note: Back in December of 2012, I toured nearly done home of Oskar Blues Brewing in Brevard, North Carolina with Anne Fitten Glenn- a well-known beer writer and author from Asheville. These photos were shot on my Canon Rebel Continue Reading →
Brewers Association issued this statement today, referencing large breweries trying to cash in on the “craft beer” mentality. Worth a read…
Boulder, CO – December 13, 2012–The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers, issued the Continue Reading →
It took 2 cranes and six days. At the end of it, 16 more tanks were added to New Belgium Brewing’s Fort Collins, Colorado brewery. That’s 12 fermentation tanks, and 4 brite tanks (where finished beer goes) to bring NB’s total brewing capacity to 840,000 barrels. (That’s more than 26 million gallons of beer!)
“We needed additional tank space to address demand for the next couple years before Asheville is up and running,” said New Belgium spokesperson, Bryan Simpson. “This will give us a little breathing room.”
The extra space will allow New Belgium to open distribution to Alaska and Louisiana in spring of 2013.
A little bit on how much America drinks… 
Coming in 2013 is another edition of Stone Brewing Co’s Odd Year Releases. On the upcoming Old Guardian Oak Smoked Barleywine label (the follow up to Old Guardian Belgo 2011), founder Greg Koch meets some Georgia residents in Belize. Specificallly John & Barbara Cheek from Oakhurst. The Marlay & Steinbeck’s get a cool shout out too… Two years ago, the brewery announced Odd Year Releases of tried and true favorites. Stone “Belgianized” Imperial Russian Stout, and Old Guardian in 2011. Looks like oak and smoke is the flavor profile of choice in 2013.
Read more on the release here.
Westvleteren XII, the day after. Dozens of boxes of the coveted beer have shown up on eBay for as much as $800. Some dbag wants you to buy the empty box for $100. Reminder to those that didn’t get any. It will still be brewed, and sold. Just not in the United States.
Editors Note: Back in December of 2012, I toured nearly done home of Oskar Blues Brewing in Brevard, North Carolina with Anne Fitten Glenn- a well-known beer writer and author from Asheville. These photos were shot on my Canon Rebel t3i, which I thought was so badass at the time. A fresh $400 dollars from Best Buy. At the time I’m sure I edited the photos in MS Paint. Either way, it’s a nice stroll down memory lane….
Yesterday, 12/12/12, Oskar Blues brewed their first batch of Dale’s Pale Ale at their new Brevard, North Carolina location. The brewery, spanning 33,000 square feet, plans on brewing 40,000 barrels (1.2 million gallons) of beer in 2013. Both Brewery Founder Dale Katechis and Brevard Head Brewer Noah Tuttle were present for the inaugural batch.
The facility opens to the public today, with a separate restaurant and music venue coming soon to the city. A fun feature for future visitors is the tap room, dubbed the Thirsty Squirrel, which overlooks the entire brewery from above. The tap room is open air, putting you right in the middle of the action.
Beer Street Journal toured the facility last weekend as workers and brewers alike finalized the brewery buildout. Below is a brief photo tour of the new place.
Brewers Association issued this statement today, referencing large breweries trying to cash in on the “craft beer” mentality. Worth a read…
Boulder, CO – December 13, 2012–The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers, issued the following statement regarding the increase in production and promotion of craft-like beers by large, non-craft breweries:
An American craft brewer is defined as small and independent. Their annual production is 6 million barrels of beer or less and no more than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.
The community of small and independent craft brewers has grown as beer enthusiasts embrace new, diverse beers brewed by their neighbors and friends who are invested in their local communities. Beer drinkers are voting with their palates and dollars to support these entrepreneurs and their small and independent businesses.
In 2011, small and independent craft brewers saw their industry grow 13 percent by volume; in the first half of 2012, volume grew by an additional 12 percent. Meanwhile, the overall beer industry was down 1.3 percent by volume and domestic non-craft was down 5 million barrels in 2011.
Witnessing both the tremendous success and growth of craft brewers and the fact that many beer lovers are turning away from mass-produced light lagers, the large brewers have been seeking entry into the craft beer marketplace. Many started producing their own craft-imitating beers, while some purchased (or are attempting to purchase) large or full stakes in small and independent breweries.
While this is certainly a nod to the innovation and ingenuity of today’s small and independent brewers, it’s important to remember that if a large brewer has a controlling share of a smaller producing brewery, the brewer is, by definition, not craft.
However, many non-standard, non-light “crafty” beers found in the marketplace today are not labeled as products of large breweries. So when someone is drinking a Blue Moon Belgian Wheat Beer, they often believe that it’s from a craft brewer, since there is no clear indication that it’s made by SABMiller. The same goes for Shock Top, a brand that is 100 percent owned by Anheuser-Bush InBev, and several others that are owned by a multinational brewing and beverage company.
The large, multinational brewers appear to be deliberately attempting to blur the lines between their crafty, craft-like beers and true craft beers from today’s small and independent brewers. We call for transparency in brand ownership and for information to be clearly presented in a way that allows beer drinkers to make an informed choice about who brewed the beer they are drinking.
And for those passionate beer lovers out there, we ask that you take the time to familiarize yourself with who is brewing the beer you are drinking. Is it a product of a small and independent brewer? Or is it from a crafty large brewer, seeking to capitalize on the mounting success of small and independent craft brewers?
