Beer News

SweetWater Danktoberfest Bottling [PICS]

Lovers of the lovely liquid that comes of SweetWater Brewery’s Dank Tank, your wait for a new release is here. Behold, Danktoberfest. Tis the season, and time to get festy. Oktoberfesty that is. Yesterday the brewery worked hard bottling and hand Continue Reading →

Southern Tier Expands Distribution To Nashville

Southern Tier Brewing Company  (Lakewood, New York)  announced today that they will be distributing to Nashville, Tennessee. Ajax Turner has been selected as the distributor.

Nashville beer lovers can expect the entire Southern Tier catalog of beers to hit the Music Continue Reading →

Decatur Beer Fest 2012 Sells Out In Minutes

Atlanta. You’ve missed your chance to attend the Decatur Beer Festival 2012. (That is, if you haven’t bought tickets yet.) One of the southeast’s most popular beer festivals held in downtown Decatur, Georgia has already sold out.

It took about an Continue Reading →

Posted in Beer News, New Releases, SweetWater Brewing

SweetWater Danktoberfest Bottling [PICS]

Lovers of the lovely liquid that comes of SweetWater Brewery’s Dank Tank, your wait for a new release is here. Behold, Danktoberfest. Tis the season, and time to get festy. Oktoberfesty that is. Yesterday the brewery worked hard bottling and hand packaging bombers of SweetWater’s first true lager.

Danktoberfest is big, clocking in at 8.5% ABV. Don’t worry though. This beer doesn’t drink that way at all. You can quaff a full 22 ounces of this malty brew and not even know it’s pushing 9%. From the pics, you’ll see bottle filling, freshies coming down the line, and the guys hand boxing them. Head brewer Nick Nock pulled a few off the line for “quality control” purposes.  That’s the bearded fella pictured below. Danktoberfest is only available in 22oz bombers. Draft only at the brewery for tours.

Style: Imperial Oktoberfest
Availability: 22 oz bombers. No Draft
Arrival: Headed to shelves now

8.5% ABV

[PressRelease]

Read more: SweetWater, Dank Tank Series

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, Distribution Expansion, Southern Tier Brewing

Southern Tier Expands Distribution To Nashville

Southern Tier Brewing Company  (Lakewood, New York)  announced today that they will be distributing to Nashville, Tennessee. Ajax Turner has been selected as the distributor.

Nashville beer lovers can expect the entire Southern Tier catalog of beers to hit the Music City. Fear not, you won’t miss Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale. It’s on shelves now, and will soon be in Nashville. Expect the beer in this order: Oat followed by Choklat, available in November. The SuperPack will be available in early 2013. Featuring Unearthly Imperial IPA, 2xIPA, and Iniquity Imperial Black Ale, the SuperPack is a high gravity 12 packof 12 ounce bottles with an average ABV of nearly 9.0%.

“There was a large Tennessee shaped hole in our map. We’ve begun filling that in with the addition of Ajax Turner Company,” said Phin DeMink, brewery president. “They’ll usher us in to another growing craft market in the greater Nashville area. We look forward to providing Southern Tier Brewing Company beers to another southern state.” DeMink added that the rest of the state will be online by January 2013.

Southern Tier will pass the 70,000 barrel output mark by the end of this year.

[PressRelease]

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News

Without Home Brew Supplies, Hop City Granted Liquor License In Alabama

Last week, armed ABC agents entered Hop City’s second location in Birmingham, Alabama. The  beer store (founded in Atlanta) is ready to open their second location. Agents entered the unopened location last Thursday and confiscated books  and materials dealing with home brewing.  Nearly $7,000 of grain, books, hops and equipment were taken.

The rest was moved back to the first store in Atlanta, Georgia. After interviewing the owner of Hop City, he tells me that they cooperated with agents the best they could. However, Torres tells BSJ that no warrant was presented to the manager on duty.

On Monday (Sept 24) Hop City was granted their liquor license and will open this week.  No home brewing supplies of course.

It is illegal to home brew in the state of Alabama.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News, Bell's Brewing

Cherry Crop Prevents Bell’s Cherry Stout From 2012 Release

Bell’s Cherry Stout is brewed with 100% Montmorency cherry juice Michigan’s Traverse City region.  This year, the weather didn’t cooperate very well. Due to aberrations in temperature, and multiple frosts, Michigan’s cherry crop was negatively affected.

This has forced Bell’s Brewery to cancel the 2012 fall release of Cherry Stout. A few 2011 kegs will make their way into the world on a limited basis. Next release of Cherry Stout is planned for Fall, 2013.

Style: Stout (w/ Cherries)

7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News

Free The Hops Issues Statement About Alabama Raid

Free The Hops, a grassroots Alabama based organization advocating for better beer laws in the state has issued statement about todays news story.
Hop City is opening a second location in Birmingham, and was raided by liquor board agents. Hop City was not yet open for business at the time.Several weeks ago we made an announcement that although Free The Hops will be advocating for new legislation during the 2013 Alabama legislative session, we will not be taking on homebrewing legalization. As we pointed out then, a devoted group of homebrewers called Right To Brew has been working on that issue for several years and are on the cusp of success. We believe their efforts will very likely cross the finish line next year, so we’ll take the lead on another issue and simply lend our support to them wherever possible on the homebrew issue.

Perhaps you don’t homebrew and don’t really see what the big deal is. Well, the importance of homebrew legalization just came into focus for a lot of people when news broke that Birmingham ABC enforcement agents raided Hop City Craft Beer & Wine and confiscated $7,000 of homebrewing equipment.

This issue doesn’t just matter to homebrewers, it matters to small businesses who will lose out on revenue they could otherwise be making off equipment and ingredients for making beer and wine. And it matters to the future of local breweries in our state because most craft brewers start out homebrewing.

Free The Hops supports the efforts of Right To Brew 100% and we hope you will, too. Subscribe to their newsletter. Let your state Representative and Senator know of your support for legalizing homebrewing so Alabama can join the 48 other states where stores can sell brew kettles without fear of armed government agents raiding them. And we in FTH will do whatever we can to assist in the effort.

This ridiculous law needs to change as soon as possible. Let’s make 2013 the year. [FreeTheHops]

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News

Armed Alabama Agents Confiscate Home Brewing Supplies


Do you need any proof that Alabama legislature is a backwards thinking? Read on.

My good friend Kraig Torres founded Hop City a few years ago in Atlanta, Georgia. The store sells 1,800+ beers, wine, and homebrewing supplies. Not to mention a 60+ growler station. Hop City is ranked among the best beer stores on planet earth on RateBeer.com Building upon his great success, Kraig decided to open a second location in Birmingham, Alabama.  Recent law changes make Birmingham a great place for a second Hop City.

Kraig has received all the necessary permits to open except for one – the liquor license from the Alabama Beverage Commission. Kraig applied for this license, and with it, provided a floor plan.  In the floor plan, he included an area for home brewing supplies. Home brewing is illegal in Alabama, but selling the ingredients is not. Kraig and his lawyer have done extensive diligence on the matter.

Yesterday (Thursday), ARMED ABC agents raided Hop City Birmingham, and confiscated books on home brewing, grain, wort chillers, and more. The agents threatened to arrest his store manager because he harbored materials used to make beer.  The ABC Agents loaded up a van with $7,000 of Kraig’s inventory, stating they would be back the next day for the rest.  Every single grain, hop, and carboy has to be out of the Hop City Birmingham location before a license will be granted.

Kraig tells me that his opening will now be delayed, until his license can be granted. “I’m being held hostage by the ABC board.”

Sound off. What are your thoughts on armed men confiscating books on brewing? Bagging hops and grain like it’s cocaine?

UPDATE 9/22/12. 9 AM: The agents were armed. Whether the guns were drawn, or pointed at employees is up for contention.

Ed. Note: Pic above is one BSJ took at the Atlanta Hop City location.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Beer News

Decatur Beer Fest 2012 Sells Out In Minutes

Atlanta. You’ve missed your chance to attend the Decatur Beer Festival 2012. (That is, if you haven’t bought tickets yet.) One of the southeast’s most popular beer festivals held in downtown Decatur, Georgia has already sold out.

It took about an hour.  Luckily, it kicks off Atlanta Beer Week 2012. So you’ll have beer-portunities to drink. AtlantaBeerWeek.com

by Reid Ramsay