Press Releases
Ska Vernal Minthe Stout Release (PR)
Durango, CO) — Ska Brewing is announcing the third release in its Seasonal Stout series: Vernal Minthe Stout, a stout brewed with peppermint, spearmint, cocoa and vanilla beans. The beer will hit shelves on March 20th, the date of the spring equinox. The debut also occurs during Colorado Craft Beer Week, a week of events and tappings celebrating Colorado craft breweries and beers.
“Spring is a good time to brew up a reward for making it through winter, said Ska Overlord of Brewing Operations Bill Graham. “The Vernal Minthe Stout is a treat: sweet, but with great roasted and chocolate notes for balance–and a peppermint note that reminds me of spring. I bet I’m not the only one who could use a reward about now.”
As the saying goes, there’s no reward without risk. “Stout is a beer lover’s beer. It’s one of our favorite styles, but it’s not everyone’s favorite,” said Ska President and co-founder Dave Thibodeau. “There were other styles that probably would have appealed to a broader market, but then I wouldn’t have all these stouts to drink.”
Craft beer drinkers in all of Ska’s U.S. markets will be able to start rewarding themselves around the spring equinox–March 20th –in keeping with the Seasonal Stout Series’ solstice and equinox release dates. The packaging for the Vernal Minthe Stout (artwork below) features a black, 12-oz. can, with Ska’s True Blonde character as the Greek goddess Persephone, who, according to Greek mythology, turned the naiad Minthe into a mint plant in a jealous rage.
Ska will unveil the Seasonal Stout Series’ fourth brand new beer in June, for release on the summer solstice.
About Ska Brewing
Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and now produces over a dozen medal-winning beers including the Pinstripe Red Ale, True Blonde Ale and Steel Toe Stout. Four Ska beers are now widely available in cans: ESB Special Ale, True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi IPA and the winter seasonal Euphoria Pale Ale. For information, music and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com. Chat us up and get the latest news at facebook.com/skabrew and twitter.com/skabrewing.
Blue Moon Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Colorado Rockies With Commemorative Brew (PR)
DENVER – Blue Moon Brewing Co. today announced the launch of a beer to honor the 20th Anniversary of the Colorado Rockies. The 20th Anniversary Ale is an easy-drinking amber ale and will be served exclusively at Coors Field throughout the 2013 baseball season, beginning on April 5, 2013, Opening Day.
Blue Moon Brewing Co. opened for business in 1995 at The Sandlot, a brewery within Coors Field. The brewery’s flagship beer, Blue Moon Belgian White, has grown into one of the country’s most popular craft beers.
“Colorado Rockies fans have played an integral role in the rich history of Blue Moon,” said Keith Villa, Founder and Head Brewmaster of Blue Moon Brewing Co. “Since launching the brand in the mid-90s, Rockies fans have helped us fine-tune dozens of Artfully Crafted beers. This 20th Anniversary beer is our way of saying thank you.”
Enjoying the beer isn’t the only way fans can become involved. Beginning March 15 through 28, legal-drinking-age Rockies and Blue Moon aficionados can visit Rockies.com and submit a brief description of the new beer–a smooth and delicious amber ale brewed with abbey malts and imported and domestic hops. The description which best embodies both the beer and the spirit of the Rockies’ 20th Anniversary will be used to promote the brew in-stadium throughout the season. The winner will receive a private brewery tour from Blue Moon Brewing Co. Brewmaster and 20th Anniversary ale creator John Legnard, a commemorative tap handle and two tickets to a home game, with on-field recognition, at Coors Field in 2013. See Rockies.com for Official Rules.
“The Rockies are a team of great tradition, and this year marks 20 years of calling Denver home,” said Greg Feasel, Chief Operating Officer of the Colorado Rockies. “For nearly two decades, Rockies fans coming to games have enjoyed great craft beer at The Sandlot. Now when they visit Coors Field and The Sandlot, they can enjoy good baseball, and a Blue Moon tribute beer, which not only celebrates the home team, but also our amazing fans.”
About Blue Moon Brewing Company
At Blue Moon Brewing Company, everything we do flows from our artistic approach to brewing. We craft our broad array of beers with flavorful ingredients for an inviting taste, perfect for enjoying the moment with friends. It’s been that way since we added our first flavorful twist back in 1995 in Denver, Colorado. And that’s why we say our beer and everything we do is artfully crafted. More information is available at BlueMoonBrewingCo.com.
About the Colorado Rockies
Entering the National League as an expansion franchise in 1993, the Colorado Rockies have earned the National League Wild Card twice (1995 and 2007) and following a September for the ages, represented the National League as the league champion in the 2007 World Series. Colorado’s inaugural season featured several records still standing today, including the record for most wins by a National League expansion team in a single season (67). The 1993 season also set a Major League record in attendance with 4,483,350 fans. Since 1993 the Rockies rank third in Major League Baseball total attendance, as more than 60 million fans have attended Rockies games in Denver. The Rockies home, Coors Field continues to be one of the most popular and beautiful baseball destinations in the country, having hosted 2,000,000 plus fans in 17 of the ballpark’s18 years. The Rockies have also set the standard for commitment to the community. Since 1993, the organization has distributed more than $20 million to the Rocky Mountain Region through the Colorado Rockies Charity Fund.
Brewery Ommegang’s Hop Chef Competition returns to Philadelphia on April 23 (PR)
BREWERY OMMEGANG TO HOST SECOND-ANNUAL PHILLY HOP CHE PITTING THE CITY’S HOTTEST YOUNG CHEFS AGAINST EACH OTHER IN A BEER-AND-FOOD COMPETITION
COOPERSTOWN, NY — On Tuesday, April 23 at 7 p.m., some of Philadelphia’s most talented young chefs will compete in Brewery Ommegang’s second-annual Philly Hop Chef (click for tickets) for a chance to represent the city in a cook-off at the brewery’s annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown event. Six chefs will each create one dish showcasing their imaginative beer and food pairing skills, based on five principles of pairing. The dishes, all paired with Ommegang beers, will be served to a panel of judges and to all attendees; each chef will be given 15 minutes to describe and defend his dish to the judges. Co-sponsored by the prestigious food magazine Saveur, Philly Hop Chef will be held at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, 215-232-2100) and tickets are $53.50 per person, with a portion of proceeds going to support the Mural Arts Program and Groundswell.
“Beer and food belong together — whether as a thoughtful beverage pairing or as an ingredient — and this competition brings some of Philly’s best and brightest young chefs into the kitchen with our beers,” says Megan Maguire, Ommegang Market Manager. “Last year’s dishes were inspired, and the playful rivalries that developed between the chefs drove each of them to work harder and to create even more exciting and interesting dishes and pairings.”
The outstanding line-up of competing chefs includes: Yun Fuentes of JG Domestic; Lucio Palazzo of La Calaca Feliz; Nick Macri of Southwark; Pat Szoke of The Industry; Eli Kulp of Fork; and Mike Deganis of Alla Spina. The chefs will be judged based on five pairing principles: Simple Pairing, a direct interaction between food and beer; Incorporation, utilizing beer in the cooking process; Mimicking, matching the flavor profile of a dish with the flavor profile of a beer; Story Telling, tracing the history of the dish and the beer; and Experimental, making beer the star of the dish.
“Our Great Beer Deserves Great Food and Hop Chef programs further the very Belgian idea of food and beer pairing — that there is a beer for every dish. Starting this year’s competition off in Philadelphia is fitting as Philly is one of the centers of beer culture in the U.S. and it also has a booming restaurant scene with high quality food, both local and ethnic” said Phil Leinhart, Ommegang’s brewmaster.
The Hop Chef Competition is part of the Ommegang program known as Great Beer Deserves Great Food®, a national initiative dedicated to the idea that fine beer deserves its rightful place at the table with fine foods. The Philadelphia event is the first in a series of chef’s cook-offs across the U.S., including other semi-final competitions in Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; and Albany, NY, culminating in a Grand Hop Chef cook-off at Ommegang’s Belgium Comes to Cooperstown festival August 2 to 4 at the brewery. In 2012, Philadelphia’s own George Sabatino won the national Hop Chef title in Cooperstown. He serves as the local Hop Chef Culinary Ambassador for this year’s competition.
In the weeks leading up to Hop Chef, fans and food and beer lovers can follow the chefs on twitter (hashtag #HopChef) as they taste Ommegang beers and create their competition dishes. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please visithttp://www.ticketfly.com/
About Hop Chef Sponsors
Saveur
The competition is put together by Brewery Ommegang and Saveur magazine, the definitive culinary and culinary-travel magazine of its generation. The epicurean authority seeks out stories around the globe that weave together culture, tradition and people through the language of food.
StarChefs.com
StarChefs.comâ„¢, the magazine for culinary insiders, serving the restaurant industry since 1995. StarChefs.com’s original culinary content is driven by in-person tastings and interviews across the world. Its mission is to catalyze culinary professionals’ success and give them the tools they need to overcome their specific challenges.
VerTerra
Founded on the belief that it’s possible to combine high design with the highest standards of environmental responsibility, VerTerra now redefines what stylish, sustainable and compostable disposable dinnerware can be. Thoughtfully and beautifully designed, VerTerra offers a chic touch of nature to each table.
About Hop Chef Beneficiaries
The Hop Chef Competition benefits the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, the largest public art program in the United States, which unites artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives.
About Brewery Ommegang
Brewery Ommegang opened in 1997 to craft-brew fine Belgian-style ales. The brewery creates six ales year-round as well as a range of seasonal and specialty ales. The beers have won national following by connoisseurs of fine beer and are distributed in over 40 states. The brewery is located on a 136-acre farmstead in Cooperstown, NY, and offers free daily tours and tastings, as well as a Café, a well-stocked brewery store, and an online store. For more info on Brewery Ommegang, please contact [email protected], call (800) 544-1809, or visit www.ommegang.com. Brewery Ommegang is a member of the Duvel Moortgat family of fine beers.
The Cicerone Certification Program Announces BEERSAVVYâ„¢ (PR)
An interactive, eLearning approach to beer education for the Certified Beer Server exam
CHICAGO – March 18 2013 – The Cicerone Certification Program announces the next in its line of beer education software, BeerSavvy. Covering the areas tested on the Certified Beer Server exam, which includes the history and flavor profiles of 42 beer styles, BeerSavvy provides a kinetic studying option for candidates.
TRY BEERSAVVYâ„¢ AT THE 2013 CRAFT BREWERS CONFERENCE – March 26-29, 2013
Visit the Cicerone Certification Program at Booth #9026 at the 2013 Craft Brewers Conference at the Walter E Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Program staff will be on hand to demo BeerSavvy and talk more about its applications.
ABOUT BEERSAVVYâ„¢
Bars, restaurants, retailers and beer distributors need beer-savvy staff to capitalize on consumer interest in craft beer. To date, more than 20,000 people have earned Cicerone Certified Beer Server status to help their companies excel at beer sales and service.
Live and on-site training works well with many organizations. But with servers, bartenders and sales people located in different time zones, or working multiple shifts, finding time for face-to-face training can be a challenge.
To train servers in beer, the Cicerone Certification Program has introduced BeerSavvy(TM). This web-based learning program allows each person to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. And with the managerial function, managers can monitor each individual’s study progress and also verify exam completion and final score.
The BeerSavvy Training Program uses eMagazine design with an attention-holding mix of presentation formats:
* Explore screens let users discover content on their own initiative
* Videos highlight hands-on topics
* Narrated animations enliven the history and culture of beer
* Periodic quizzes check key learning points
For a free demo of BeerSavvy, visit our website:
www.beersavvy.com
ABOUT THE CICERONE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
The Cicerone Certification Program seeks to ensure that consumers receive the best quality beer at every service occasion. To facilitate this, those who sell and serve beer are encouraged to acquire knowledge in five areas: 1) Beer Storage, Sales and Service; 2) Beer Styles and Culture; 3) Beer Tasting and Flavors; 4) Brewing Ingredients and Processes; 5) Pairing Beer with Food
The word “Cicerone” is a trademarked term used to designate those with a demonstrated expertise in beer service. Because the term is a certification trademark, only individuals who have passed the examination for Certified CICERONE® or Master CICERONE® may call themselves a Cicerone when involved in any aspect of the beverage alcohol service or sales and related education activities.
For more information on “What is a Cicerone?” visit:
cicerone.org/about
For more information, visit:
https://cicerone.org/content/
Shipyard and Sea Dog Brewing Company Beer to be Served at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, FL (PR)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (March 18, 2013) – A line up of beer from Maine’s Shipyard and Sea Dog Brewing companies will be available at the 2013 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. This event will be held this Friday, March 22 through Sunday, March 24 and feature award-winning Shipyard Export Ale, Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale and Sea Dog Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale. Maine lobster rolls will also be served.
More than 150,000 race fans are expected to attend this 9th annual race series.
“We are very excited to have our beers served at this premier race,” said Fred Forsley, president of Shipyard and Sea Dog Brewing. “We have introduced our beer to Florida through our Shipyard and Sea Dog brew pubs and this race is the perfect way for us to showcase our beer.”
The Shipyard Brew Pub is located in Winter Park, Florida (http://www.facebook.com/
“My staff and I are thrilled to be part of this world-class racing series with such a diverse field of drivers and events.”
In addition to Historic Sportscar Racing, the support series line-up will feature races from Firestone Indy Lights, Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, Pro Mazda Championship and Pirelli World Challenge. A live NBC Sports broadcast of the IZOD IndyCar Series race will be shown on Sunday, March 24 at Noon.
About the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg: The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg takes place March 22-24 and is run on a 1.8-mile, 14-turn waterfront circuit that includes a combination of adjacent downtown streets circling Pioneer Park, the Progress Energy Center for the Arts, the Salvador Dali Museum and extending onto the runways at Albert Whitted Airport, which overlook the Tampa Bay and picturesque St. Petersburg Harbor and Marina. www.gpstpete.com
About Shipyard Brewing Company: Shipyard Brewing Company is located on the historic waterfront in Portland, Maine and produces 19 varieties of award-winning English style and seasonal beers. Established in 1994, Shipyard has grown to become the 16th largest craft brewery and 24th largest brewery in the U.S. www.shipyard.com
About Sea Dog Brewing Company: Sea Dog Brewing Company was founded on the coast of Maine in 1993. Today, Sea Dog operates brew pubs in three locations in Maine (South Portland, Topsham, and Bangor) and two in Florida (Clearwater and Orlando). www.seadogbrewing.com
Brewers Association: Craft Continues to Brew Growth (PR)
Volume and Sales Significantly Outpaced the Overall Market in 2012
Boulder, CO – March 18, 2013– The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing small and independent American brewers, today released 2012 data on U.S. craft brewing1growth. In a year when the total U.S. beer market grew by one percent, craft brewers saw a 15 percent rise in volume2 and a 17 percent increase in dollar growth, representing a total barrel increase of almost 1.8 million.
With production at 13,235,917 barrels in 2012, craft brewers reached 6.5 percent volume of the total U.S. beer market, up from 5.7 percent the previous year. Additionally, craft dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 10.2 percent in 2012, as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $10.2 billion, up from $8.7 billion in 2011.
“Beer is a $99 billion industry to which craft brewers are making a significant contribution, with retail sales share hitting double digits for the first time in 2012,” said Paul Gatza, director, Brewers Association. “Small and independent brewers are consistently innovating and producing high quality, flavor-forward craft brewed beer. Americans are not only responding to greater access to these products, but also to the stories and people behind them.”
1 The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of beer less than 6 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50 percent of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.
2 Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production.
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About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America®, SAVORâ„ : An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.
Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.
Amber Waves Beer-Centric Art To Debut At CBC (PR)
DOWNINGTOWN, PA – Highlighting the artistry behind American craft beer, Victory Brewing Company (Downingtown, PA) and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, DE) are hosting an event for the 2013 Craft Brewer’s Conference that will showcase brewer’s art, both liquid and visual. Amber Waves: The Art of American Craft Beer will illustrate that well-crafted beer can be as inspirational as a work of art.
Event creators, Bill Covaleski of Victory Brewing Company and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, have ‘curated’ the exhibit, inviting 25 American craft breweries to exhibit their beers, some being specially brewed for the event, along with art that each brewery supplies to visually display the image of their brewery or beer. Regarding the event and its inspiration, Victory co-founder Bill Covaleski offered, “Having traded in my BFA and art training for brewer’s boots nearly two decades ago, I’ve always admired how fellow brewers never overlook opportunities to also create inspired, visual impact.”
Hosted at the District Architecture Center, the gallery space will feature breweries’ commissioned art strategically placed near stations serving their draft beer. With beer entries constrained to beers of the same appearance (all being amber in color) the event expects to impress guests with the wide range of flavors possible within items of identical appearance, drawing mental parallels to the visual diversity art offers. Attendees will admire the visual art and savor the brewed art simultaneously.
Two sessions of Amber Waves: The Art of American Craft Beer will take place on Thursday March 28 at the District Architecture Center (421 7th Avenue NW Washington, DC 20004). The first session will be for the ticket-holding public and the second will be for brewery industry guests only. The event expects to accommodate a total of 750 guests over the two sessions. Breweries have been requested to donate their art to support the event’s charity, The Fallen Heroes Fund, via an on-line auction to take place after the exhibition.
“Bill and I recognized an opportunity to bring together our ambitious craft brewing friends, whose creativity elevates American brewing to a true art form every day. We had to do this because ‘art’ is always in ‘party!’” summarized Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione.
For more information: www.amberwavesevent.com
