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Danes end strike over beer ration

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The Danish beer strike is over. Details from The National Post:

Employees at a Carlsberg warehouse on the outskirts of Copenhagen returned to work on Monday, ending a five-day strike over a decision to cut their daily ration of free beer, their union said.

Some 200 warehouse workers in Hoeje Taastrup had walked off the job last Wednesday after their daily beer ration was cut from three bottles to one.

Around 50 drivers for the brewery had joined the work action in solidarity with their thirsty colleagues.

“We have agreed with management that we will meet very soon to find a temporary solution while waiting for a legal settlement of the matter,” 3F union delegate Michael Christensen said in a statement on the union’s website.

Carlsberg recently introduced a policy that authorizes drinking beer in the canteen during the lunch hour.

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Grossman, Bell, Hindy honored at CBC

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The Brewers Association honored three of its own Thursday as the Craft Brewers Conference began in Chicago.

The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Larry Bell, founder of Bell’s Brewery. Bell started Kalamazoo Brewing in 1984, later renaming it Bell’s. It was the first craft brewery in the eastern half of the United States.

“Larry is a leader in our industry known for his innovative beers and the passion he brings to craft brewing,” said Brewers Association Board of Directors Chair Nick Matt, CEO of Matt Brewing Company.

Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada was awarded the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing. Grossman received this year’s award for his leadership in technical brewing science for craft brewers. He remains deeply involved in technical brewing projects at Sierra Nevada and has led numerous initiatives in the area of sustainability and beer quality.

“Ken Grossman founded Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 30 years ago based on one principle, to make the highest quality beer in America,” Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. wrote in a nominating document. “I think Ken’s never-ending quest in life is to make Sierra Nevada’s beers even better than they already are.”

The BA presented the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award to Steve Hindy, chairman and president of The Brooklyn Brewery. Hindy recently testified in a congressional hearing to communicate how state franchise laws can hinder the ability for small brewers to grow their businesses and how self-distribution is important to many small brewers to develop their access to market.

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Florida brewers lobby for growler sales

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Support Your Local BreweryThis call to help the breweries of Florida comes from Support Your Local Brewery:

Florida Beer Lovers,

The Florida Brewers Guild needs your help.

Senate Bill 2062 has been filed in the Florida Legislature and seeks to amend the Florida Statutes so as to allow ‘brewpubs’ to sell beer brewed for off-premises consumption, and to remove container size restrictions for malt beverages so as to allow for the sale of ‘growlers’.

Click or copy and paste the following link to view Senate Bill 2062:

http://www.flsenate.gov/session/index.cfm?BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&Mode=Bills&ElementID=JumpToBox&SubMenu=1&Year=2010&billnum=2062

We have a potential sponsor in the House, Representative Mike Horner, but he is being pressured to remove the provision that would allow brewpubs to sell for off-premises consumption.

We ask that you use the following link to email Representative Horner and ask that he sponsor a House bill with the same provisions as Senate Bill 2062.

Please act NOW – Tuesday March 2nd is the last day for Representatives to file bills.

Representative Horner can also be reached by phone at:

407-943-3077 or 850-488-8992

Sample Message:

I, _________, support legislation to allow brewpubs to be able to sell their beer for off-premises consumption. If passed, this legislation would:

1) Give consumers a choice in when and where they drink their favorite beer (i.e. at home)

2) Increase sales to support new jobs and increase excise and sales taxes for the state

3) Support tourism–thousands of beer enthusiasts travel to find & collect unique beer

4) Make Florida more attractive to prospective brewery projects and investment

Please support local Florida breweries and Florida beer enthusiasts by supporting a House companion bill to Senate Bill 2062.

Thank you,

The Florida Brewers Guild

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Beer – er, water – cooler fodder

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  • Bill Howell — a Sterling, Alaska college administrator, retired Navy officer, homebrewer, and beer educator — was crowned the 2010 Wynkoop Beerdrinker of the Year on Saturday. One of three national finalists in Denver competing for the 2010 title, Howell withstood 2 hours of difficult beer-related questions from a panel of national beer experts to win the 14th annual title. He wins free beer for life at Wynkoop, a $250 bar tab at his favorite brewpub (Elias Brewing Company in Soldotna, Alaska) and other prizes for winning the title.
  • Saint Arnold Brewing made its first batch of beer Saturday at its new downtown brewery. The brewery opened to the public months ago while work continued on its brewhouse. The new brewery has an initial capacity of 40,000 barrels. “I tell people who think we are getting big that it takes Anheuser-Busch two hours to make as much beer as we produce in an entire year,” co-founder Brock Wagner said. “The sign of our growth is that it used to take A-B just one hour.”
  • After 25 years as president of Sprecher Brewing, which he founded, Randal Sprecher is giving up the job of president. Jeff Hamilton, who’s been vice president and general manager since 2005, is the new president. Sprecher, 63, said in an interview that he’s delegating more work to Hamilton. Sprecher, who lives part time in California, said he devoting more time to developing the West Coast market. He also said he has no plans to retire soon. “I’ve got a ways to go yet, although I’m getting up there,” he said.
  • Left Hand Brewing in Colorado has a released an India Pale Ale it calls 400 Pound Monkey IPA. “Just when you thought that the world needs another IPA like it needs another virus, we’ve started to brew a year-round IPA. But this one ain’t like them others,” explained Joe Schiraldi, vice president of brewing operations. “It’s an English-style IPA that separates itself from the ubiquitous bunch. Any monkey can throw 400 pounds of hops in a kettle.” The beer is 6.8% abv. Bittering units? From the press release: “Well, it depends on perception versus reality, but a polite monkey never tells.”
  • Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA will be the next entry in Flying Fish Brewing’s “Exit Series.” Exit 16 bottles will be available by mid-March and will also on be on draft in limited quantities throughout the region. “Exit 16 is a fun, flavorful tribute to one of the Meadowlands’ indigenous food sources: wild rice,” said Flying Fish founder Gene Muller. Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA is named for the exit that leads travelers across the salt-marsh of the Meadowlands to the Sportsplex and Lincoln Tunnel. The beer is brewed with wild, organic brown and white rice, and five varieties of hops. It is later dry-hopped with Chinook and Citra hops.
  • Firestone Walker Brewing Co. has expanded distribution into southern Oregon, including Eugene, Bend, Burns, Coos Bay, Roseburg, Klamath Falls, Medford, and Newport. “We’ve had great success already in the Portland market and look forward to bringing our beer to new areas in the rest of Beer Nirvana,” said David Walker, Firestone Walker’s co-founder.
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    Mardi Gras, Magic Hat style

    Posted in Beer culture, Breweries on   

    Mardi Gras comes a little later in Burlington, Vermont, than New Orleans, but then so does spring. The 15th annual annual Magic Hat Mardi Gras weekend begins Feb. 26, featuring music, moonpies, parades and community aid. This all-ages extravaganza is a “party with a conscience” to benefit the Women’s Rape Crisis Center of Chittenden County (WRCC), raising over $100,000 over the years.

    Festivities start at 9 p.m. Friday with Connecticut-based funk rockers Deep Banana Blackout on stage in the ballroom at Higher Ground. Pre-parade rituals begin at noon Saturday with be Caravan of Thieves, a swingin’ good Gypsy-inspired quartet. At the same time concert poster artist Jim Pollock, who will be signing and selling his specially designed Mardi Gras prints to benefit WRCC. Burlington’s own band of Afro-Brazilian music makers, Sambatucada, follow at 1 p.m. There’s a costume contest at 1:30, with the Magic Hat co-founder Alan Newman crowning the King and Queen of Mardi Gras, who will each win $500 cash!

    Thirty floats are expected for the parade along Church Street, beginning at 3 p.m. Per tradition, those on the floats will toss Lake Champlain Chocolates, moon pies and beaded baubles to those lining the bedazzled crowds lining the Church Street Marketplace.

    The Mardi Gras Parade Post-Party begins as soon as the last float has been filed away.

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    ‘Beer Wars’ heads to home screens

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    Beer Wars, a documentary which played in theaters across the country for a single night last April and in limited screenings since, will be distributed for home viewing through Warner Bros. and Netflix.

    Ducks In A Row Entertainment offered details in a press release:

    In the U.S., Beer Wars is available to rent On Demand through Digital Cable and Satellite providers Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Bresnan, Verizon FiOS, AT & T U-Verse, Dish Network and DirecTV. It is also available for download on iTunes, Amazon Video On Demand, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

    In Canada, the film is available to rent On Demand through Digital Cable and Satellite providers Rogers Cable, Cogeco, Videotron, Sasktel and Shaw.

    The film is also available on Netflix either on DVD or “Watch Instantly” beginning February 2nd. And the DVD is available for purchase from Amazon.

    More information is available at the company website.

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    German beer consumption tumbles . . . again

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    German beer sales continued their downward spiral in 2009, falling 2.8%. The drop was the biggest since 1998.

    The only break in the ongoing decline came in 2006, when Germany hosted the World Cup and sales rose marginally. Overall, beer sales have declined 30% in the past 20 years although consumption of alcohol, reduced to pure ethanol, has remained constant.

    Krombacher Brauerei, which brews Germany’s best-selling lager, expects beer consumption to decline in its home market this year, blaming an aging population that drinks less.

    German brewers export 14% of the beer they produce, mostly to nearby European countries.

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    Beer Label Evolution

    Posted in Beer culture, Beers, Just for fun on   

    Below is, as far as I know, the most recent label for Budweiser, updated in 2000. We all know that labels change over time, sometimes dramatically, but usually more subtly with just small tweaks from time to time. But even small changes over a long period of time become dramatic in the long view. So this is a fascinating peak into those changes.


    budlabel

    Etiquette Systems, a label manufacturer, has an online gallery showing what they call the Evolution of America’s Most Famous Beer Label. It shows a dozen different versions of the Budweiser label, from the first 1876 version up to the 2000 latest one, with all of the changes in between.

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    Zwickelmania: The perfect Valentine

    Posted in Beer culture, Breweries, Just for fun on   

    How’s this for some back-to-back romance in Oregon?

    Feb. 13: Zwickelmania.

    Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day.

    Close-toed shoes required.

    The Oregon Brewers Guild has extended the scope of the Zwickelmania Oregon Brewery Tour after last year’s successful debut. Breweries across the state will host open houses and special tastings From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Feb. 13.

    “Last year we had more than 10,000 visitors from across the state participate in Zwickelmania,” Oregon Brewers Guild Executive Director Brian Butenschoen said for a press release. “This year we have extended the hours to make the experience more enjoyable and allow participants to experience more breweries.”

    Zwickelmania takes its name from the zwickel, or sample valve which is mounted on the outside of fermentation or conditioning tanks and allows brewers to take samples for quality assurance and control.

    Admission to all Zwickelmania events is free, with some breweries offering complimentary sample tastings, food pairings and other activities. The guild will provide buses in Portland and Eugene to shuttle visitors to multiple breweries throughout the city. Close-toed shoes will be required for any visitors entering brewing facilities.

    For a complete list of Oregon breweries participating in Zwicklemania and sample itineraries visit the guild website.

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    About that beer for Santa . . .

    Posted in Beer culture, Just for fun, News on   

    A Labatt Brewery campaign involving Santa and beer not surprisingly sparked controversy in Canada, even though the beer is non-alcoholic.

    Labatt has posted ads in Mac’s Convenience Stores across Ontario saying, “Leave one out for Santa. He’s driving.” They show a bottle of Labatt’s Blue de-alcoholized beer.

    The Toronto Sun reported one consumer said this sends the wrong message. “Children see that and they think we’d better leave beer for Santa instead of cookies and milk. I have grandchildren and great-granchildren and I don’t approve of it. Maybe I’m an old fuddy-duddy,” she said.

    Mothers Against Drinking and Driving said it has no problem with it because it’s alcohol-free beer.

    “This is not drinking and driving. It’s a Labatt issue and whatever their philosophy is behind the ad is certainly up to them,” said MADD Canada president Margaret Miller.

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    Sierra Nevada To Celebrate 30th Anniversary With Collaboration Brews

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    Next year, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will celebrate their 30th anniversary and will mark the occasion with a yearlong commemoration of the trailblazing brewers who helped transform America into the world’s most exciting brewing nation. In 2010, Sierra Nevada will be teaming up with the founders of the craft beer movement to benefit select charities and beer drinkers across the country.

    March of 2010 will see the first of four beers in a series of collaborative projects with America’s craft-brewing pioneers: Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing; Jack McAuliffe, founder of New Albion Brewery; and authors, homebrewers, and beer advocates Fred Eckhardt, and Charlie Papazian. Together, this group is credited as ‘the men who launched a thousand breweries;’ and without them, our current day craft-beer-renaissance might never have happened.

    “We wanted to pay tribute to the original pioneers who helped me and hundreds of others get started,” said Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman. “Few people in the craft-brewing world have accomplished more than these guys, and we thought it might be fun to get the original crew together and make something special.”

    s-n-2010

    This project will begin where craft brewing started—Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. Maytag bought the historic brewery in 1965, and his vision for American beer changed everything. In December 2009, these pioneers gathered at Anchor to catch up, reminisce about craft beer’s beginnings, and share their vision for the project.

    “I feel honored to sit at the table with these guys,” said Grossman. “Without the help that these guys gave me in the early days, I never would have gotten started. Each of them has shaped craft beer in some meaningful way, and without them, who knows what American beer would be today?”

    The beers will be released periodically throughout the year, starting with the first release in March, and continuing until Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversary on November 15. These limited-release 750ml cage-and-cork bottles will be available at select retailers and beer-centric bars.

    These beers will be much more than a tribute: Proceeds from the project will go to benefit select charities chosen by the four pioneers.

    Sierra Nevada started in 1980 with a humble hand-built brewhouse and some interesting ideas about beer. Today it’s America’s longest-running craft startup, and boasts the number-one best-selling craft brand in the country—the legendary flagship, Pale Ale.

    A lot has changed in the generation since Grossman first met these brewing pioneers. When Sierra Nevada first opened its doors, there were less than 50 breweries in the United States. Today, there are more than 1,500 craft breweries in operation, and American brewers lead the world in variety of styles, innovation, experimentation, and quality.

    Follow this collaboration of pioneering brewers at www.sierra30.com.

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    Andrew Van Til first ‘Master Cicerone’

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    A Michigan man has become the first to earn the title of Master Cicerone. Andrew Van Til, an account manager at Elite Brands Michigan, one of seven beer industry professionals who took the Master Cicerone exam last month in Chicago and the only one who passed.

    “During the Master Cicerone exam, Van Til distinguished himself with his knowledge of all aspects of beer and his skill in tasting beer and in managing draft beer systems,” said Ray Daniels, Director of the Cicerone Certification Program.

    Van Til earned the certification through a series of exams culminating with two days of intense written and oral questioning about beer styles, draft systems, beer evaluation, brewing technology and beer and food pairing.

    Master Cicerone is third and top level of the Cicerone Certification Program. Founded in 2007, the program tests and certifies beer expertise similar to the wine world’s Master Sommelier program.

    To date, the Cicerone Certification Program has given more than 1,000 exams across the three levels of the program. Approximately 800 individuals have earned the first level title of Certified Beer Server and about 75 individuals have achieved the title of Certified Cicerone.

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    Protz & Penguins, plus Heineken in India

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    In the event you missed the dust up between British beer writer Roger Protz and upstart Scottish brewery BrewDog you might start with a little background if you are to appreciate this cartoon from The Publican.

    – Cincinnati Restaurant Group Inc., which operates a Hofbräuhaus in Newport, Ky., under license from the famous beer hall of the same name in Munich, Germany, announced it had dropped plans to either lease or buy the former Pabst visitors center and hall inn Milwaukee. However, a spokesman for the group said they are still looking at other locations at the former Pabst complex, now known as The Brewery. Meanwhile a developer proceeding with plans to operate a tavern at the visitors center and Blue Ribbon Hall.

    – Heineken has reached an agreement with India-based United Breweries that will allow the Dutch brewer to brew and sell its own brand of beer in that growing market. Heineken’s managed the breakthrough via a deal with Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya and his United Breweries, brewer of Kingfisher, to distribute Heineken beer in what it called “one of the world’s fastest growing and most exciting beer markets.” The Wall Street Journal has details about the intricate transaction, revealing how complicated the business of big beer can be.

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    Pete Brown top British beer writer

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    Pete Brown was tapped as as Beer Writer of the Year at the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards.

    Brown won the Budweiser Budvar Travel Bursary for his book Hops and Glory as well as the overall title, which this year was re-named to honor the late beer writer Michael Jackson.

    “The fact that, for the first year, the award was renamed in honor of Michael Jackson, makes winning it doubly special to me,” Brown said. “I have been writing about beer for six years, but everything seemed to click into place in 2009 and I am over the moon to win this.”

    Other winners included Ben McFarland for beer and food writing, Mark Dredge in the new media category for his blog pencilandpsoon and Jeff Evans, editor of www.insidebeer.com for trade writer of the year. Alastair Gilmour picked up the regional journalist of the year award, and author Arthur Taylor was named national journalist of the year.