Beers

Samuel Adams “Beer Lovers Choice” program is back.

This year one of the choices is Honey Porter, a retired member of the Samuel Adams family first brewed in 1994. The other beer in the competition is Smoked Lager.

Drinkers will have a chance to taste the two new beers and cast their vote during August and September at tasting events in local bars held in select cities nationwide. More information is available at www.samueladams.com.

The beer that receives the most votes will become part of the Samuel Adams Brewmaster’s Collection beginning in January 2007. This mixed 12-pack features a variety of Samuel Adams beers.

Last year drinkers chose Sam Adams Brown Ale over a bohemian pilsner in similar voting.

Pennsylvania specialty beer wholesale Shangy’s has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that InBev USA has failed to honor a 1998 agreement ensuring Shangy’s would be the sole wholesaler of Hoegaarden and other InBev products in a 17-county region that includes the Lehigh Valley, the Poconos and Philadelphia.

The Allentown Morning Call puts it this way:

The David versus Goliath battle pits one of the last of the state’s independent wholesalers against a corporate beer behemoth seeking to streamline distribution of its specialty beers with its major brands such as Beck’s, Bass and Lowenbrau.

The battle could decide the future of Shangy’s and, Nima Hadian says, ultimately reduce the number of specialty beers available to Pennsylvania consumers.

A business story with serious implicatons.

Shmaltz Brewing Co. has two new beers to help celebrate its 10th anniversary. From a press release:

Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. – Shmaltz commemorates the 40th anniversary of the death of prophetic Jewish comedian Lenny Bruce with the release of Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. In keeping with Lenny Bruce’s comedic style, this rye-based double IPA is brewed with an obscene amount of malts and hops with shocking flavors, far beyond contemporary community standards. Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. is the first offering in a new line called “The Shmaltz Tribute to Jewish Stars.”

Genesis 10:10– A radical evolution of the company’s top selling Genesis Ale, Genesis 10:10 offers a huge balance of specialty malts, pounds and pounds of American hops, and is brewed with the juice of over 10,000 luscious Pomegranates. In Jewish tradition, pomegranates symbolize righteousness, appearing throughout Torah as well as in many world cultures.

Anheuser-Busch has already begun brewing the iconic Rolling Rock beer in its New Jersey brewery and will start shipping its version of the beer in August.

“We are going to retain as much of the history and tradition and heritage of this brand,” said Andy Goeler, vice president of Anheuser-Busch’s import, craft and specialty group.

The company also plans to expand to other brewing locations in the United States, Goeler said.

“There will be virtually no change to the brand at all,” he said. “The whole mission here is to keep all the things we love about the brand and keep things that were very important to us when we went out to purchase the brand.”

The label will retain the enigmatic number “33” at the end of its quality pledge. But the words “St. Louis, Missouri” will be added to the pledge, which will now be preceded by the phrase: “To honor the tradition of this great brand, we quote from the original pledge.”

And while the beer will now be made in New Jersey, the labels will still say: “From the glass-lined tanks of old Latrobe, we tender this premium beer for your enjoyment, as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from the mountain springs to you.”

The water will no longer come from mountain springs, but from the Wanaque Reservoir near Newark, N.J., Goeler said.

While this bit of inaccuracy will rankle those still angry that Rolling Rock is not longer made in Latrobe, and those who just plain don’t like Anhueser-Busch, but Goebel doubts it will affect sales. He said said the taste, packaging “and what the brand reflects” were more important than where it was brewed.

News of beers you should be looking for now, or may want to look for soon:

– Otter Creek’s “Holy Otter” features monk otters on the label of this beer brewed in the Belgian tripel style. The beer is part of the Otter Creak World Tour series. Next up, and due in September, will be a traditional Finnish “Sahti” – a golden ale brewed with rye and juniper berries. A press release says Otter Creek’s version will be “creamily malty with a gin-like bitterness.”

– Deschutes Brewery celebrates its 18th anniversary by bottling its 2005 Great American Beer Festival gold medal winning European-Style Pilsner previously known as Pine Mountain Pils. The beer is part of the Bond Street Series and packaged in 22-ounce bottles. It packs a sturdy hop punch, but still has the delicate, floral character that helps make German pilsners a dependable summer refresher.

– The first release of cave-aged Three Philosophers Ale from Brewery Ommegang is set for late September. The Cooperstown, N.Y., brewery has been aging beer in nearby Howe Caverns for seven years, starting with Hennepin and later adding Ommegang Ale.

“In what has become an annual tradition, Brewery Ommegang has several of their Belgian-style Ales resting 156-feet below the earth’s surface in the Caverns,” said Howe Caverns General Manager John D. Sagendorf.

Ommegang put 40 cases of Three Philosophers to rest in the caves at a constant 52 ºF last year. It recently laid down 280 cases of Ommegang Abbey Ale, to be released in January 2007.

Interesting psychology. If the British (or Germans or Swedish) are craving American craft beer, does that mean you should too?

The Denver Post investigates growth both home and abroad, focusing on Colorado beers.

And Left Hand Brewing co-founder Eric Wallace explains why he is courting overseas buyers:

“If we can get a reflection of ‘this beer is so good that they’re drinking it across the pond now,’ that reflects very well on American beers, and it helps what is now an accelerating growth curve in the states.”

Just in time for the Fourth of July, Boston Beer Co. is introducing the Samuel Adams Brewer Patriot Collection, four beers made with ingredients that would have been available in revolutionary times.

The Traditional Ginger Honey Ale, for instance, includes ingredients such as fresh ginger puree and wildflower honey. Sam Adams’ brewers hand smoked malt from a forest on land once owned by James Madison for the James Madison Dark Wheat Ale. The other beers are George Washington Porter and 1790 Root Beer Brew (a hard root beer made with blackstrap molasses, sassafras root bark and other ingredients).

Initial reviews? There’s been some chatter on the Realbeer.com discussion boards.

Creative Loafing in Atlanta has made beer its cover story.

Lots to read, but you might want to start with The beer snob’s guide to (really good) beer.

It’s easy to pick on any list of six, but where’s Saison Dupont?