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Founder’s daughter resurrecting New Albion brand

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Renee DeLuca, daughter of craft brewing icon Jack McAuliffe, plans to resurrect his legendary New Albion Brewing brand.

DeLuca has a deal with Mendocino Brewing Co., located down the road from where New Albion started in Sonoma, Calif., to make New Albion beers. The will begin with the flagship pale ale. She expects to begin selling the beer before the end of the year.

McAuliffe constructed much of his brewery — the first purpose-built “microbrewery” — himself, opening it in 1976 and operating it until 1982. Mendocino bought, and still owns, some of that original equipment.

Earlier this year, Boston Beer Co. produced a one-time run of New Albion Pale Ale, with the profits all going to McAuliffe, who lives in Arkansas. “We … are happy that its legacy will be kept alive with the help of Jack McAuliffe’s daughter,” Boston Beer founder Jim Koch wrote in an email to the Santa Rosa Press Democract. “To see a new generation of craft drinkers enjoy New Albion Ale today pays great tribute to brewing pioneers, like Jack McAuliffe, who sparked the American craft brewing revolution.”

In “Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer” author Maureen Ogle put the importance of McAuliffe and New Albion Brewing in perspective. “I think what really matters about Jack,” Ogle told the Press Democrat, “is that he showed people, really ordinary people … that it was possible to build a brewery.”

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West Yorkshire porter champion at GBBF

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CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, announced that Elland 1872 Porter has been crowned the “Best Beer” in Britain at the Great British Beer Festival in London. And for the second year in a row the Champion Winter Beer winner also won Champion Beer of Britain at the GBBF.

Competition chair Colin Valentine said: “It was a really tough decision but Elland 1872 Porter is a fantastic beer and a well deserved winner.”

Elland head brewer Michael Wynnyczuk said: “I’m utterly shocked. It’s a great beer but after we won the Winter Ales competition you wonder about it in the summer GBBF competition, as people may prefer different styles of beer in warmer weather. But we know it’s a great beer and we’re really proud to be crowned Champion Beer of Britain.”

Overall winners
Gold – Elland – 1872 Porter (West Yorkshire)
Silver – Buntingford – Twitchell (Hertfordshire)
Bronze – Fyne Ales – Jarl (Argyll)

Mild category
Gold – Great Orme – Welsh Black (Conwy)
Silver – Cotswold Spring – Old Sodbury Mild (Gloucestershire)
Bronze – Fernandes – Malt Shovel Mild (West Yorkshire)

Bitters category
Gold – Buntingford – Twitchell (Hertfordshire)
Silver – Moor – Revival (Somerset)
Bronze – Surrey Hills – Ranmore Ale (Surrey) and Butcombe Bitter (Somerset)

Best Bitters
Gold – Mordue – Workie Ticket (North Shields)
Silver – Surrey Hills – Shere Drop (Surrey)
Bronze – Purple Moose – Glaslyn (Gwynedd) and Woodfordes – Nelsons Revenge (Norfolk)

Golden Ales
Gold – Fyne Ales – Jarl (Argyll)
Silver – Buntingford – Polar Star (Hertfordshire)
Bronze – St Austell – Proper Job (Cornwall)

Strong Bitters
Gold – Beeston – On the huh (Norfolk)
Silver –Marble – Dobber (Greater Manchester)
Bronze – Castle Rock – Screech Owl (Nottingham)

Speciality Beers
Gold – Growler Brewery, Nethergate – Umbel Magna (Suffolk)
Silver – Saltaire – Triple Chocolate (West Yorkshire)
Bronze – Conwy – Honey Fayre (Conwy)

Champion Winter Beer of Britain
Elland – 1872 Porter (West Yorkshire)
Bartram’s – Comrade Bill Bartram’s EAIS Stout (Suffolk)
Kelburn – Dark Moor (Old Ale/Strong Mild) (Glasgow)
Hog’s Back – A over T (Barley Wine/Strong Old Ale) (Surrey)

Champion Bottled Beer of Britain
Gold – Molson Coor’s – Worthington White Shield (Burton on Trent)
Silver – St Austell – Proper Job (Cornwall)
Bronze – Harvey’s – Imperial Extra Double Stout (East Sussex)

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GABF and craft beer growing pains

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The increasing popularity of craft beer hasn’t made life any easier for organizers of the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

Tickets to the 2013 Great American Beer Festival sold out in 20 minutes Wednesday. The Brewers Association handled the sale in two parts — Tuesday offering tickets only to members of the Brewers Association and American Homebrewers Association. That allotment lasted 90 minutes, with tickets for the Saturday afternoon members only session going first. In 2012, public tickets sold out in 45 minutes, while in 2011 tickets were available for a week.

Hundreds of tickets were available on StubHub within minutes after they went on sale through Ticketmaster, at much higher prices of course.

Not surprisingly, a post on the GABF Facebook page was followed by scores of comments from disappointed, and angry, beer fans.

Hi Everyone. We’re reading your comments, and we hear your frustration about scalpers and the secondary market. We share those concerns and wish there was a feasible fix. Unfortunately, there’s no perfect way to successfully avoid a secondary market for hot tickets—whether for popular concerts, sporting events or festivals like the GABF.

There are measures in place to decrease access for scalpers, including ticket limits we set for GABF ticket purchases (enforced by Ticketmaster), and Ticketmaster’s anti-bot and other security measures. Does this prevent scalper access? No, but it does decrease it. We will continue to evaluate options and solutions going forward.

Earlier in July hundreds of breweries that tried to sign up to serve their beer at the festival and have it judged in the related competition were frustrated when space disappeared in less than two hours. That led to changes for both this year’s festival and 2014. GABF director Nancy Johnson outlined those changes in a messages to Brewers Association members:

Here is a snapshot of where we stand for 2013 and an overview of how we plan to handle registration for GABF 2014.

Actions taken this year to address the issue include:

2013 Competition: Our 2013 annual plan called for a 7% increase in competition beers being judged. After registration closed and in recognition of the higher-than-ever demand, we moved quickly to find a way to increase the number of beers (and judges) in the 2013 competition by 200. As a result, 4,875 beers will be judged in 2013, which represents 12% more beers being judged in the competition than in 2012, and five percent more than originally planned for in 2013.

2013 Festival Hall Booth Space: Once capacity for the competition filled, eligible breweries on the wait list were offered a festival booth space. As of July 30, 616 breweries will pour 3,087 beers in the hall. That’s 11% more beers than in 2012, and note that this number does not include guild or special event beers.

2014 GABF Brewery Registration Process
The Brewers Association takes very seriously the “race to enter” registration issue that has resulted from a rapidly growing number of breweries along with increasing interest in the competition and festival. Since registration closed this year, we have been working to address this issue by devising a plan for 2014 that aims to eliminate the “race to enter” problem for future GABFs.

Based on this work, the BA plans to introduce a different entry method next year. This “all comers” style brewery registration process will achieve a few important goals:

*Eliminate the race to enter before all slots fill up

*Increase the number of breweries that can enter the competition

*Increase the number of beer entries

The 2014 GABF brewery will remain open for set number of days, and all interested breweries may enter the competition. The number of beer entries allowed per brewery will be based on doing the math of the number of breweries that registered during the sign-up period and the pre-determined capacity of beers that we can successfully judge that year.

Here is an example to illustrate:

*Total number of beers that can be judged = 5,000

*The registration period lasts (is open) for two weeks; no clambering to enter during one short time window

*Total number of eligible breweries that apply = 1,000

*5,000 beers / 1000 breweries = 5 entries per brewery

*Thus in this scenario, the competition would accept the first 5 entries from every brewery that entered

*Let’s say 2,500 breweries entered instead of 1,000: in that case, every brewery could enter 2 beers in the competition. The math would work like that for whatever number of breweries entered (Max. capacity of beers that can be judged – divided by – number of breweries entering the competition)

*Festival booth space would be handled separately

As you can imagine, many important details remain to be worked out, but we believe this 2014 GABF brewery registration plan represents a solid start toward an increasingly fair and accommodating competition for the future.

The festival will accommodate 49,000 attendees during four sessions (the Saturday afternoon one is smaller), which includes volunteers, brewer representatives and the press.

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Homebrewers honor Pliny the Elder, Stone

Posted in Beers, Breweries, Homebrewing, News on   

American Homebrewers Association members have voted Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Elder the “Best Commercial Beer in America” for the fifth year running. The poll is conducted annually by Zymurgy magazine.

This is the 11th year that AHA members voted for up to 20 of their favorite beers in an online poll. Members were able to choose any commercial beer available for purchase in the United States.

The top-ranked beers include:
1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
4. Bell’s Hopslam Ale
5. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
6. Founders Breakfast Stout
7. Arrogant Bastard Ale
8. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA
T9. Lagunitas Sucks
T9. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
T9. Stone Brewing Co. Ruination IPA

More than 1,100 breweries were represented in this year’s poll, and the top-ranked brewery is Stone Brewing Co., with five beers in the top 50. Russian River Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, Calif.) took second with five beers as well, followed by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., in third with four beers making the list.

Additionally, the Best Portfolio of Beers was awarded to the Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams), which had 40 beers receive votes in the poll. The top contenders in the category include:
1. The Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
2. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
3. Avery Brewing Co.
4. Cigar City Brewing
5. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

The complete list of Zymurgy’s “Best Beers in America.”

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‘Baseball bat beer’ benefits troops

Posted in Breweries, Just for fun on   

If we call a beer made by adding hops to the conditioning tank “dry hopped” does that mean we should call a beer made instead by adding maple baseball bats “dry batted”?

However you describe Homefront IPA, all proceeds from the beer will be donated to Operation Homefront, a national group that provides emergency financial assistance to military families.

Nine different brewers collaborated to create Homefront IPA, all using the same recipe, complete with orange peel and unfinished maple Louisville Sluggers. Participating breweries include Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fla., Sly Fox Brewing Co. in Pottstown, Pa., Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, the Phoenix Ale Brewery in Phoenix, Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colo., and Stone Brewing Co., in Escondido, Calif. The official release date is Memorial Day. The breweries will sell the beer in bottles and kegs in their areas, with all proceeds being donated to local chapters of the charity.

The Hops for Heroes project began in 2011 when Chris Ray, who since founded his own brewery, was pitching for the Seattle Mariners. A home brewer at the time, Ray wanted to partner with a local brewery to create a charity beer. Together with Fremont Brewing Co. in Seattle and his brother, Phil, they developed the recipe and chose the charity Operation Homefront.

Last year, the project helped raise $165,000. After the beer is brewed, the bats are dried and auctioned off.

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Ohio’s Fat Head’s bound for Beervana

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Ohio’s Fat Head’s Brewery, which makes one of America’s most celebrated India Pale Ales, plans to open a brewpub in Portland, Ore., one of America’s most celebrated beer cities.

Co-owner and brewer Matt Cole said Fat Head’s, which already has both a production brewery and a restaurants, signed a deal for a 13,000-square-foot space in the Pearl District about two blocks from Deschutes Brewery and Rogue Ales.

The brewery makes a wide range of assertive beers, led by Headhunter IPA.

“The Pearl District is a pretty hip area right in downtown Portland,” Cole told the Akron Beacon Journal’s website.

The brewpub will operate with a 10-barrel system. “We want to keep the batch size small so we can keep the beer fresh,” Cole said. He expects the new brewpub will open in the spring of 2014, offering 14 or 15 Fat Head’s beers on draft, along with about 25 beers from Portland breweries.

Fat Head’s also announced earlier this year that it’s looking to open a brewpub in Columbus.

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Short hops, Alaskan Brewing drops Alaskan Pale

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Alaskan Brewing announced that it will no longer offer its Alaskan Pale as a year-round release. The brewery decided to cut production because it cannot get the hops that make the golden ale unique.

“The U.S. Tettnanger hops availability, consistency and quality had started to become an ongoing issue for the past several years,” David Wilson, Quality Assurance Manager at Alaskan Brewing, said in a company press release. “With most hop varieties we are able to order based on the characteristics we are looking for in the taste and aroma, but because so few farmers are growing this hop, we have had a hard time coming up with the consistency we need to brew Alaskan Pale year-round.”

Hop geneticists have determined U.S. Tettnanger is an offspring of the English Fuggle hop, and it produces distinctly different odors than hops of American origin — such as Cascade, Citra, and Amarillo — that are currently very popular and more widely available.

Alaskan Pale is what’s generally known as a golden ale, but in 1987 was called Pale to offer a contrast to the only other year-round brew Alaskan was producing at the time, Alaskan Amber. The Alaskan Pale a loyal following, particularly in Alaska.

“We are always experimenting with different recipes, and we would love to find a similar flavor profile to the Alaskan Pale as many of us will miss this beer tremendously,” said co-founder Marcy Larson. “But we wanted to be honest in that without those specific hops, it will not be the same beer.”

Alaskan’s latest year-round release, the Freeride APA is quite different beer from Pale, with a citrusy hop-forward flavor profile.

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Small BREW Act reintroduced in Senate

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Three months after the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act (Small BREW Act) was reintroduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 494, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Me.) have done likewise in the Senate.

The Small BREW Act seeks to recalibrate the federal beer excise tax that small brewers pay on every barrel of beer they produce. Under current federal law, brewers making less than 2 million barrels annually pay $7 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels they produce, and $18 per barrel on every barrel thereafter. The Small BREW Act seeks to recalibrate that rate so that the smallest brewers and brewpubs would pay $3.50 on the first 60,000 barrels. For production between 60,001 and 2 million barrels the rate would be $16 per barrel. Any brewer that exceeds 2 million barrels would begin paying the full $18 rate. Breweries with an annual production of 6 million barrels or less would qualify for these tax rates.

“Small brewers have been anchors of local communities and America’s economy since the start of our history. In addition to making high-quality beers, craft brewers, including those in Maryland, create jobs and reinvest their profits back into their local economies,” said Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Finance and Small Business committees. “The federal government needs to be investing in industries that invest in America and create real jobs here at home. With more than 2,400 small and independent breweries currently operating in the US, now is the time to take meaningful action to help them and our economy grow.”

“Maine is home to dozens of unique craft breweries and brewpubs that invigorate our economy by providing more than 1,000 jobs and drawing countless tourists into our state,” Senator Collins said. “In meeting with brewers across Maine, they always make clear to me how federal tax policy affects their businesses. This bill, which I support, would help reduce the tax burden placed on many small brewers across our country, allowing them to thrive, create jobs, and further grow our economy.”

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KC Pils sales will benefit Kansas City

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Boulevard KC PilsBoulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City has renamed Boulevard Pilsner, put it in a new package and promised Kansas City residents it will share 10% of sales of the new KC Pils.

“From the beginning, we’ve worked hard to give back to the community,” Jeremy Ragonese, director of marketing, said for a press released. “The 10% for KC program takes these efforts to a new level, and allows us – in an even more direct and meaningful way – to express our appreciation to the people who support us and the organizations that make this city a better place to live.”

At the beginning of each calendar quarter, three charities will be selected from a pool nominated by the public. The organizations will have several weeks to help spread the word about their selection before a ten-day online public voting period determines the results. The top vote getter will receive 60% of available funds, while the two runners up will each collect 20%. The process will repeat itself every three months, meaning that 12 worthy organizations will receive funding each year. Consumers are invited to visit boulevard.com/we-love-KC to submit nominations for future consideration.

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Deschutes, Sierra Nevada win two International Awards each

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Deschutes Brewery and Sierra Nevada both won two overall champions awards at the International Brewing Awards 2013. The overall winners were honored in London’s Guildhall, the best of medalists previously announced immediately after the judging in February.

The bi-annual competition attracted more than 1,000 entries from 45 countries. Forty judges, all professional brewers, assessed the beers over the course of three days. The medal winners in each category were announced at the National Brewery Center in Burton upon Trent, where the judging was held.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale won Champion Keg Ale and Narwhal Imperial Stout won Champion Strong Ale. Deschutes Mirror Pond was Champion Smallpack Ale and Obsidian Stout the Champion Dark Beer. Samuel Adams Black & Brew captured Champion Specialty. Samuel Adams beers won nine medals overall.

Ruth Evans, director of competition organisers Brewing Technology Services, said, “We are delighted with the response to The International Brewing Awards 2013. The competition attracted more entries than in 2011, from 50 countries and from a broad spectrum of producers from regional micro-brewers to multi-national companies. This diversity is important to our Awards and is key to their appeal to the international brewing community.

Champion Smallpack Lager
Bryggmästarens Premium Gold
AB Abro Bryggeri, Sweden

Champion Smallpack Ale
Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Deschutes Brewery, USA

Champion Keg Ale
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Champion Keg Lager
Hells Lager
Camden Town Brewery, UK

Champion Non and Low Alcohol Beer
Northern Light
Daniel Thwaites, UK

Champion Dark Beer
Obsidian Stout
Deschutes Brewery, USA

Champion Strong Beer
Narwhal Imperial Stout
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Champion Speciality Beer
Samuel Adams Black & Brew
The Boston Beer Company, USA

Champion Cask Ale
Green Devil IPA
Oakham Ales, UK

Champion Cider
Thatchers Vintage Cider
Thatchers Cider Ltd, UK

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St. Louis newcomer already plans 2nd brewery

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Only two years old, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company in St. Louis has announced plans to open a second and significantly larger production brewery in the city.

The new facility will immediately increase UCB’s annual brewing capacity to about 15,000 barrels. The project, expected to cost about $10 million, will add approximately 10 full-time and 30 part-time jobs within the next two years. Projected to open in early 2014, UCBC is partnering with Green Street St. Louis (Green Street), an real estate firm recognized for the sustainable redevelopment of underutilized St. Louis-area commercial properties into LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings.

UCB co-founders Florian Kuplent and David Wolfe worked with Green Street for over a year to identify a suitable property. They chose the former Renard Paper Company at 4465 Manchester Ave., which will become a 70,000 square foot production brewery, packaging facility, warehouse and indoor/outdoor retail tasting room. Beyond embracing the principles of environmental stewardship and social responsibility by seeking LEED certification, UCBC & Green Street also plan to modify the façade of the current city-block long warehouse to visibly and physically integrate it into the already vibrant “The Grove” neighborhood.

“People might ask why open a second facility and also locate it in St. Louis? Well, first and foremost 95% of the beer we sold last year was in St. Louis, and like Schlafly and many of the other small, local brewers, we’re dedicated to the evolution of St. Louis as a craft beer destination,” Wolfe said for a press release.

Kuplent, who oversees the brewing said, explained that the original facility would soon be at capacity. “We never imagined we’d grow this fast,” he said for the press release. “Essentially it means we’re going to run out of the space to add further capacity at our current location sometime this year . . . and we mostly have St. Louis beer drinkers and our retail partners to thank for that!”

Operationally, Urban Chestnut plans to brew, package and sell beer at both locations:

– The current 20-barrel brew house, tasting room and biergarten, located at 3229 Washington Ave. in Midtown St. Louis, will remain open and will be utilized to primarily test, brew, and package smaller batch beers.

– Initially the new brewery will have an annual capacity of approximately 15,000 barrels using a 60-barrel brewhouse, with the space to expand to 100,000 barrels.

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Oklahoma brewers ask for support on sampling law

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The Oklahoma Craft Brewers Guild is asking state residents to contract their state senator and ask him or her to support Oklahoma House Bill 1341, which would allow licensed brewers to serve free samples (limited to 12 ounces per day) to brewery visitors.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Guild is provides its reasons for promoting H.B. 1341:

– The bill will help Oklahoma brewers educate consumers about their beer and breweries and thus grow demand for their beer in the marketplace.

– H.B. 1341 is pro-tourism legislation that will encourage more visitors, both in-state and out of state, to Oklahoma breweries.

– This bill seeks to offer the same educational opportunities to beer drinkers as wine drinkers. Oklahoma wineries are already permitted to offer samples on their licensed premises.

– It helps in continuing to build a vibrant craft beer culture and grow the economic contributions of jobs and related services in Oklahoma.

The bill has already been approved by the House.

How to locate a senator.

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New Belgium’s Bouckaert honored for innovation

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That it takes a lot of craft brewers to make a lot of craft beer was obvious at the 2013 Craft Brewers Conference in Washington, D.C.

The Brewers Association announced that 6,400 brewing professionals attended the conference, most of whom also attended the accompanying trade show, BrewExpo America (pictured below – photo courtesy of the BA). The trade show was twice as big as in San Diego in 2012.

BrewExpo America 2013

BA director Paul Gatza provided a complete overview of industry growth, including the details behind 15% sales growth in 2012. There were a record 409 brewery openings in 2012 (99 brewpubs and 310 microbreweries).

Thus a total of 2,347 craft breweries were operating in 2012, with another 1,254 breweries in planning, As many as 500 may open in 2012. There were also 43 closings last year, and Gatza provided on cautionary note. “It wouldn’t surprise me if the number is 50 next year, or if the number is 150,” he said.

Also during the week:

* Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium Brewing received the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing. Since joining New Belgium in 1996, Bouckeart has overseen the creation of a vast array of beers. New Belgium has more beer aging in wooden vessels than any brewery in the country, resulting in many beers in its “Lips of Faith” series. Its range doesn’t stop there — Ranger IPA is one of the best selling India Pale Ales in the country, the fastest growning style in the US.

* Art Larrance of Cascade Brewing/Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub received the Brewers Association Recognition Award for his innovative and award-winning beers. Larrance has been in the industry since the early 1980s and opened Cascade Brewing in 1998.

* David Katleski, president of the New York State Craft Brewers Guild and owner of the Empire Brewing Co., received the F.X. Matt Award for his efforts to make regulatory reform possible and change legislation. Katleski operates a small brewpub in Syracuse and is constantly working to help the local craft market. This past year, he had five major pieces of reform legislation passed in New York.

* A record 233 small and independent American brewery owners and brewers, representing 215 craft breweries and 46 states, climbed the steps of the United States Capitol. They met with Congressional staff to tell their success stories and discuss legislative issues of concern to the craft brewing industry.

* New Belgium Brewing co-founder and CEO Kim Jordan welcomed attendees as this year’s keynote speaker. Jordan presented the keynote at CBC in New Orleans in 2003, where she called for craft brewers to aspire to reach 10% of all U.S. beer sales. A decade later, Jordan returned to discuss issues ranging from technical brewing considerations to the industry’s collective spirit and future.

* Peter DeFazio (D-OR) was presented the Brewers Association Achievement Award in appreciation of his five years of leadership in the House Small Brewers Caucus. DeFazio was recognized for his evergreen commitment to supporting craft brewers and for his personal passion and enthusiasm for craft beer and homebrewing.

* With increasing numbers of craft brewers prioritizing sustainability issues, the BA officially unveiled three new manuals for craft brewers: BA Water and Wastewater: Treatment/Volume Reduction Manual; BA Solid Waste Reduction Manual; and BA Energy Usage, GHG Reduction, Efficiency and Load Management Manual. Each contains multiple levels of solutions for different size breweries and a toolbox including guidance, checklists and Excel-based tools.

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Private suit seeks to block A-B InBev/Modelo merger

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An antitrust attorney has filed a private lawsuit on behalf of nine consumers, including six from St. Louis, against Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) and Grupo Modelo over their proposed $20.1 billion merger.

The St. Louis Business Journal reports Joseph Alioto filed the suit in federal court in San Francisco, stating the acquisition will substantially lessen competition and/or tend to create a monopoly in the production, distribution and sale of beer in the United States.

Alioto is the attorney who tried to block Belgian brewer InBev’s 2008 acquisition of Anheuser-Busch.

“By combining the largest and the third-largest brewers of beer sold in the United States, the defendant ABI, would have more than 54 percent of the beer market in the United States and sufficient monopoly power to exclude competition and raise prices,” according to the lawsuit.

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Brew Hub plans first brewery in Florida

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Brew Hub has announced plans for the company’s first brewery in Lakeland, Fla. The Florida brewery will be the first of at least five planned facilities that will offer craft brewers the opportunity to “partner brew” their beers on site.

Partner brewing is designed to allow craft breweries to brew their beer to exact specifications under the supervision of their own brewmaster and to package and distribute from the Brew Hub brewery, additionally making beer available for export to international markets. This allows craft breweries to expand their distribution without the overhead costs of building a new brewery or transporting beer across the country.

The Brew Hub will also offer craft breweries services including sales, marketing, logistics, legal, and government affairs.

The Lakeland brewery will be located in Interstate Commerce Park off the I-4 Corridor and will have an initial brewing capacity of 75,000 barrels, or one million cases, annually. The site’s central location will allow the company to efficiently distribute beer to wholesalers throughout Florida and the Southeast.

Brew Hub brewing operations will be led by chief brewmaster Paul Farnsworth, who will oversee all aspects of design, layout, construction and day-to-day operation of the new brewing, production and warehouse facility in Lakeland. Farnsworth earned a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of London and has been instrumental in the startup or operation of over 100 breweries in 10 countries.

Brew Hub was founded by a team of former Anheuser-Busch executives led by Tim Schoen. Schoen, CEO, Jerry Mullane, President and Mark Greenspahn, Vice President of Operations. Brew Hub is supported by financing from The Yucaipa Companies of Los Angeles.

“Brew Hub will allow great craft brewers to grow their businesses by expanding into new markets they otherwise could not reach,” said Tim Schoen, chief executive officer of Brew Hub. “This is the most exciting time in history to be in the beer business. Beer drinkers are constantly looking to discover new beer styles and brands every chance they get, but many of the beers they love aren’t available where they live. We’re planning to change that in the Southeast and across the country.”

Brew Hub plans to open at least four similar facilities over the next five years. Specific markets will be determined based on demand, but the company is considering strategic locations in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Texas and West Coast.

“There are so many craft brewers making amazing beer today, and the demand from consumers is almost insatiable,” said Schoen. “But too much demand can also be a problem. Building a brewery is not realistic for many brewers and contract brewing opportunities that exist today are less than ideal. We believe our partner brewing model will allow craft brewers a great opportunity to expand their business and reach new consumers.”

The company will begin building the Lakeland brewery, packaging and cold storage warehouse in April. The site will operate as a central distribution facility for craft brewers beginning in fall 2013. The Lakeland facility will deliver beer to wholesalers throughout Florida and the Southeast and will begin brewing beer in summer 2014.

Brew Hub was founded in 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri by a team of beer industry executives and craft brewing experts led by Tim Schoen. “Where Craft Brewers Go to Grow,” Brew Hub provides full brewing, packaging, distribution and selling services for craft brands that are capacity, geographical, or capital constrained. The company plans to have five breweries located throughout the country that will cater to craft breweries. Each facility will allow craft brewers to partner brew their beers on site.