…To date, more than 1,200 breweries are participating, including craft brewers all over Northern California, major national producers like Founders, Stone, Dogfish Head, Firestone-Walker and New Belgium. Internationally, brewers like BrewDog and Garage Project are also getting in on helping out.
Via www.sfgate.com
Artisanal Brewing Ventures, the family office-backed holding company formed in early 2016 via the merger of Victory Brewing and Southern Tier Brewing, today announced the acquisition of New York-based Sixpoint Brewery.
…
“Adding Sixpoint to the ABV family is consistent with our strategy of working with successful regional brands that have great local market penetration, passionate fans, and opportunity to grow,†John Coleman, the CEO of Artisanal Brewing Ventures, said via the release. “Our resources, expertise in craft beer and high operating standards can unlock Sixpoint’s growth potential, improve its productivity, and allow their team to focus on what makes Sixpoint special and successful: brewing great beer, creating strong local relevance and building an authentic brand.â€
Via: BrewBound
Craft beer is growing by leaps and bounds. As reported by CraftBeer.com, the number of active breweries in the U.S. surged past 7,000 last month —boosted by small and independent openings— setting a new, all-time high.
The stat, provided by the Brewers Association’s Chief Economist Bart Watson, reveals that as of the end of October, there were 7,082 active breweries in the U.S. That’s an increase of more than 1,100 compared to the same time last year.
Via: VinePair
A planned Oakland brewery and beer garden from Los Angeles-based Golden Road has hit a dead end. Berkeleyside confirms that the brewery, owned since 2015 by beverage industry Goliath Anheuser-Busch InBev, won’t pursue its proposal for an empty Temescal parking lot (at 320, 322, and 330 40th Street) after all. Instead, the company is shifting its focus to other projects, a representative tells Berkeleyside.
via Eater SF
Good Beer Hunting writes on the mobile canning revolution that ushered in the new wave of small breweries canning there releases:
Ever since Oskar Blues’ Dale Katechis dropped his eponymous Pale Ale into aluminum back in 2002, the packaging format has slowly crept into territory owned by bottled 12-oz. six packs and 22-oz. bombers. Even the ubiquitous growler is making way for metal. The development of compact sealers introduced the market to “crowlersâ€â€”a technology developed by can manufacturing giant Ball and pioneered by Oskar Blues, who also acts as the machine’s distributor. Just like with regular-sized cans, the lightweight and recyclable nature of these 32-oz. containers is pushing the popularity of traditional glass flagons to the side.
But something that’s changed dramatically over the past decade or so is the consumer perception surrounding the quality of canned products. Even in the early 21st century, many beer drinkers—especially the early adopters of craft—considered cans to be inferior to bottles. These containers were the hallmark of mass-produced light Lagers, after all. (As it turns out, many craft diehards are coming around to that style as well.) Even folks like Katechis were worried—he admitted in a 2012 interview with CNBC that cans would be perceived as a “gimmick.†Those fears, with time, were ultimately unfounded.
I had no idea that BrewDog produced and updated yearly a recipe book with all of their past recipes in it. Here’s the latest one DIY Dog 2018, a 300+ page catalog of BrewDog beer recipes tailored to 5 gallon batches.
The idea is interesting — especially considering the pub is in the heart of the London financial district. Fluctuating prices of a beer based on the FTSE financial index. The price of the beer called Hop Exchange goes up as the FTSE 100 goes up. When it has a bad day, the price comes down.
Link: American Craft Beer
The Takeout gives us 5 Tips For Choosing better Beer at a Grocery Store.
I might add a bit of snark: Tip 6: Don’t buy beer at a grocery store if you have better options.
Ever thought that the lines for beer releases are out of hand? Dave Powers takes a humorous look at the phenomenon in McSweeney’s.
Ever since our flagship septuple IPA landed in the number one position on a popular beer rating website, due in part to positive word of mouth (as well as a flaw we discovered in the site’s database that allowed us to leave an unlimited number of five-star reviews), demand for our product has skyrocketed. This, combined with our refusal to distribute anywhere outside the confines of our own facility in order to strategically and artificially limit the available supply, has resulted in people clamoring for our beer. If you’re looking to pick some up for yourself, just know that your chances of success are about the same as the ABV of your average domestic light beer.
via Verify
via October:
“Clean, bright and modern.†That’s how Samantha Lee, co-founder of the Hopewell Brewing Company in Chicago, describes her brewery’s ethos, from the balance of its beers to the airy, inviting taproom. It’s also an apt description of Brut IPA, the latest phenomenon in American craft brewing’s seemingly never-ending love affair with the India Pale Ale.
Barely a year ago, Brut IPA began as a process innovation in a San Francisco brewpub. Kim Sturdavant of Social Kitchen and Brewery took a brewer’s enzyme called amyloglucosidase—an amylase enzyme typically used either for producing light beer or for lightening the body of big, viscous stouts—and added it to the recipe of a typical 7% ABV IPA. The process produced something new in itself: An IPA with zero residual sugar, restrained bitterness, lively carbonation and unparalleled drinkability. He called it the Champagne IPA, then later: Brut IPA.
Even though marijuana is legal in many states and countries, it’s still illegal to use as an ingredient in alcoholic beverages since the production of alcohol is controlled by the federal very anti-marijuana government. It’s a conundrum for breweries that want to experiment with the flavors and, ahem, effects of marijuana, a cousin of the hop plant.
The Washington Beer Blog brings us news that a few breweries got together in Washington and have found at least one way around the federal restrictions:
Wingman Brewers of Tacoma, Trap Door Brewing of Vancouver and Boundary Bay Brewery of Bellingham joined forces with Green Rose Gardens of Omak to create a beer that includes cannabis terpenes as an ingredient. Because the terpenes were extracted from the plant, and because the resulting compounds contain no TCH or CBD, this marijuana beer is entirely legal. That is, none of the psychoactive properties, but plenty of the aromatic, flavor properties.
Mighty HighPA is described as, “A smooth light bodied beer featuring Denali and Meridian hops along with Blue Dream terpenes.†The beer has already been released, but the official release party is scheduled for Friday, October 19th at Trap Door Brewing in Vancouver. The band Mighty High will perform at the event. The beer is available in 16-ounce cans at select retailers and on draft in limited supply.
via http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/local-brewers-produce-a-marijuana-beer-that-is-100-percent-legal/
Douglas Tirola details the rise of craft beer’s popularity and follows two enthusiasts chasing their American brewing dreams.
The movie opens in select theaters October 19th and and digital formats on November 20th. Take a look at the trailer below.