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Original Sin rolls out Pear Cider

Original Sin, producers of a highly thought of apple cider since 1997, has added a pear cider to its lineup.

Original Sin Pear Cider is a dry cider, a modest 4.5% abv, and is gluten free.

In 2003 a tasting panel for The New York Times judged Original Sin Apple the “top American cider” in a test involving 21 ciders. Original Sin is available in 22 states, recently shipping to the West Coast and to the United Kingdom.

Rock poster artist, R. Black, has created a series of posters for Original Sin featuring models from New York City’s nightlife and art scene. The posters, some more provocative than the one (left) created for Pear Cider, are for sale at the company website.

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Pete Brown top British beer writer

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.

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Long Trail set to buy Otter Creek

Long Trail Brewing Co. announced Monday that it had signed a letter of intent to purchase Otter Creek Brewery. Long Trail CEO Brian Walsh said he hoped to close in about a month.

Walsh said he intends to continue both the Otter Creek and Wolaver’s, a line of organic beers put out by Otter Creek, brands. He does not plan to scale back the distribution of Otter Creek, which is sold in 15 states.

“Some of the states they’re in are the mid-Atlantic region where we’re looking to expand,” he said. “That’s a pretty good synergy right there.”

Walsh said Long Trail produces 76,000 barrels a year and estimated Otter Creek at 25,000 barrels. Both have capacity to grow.

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Smuttynose beer Wood/Barrel champion in Chicago

Smuttynose Brewing Co. won Best of Show honors at the 7th Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beer last weekend in Chicago.

The New Hampshire brewery claimed top honors with its its Farmhouse Ale, a saison aged in a neutral oak barrel with Brettanomyces Claussenii. Runner-up was Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Stout, an imperial stout aged in 6 to 13-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon barrels.

The festival attracted 1,500 drinkers, who sampled more than 135 beers from 53 different breweries, representing 18 states.

The winning beers:

Classic Stout/Porter (8 entries): Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, Pullman Brown (Brown Porter)
Strong Stout/Porter (20 entries): Goose Island Beer Company, Bourbon County Brand Stout
Barleywine (9 entries): Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, Barrel aged Mooseknuckle Barleywine
Classic Styles (11 entries): Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Lil Opal
Strong Pale Beer (14 entries): Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Demon Sweat
Strong Dark Beers (19 entries): Allagash Brewing Company, Odyssey
Experimental Beers (20 entries): Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Cappatown
Wild Beers (33 entries): Smuttynose Brewing Company, Farmhouse Ale

Complete results.

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Hindenburg beer could fetch $8,000

A blackened bottle of beer found in the wreck of the Hindenburg zeppelin is expected to fetch thousands of pounds at auction, according to the BBC.

The bottle was found by a fire-fighter cleaning up the American airfield where the German airship exploded in 1937. The bottle will be the most expensive ever bought if it meets its estimated price of £5,000 ($8,337) on Saturday.

The airship was engulfed by flames as it landed in New Jersey, killing 38 people and injuring 60. New Jersey firefighter Leroy Smith found six bottles of Lowenbrau beer and a pitcher intact on the scene of the crash.

He buried his secret find so he could collect them later, as the area had been sealed off by the authorities.

Mr Smith gave the other five bottles to his colleagues.

Most of the others are now lost, although one was given to the Lowenbrau company after the death of Mr Smith’s friend.

The silver-plated pitcher, which bears the logo of the Deutsche Zeppelin Reedrei, the zeppelin airline company, is expected to reach £12,000 ($20,000).

More than 70 years later the bottle won’t attract that sort of price for what’s inside.

“You wouldn’t want to drink it – it is probably quite putrid to taste,” auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said.

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Got $300 million? You can own Pabst

Pabst Brewing Co., which owns the Pabst and Schlitz beer brands as well as nearly 40 others, is up for sale again.

The Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation has hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to find a buyer willing to pay around $300 million, according to the New York Post, which cited unnamed sources in a Monday article. The foundation also put the company on the market in 2003 but did not find a buyer.

The action apparently is the result of a deadline imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. Federal tax laws don’t allow charitable foundations to own for-profit companies. The IRS initially gave the foundation until 2005 to sell Pabst. That deadline was extended to 2010 when a buyer couldn’t be found.

After years of fast rapid, sales of the Pabst brand stabilized in the early part of this decade when it gained some notoriety a “hipster beer.” The company has sought to revive Schlitz — one of the other iconic brands such as Old Style and Special Export it owns — in a similar way, but results have be mixed. Despite better results by Schlitz and Pabst overall company sales declined 3.3% in 2008.

Pabst was founded in 1844 in Milwaukee and became one of the country’s largest brewers. In 1975, Pabst beer accounted for 45% of all beer sold in Wisconsin and in 1976 Pabst held 11.2% of the national market. It closed the last of its own breweries in 2001 and since it has contracted brewing of its brands largely to Miller Brewing Co.

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The accidental brewery

Making beer at home is one thing. Selling it is another.

The British government has told a Hampshire man he must now pay duty, keep better records and undergo a background check for a license to sell his beer.

The Metro reports it began when Robert Shields, who brews 100 pints (or 12.5 gallons) a month, decided to start charging friends just six months after he started brewing.

But before selling the home-made Moorlands and Runnymede bitters, he was told to convert his shed into a bonded warehouse and apply for two licences.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom’s guidelines added that he must pay 20p duty a bottle, measure how much alcohol is in his beer and record how much malt he buys.

(He) also had to get a personal licence to sell alcohol and undergo a criminal records check by the police.

“It’s totally over the top for someone who just wants to sell beer to friends,” he said.

However a spokesman for the a Campaign for Real Ale, a consumer advocate group, said: “It’s right that if you are selling it to people then you have to make sure it is of a demonstrable quality.”

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Samuel Adams, Weihenstephan plan collaboration

Boston Beer Co., brewer of Samuel Adams beers, and Germany’s historic Weihenstephan Brewery have announced they will partner to create a collaboration beer. Such collaborations between breweries of all sizes, and often breweries located in different countries, continue to become more popular but this arguably is the biggest yet.

Weinehstephan, founded by Benedictine monks in 1040, lays claim to being the oldest brewery in the world. Boston Beer, founded in 1984, is America’s largest craft brewery.

“The Weihenstephan Brewery is a mecca for brewers and people around the world who are passionate about beer and brewing. No brewer can stand at the site of this brewery without feeling a sense of reverence for what has been done here,” Boston Beer founder Jim Koch said for a press release. “It is a great honor to work together on this mission to explore the limits of the Reinheitsgebot and to brew a beer that represents the platinum standard in the art of brewing.”

Dr. Josef Schrädler, managing director at Weihenstephan, expressed similar thoughts. “This journey we’ve embarked on with Samuel Adams is unprecedented in the beer world,” he said. “We are making history with Jim and his team of brewers; turning our traditional brewing techniques on their head will result in an innovative beer that is ground breaking, delicious and unique.”

The brewers from Samuel Adams and Weihenstephan have been working on the project for two years, “perfecting an innovative beer style that explores new brewing techniques within the boundaries of beer law.”

Their yet-to-be-named beer will be released in both the United States and Germany next spring in cork-finished bottles. Effervescent and Champagne-like beer it will weigh in at more than 10 percent alcohol by volume.

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Boulevard-Orval collaboration and other news

News from the breweries:

Boulevard Brewing has announced Jean-Marie Rock, brewmaster at the Belgian Trappist brewery Orval will team up with Boulevard brewmaster Steven Pauwels to create a small production, limited release beer. The joint effort, a first for the Midwestern brewery, will take place during Rock’s late October visit to Boulevard’s Kansas City facility.

The brewers, both native Belgians, will produce an imperial pilsner similar to a lager brewed by Rock at the start of his career. It will, according to Pauwels, be a tribute to pilsner beers; full flavored and refreshing, brewed with 100% Pilsner malt and 100% Saaz hops, using time-honored techniques.

“The beer will be made in a very traditional way,” said Rock. “The methods by which it will be brewed, fermented, and lagered are no longer employed, though they made this beer fantastic. It is time to get a beer like this back in a glass.”

Stone Brewing has expanded distribution into 33 states, adding Connecticut last month and Louisiana this month. Louisiana will be celebrating the arrival of Stone oct. 20 with “72 Hours of Arrogance.” “Stone is the opposite of the beers that we have down here,” said Dan Stein, of Stein’s Market and Deli. “We’re talking about big, strong, hoppy, bold beers.”

Stone Brewing installed two new 400-barrel fermenting vessels in their Escondido, California, in September to boost annual capacity by 7,000 to 8,000 barrels per year.

Widmer Brothers Brewing has made Cherry Oak Doppelbock, the first release in the brewery’s new Brothers’ Reserve limited-edition series. The Brothers’ Reserve line gives founders and brothers Kurt and Rob Widmer a chance to play with new styles and premium ingredients. The 22-ounce bottles retail for around $7.95.

Cherry Oak Doppelbock, 9% abv with 40 bitterness units, is cold-fermented with dark sweet and red tart cherries, then conditioned on new, heavily toasted American oak. Each release bears the name of the brother who inspired its creation. In the case of Cherry Oak Doppelbock that’d be Kurt, who hand-signed 50 bottles for consumers to discover as a way to commemorate the series’ launch.

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Craft pioneer Greg Noonan dies

Greg NoonanAmerican craft brewing pioneer Greg Noonan, 58, died Sunday in his home after a brief battle with cancer.

Noonan opened Vermont’s first brewpub in 1988 and two others after that but his influence was national. His 1986 book Brewing Lager Beer: The Most Comprehensive Book for Home- and Microbreweries
became something of a guidebook for those opening small breweries in the 1980s and ’90s. He Later wrote Scotch Ale in 1990 and Seven Barrel Brewery Brewers’ Handbook: A Pragmatic Guide to Home Brewing in 1996, then updated Brewing Lager Beer in 2003.

Like many who would soon be commercial brewers Noonan started out making beer as a hobby at home. He was working as a manufacturing manager for paper and wood products companies in Massachusetts when news of microbreweries opening on the West Coast inspired him to go pro.

“I specifically sited my brewery in Burlington because it’s where I wanted to live. I admired the politics in Vermont,” he said. He spent three years lobbying the Vermont legislature to legalize brewpubs.

“That first year, it was a real sell,” he said 10 years after opening in the pub. “There was no built-in awareness of what a brewpub was. (Consumers) would look at you and think ‘You are a brewery, you must make Budweiser.’ There was no style awareness.”

His local impact was obvious. For instance, John Kimmich, who later started the award winning The Alchemist brewpub in nearby Waterbury, sought out Noonan to learn the trade. Kimmich waited tables and eventually became head brewer at Vermont Pub & Brewery.

“Greg is a major reason that The Alchemist is a success,” Kimmich says. “He’s been a wonderful mentor. He’s got the blending of the chemistry knowledge with the esoteric side of things.”

Like many other brewers, commercial and amateur, Kimmich said he still has a dog-eared copy of Brewing Lager Beer in his brewery. His book was the start of Brewers Publications, the publishing wing of the Brewers Association.

That book was quite a legacy to leave behind but Noonan left much more.

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Mountain Sun wins Alpha King challenge

Brian Hutchinson of Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery in Boulder, Colo., was crowned “Alpha King” on Friday. Hutchinson’s Hop Vivant Imperial IPA took first place in the 2009 Alpha King Challenge, chosen from a total of 70 “hoppier-than-the average-beer” entries. The newest Alpha King Challenge winner is the first ever from Colorado.

Second place went to two-time previous winner, Tomme Arthur, for Hop 15 double IPA from Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, Calif. The beer won the Alpha King title in both 2004 and 2008.

Third place went to the first woman brewer to make the top 3 in the competition. Denise Jones’ Hopsickle XXXIPA Imperial IPA is from Moylan’s Brewing Co., Novato, Calif. Moylan’s Brewing owner Brendan Moylan previously won back-to-back Alpha King crowns in 2001 and 2002 with beers from his Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, Calif.

Hopunion’s Ralph Olson presented each of the top three brewers at this year’s Alpha King Challenge with a small cash prize courtesy of Three Floyds Brewing Co., a gift certificate from White Labs yeast, plus an etched-glass stein with an engraved pewter lid for the winner and special glasses for the runners up provided by Rastal glassware from Germany.

A total of 70 beers from around the United States competed in the tenth annual Alpha King Challenge. The seven additional Alpha King finalists were:

* Barley Brown’s Brewing Co., Baker City, Ore., Turmoil black IPA, brewed by Shawn Kelso;
* Bear Republic Brewing Co., Cloverdale, Calif., Ken and John’s IPA, brewed by Ricardo Norgrove;
* Bear Republic Brewing Co., Cloverdale, Calif., Racer X double IPA, brewed by Ricardo Norgrove;
* Deschutes Brewery, Bend & Portland, Ore., PDX Hop Henge #4 Imperial IPA, brewed by Cam O’Connor;
* Dry Dock Brewing Co., Denver, Colo., Seven Seas Double IPA, brewed by Bill Eye;
* Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., Devil Dancer Imperial IPA, brewed by Jeremy Kosmicki;
* Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, Calif., Pliny the Elder double IPA, brewed by Vinnie Cilurzo.

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Sierra Nevada honored for recycling efforts

The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) has recognized Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. as a “Friend of Glass” for its achievements in making significant and innovative efforts to promote or participate in glass container recycling for bottle-to-bottle use. Sierra Nevada is one of seven “Friends of Glass” recognized by GPI during Recycle Glass Week (Sept. 21-27).

“At Sierra Nevada, recycling and reducing consumption are fundamental parts of our operation. We strive for the highest recycled content in our packaging materials and rely on quality glass packaging for our product. Maintaining a clean and high quality stream of cullet helps to increase the amount of recycled content we are able to maintain. We are honored to be recognized as a Friend of Glass and look forward to helping increase and promote glass container recycling,” Cory Ross, packaging manager at Sierra Nevada, said for a press release.

Sierra Nevada uses glass packaging and kegs for its line of craft and specialty brews. In 2008, Sierra Nevada diverted a total of 638,082 pounds of glass from entering a landfill.

“We believe that partnerships with ‘Friends of Glass’ like Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. are imperative to facilitating better collection and recycling processes for glass bottle-to-bottle recycling to help save energy and our environment,” said Joseph Cattaneo, president of the Glass Packaging Institute. “The glass container industry thanks our 2009 ‘Friends of Glass’ for their work on behalf of glass container recycling and encourages other communities and organizations to follow their lead.”

Sierra Nevada’s recycling program goes beyond just glass containers. The company has reached a 99.5% diversion rate – sending less than 1% of its total solid waste to landfill – through creative recycling and composting efforts. Sierra Nevada collects and recycles cardboard, shrink wrap, paper, cans, bottles PET strapping, wood, food scraps from break rooms, and much more.

Recycle Glass Week is an awareness event aimed to educate consumers about the environmental benefits of and to encourage participation in glass container recycling to help save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the industry’s nationwide goal of using 50 percent recycled content in the manufacture of new glass bottles and jars by 2013.

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Craft Beer Continues To Sell

The Brewers Association, the trade association representing the majority of U.S. brewing companies, reports America’s small and independent craft brewers are still growing (see Craft Brewing Statistics) despite many challenges and are continuing to provide jobs to the U.S. economy. Dollar growth from craft brewers during the first half of 2009 increased 9%, down from 11% growth during the same period in 2008. Volume of craft brewed beer sold grew 5% for the first six months in 2009, compared to 6.5% growth in the first half of 2008. Barrels sold by craft brewers for the first half of the year is an estimated 4.2 million, compared to 4 million barrels sold in the first half of 2008.

“At a time when many of the giant beer brands are declining, small and independent craft brewers are organically growing their share and slowly gaining shelf and restaurant menu space one glass of craft beer at a time,” said Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association.

100 Year High

The U.S. now boasts 1,525 breweries, the highest number in 100 years when consolidation and the run up to Prohibition reduced the number of breweries to 1,498 in 1910. “The U.S. has more breweries than any other nation and produces a greater diversity of beer styles than anywhere else, thanks to craft brewer innovation,” Gatza added.

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Glen Hay Falconer Scholarship Recipients Announced

The Falconer Foundation has announced it’s recipients for the 2009 Glen Hay Falconer Scholarships. From an outstanding group of talented applicants, Kachusha Munkanta of 21st Amendment Brewery (San Francisco, CA) and Evan Taylor of Silver Moon Brewing (Bend, OR) have been named recipients of the 2009 Glen Hay Falconer Foundation Brewing Scholarships.

This year witnessed an outstanding group of highly qualified applicants and a very tight race for the two brewing scholarships. Kachusha will attend the World Brewing Academy Concise Course in Brewing Technology held at Siebel Institute of Technology’s Chicago campus this November. Evan will attend the WBA Packaging and Process Technology course in October at the Siebel campus. Each brewing scholarship is a full-tuition grant along with travel stipend that is offered with the generous co-sponsorship of the Siebel Institute.

Siebel Institute of Technology congratulates this year’s recipients, and we look forward to seeing you in Chicago this Fall.

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Texas Brewers Need Your Help, Too

Support Your Local BrewerySupport Your Local Brewery has issued an E-Action Alert:

May 7, 2009

Dear Texas Beer Activist,

The small brewers of Texas have asked for your help in moving HB 2094, which would authorize certain brewers and manufacturers to conduct tours of their premises after which tour attendees would be allowed to purchase a six pack or a case of beer for off-premise consumption.

Small Texas breweries believe passing this legislation is critical for their continued growth and success as it would enable them to ultimately sell more Texas craft beer through the distribution system. Increased sales would benefit brewers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. The bill would also allow Texas small breweries to compete fairly with out-of-state small breweries that have the same rights in their home states.

HB 2094 is now before the House Committee on Calendars, which determines if and when bills are sent to the House floor for a vote. With the legislative session ending in 2 weeks, it is extremely important to let the members of the Committee on Calendars know of your support for expeditiously moving this bill to the full House for a vote. Following is a list of committee members – please follow their individual links for contact information and call or email today!

Brian McCall, Chair – Plano
Eddie Lucio, Vice Chair – Brownsville
Norma Chávez – El Paso
Garnet Coleman – Houston
Byron Cook – Corsicana
Brandon Creighton – Conroe
Charlie Geren – Fort Worth
Jim Keffer – Eastland
Lois Kolkhorst – Brenham
Edmund Kuempel – Seguin
Jim McReynolds – Lufkin
Alan Ritter – Nederland
Burt Solomons – Carrollton

Due to the short time remaining in the legislative session, we are also asking you to call or email your State Representative at this time to express your support for HB2094 in anticipation that the bill will move to the House floor for a vote. To find contact information for your State Representative go to Who Represents Me?, enter your address and look for the State Representative listing.

Thank you for your support of Texas small brewers.