Abita Brewing in Louisiana has signed on as the founding brewery partner of Enjoy Beer, a new enterprise created to provide resources on a national scale to a select group of top independent U.S. craft brewers.

Harpoon Brewery co-founder Richard Doyle, who last year sold his stake in the Boston brewery, created Enjoy Beer. A press release explains that company “partners will share their collective wisdom and resources, and those of craft industry experts, in order to bring competitive strength to their individual craft breweries in an ever more competitive marketplace.”

“As the craft brewing industry continues to evolve, there is enormous pressure on brewers to compete against the big breweries,” Doyle said in a press release. “Local brewers like David Blossman at Abita, have been committed to innovation and finding new opportunities to compete while ensuring the company’s independence and local roots.”

Enjoy Beer plans to take on more craft brewing partners “who wish to preserve their local independence, while gaining shared resources in areas such as marketing, sales, purchasing, logistics, and finance in order to compete with large-scale corporate competitors.”

New Belgium Brewing and CEO Kim Jordan will donate $1 million to Colorado State University that will update and renovate facilities housing the university’s Fermentation Science and Technology program. Jordan will personally give $500,000 to the project and the remaining $500,000 will be allocated over five years through New Belgium’s philanthropy program. The gifts will be used to build a new fermentation science laboratory, significantly strengthening the long-standing relationship between CSU and New Belgium.

“We’ve had a great relationship with the university over the years and it’s personally meaningful to me to be able to give something back,” said Jordan. “Craft brewing has afforded opportunity to more than 100,000 people working in our industry and it’s important to support the next generation of brewers who will take us into the future.”

CSU has provided a Brewing Science and Technology course since 2005 and formally launched the Fermentation Science and Technology undergraduate degree program in August 2013. There are 76 students currently enrolled in the major. The renovated space will be named the New Belgium Fermentation Science and Technology Laboratory and will house analytical, brewing, kitchen, and sensory room space. It is slated for completion in August 2015.

The Brewers Association has released ts annual lists of the top 50 craft and overall brewing companies in the United States. Because the BA rewrote its definition of what constitutes a craft brewery last March, Boston Beer Co. was bumped from the top spot by Yuengling.

“The companies on this list include the vanguard of the craft industry,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “They are exposing new beer lovers to craft, opening new markets and creating opportunities for the entire category. As they continue to grow, so will the availability of innovative and high-quality beers produced for all to enjoy.”

1 D. G. Yuengling and Son, Inc, Pottsville PA
2 Boston Beer Co, Boston MA
3 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Chico CA
4 New Belgium Brewing Co, Fort Collins CO
5 Gambrinus, Shiner TX
6 Lagunitas Brewing Co, Petaluma CA
7 Bell’s Brewery, Inc, Galesburg MI
8 Deschutes Brewery, Bend OR
9 Stone Brewing Co, Escondido CA
10 Minhas Craft Brewery, Monroe WI
11 Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn NY
12 Duvel Moortgat USA, Kansas City & Cooperstown MO/NY
13 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton DE
14 Matt Brewing Co, Utica NY
15 Harpoon Brewery, Boston MA
16 Firestone Walker Brewing Co, Paso Robles CA
17 Founders Brewing Co, Grand Rapids MI
18 SweetWater Brewing Co, Atlanta GA
19 New Glarus Brewing Co, New Glarus WI
20 Alaskan Brewing Co, Juneau AK
21 Abita Brewing Co, Abita Springs LA
22 Anchor Brewing Co, San Francisco CA
23 Great Lakes Brewing Co, Cleveland OH
24 Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont, CO
25 Shipyard Brewing Co Portland, ME
26 Stevens Point Brewery Co, Stevens Point WI
27 August Schell Brewing Co, New Ulm MN
28 Summit Brewing Co, Saint Paul MN
29 Victory Brewing Co, Downingtown PA
30 Long Trail Brewing Co, Bridgewater Corners VT
31 Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, San Diego CA
32 Rogue Ales Brewery & Headquarters, Newport OR
33 Full Sail Brewing Co, Hood River OR
34 Odell Brewing Co, Fort Collins CO
35 Southern Tier Brewing Co, Lakewood NY
36 Ninkasi Brewing Co, Eugene OR
37 Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick MD
38 Uinta Brewing Co, Salt Lake City UT
39 Bear Republic Brewing Co, Cloverdale CA
40 Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont CO
41 21st Amendment Brewery Cafe, San Francisco CA
42 Allagash Brewing Co Portland, ME
43 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe, Eureka CA
44 Troegs Brewing Co, Hershey PA
45 Karl Strauss Brewing Co, San Diego CA
46 Saint Arnold Brewing Co, Houston TX
47 Narragansett Brewing Co Providence RI
48 Green Flash Brewing Co, San Diego CA
49 Craftworks Restaurants & Breweries, Chattanooga & Louisville TN/CO
50 Breckenridge Brewery, Denver CO

The Brewers Association reports that exports of craft beer increased almost 36% in 2014 as brewers shipped 383,422 31-gallon barrels valued at an estimated $99.7 million.

In 2014, the fastest growing markets were Brazil, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The strongest growth was found in Brazil, which was up 63.9%; Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan), up 38.1%; Western Europe, up 36.6%; Canada, up 32.3%; and Japan, up 31.7%.

The top five markets for American craft beer remained nearly the same in 2014, with South Korea surpassing Japan for fifth place. In terms of market share, Canada accounted for 53% of exports, Sweden for 12%, the United Kingdom for 10.7%, Australia for 5.1%, and Korea for 3.4%.

The Brewers Association announced today that for the first time craft breweries reached double-digit share of the beer marketplace. Back in 2003, Kim Jordan of New Belgium Brewing had challenged industry members during her keynote address at the Craft Brewers Conference to strive to reach 10% share. To many that looked to a goal that might take decades to reach. Now the BA has set a target to reach 20% share in just five more years.

In 2014, craft breweries — as defined by the BA — produced 22.2 million barrels, and 18% increase in volume. Retail dollar value was estimated at $19.6 billion, representing 19.3% market share.

“With the total beer market up only 0.5 percent in 2014, craft brewers are key in keeping the overall industry innovative and growing. This steady growth shows that craft brewing is part of a profound shift in American beer culture—a shift that will help craft brewers achieve their ambitious goal of 20 percent market share by 2020,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association.

The number of operating breweries in the U.S. in 2014 grew 19%, totaling 3,464 breweries, with 3,418 defeined as craft. They include 1,871 microbreweries, 1,412 brewpubs and 135 regional craft breweries. Throughout the year, there were 615 new brewery openings and only 46 closings.

Combined with already existing and established breweries and brew pubs, craft brewers provided 115,469 jobs, an increase of almost 5,000 from the previous year.

“These small businesses are one of the bright spots in both our economy and culture. Craft brewers are serving their local communities, brewing up jobs and boosting tourism,” Watson said.

The Brewers Association has issued a press released indicates it opposed the BEER Act, legislation introduced in the U.S. house and supported by the Beer Institute.

It begins by explaining that legislation was introduced in Congress that is supported by the BA and called the Small BREW Act. Bob Pease, CEO of the Brewers Association, issued the following statement on the BEER Act:

“While the Brewers Association supports lowering excise taxes for small brewers, the BEER Act is not the way to do it. There are several problematic issues with this legislation including cost to the country, job creation and fairness.

“The BEER Act gives further tax advantages to multinational brewing companies that not only already pay lower rates than purely domestic brewers, but also have cut thousands of U.S. jobs in the past six years and export and shelter their U.S. profits.

“We stand firmly rooted in our support for the Small BREW Act, fair legislation that will allow small brewers to remain competitive in the marketplace, reinvest in their businesses, reinvigorate local economies and continue their role in rejuvenating the job market in the U.S.”

The BA has created an infographic that compares the two measures (enlarge the graphic by click anywhere on it).

In case you missed the Budweiser commercial everybody is talking about, here it is:

And here are a few things people are saying:

– Bud Is Proudly ‘Macro’ Amid Micro-Brews in Swagger-Filled Super Bowl Ad.
– Why the pro-macro beer Budweiser ad is so dangerous.
– Budweiser Ad Declares War… On Itself?
– Analyzing Budweiser’s Hypocritical, Anti-Craft Beer Super Bowl Ad.
– Did Budweiser misfire with its anti-craft beer Super Bowl ad?
– Super Bowl Commercial Shootaround: All the Fast Cars, Cool Insurance, and Unfathomable Sadness We Can Sell You Between Timeouts.

You have to scroll to the bottom of the last one to get to the point, so here it is:

“This commercial is great because it makes fun of Brooklyn. Brooklyn is where I live. And yes, it does at times feature bearded gentlemen sitting in well-lit bars on Sunday afternoons — their dogs within petting range, their children a stroller handle away — enjoying some meticulously brewed craft beer. This is, by most accounts, a perfectly great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. But then you see this bit of jumbled fast-cut nonsense and all you really wanna do is sit on a porch and have someone literally toss you a Bud you unself-consciously refer to as a “cold one.” And even though you’re draped in the star-spangled banner in a manner so emphatic that it’s covering your eyes a bit, and even though you have Revolutionary War–era muskets in both hands because what if the British come back, you catch it perfectly and you glug down that sweet taste of nothing and then you stand up and salute your dog — who is also holding two muskets, and who is winking at you with pride — and you say GOD BLESS AMERICA and GOD BLESS THE INBEV CORPORATION, the BELGIUM-HEADQUARTERED PARENT COMPANY OF THE MIGHTY BUDWEISER (TM).”

Anheuser-Busch announced it has agreed to purchase Elysian Brewing in Seattle, Wash., the third craft brewery (as defined by the Brewers Association) the brewing giant has acquired inside of 12 months.

“For two decades, we’ve welcomed guests into our brewpubs and served them creative and impeccably crafted beers,” Elysian CEO Joe Bisacca said for a press release. He and his partners, Dick Cantwell and David Buhler, will continue with the brewery. “After a lot of hard work, we’ve grown from one Seattle brewpub to four pub locations and a production brewery. With the support of Anheuser-Busch, we will build on past successes and share our beers with more beer lovers moving forward.”

Cantwell added, “Throughout our journey we’ve been focused on brewing a portfolio of both classic and groundbreaking beers and supporting innovation and camaraderie in the beer industry through collaboration and experimentation. By joining with Anheuser-Busch we’ll be able to take the next steps to bring that energy and commitment to a larger audience.”

“Elysian’s story includes everything we look for in a partner,” said Andy Goeler, CEO, Craft, Anheuser-Busch. “The team has spent their careers brewing distinctive beers in the thriving West Coast beer community and building unique venues that celebrate beer. As the fastest growing brewer in Washington, their recipe is working. Elysian’s brands are an important addition to our high-end beer portfolio, and we look forward to working together.”

In addition to the Seattle Airport Way brewery, the acquisition includes the company’s four Seattle brewpubs, Elysian Capitol Hill, Elysian Tangletown, Elysian Fields and Elysian BAR.

Within the past year, A-B also bought Blue Point Brewing in New York and 10 Barrel Brewing in Oregon.

Cantwell talked at length with Seattle Beer News about the deal, among other things saying, “To be perfectly honest, I have a lot of ambivalence about it. It wasn’t necessarily the outcome I was looking for, but I think it is going to ultimately be a really positive step for us in terms of the capabilities, the resources, the opportunities for our folks to further their educations and their brewing experiences. That’s the side of it that I’m trying to concentrate on.”

He also said the brewery would not stop making Loser, which was first brewed to celebrate Sub Pop Records’ 20th anniversary. The marketing slogan for the beer is “Corporate Beer Still Sucks.” “We’re not going to stop making that, anymore than we’re going to stop doing anything else that we’ve been doing,” he said.

A dispute between Lagunitas Brewing Co. and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. that flashed in the public arena on Tuesday basically ended later in the day.

Posting on Twitter, Lagunitas founder Tony Magee wrote, “Today was in the hands of the ultimate court; The Court of Public Opinion and in it I got an answer to my Question; Our IPA’s TM has limits.”

On Monday, the California brewery took Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. to court, claiming the brewery’s logo on its new Hop Hunter IPA violated Lagunitas’ trademark. As part of the lawsuit, Lagunitas was seeking a temporary restraining order to block Sierra Nevada’s use of the Hop Hunter design. The case was scheduled to be heard Jan. 20 in an Oakland courtroom in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, according to online records.

After the suit became public on Tuesday, seemingly every human on earth that has ever drank a beer from either of the breweries posted an opinion on some social media site. Some supported Lagunitas’ right to defend its trademark, but Magee obviously saw overall opinion was on the side of Sierra Nevada.

Before announcing he would drop the suit on Wednesday, he also tweeted, “Today, January 13th 2015, has been the worst day ever in 23 years of growing my brewery. Worst. Growing a biz involves defending a biz…”

Lagunitas Brewing Co. has sued rival Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., according to the Press Democrat, alleging the Chico-based brewer has engaged in trademark infringement on its new Hop Hunter IPA label. Sierra Nevada is the second-largest craft brewer in the United Sates, while Lagunitas is No. 5.

Lagunitas owner Tony Magee argues Sierra Nevada’s design on Hop Hunter uses all capital, large, bold and black “IPA” lettering that is similar design to his label. The suit was filed Monday in the federal district of northern California.

Lagunitas alleges that the Hop Hunter “IPA” lettering is a “radical departure” from Sierra Nevada’s traditional design.

Lagunitas has filed four claims in its suit: federal trademark infringement; common law trademark infringement; unfair business practices; and unjust enrichment.

St. Louis-based Urban Chestnut Brewing’s plans for brewing in Germany do not quite match the scale of what Stone Brewing has announced in Berlin, but UCBC co-founder Florian Kuplent admits they are nonetheless rather ambitious.

“I’m thinking we might be a little crazy opening our third brewery in (less than) five years,” he said for a press release, but the opportunity to purchase a recently closed brewery in Wolnzach, Germany, was too good to pass on.

UCBC has acquired Bürgerbräu Wolnzach in Wolnzach, which is located about 50 kilometers north of Munich International Airport. Urban Chestnut has been exporting small quantities of beer to Germany since 2013. Co-founder David Wolfe said, “In considering different ways to grow Urban Chestnut in Germany and in Europe as a whole, we believe the U.S. craft beer model of ‘local’ is a more than viable strategy. Actually owning and operating a brewery in Bavaria will provide us with a solid platform for growth.”

Urban Chesnut opened its first brewery in 2011 in midtown St. Louis and a much larger production facility and beer hall a few miles away early in 2014.

The new brewery will be the smallest of the three UCBC breweries. The Wolnzach operation will be utilized to brew beers to distribute in Europe as well as to brew unique, German-brewed beers to export to the U.S. It will also act as the central point of operations for the importing/exporting of raw materials, beer, and other goods to and from the U.S.

“Since my apprenticeship as a teenager at Erharting Brauerei, I’ve always dreamed of owning my own brewery in Bavaria,” Kuplent said.