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The correct link to the Kegerator Social Network is http://kegerator-social-network.micromatic.com.
And congratulations to Ryan Bevers, the Grand Prize winner in Micromatic’s Kegerator Beauty Contest!
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, MillerCoors announced today that they will discontinue their clear malternative Zima, Arguably one of the first alcopops made in the U.S. when it debuted in 1994, Zima has managed to stay around longer than many of its competitors, including being remade with new flavors such as Zima Citrus, Zima Pineapple Citrus and Zima Tangerine.
If you’re feeling nostalgic for just one last sip of the lemony malt-based beverage, the final shipments to distributors will likely be in December, meaning Zima should still be found on store shelves through the beginning of next spring.
“This decision is necessary to reduce complexity when it comes to our brand portfolio, allowing for more focused activity at retail on consumer-preferred brands, especially Sparks,” Andy England, chief marketing officer, wrote in a memo released Monday by MillerCoors, a joint venture formed by merging Miller Brewing Co. and Coors Brewing Co.
According to BrandWeek, alcopop sales have been down lately, presumably due in part to their being targeted by neo-prohibitionist groups in many states.
Overall, the progressive adult beverage category is off 6.6%. Case sales of the Smirnoff Ice brand family are down 11%, while Mike’s Hard Lemonade brands are up 1% and Anheuser-Busch’s Bacardi Silver brands are up 10.4%.
Half Moon Bay Brewing, on the coast of California near Pacifica, has come up with a unique way to decide the election. Their beer line, named Maverick’s, has taken their popular Harbor Light Ale, which their website describes as “a light colored beer brewed with European malt and hops, lager-like flavors and a light, clean aftertaste,” and created two tap handles and labels for the beer.
Though the beer is the same, they’ve labeled one beer for Barack Obama and another for John McCain. At the bar, the tap handle on the left features Obama and the tap handle on the right has McCain. Half Moon Bay’s alection is then tracking sales of both the draft varieties and also 22 oz. bottles, which likewise feature two different labels for each of the candidates. Bottles can be found at the brewpub and also at select bay area retailers (and can be purchased online, but only in California).
So far, Obama has outsold McCain 5,048 to 1,336 and an ongoing tally is available online. As the Half Moon Bay alection puts it, vote early and often.
Real Beer co-founder Mark Silva interviews Charlie Papazian . . . with the help of Neal Stewart and Flying Dog Ales.
Straight from the floor of the Great American Beer Festival.
Check out the Pete Slosberg interview as well.
Steve Sheraton, magician and inventor, created a little application or the iPhone last year called iBeer. iBeer gives the illusion of a pint of beer on your iPhone, and even allows you to drink it down by tilting your iBeer to one side, the way you’d drain a real pint of beer.
Coors appears to have stolen the idea for iPint, promoting one of their global brands, Carling. According to news reports:
Hottrix, a small Las Vegas-based novelty software company, which now owns the rights to Sheraton’s digital gimmicks, last week filed a lawsuit against Coors, seeking $US12.5 million ($18 million) in damages for lost profits and the brewer’s “ill-gotten gains”. The suit claims that iPint had been downloaded more than 6 million times since it launch on July 11 and, being a free download, “significantly” impaired the number of iBeer (paid) downloads.
The 27th annual Great American Beer Festival awarded 222 medals for beers entered in 75 different style categories.
Category: 1 American-Style Cream Ale or Lager – 25 Entries
Gold: Lone Star, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: Hamm’s, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Henry Weinhard’s Blue Boar Pale Ale, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer – 21 Entries
Gold: Pyramid Crystal Wheat Ale, Pyramid Breweries Inc., Seattle, WA
Silver: Spanish Peak Crystal Weiss, Spanish Peaks Brewing Co., Stamford, CT
Bronze: American Wheat, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS
Category: 3 American-Style Hefeweizen – 52 Entries
Gold: Henry Weinhard’s Hefeweizen, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Hefeweizen, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Bronze: Whitetail Wheat, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT
Category: 4 Fruit or Vegetable Beer – 87 Entries
Gold: Pyramid Apricot Ale, Pyramid Breweries Inc., Seattle, WA
Silver: Alaskan Raspberry Wheat Beer, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: Sangre de Frambuesa, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, NM
Category: 5 Herb and Spice or Chocolate Beer – 72 Entries
Gold: Russian Roulette, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Silver: Pangaea, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE
Bronze: State Beach Blonde, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Category: 6 Coffee Flavored Beer – 28 Entries
Gold: Java the Hut, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Flatirons – Westminster), Broomfield, CO
Silver: Big Shot Espresso Stout, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Double Espresso Stout, Barley Brothers Brewery and Grill, Lake Havasu City, AZ
Category: 7 Specialty Beer – 21 Entries
Gold: Red & White, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE
Silver: Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Rogue Ales, Portland, OR
Bronze: Palo Santo Marron, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE
Category: 8 Rye Beer – 24 Entries
Gold: Roggenbier, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Right On Rye, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
Bronze: Ryeteous Red, Amherst Brewing Co., Amherst, MA
Category: 9 Specialty Honey Beer – 33 Entries
Gold: Honey Lager, Capitol City Brewing Co. – Capitol Hill, Washington, DC
Silver: Eye of the Storm, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Bronze: Honey Moon Summer Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Category: 10 Session Beer – 33 Entries
Gold: 3.2 Unfiltered Wheat Beer, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: USS Minnow Mild Ale, Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, CO
Bronze: Blonde Bombshell, Cascade Lakes Brewing Co., Redmond, OR
Category: 11 Other Strong Beer – 32 Entries
Gold: Derail Ale, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: FiftyFifty Imperial Stout, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA
Category: 12 Experimental Beer – 82 Entries
Gold: Arquebus, Cambridge Brewing Co., Cambridge, MA
Silver: Fifteen Avery Anniversary Ale, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Le Pelican Brun, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Category: 13 Gluten-Free Beer – 10 Entries
Gold: Redbridge, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Silver: New Grist, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Chinquapin Butte Golden Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Category: 14 American-Belgo Style Ale – 36 Entries
Gold: Xtra Gold, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Pleasantville, NY
Silver: Brush Fire Ale, Pump House Restaurant & Brewery, Longmont, CO
Bronze: Big Wednesday, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Category: 15 American-Style or German-Style Sour Ale – 34 Entries
Gold: The Dissident, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: Brute, Ithaca Beer Co., Ithaca, NY
Bronze: Fifth Element, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Category: 16 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 25 Entries
Gold: Old Jack, Ram Restaurant & Brewery (Indianapolis), Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Buffalo Bock, Ram Restaurant & Brewery (Indianapolis), Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Beastie Barrel Stout, Barley Island Brewing Co., Fishers, IN
Category: 17 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 79 Entries
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, Central Waters Brewing Co., Amherst, WI
Silver: The Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial Stout, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Golden Delicious, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Pleasantville, NY
Category: 18 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 27 Entries
Gold: Beekeeper, Bullfrog Brewery, Williamsport, PA
Silver: Cherry Dubbel, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Newark, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: Cascade Kriek Ale, Cascade Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Category: 19 Aged Beer – 38 Entries
Gold: Alaskan Smoked Porter 2006, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Silver: Vintage Speedway Stout, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Samuel Adams Utopias 2003, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Category: 20 Kellerbier/Zwickelbier – 23 Entries
Gold: Helles Keller, Fredericksburg Brewing Co., Fredericksburg, TX
Silver: Hell In Keller, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que, Austin, TX
Bronze: Zwickel, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Category: 21 Smoke-Flavored Beer – 31 Entries
Gold: Rauch Bier, Sly Fox Brewing Co., Royersford, PA
Silver: Alaskan Smoked Porter 2007, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: Second Hand Smoke, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Category: 22 International-Style Pilsener – 22 Entries
Gold: Session Premium Lager, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Silver: Yep, Still Boneheads, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Bronze: OE 800, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Category: 23 German-Style Pilsener – 44 Entries
Gold: Kaiser Pilsner, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA
Silver: Party Pants Pilsener, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Prima Pils, Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown, PA
Category: 24 Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 34 Entries
Gold: Pleasantville Pils, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Pallavicini Pilsner, Pug Ryans Brewery, Dillon, CO
Bronze: Double Aught, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Healdsburg, CA
Category: 25 Munich-Style Helles – 30 Entries
Gold: Himmelbrau Helles, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Saint Arnold Summer Pils, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX
Bronze: BS Helles, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Category: 26 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 16 Entries
Gold: Rolling Thunder Dortmunder, Snake River Brewing Jackson, Jackson, WY
Silver: Westy Export, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Flatirons-Westminster), Broomfield, CO
Bronze: Penn Oktoberfest, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA
Category: 27 America-Style Light Lager – 25 Entries
Gold: Coors Light, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Old Milwaukee Light, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Keystone Light, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Category: 28 American-Style Lager or Premium Lager – 29 Entries
Gold: Olympia, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: Blatz, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Category: 29 American-Style Specialty Lager – 24 Entries
Gold: Hurricane High Gravity, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Silver: Natural Ice, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Bronze: Busch Ice, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Category: 30 Vienna-Style Lager – 28 Entries
Gold: Vienna Red Lager, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – West Chester, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Oaktoberfest, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Clipper City MarzHon, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
Category: 31 German-Style Märzen – 48 Entries
Gold: Dogtoberfest, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Silver: Saratoga Lager, Olde Saratoga Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs, NY
Bronze: Munsterfest, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN
Category: 32 American-Style Amber Lager – 43 Entries
Gold: BJ’s Oktoberfest, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Old Scratch Amber Lager, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Bronze: El Oso, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Healdsburg, CA
Category: 33 European-Style Dunkel – 18 Entries
Gold: Munich Dark, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Silver: Bastone Münchner Dunkel, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Bronze: Michelob AmberBock, Michelob Brewing Co., St. Louis, MO
Category: 34 American-Style Dark Lager – 12 Entries
Silver: Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI
Bronze: Henry Weinhard’s Classic Dark, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Category: 35 German-Style Schwarzbier – 23 Entries
Gold: B3K, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Cherny Bock, Bohemian Brewery, Midvale, UT
Bronze: Black Noddy Lager, Buckbean Brewing Co., Reno, NV
Category: 36 Bock – 39 Entries
Gold: Goat Rancher, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: Bock Lager, Elk Grove Brewery and Restaurant, Elk Grove, CA
Bronze: Butt Head Bock, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO
Category: 37 German-Style Strong Bock – 19 Entries
Gold: Capital Autumnal Fire, Capital Brewery Co., Inc., Middleton, WI
Silver: Deep Water Dopplebock, Thomas Creek Brewery, Greenville, SC
Bronze: Red Cock Doppel Bock, Maui Brewing Co., Lahaina, HI
Category: 38 Baltic-Style Porter – 18 Entries
Gold: Kick in the Baltic Porter, Bluegrass Brewing Co., Louisville, KY
Silver: Killer Kowalski, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Flossmoor, IL
Bronze: SMP, Sixpoint Craft Ales, Brooklyn, NY
Category: 39 Golden or Blonde Ale – 40 Entries
Gold: Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA
Silver: Alaskan Summer Ale, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: All Nighter, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Category: 40 German-Style K̦lsch Р42 Entries
Gold: Wind Blown Blonde, Stewart’s Brewing Co., Bear, DE
Silver: Sierra Nevada Kolsch Style Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Bronze: Guido’s Kolner Brau, Snake River Brewing Jackson, Jackson, WY
Category: 41 English-Style Summer Ale – 34 Entries
Gold: Surfer’s Summer Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Silver: Montgomery Blonde, Montgomery Brewing Co., Montgomery, AL
Bronze: 312 ‘Urban Wheat Ale’, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Category: 42 Classic English-Style Pale Ale – 48 Entries
Gold: Full Sail Pale Ale, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Silver: Clipper City Pale Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
Bronze: Summit Extra Pale Ale, Summit Brewing Co., Saint Paul, MN
Category: 43 English-Style India Pale Ale – 28 Entries
Bronze: Hop Daddy IPA, Main Street Brewery, Corona, CA
Category: 44 American-Style Pale Ale – 76 Entries
Gold: Mission Street Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Drake’s 1500 Pale, Drake’s Brewing Co., San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Firestone Pale 31, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Category: 45 American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 71 Entries
Gold: Hop Bomb, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO
Silver: Nectar Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Organic IPA, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR
Category: 46 American-Style India Pale Ale – 104 Entries
Gold: Union Jack IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Blind Pig IPA, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze: Hop Head, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Category: 47 Imperial or Double India Pale Ale – 50 Entries
Gold: Hopnotic 2X IPA, San Diego Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Hip Hop Double IPA, Hollister Brewing Co., Goleta, CA
Bronze: Hop 15, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Category: 48 American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 65 Entries
Gold: Dry Hopped Red, Rogue Ales, Portland, OR
Silver: CascaZilla, Ithaca Beer Co., Ithaca, NY
Bronze: American Amber, Rogue Ales, Portland, OR
Category: 49 Imperial or Double Red Ale – 30 Entries
Gold: Rock Hopera Imperial IPA, Vino’s Pizza • Pub • Brewery, Little Rock, AR
Silver: Alpha Dog Double Red Ale, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Weekender Red Ale, Amicas, Salida, CO
Category: 50 Bitter or Pale Mild Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Drop Top, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Hopsmith Pale Ale, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Sawtooth Ale, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Category: 51 Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter – 43 Entries
Gold: Bachelor ESB, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: Sweetwater Motorboat ESB, Sweetwater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Bronze: Standing Wave Pale Ale, Kannah Creek Brewing Co., Grand Junction, CO
Category: 52 Scottish-Style Ale – 24 Entries
Gold: Highland Courage, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
Silver: Dells Chief Amber Ale, Dells Brewing Co., Wisconsin Dells, WI
Bronze: Railbender Ale, Erie Brewing Co., Erie, PA
Category: 53 Irish-Style Red Ale – 31 Entries
Gold: Red Rocks Red Ale, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO
Silver: Ragtop Red, Rock Bottom Brewery – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Bronze: Eric The Red, Rock Bottom Brewery – Orland Park, Orland Park, IL
Category: 54 English-Style Dark Mild Ale or Brown Ale – 48 Entries
Gold: Sweet George’s Brown, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO
Silver: Old Elk Brown Ale, Walnut Brewery, Boulder, CO
Bronze: OB-1, Snake River Brewing Jackson, Jackson, WY
Category: 55 American-Style Brown Ale – 47 Entries
Gold: Kick-Ass Brown, C.H. Evans Brewing at the Albany Pump Station, Albany, NY
Silver: Bitch Creek ESB, Grand Teton Brewing Co., Victor, ID
Bronze: Bad Dog Brown Ale, Elk Grove Brewery and Restaurant, Elk Grove, CA
Category: 56 German-Style Altbier – 27 Entries
Gold: The Detroit Dwarf, The Detroit Beer Co., Detroit, MI
Silver: Railyard Ale, Titletown Brewing Co., Green Bay, WI
Bronze: All The Way Alt, Desert Edge Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Category: 57 South German-Style Hefeweizen – 52 Entries
Gold: Wixa Weiss, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: The Love, Starr Hill Brewing Co., Crozet, VA
Bronze: Mueller Hefeweizen, Springfield Brewing Co., Springfield, MO
Category: 58 German-Style Wheat Ale – 32 Entries
Gold: I’m Half the Beer I Used to Be, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Dark-n-Curvy Dunkelweizen, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
Bronze: Wasatch Hefeweizen, Wasatch Brew Pub, Park City, UT
Category: 59 Belgian-Style Witbier – 53 Entries
Gold: Mothership Wit/Organic Wheat Beer, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Belgian Wit, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Squatters Wit, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT
Category: 60 French- and Belgian-Style Saison – 37 Entries
Gold: Saison, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – West Chester, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Saison, Nodding Head Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Luciernaga, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI
Category: 61 Belgian- and French-Style Ale – 34 Entries
Gold: Redemption, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: Pride, Midnight Sun Brewing Co., Anchorage, AK
Bronze: Rare Vos, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Category: 62 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale – 29 Entries
Gold: Lambic de Hill, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Upstream Gueuze-Lambic, Upstream Brewing Co., Omaha, NE
Bronze: Cassis de Hill, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Newark, Wilmington, DE
Category: 63 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale – 53 Entries
Gold: Bishop’s Tipple Trippel, Main Street Brewery, Corona, CA
Silver: Abbey Dubbel, Flying Fish Brewing Co., Cherry Hill, NJ
Bronze: 6th Glass, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Category: 64 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale – 44 Entries
Gold: Darth Delirium, Moose’s Tooth Brewing Co., Anchorage, AK
Silver: Brother David’s Double, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Boonville, CA
Bronze: Golden Armor, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Highlands
Ranch), Highlands Ranch, CO
Category: 65 Brown Porter – 30 Entries
Gold: BlackWatch Cream Porter, Pyramid Breweries Inc., Seattle, WA
Silver: FireHouse Porter, FireHouse Grill & Brewery, Sunnyvale, CA
Bronze: Prospector Porter, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO
Category: 66 Robust Porter – 47 Entries
Gold: Nolan’s Porter, Barrio Brewing Co., Tucson, AZ
Silver: Sweet Sanderine Porter, Il Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Pacemaker Porter, Flyers Restaurant and Brewery, Oak Harbor, WA
Category: 67 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout – 19 Entries
Gold: Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: Shaft House Stout, Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino, Central City, CO
Bronze: Port Truck Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Category: 68 Foreign-Style Stout – 28 Entries
Gold: Whiteface Black Diamond Stout, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY
Silver: Black Bear XX Stout, Alameda Brewhouse, Portland, OR
Bronze: Black Hole XXX Stout, Chelsea Brewing Co., New York, NY
Category: 69 American-Style Stout – 23 Entries
Gold: Terminal Stout, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO
Silver: Black Mocha Stout, Highland Brewing Co., Asheville, NC
Bronze: Troegs Dead Reckoning, Troegs Brewery, Harrisburg, PA
Category: 70 Sweet Stout – 19 Entries
Gold: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Silver: Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Bronze: Cow Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Category: 71 Oatmeal Stout – 32 Entries
Gold: Oatmeal Stout, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS
Silver: Velvet Merkin, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Oatmeal Stout, Schooner’s Grille & Brewery, Antioch, CA
Category: 72 Imperial Stout – 44 Entries
Gold: BORIS The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH
Silver: Night Rider Imperial Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Category: 73 Strong Scotch Ale – 38 Entries
Gold: AleSmith Wee Heavy, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Way Heavy, Pizza Port San Clemente, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Bag Pipe’s Scotch Ale, Allentown/Bethlehem Brew Works, Allentown, PA
Category: 74 Old Ale or Strong Ale – 40 Entries
Gold: AleSmith Decadence Old Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Old Scrooge, Silver City Restaurant & Brewery, Silverdale, WA
Bronze: Old Scratch Barley Wine ‘99, Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Category: 75 Barley Wine-Style Ale – 55 Entries
Gold: Treblehook, Redhook Ales Brewery, Portland, OR
Silver: AleSmith Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Scratch #4 “The Flying Mouflanâ€, Troegs Brewery, Harrisburg, PA
Barney’s Beanery, the third oldest restaurant in Los Angeles and venerable roadhouse/famed celebrity hangout, will be hosting its third “Rock the Beer Vote” with patrons getting a head start casting their votes beginning on Tuesday, October 28th and running until polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4th.
As with the Kerry vs. Bush and Super Tuesday competitions, all presidential candidates will be assigned a brand beer: John McCain (Bud Lite) and Barack Obama (Stella Artois) with each premium brew sold at $3-a-glass (to promote continuous voting) and the colorful photo images of Barack Obama and John McCain on the spigots. At the three Roadhouses, bartenders will be monitoring the vote count on electronic screens in the seven-day voting marathon.
Better than an exit poll data, and more joyous than your average stodgy polling place, this method of voting allows people to have fun and voice their opinions (loudly if need be) while they vote. The original West Hollywood Beanery, as well as more recently opened roadhouses in Santa Monica on the Third Street Promenade and on Colorado Blvd. in Old Town Pasadena, will have every strategically placed TV monitor tuned to a rotating series of political commentators as the votes roll in across the land. For more information, visit Barney’s Beanery website.
More than 127 judges labored for three days to evaluate 2,902 beers and pick the best entries and top breweries for this year’s Great American Beer Festival, now in its 27th year. A total of 222 medals were awarded in 75 beer style categories and top breweries and brewers were designated based on the total number of medals won. The five top awards recognize small, medium and large breweries and small and large brewpubs. The awards went to the following breweries:
Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year:
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; Doug Muhleman
Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year:
Pyramid Breweries Inc.; Simon Pesch
Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year:
AleSmith Brewing Co.; The AleSmith Brewing Team
Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year:
Rock Bottom Brewing; Rock Bottom Brewing Team
Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year:
Redwood Brewing Co.; Bill Wamby
For a list of all the winners, visit the official GABF website.
Peak Brewing, the organic brewery in Portland, Maine, has released theior newest creation, Peak Organic Espresso Amber Ale!
The Espresso Amber Ale is brewed with Maine-roasted, organic fair trade espresso in collaboration with Coffee By Design. The beer is in partnership with Transfair, a non-profit that works to ensure that farmers and farm workers behind Fair Trade Certified goods are paid fair, above-market prices, helping to support a better life for farming families, community development and environmental stewardship. Peak Organic Espresso Amber Ale is the first Fair Trade Certified beer brewed in the United States.
The new brew is a flavorful, robust ale with toasty notes from the espresso in the front palate that delicately compliment the sweeter notes from the malts in the back palate.
Great Divide Brewing Company is releasing unique, barrel-aged versions of their Yeti Imperial Stout and Old Ruffian Barley Wine.
The Barrel Aged Old Ruffian Barley Wine was aged for 20 months in used barrels from Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, Colorado’s only whiskey maker. As it also does for the Yeti, the aging process mellows Old Ruffian’s edge while adding gentle notes of oak, whiskey and vanilla to the 12.7% ABV and 85 IBUs beer. (The original Old Ruffian won a Gold medal at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival and a Silver medal at the 2007 GABF.)
Barrel Aged Yeti Imperial Stout has also been aged for 20 months in Stranahan’s barrels. The rich and robustly roasted beer of 12.2% ABV and 75 International Bittering Units (IBUs) picks up flavors of oak, vanilla and whiskey through the extended aging process. These flavors add greater complexity to the already rich beer, while tempering its assertive nature.
Both of these beers are packaged in 750-ml bottles, then bottle conditioned for a natural carbonation and additional character. The two barrel-aged beers will be available in limited supplies (just 470 bottles of each beer) and will be sold only in Colorado. The suggested retail price for these beers is $25 per bottle.
“Our intent,†says Great Divide founder Brian Dunn, “was to age each beer in the barrels for 9 months. But we got busy with other projects, primarily the addition of a new bottling line, and the beers ended up aging for more than a year and half.†While the labels on the bottles state that the beers were aged 9 months in barrels, both beers were in fact aged 20 months in barrels.
“I think the beers really benefited from our procrastination,†Dunn adds. “When it comes to aging beers in whiskey barrels, I believe the longer the better. The additional time delivers a beer with more oak character than whiskey character, and that’s what we prefer.â€
“These are not blended beers,†Dunn points out. “Each of these beers are uncut, 100% from the whiskey barrels.â€
It’s harvest time in the Rogue Nation. The Rogue Department of Agriculture and Rogue Ales Brewery announce the release of Independence Hop Ale, the first beer brewed with hops from Rogue Farms’ hop yard in Independence, Ore., once called the “hop capital of the world.”
A limited release fresh-hop beer, Independence Hop Ale was brewed in two 50-barrel batches, following the harvest cycle of the hops. The first batch was brewed with 500 pounds of fresh, unkilned Centennial hops. The second was brewed a week later with 750 pounds of wet Cascade hops picked, stuffed into sacks, driven 77 miles to Newport and tossed in the brew kettle before they had a chance to start drying. After fermentation, the two batches were blended together. The result is a light copper-colored, unfiltered ale marrying the two distinctive hop characters of each batch.
Independence Hop Ale is brewed with 8 ingredients: Two-row, Munich, Caramel Wheat and Carafoam malts, fresh, unkilned Centennial and Cascade hops, proprietary Pacman yeast and free range coastal water.
In May of 2008, Rogue entered into a strategic alliance with heritage hop growers the Coleman family. Rogue planted 22 acres of hops and will add 20 more this fall on the former John I. Haas Alluvial Hop Farm just south of Independence. The land, at the end of Wigrich Road, is part of a historic hop farm called the Wigrich Ranch, that in the 1920s was the largest hop yard under a single trellis in the world.
Rogue Farms’ hop yard puts the brewery in the position to be able to brew beer with proprietary hops, much like wineries are able to make estate wines. That means from bine to bottle, from plant to pint, beers with Rogue Farms on the label will be 100% pure Rogue. Rogue hops will be picked, kilned and baled on site.
In 2009, Rogue will add proprietary malted barley from Rogue Farms’ newly acquired barley farm near Tygh Valley, Ore. for a beer made with all-Oregon ingredients to celebrate Oregon’s 150th birthday.
Independence Hop Ale will be available in Oregon and Washington in serigraphed 22-ounce bottles and on draft while supplies last. The Rogue Post Office has issued a commemorative stamp in honor of the hop farm and has a 24-hour webcam where Rogues can watch the Rogue hops grow.
Firestone Walker Brewing’s award-winning brewmaster, Matt Brynildson, was recently invited to brew at Marston’s Brewery in the United Kingdom. Brewers selected from Japan, Australia and Denmark will join Brynildson to bring their talents and recipes to the U.K. for the JD Wetherspoon International Beer Festival.
“To think that we can bring our U.S. styles to the U.K., the home of pale ale, is a great honor in itself, but to be able to brew the Firestone Walker beer in the home of the original “Burton Union†is just an awesome privilege,†said Brynildson.
The trip has some additional significance as well. Marston’s and Firestone Walker share a unique link as they are the only two breweries in the world fermenting beer in a union of oak barrels. The use of oak barrels for fermentation is a centuries old method of brewing all but forgotten with the advent of stainless steel.
Matt Brynildson with a bevy of beer babes at the Boonville Beer Festival.
Matt will be brewing a “California style†pale ale, based on his own recipe, at the Marston’s Brewery later this month. The beer will be exclusively featured at the 2008 JD Wetherspoon International Beer Festival happening October 30th through November 16th at 650 JD Wetherspoon pubs across the U.K.
Brynildson has been awarded with several honors in his career thus far. In both 2006 and 2004, Brynildson was named World Beer Cup Champion Brewmaster for Mid-Size Brewing Company. In 2003 and 2007, he was named Great American Beer Festival Brewmaster of The Year for Mid-Size Brewing Company. Brynildson was also the 2007 recipient of the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing.
Today, in 1987 — 21 years ago — Full Sail Brewing in Hood River, Oregon, was founded. And they’ve been working over the past year to come up with a beer worthy of coming of age, finally old enough to drink.
They say your 21st birthday is a rite of passage — the milepost that marks your evolution from child to adult, with all the attendant privileges & responsibilities. We say it’s a great excuse to brew a killer doppelbock. Concocted by our brew crew in celebration of our epic and glorious 21st birthday, we bring you “21” a deep amber colored lager brewed in the doppelbock style,” said Jamie Emmerson, Full Sail’s Executive Brewmaster.
“Twenty-one years ago, we dreamed of opening a brewery. That dream became a reality, and now here we are celebrating our 21st birthday. Our little brewery never would have made it without the support of friends, fans, and family over the years. Many thanks for all you’ve done to help us reach our 21st birthday,” said Irene Firmat, Full Sail’s CEO and Founder.
“This beer is a labor of love. From brewhouse to bottle, 21 was given the care that only an employee-owner can provide with all the time and attention that a beer this special deserves. Summer’s brewing gives this beer a luxurious 12 weeks of lagering creating a deep amber colored brew in the German Doppelbock style. Its ample malt body complements the generous warming alcohol with just a hint of Noble hop character. 21 will be released in specially hand labeled bottles this September. Tastes like a great way to celebrate your birthday,” added Emmerson. 21 is part of Full Sail’s Brewmaster Reserve line up. This special anniversary beer will be available in 22 oz bottles in limited quantities in September.
The symptoms of prostate cancer rarely show before the disease has progressed, but a simple PSA blood test can serve as an early warning and save men’s lives. But how do you reach men in their late 30s and early 40s, when statistics show they often skip regular physicals and avoid doctor’s offices?
“Pints for Prostates is an awareness campaign designed to reach men through the universal language of beer. We want to communicate with them in a friendly and non-threatening way about the need for regular PSA testing,†says Rick Lyke, the drinks writer for All About Beer Magazine and many other publications. Lyke was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February. “Early detection is the key to fighting prostate cancer and a PSA test and a physical exam are the best method to catch it early.â€
Read more about this, courtesy of Julie Johnson Bradford at All About Beer magazine.
Yesterday, Bill Leinenkugel, age 87, lost his lengthy battle with cancer and passed away. In 1971, Bill took over as President of the then-small Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, brewery — Leinenkugel Brewing — that his great-grandfather founded. During his reign, he expanded markets, came up with the idea for the Leinie’s Lodge and oversaw a merger with Miller Brewing in 1988. After Bill’s retirement, his son “Jake” took over and is now the fifth-generation family member to do so. Until last month, Leinenkugel was sold in 38 states, and is still brewed in Chippewa Falls (though some is also brewed in Milwaukee). At the end of last month, Leinenkugel had nearly completed a national rollout of the brand at the hands of new owners MillerCoors.
Bill Leinenkugel (at left), and his three sons, John, Dick and Jake, at the Leinie Lodge in Chippewa Falls.