The Boston Beer Co. Inc. is still considering acquiring an interest in the Latrobe, Pa., brewery now owned by City Brewing Co. of La Crosse, despite Thursday’s announcement that the maker of Samuel Adams will buy another Pennsylvania brewery, a spokeswoman said.

The Boston Beer Co., brewer of Samuel Adams beers, said Thursday it has signed a purchase and sale agreement with Diageo North America to acquire a historic brewery in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania.

Boston Beer chose this acquisition over building a new brewery in Freetown, Mass., where it had entered into an agreement with an option to purchase a parcel of land.

However, after a $4 million evaluation of the cost of constructing a new brewery, Boston Beer has decided that route would not be the company’s best long-term brewing option.

“Comparing the projected construction costs of a new brewery against the price of buying and renovating the Pennsylvania brewery, leads us to believe that this is the better long-term strategic decision for the company,” said Martin Roper, president and CEO, in a prepared statement.

Boston Beer also owns the former Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery in Cincinnati, where it brews much of its beer. It also contracts to have beer brewed elsewhere, including at the Latrobe plant in Pennsylvania where Rolling Rock was once brewed.

The Lehigh Valley brewery was built for the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company in the 1970s, and was operated by the Stroh Brewery for many years. During part that period Stroh brewed Samuel Adams beer for Boston Beer.

When Stroh exited the brewing business, Pabst Brewing Company bought it. Pabst and operated it until September of 2001, when discontinued making its own beer. Diageo then bought it to make Smirnoff Ice.

The Publican reports that pubs and breweries in the UK are in a fight to save their businesses as floods devastate areas of England.

In the wettest summer weather since records began, 500 pubs were under water with thousands suffering the knock-on effects leaving them with no water or electricity. Pubs in Gloucester were being urged to close amid health and safety fears.

Flood waters, which have caused destruction in parts of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, are heading east with pubs in Oxford, Reading and Abingdon still on flood alert.

Anheuser-Busch profits increased 6% in the second quarter, helped by strength in its U.S. beer operations. The company forecast accelerating earnings growth for the second half of the year.

A-B sold 27.5 million barrels of beer in the United States, up 2.3%, while it moved 5.9 million barrels overseas, a gain of 1.6%. International gains were driven by increased volume in China, Canada and Mexico, partially offset by lower volume in the United Kingdom.

New products – both those produced by A-B and imports new to the portfolio – drove the growth.

U.S. distributors’ sales to retailers such as gas stations, bars and grocery stores inched up only a tenth of a percent in the second quarter versus a year ago.

If new imports such as Stella Artois and Bass Pale Ale were subtracted from the mix, sales of A-B’s “trademark” brands to retailers would have dropped 1.5%. Those include Budweiser, Michelob and Busch.

So have you wondered by a growing number of Europeans seem to be posting tasting notes for U.S.-brewed beers at Beer Advocate and Rate Beer?

A press release from the Brewers Association the association’s Export Development Program:

Efforts from the Brewers Association’s (BA) Export Development Program (EDP) have made U.S. craft beer available across much of Europe largely in part due to relationships U.S. craft breweries established with Bier & Co. (Holland’s largest specialty beer importer/distributor).

In early 2007 Bier & Co. purchased four containers of U.S. craft beer (valued at $110,000) for distribution in the Netherlands, Germany, UK, Ireland, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland. Additionally, Netherlands retailer, Mitra, has approached Bier & Co. about mixed packs of U.S. craft beers in 350 of Mitra’s stores. The negotiations of this deal are ongoing.

Since 2004 the BA has used funds from United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Market Access Program (MAP) to help promote the importance of U.S. craft beer in Europe. The BA uses these funds to educate U.S. breweries about export opportunities and build global recognition for the diversity and quality of American craft beer.

In 2006 with MAP funds the BA brought two representatives from Bier & Co. to the Great American Beer Festival to educate them about U.S. craft beer. Bob Pease, Vice President of the Brewers Association says, “The relationships developed at the Great American Beer Festival between Bier & Co. and U.S. craft breweries helped seal deals between Bier & Co. and three U.S. craft breweries (five more are pending).”

In addition to work with Bier & Co. the BA has been able (with the MAP funds) to attend the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival. Since 2004, Systembolaget, Sweden’s alcohol retail monopoly, has added four U.S. craft brands to its general list and many more to its seasonal and limited-time offerings (these companies include: Boston Beer Company, Brooklyn Brewery, Great Divide Brewing Co, Flying Dog Brewery, North Coast Brewing Company, and Rogue Ales). Sweden now represents the largest export market for U.S. craft beers with exports in 2006 totaling in excess of $1 million. This figure does not include purchases from Left Hand Brewing Co. (Colorado), whose Milk Stout is set to launch in 200 stores in 2007.

Just in case you overlooked that last fact: Sweden now represents the largest export market for U.S. craft beers with exports in 2006 totaling in excess of $1 million.