Within the last hour or so, it looks like Beer Advocate has made some significant changes to its top beer lists.
[8/10 Update: The Bros' official word on their "experiment:" http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/2952755]
The most significant change is that only beers with at least 1,000 ratings qualify. This means that Westvleteren 12 has been knocked off the list of the site’s best beers in the world. The beer has 921 ratings to date.
In addition, there is a new “Buzzed” list that rates new beers that are earning praise from the rating community. You can still view top beers by style and country.
There is no official thread on the changes or why they were made yet though they are being discussed by members here. There is certainly a debate as to whether the changes are beneficial. Coincidentally or not, they come a little over a week after a handful of brewers expressed their opinions that hyped and rare beers were getting too much attention on Beer Advocate and fellow rating site, RateBeer. [ed. note: link to the ProBrewer thread? Perhaps deleted?]
RateBeer has tweaked its top beer lists as well from time to time. The current version doesn’t appear to have a minimum number of reviews needing to qualify in order to be high up on the charts. For example, AleSmith Kopi Luwak Speedway Stout with 31 reviews is currently ranked #5 in the world and Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel en Fût de Bourbon Américain currently sits at #101 with 24 reviews.
What do you think the minimum # of reviews should be in order to qualify for a top 100 beer list? Or should there be a minimum at all? Vote in the poll to the right.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Boston, MA) – A production crew is making the trek to Harpoon Brewery tonight.
That’s right. With the recently-announced BREWED already signed and sealed, there’s word of another television show possibly in the cards, this time on The History Channel. Here’s the scoop:
“On Tuesday, August 3rd, filming for a brand new History Channel pilot about beer will take place in the Harpoon Brewery tasting room in Boston. Two pairs of homebrewers have been challenged to recreate a very special beer from history. A panel of professional beer experts (including award-winning beer writer Kerry Byrne, Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver, and Harpoon’s very own Chief Brewing Officer Al Marzi!).” People in the studio audience, which has already been selected for tonight’s filming, will also be called on to judge their efforts and vote on which beer they prefer.
This is just a pilot and there’s no contract for a series (yet?) to my knowledge. Harpoon Senior VP Marketing, Charles Storey, confirmed that if all goes well that he expects the episode to air in November. Storey was unable to comment about the larger scope and implications of the project but if this were to turn into a series, it would likely be filmed at various breweries across the country.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Chicago, IL) – Goose Island Beer Co. is discontinuing its Nut Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout.
It is not everyday that a brewery announces the end to 40% of its core year-round lineup. Goose Island 312, Honker’s Ale, India Pale Ale, Nut Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout were once the brewery’s stalwarts, each having seen three (some four) decades, but the industry is shifting toward higher alcohol, Belgian-styles, etc. and away from session beers. Brown Ales in particular have taken the plunge. Both of these are easily considered to be widely accessible benchmark beers for their styles and they both rate at or above the 90th percentile for those styles at RateBeer.
Here is the explanation from the brewery via Facebook:
“It is with some sadness and regret that we note the passing into history of two of Goose Island’s oldest styles of ale: Nut Brown (formerly Hex Nut Brown) and Oatmeal Stout. These classic English styles were born in the brewpub at 1800 Clybourn and later bottled and distributed from the Fulton Street brewery. Both beers received critical acclaim and continue to win awards at the highest level.
But in the competition for fermentation capacity, tap handles, and shelf space, Nut Brown and Oatmeal Stout have been disadvantaged by the increasing popularity of hoppy, wheat, sour, and barrel aged beer styles. We are grateful for the few loyal aficionados who have enjoyed our old friends until the end. To you, we can offer only assurance that the Goose Island brewpubs will continue to brew regular batches of both beers and offer them by the pint and by the growler to enjoy at home.
The very last batches of Nut Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout are in stores now: good to the last drop.”
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
From left: Bill Covalevski, Sam Calagione, Greg Koch (jnpstudiosblog.com)
(Orange County, CA) – Remember the buzz surrounding the “I am a Craft Brewer” video? There is another video coming and this one will be MUCH BIGGER.
[4/8 Update: According to Redtail Media, this will be a "high end coffee table book with a feature length DVD, documentary of all the interviews and behind the scenes of the photoshoots."]
This has floated under the radar for two months; there is only one mention of the project by name online and it is from early February. According to Jeffrey Neal, a photographer working on the project:
“Last Wednesday I headed up to San Francisco to start shooting this project with Redtail Media called the American Craft Brewer. I can not give all the details of this project yet but trust me you will be hearing a lot about this. The basic idea is to put together a photo essay and video that tells the story of the craft brewers in America.”
Take a peak at Neal’s website. The portraits he is taking of those in the industry look excellent so far (if not, dare I say, “stunning”): Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4.
Neal started shooting in Northern California, taking shots of the folks at Russian River Brewing, Lagunitas Brewing, Sierra Nevada Brewing, 21st Amendment, Magnolia and Bear Republic. Since his initial post, Neal’s Twitter feed reveals that he’s visited The Bruery, Stone Brewing (while Sam and Bill were there making Saison du BUFF), Alesmith, Pizza Port and Ballast Point.
Sounds like more of a California craft beer video than a craft beer video, right? Well, hopefully that will change since Redtail Media was soliciting brewers for the project at the Brewers Conference today. That pic also indicates that this is going to be a multi-volume project.
The IAACB video was a huge step because it was probably the most polished video we had ever seen featuring many craft brewers. That said, the video consisted largely of scripted one-liners and short phrases. It sounds like this video is going to do a lot more storytelling. Will it turn into a full-length feature? Not necessarily but I wouldn’t be surprised if this turned into a mini-documentary. Redtail has produced a number of videos for the CraftBeer.com site and Stone Brewing. They and JNP Studios are funding the project.
Below, Peter Zien of AleSmith Brewing smashes a perfectly good bottle of AleSmith Speedway Stout for the upcoming video. The second one features Jeff Bagby(?) spraying a bottle of beer at Pizza Port Carlsbad.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Washington D.C.) – The Rock Art / Monster Energy battle over Rock Art’s Vermonster was one of the top craft beer stories of 2009 and you guys even voted it #1 story of the year. As it would turn out, it’s not quite over yet.
[note: apologies for the video above which is cut off at the end (as is the original)]
Leahy is now pursuing trademark reform for which the Rock Art case is the catalyst. He introduced a bill this week that, among other things, will look into whether large companies are using trademark litigation inappropriately. The Senate unanimously passed the bill on Thursday night and it will now go to the House of Representatives.
Leahy said in a statement, “This legislation also requires a study of how the current system can better protect small businesses from abuses of the trademark system by larger corporations. Congress provides strong enforcement tools to intellectual property owners, as we should, to deter infringing activity and to remove counterfeit products from the market. I have become concerned, however, that large corporations are at times abusing the substantial rights Congress has granted them in their intellectual property to the detriment of small businesses. In fact, we saw a high-profile case like this in Vermont last year involving a spurious claim against Rock Art Brewery in Morrisville. When a corporation exaggerates the scope of its rights far beyond a reasonable interpretation in an attempt to bully a small business out of the market, that is wrong. This legislation therefore directs the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, to consider options for protecting small businesses from such harassing litigation, while ensuring that legitimate trademark infringement actions are handled efficiently and expeditiously by the courts.”
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
