Press Releases…the last late night batch…

Two Beers Fresh Hop 2011, Heart of Darkness CDA, Pumpkin Spice Ale coming soon

UC Davis, Sudwerk Brewery introduce Aggie Lager

MateVeza Morpho Herbal Ale recently released

Press Releases III: Two Beers, Sudwerk, MateVeza

[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!]

Press Releases:

New Belgium Hoptober returns

Sun King Brewing shows off its O-face with Oktoberfest cans, kegs

Chatoe Rogue Good Chit Pilsner debuts on October 1st

Buffalo Bill’s Orange Blossom Cream Ale recalled

Grand Teton Wake Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter just released

Cider Summit Seattle takes place September 10th (Sponsored)

Press Releases II: New Belgium, Rogue, Sun King, Grand Teton, Buffalo Bill’s, Cider Summit

[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!]

Press Releases:

Boulevard Brewing expanding distribution to Massachusetts next month

Guinness Black Lager to be launched nationally in September

Baxter Brewing expanding distribution to Massachusetts

Sebago Brewing releases The Hoppy Humunculus

Sackets Harbor Brewing commences production

Ithaca Beer Co. breaks ground on brewery

Press Releases: Boulevard, Guinness, Ithaca, Baxter, Sebago, Sackets Harbor

[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!]

(Bridgewater, VT) – More Vermont Irene news…

(Above: Long Trail Brewery flooding – posted by Longstaff on Beer Advocate)

Last night, I posted that flooding from Irene virtually destroyed The Alchemist Pub and Brewery. Today, we learn that Long Trail Brewery, among the 25 largest craft breweries in the country, has also been affected but to a much lesser extent.

Courtesy of Jeff Baker of The Farmhouse Tap & Grill on Beer Advocate:

“Just got off the phone with my Long Trail rep. and he said that things are bad, but not as bad as they originally thought they could be. They have water in the brewery and their deck is submerged. But he made it very clear that the beers that are fermenting and conditioning in tanks are totally safe from harm and they have auxiliary power so those beers will be fine. They’re currently not brewing new batches as they work to clean up and continually check their water supply to make sure it’s safe for brewing.

He said too what’s worse is that all the roads that lead to them (and from them) are either under water or totally washed out. He also noted that the people who live on Killington are stuck there because the two roads out are destroyed (also the Killington base lodge collapsed). He said they’ve got their work cut out for them, but they’ve got a plan and are working hard to get back on schedule.”

Meanwhile, here is a short update from The Alchemist Pub and Brewery home page:

“Disaster strikes Waterbury. The Alchemist Pub and Brewery was ruined in a once in a generation flood on Sunday night August 28, 2011. While the cannery is fine and on target to open this coming Friday, the Pub will be closed for the foreseeable future. With our endless thanks and gratitude to our loyal and returning friends, customers and fans, we will be back. Stay tuned…”

From Boston.com’s Steve Greenlee:

“I just received an email from co-owner Jen Kimmich: ‘The pub is completely totalled,’ she wrote. ‘Our brewery and all of the beer inside are ruined. It will take a long time to rebuild. My guess is that the building will be gutted and rebuilt. On a good note, our canning line is running today and we are preparing for a Friday opening. Wish us luck!’”

The Flat Street Brew Pub in Brattleboro also appeared to be completely flooded. The brewery posted a video on its Facebook page yesterday afternoon.

If you know of other breweries and beer businesses being affected by flooding, send them in.

Irene flooding hits Long Trail, other Vermont breweries

[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!]

(Bridgewater, VT) – More Vermont Irene news…

(Above: Long Trail Brewery flooding – posted by Longstaff on Beer Advocate)

Last night, I posted that flooding from Irene virtually destroyed The Alchemist Pub and Brewery. Today, we learn that Long Trail Brewery, among the 25 largest craft breweries in the country, has also been affected but to a much lesser extent.

Courtesy of Jeff Baker of The Farmhouse Tap & Grill on Beer Advocate:

“Just got off the phone with my Long Trail rep. and he said that things are bad, but not as bad as they originally thought they could be. They have water in the brewery and their deck is submerged. But he made it very clear that the beers that are fermenting and conditioning in tanks are totally safe from harm and they have auxiliary power so those beers will be fine. They’re currently not brewing new batches as they work to clean up and continually check their water supply to make sure it’s safe for brewing.

He said too what’s worse is that all the roads that lead to them (and from them) are either under water or totally washed out. He also noted that the people who live on Killington are stuck there because the two roads out are destroyed (also the Killington base lodge collapsed). He said they’ve got their work cut out for them, but they’ve got a plan and are working hard to get back on schedule.”

Meanwhile, here is a short update from The Alchemist Pub and Brewery home page:

“Disaster strikes Waterbury. The Alchemist Pub and Brewery was ruined in a once in a generation flood on Sunday night August 28, 2011. While the cannery is fine and on target to open this coming Friday, the Pub will be closed for the foreseeable future. With our endless thanks and gratitude to our loyal and returning friends, customers and fans, we will be back. Stay tuned…”

From Boston.com’s Steve Greenlee:

“I just received an email from co-owner Jen Kimmich: ‘The pub is completely totalled,’ she wrote. ‘Our brewery and all of the beer inside are ruined. It will take a long time to rebuild. My guess is that the building will be gutted and rebuilt. On a good note, our canning line is running today and we are preparing for a Friday opening. Wish us luck!’”

The Flat Street Brew Pub in Brattleboro also appeared to be completely flooded. The brewery posted a video on its Facebook page yesterday afternoon.

If you know of other breweries and beer businesses being affected by flooding, send them in.

Irene flooding hits Long Trail, other Vermont breweries

[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!]

(Boulder, CO) – Some notes from yesterday’s Brewers Association conference call discussing the first half of the year in beer…

Recall that craft beer is up 14% YTD. Here is drilldown further into what is happening in craft beer and the larger beer segment, in general.

MACROS:

Supermarkets is where we get some of the more interesting data…

• AB InBev is down -1.6%, MillerCoors is up 0.2% and Boston Beer Co. is up 2.8%. Yuengling, underdeveloper in this channel, is up 12.3%.

• Blue Moon is now in top 15 brands overall, up 16.2% in dollar sales. The majority of the top 15 brands are down in sales.

• Modelo, Stella and Dos Equis are all having stellar years in the import segment. Category leaders, Corona and Heineken, are down.

• Top 15 new beer brands are really weak relative to past years. Shock Top Raspberry Wheat is the top new brand with MGD Light 64 Lemonade, the #2 beer, already being discontinued.

CRAFTS:

• Top 10 craft breweries: Stone Brewing up 23%, jumps into top 10. Bell’s is up 30.5%. Boston Beer Co. sales pretty stagnant while other crafts are up into single/double digits.

• Top 15 craft brands: Perhaps the key takeaway from the whole session is this: case sales of Blue Moon and Shock Top are growing even faster than their super regional craft counterparts (which include Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, etc.). Even though, news of Bud Light and Miller Lite sales drops dominate the headlines with these large companies, their craft portfolios are doing just as well as those of small brewers.

  Also of note, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is now outselling Samuel Adams Boston Lager.

• Kona’s variety pack is the top new craft beer “brand” by Symphony IRI Group definition. (More on Kona’s epic rise here). Bridgeport Kingpin is the top new craft beer brand by Brewers Association definition.

• Top 10 new craft beer packages: Ninkasi 6-packs are top dog.

• Top 10 craft styles: IPAs and variety packs are up 30-40% in dollar sales from a year ago.

• Across all channels (supermarkets, convenience, food and drug), AB is kicking MillerCoors’ butt in “innovation,” with 4x the sales from new products this year. Ninkasi Brewing is the leader among craft breweries in new product sales, topping the likes of even Sierra Nevada and Boston Beer Co.

• Finally, in Chicago ‘food and drug’ stores, the Goose Island brand family is up 24% in case dollars and up 20% in case volume. The AB InBev acquisition has had virtually zero negative effect on that brewery according to the data.

Brewers Association mid-year 2011 wrap-up

[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!]

(Fort Collins, CO) – When branding a beer after a culture with which you are not familiar goes horribly wrong…

When I posted the label and press release for Funkwerks Māori King Imperial Saison on August 8th, I did so without a second thought, being completely unfamiliar with the history of these indigenous people. Apparently, Funkwerks wasn’t familiar with them enough either…

According to Wikipedia, “The arrival of Europeans to New Zealand starting from the 17th century brought enormous change to the Māori way of life. Māori people gradually adopted many aspects of Western society and culture. Initial relations between Māori and Europeans were largely amicable, and with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 the two cultures coexisted as part of a new British colony. However, rising tensions over disputed land sales led to conflict in the 1860s. Social upheaval, decades of conflict and epidemics of disease took a devastating toll on the Māori population. But by the start of the 20th century the Māori population had begun to recover, and efforts were made to increase their standing in wider New Zealand society. A marked Māori cultural revival gathered pace in the 1960s and is continuing.”

Within the last 24 hours, news has spread across New Zealand media outlets and Māori news websites about the beer’s existence and the Māori’s contention with use of their culture in the beer’s branding.

In short, they are outraged.

Over the past fifteen hours, Funkwerks’ Facebook page has been flooded with criticism. The image that I uploaded to Flickr gives you an idea of how many posts have been made on the FB page during that time. [Note: the original on my computer is 29,000px in height.]

As part of a formal statement to the Māori people, Funkwerks Co-Owner/Brewer, Gordon Schuck, writes, “There is a saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The Maori King name was meant as homage to the Maori people and their fight to have their own leaders. I don’t know the entire history of the Maori people but if it’s anything like the Native Americans, I’m sure they’ve gotten the short end of the stick. I’m very sympathetic to native people. My fiancé is part Native American. I never meant this name to be construed as an insult and for that I am deeply sorry.”

The brewery has not yet given an indication that it will change the branding for Māori King.

Māori people fuming over Funkwerks beer

[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!]

Press Releases

Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA now available

Redhook Late Harvest returns for fall season

Narragansett Fest returns with expanded distribution into Philly, southern NY

Twisted Pine Brewing expands distribution into new Mexico

Press Releases: Stone, Redhook, Narragansett, Twisted Pine

[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!]

Dollar growth up 15% in first six months of 2011; U.S. sees rapid growth in breweries in planning

(Boulder, CO) - The Brewers Association, the trade association representing the majority of U.S. brewing companies, has released strong mid-year numbers for America’s small and independent craft brewers¹. Dollar sales were up 15 percent in the first half of 2011, excluding brewers who left the craft segment in 2010². Volume of craft brewed beer sold grew 14 percent for the first six months in 2011, compared to 9 percent growth in the first half of 2010.

Barrels sold by craft brewers for the first half of the year are an estimated 5.1 million barrels. Despite many challenges, the mid-year numbers show signs of continued growth for craft breweries. The industry currently provides an estimated 100,000 jobs, contributing significantly to the U.S. economy.

“Craft brewers continue to innovate and brew beers of excellent quality,” noted Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “America’s beer drinkers are rapidly switching to craft because of the variety of flavors they are discovering. And they are connecting with small and independent craft brewers as companies they choose to support.”

The U.S. now boasts 1,790 breweries—an increase of 165 additional breweries since June 2010. The Brewers Association also tracks breweries in planning as an indicator of potential new entrants into the craft category, and lists 725 breweries in planning today compared to 389 a year ago. Additionally, the count of craft brewers was at 1,740 as of June 30, 2011.

“There is a growing interest in establishing new breweries,” Gatza added. “It seems like every day we are hearing about a brewery in planning. Will they all make it? No, but many will if they produce high-quality, interesting craft beers and can get them to market through self-distribution and beer wholesalers and beer retailers.”

¹ The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of beer less than 6 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

² Three former craft brewing companies left the segment in the second half of 2010 when transitions led them to no longer meet the Brewers Association’s definition of independence.

###

The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week. The BA publishes The New Brewermagazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.

Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.

Brewers Association reports craft beer volume up 14% in 1st Half 2011

[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!]