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Monthly Archives: April 2010
Beer News Sampler
7-Eleven rolls out Game Day, a store-brand beer
They tried it with wine, can they have the same success with beer? Will cost-consciousness win out over mega brand loyalty?
Sabmiller volumes beat forecasts
Recovery in Africa and Latin America boosts sales 2%.
Student Invents Beer Ice Cream
Yes!
City employees busted for taking beer from dump
So a distributor dumps a bunch of expired beer in a Columbia, Missouri landfill and a couple of workers liberate some of it but get arrested because it’s “city property”? WTF?
Super-High-Alcohol Beer Heads to the U.S.
Tactical Nuclear Penguin, the 32% ABV beer from Scotland’s BrewDog, is headed for the States.
Carlsberg drivers strike over ‘lunchtime beer’ cut
Danish drivers caused a beer shortage when they struck when their lunchtime allotment was reduced from three to one beer at lunch. Meanwhile, I’m over here with my zero bottles a day allotment.
BeerSmith Interview
This month must be the month for interviews.
In the aftermath of my 2009 Beer-A-Day project, Brad Smith of the BeerSmith blog (and software, and BrewPoll) interviewed me about my experience and how I came to create Hop Talk.
BeerSmith: An Interview with Al from Hop Talk
Thanks Brad! It was fun to do.
Top Brewers of 2009
The Brewers Association has released their Top 50 Craft and Overall Brewers for 2009 based on sales volume. No surprises in the top ten of either list, really.
Here’s the Top 20 overall brewers:
- Anheuser-Busch InBev (St. Louis, MO)
- MillerCoors Brewing Co. (Chicago, IL)
- Pabst Brewing Co. (Woodridge, IL)
- D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc. (Pottsville, PA)
- Boston Beer Co. (Boston, MA)
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, CA)
- New Belgium Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO)
- Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc. (Portland, OR)
- Spoetzl Brewery (part of Gambrinus) (Shiner, TX)
- High Falls Brewing Co. (Rochester, NY)
- Minhas Craft Brewery (Monroe, WI)
- Pyramid Breweries (part of IBU) (Seattle, WA)
- Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR)
- F.X. Matt Brewing Co. (Utica, NY)
- Magic Hat Brewing Co. (part of IBU) (Burlington, VT)
- Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, MO)
- Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA)
- Alaskan Brewing Co. (Juneau, AK)
- Bell’s Brewery, Inc. (Galesburg, MI)
- Goose Island Beer Co. (Chicago, IL)
(You can see an annotated version of the full list, showing who moved where, at Brookston Beer Bulletin.)
Glissade Golden Bock
After last year, I’ve been rather reticent to write up a beer tasting. But, well, the weather is getting rather “Spring-y” out there and, well, I’ve never seen this at my retailer. It’s a great time for a bock.
They say:
As winter begins its slide toward the sunny days of spring, we bring you Glissade Golden Bock to help you enjoy the ride. Glissade is a remarkably mellow take on the traditional spring bock. With restrained sweetness, we emphasize subtle malt flavor, balanced against delicate aromas of spicy and floral European hops. This complex balance helps Glissade slide across the palate—bracing us against the last cold nights of winter, while its bright golden color turns our thoughts toward spring.
Nice golden color with a white head. Bready, fruity aroma. Pretty big malty flavor with…not exactly subtle hops flavor, but understated for something from Sierra Nevada. I like it.
Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock
Here are some other impressions from the beer-o-sphere:
Beer bottles reshaped into glasses
Now this is cool. A fellow named Nick Paul in Chicago takes empty beer bottles, heats them up, expands the neck, and creates drinking glasses out of them. Think of the awesomeness of using a bottle with a painted label, like Rolling Rock, or something from Stone Brewing.
Not only are the bottles recycled into a new use, but what beer lover wouldn’t love these? I know I would. (hint, hint)
There are also non-beery options, like IBC root beer and Stewarts soda.
They run $10 a glass and you can only get the matching basket if you order a six-pack. And, obviously, they need to be able to get the bottles in Chicago. (No, I don’t know if they’ll over a discount if you send them the bottles, full or otherwise.)
(via Boing Boing (via Make: Online))
http://www.makersmarket.com/sellers/908?profile_section=productsWi
Breckinridge Brewery commercial
Brewtarget
Brewtarget is a free and open source application for Windows, Mac, and Linux that helps you get the ratios right as you formulate your homebrew recipes. Check the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh4GWI_EUxE
It uses BeerXML, making it compatible with BeerSmith.
Brewtarget (Sourceforge)
(via Lifehacker)
“Drink with the Wench” Interview
The Beer Wench is conducting a series of interviews with beer bloggers.
Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world.
There are some awfully interesting people writing about that lovely amber nectar, and I’m privileged to be today’s featured interviewee.
Drink with the Wench: Featured Beer Blogger: Albert Everett
Irish thieves steal truck full of beer
A lorry filled with beer has been stolen in Co Antrim, police said today.
The Scania vehicle was packed with 26 pallets of Carlsberg lager when it was taken from an industrial estate in Larne.
The value of the lorry and beer is estimated at £80,000 (€59,325).
They were taken from Olderfleet Road in Curran at around midnight last night.
The trailer containing the beer has the company logo Blue Morgan Line on the side.
Anyone with information about the incident, or who has seen the lorry since midnight, is asked to contact police.
