In this issue:
* InBev to Close Hoegaarden Brewery
* Connecticut OKs Bad Elf Labels
* A Better Image for Beer?
* Fuller's Acquires Gale Brewery
* Wisconsin Brewers, Distributors Strike Deal
* Sam Adams Expands Cincinnati Brewery
* Elite Brew Mistresses
* Web Watch
- Beer for the Holidays
- More Beer for the Holidays
* It's the Tummy, Dummy
* Brown Goose Gets the Gold
* Beer Going to the Dogs?
* 'Intelligent Design' Beer for Utah
* 'Goggles' Without the Beer
* Vegans Give Raspberry to Guinness
* Turbo Tap Offers Home Version
* A Stamp and a Pint?
* Quote of the Month
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HOEGAARDEN TO CLOSE
Brewing giant brewer InBev announced today that it would close Belgium's
famous Hoegaarden brewery, long associated with classic "white beer." InBev,
based in nearby Leuven and the largest beer producer in the world, said belt
tightening would eliminate 232 jobs. Production of Hoegaarden Grand Cru and
other beers will move to InBev's Jupille brewery in the south of Belgium,
although the storage and bottling facilities will remain open. Staff at the
Hoegaarden brewery walked off the job after hearing the news on Wednesday,
broadcaster VRT reported.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002780.php
CONNECTICUT OKS BAD ELF LABELS
The state of Connecticut backed off its threat to ban Bad Elf beers because
of their labels. The Department of Consumer Protection determined that
although state regulations bar alcohol advertising with images that might
entice children, including images associated with Santa Claus, the
regulations do not apply to beer labels. The state first notified Shelton
Brothers, the company that distributes the beer in the U.S., that it would
reject the labels for Seriously Bad Elf and one for Warm Welcome ale based on
the state regulation. The label for Seriously Bad Elf shows an elf with a
slingshot firing Christmas ornaments at Santa's sleigh as it flies overhead.
Warm Welcome's label depicts Santa coming down a chimney into a lit
fireplace. At a hearing, a lawyer for the distributor argued the state would
be violating the distributor's free speech rights by banning the labels.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002762.php
A BETTER IMAGE FOR BEER?
Anheuser-Busch is trying to drum up support in the beer industry for the
equivalent of the dairy industry "Got Milk?" advertising campaign, according
to the Wall Street Journal. Robert C. Lachky, Anheuser's executive vice
president of global industry development, working through the Beer Institute,
has been assigned to get other brewers in line. He said the response so far
has been "unbelievably favorable." The Journal reported that brewers would
donate advertising space in which one of the industry spots could run. The
proposed campaign comes as overall beer sales lag nationally - though craft
beer sales continue to surge. Reports show three important consumer groups
turning away from beer in favor of wine and mixed drinks. Baby boomers
increasingly are drinking wine, young women now often find it more
fashionable to drink a low-carb cocktail than a brew, and older members of
the echo-boom, the children of baby boomers born from the late 1970s through
the early 1990s, also seem drawn to cocktails, in large part because of the
more-sophisticated image the spirits industry has created for its products.
"People will tell you that beer is not sophisticated enough, or stylish
enough, to compete with wine and spirits," said Tom Long, chief marketing
officer for Miller Brewing. "Why do they think that? Well, I believe it's
because we told them to."
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002757.php
FULLER'S ACQUIRES GALE BREWERY
London brewer Fuller's has struck a deal to take over of England's family
breweries, George Gale & Co., putting the future of brewing at the
Hampshire-based Gales in doubt. Fuller's plans a "complete review" of all
operations before deciding whether to transfer production to its Griffin
Brewery in Chiswick. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) reacted swiftly to the
announcement, pledging to fight the closure of the 158 year-old Hampshire
brewery. "Gale's is a brewing landmark in Hampshire, brewing award-winning
beers such as HSB and Festival Mild," said Mike Benner of CAMRA. "Today's
announcement by Fuller's makes no promises to keep the Horndean brewery open
and it is clearly under threat. We will campaign to protect this unique
Victorian tower brewery from closure."
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002760.php
WISCONSIN BREWERS, DISTRIBUTORS STRIKE DEAL
Wisconsin's beer wholesalers and small brewers reached a compromise on
legislation the brewers had initially opposed. The bill still would require
brewers to grant exclusive distribution territories to wholesalers, something
the wholesalers want. Wholesalers buy beer from brewers and then sell it to
taverns, liquor stores and other retailers. Most wholesalers already have
exclusive contracts with brewers. But the small brewers said a state mandate
could hamper their ability to sell beer without using wholesalers, which they
said could reduce competition, restrict their access to retailers, raise
their costs and force price increases. Led by Deb Carey, president of New
Glarus Brewing, the brewers bitterly fought the bill as it was originally
presented.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002761.php
SAM ADAMS EXPANDS CINCINNATI BREWERY
Boston Beer Co. toasted the renovation of The Samuel Adams Brewery in
Cincinnati last month. Founder Jim Koch gave names to two new copper brew
kettles - for his father, Charles Koch, and for his great-great grandfather,
Louis Koch. In addition, the newly expanded cellar was named for Dr. Joseph
Owades, a brewing consultant who has worked with Koch since 1984. When Boston
Beer bought the Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery in 1996 the brewery's production
was approximately 200,000 barrels a year. Within seven years, with minor
improvements but with the same size staff, the output had nearly tripled. The
latest expansion raises capacity to 800,000 barrels of beer a year, about
two-thirds of the total output of The Boston Beer Company.
http://beertravelers.com/postcards/?p=130
ELITE BREW MISTRESSES
Archeologists in southern Peru uncovered a brewery dating to about 1000 A.D.,
and, in a new research paper, conclude that it was staffed by "elite brew
mistresses" probably selected for their "beauty or nobility." The brewery on
a mountaintop in southern Peru produced hundreds of gallons of beer every
week, and was part of the Wari empire, which predated the Incas.
Archaeologists have concluded that the brewery was burned and the city then
evacuated for unknown reasons. Nobility drank the final batch pf chicha, as
the beer was called, as part of a big feast and ceremony. More than two dozen
precious ceramic chicha mugs were then tossed into embers of a fire and
smashed as sacrifices to the gods. "Our analyses indicate that this specialty
brew was a high-class affair," said Patrick Ryan Williams, curator of
anthropology at the Field Museum and co-author of the research report. "Corn
and Peruvian pepper-tree berries were used to make the beer, which was drunk
from elaborate beakers up to half a gallon in volume."
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002772.php
*******************WEB WATCH*******************
BEER FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Our wish lists are growing. Stop by for the latest beer-related gift ideas
for homebrewers, beer lovers and anybody else with good beer taste.
http://www.realbeer.com/edu/2005holidays
MORE BEER GIFT IDEAS
With visions of glassware and travel dancing in the heads of beer aficionados
everywhere, Stephen Beaumont suggests "Gifts for the Gourmand."
http://www.worldofbeer.com/features/
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SPATEN - 600 YEARS OF BREWING HISTORY
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http://www.spatenusa.com
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IT'S THE TUMMY, DUMMY
A beer belly increases the risk of a heart attack - even if the rest of the
body is skinny, according to a report out of Canada. The traditional measure
for obesity - a rough estimate of body fat, based on height and weight,
called the body mass index - is misleading and obsolete, and should be
replaced with a new calculation called the waist-to-hip ratio, the new study
concludes. The research, published in the medical journal The Lancet and
based on a study that included 27,000 people in 52 countries, adds more
weight to the growing body of evidence that fat around the abdomen is the
most damaging to a person's health. Further, it suggests that big hips reduce
the risk of disease - or heart disease at the very least - because larger
hips tend to suggest more muscle mass. Currently, the most popular method of
determining obesity is calculating BMI - dividing a person's weight by their
height.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002756.php
BROWN GOOSE GETS THE GOLD
Goose Island Beer Co. captured Champion Beer at the Festival of Wood and
Barrel-aged Beer in Chicago, winning with Imperial Brown Goose. More than
500
beer drinkers sampled nearly 70 different beer from 31 breweries in the third
annual festival. Breweries from 13 states sent beers to the
festival/competition. Judges evaluated 68 different wood-aged beers in eight
categories. The festival spotlights beer aged with the intention of imparting
the particularly unique character of wood and/or what has previously been in
a barrel. Ultimately, a balance of flavor, aroma and mouthfeel are sought
with the marriage of beer, wood and/or barrel characteristics. "There are
still a lot of stouts and barley wines," said festival organizer Jeff
Sparrow, "but experimental beer was the largest category this year. The
results:
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002773.php
BEER GOING TO THE DOGS?
First, Dog Star Brewing Co. - in Napa Valley, it figures - makes beer for
dogs. Second, all Rogue Nation Embassies - also known as pubs - offer
gourmettreats for dogs.
- To begin, the doggie beer. Dog Star's Happy Tail Ale might have started
as a lark, but turned into a serious venture. Dog Star's first Happy Tail Ale
recipe consisted of soda water, yellow food coloring and beef bouillon. Right
away the founders learned one quick lesson about combining bouillon cubes in
soda water, "It explodes like a volcano," said one with a laugh.
Additionally, they discovered dogs really don't like carbonation. "It upsets
their stomachs," she said.
- Rogue now offers Gulley's Dog Menu at all six of its brewery/restaurants.
A burger and fires combination runs $9.95 but most items are around a dollar.
These include a carob cupcake, a peanut butter bone and a croissant with
beef.
http://www.realbeer.com/blog/?p=28
'INTELLIGENT DESIGN' BEER FOR UTAH
A Park City brewer known for tweaking Utah sensibilities with satirically
named beers, ales and porters now offers "Evolution Amber Ale." Wasatch
Brewery owner Greg Schirf notes that the Bible says it took God just seven
days to create the heavens and the Earth, while it takes 27 days to create
Evolution Amber Ale. Schirf, whose company also created "Polgamy Porter,"
says his latest creation was inspired by the brewing national debate over the
teaching of "intelligent design" alongside Charles Darwin's theory of
evolution.
'GOGGLES' WITHOUT THE BEER
A group of British scientists determined that you can experience the "beer
goggles" effect without drinking. "Beer goggles" is a slang term for a
phenomenon in which one's consumption of alcohol makes physically
unattractive people appear beautiful. "The beer goggles effect isn't solely
dependent on how much alcohol a person consumes," said Professor Nathan
Efron, Professor of Clinical Optometry at the University of Manchester.
"There are other influencing factors at play." Other factors that can make
ugly people appear attractive include: the level of light in the bar; the
drinker's eyesight; the smokiness of the room; and the distance between two
people. An eyewear company funded the research.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002777.php
VEGANS GIVE RASPBERRY TO GUINNESS
Guinness received the inaugural Vegan Raspberry Award from the Vegan society.
The award is for products the society insists could be vegan, but aren't.
Like many beers, Guinness uses isinglass, a type of gelatin made from the
swim bladders of fish, in the refining process. Other breweries, such as
Samuel Smiths, produce stouts that are fish-free.
TURBO TAP OFFERS HOME VERSION
A Chicago-based company that received a flood of publicity for speeding up
draft beer dispensing in sports stadiums - making a gadget that Time magazine
ranks as one of the coolest inventions of 2005 - has begun selling Turbo Tap
to home drinkers as well. A large practical advantage that Turbo Tap offers -
pouring more beer for more customers in less time - may not matter to those
dispensing beer in their rec rooms and basements, but they are attracted to
claims of higher efficiency. Laminar Technologies says that Turbo Tap can
yield up to 30% more beer from a keg (20 more beers) for people who have no
experience pulling beer.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002768.php
A STAMP WITH THAT PINT?
A country pub in England now doubles as a post office. Diane Nicholson, who
runs the Grey Horse Inn in Glazebury, near Leigh, provides a range of
services in an annex at the Warrington Road pub. The village had been without
a post office since August last year, when the subpostmaster retired. "I've
lived in the village all my life and I think the villagers need it - the
customers are really up for it," Nicholson said before the post office part
opened.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002767.php
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"While nearly all US craft beers can trace their origins to European roots,
the artesian brewers currently transforming the landscape of US beer are
crafting brews that are bigger, brasher and boast bigger balls than anything
being produced in Europe."
- British beer writer Ben McFarland
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