Beer Tap TV News:

Beer Buzz is the weekly show that will keep you informed and updated on all the things going on in the beer world, from the noteworthy to the nutty.  Know something we don’t (which is highly likely)?  Email us at AlwaysHoppy@BeerTapTV.com and share the news… we just might use it.

Show Notes:

Don’t forget we’re having another Tweetup, this time at Great Divide Brewing!  So come one come all to GDB on Friday, April 24 so you can join us in  “Drinking it 2 the Man” – A Liquid Stimulus Plan!

UPDATES & CORRECTIONS
In our last episode we incorrectly called Garrett Oliver – Oliver Garrett.  This is not the first time Eli has done this.  For some odd reason he has this thing about switching up his name.  He does have two first names after all. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Oliver for the mix up!

BEER NEWS

American Homebrewers Association – National Homebrewers Conference
June 18-20, 2009   -    San Francisco Bay Area   -   Oakland Marriott City Center

30 breweries registered to participate in Pro Brewers Night and 29 clubs ready to show off their stuff
25 speaker presentations (making this one of the largest conferences in AHA history) including:

•    “Extreme Fermentables” presented by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head
•    “First Runnings: A Mind Dump” from Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River
•    “Hops: Growing Your Own” presented by Ralph Olson of Hopunion
•    “Quality: In the Eye of the Brew Holder” presented by Dr. Charles Bamforth of UC Davis

Full Conference Package includes:
* All conference seminars
* Pro-Brewers Night
* Club Night
* Keynote Address
* Grand Banquet/Awards Ceremony
* Hospitality Suite access

Member Rate – $230 ($255 after March 31, 2009)
Non-member Rate – $268 ($293 after March 31, 2009) – Price includes a $38 AHA membership

Social Package includes:
* Pro-Brewers Night
* Club Night
* Keynote Address
* Grand Banquet/Awards Ceremony
* Hospitality Suite access

Member Rate – $175 ($200 after March 31, 2009)
Non-member Rate – $213 ($238 after March 31, 2009) – Price includes a $38 AHA membership.

EU court upholds trade mark ruling against AB Inbev
A European Union court on Wednesday upheld a ruling denying Anheuser-Busch Inbev the right to register the Budweiser name as a trade mark in the EU.

U.S. brewer Anheuser-Busch, bought by Belgian counterpart Inbev last year, applied for an EU trade mark in 1996 for the name “Budweiser” for its “beer, ale, porter, malted alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages”.

The application was opposed by Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar, which makes beer marketed in the European Union as Budweiser Budvar, or Czechvar in North America. Budvar’s opposition was upheld by the European trade mark office, OHIM. After a failed appeal at OHIM, Anheuser-Busch took the case to the Luxembourg-based EU Court of First Instance.

Vote for your favorite Beer City, USA

Charlie Papazian, National Beer Examiner, has a poll up on his Examiner site asking people to vote for their favorite beer city.  The poll will close at 12:00pm (Mountain Time) on May 7, and the results will be announced during American Craft Beer Week, May 11-17.

Here are the updates as of a few days ago:

Asheville, NC        1470    31%
Portland, OR         1300    27%
Philly, PA                  808    17%
St. Louis, MO           227       5%
San Diego, CA          143       3%
SF/Oakland, CA      125       3%
Seattle, WA               109       2%

Notice anything missing?  Ya, not a single city from Colorado.  Hey, we don’t hate Asheville, NC (where is that by the way?), but saying they’re the best beer city in the USA is like saying the winner of the World Series is the best baseball team on the planet (reminder: the US team was bounced from the recent World Baseball Classic in the semi-finals… again).   We give huge props to the Asheville folks for generating so much support (as long as it’s legit), but come on folks…

So we challenge all you people out there to go vote (for Denver, CO) not with your heart, but with your minds and taste buds.

Boulevard Brewing introduces Unfiltered Wheat in aluminum bottles

First off we want to think Blvd. Brewing in Kansas City, MO for sending us 4 bombers from their Smokestack series (Saison, which aired on Monday;  Double Wide IPA, The Sixth Glass, and Long Strange Tripel) so stay tuned… you’ll see ‘em on upcoming episodes of Taste Buds with Erik and Dusty.

Blvd. recently debuted a 16-ounce aluminum “bottle” which they’ll be putting their most popular brew – Unfiltered Wheat Beer – into. If you take a look at their website, it’s right on the front page… and it looks very bad ass! The package is expected to enhance distribution opportunities in locations where glass is prohibited, such as golf courses, pools, concert venues, and some outdoor events. The new metal bottles will hit the market April 1.   Current plans call for limiting use of the aluminum bottle to the Unfiltered Wheat Beer

BEER RELEASES

Deschutes – Red Chair IPA

Newest member of the Bond Street Series set to debut in mid May and will be available in 22oz. bottles through September. It’s the latest experimental hop beer originating at the Bond Street pub in downtown Bend, OR.  Red Chair IPA is named after the oldest operating ski lift at Mt. Bachelor

Derived from 7 varieties of malt including British crystals, German pilsner, and domestic versions of cara-pils and Munich.

Dogfish Head – Aprihop

Brewed with luscious apricots, finished with whole-leaf hops. A “fruit beer for hop heads…” says Ale Street News.

Tasting Notes:  Fruity, citrusy, cedar, thirst-quenching
Wine Comparable:  Pinot Noir
Availability:  March and April

ABV:  7.0
IBU:  30
Calories:  240

BEER BLOG OF THE WEEK

Musings over a Pint by David  Turley (VADavid on Twitter)

Avid craft beer drinker (but not a home brewer) living in Virginia. Big fan and promoter of the local craft beer scene focusing on Fredericksburg and Virginia.
Make sure you follow us on twitter:

@ErikBoles
@EliShayotovich

And here at Beer Tap TV:

Eli Shayotovich
Erik Boles

Beer Tap TV News:

Beer Buzz is the weekly show that will keep you informed and updated on all the things going on in the beer world, from the noteworthy to the nutty.  Know something we don’t (which is highly likely)?  Email us at AlwaysHoppy@BeerTapTV.com and share the news… we just might use it.

Show Notes:

The Denver Tweetup @ Breckenridge was a huge success!  Big thanks the crew at Breck Brew – Tebo, Sara, and Todd Usry, as well as @TheBigKlosowski for bringing us into the mix.

In fact, it was such a success we’re doing it again; this time at Great Divide Brewing.  So come one come all to GDB on Friday, April 24 so you can join us in  “Drinking it 2 the Man” – A Liquid Stimulus Plan!

BEER NEWS

We go a bit more in-depth into Beer Wars movie
As was pointed out to us by someone who will rename nameless but works in a brewery on the Left Coast – we were a bit remiss in listing off all the “other” folks who are in the Beer Wars movie.

Sam Calagione and Rhonda Kallman are, according to Anat Baron – “the main characters.”  Sam is the founder and president of Dogfish Head Brewing. We call him the “Godfather of Craft Brewing” because his last name reminds us of Corleone from the Godfather movies.   Rhonda was a founding partner of the Boston Beer Co. and served as executive vice-president there until 1999.  Not long after… while lying on a beach in the Caribbean, Rhonda was inspired to start New Century Brewing Co., makers of exactly one beer – Edison Light Beer.

Now, based on what we know from the website, trailers, as well as talking with Anat… here are just some of the “other” Rock Stars of the Beer World who are in the movie:

• The late great Michael “The Beer Hunter” Jackson – author of many books about beer, specifically about Belgian beer
• Garret Oliver – partner and Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery; foremost authority in the U.S. on traditional beer, and pairing beer with food
• Charlie Papazian – if Calagione is the godfather, Papazian is the father of the modern homebrew movement in the U.S.; one of the most prominent and recognized names in the world of beer and brewing; founder of the Association of Brewers in 1978, and has helped guide the development of both the Association of Brewers and Brewers Association.
• Jim Koch – founder and brewer of Boston Beer Co. , the  largest American owned brewery in the U.S. now

I think we’re forgetting someone… aren’t we?!

Oh ya!  And we of course have Greg Koch – CEO & Co-Founder of Stone Brewing Co. in San Diego, CA – no relation to Jim Koch.  They have different philosophies, and they brew drastically different types of beer.

U.S. Craft Beer Exports Increase 25% in 2008
The Brewers Association reports that estimated international sales by independent craft brewers were up 25% by volume and 38% in dollars for 2008.

The Brewers Association recently concluded its annual export survey, which revealed that for the sixth consecutive year (the only years for which data has been collected);  US craft beer exports increased substantially with solid growth to all markets.

Exports to Canada rose by 78% on the heels of new general listings with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. In Europe shipments rose 16% by volume with consistent gains in Scandinavia and the UK. In Japan, American craft beer exports grew by 51% while exports elsewhere in Asia grew by 53%, driven largely by gains in China and the Philippines.

Reacting to the release of these 2008 statistics, Brett Joyce of Rogue Ales stated:  “The 25% growth in American craft breweries’ exports in 2008 is clear proof that beer drinkers throughout the world are discovering the quality, creativity and diversity of U.S. craft beers. ”

Boston Beer Fourth Quarter Profit Falls 47%
Boston Beer Co Inc reported a 47% fall in fourth-quarter profit, hurt by higher costs of raw and packaging materials and expenses related to its Pennsylvania brewery start-up, and said its 2009 gross margin percentage may decline.

“Our trends in the first two months of 2009 have slowed slightly from the fourth quarter and while the better beer category appears reasonably healthy, we believe we may be losing share in recent months as the drinker is faced with more choices,” Chairman Jim Koch said in a statement.

“We were expecting the company to report declining volumes. It’s a premium brand, and it has been increasing prices which has to be hard for consumers to swallow in this economic environment,” Deutsche Bank analyst Andrew Kieley said by phone.

For the fourth quarter, Boston Beer posted a profit of $3.6 million, or 25 cents a share, compared with $6.8 million, or 46 cents a share, last year.

One has to wonder if the recall they issued last year has had any impact on this.  Undoubtedly some, but Koch says something that makes even more sense:   “We believe we may be losing share in recent months as the drinker is faced with more choices.”  And as we’ve been touting on this show for months now, craft breweries are booming across all parts of this country.

In Lean Times, a Stout Dream
By DAVID KESMODEL – Wall Street Journal

The state of economic despair hasn’t stifled the entrepreneurial spirit of those who dream of brewing their own beer and offering it to the world. Nor has it affected the demand for great craft beer.

Surprisingly large numbers of entrepreneurs have been starting microbreweries or brewpubs.  Schools that teach brewing are being showered with applications from people interested in getting into the business.

According to the Brewers Association 42 brewpubs closed in the U.S. last year (the most since 2005.), and nine microbreweries closed (lowest since 1995). However, 114 microbreweries and brewpubs opened last year (the highest number since 1999).

Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association said they estimate there are 200 microbreweries and brewpubs already on the drawing board for the next few years.

Beer entrepreneurs have been encouraged by a long list of recent success stories in the small-batch, or “craft,” beer arena, as well as statistics showing that Americans are consuming craft beer in increasing numbers.

Beer has long proved more resilient in recessions than other industries. Total U.S. beer sales increased last year. Sales of craft beer, the industry’s fastest-growing segment, rose 6% by volume, and dollar sales jumped 10.5% to $6.3 billion, according to the Brewers Association. And beer is taking market share away from distilled spirits, and craft beer in particular is looking like an affordable luxury.

Still, it costs roughly $450k – $800k to start a small brewery, and finding distributors willing to take on unproven brands can be a problem. Brewpubs can cost upwards of a few million dollars.

The article goes into detail giving some examples of people who started up breweries over the last year, including  Tracy and Doug Hurst from Metropolitan Brewing Company in Chicago, who we talked about way back in Beer Buzz #16. Greg Koch is not mentioned in the article.

Oregon Brewers’ Festival changes up pricing policy
Admission into the festival grounds is free, but in order to taste beer, you must now purchase a taster package.  Taster packages are available in $10, $20 and $50 increments. All packages include a 2009 souvenir mug, which is required for consuming beer (mugs from previous years will not be filled); a souvenir program that includes a map of where the beers are located, and various quantities of tokens, which are used to purchase beer.

Patrons pay four tokens for a full mug of beer, or one token for a taste. Additional tokens may be purchased at $1 apiece in whatever amount you wish. Here are the packages offered:

$10 package: one mug, one program, four tokens
$20 package: one mug, one program, 14 tokens
$50 package: two mugs, two programs, 38 tokens

There will be no more individual purchasing of mugs – you want a mug, you buy a package.  But mugs are still good throughout the weekend, you’ll just buy more tokens. This should speed up the admission lines considerably. The reason you are getting more tokens in the $20 and $50 packages is that we are reducing the size of our program and printing one for everybody, so the program price is dropping from $4 to $1. That means three more tokens per package, plus everyone will have access to beer descriptions, the hop-o-meter, and the map of the taps.

2009 US Beer Open Beer Championship

What is the U.S. Open Beer Championships? The first competition to include professional brewers AND award winning home brewers. It’s open to more than 1,000 breweries from 30 countries, as well as the 29 National Homebrewing Champions from the United States and Canada.

The call for beer will begin on June 1, with the entry deadline set for June 14.  Winners will be announced July 4th.  Each brewery may enter a maximum of 10 beers. In order to help small brewers in these tough economic times, each brewery will be allowed to enter 2 beers with no entry fee. If a brewery wishes to enter more than 2 beers, there will be a $50 entry fee per beer. A brewery must submit a minimum of 5 beers to be considered one of the Top Ten Breweries.  Entry Forms and Rules can found on the competitions web-site at: www.usopenbeer.com

Over 50 categories will be judged. Beers placing in the top 10 of each category and top 10 breweries overall will be featured in America’s Best and Top 10 as well as BeerInfo.com.  Along with the medals awarded, A Grand National Champion will be awarded based on a point system for beers(5 minimum) entered in the competition.

Texas House Bill 2094

State Rep. Jessica Farrarfiled a bill this session that would allow people to buy a six pack or case of beer at the end of a brewery tour!  This change in the law would go a long way toward creating a healthier environment in Texas for craft breweries and help us compete fairly with out-of-state craft breweries that have the same rights in their home states. Beer distributors are helping support Farrar’s effort as well, but Texans need support with this.

On March 20 The Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures heard testimony. No action was taken and the committee has discretion to vote on the bill at a future meeting — or not. The people who understand the political cogs that make the system work have identified two specific committee members that need a little extra convincing: Representative Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton from Southeast Texas and Representative Charlie Geren from NW Tarrant County. So those of you down in Texas… if you live in their district or know anyone who does, please make sure these two legislators know that you support HB 2094.

BEER RELEASES

Ballast Point Brewing – San Diego, CA

• Victory at Sea Imperial Porter – a 10% ABV porter with Caffe Calabria coffee and pure vanilla added post fermentation
• Dorado Double IPA – a 9.6% IPA with close to “five lbs. of Crystal hops per BBL

Bristol Brewing Company – Colorado Springs, CO

The ownership, management and staff of Bristol would like everyone to know that Edge City IPA is being rechristened as Compass IPA! It will be available in 6-packs in late winter.

Rollick Amber Lager – Pyramid Breweries – Seattle, WA

Smooth malty character balanced with a gracious quantity of hops making this copper colored offering the perfect beer to celebrate your first rollicking spring Adventure.

Original Gravity: 16.0
Apparent Extract: 3.8
Alcohol By Volume: 6.00%
IBU: 40
Malts: 2 Row, Munich 20L, Carafa 2
Hops: Bittered with Summit, Finished Tettnang
Availability: February – April

NEW BREWERIES

Mother Earth Brewing Company – Kinston, North Carolina

Owned by Stephen Hill and Trent Mooring – plans to open in late summer/early fall with a 20 barrel system, bottling facility, and  corporate offices. Future plans include a tap room and brewery tours.  4 planned beers – Munich Dunkel, American IPA (India Pale Ale), Belgian Wit and a Kolsch (not Koch), along with some seasonal brews and oak aged beers. Plans to distribute statewide in groceries, restaurants and bars.

BEER GADGET OF THE WEEK

Brewtility, the place to manage your homebrew

• Browse or search the recipe database to find the best homebrew recipes
• Create your own beer recipes and share them with other brewers
• Brew better beer, more easily with our collection of helpful brewing tools
• Sign-up or Log-in now to start creating and sharing your own recipes

BEER BLOG OF THE WEEK

The BeerBuddha – Jeremey Labadie

The Beer Buddha reviews different beers and also breweries, beer stores, and beer bars from the New Orleans area.
Jeremey is a beer consultant at Martin Wine Cellar in the New Orleans area and reviews beers in a column called Six Picks, which appears in a weekly New Orleans paper called The Gambit.
Make sure you follow us on twitter:

@ErikBoles
@EliShayotovich

And here at Beer Tap TV:

Eli Shayotovich
Erik Boles

Beer Tap TV News:

Beer Buzz is the weekly show that will keep you informed and updated on all the things going on in the beer world, from the noteworthy to the nutty.  Know something we don’t (which is highly likely)?  Email us at AlwaysHoppy@BeerTapTV.com and share the news… we just might use it.

Show Notes:

Beer Tap TV Tweetup @ Breckenridge Brewery

Our first Tweetup is FULL!  Thanks to everyone who signed up! Don’t despair though… if you didn’t sign up we still want you to come down and hang out in the tasting room (as the tweetup takes place in the brewery itself).  There will sure to be some mingling!

BEER NEWS

Beer Wars movie premiere

By now you’ve probably heard about Beer Wars, the documentary written and directed by Anat Baron that takes you on a journey of the U.S. beer industry. It reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film goes behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America’s favorite industries.

The movie will debut on April 16 in 430 theaters across the country. But it’s far more than just a movie debut. For one night only… Fathom and Ducks In A Row Entertainment will be presenting Beer Wars LIVE with Ben Stein. This live event begins with a showing of the never-before-seen documentary, immediately followed by a live discussion with many of the leading independent brewers and experts featured in the film… hosted by Ben Stein. This interactive Q&A will be linked to hundreds of theaters around the country.

Needless to say, seats are limited so buy your tickets today. Go to the website and enter your zip code to find a participating theater near you. Tickets are $15 per person for the Live event which will be simulcast at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 6pm MT / 8pm PT (tape delayed).

In this episode of Beer Buzz we have an exclusive interview with Beer Wars director Anat Baron about her highly-anticipated movie.  At the end of the interview we make a very special announcement about how registered viewers can win a VIP trip to attend the Hollywood premiere of “Beer Wars” with Erik, Dusty and Eli in April, including a private reception with the producer, the cast and the moderator Ben Stein.

Craft Beer Veteran John Bryant Joins Oskar Blues

John Bryant has joined the Oskar Blues Brewery management team.  For the past 4½ years, Bryant served as chief operations officer for Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado. Bryant played a key role in doubling the brewery’s revenues during his tenure. Before Odell, he spent 9 years at Deschutes Brewery (in Bend, Oregon) as vice president of sales & marketing. He played an instrumental role in the company’s growing from a 25,000 barrel craft brewery to a 140,000 barrel regional brewery.

Bryant is now the COD (Connector of Dots) for Oskars and will oversee the brewery’s sales, distribution, production, marketing, strategic-planning and revenue-building efforts.

“I’ve been CANverted,” Bryant says. “I’m joining the canned revolution that these guys have started, and I’m ready to turn more people on to the benefits of delicious beer in cans.” “My goal,” he adds, “is to help Dale and the crew here connect its dots and become a more efficient and successful outfit.”

Bryant is the second significant hire Oskar Blues has made in the past six months.  In November the brewery welcomed Jeff Nickel, who had been a leading brewer for Coors Brewing/MolsonCoors for the past 8 years. Nickel serves as head of beer production for Oskar Blues.

Huge upsets in first two rounds at the National IPA Championship!

Round 1 (3 of last year’s Final Four beers defeated)

•    Cambridge House IPA – forfeited due to not providing a beer
•    Ithaca’s Flower Power was weed whacked by Big Sky’s IPA
•    Green Flash’s West Coast IPA was bitten by Big Dog’s Hop Harvest Ale

Round 2 (last Final Four beer goes adios)

•    Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale gets an arrow through the heart, then pissed on for good measure from Rogue’s Yellow Snow IPA
•    Stone IPA gets rocked by a beer from Nebraska! Did you know Nebraska even had a brewery? Well, they do… and apparently sticks and stones chucked by big cornhuskers do hurt, cuz their IPA beat the crap outta Stone’s “legendary” IPA

New Belgium Brewing Expands Markets and Portfolio in 2009

New Belgium Brewing is expanding its distribution and portfolio dramatically in 2009. In addition to 7 year round beers and 4 seasonal releases, NB will produce 4 small batch Lips of Faith beers, 4 collaborative beers with Elysian brewing in Seattle (collectively known as The Trip series) and 4 new Loose Lips beers for internal and tasting room consumption only.

The new beer brands will focus on more esoteric styles and collaborative creativity. The Lips of Faith program launched in February will feature fruit, spiced or wood beers in 22- oz. packages. The brewery has already released Dark Kriek (which we had on episode #50 of Taste Buds last week); Biere de Mars and a beer brewed with dandelion leaves will be released through spring.

In addition to the Lips of Faith program, New Belgium is collaborating on The Trip series.  The first  beer in the collaboration series (“The Trip”) with Elysian is Trippel IPA – a Belgian twist on a northwest version of India Pale Ale.

New Belgium will also brew four new beers based solely on a company-wide internal drink-off, known as the Loose Lips program. The contest allows the person who correctly identifies the three beers blended in their glass to brew whatever beer they can imagine. These rare beers can only be sampled in the Liquid Center, New Belgium’s tasting room, and at a few select Fort Collins locations.

The brewery will enter six new markets as well: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, South Dakota and Wisconsin all by end of summer. New Belgium is still vetting distributors in potential markets.

BEER RELEASES

Leviathan Quad – Harpoon Brewery – Boston, MA

Next beer in the Leviathan Series – Belgian-style ale, fermented with traditional Trappist yeast, has a velvety body and features an aroma of sweet, dried fruit and peppery phenols. Available now in 4-packs and in limited release on draft

O.G.: 26.2
ABV: 11.75%
IBU’s: 44

NEW BREWERIES

Colorado Brewing Company – Boulder, CO
Info obtained from Chipper Dave’s Northern Colorado Beer Examiner column

The old Redfish Brew House closed down on January 1 and has just re-opened as Colorado Brewing Company and the CBC Draft House. The CBC Draft House is in the exact same location as the old Redfish (2027 13th Street, Boulder, Colorado) and serves up 8 new beers:

Crystal Springs Kolsch
Alpenglow Amber
44 Pale Ale
Feisty Fiddler IPA
Big Bella Brown
Seasonal Stout
Plus two other seasonals – Dunkelweisen and Irish Red

These brews range from 4.5% to 6.3% ABV. CBC’s head brewer is Mike Kasian from the Chicago area.

Black Fox Brewing – Colorado Springs, CO

Bristol Brewing’s assistant brewer John Schneider specializes in Belgian ales (saisons in particular), and has been working on a side project – a new brewing company called Black Fox Brewing. John has the fully enthusiastic and unqualified support of Mike Bristol and everyone at Bristol

The first of his brews will be available at the Black Fox unveiling in the Bristol Tasting Room on Friday, March 13th at 5:00 PM, where he’ll be presenting his Debut Saison – a bright and refreshing ale flavored with ginger and lemon zest.
BEER GADGET OF THE WEEK

TapBoards  ($21.66)

*  Chalkboard tap handle with erasable chalkboard surface
* Erase the message on the chalkboard surface with soap and water
* Write any custom message with ordinary chalk
* Perfect for home brew kegerators and busy bars
* Includes one piece of chalk
* Tap handle is made of Walnut

BEER BLOG OF THE WEEK

Fermentarium by DJ (Deege) Spiers

DJ lives up in Denver, Colorado. His blog deals with everything from beer, to wine, cider, mead and other spirits.

DJ is an avid homebrewer and winemaker and has been making his own beer and wine for years. Fermentarium serves as one place to collect everything interesting about alcohol, predominantly beer and wine.  There are articles about how to start homebrewing or winemaking, advanced topics, industry news, wine and beer reviews, and other articles about beer and wine.

His sister is Wendy Campbell… renowned radio personality at the best rock station in Colorado – KILO 94.3.

Make sure you follow us on twitter:

@ErikBoles
@EliShayotovich

And here at Beer Tap TV:

Eli Shayotovich
Erik Boles

Beer Tap TV News:

Beer Buzz is the weekly show that will keep you informed and updated on all the things going on in the beer world, from the noteworthy to the nutty.  Know something we don’t (which is highly likely)?  Email us at AlwaysHoppy@BeerTapTV.com and share the news… we just might use it.

Show Notes:

Beer Tap TV Tweetup @ Breckenridge Brewery

Don’t forget… the long awaited (and heavily requested) Beer Tap TV Tweetup is coming up!  Come hang with us at Breckenridge Brewery & drink a FREE BEER.  Some of the great things about this Tweetup:

• It’s in the actual brewery, not the tasting room, so this is a semi-private tweetup just for you tweeples!
• One free beer ticket is provided.
• A brewer will be onsite to give personalized, behind the scenes tours to anyone that wants them.
• There will be giveaways from Beer Tap TV and Breckenridge Brewery.
• The Beer Tap TV crew will be there taping a live-audience show that you will be involved in…taste beer with the brewers and the BTTV guys!

Hurry!  Due to the free beer and limited space, we have to cap attendance at the first 100 Tweeples. But don’t let that stop you from coming because there will be plenty of overflow room in the tasting room to hang out.

Register your attendance on our Yahoo Upcoming Events page (http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1823388/).

QUICK BEER NEWS UPDATES

Colorado Brewers Guild Rally and committee hearing on HB 1192 canceled

The Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG) Rally and committee hearing scheduled for Wednesday, February 25 was canceled. We’ll let you know when a new rally and hearing date has been rescheduled.  In the meantime, please continue to contact your state representative and state senator and let them know about your opposition to HB 1192.

Bill Brand passes away from injuries

On Friday February 20th  Bill passed away from the injuries sustained from being hit by a city Muni train. Please take a few minutes and post your thoughts and prayers on his beer blog, What’s on Tap.

All of us here at Beer Tap TV extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends. Bill will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.  To you Bill… wherever you may be, we hope there’s some good beer!

A beer community memorial was held for Bill this past Sunday.  You can find the write up and some pictures on Jay Brooks Beer Bulletin

Utah HB 51 (legalizes homebrewing in Utah)

The Utah House passed HB 51 on Thursday, February 25th. It now moves on to the Governor to sign into law. Given how lopsided the victory was (67-2 in the House and 23-3 in the Senate), homebrewers are hopeful that Governor Huntsman will sign the bill into law. If signed the law will go into effect on May 12.

BEER NEWS

Philadelphia to host “the country’s biggest beer event”

The second Philly Beer Week kicks off this week (Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 15).  According to the press releases we’ve received they have over 50 brewers, 120 beers, and 400 events planned.

These “beer weeks” are starting to sprout up around the nation as craft beer continues to become more popular.  San Francisco had their beer week a few weeks ago, and several other cities around the country are doing the same.

Now don’t get us wrong… we absolutely love Philly and their beer drinking ways. However, we take exception to some of the PR spin that has been bandied about when describing their Beer Week.  As all of us Beer Geeks know, there’s a friendly “we’re a better Beer State/Beer City then you are” rivalry that exists.  Especially between Oregon, California, Colorado and Pennsylvania.

But the PR coming out of Philly about their beer week is absurd.  “With a line-up that features over 50 of the biggest names in brewing and more than 400 events planned, it has become the country’s biggest beer event in its second year.”

Um… no it hasn’t.  Not even close.  See, part of the problem here is the term “event.”  What does it mean exactly?  Frankly, nothing. Sure, they may have over 400 “events” planned throughout the 10-days, but what defines an event?  And who cares?

Philly is only going to have 50 breweries and 120 beers.   That’s really nothing to brag about.  Check out the stats from these two “events” that are, without any question, much, much bigger:

1) The Great American Beer Festival (now in its 25th year) last year had 432 breweries, 2052 different beers, 60+ exhibitors, 2600 volunteers, and over 46,000 people attended the 3-day “event.”

2) The Oregon Brewer’s Festival (now in its 22nd year) last year had 72 breweries (the only allow one beer from each brewery to be served), and 70,o00 beer lovers showed up during the 4-day “event.”

Philly is a great beer town, but come on… to call this, their second beer week, the biggest beer event in the country? Absurd. Not only do they have a very long way to go before this can be called “the country’s biggest beer event,” but they blatantly disrespect those events that are legitimately bigger and more prestigious.

Brewers Association Announces 2008 Craft Brewer Sales Numbers

Last week the Brewers Association (based in Boulder, CO), which tabulates industry growth data for U.S. breweries, announced that today’s small independent craft brewers are gaining alcohol market share due to a shift toward full flavor beer and increased support for local breweries.

Craft beers accounted for 4.04% of the U.S. market by volume in 2008, up 0.25% point from 2007. From 2007 to 2008, estimated sales by craft brewers were up 5.8%  by volume and 10.5%  in dollars. More than 1 million new barrels of beer were sold in 2008, and close to half of those barrels were beer from craft brewers.

“2008 was a historic year for beer with the large brewers consolidating and imports losing share, while the top ten selling beer brands dropped in sales. At the same time, small independent craft brewers continued to gain share and attention,” said Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association.

With total U.S. beer being more than a $100 billion industry, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales from craft brewers in 2008 were $6.34 billion, up from $5.74 billion in 2007.

Beer’s popularity as America’s favorite fermented beverage continued in 2008 with Gallup stating “beer is back to a double-digit lead over wine.”

A more extensive analysis will be released April 22 during the Craft Brewers Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The Association’s full 2008 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual brewery, will be published in the May/June issue of The New Brewer.

Ska Brewing Co. Announces Homebrewing Competition Winner

Ska Brewing Company recently announced the winner of their Osiris Homebrewing Competition. The OHC is an AHA/BJCP sanctioned event held a few weeks ago during the local Durango, Colorado festival of Snowdown. The OHC is a prelim for the 2009 Great American Beer Festival Pro/Am, and the winning recipe will be brewed in large scale for both production and judging at the Pro/Am. Additionally, it will be brewed as a Ska Local Series single batch to be sold at their brewery and in stores.

And the winner is…. Chris Vest, a 50-year old homebrewer and member of the Mesa Verde Mashers Homebrew Club from Dolores, Colorado! Chris beat out 60 other entries from around Colorado with his Merlot Stout, named for the Merlot-varietal grape juice used to prime the beer in the bottle.  Vest will oversee production of his recipe at Ska’s new World Headquarters in Durango. “I’m ecstatic”, says Vest. “I’m a graphic designer and have actually placed in beer label design contests before, but never in a homebrew competition.”

Arizona wants to be #1 beer tax state in the country apparently

Arizona H.B. 2524, introduced by Rep. Tom Chabin (D-Flagstaff), is a “Liquor Luxury Tax” of $3.50 a gallon on all alcoholic beverages, up from the current 16 cents per gallon. This represents a 116% tax increase on distilled spirits and a mind boggling 2,185% increase on beer.  And at $3.50 a gallon it equates to a $7.85 per case “luxury” tax on beer.

The proposed bill is framed as “Amending Title 48, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding Chapter 39; relating to the Drug and Alcohol Treatment District.

Again, these fools want the brewers to pay for drug and alcohol treatment.  WHY?!  They’re doing nothing illegal!

BEER RELEASES

Widmer W ’09 Belgian Style Ale – Widmer Brothers – Portland, OR

Newest in the W” Brewmasters’ Release Series (Availability: January – July)
IBUs: 26
ABV: 6.5%
OG: 14.0° PLATO
Malts: 2-Row Pale, Briess Caramel 10L
Hops: Alchemy and Sterling

Fort Collins Brewery – Fort Collins, CO

Dunkel Export Lager – The Export or Dortmunder lager originated in Germany’s steel and coal district in the early 19th century. It became the favorite beer of coal miners and industry workers. Often thought of as the cousin of the Bohemian Pilsner.  Moderately hopped brew weighing in at 6.8%ABV.

13 Hour Wheat Wine – First venture into wine territory, named for it’s unprecedented long brew time of 13 hours.  Brewed with a preposterous amount of malted wheat, a dose of Centennial for bitterness, and some Tettnang for aroma.  Wheat wine is an American twist on the English barley wine that got its start during the early part of the 20th century. Characterized by a bready, biscuity flavor and a “fluffy” mouthfeel, plus a crazy passion fruit, pineapple, peach aroma and a flavor that features brandy and rum undertones.  9.2% ABV

Redhook Brewery – Woodinville, WA

Belgian Tripel – The Belgian Tripel will be the next beer in their limited series release.  As you recall we had the Double Black Stout on an episode of Taste Buds – awesome stuff! – so this probably will be as well.  We will definitely be having this on an upcoming episode of TB.

Slim Chance Light Ale – New year-round offering coming soon – blonde-style craft ale is brewed using a combination of premium 2-row Wheat, Munich and Caramel malts, and Alechmey and Willamette Hops.

IBUs: 18
ABV: 3.9%
OG: 1.038
Calories (12 oz):  125
Carbs (12 oz): 8.7g
Protein (12 oz): 1.5g

It’ll be arriving in stores nationally next month (Colorado will be a bit later; let’s call it late spring).  But guess what?  We have it right here, right now!  In fact, it will be on an episode of Taste Buds this week, so stay tuned to find out how this “light” beer tastes.

BEER GADGET OF THE WEEK

Brau Frau Designs

Operated by Michelle Venzke, wife of the 2008 Beer Drinker of the Year Matt Venzke. Michelle makes a line of beer themed bracelets and earrings – or as we like to call ‘em, beerrings !  A little something for the gal Beer Geeks out there – Brau Fraus if you will!

The beerrrings are available for $13 each or 2 for $24.  Also available is a matching earring bracelet set for $20.

BEER BLOG OF THE WEEK

Belgian Beer and Travel by Charles Cook

The intent of Chuck’s blog is to inform, educate, and entertain those who enjoy the brews of the greatest beer country, Belgium.  He’s written for publications like Ale Street News, All About Beer magazine, Beers of the World magazine, Beeradvocate magazine, CAMRA What’s Brewing, Celebrator Beer News, Delta Sky, The Gotham Imbiber, and Great Lakes Brewing News, as well as the Beeradvocate and Ratebeer websites.

Chuck specializes in exploring, enjoying, researching, and writing about Belgium’s unique beers and beer culture, as well as Belgian-inspired beers, breweries and beer bars. Since 1994 he’s been to Belgium 18 times, and toured 88 Belgian breweries. He’s also visited all the Trappist Abbey breweries multiple times, with three visits each at Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren, and two visits each at Achel, Chimay, and Orval, as well as the Dutch Trappist Abbey brewery, Koningshoeven (La Trappe.)

He knows his stuff.

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