Beer Buzz 022: Win a V.I.P. trip to see “Beer Wars”!
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
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
* 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.
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