A Place to Gather and Talk
Funkwerks, a small brewery specializing in Saison-style beers brewed with organic ingredients, opened in December 2010 in Fort Collins, CO. This year, they only expect to brew 500 barrels—a small amount considering that the largest craft brewers brew over 500,000 each year.
Last Wednesday, Brad Lincoln and Gordon Schuck of Funkwerks received a call from The New Zealand Herald regarding the name of their Imperial Saison, Maori King. A few days later, they reported “Maori King ale leaves sour taste.” This article sparked outrage over the naming of Funkwerks’ beer and people demanded a response and a solution.
After several days of criticism, Funkwerks decided to change the name of the beer in question to Southern Tropic. Along with the new name, Funkwerks’ issued a response. Here’s an excerpt, or you can read the complete response.
Continue reading “Funkwerks Renames Controversial Beer”
Good news framed as bad news? Note craft beer is UP!- PGA
NORWALK, Conn., Sept. 14, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — For the fourth year in a row, the beer industry has continued its declines and lost 1.9% to total 2.8 billion cases. According to the Beverage Information Group’s recently released 2011 Beer Handbook, continued declines in the Light segment continue to contribute to the overall losses in the industry. This segment has seen declines amongst its core brands and is only seeing pockets of growth from newly introduced line extensions.
Despite the struggling economy, growth was seen among the Craft segment as well as Imports. The higher-priced Craft segment continued to post solid gains due to consumers’ attraction to the interesting flavors craft brewers offer. Imports, which previously have been experiencing declines, gained 0.9% to 362-8 million cases last year, but that is still 11.1% lower than its pre-recessionary levels.
Continue reading “U.S. Beer Consumption Continues Decline”
Some of America’s most famous beers have lost a tremendous amount of their national sales over the last five years. Mostly, they are full-calorie beers, and they have lost sales to lower-calorie products, as well as imports and craft beers. 24/7 Wall St. looked at the 23 largest selling beer products in America and found eight that have lost a staggering 30% or more of their sales between 2005 and 2010.
Most of the beers whose sales declined that much have one thing in common — they are “full-calorie†beers, or about 145 calories a can. Instead, beer drinkers have turned to “light beers,†which have 100 calories a can, and “ultra-lights,†which are closer to 90 calories.
Surprisingly, Budweiser, the best-selling beer in America for years has lost 30% of its sales over the five-year period. Given that Budweiser sold 18 million barrels last year, this is a massive loss – more than 7 million barrels less. Sales of Bud Light, on the other hand, held steady at just over 39 million barrels during the five year period. Six products on our list have lost half their sales since 2005.
Other than lighter-calorie beers, drinkers have also turned to imports, such as Corona, and to craft beers, which are produced, and usually also consumed, in relatively small regions, according to Eric Shepard of beer marketer’s INSIGHTS. Overall, sales of beer from 2005 to 2010 rose 1.9 million barrels to 208.4 million barrels. But sales of the top 20 brands dropped 10 million barrels to 149 million, a sign that Americans have turned to craft beers and imports.
24/7 Wall St. used two databases to do its analysis. One is kept by SymphonyIRI Group, one of the largest consumer research firms in the U.S. The other is from specialist research firm, beer marketer’s INSIGHTS, Inc.
These are 24/7 Wall St.’s “Beers Americans No Longer Love.â€
Continue reading “Eight Beers Americans No Longer Drink”
Here’s to when craft beer becomes “the tradition.”-The Professor
Never fear, Cubs fans — no one’s going to take away your crappy beer.
OK, well they might after 2013, but until then, Pabst Brewing Co. will continue to craft Old Style for thirsty Chicagoans who should at least be able to get drunk as they continue to wait (and wait, and wait) for a World Series victory.
Continue reading “Punch Shots: Cheers to More Years of Weak Beers”
In line with Mr. Carman’s previous post, The Professor asks you to decide.-PGA
Usually I leave reposts to the Professor. He’s better at it, has the interest in searching out articles and, frankly, I’m busy writing for several site and publications. I missed this one last year and while I think 9/11 “Truthers” take it on the nose too much, I do think this a bad idea. Note: anyone else “note” that all the conspiracy crappers on the right don’t get called out in the mainstream media like “Truthers” do? Or Hillary with “right wing conspiracy?” (Even though she was right, obviously.)
I just think beer should be about beer, that’s my only critique here. Whenever you mix the two you get trouble. What, drinking something that helps you do and say more than you probably should while throwing right/left gas on the fire might be a good idea? How smart is that? Should a bar stock this? I wouldn’t: not because I think it a bad beer or I disagree. I actually don’t, for the most part. I wouldn’t because it would be like running an in-bar ad supporting more bar fights and brawls.
So I think the beer a well intended, wrong headed, approach to marketing… and the topic. Like giving a mad, mean, drunk a flame thrower.
But this is far more about a bad attempt to rephrase and reframe a beer than the beer itself, to be honest. The writer here is more to blame than the brewer. The beer is not just about 9/11. Indeed that’s a small part of the concept. I repost this more to make that point than anything else. And I’ll only repost part. You decide if you want to give him the click. -Ken Carman.
This (“Last March,” actually -KC) March, Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, California released a craft beer to commemorate their effort to weather the latest economic downturn with what they cynically describe as, “A malty, robust, jobless recovery ale.â€
“We’re not quite in the red, or the black… Does that mean we’re in the Brown?â€
One of this year’s seasonal brews, Wilco Tango Foxtrot is an imperial brown ale that not only offers an apt portrayal of the ridiculousness of the confused situation in which we find ourselves but also boasts a respectable 96th percentile rank on RateBeer.
Beginning with, “the curious per curiam decision of 531 U.S. 98,†(the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Bush v. Gore which ended the Florida recount process—affording Bush the presidency), the caption on the sarcastically labeled bottle goes on to list World Trade Center Building 7 (â€WTC7“), the massacre at the New Orleans Superdome, the Lehman Brothers sacrifice in the latest round of economic terrorism, the hypocrisy of awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the Afghani-surge president and the fact that the concept of “jobless recovery†is oxymoronic as examples of issues worthy of consideration.
Want to read more? Please click…
New occasional category here at PGA- The Professor
From The Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies said a drunken woman offered them beer from her open case at the county courthouse Thursday morning before they seized the suds and escorted her off the premises.
Deputies encountered the woman, whom they did not identify, carrying a case of Big City Ice beer and noticed her slurred speech as she offered them a drink, as long as she could keep the rest for herself, the sheriff’s department said. They determined she had no reason to be there, confiscated the beer and drained it in a sink.
The woman was not charged.
Holderness is a very small town just north of Squam Lake, mid-New Hampshire, where they shot On Golden Pond. A few years ago they had a small brewery owned by a gentleman who also owned a homebrew store. Nice to see Holderness is back in brew world. -The Professor
Squam Brewing is one of the smallest breweries in the country. It’s owned and operated by John Glidden, who has spent his entire life in Holderness, N.H. Glidden explains that the name was chosen “partly for my close association with the lake and partly for the name recognition for both locals and tourists who enjoy the Lakes Region.” He currently brews and bottles six different styles of beer ($6-$8 for 22 oz. at retail), all with a unique connection to local history.
For instance, Asquam Amber Ale, the first beer released by the brewery, is made in homage of one of the early names of Squam Lake – Asquam is an Abenaki word for water. Steamer Stout – an oatmeal stout – is brewed in honor of the hard-working Halcyon, “which transported mail, people and goods up and down Squam Lake in the early 1900s.”
Continue reading “Squam Brewing”
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