Category: Front Page

William Knoedelseder’s “Bitter Brew” offers a sometimes fascinating history of America’s most famous beer-makers

Written by Tom Dibblee for LA Review of Books and Salon.com

I decided to review William Knoedelseder’s Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America’s Kings of Beer because of my loyalty to Bud Light Lime. I love Bud Light Lime, and I wanted to know where it came from. But because Bud Light Lime probably isn’t a natural beer of choice for the LARB crowd, I thought I’d take a second to explain its excellence.

Bud Light Lime does two things: it allows me to shed the burden of sophistication, and it restores beer to what it once was, when I was young — a tart nectar that makes me happy. Continue reading “Even Anheuser-Busch hates Bud Light”

Written by John Wright for Guardian UK

I hate waste, and spend a lot of time devising interesting ways of using kitchen scraps. No chicken carcass or leek top escapes my kitchen without being used in a stock, and all pastry off-cuts are turned into (largely inedible) jam tarts rather than being consigned directly to the bin.

A neglected box of Sugar Puffs whose contents have set into a solid, intractable lump is a fairly regular sight in our kitchen and it is only recently that I hit upon the (though I say so myself) rather brilliant idea of turning them into beer.
Continue reading “Against the Grain: Sugar Puff Beer”

Note: considering our early years as a nation and how many of our forefathers were both brewing and distilling, it probably just skipped quite a few generations. And the move to make beer one generic style did NOT help.

PGA: For our western NY readers…

Written by Kris Dubé,  for The Fort Erie Times and The Niagara Falls Review

Fort Erie is one step closer to having its very own local beer.

Local politicians addressed an official plan and zoning by-law amendment for informational purposes at Monday’s council-in-committee meeting, to allow the Sanctuary Centre for the Arts in Ridgeway to include a ‘nano-brewery’ on site.
Continue reading “Sanctuary Centre for the Arts Hopes to Add Nano-brewery”

Statement by The Brewers Association Defining Craft Beer

An American craft brewer is defined as small and independent. Their annual production is 6 million barrels of beer or less and no more than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.

The community of small and independent craft brewers has grown as beer enthusiasts embrace new, diverse beers brewed by their neighbors and friends who are invested in their local communities. Beer drinkers are voting with their palates and dollars to support these entrepreneurs and their small and independent businesses.

In 2011, small and independent craft brewers saw their industry grow 13 percent by volume; in the first half of 2012, volume grew by an additional 12 percent. Meanwhile, the overall beer industry was down 1.3 percent by volume and domestic non-craft was down 5 million barrels in 2011.

Witnessing both the tremendous success and growth of craft brewers and the fact that many beer lovers are turning away from mass-produced light lagers, the large brewers have been seeking entry into the craft beer marketplace. Many started producing their own craft-imitating beers, while some purchased (or are attempting to purchase) large or full stakes in small and independent breweries.
Continue reading “Craft Beer vs. Crafty”

Press release from New Belgium Brewing

Picture credit: mfajardo

(Fort Collins, CO) – New Belgium Brewing is excited to announce that the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) has purchased the balance of company shares, making it 100% employee-owned. New Belgium, brewer of a wide variety of award-winning beers including Fat Tire Amber Ale, has been a partial ESOP since 2000 with a controlling interest held by co-founder Kim Jordan and her family. This transition will put the company on a path to control their destiny into the foreseeable future.
Continue reading “New Belgium Brewing becomes a 100% employee-owned company”

Written by Brandon Jones for embracethefunk.com

I hope everyone’s New Year is going awesome so far. It seems like things have gotten busier for me after the holidays, but wow is it a good and fun type of busy. In November I wrote about the Embrace The Funk Series by Yazoo. The project is coming along nicely with the beers Linus and I started progressing as I would expect at this point. (Side note- even on days when I’m topping off a barrel or cleaning a barrel I still can’t believe what a cool opportunity I’ve been afforded!)

So….with things fairly under control and something to talk about… I thought an update on the Yazoo front and my home brewing front was in order.

Continue reading “Some Yazoo Notes and The Dark Passenger Rises”

Writer NOT Attributed. Via draft.com

As craft beer has exploded, so has the number of incredible places that serve it. This list celebrates those special haunts with less than three locations and one passionate focus: beer. There might be darts and a jukebox or candlelight and a turntable; there might be five beers or 500. But in every spot on our list, you’ll find an excellent brew in your glass and people—staff, owners, barflies—who care about that as much as you do. (Read last year’s list here.)

APEX | Portland, Ore.
Continue reading “America’s 100 Best Beer Bars: 2013”