Category: Front Page

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 29 (UPI) — Flying Dog Brewery is suing Michigan’s state Liquor Control Commission in federal court over its prohibition of the bottler’s “Raging Bitch” label.

In its complaint filed March 25, the beer maker alleges the agency is censoring its free speech, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported.

The 20th Anniversary India Pale Ale label urges customers, “Remember, enjoying a Raging Bitch, unleashed, untamed, unbridled — and in heat — is pure GONZO.” Ralph Steadman, an illustrator best-known for collaborations with author Hunter S. Thompson, penned the disputed phrase.

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Note: wouldn’t the purchaser have been InBev? Isn’t “A/B” mostly “A/B” in name only these days, if at all?- Prof. GA

Written by Steve Dolinsky for wbez.org

Some fans of craft beers are foaming over the news that industry giant Anheuser-Busch plans to buy 23 year-old Chicago-based, brewing powerhouse Goose Island Beer Co. The $38.8 million deal was announced Monday, but is set to close in June.

On the surface, the two brewers couldn’t be more different:  One is known for mass-marketed and mass appeal brands like Budweiser and Busch; the other is known for microbrews and specialty ales like 312 and Matilda.

So why would Anheuser-Busch gobble up Goose Island?

Two words: craft brews.

“These critically acclaimed beers are the hometown pride of Chicagoans,” said Dave Peacock, president of the St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch in a statement. “We are very committed to expanding in the high-end beer segment, and this deal expands our portfolio of brands with high-quality, regional beers. “As we share ideas and bring our different strengths and experiences together, we can accelerate the growth of these brands.”

Continue reading “Why Anheuser-Busch Bought Goose Island Beer”

Written by Tovin Lapan for McClatchy Newspapers and goerie.com

Four years ago handyman Mark Taylor sent proposals to four community colleges in Northern California for a beer home-brewing course he wished to teach.

The colleges’ reaction was as flat as a glass of beer left out overnight.

While they did not believe Taylor would find that much interest in a home-brewing course, he remained confident. Cabrillo College offered to let him try it out, and the first session filled up with 17 students, one short of capacity.

Continue reading “College Instructor Offers Entry Into Homebrewing”

Written by Norman Miller for GateHouse News Service

Big alcohol beers with high alcohol content are fine, but Chris Lohring said he noticed something was missing in the craft beer world: a highly flavorful beer that low in alcohol.

Lohring wanted to do something about that, and last year he started Notch Session, a brewery in Ipswich, Mass., that skips past the big beers that are so popular today for lower-alcohol “session” beers.

“I’ve been called everything from lunatic to crazy (for starting Notch Session),” Lohring said.

Lohring was the founder and brewer of the now-defunct Tremont Brewery, and ran it from 1993 to 2002. After that, he left the brewing industry because, he said, he was burned out.

It was at that time, he said, that he had an “epiphany.”

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Written by Tony Kiss for Citizen-Times.com

These days, a variety of flavors are going into Asheville-made beers. Asheville Brewing Co., 77 Coxe Ave., takes that to another level with its Thursday night infused brew series.

Each week, the downtown brewery blends one of its own beers with some unexpected ingredients.

The next infused brew (coming Thursday) is a blend of Escape Artist Ale with three styles of fresh hops. Here’s a rundown on what to expect in coming weeks. Feb. 17: Scout Stout with chocolate and chipotle peppers (for Valentine’s). Feb 24: Stuntman Ale with Tupelo honey. March 3: Rocket Girl with peaches and cinnamon sticks. March 10: Ninja Porter with mint leaves and espresso beans. March 17: Roland’s ESB with sweet potatoes and four-leaf clovers (for St. Patrick’s Day). March 24: Asheville Amber with lemon and limes.

Note: none of these items are the infuser used in Ashville. The one on the left is sold by stompthemgrapes.com and the one on the bottom sold by northernbrewer.com And, yes, they do look a little like odd, metallic, tampons, don’t they?-PGA

Fact: years and years ago, before churches “asked” that only hops be the acceptable bittering agent, brewers used many other agents. This included aphrodisiacs.

Written by Jennifer McDermott for theday.com

Dogfish Head fans in Rhode Island will have to cross the border to enjoy their favorite brews.

The brewery just announced that it is pulling out of Rhode Island, Tennessee, Indiana and Wisconsin, along with the U.K. and Canada, because the beer is in too high demand and the loyal “off-centered beer enthusiasts” are complaining that they cannot find Dogfish Head near them.
Continue reading “60-minute, 90-minute, 120-minute IPA? Not in Rhode Island.”

Written by Jay R. Brooks for the Bay Area News Group and www.mercurynews.com

On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone claims to be Irish, at least for the day, and most people switch to Guinness, no matter what their favorite beer might be the other 364 days of the year. Irish-style stout is a great choice, whether brewed in Ireland, the United States or Canada, where Guinness is brewed for the U.S. market.

What most people don’t realize, though, is that Guinness has at least 11 recipes worldwide. In the United States, whether it’s draft, bottle or widget, Guinness can represent not just different packaging but different recipes, too.

The other Irish stouts you’re likely to encounter are Beamish or Murphy’s, both owned by Heineken. My money’s still on the little guy, an Irish craft brewer — Carlow Brewing — whose O’Hara’s Celtic Stout is the one to find (although it’s not an easy one to locate).

Continue reading “Brooks on Beer: Irish beer”

Profiled by Ken Carman

I had my first Stout in 74, and it was Extra, Guinness, in Montreal. For St. Patty’s I thought I’d do a profile on Coopers Extra Stout. OK: not Ireland, but you have to remember Australia was colonized by rejects: “criminals,” from the Empire. I’m sure more than a few were Irish.

I had this a number of years ago. I wasn’t writing profiles at the time, or judging beer. But when I started homebrewing in 79 Coopers was one of the extract malts I used.

Just a little head that fades fast. In my wife’s glass there was more head and a bit more long lasting; about a half an inch of head. Obsidian, as expected. A little sour-ish nose with some roasted barley. The first is a Guinness brew method: add just a little soured beer. The second is “as per style.” Far too may American Stouts at smaller brewpubs and micros seem to miss this step that, more than anything, separates Stouts from Porters: the addition of roasted barley.

The mouthfeel is roasted barley, pale malt and maybe some darker malts with some light carbonation: just about right. Hops so background you might as well ignore them except for balance.

Taste: more Stout than Extra. A bit of souring. But I expected more dark malt/roasted malt intensity and more alcohol. Not a ton. Just more.

I admit I am comparing this to Guinness ES and Guinness bottled (not ES). But I think that’s fair. They have come to define the style.

Good Stout, just needs “better…” and especially more “Extra” and more “special.”

Note: this article also covers difference in Guinness in Ireland and abroad, as well as more information about how the widget works- PGA

Written by John Roach for cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com

On St. Patrick’s Day, many a pensive imbiber will shake their empty can of Guinness stout and hear the rattle of the widget that gave their beer a foamy head. That idle pleasure could come to an end. Now, a patch of cellulose fibers is all that’s needed to get the magical foam, according to new research.

The makers of Guinness started adding the widget to cans of Guinness Draught in the 1980s. The plastic device sits in the top of the can and when the can is opened, the widget spews nitrogen and beer. This helps give the canned stout the same foamy head and creamy mouth feel as a pint poured in a pub.

Researchers at the University of Limerick previously showed that when champagne and other carbonated drinks are poured in a glass, bubbles form as the liquid hits fibers of cellulose — essentially dirt — on the surface of the glass.

“The cellulose fibers will either have been shed from the cloth used to wipe the glass dry or will have fallen out of the air,” William Lee, a lecturer in mathematics and statistics, who led the research, writes in a Q&A about the findings.

Applied to stout
The team, however, thought this mechanism didn’t apply to stout because when a canned stout without a widget is poured in a glass, bubbles didn’t form. This was thought to be due to the fact that nitrogen is added to stouts to reduce the acidity brought on by carbon dioxide.

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