Professor Good Ales

Ken Carman is a BJCP judge; homebrewer since 1979, club member at Escambia Bay and Music City Homebrewers, who has been interviewing professional brewers all over the east coast for over 10 years.

The Topic: Behind the Anchor Purchase

Written by Ken Carman

The purchase of Anchor Brewing came as a surprise to me. But I should have seen it coming. Fritz Maytag has been in the biz since the 60s and I’m sure everyone with an ounce of knowledge is familiar with how Fritz took Acme, which was about to go crash faster than Wily E. Coyote using the other: fictitional, Acme product, like some variation on those spring loaded shoes, to catch his nemesis.
Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

A portrait of before…………….. and AFTER

Written by Sandra Duxbury for The San Francisco Business Times

It’s Anchor’s away in the brewing world, as Fritz Maytag sells the company that helped launch America’s taste for craft beer. Fritz Maytag sold his Anchor Brewing Co., maker of Anchor Steam beer and Junipero Gin, to Griffin Group.

Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio, who helped create Skyy Vodka, lead the Novato-based investment firm. Maytag will remain chairman emeritus of the new business — in part to keep the business in San Francisco, a release said.

Maytag purchased a small San Francisco brewery in 1965 and introduced Anchor Steam beer in 1971. The original brewery itself dates back to 1896, and owing to that history, 72-year-old Maytag has remained committed to keeping the company here.

Greggor and Foglio, a former CEO of Skyy, sold their shares of Skyy to Campari in 2007. In 2009, Griffin invested in BrewDog, one of the U.K.’s largest independent breweries.

Terms of the Anchor Brewing Co. deal were not disclosed.

 

Sarah Duxbury covers retail, restaurants, hospitality and nonprofits for the San Francisco Business Times.

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Courtesy fyeahstrangefinds.tumblr.com

Written by QMI Agency for The Toronto Sun

Bad news for outdoorsy types: mosquitoes like beer as much as you do. This according to an Australian study published on PloS One, the Public Library of Science online. A team of researchers in Australia put volunteers in tents in Burkina Faso in West Africa. The tents used a complex system of tubing to direct the volunteers’ body odour into boxes in such a way that the mosquitoes could choose which scent to go after.

Half the volunteers – all men between 20 and 43 – were given one litre of 3% beer to drink, and the other half were given a litre of water. Then the researchers unleashed the lab-bred mosquitoes. The experiment was conducted four times: before beer, after beer, before water and after water.
Continue reading “Well That BITES or Why Mosquitoes Have More Fun”

It’s the time of year many start thinking “vacation.” Here’s one possibility: if not this year; next.

Every year beer lovers gather for a two day event: Hastings Beer and Music Festival. This fascinating event takes place in Alexandra Park, Hastings. English and visiting music fans delight to the sounds of many acts, including Not Guilty, Pugwash, Joe’s Blues Band, Slam, Keane, Hastings Horns, Blair MacKichan, Status Quo, Lenny Beige and even a family sing-a-long. Here’s a hint to festival organizers: how about some international acts to increase the appeal to visiting tourists like us Yanks? This has been a charity event with much of the funds going to St. Michaels Hospice, so local appeal, musically, is certainly necessary.

Usually held in early July around the 4th. Stick it to our former oppressor: go dressed in your American best!

Beer selection: over 100 different ales, bitters, milds, and stouts. Past tastings: Thwaites Well, Well, Well (Pale), Whites Grumpy Guvnor (malty deep amber bitter), Westerham British Bulldog “BB” (Maris Otter anyone?), Wells and Youngs Eagle IPA, Titanic Longitude (perhaps a Brit take on an American IPA?) and many, many more.

Cost last year 8L in advance, 10 at the door. That’s about $12 and $15. Not bad.

If you dare to wear, can be bought at foulmouthfish.com

The Professor likes to highlight competitions with a special twist. And he knows more than a few hopheads.

Announcement…

GEBL Hop Madness IPA Bracket Challenge, BJCP/WAHA Competition – This is a Head-to-Head competition with 4 brackets (English IPA14a, American IPA 14b Imperial IPA 14c and Experimental IPA 23a.). The winner of each bracket will advance to a final best of show round when the best of each IPA style will be going against the other styles. This is a BJCP/WAHA registered competition and also makes you eligible for Washington Homebrew of the Year points. Enter as many different IPA beers as you wish. Entries are due May 18, 2010, Judging May 22, 2010.

For entry instructions or more information, please click…

HERE

A personal note from one of the organizers was posted on Judge Net…

Coming up on May 22nd the Greater Everett Brewers League will be hosting the Hop Madness IPA Challenge. Beers will be placed in one of 4 brackets (American IPA14a, European IPA 14b Imperial IPA 14c and Experimental IPA 23a.) and will be evaluated in a head-to-head fashion. The winner of each bracket will advance to a final Best of Show round, and the best beer will be crowned the winner. This is a BJCP certified competition as well as Washington Homebrewer of the Year qualifier.
Participants will be allowed to enter as many different IPA beers as they wish. Please don’t enter the same beer twice. Entries will be accepted May 7th- May18th. For more information go to: www.gebl.org.

We are also looking to sign up judges. Please email me if you can join us on the 22nd at 9 am to judge.

“Will” <teamoly@yahoo.com : Greater Everett Brewers League, PO Box 13392. Everett, WA 98206. Phone: 425 385-2322.

Written by Jeff Bean

One great thing about beer is that it offers incredible value for money. Compared to wine or spirits, tasting the best the world has to offer beer-wise is pretty cheap. Retail prices of the most expensive beers seldom exceed $20, and beers in the $30-50 range are exceedingly rare. Some beers, however, have demand that far exceed their supply, and thus bring much higher prices at auction.

One such beer is Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout, made in Chicago’s south suburbs. The beer is uniquely complex and viscous, even among imperial stouts, and its appeal has been greatly enhanced by its extremely limited availability. It is only sold one day each year at a special release party at the brewery.

Dark Lord Day, as it is known, has turned into a huge outdoor beer extravaganza and will be held this upcoming Saturday. Thousands attend to share beer, eat barbecue, and purchase coveted bottles of Dark Lord. Lines can be long, but spirits are high and beer talk and camaraderie abounds.

But you don’t have to stand in the long line at Dark Lord Day to witness the hype surrounding this beer – a visit to www.eBay.com is enough. Last week, one 2010 bottle apparently sold for $12,800. This event incited a significant amount of discussion and debate in beer forums, and the consensus seemed to be that it was a sham. The 2010 DL doesn’t go on sale until Saturday, and if it was in fact a leaked bottle, $12,785 is a high premium to pay for the chance to drink it a week early. More likely is that it was a bidding war in which the top bidders had no intention of paying. It may also be a complete sham item, with photoshopped wax. I guess we’ll have a better idea on Saturday, after we see the color of the wax. Real or not, it’s evidence of the tremendous hype surrounding this beer.
Continue reading “$12,800 for a Bottle of Beer!?”