Beer News Blog

Anheuser-Busch will take things a step further in their 10-year relationship with the Japanese brewer Kirin. A-B and Kirin have decided that the King of Beers will take on the marketing and selling responsibilities for the Kirin brands in the United States.  Over the last decade A-B has been brewing and distributing Kirin in the United States, giving them insight into the growth potential of the brand. 

The move is not a surprise, as we reported just last week, A-B has been making strides to add more premium brands to their portfolio.  By adding the sales and marketing of Kirin, A-B will have the opportunity to see more benefits of the ever-growing Asian beer market.

Under the new agreement Anheuser-Busch will have full oversight of both Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light in the United States.  Kirin will maintain the trademark responsibility for both brands.  August A. Busch IV, president of A-B commented on the potential of Kirin due to the recent demand for high-end Asian cuisine and culture, “The Kirin beers are of the highest quality and have enormous potential, as the Asian influence is rapidly growing.  The agreement enhances a global relationship between our two companies.”

The deal seems to be beneficial to both brands.  A-B has been able to watch closely as the Kirin brands have grown in popularity amongst American consumers over the last 10 years.  With a decade’s worth of research behind them, A-B is certainly making a very conservative, if not informed decision.  Likewise, Kirin will be able to focus on their domestic sales and marketing and leave their foreign interests in the hands of the largest and most successful brewery in the United States.  With the shift from contract to licensed brewing, A-B will assume both loss and profits - allowing Kirin to sit back and collect their licensing fee.  Nice deal.

The New York State Brewers Association has officially launched the New York Beer Trail.  Over the last few decades breweries, micro-breweries and pub breweries have been re-emerging in the Empire State.  The goal of the beer trail is to highlight this renaissance by attracting popularity to New York’s famous oatmeal stouts, India pale ales and bitters.  The beer trail is the first of its kind not only in New York but, according to its organizers, the entire country. 

A cross between educational and entertaining, the beer trail will touch on the history of New York brewing - the state’s first brewery was constructed in the 1630’s by the Dutch West India Company.  The trail will also operate as a marketing tool for the 60 or so breweries throughout the state of New York.  The New York State Brewers Association took a cue from the vineyards in the Finger Lakes, who put together a similar wine trail that has created enormous buzz for the wine industry in New York.

The launch of the beer trail will be featured at the “I Love NY Beer Festival” put on by the New York State Brewers Association and New York City’s Heartland Brewery.  The festival will kick off on September 8th at Pier 16 and 17 at South Street Seaport.  Fifty-eight of the brewers listed as a part of the beer trail will be on hand to showcase their brews. 

You can check out the list of breweries participating in the New York Beer Trail online at www.thinknydrinkny.com/breweries.html.  The beer trail is a great way to promote the local breweries of the great state of New York.  Beer aficionados, tourists or those just in the mood for a bit of adventure will be able to check out breweries all over the state.  Many of the breweries have pubs attached for tasting and purchasing, while others are only partly open during specific times of the day.  Make sure to check the website for details before visiting a pub. 

Hiking never sounded like so much fun!

Back in the long ago, when my scruffy Santa Monica pub Father’s Office was still pretty much undiscovered by the outside world, I commenced to sell a little known beer from Anchor Brewing called Anchor Porter. Surprisingly light on the palate, it’s a rich and chocolatey beverage with hints of raspberry and especially delicious on draft. It’s the rare dark beer that women tend to favor against all stereotypes, and often a dainty lass would sport a pint of this ‘manly’ stuff while her gentleman escort sat beside her with a glass of chardonnay.

I first offered it in the late 1980s and was told it was the first Porter draft placement in the ‘Modern Era’, meaning (I think) since Fritz Maytag bought the brewery. It was to be the final draft beer placement from Anchor, completing the set of Anchor Steam, Anchor Wheat, Liberty Ale, and finally Anchor Porter, at the time all the draft beer Anchor offered…and being the first fresh, locally-brewed dark beer ever offered on tap at the Office, it’s arrival was awaited with great anticipation.

When we (and a small devoted group of regulars) first tasted it, it was revelatory. So fresh, so creamy, so delicious, it was kind of like a dessert, and was immediately a very important part of our sales profile, gaining adherents steadily and often being the final pint of a beer ’session’.

So, you may be thinking, what does this have to do with fresh beer? Didn’t you get it fresh? Was it old, stale, disgusting and out of date? OK, OK, I’ll get to that.

Anchor Brewing is scrupulous about freshness, as are all breweries. Old beer can destroy brand equity faster that anything in else in the beer business. Note A-B’s “born on” date stamped on each and every bottle you see, with an explanation of when the beer’s freshness will be compromised. Even so, sometimes things go wrong. It’s extremely rare, but it can happen.

The ‘problem’ was first noted by a regular Porter drinker. A new keg had arrived that day, and he was the first to sample it. He could tell right away something was different. “Wow,” he said, “this is really good—even better than usual!” I tried it, the bartender tried it, we all agreed it had a complexity, an intricacy, a depth we’d not tasted before. The reaction continued over the next few days.

A bartender finally followed up by checking the date on the keg. He had trouble believing it, but contrary to all of Anchor’s freshness standards, this keg had been delivered to us after its expiration date. It was the oldest keg of Anchor Porter we’d ever seen and should have noticeably deteriorated. On the contrary, it was delicious. We reported the date issue to our friend at Anchor, national brewery rep Bob Brewer. He offered to have the keg immediately replaced. “No way,” I replied, “It’s the best one yet”.

The next day I called the brewery with a special request in mind, but before I could voice it the brewery manager came to the phone and apologized profusely about the out-of-date product. “We’ve tracked it all down,” he explained, “and gotten rid of every keg”.

“Oh, no!” I said, knowing there were going to be some broken hearts at the pub, “you don’t understand. We’d have taken all you had!”

Anheuser-Busch has been under fire the last few months as the company has tried to bring more brands to its exclusive distributors.  With high-end and craft beer brands moving well amongst consumers, A-B’s network of distributors have been all over the King of Beers for more variety.  In an effort to meet this demand A-B fought to acquire InBev’s European brands, as well as form a joint venture with Modelo.  Unfortunately, both deals slipped through the beer giants fingers in the last minute. 

Squabbling over growth goals for InBev USA ended A-B’s acquisition of the brands.  Many experts felt that the legs on InBev’s American expansion were short, causing A-B to hesitate.  With more time to consider the purchase, A-B execs rethought the deal and put it to bed before signing any checks.  The Modelo joint venture is another case altogether.  The deal seemed like a perfect match for both brands, however no deal was ever drawn up and the hype surrounding the joint venture fizzled.

Over the last year A-B has been able to score a few beer brands: Rolling Rock, Grolsch, Goose Island and the very small and niche Tiger.  Not exactly the all-star team A-B promised to their distributors.  What a difference a few weeks makes?  Just last month A-B was making headlines for their alliance with Hansen’s and their popular line of energy drinks, Monster.  This deal has success written all over it, but the question remains - Will A-B be able to aquire more brands of this caliber, or will they continue to pick up a few notable labels here and there?  Stay tuned.

The latest polls are in and craft beer sales have grown yet again, adding fuel to the fire of smaller, independent breweries.  A poll taken by the Brewers Association showed that craft beer sales are up 11% during the first half of 2006 compared to sales during the first six months of 2005.  This year’s growth marks the third consecuctive year craft beer made large strides in sales.  In 2004 sales were up 7% and in 2005 9%.

The last time craft beer sales saw two digit growth was back in 1996.  1996 saw not only a surge in sales, 26%, but also a surge in breweries, 35%.  Although a great year for sales, market analysts pointed out that the sales spike correlated with the increase of new companies entering the segment.  Since that year, the number of craft brewers has leveled off and remaines virtually the same a decade later.  That’s why the numbers from this year are so astounding - they are not related to an increase in craft beer providers, but are based on growth in popularity.

“The current trend in craft beer sales increases demonstrates a growing consumer preference for the diverse and flavorful beers made by craft brewers,” said Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association professional division.  The growth in popularity for craft beer may signify a change in the way Americans are drinking beer.  Craft beer represents a shift away from the giants of Budweiser, Miller and Coors, and highlights the growing demand for beer with different flavors, aromas and colors.  Although I love an ice cold Budweiser, its not cheating to try out a new beer every now and then, right?  Sorry Bud, it’s not you, it’s … it’s me.

We’ve all consumed beer directly from a bottle or a can, a habit we picked up some time during our high school or collegiate “experimental phase”.  And yet, few of us have kicked the old habit of popping the top and guzzling down the delicious contents stored within our old friends aluminum and glass.  In this act we are, according to beer experts, robbing ourselves of the true beer experience.  The foam, also known as the head, of the beer is an essential part of a great beer drinking experience.  Not only is foam pleasing to the eye, but it also ensures that the proper aroma is released during consumption.

Founder of the Boston Beer Co. responsible for brews like Samuel Adams, Jim Koch explains, “As the CO2 [carbon dioxide] rises in the glass, the beer will capture some of the hop aroma, and the foam releases this aroma.”  The foam actually locks in the beer’s aroma and releases it through the duration of the beer, securing fresh taste from the first sip until the last gulp.  Fat Tire brewmaster Grady Hull agrees “Some aromas are released by the foam, and others are held in to be released as the beer is consumed.”

Bottles and cans are meant for recycling.  Get to your local watering hole or install a kegerator and start enjoying real beer - Draft Beer!  Beer that’s poured correctly from a tap will always taste the way the brewer intended.  Draft beer has just the right amount of foam to ensure a great beer drinking experience.  It was fun to stack all of your beer cans into a giant pyramid at the end of the night … in college.  Now that you’ve grown up, enjoy beer the way it was meant to be consumed- with the right head, poured from a tap.

There are places all over the world where we can go to enjoy a cool brew. Some have an atmosphere chillier than the beer, and I don’t mean the temperature, I mean the patrons in them. I’ve been in places where you walk in an not an eye looks your way, not even the bartender’s. Once I walked into a bar and a guy walked over to me and said, “What are you doing here?”. Now THAT’S a cool reception.

Lots of those types are all closed in with no windows, just a tiny door you have to go around a corner to find and when you go in you’re in another world. Sometimes that’s just what you want…privacy, even quiet.

But usually I like to find the lively places, the ones where you get looked right in the eye and even the oldest long-timers at least acknowledge your existence, maybe moving their stool a bit to let you sit down, and emitting a polite sound of some sort even if it’s just a grunt. That’s the kind you want in your neighborhood, with life, vitality, and music.

In the best ones there seems to be a few different things to do, with a lot of traffic back and forth across the room. People mixing and moving create great opportunities for meeting. Sometimes it might be a young couple who met by chance during a dart game. Other times a few guys watching football on TV discover they are diehard fans of the same team, or fans of two archrival teams, which leads to a gentle sort of teasing camaraderie.

The great ones often offer some kind of pub grub—burgers, pizza, anything that can lead to the sharing of food. Sometimes just the aromas of delicious food lead to shared experiences.

We call these establishments “Third Places”, meaning not work, and not home. They are important community anchors creating fundamental and critically needed bonds between people who would otherwise be complete strangers. They are also often the best places for people from all over town to gather and meet—the softball teams, the bike clubs, people who work together, even people who live near one another but choose to meet at the local pub.

They are jewels in the community fabric, and need to be honored and encouraged. Find one near you, if you are lucky enough to have one, and use it as a treasured neighborhood resource. Have fun!

What do Lenny Bruce and Thelonious Monk have in common? “They’re both dead” is not what I’m really looking for. “I don’t know who the heck they are” will not get any traction here, either. Here’s a hint: it’s about beer.

No one’s gonna get the right answer, so I’ll tell you. They’re both having beers named after them.

Thelonious Monk was a jazz icon of the 50s. Eccentric to the point of obsessiveness, he once dropped out of jazz performance for years due to a dispute with a club owner. Some believe his splay-fingered, spare style and bizarre on-stage behavior became more entrenched in that period. Ironically, one of his most well-known tunes— “Straight No Chaser”—was recorded in an era when the only chaser likely was a short glass of beer.

Monk’s memorial brew is put forth by California’s North Coast Brewery in Fort Bragg. They’ve made a high-test Trappist style ale (Monk, see) that weighs in at an attention-getting (and then no doubt attention dissolving) 9% alcohol and is called “Brother Thelonious”. A Belgian stye strong dark ale, it’s a complex brew. it debuted in April and is fully supported by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles. The idea was actually initiated by Thelonious’s son TS Monk, and some of the proceeds will go to the Jazz Institute.

Support jazz…drink beer!

Some people have tried it and posted their thoughts on the Beer Advocate site at http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/112/30282.

But Lenny Bruce? Crazed anti-hero, completely obscene social critic (arrested for it several times), Bruce eventually got so weird he became almost irrelevant.

According to the Schmaltz Brewing Company, maker of Lenny’s Bittersweet R.I.P.A, it takes an “obscene amount of malts and hops”. The “R” refers to the rye in the recipe, a brewing anamoly. It’s alcohol content is even greater than Thelonious’s…10%. Their website lists all the spots you can get it. Try http://www.shmaltz.com/.

Support obscenity…drink beer!

Yeah that’s right, the so-called sober state of the union is picking up major steam in the beer consumption business.  Over the last decade Utah’s beer sales have nearly doubled, forcing us all to question - What is going on in the state known for more for its faith in saints than suds?

Experts say that tourism is the main catalyst for the beer revolution in Utah.  Since 2002, when Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics, tourism has been on the rise.  The Olympics, coupled with the draw of that state’s annual independent film festival, Sundance, have been cause for major increases in tourist dollars spent in the state’s big cities.  In stark contrast to 71% of Utah’s population that consider themselves to be followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, tourists enjoy taking in their beautiful surroundings while knocking back a few cold ones.

Over the last few years, many of these tourists have found homes in Utah.  The state’s population has grown nearly 10% since the last census in 2000.  This new demographic of the population has been dominated by people who do not consider themselves LDS, causing a major cultural shift in Utah.  These migrants have pushed to have larger beer and alcohol selections at bars, pubs and restaurants, and they’re winning.  Not only have beer sales been on the rise, but alcohol and wine have seen their sales increase 62% over the same time period.

Who knew Utah was getting so cool?  I mean, my college buddies and I would always get a good laugh when the look-but-don’t-touch women of the BYU sports teams were on our campus.  But we figured their idea of a good time was reading to the blind, helping little old ladies cross the street or hanging out in libraries.  If only I could have known then, what I know now…

That seems to be the motto over the last few months.  If any of you have been outside lately you may have noticed that the air is a little warmer, the sun is a little hotter and your brow is forming more beads of sweat than usual.  That’s because, although we are already deep into the year’s third season, the summer has finally hit the USA.  So what are Americans doing to cool off amidst the stifling heat?  They’re running out to buy ice cold beers, of course!

A recent poll that collected sales data during the four weeks between July 16th and August 8th show a 44% growth in the purchase of beer from last year.  That means as record-breaking temperatures in more than 50 cities continue to swelter, Americans are turning away from conventional cures like sports drinks, bottled water and uh … bathing, in favor of their old friend the frosty brew.

And why not?  When it gets hot outside, I too enjoy an ice cold beverage.  For me, that ice cold beverage is a mouth watering Budweiser.  Sure, people will say that alcohol causes dehydration - something you don’t want when trying to fight off a heat-wave.  I like to say that beer causes rehydrAWESOME, making you feel awesome after you’ve been out in the hot sun or tanning under the fluorescent lights of your cubicle.  So if you’re feeling all sweaty like me: stop what you’re doing, run to a grocery store or your favorite bar and buy yourself your favorite beer.  You will feel better instantly, guaranteed** or your money back*.

*(Disclaimer: Micro Matic will be handling unrealized guarantee claims, not me.)

**(Apparently, due to legal reasons, I would have to handle those guarantees.  No more guarantee.)