Beer News Blog

First there was the story about beer and elephants, then about camels, then about pigs, then about bears, and now finally one about dogs.

Yes, the story about mad elephants on the rampage, tearing down grass shacks in India to get at the locals home-brew was wild, and the one about the camel eating the cake and drinking all the beer at a Middle Eastern wedding was strange, the piece about the beer-swilling pigs at the Australian pub was a howl, and the one about the bear breaking into a cabin and smashing open a few dozen cans of beer and drinking the contents (the owners returned home to find the beer passed out—stay away from a hungover bear, baby!) was funny, but now man’s best friend gets in on the act.

Dutch pet shop owner Terry Berenden has decided that her tired hunting dogs should get a refreshing cold one after turning in a good hunt, just like their master. As she sat on the veranda of an Austrian hunting lodge sipping one with her fellow hunters, she realized her Weimaraners deserved to unwind a little bit, too.

Now, it’s clear that drunk elephants, drunk pigs, drunk camels and drunk bears could be a problem. But imagine intoxicated pit bulls, running free in the streets. Happy drunks we’d hope, but one sure way to keep them and the humans around safe is to remove the alcohol. So the pooches are getting a canine form of O’Doul’s…non-alcoholic brew. Maybe it should be called “O’Dogs”, but it’s actually on the market as “Kwispel”—in Dutch, it means “Wagging the Tail”.

It’s made by a Dutch brewery from beef extract and malt. How does it taste? Don’t know yet, but it’s fit for humans, of course, if they want to shell out $2.14 for a bottle.

It seems our friends at Anheuser-Busch have been very busy in this very short year.  2007 is barely two weeks old and yet Mr. August A. Busch IV and his tiny little brewery are already making some waves.  A-B will be making two new additions to the family and they have some spiffy new bottles to coincide with the NFL playoffs and impending Super Bowl.  It seems the newly appointed president has no intentions of letting his company’s sales slump - it also seems, A-B will be snatching up (at least a piece) of every brewery up for sale.

The newest conquests in A-B’s quest to own every beer manufactured on the planet are Old Dominion and Czechvar.  Old Dominion is fairly strong player in the craft beer world of the Northwest.  Operating mainly in the Virginia and Maryland markets, Old Dominion is well-known for its popularity amongst locals, a stable of the “true pubs” of the area.  While the company will not fall squarely into the hands of A-B (a fairly complicated deal involving A-B, Ram’s Head and Fordham.  Old Dominion will become the latest in A-B’s ever-expanding roster of craft beers joining Redhook, Widmer, Kona and Goose Island.

The deal to acquire the rights to distribute Czechvar in the United States is evidence of A-B’s desire to acquire foreign labels.  The reason being, A-B has been in legal battles with Czechbar’s brewer, Budvar, for decades.  Budvar has long claimed the rights to the name Budweiser and is embroiled in legal battles across the globe with A-B.  It seems the latest Busch to run the A-B empire is willing to look the other way to bring a great import stateside.  Coincidentally, A-B is probably the only company capable of taking the Czechvar brand coast to coast in the US.  A-B’s incredible distribution channel is the only way coast to coast distribution is possible for Czechvar, since Budvar’s master brewmeister created a 105-day sell date.

Finally, in more light-hearted, less-businessy news, A-B will have some new and unique packaging for their Budweiser and Bud Light brands.  The South Florida market will get its hands on some gridiron-inspired 12-ounce bottles just in time for the NFL’s playoffs.  A-B began distributing the bottles in late December.  The same market will also be the first to see the 16-ounce Budweiser Select aluminum “club bottle”.  Many of you have undoubtely seen the blue and red variations for Bud Light and Budwesier, respectfully.

Stay tuned for more interesting updates in the world of A-B!