By D.J. Paul

As the saying goes you can judge a person by the company that he keeps. Well I can confidently say that Van Havig and Ben Love are doing just fine. Yesterday Van and Ben celebrated their 1^st year in business and what an outpouring of appreciation they received. For the entire evening the beer line extended out past the door and for a significant time all the way back to the bike racks.  The duo is obviously doing something right.

And for this milestone in being in business for one year was their first foray into barleywines. Massive! is what it’s called and it has no challenges in living up to its name. Word around the pub was how surprisingly mellow it is for being so young. Nothing overtly sweet with this one! They poured their only keg of this throughout the evening and released their pub only bottle sales. The artist of the label, AJ Fosik, has his sculpture, which was the inspiration to the beer label on display inside the taproom for the next few weeks. Make sure to stop by; it’s an amazing piece.

Now lets bring it back to Van and Ben’s company they keep. Tonight is one very special night at APEX. A few friends of Van and Ben from Chicago have sent one stellar lineup of beer Read More…

Posted under beer awards, Beer Brewing, beer events, beer history, beer news, Beer personalities, beer releases, brewpubs, places to drink beer, Uncategorized

Press Release:

Volume and Sales Significantly Outpaced the Overall Market in 2012

Boulder, CO • March 18, 2013— The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing small and independent American brewers, today released 2012 data on U.S. craft brewing¹ growth. In a year when the total U.S. beer market grew by one percent, craft brewers saw a 15 percent rise in volume² and a 17 percent increase in dollar growth, representing a total barrel increase of almost 1.8 million.
With production at 13,235,917 barrels in 2012, craft brewers reached 6.5 percent volume of the total U.S. beer market, up from 5.7 percent the previous year. Additionally, craft dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 10.2 percent in 2012, as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $10.2 billion, up from $8.7 billion in 2011.
“Beer is a $99 billion industry to which craft brewers are making a significant contribution, with retail sales share hitting double digits for the first time in 2012,” said Paul Gatza, director, Brewers Association. “Small and independent brewers are consistently innovating and producing high quality, flavor-forward craft brewed beer. Americans are not only responding to greater access to these products, but also to the stories and people behind them.” Read More…

Posted under beer history, beer news, press releases

Each year since Brewpublic began in 2008, we’ve taken special pleasure in rounding up the best-of-the-year lists. Most often you’ve witnessed these year-end inventories in the form of top 5′s. And, to not let down, we’ve rounded up this year’s superlatives in a multi-part series we will bring you throughout the rest of the year.

For 2012, much like we did last year, asking craft beer experts, industry workers, enthusiasts, and friends to conjure up their fondest beer memories of 2012 as well as sharing what they eagerly anticipate for the future in the coming year. We’ve also asked these folks to attest to top trends witnessed in the craft beer scene over the past year as well as some favorite events of 2012.

While we realize that such lists are next to impossible to formulate with any real certainty, the process of thinking back on all of the remarkable brews tested and tasted is a fun and nostalgic process. We will not hold these reputable individuals to their beer choices with absoluteness, because we realize, as mentioned in the past, that choosing just one beer, or even only five for that matter, as a favorite, can be as constrictive and limiting as choosing a favorite song, work of art, or even friend. Variety is the spice of life, just as hops is readily that of Northwest craft brews. So, without further adieu, let’s hear what the people have to say. Read More…

Posted under beer events, beer history, Beer personalities, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

More exciting news from the folks at Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene, OR – another expansion for the six year old brewhouse looks to get underway in just a few days. This, the fourth expansion since 2006 when the company opened, will push the brewhouse to record breaking heights with a 78,000 square foot warehouse and cold storage facility, 28,000 square feet for offices and a new pilot system for experimentation and education. Ninkasi anticipates completing this expansion by 2014 with an anticipated capacity output of about 295,000 barrels/year.

Here’s more information from Ninkasi: Read More…

Posted under beer history, beer news, Oregon beer, press releases

2011 Shows Growth in Job Creation and In-State Consumption

The Oregon Brewers Guild announced today that Oregon’s breweries crafted 1,168,000 barrels of beer (or roughly 290 million pints) during 2011, a 7.5 percent increase from the previous year.  Despite overall weak employment figures for the year in Oregon, the state’s brewing companies added more than 600 jobs in 2011 and directly employed more than 5,500 people.

“Increasing production by 7.5 percent simply means more jobs,” said Brian Butenschoen, Executive Director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “When an increased number of Oregonians choose Oregon beer over other options, we need more farmers to grow hops and barley, brewers buy more equipment, open breweries, and hire new employees.”

In addition to strengthening the local economy, Oregon’s 100 plus brewing companies donated product and dollars to community non-profits in 2011 equaling more than $1.45 million. Retail sales of Oregon-made beer sold in the state totaled approximately $270 million in 2011.  In total, the brewing industry contributes $2.44 billion to the state’s economy and employs more than 25,000 people directly and indirectly.

Oregon currently has 110 brewing companies operating 145 brewing facilities in 58 cities across the state.  Portland, Oregon currently has 49 breweries within its city limits, more than any other city in the world.  Read More…

Posted under beer history, beer news, Oregon beer, press releases

A look around this great land, it’s evident that craft beer is proliferating at a rate unseen since the Prohibition era. And, not only is craft beer gaining momentum and increased popularity stateside, it is a trend that seems to be burgeoning at every turn across the globe. One such example of craft beer’s rise is in India where Independence Brewing Company (IBC), the country’s first craft pub brewery, is about to take flight.

Founding partners Avanish Vellanki and Shailly Bist are the driving force behind this historical Indian craft beer enterprise that is sure to redefine the way craft beer is perceived in India. With the assistance of Stone Brewing co-founder and CEO Greg Koch, who is serving as cheif advisor for IBC, it certainly appears that the future for the company is looking very bright.

Brewpublic recently interviewed Avanish, Shailly, and Greg to learn more about IBC and how you can help them make it happen… Read More…

Posted under beer history, beer news, Beer personalities

By Jen Sotolongo

I love walking into the local pub in a small town and seeing everyone turns their heads in unison to the strangers who have just entered. That is when I know I have entered upon the town’s “third place.”

The term third place was coined by Ray Oldenburg in his book, The Great Good Place. According to Oldenburg, each of us needs three places. The first is our home, the second is work or school, and the third is the local hangout where individuals from the community can connect and share ideas on a neutral ground. Whether it be a brewery, coffee shop, church, or the barber, this is the place we go to break the routine of home-work-home, escape the screens of our televisions, phones, and computers and foster connections with our neighbors. Moreover, the third place serves as an information hub for newcomers, connects youth with adults, promotes strong relationships and friendships that benefit the community, and provides entertainment and comfort.

Oldenburg says the design of American suburban housing divisions since WWII hinders community. Most are people in the suburbs are not within walking distance of a communal gathering spot and neighbors no longer know one another. Americans are craving more social interactions and community, especially during these tough times we’ve been having over the past several years.

My first third place brewery was Captain Lawrence in Pleasantville, NY. My husband and I had just moved to a small town in the Hudson Valley, and were wondering what exactly there was to do in our new home. When we discovered there was a new brewery nearby, we visited right away.

Just under a year old, Captain Lawrence offered free Read More…

Posted under beer history, Beer personalities

By D.J. Paul

As published yesterday here on Brewpublic, today is when Widmer has their first two of four new 1,750-bbl fermentation tanks installed. That is a lot of beer and the largest tanks in the Pacific Northwest.

Having found out over the weekend that the installation would begin around 8:00 a.m. this morning I arrive around 8:30 a.m. to be greeted by a nice Portland mist. I set up shop under a Read More…

Posted under beer events, beer history, Oregon beer

By Jen Sotolongo

Although the modern brewing industry is primarily dominated by males, women were the original brewers. Credit for the creation of beer is often given to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer. Inscribed on a tablet dating back to 1800 BC, the “A Hymn to Ninkasi,” a poem that describes the first-known recipe for beer. From Europe to Egypt, women dominated the brewing world. Men were not permitted to brew and women ran the beer halls and taverns.

Considered a food and form of hydration, due to poor water quality, beer was an important source of sustenance for all members of the household and beermaking was among a wife’s household duties. Brewsters, a nearly extinct term for female brewers, experimented with different spices and ingredients and brewed for special occasions and community gatherings. Additionally, brewing was a form of economic empowerment for women, as it allowed them to earn a small income through the sales of surplus beer.

Once beer became a mass-produced commodity during the Industrial Revolution, men took the Read More…

Posted under beer history, Oregon beer

By Jen Sotolongo

The Industrial Revolution led to great advancements in technology, machinery, generated jobs, expanded the transportation network, and created a class of very wealthy individuals. However, working conditions were often dangerous and workers had few rights in terms of hours, pay, and security.

The negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution led to a drinking problem among Americans. Alcohol abuse was blamed for societal ills, paving the road for the inevitable Prohibition. By the time the Volstead Act was signed on January 16, 1920, a number of states had already enacted prohibition laws.

On March 23, 1933, after 13 long years, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law legislation permitting the sale of 3.2% beer, effective April 7 of that year.  Anxious beer drinkers, thirsty for a pint, lined the streets to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition and toast the president at the stroke of 12:01 AM. Unfortunately, an accidental omission of the words “and beer” from the bill legalizing home winemaking meant that home brewing remained illegal, and would remain so for many years. Read More…

Posted under beer history