Beer News

Firestone Walker to Contract Brew Pliny the Elder

To avoid a lapse in production during a February equipment upgrade at Russian River, Firestone Walker has agreed to brew several batches of Pliny the Elder, the Santa Rosa, Calif.-based brewery’s popular Double IPA. The Firestone-produced Pliny will be for draft distribution only, while bottles will come from Russian River’s existing inventory.

AB InBev Enters Distribution Market

An approved license for AB InBev to distribute in the state of Kentucky has been appealed. The company, which owns an existing distributorship in Louisville, plans to buy Budweiser of Owensboro from the Hand family. Local consumers and business owners argue that the approval disregards Kentucky’s three-tier system. A prehearing conference is scheduled for Nov. 21.

Stone Selects Richmond, Va., for East Coast Facility

Stone’s 200,000-square-foot facility in Richmond, Va., may open as early as late 2015 and will include a 250-barrel brewhouse, packaging and distribution facilities, along with retail and restaurant space. Stone is the fifth brewing company to add a second production location in the Southeast (after Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, Oskar Blues and Green Flash).

Beer-Forward Restaurant Earns Michelin Star

Luksus, the Scandinavian-influenced restaurant in Greenpoint, N.Y., helmed by chef and owner Daniel Burns, is the world’s first restaurant serving only beer to earn a Michelin star. Opened in July 2013, Luksus serves a tasting menu accompanied by optional beer pairings curated by Evil Twin’s Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø. It occupies a 26-seat space behind his bar, Tørst. ■