Beer News

Oskar Blues Crafts One Very Tall Boy

For some, a 25-foot-tall beer can would be a dream come true. Oskar Blues Brewery has made that dream a reality. After obtaining permission from local officials, the Longmont, Colo., brewers have painted a grain silo attached to their new Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids & Solids brewpub to resemble a can of their flagship Dale’s Pale Ale.

A press release from Oskar Blues details, “It will resemble a Dale’s can, but with ‘Oskar Blues’ in place of ‘Dale’s Pale Ale,’” since the full-fledged Dale’s Pale Ale can art violated a piece of the city’s sign ordinance. “It’ll be 25 feet tall. We’re removing the ‘cap’ of the silo for more of a true can look.” Support for the project has been largely positive, and Oskar Blues adds, “We’re very glad to get this approval.”

Water Quality? What About Beer Quality?

Portland, Ore., is known to many as “Beervana.” According to the Oregon Brewers Guild, Portland has more operating breweries than any city in the world, and and the fourth highest rate of draft beer sales in the US. One of the reasons brewers have set up shop there is because the local water supply is known to be some of the purest tap water in the country.

However, the city had been told by the Environmental Protection Agency that to comply with water purification standards, they needed to build a $385 million water treatment facility to safeguard against the cryptosporidium parasite.

Many people, including Widmer Brothers Brewery, were concerned that adding chemicals to the water could affect their beers’ flavors, and could be an unnecessary taxpayer expense. However, a concession was reached between the city of Portland and the EPA: Portland would build a $100 million UV treatment facility instead of one that adds chemicals to the water. Kurt Widmer, one of the founders of Widmer Brothers, sees this as a minor victory, but still an unnecessary burden.

Widmer tells BA via phone: “Portland’s water system has been working flawlessly for the last 100 years—this is a solution looking for a problem. Portland is not wealthy. They’re going to have to raise water rates to obtain the money to build. That money could be better used for education or something where there’s a true need. The good news for us as brewers is that the system the city opted to install is one that will not … harm our current water or affect the beer, but there was never really a problem in the first place.”

Starbucks Testing New, Beer-Selling Coffeehouses

It’s no secret—Starbucks has been facing some hardships. The ubiquitous coffee conglomerate has had to close stores and lay off employees to maintain profitability, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of tricks just yet.

The Starbucks-owned “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea” opened its first test location in Seattle at the end of July. The beverage menu loses many Starbucks trademarks (like the Frappucino), but it adds some selections they hope will differentiate this new brand from Starbucks (and attract some clientele who prefer pint glasses to coffee cups): beer and wine.

While they currently don’t offer anything on tap, bottled selections include Stella Artois, Alaskan Brewing Company and Red Hook, among others. The baristas were also given training on how to properly serve alcohol. Two additional 15th Avenue locations in the Seattle area are planned to open over the next couple of months, and the success of this initial batch of stores will determine the possibility of future expansion into other markets.

Thieves Pull Off $70,000 Beer Heist

In an occurrence reminiscent of one of the Ocean’s movies, thieves in Florida have orchestrated a pretty big beer heist—to the tune of around $70,000. On July 21, 2009, the Hillsborough County sheriff’s office received a report that two tractor trailer trucks were missing from Tampa-based K&N Trucking. The trucks were loaded with 2,250 six-packs of Corona Extra and 990 cases of Modelo Especíal.

The truck cabs belonging to K&N were found in a vacant lot around 5 p.m. that same day, but the trailers, as well as the beer, were nowhere to be found, and the authorities have no leads. Anybody with information regarding the missing goods is encouraged to contact the Hillsborough County sheriff’s department. ■