Taking cues from the pub and taproom model used by smaller breweries, big players in the beer industry, from 10 Barrel to Blue Moon and Lagunitas, attempt to cash in on the convenience and sense of community of urban outposts.
Mikkeller beer to help refugee children; San Francisco Brewers Guild offers free shuttle service; brewing luminaries to teach at Vermont’s Sterling College; and MillerCoors Breweries reach landfill-free status.
Buyouts and ownership restructurings in 2014 and 2015 have removed some of the bigger players—and their bigger production numbers—from the “craft market share” calculation publicized by the Brewers Association.
Craft breweries of all sizes are shipping their beer to far-flung accounts. So how do they maintain the condition of their beer, please fickle customers, and simultaneously grow their brands? The answer is cold storage.
Goose Island brewpub in danger of closing; B-Side “brewing label” seeks to put fresh spin on contract brewing; hailstorm damage could have destroyed hops from Hallertau; oil cleanup plan concerns Bell’s Brewery; and MillerCoors achieves landfill-free status at flagship brewery.
More celebrities collaborating with craft brewers; Coors causes controversy at Puerto Rican celebration; malfunctioning beer fridge responsible for Australian cellular network blackout; TTB opens door for beer, wine, spirits to add nutrition labels; and BrewDogs set to air Scottish founders’ hijinx on US TV this fall.
AB-InBev and MillerCoors want a piece of the apple cider pie; CAMRA Vancouver FUSS-ing over standardized pours; Belgium celebrates Trappist breweries; Oglala Sioux tribe suing brewers, wholesalers, retailers; and Virginia, Mississippi attempting to pass brew-friendly laws.
American craft brewers remind me of students just completing their sophomore years of college. Having secured their footing, they understand how things work, but remain unsure of what their futures hold; excited to experience the wider world, but still nervous about making their mark.
Grolsch swings to SABMiller, Widmer and Redhook to merge, Canadians’ outdated beer fridges, “Dublin Beer Bandit” at large, and a new beer allegedly reaches 20 percent ABV.
