[Ryan16]

Recent Headlines: March 1, 2011 (Compiled by the Brewers Association)

Lifestyle>>
Dix Hillian to Teach Beer 101 Class - http://dixhills.patch.com/articles/dix-hillian-to-teach-beer-101-class - dixhills.patch.com
The Cortland, Bay Shore's newest craft-beer bar, will launch "Sunday School," a six-class Beer 101 course on March 6.  The course will culminate on May 22 to coincide with Long Island Craft Beer Week. To be taught by Dix Hills resident Alan J. Wax, who wrote about beer for Newsday and other publications, along with guest speakers, the class is meant to be both educational and fun.  Participants will learn about the history of beer, how it is made and about different styles of beer from around the world. It is open to anyone 21 and over.

St. Louis beer takes to the radio - http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/dining/bars-and-clubs-other/hip-hops/article_3d5e2d06-438e-11e0-af61-0017a4a78c22.html - stltoday.com
Beer in St. Louis is the topic of KWMU's "St. Louis on the Air" episode on Tuesday morning. Hip Hops will participate in the discussion, led by host Don Marsh. Other panelists include Dan Kopman of St. Louis Brewery, maker of Schlafly beer, and Florian Kuplent of the new Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. You can tune in to 90.7 FM or listen live online during the broadcast from 11 a.m.-noon.

Government Affairs>>
Year later, brewers raise a glass to beer law - http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20110301/NEWS01/103010329/Year-later-brewers-raise-a-glass-to-beer-law - press-citizen.com
Millstream Brewing Co. is celebrating the one-year anniversary of Iowa's high-proof beer law by unleashing its double India pale ale, Hop², to retailers in Eastern Iowa. It is its first bottled batch of a high-alcohol style brew, which breweries such as Millstream can now not only make but sell by the bottle to retailers -- a no-no under Iowa's old law. "It's great. It's really broadened my ability to brew. It's increased our range of product, opened up the recipes we can use, and even improved some of the beers we made already," Millstream brewmaster and co-owner Chris Priebe said. One year after it was signed into law last March, Iowa breweries are taking advantage of the new high-proof beer rules with a new range of products to pique the interest of beer connoisseurs. Iowa brewers say the law has opened doors for their craft competitively and creatively.

Business>>
Brewing firm's recipe for a great place to work includes free beer, free bikes and open books - http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110227/BUSINESS03/102270323/Hicks-Brewing-firm-s-recipe-for-a-great-place-to-work-includes-free-beer-free-bikes-and-open-books- - desmoinesregister.com
Free beer, free bikes and open books. That's just part of Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Co.'s recipe for creating a great place to work. It takes more than a menu of generous benefits."One thing I hear more than anything that makes us special is, 'I get to come to work and be myself,' " Kim Jordan, CEO of the craft brewer that makes Fat Tire Amber Ale, said in an interview last week. "It's OK to ask questions. It's OK to suggest hare-brained ideas and not get a demerit." Jordan spoke at Iowa State University last week, and I asked her advice on creating a unique culture. ... New Belgium has sold its beer in Iowa for three years, and it has become one of the top three best sellers of craft beer in central Iowa, said Mike Brewington, president of Iowa Beverage Systems in Des Moines.

New keg washing and racking machine goes compact - http://www.beveragedaily.com/Processing-Packaging/New-keg-washing-and-racking-machine-goes-compact - beveragedaily.com
KHS has developed a compact keg washing and racking machine for small and medium sized brewers and other beverage makers. The German filling and packaging company claims that the new Innokeg Till CombiKeg is both compact and flexible. At a viewing at its plant in Kriftel, Germany, KHS said brewers were impressed that a machine of such size can wash kegs inside and out and rack them as well. The company added that media tanks, controls and conveyors are integrated into the machine so nothing has to be done outside the machine. It can be just put where it is needed on the factory floor and plugged in to start production. In terms of size, KHS told this publication that the machine is small enough to fit entirely in a container so that it can be easily delivered overseas.

Utah brewery has can-brew attitude - http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51248509-76/beer-brewery-bohemian-cans.html.csp - sltrib.com
In the battle between beer in a can and beer in a bottle, glass gets all the respect. But a new batch of small brewing companies - including Midvale's Bohemian Brewery - are helping make cans a contender. "We took canning on because it's better for the beer and better for the environment," said Pete Petras, who co-owns Bohemian along with his parents Joe and Helen. Bohemian, at 94 E. 7200 South, was among the first U.S. brewers to join the beer-in-a-can revolution. In 2005, when the small brewery first packaged its signature Czech Pilsener in aluminum, there were fewer than 10 U.S. breweries using cans, Petras said. Since then, Bohemian has added the Viennese Lager and the Cherny Bock Schwarzbier to its canned offerings. All three beers are sold in major grocery stores.

Investigator Exclusive: Contaminated beer found at popular pubs - http://www.wkyc.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=177786 - wkyc.com
NORTHEAST OHIO -- Ben Franklin said "beer is proof that ...God loves us and wants to make us happy." But tests of draft beer at local restaurants and bars show beer lovers have good reason to be sour. Industry insiders say there's a dirty, little secret that needs to be exposed. The problem they say is dirty beer lines, the lines connect the keg to the tap. "It's one of the big, big problems in the industry," Luke Purcell, of Great Lakes Brewing said. Purcell said he has seen beer lines in some places that are so dirty "it was actually surprising beer could actually flow through it." By law, beer lines must be cleaned once every two weeks.

Global>>
The View from Abroad: Foreign Perceptions of the U.S. Craft Brewing Scene - http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/stories/craft-beer-muses/show?title=the-view-from-abroad-foreign-perceptions-of-the-u-s-craft-brewing-scene - craftbeer.com
It's no secret that the American craft brewing movement is on fire here in the U.S., but what is the perception overseas? As American brewers expand their markets abroad, more people are able to experience the flavor and diversity of American craft beer. But are all the reviews positive, especially from the hallowed brewing grounds of Belgium, England and Germany? The New Brewer contacted individuals in various foreign countries (brewers, U.S. craft beer importers, beer aficionados and event organizers) and asked them to write a mini-essay on their perception of the U.S. craft brewing scene, including what brewers in their country can learn from American craft brewers, and vice versa. Here are their perceptions, in their own words.

Proud Of British Beer - http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/proud-of-british-beer/ - brookstonbeerbulletin.com
In quasi-answer to I Am A Craft Brewer, Britain's Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has released a video of their own: Proud of British Beer. It's very well produced, and I like that they included not just brewers, but also farmers, publicans and salespeople to show the entire chain from farm to glass. It was also great seeing so many familiar faces. Of course, the original video was made for a trade conference, whereas SIBA's effort seems aimed directly at consumers, and especially those that might be on the fence about whether or not to support Britain's beer industry. I love the end, because it goes after the wisdom of more and more taxes on beer, a situation similar to what's happening in America, too.

The women of substance - http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/the-women-of-substance-20110228-1bbik.html - theage.com.au
James Smith examines how the fairer sex are taking over the world, one brew at a time. ... Beer was beer. And it was drunk by men. And only men. But it's a reality that's changing. Just as the beer landscape has changed from a few years ago, with sales of major brands falling and dozens of new microbrewed beers appearing, so has the relationship between women and beer. Across Victoria, you will find women running breweries and dedicated beer bars, brewing beer, educating people on it and drinking it in greater numbers. The far greater choice of both local and imported beers has played a major role, says Roxy Boubis, who runs beer tastings at Sabroso in Seddon. "Females like beers with big flavours, not the standard, mass-produced lagers," she says. "And there's more interesting, flavoursome ones available now." For her, the change is such that "with my partner, often he'll be drinking wine while I'm drinking beer". But if the arrival of beers boasting tropical hop aromas, chocolate and vanilla notes or a mix of spices and fruits has changed perceptions and opened a new market, so has the rise of a new style of bar. "There are some amazing venues providing an environment that's attractive for women to enjoy beer," Kirrily Waldhorn says.

Brewer Q and A: John Bryan - http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12408&Itemid=66 - thedrinksbusiness.com
John Bryan, head brewer at Oakham Ales in Peterborough, talks beer, brew kits and Michael Buble. How did you become a brewer? Ever since I was young I have been interested in pubs and beer. On reaching 16 and still being too young to drink, I took up home brewing. This eventually led to my appointment at Oakham Ales and it has been downhill ever since! When did you have your beer epiphany? ...

Tapping for some rounds in the pub - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/c7c02c4e-3b85-11e0-a96d-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Fc7c02c4e-3b85-11e0-a96d-00144feabdc0.html&_i_referer=#axzz1FNlYOQRQ - ft.com
It is the smell that hits you first. The heady mix of malt and hops signals the presence of Sambrook's Brewery from several streets away. "We only had one complaint just after we started, and since then nobody has complained," says Duncan Sambrook, the brewery's 32-year-old founder. The burghers of London's Battersea are long used to power stations and heavy industry, he explains. Just three years ago, Sambrook was climbing the corporate ladder as an assistant director in the capital markets group at Deloitte. As a qualified accountant, he was part of the team that helped smaller companies float, primarily on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market. ... The "light-bulb moment" came at a beer festival. "I had grown up in an area [Salisbury] where there were lots of microbreweries, but I suddenly thought there were hardly any in London, except perhaps for Fuller's," says Sambrook. "You're in the biggest population density in the country with the highest number of pubs. Surely, there's an opportunity to replicate in London what's going on in the country?" But much had changed by the time the company was formed in June 2008. The smoking ban came into effect in the summer of 2007, pubs started closing in their droves and, a year later, the economy fell off a cliff.