Count me among the skeptics who thought we’d never see the day when 1 out of every 10 beers sold in America was from a small, craft brewer. The Brewers Association announced this week that craft sales hit 11 percent of American beer sales volume. Until lately, I assumed good beer would be a minor niche, that big beer was secure because most people care more about price that quality. That’s still the case, but the craft numbers keep climbing, primarily because the youngest generation of drinkers has never known a world without craft beer. As Bart Watson, the Brewers Association economist, noted, this is “a profound shift in American beer culture…”
Thickheaded LCB ruling of the month
A lawyer for an unnamed beer distributor asks the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board if it would be OK to set up a small, non-commercial homebrewing system on the distributor’s property so he can serve free samples to friends and, presumably, customers. He even offers to de-license the space where the brewing equipment would sit.
The LCB says no because:
The liquor code prevents distributors from being “manufacturers” – though the code defines only licensed breweries, not homebrewers, as “manufacturers.”
Though distributors are permitted to sell homebrewing equipment, they are prohibited from “engaging in any other business without Board approval” – including, under this ruling, the ability to show customers how the homebrewing equipment actually works.
Hard to believe that BrewDog got its latest label past federal authorities. It’s called Restorative Beverage for Invalids & Convalescents, a name that implies the health benefits of drinking – a claim that is forbidden by law. The name is a nod to a 19-th century “Treastise on Food & Diet” in which the author describes IPA as containing “double the usual quantity of hops,” which of course are well known for the health properties…” If you’ve been following my Twitter feed, you’d already know that Bella Vista Beer is bringing 7 out-of-state breweries into town for Philly Beer Week: Midnight Sun (Alaska), Other Half (New York), Due South (Florida) Columbus (Ohio), Spellbound (New Jersey), Saltwater (Florida) and Great South Bay (New York)…
New Jersey Craft Beer, one of my favorite outposts for Garden State beer info, organized a helluva collaboration with 14 Jersey breweries to kick off the annual Atlantic City Beer and Music Fest weekend. They’ve brewed a Belgian-style tripel with honey, and it’ll go on tap Thursday (3/19) at Wingcraft in A.C., then at the Spellbound booth at the festival… Speaking of down the shore, Asbury Park now boast a new Austro-Hungarian beer garden. The immense, 15,000-square-foot Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten comes from the founder of the popular Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Brooklyn…
Doobies Bar (Center City West) is going to a dark place Thursday (3/19) evening, and not just because they’re turning out the lights and lighting candles. The evening will also feature live accordion music. It’s free… Noshhh, a food and drink event showcasing local restaurants and food and drinks producers, is Friday (3/20) at United by Blue. Tix are $15… There’s been lots of buzz building around Weyerbacher’s new seasonal, Sunday Morning Stout. We’ll see what all the talk is about when the Easton, Pa., brewery is the feature at my free sampling at Bell Beverage on Friday (3/20).
Bar Talk with Glen Macnow & Joe Sixpack
We go live again tonight (3/18) at Rose Tree Restaurant in Media. Our special guest is Tom Kehoe, the president and founder of Yards Brewing. We’ll also be talking about post-St. Paddy’s Day hangover cures and beer jingles. To give you a taste, here’s one of Glen’s favorite jingles:
Join us – it’s free and a great night of fun. And if you missed last week’s episode with brewer Bob Barrar, download it at iTunes here or listen at Wildfire Radio.