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Vaune Dillmann, a craft brewer from Weed, California, thought that he had a great marketing gimmick when he labeled the bottle caps for his new Lemurian Lager after the name of his town. They read “Try Legal Weed”. But the Federal alcohol regulators didn’t get the humor: According to Beyondmadisonavenue.com, The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau,

Responded that the message on the caps amounted to a drug reference. In a letter explaining its decision, the agency said the wording could “mislead consumers about the characteristics of the alcoholic beverage.”

Dillmann scoffs at the notion that his label has anything to do with smoking pot.

“I’ve never tried marijuana in my life,” he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “I don’t advocate that. It’s just our town’s name.”

I sort of doubt that last part but in any case, I feel like a bottle cap from a tiny craft brewery in Northern California (from a town called Weed no less!) really shouldn’t be high on the list of offensive marijuana references in pop culture. Then again, maybe the The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau doesn’t have anything better to do.

For more on this case, read this in depth explanation from the San Fransisco Chronicle. And keep on fighting the good fight, Mr. Dillmann!

[photo by Rich Pedroncelli / AP]

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If you need a break this summer and want to hit the road - why not center the next family vacation around a beer fest? June through October is the busiest time of the year for beer fests around the world and the perfect time (and place) to whet your whistle and flex your beer muscles. Here are just some of the options available to you (for more festival listings, check out beerfestivals.org or the calender at beeradvocate.com):

Mondial de la Bière (May 28 to June 1)
The best part of this Montreal beer fest — besides the unique, hard-to-find Canadian beers, ciders & meads, that is — is that it takes place over five days with free admission, so you’ll have plenty of time to try the more than 350 beers (and all the cheese).

Oregon Brewers Festival (July 24 to 27)
The O.B.F. is held in the other Portland, which is home to 30-something breweries and brewpubs, more than in any other U.S. city. This three day festival takes place on the fields along the Willamette River.

Belgium Comes to Cooperstown (August 1 to 3)
B.C.T.C. is a small event, with only 800 tickets available. But the experience is one-of-a-kind: more than 150 Belgian and Belgian-style beers, including those of the host, Brewery Ommegang. Add a bit of music, camping and drinking under the stars and you’ve got what is often called the “Woodstock of brewing”.

Great Taste of the Midwest (August 9)
One of the most sought-after tickets in town, this one day beer fest — The “Great Taste” — is held in Madison, Wisconsin, with 600 beers from 100 brewers — and only 5,000 tickets. The homebrewers who sponsor the festival will release 3,000 tickets locally on May 4; there will be a mail-order lottery for the other 2,000.

World Beer Festival (October 4)
At World Beer, All About Beer Magazine gathers together craft brewers from around the country and importers from around the world. And for one day only (the first Saturday in October) they all arrive at the historic ballpark in Durham, North Carolina, where Bull Durham was filmed and sample the best in specialty aged beers, cask-conditioned beers, and rare and expensive beers the world has to offer.

Great American Beer Festival (October 9 to 11)
Last but not least, The G.A.B.F., which takes place in Denver, boasts more breweries and beers than any other fest in the world. Last year, 408 breweries, from Anheuser-Busch to the smallest brewpubs, poured 1,884 different beers for 46,000 attendees during the course of three days.

Of course for all you Mainahs, there are plenty of local celebrations - from the Maine Grains & Grapes Festival in June, to the Maine Brewers’ Fest in November. So get you drinkin’ caps on; I’ll see you on the road!

Anything else that should be added to the list? Mention it in the comments!

Source: “Best of the Fest: A six-pack of the beer festivals most worth traveling to” [msnbc]

Technorati Tags: beer, beer festivals, great american beer festival

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image via the Associated Press

Bill Bramanti of South Chicago Heights, Ill is 67 years old and in perfect health; he doesn’t expect to be kicking the bucket any time soon. But that didn’t stop him from buying his coffin.

Bramanti had his coffin specially made recently, and it’s designed to look like a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. According to USA Today,

“I actually fit, because I got in here,” Bramanti, 67, of South Chicago Heights said. He threw a party Saturday for friends, featuring his coffin filled with ice and, what else, Pabst Blue Ribbon.

A little creepy, dontcha think?

source: “Illinois man designs beer can coffin” [USA Today]

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In 1979 the American Homebrewers Association originally claimed National Homebrew Day to be the first Saturday in May. On May 7, 1988, Congress officially recognized National Homebrew Day. So, if my calculations are correct, this Saturday (May 3rd) is the 29th annual National Homebrew Day! Here’s what it’s all about:

Every year on this day, thousands of homebrewers the world over join together with friends and fellow brewers to brew the same recipes and share a simultaneous toast at noon (Central Time). But this year the festivities will be a little different - for starters, the AHA is hosting a YouTube contest where brewers can upload their videos of their National Homebrew Day “Big Brew”. Prizes will be awarded for the most watched video and the video that best captures the essence and teamwork of the AHA Big Brew.

They’re also giving away a free book (either Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer or Mild Ale by David Sutula in honor of this year’s recipes) with every AHA membership sold this week and shipping is free.

So, what do you need to do to prepare? Read this year’s collective Big Brew recipes (both all-grain and extract versions) and, most importantly, click to find out if there is a Big Brew site in your area and join in on some homebrewed fun.

Popularity: 6% [?]

By now the news has begun to permeate the Interwebs but in case you missed it - Burlington, Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Co. has declared its intent to buy Seattle’s Pyramid Breweries and merge the two companies. The closing of the proposed transaction is expected to occur not later than August 31, 2008. From the official press release,

The board of directors of Pyramid has approved the transactions contemplated by the Letter of Intent.

“The combination of these two well established, high profile craft breweries will be very complementary given our respective brand portfolios and the geographies in which we predominantly operate. Additionally, there will be a number of important benefits for Pyramid to be part of a private company versus continuing to operate as a stand alone public entity. This consolidation makes both good strategic and financial sense and is well timed, particularly as the beer industry’s competitive dynamics continue to intensify,” said Pyramid CEO Scott Barnum. “The Company will continue to have offices in Seattle, its historical home, and will seek opportunities to capitalize on the enhanced assets and capabilities of the new combined entity,” he added.

Martin Kelly, CEO of Magic Hat said, “We have a great deal of respect for Pyramid’s brand heritage, award-winning beers and its dedicated employees, and look forward to consummating this transaction, which provides both strategic and financial benefits both to Pyramid’s and Magic Hat’s stakeholders.”

Pyramid is reportedly facing some financial troubles so the buy-out/merger should come as no surprise. And my guess is that this won’t be the last such merger or buy-out in the craft community (think the Redhook and Widmer merger in ‘07 or Shipyard’s purchase of Casco Bay Brewing, for you Mainers, for previous examples), especially with the rising costs of, well, everything.

While its tough to be excited about any craft brewery — especially one as note-worthy as Pyramid — facing financial troubles, the glass half-full view of this venture is those of us on the East Coast will hopefully be able to finally get our hands on all of Pyramid’s famous brews (and vice versa for Magic Hat fans on the left coast) and that’s surely something worth toasting to.

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I finally got around to trying the spring installment of the Smuttynose big beer series — “big beers in big bottles, released seasonally in very limited quantities” — the Maibock, over the weekend. First, some background for people unfamiliar with the style (which included me, before yesterday): according to Wikipedia, a Maibock (or Helles bock),

is a pale version of a traditional bock. It is a fairly recent development compared to other styles of bock beers, frequently associated with springtime and the month of May. Alcohol content ranges from 6.3% to 7.4% by volume. The flavor is typically less malty than a traditional bock, and may be drier, hoppier, and more bitter, but still with a relatively low hop flavor, with a mild spicy or peppery quality from the hops or alcohol content. It is a clear lager, deep gold to light amber in color, with a large, creamy, persistent white head, and moderate to moderately high carbonation. There is some dispute as to whether the Helles (”pale”) bock and the Mai (”May”) bocks are the same style, but they are generally agreed to be the same.

While this didn’t sound all that appealing to me (a pale, peppery bock? I was skeptical), the Smuttynose version quickly changed my mind. According to the side of the 22oz bottle,

Maibocks are traditional Teutonic seasonal specialty. We brew ours to be hugely malty & subtly finished with a variety of continental hops, with an eye-pleasing russet brown color.

The Smuttynose version pours with a pillowy, puffy off-white head which dissipates quickly, leaving behind intricate lacing and a few islands of bubbles. The nose smells of alcohol drenched spices and flowers, while the taste is enormously malty and sweet with a mouth-feel you can chew on (thanks to the nearly 8% ABV). The almost tangy spice notes from the nose come through in the finish, as well. While a TON of malt is used in the brew, the continental hops balance it nicely, lending to a nice round flavor.

The Smuttynose Label

With 127 BeerAdvocate reviews averaging an A- rating it seems like plenty of people agree - this is one great bock. I’m convinced. But if you want to find out for yourself, you better hurry; the next installment of the Smuttynose big Beer series — the Big A IPA — is right around the corner. cheers.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Al from Hop Talk has created a WordPress plugin which integrates a BrewPoll “vote” button into every blog post. BrewPoll  — the latest social networking site to hit the Interwebs — is a digg-like site where users share content from around the web with one another and “vote” on the articles they like the best. The posts and sites with the most votes naturally rise to the top. As you may have guessed from the name BrewPoll, everything on the site has something to do with beer (specially homebrewing and “craft” beer).

Many thanks to Al for putting the plugin together! Click here for download instructions and be sure to “vote” for the post from Hop Talk (and everything you read here, needless to say).

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For anyone who missed it, I wanted to point you in the direction of a wonderful piece which appeared in Wednesday’s Chicago Sun-Times about why beer (not wine!) and cheese make an ideal match; it makes for a great Friday-afternoon-when-you-want-to-be-anywhere-but-the-office read. To quote the article a bit,

It’s a preference borne of passion, but there is a strong scientific basis for arguing beer’s companionship with cheese rather than wine, says Matt Parker, who ran the Lincoln Square cheese shop the Cheese Stands Alone for five years.

And my personal favorite excerpt:

“Wine and cheese are like neighbors, but beer and cheese are like family,” Parker says.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of attending a beer and cheese dinner, do yourself a huge favor and hunt one down (or throw your own). You’ll swear you’ve died and gone to heaven (I did)!

For beer & cheese pairing recommendations, check out this handy PDF, also from the Sun-Times.

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Vermont’s Long-Trail Brewing Co. made one heck of an Earth Day announcement - it appears they have signed a contract to become the largest commercial customer of Cow Power, a program from Central Vermont Public Service Corp. that produces electricity from cow manure. Long Trail’s Brian Walsh told the Burlington Free Press,

“We actively seek ways to reduce the impact Long Trail has on its local surroundings… We believe CVPS Cow Power provides great environmental benefits while creating much needed opportunities for Vermont farm owners.”

Although the program will raise Long Trail’s electric bill by about $10,000 a year, the company says the juice is well worth the squeeze. The Cow Power purchase will have an environmental impact that is the equivalent to taking 106 cars off the road. According to Central Vermont Public Service Corp. President Bob Young,

“Their commitment will be the equivalent to capturing the CO2 emissions from burning 65,834 gallons of gasoline annually.”

For more on Long Trail’s Cow Power Purchase, as well as the other strides the brewery has taken to offset their environmental impact, read this article from the Burlington Free Press or visit the Long Trail website.

Technorati Tags: beer, Central Vermont Public Service Corp., Cow Power, Long Trail Brewing, Earth Day

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They’re portable - perfect for tailgating, camping, golf (ball, or Frisbee), the beach or the kid’s lunch box (I kid, I kid); they’re 100% recyclable; and they block sunlight and oxygen better than bottles. I’m talking about cans, of course.

But canned beer carries a very negative stigma with it - when canning beer became a popular option in the 1960s, the cans were poor in quality and the canning technology was certainly not where it is today. The result was beer that tasted more like aluminum than barley & hops.

Ever since, even though the technology has changed for the better, and canned beer no longer tastes like cans, the only beer commonly found in cans has been 30-racks from the “big 3″. So it’s not hard to see why cans have gotten such a bad wrap. But all of that is beginning to change.

A number of well-known American craft breweries have begun to can their beers - Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Co. announced last week that they would release their flagship Fat Tire Amber Ale — one of the most popular craft beers in the country — in cans by summer. The 21st Amendment Brewery in San Fransisco will also soon be canning their beers; test marketing cans of their “Brew Free or Die IPA” and “Hell or High Watermelon” watermelon wheat by the 4th of July. And Uncommon Brewers, a Santa Cruz-based brewery which will open its doors this summer, will open having canned all of its beers. According to The Mercury News, the certified organic brewery had planned “to do Belgian-inspired beers and put them out Belgian-style, in corked bottles” but opted for less expensive, 100% recyclable cans after receiving their organic certification.

The craft beer canning revolution was started by Oskar Blues Brewing Co, who began canning their beers in the fall of 2002 as a joke - but that soon changed. Dale Katechis, founder of Oskar Blues Brewing in Colorado, told realbeer.com in 2003 that,

Right now, our goal is to change the perception in the industry about what you can sell in cans, and with drinkers about what kind of beer is sold in cans.

We went to the Great Arizona Beer Festival and did side-by-side tastes tests — out of bottles and out of cans. A lot of beer geeks went “What is this?” and they were blown away. The first thing they said is, “This is real beer, this isn’t something that was made just to sell in cans.”

All of the breweries listed above get their cans from the same place - Cask Brewing Systems Inc., based in Calgary, Alberta. Cask Brewing offers craft brewers like Oskar Blues small-scale packaging systems, using cans from aluminum can producer Ball Corp. which have a water-based coating, so the beer doesn’t touch aluminum. Today Cask has nearly four dozen customers canning beer in North America, up from one — Oskar Blues — in 2002.

It may be awhile before craft beer drinkers fully embrace craft beer cans around the country, but I can tell you from personal experience that one can from Oskar Blues and they’ll be signing a different tune. Here’s to the canning revolution!

Technorati Tags: beer, canned beer, Cask Brewing Systems, Oskar Blues, Fat Tire Amber Ale, New Belgium Brewing

Popularity: 15% [?]