No one agrees more than those of us here at Blog About Beer that it can often be best not to run with the big boys, and no where is there an better example of that than the folks at Whitewater Brewing Co. Whitewater, a small Northern Ireland brewery, has produced an ale which has been named one of the best 50 beers in the world at the International Beer Challenge 2007.

Brewer Bernard Sloan produced Clotworthy Dobbin Ale at the Whitewater Brewing Co. which will now will be in the running for the International Beer Challenge’s Supreme Champion award which will be announced in London in October.

Whitewater, a mere 3-person operation, also recently earned a gold medal in the UK Guild of Fine Food’s Great Taste Awards for its Belfast Ale. Its overall sales have grown by 30% over the past year and the brewery now has the capacity to bottle up to 1,000 bottles an hour. Whitewater was created by Sloan and his wife, Kerry, in 1997. Said Sloan after winning the award, “We set out to produce an ale that was different, that offered a fresh, crisp taste and we’ve succeeded by using only the best quality ingredients and traditional brewing techniques.” 

Congrats, Whitewater. Cheers!

The Boston Beer Co. Inc. (NYSE: SAM) purchased 52.6 acres for $5.95 million today as a possible backup site for a new brewery.

Michelle Sullivan, Boston Beer’s spokeswoman, said the company currently does not have plan for the Freetown, Mass. site. Boston Beer is also currently working to purchase an existing brewery 60 miles outside of Philadelphia for $55 million. If Boston Beer finalizes the acquisition of the Philadelphia brewery, it will likely sell the Freetown land, said Sullivan.

Boston Beer has been searching sites in New England for a brewery location for more than a year, according to a statement from GVA Williams, Boston Beer’s real estate broker. Boston Beer reportedly chose Freetown for its, “access to highway and rail transportation as well as incentives from state and local agencies based on job creation.”

The makers of Samuel Adams currently operate two breweries – one in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood and the other in Cincinnati. The Boston Beer Company has assured us that those breweries will remain open regardless of their decision to open another brewery.

Maybe he finally realized that he represented a horrible product that constantly does all it can to completely ruin the true nature of the necture we all love… maybe not. Either way, Rockey Mountain News is reporting today that Frits van Paasschen is stepping down as Coors Brewing Co. CEO to accept a senior executive job at a company outside the beer industry. Leo Kiely, CEO of parent Molson Coors, will take over at the Coors Brewing Co. unit until a successor is found.”Over the past two years, Frits and his team have made a real difference in growing our brands, improving productivity, securing strong relationships with our distributors, and strengthening the great tradition of a values-driven culture at Coors,” said Kiely.

The real question, though, is can Kiely make Coors suck any less? We doubt it…

1. Vielle Bon Secours:

   This tops the list of the world’s most expensive beer, costing around £500 (equivalent to around $1,000) per bottle or about £39 (equivalent to around $78) per pint. It can only be found in a bar called the Bierdrome in London.



2. Samuel Adams’ Utopias:

   This beer, brewed by the Boston Beer Company, comes in second on the list and costs around $100 per bottle (24 oz) or about $67 per pint. Utopias are released on a VERY limited basis each year and are sold in copper bottles resembling the copper brewing kettles which are used by brewers for hundreds of years. 

   

   The alcohol content is 25%, making it the strongest beer in the world (listed in the Guinness Book of Records). The process of making this beverage can take up to 12 years, giving it the unique and rich flavors. It is said that the production was limited to 8,000 bottles per year.

3. Tutankhamen Brew:

   The recipe of this brew is prepared according to the recipe and brewing method discovered by a team of University of Cambridge archaeologists/Egyptologists in the Queen Nefertiti’s Temple of the Sun in Egypt. The brewery found in the corner of the said temple is believed to have been built by King Akhenaton who is King Tutankhamen’s father. This is also the place where King Akhenaton queen, Nefertiti worshiped.
   

   The archaeologists sought expert advice from Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, Edinburgh and the beer is brewed in the Cambridge laboratory, costing around $52 per bottle. The production is also limited and the edition is also numbered.

Sources are now confirming that Coors Brewing Company is creating AC Golden Brewery, a “brand incubation company” that will “introduce above-premium beers to the marketplace using a new approach,” Beer Marketer’s Insights Express reported yesterday.

The report says the new “brewery” will roll out brands through a slow build, similar to Coors’ marketing of their Blue Moon Belgian White Ale.

The report didn’t mention any specific brands Coors plans to bring to market through AC Golden. However, it has reported that Coors filed a trademark application for Pale Moon Light, giving rise to speculations that it may be a light extension of Blue Moon.