American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
We blame the industry for this… It used to be that when we wrapped up our Weekend Picks on Friday, we could coast through the weekend. There was little need to check in for updates -things were pretty much done. But clearly all that’s changed.
So here’s some of what’s happened in the world of craft beer while you were off enjoying yourselves.
Explosive Craft Beers! (Bend, OR) – We’re all well aware of the “craft beer explosion” – but how about “explosive craft beers?” 10 Barrel Brewing is recalling its ironically named Swill beer, and the brewery’s “Beer No.1” due to possible explosions. In an ominously phrased recall statement, the brewery vehemently advises that you dispose of these beers immediately and that you don’t attempt to open or transport them. Consumers are also strongly urged to “wear protective gloves and eye wear” and to place all remaining bottles in a box and then “in a secured dumpster.” Yikes!
ACB Beer Week Alert (Anywhere, USA) – In our ongoing effort to help you plan where you need to be in August, we’ve instituted regular beer week alerts for you. DC Beer Week 2014 will return to the Capital Region and will be pulling out all the stops from August 17 through the 24. Stockton Beer Week also returns to Northern California and things are going to get wild out that way from August 22 through the 31.
Beer Makes the Man (or Woman) (Everywhere, USA) – According to research just released by the Mintel Group, many craft beer drinkers feel that the beers that they drink “make a statement about them.”Amongst the 25-34 age group, representing the segment’s heaviest users, 70% say that the brand of beer says a lot about you and 66% say the style does the same. Mintel also expects craft beer sales to reach “$20 billion in 2014, more than doubling sales of five years. ”
Good News and Bad News for Sam Adams (Boston, MA) – In a recent earnings call, the Boston Beer Company had some good news and some less good news for their shareholders. First the good news – “the company now expects 2014 sales by distributors to retailers to increase between 20 percent and 24 percent,” and Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the company “will increase ad spending” to support that momentum. “The bad news for Sam Adams is that while sales increased, it lost some market share to competitors as the craft beer segment gets larger and more crowded.”
Wicked Weed to get Wicked Big (Asheville, NC) – Just 18 months after launching its popular Asheville-based brewpub, Wicked Weed Brewing plans to invest $5 million in a plant that will allow them to produce as much as 50,000 barrels of craft beer annually, according to the Citizen-Times. Additionally, the “company will add another 82 jobs over the next three years, boosting its current staff of 145 workers to include not only brewmasters, but also serving staff, sales and marketing, distribution and administrative staff.”
