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.
Is SweetWater Preparing To Become A Publicly Traded Company? (Atlanta, GA) – Unidentified sources close to SweetWater have hinted that the brewery is planning to join companies like Boston Beer and become a publicly traded. Reuters is reporting that “SweetWater, backed by private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners, is in talks with investment banks about a stock market flotation that could come later this year and value the company in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Heat And Drought May Create Hop Shortage (Yakima Valley) – High temperatures combined with increased acreage are creating worry among the world’s hop growers that a hop shortage leading rising craft beer prices for some is a very real possibility. According to Enduramaxx this “heat wave could result in young plants not producing yields and growers with expanded acreage may not have access to water.” And we don’t have to tell that hop shortages result in higher prices for everyone.
Hipster Beer to Return to Its Roots (Milwaukee, WI) – Slacker fav, Pabst Blue Ribbon will be returning to its Midwest roots next year and opening a brewery in Milwaukee. USA Today is reporting that “the original Pabst Milwaukee brewery shut down in 1996 after the owner of the much-sold company at the time, S&P Co., contracted out production to Stroh Brewery Company’s facility in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The shutdown ended 152 years of Pabst production in Milwaukee.”
Yet Another Sign That Craft Beer Might Be Peaking (Vancouver, CA) – What to do when a trendy yoga pants maker sales show a slowdown? Come out with your own branded craft beer. That’s what the fashionistas at Lululemon are doing. And we find the whole concept, as well as the beer’s name – Curiosity Lager – more than vaguely disturbing.
Scottish Oak-Aged Beers Earn Gold, Silver and Bronze In US Competition (Edinburgh, Scotland) – Innis & Gunn, took three medals in the recent Open Beer Championships – and since we like these guys – were happy that they did. Innis & Gunn’s Rum Aged won a gold medal in the Wood/Barrel Aged Dark Beer category. Their Toasted Oak IPA took a silver in the Wood/Barrel Aged Pale Beer bracket and their Original took a bronze.
