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 enjoying your long Labor Day weekend.
Whole Foods to Open New Market with Rooftop Brewery and Taproom (San Jose, CA) – The Whole Foods Market national food chain will be upping the ante on their commitment to craft beer big-time with the construction of their new store in San Jose. The Silicon Valley Business Journal is reporting that the store will include “a separate 6,000-square-foot, two-story craft brewery and taproom on the northwest corner of the site.” This is the chain’s first-ever market to include a brewery – but we’re betting it won’t be their last!
New Brew U (Auburn, AL) – Oskar Blues Brewery and Auburn University have forged an historic partnership to create a new graduate-level certificate in Brewing Science and Operations. Dale Katechis, founder of Oskar Blues, is a legacy alumnus of Auburn. Dale, his dad, and his older brother all matriculated at the Alabama university. Up until now, students and professionals interested in learning about the science of brewing and operations had to travel to California, Chicago, or overseas. Plans now call for online courses combined with three days of intensive training at Oskar Blues’ North Carolina brewery.
Could the Craft Beer Boom Be Slowing? (Denver, CO) – A recent study released by national industry research firm IBISWorld is suggesting that craft beer’s growth could slow to less than half its current pace over the next five years. The Denver Business Journal reports that even though the study does say that craft beer “will rise an average of 7.2% per year over the next five years,” that’s still significantly down from the 10.9% annual average growth that the industry’s been seeing since 2008.
The Wait List Is Over! (Boulder, CO) – So many breweries wanted to be a part of the Great American Beer Festival this year that, as we recently reported, all of the spots filled within two hours on July 9, leaving 375 would-be attendees on a waiting list. And now, the Denver Westwood is confirming that the Brewers Association “has since been able to offer all 375 of those breweries some sort of place at the festival, even if it was just a booth on the floor and not in the competition itself.” Props are due to our friends at the BA. The job of managing an event the scale of the GABF is never going to get easier and they’re doing an admirable job just keeping up.
Great Divide Goes Mile High (Denver, CO) – As we’ve reported before, the Great Divide Brewing Company has big plans for the “Mile High City,” and will soon be building a new $38 million dollar brewery in its River North neighborhood. According to the Denver Post, the “brewery’s two-phase expansion is expected to create as many as 29 new jobs,” and “will increase Great Divide’s production from 32,000 barrels a year to an initial capacity of 100,000 barrels.”
