American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
Hey it’s Wednesday and even though most of you have already bailed out of work and are well into drinking your way through a long Fourth of July holiday weekend, it’s still Rumor Mill Time….The Fourth of July is a big day for beer – we’ve the good news and the bad news about this popular holiday. Plus we’ve a roundup of the latest craft news that’s coming across the wire and an all-important update on what we’ve been drinking this week.
We don’t sleep so you can….THIS WEEK’S RUMOR MILL IS ON!
Big Week for Beer (Anywhere, USA) – The days surrounding the July 4th holiday are huge for the beer industry, with sales typically 30-40% higher than on an average week and many “Big Beer” companies stepping up advertising and rolling out new products in a desperate attempt to revive slumping sales. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that “Budweiser is going patriotic, selling limited-edition cans and bottles in red, white, and blue.” But the craft beer industry also cares deeply about Independence Day. “We plan to do our part,” said Tom Bobak, Editor-In-Chief at American Craft Beer. “We usually start drinking as early as 10 in the morning on the Fourth of July and see consuming 30-40% more beer as an outstanding act of patriotism.”
Oregonians Serious About Their Beer (Portland, OR) – The Oregon Brewers Guild recently announced that Oregonians bought more than 500,000 barrels of beer produced in Oregon in 2013, setting a new record in Oregon craft beer history and leading the U.S. in percentage of dollars spent on craft beer.Oregon’s breweries crafted a little more than 1,400,000 barrels of beer during 2013, an 8% increase from the previous year.
Shocker – Drinking Lots of Beer and Playing with Firecrackers May Not Mix! (Everywhere, USA) – A surprised Nation reeled yesterday as word spread from sites such as this that drinking tons of serious beers while shooting off high-powered, holiday-themed explosives might not be the best play. “Social media has been going crazy,” cites Amber Medin, Co-Editor at American Craft Beer. “We’re just doing our best to talk many, who can’t believe what they’ve been hearing, off of ledges.” Craft beer drinkers are an unpredictable breed,” Medin added. “I only hope that we can all make it through this holiday safely.”
Rock Show’s Blood Splatter Shuts Down Brewpub (Asheville, NC) – LAB, a popular Asheville brewpub that also showcases music regularly, was forced to close after a metal band splattered pig’s blood on stage during their Sunday night performance. The Citizen-Times is reporting that “LAB’s co-owner Mike Healy was not amused. Almost four dozen employees are out of work while a massive cleaning is underway.”
What We’re Drinking This Week (Washington, DC) – We’d like to thank all of the American craft breweries who have shared their wares with us in the past and those of you who have shipped us beer from time to time. It’s great to be able to sample the brews that we write about and it helps us have a better feel for what’s happening out there. Goose Island recently sent an awesome promo package with their Belgian Style Wild Ale, Madame Rose, and we hit it last weekend. Aged for 18 months in wine barrels with sour Michigan Cherries and then blended, Madame Rose was a blast for us to try!
