THE AMERICAN CRAFT BEER- QUICK HITS – June 24, 2013

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 out enjoying yourselves.

Weed Guy Stabs Beer Guy in Times Square (New York, NY) – Hey, what other craft beer daily covers the tough stories like this one? The NY Daily News is reporting that there was an altercation over the weekend involving competing panhandlers in NYC that ended ugly. Evidently a panhandler holding an ‘I Need Money for Weed’ sign went after a rival holding an ‘I Need Beer’ sign. “Predator” (okay…) and “Alien” (yikes!) were questioned about the incident. The Daily News goes on to report that the police “quickly cuffed the alleged stabber and charges were pending as they tried to determine what got “Weed” guy’s nose out of joint,” and that ‘”Beer guy’s injuries were minor.” Know that American Craft Beer.com will stay on top of this important story – so check in with us for any breaking developments.

And the Music Didn’t Suck Either (Dover, DE) – Dogfish Head Brewery is estimating that they sold 88,000 pints of beer at this weekend’s Firefly Festival. According to Delaware Online, “they went through between 200 and 220 kegs on Friday alone,” and Adam Lambert, Dogfish Head’s VP of Sales, and that they expected that number to triple by Sunday night.

Abita Seeing Double (Abita Springs, LA) – The Abita Brewing Company has just broken ground on a new $12 million project that will enable them to double their production. According to WWL, the project will include a new 11,200 square-foot brewhouse, a 5,800-square-foot expansion to its visitor center and office, as well as new cellar space capable of housing a dozen 800-barrel tanks.

Growth of Craft Beer Festivals Spurs Tourism in Maine (Bangor, ME) – In what is hardly a surprise to our regular readers, it seems that beer festivals are spurring tourism in Maine. The Bangor Daily News is reporting that there are “eight beer festivals scheduled to take place in Maine this year, including two in Bangor and four in Portland, and that “a few years ago, there were only three.” The Festival, which took place over the weekend, was expected “to generate at least $750,000 in economic activity in the area.”

Left Hand Getting Bigger (Longmont, CO) – The Left Hand Brewing Company just installed two new 480-barrel fermentation tanks last Wednesday with the goal of expanding production capacity immediately. The TimesCall.com reports that the “two new fermenters will allow the brewery to keep up with brewing large batches of its most popular beer, Milk Stout, as well as handling capacity for its Polestar Pilsner and Oktoberfest lager beers, which require longer fermentation.”

DC Brau and DGS Collaborate (Washington, DC) – Restaurant and brewery collaborations are an increasingly hot new trend and now it’s happening in the Nation’s Capital. Eater DC is reporting that the DC Brau Brewing Company is partnering with Dupont Circle’s legendary DGS Delicatessen to create a special summer IPA. This brand-new brew will be a unique combination of beer and slivovitz (a plum brandy that DGS makes in-house) and they’ll be celebrating it with a special release party at DGS next Thursday, June 27. ACB wonders if they’ll call their new collaboration DGSDCBRAU IPA….Rolls right off the tongue!

Get Ready To See More of This (Del Mar, CA) – Last weekend, law enforcement stepped up patrols around San Diego Fair in an aggressive effort to try and deter drunk driving and keep the roads safe. CBS 8 reported that county agencies set up a perimeter around the fair, which hosted last weekend’s International Beer Festival that allowed attendees to pay $55 for unlimited beer samples. We promise you, we’re going to see more and more of this – so be smart and do the right thing – no one needs to be driving buzzed.