Entries from December 2007 ↓

On December 10, 2007, the Wall Streeet Journal reports that “Small Brews Show They’re Not Weak Beer” by flexing their new-found muscle with their distributors.  As the Journal states, “[h]istorically, craft brewers have made relatively little fuss over distibutors, in part because they have been happy to have companies willing to hawk their brands.  But now, at a time when craft beer has become the industry’s fastest-growing segment, some small brewers are taking greater control over their destinies.  They are attempting to dump their distributors or fighting moves to sell distribution rights–often over allegedly poor services.”  Craft brewers seem “to be feeling their oats a bit,” says Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights, an industry publication.

Since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, there have been laws generally requiring beer to be sold through distributors, which truck the beer to the bar, restaurant or store.  The laws are intended to keep alcohol producers from running bars and restricting consumer choice.  Many states have enacted franchise laws to protect distributors from being dropped arbitrarily by a brewer after they have spent a lot to develop a brand.  Whereas distributors can sell distribution rights whether the brewer likes it or not, brewers can only terminate a distributor for specific reasons, like fraudulent business practices.

Disappointed with sales in upstate New York, Brooklyn Brewery has terminated its agreement, dating back to 2001, with one of its distributors, alleging that the distributor made late deliveries and delivered stale beer.  The distributor responded by suing Brooklyn Brewery in state court, alleging that it did not properly notify it of any problems.  The new distributor reportedly has rapidly increased sales.  The brewer’s president,  Steve Hindy, says trying to switch distributors ”is a big gamble for a small company like ours, because these lawyers are not cheap and you want good representation.” He also says heightened consumer demand for craft beers is giving small brewers confidence to “assert our rights more forcefully.”  As the Journal reports, “Also emboldening them: Many distributors that once ignored craft beers are now clamoring to add them to their lineup to increase profits.  It ‘is a whole different world for us than has existed in the last 20 years,’ Mr. Hindy says.”

Full article

Today’s NY Times  article An Ancient Medicine (Enjoy in Moderation), by Natalie Angier, states that according to the World Health Organization, 39 nations out drink us with Luxembourg topping the list.  Patrick McGovern, archaeological chemist at U. Penn says that “[a]s far back as we can look, humans have had a love affair with fermented beverages. And it’s not just humans. From fruit flies to elephants, if you give them a source of alcohol and sugar, they love it.”  Natalie Angier reports that “[o]ne of the oldest known recipes, inscribed on a Sumerian clay tablet that dates back nearly 4,000 years, is for beer.  Chemical traces inside 9,000-year-old pottery from northern China indicate that the citizens of Jiahu made a wine from rice, grapes, hawthorn and honey, a varietal recently brought back to life by the intrepid palates at Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware.”

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Dogfish Head Brewery’s Chateau Jiahu, “uses pre-gelatinized rice flakes, Wildflower honey, Muscat grapes, barley malt, hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers. The rice and barley malt were added together to make the mash for starch conversion and degredation. The resulting sweet wort was then run into the kettle. The honey, grapes, Hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers were then added. The entire mixture was boiled for 45 minutes, then cooled. The resulting sweet liquid was pitched with a fresh culture of Sake yeast and allowed to ferment a month before the transfer into a chilled secondary tank.  Truly a unique beer!”

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Entrepreneur.com  recently wrote an article about the merits of craft beer.  Highlights include:

“Once upon a time, beer drinkers only had three major choices when looking to pop a cold one: Budweiser, Miller and Coors. Now the market is flooded with imports, seasonal brews and variations of the old classics. Choosing which beer to drink may have been easier back then, but now it’s much more fun.” 

“According to the Brewers Association, there are more than 1,400 craft brewers in the U.S., including microbreweries. Craft beer industry sales have increased nearly 31 percent over the last three years, outpacing beer, wine and spirits in supermarket sales.”

“‘Twenty years ago, people would have laughed at you if you talked about pairing beer with food, but now I think the average consumer has a better understanding of the breadth and variety [of beer] available today,’ says Ray Daniels, president of the Craft Beer Institute and founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, the first official beer sommelier certification program, launched in October 2007. ‘Unlike wine sommeliers, beer sommeliers are less about the snooty tableside presentation and more about better quality beer in the consumer’s glass.’”

Full article

Time Magazine reports this week (12/10) on how to survive the expected recession.  Among the several specific tips is one interesting general insight.  Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at Standard & Poor’s, recently looked at stock performance during the 10 recessions we’ve had over the last 60 years.  The only three true bright spots–stocks that actually gained ground during a recession–were tobacco, household products and ALCOHOLIC beverages.  According to Stovall, “when the going gets tough, the tough get eating, smoking and drinking.” It rings true.  

In an article in todays Lower Hudson Online, it suggests local foods for holiday gifts.  Among their suggestions is local beer of course!  Their descriptions are here:

Captain Lawrence Beer

On Friday, Scott Vaccaro, the owner of Captain Lawrence Brewery in Pleasantville, will release his Nor’Easter Winter Warmer - Batch No. 2 (right). At 12 percent alcohol, this powerful dark ale, brewed with elderberries and aged in bourbon barrels, can be cellared just like wine. Captain Lawrence also features a seasonal brown ale, available now through March. “Giving our award-winning beer is like giving a piece of where you’re from,” says Vaccaro. “It’s the perfect way to introduce people to our region-specific flavor, locally produced.” Plus, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Once you have a growler, you can take it back for a refill at the brewery Fridays between 4 and 7 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. ($9.50 or $10.50 for the double IPA). You can also find the beers at Whole Foods Market in White Plains, or taste it at more than 200 restaurants in Westchester, Manhattan and Brooklyn. www.captainlawrencebrewing.com, 99 Castelton St. Pleasantville, 914-741-2337 (BEER).Defiant Brewing Co.

Brewmaster Neill Acer says the water quality is one of the reasons he chose to open his Defiant Brewing Co. in Pearl River. If you want to share the magic that flows through the taps of that village - enhanced by the brewer’s art, of course - consider giving friends and family one of the two special seasonal brews now available. There’s Christmas Ale, flavored with nutmeg, cloves and allspice, or Abominable Snow Beer, with notes of sweet and bitter orange plus coriander. A filled 64-ounce growler is $11.50; refills are $7.50. 6 E. Dexter Plaza, Pearl River. 845-920-8602, www.defiantbrewing.com. 

Radegast Hall & Biergarten opened last weekend in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  The beer menu, which has a great selection of German beers on tap and in bottle can be found here. This spot has an outdoor area with a retractable roof and they have plans to install infrared heaters so that you can drink outside this Winter comfortably without being forced to overindulge in “liquid heat.”  

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Details: Radegast Hall & Biergarten / 113 N 3rd St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn