Alaskan Beer Brewing Dinner Thursday at T. Cook’s

Beer festival

Posted: Monday, August 13, 2012 2:30 pm

Alaskan Beer Brewing Dinner Thursday at T. Cook’s

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East Valley Tribune

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T. Cook’s and the Alaskan Brewing Co. invite guests to kick back and enjoy a four-course meal with a selection of Alaskan beers in anticipation of the upcoming Phoenix Cooks event.

DETAILS 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16. T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa, 5200 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. $65, not including tax and gratuity. (602) 808-0766 or www.royalpalmshotel.com/restaurant.

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Craft breweries barrel along in West Michigan, but could they overindulge on …

Tim Suprise

“We have been capacity- and space-limited at our facility in Battle Creek for almost three years now,” said Arcadia founder and CEO Tim Suprise. “The move into Kalamazoo is the result of a three-year study of how to expand our brewing capacity and where we should do it.”

Bell’s Brewery Inc., founded in Kalamazoo by Larry Bell in 1983, opened a new production plant in Comstock in May to increase capacity. The new plant includes an expanded grain-handling operation, 200-barrel brewing system, new fermentation vessels and a sophisticated energy storage system.

The plant has the potential to produce 500,000 barrels annually, said Bell’s Marketing Director Laura Bell, Larry Bell’s daughter.

Founders Brewing Co. last year opened a larger operation in downtown Grand Rapids. The company now employs more than 100. CEO and founder Mike Stevens expects the company to produce 140,000 barrels of beer next year, which would move Founders from microbrewery to regional brewery status.

Founders was one of the pioneers that brought microbrewing to Grand Rapids in 1997. It nearly went bankrupt a few years after opening. Stevens, a self-described “beer geek,” admitted that he and partner Dave Engbers made some bad beer decisions.

They were able to keep their doors open and their beer brewing by switching their strategy. Mike and Dave started brewing the kind of beer they wanted to drink.

“When you are fighting for something you really believe in, you tend to fight a little bit more,” Stevens said. “So, if times are a little bit tough, you just come out swinging.” Mike and Dave won that battle.

And a mere 15 years after Founders helped introduce Grand Rapids to beer brewing, the city tied with Asheville, N.C., for the title of “Beer City USA” in an annual nonscientific poll conducted by Charlie Papazian, author of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing and founder of the Great American Beer Festival.

And do the “macrobreweries” — industry heavyweights such as Anheuser-Busch — see a threat from the smaller craft brewers?

“We believe all segments of the beer category can grow at the same time,” Paul Chibe, Anheuser-Busch’s vice president of U.S. marketing, wrote in an email. “That’s why we’ve worked with retailers about the importance of having a balanced approach to the beer category and growing all segments.

“Additionally, we have a strong portfolio of brands to compete in all segments, and we’re committed to growing in the craft space. We have high-end brands and also own the brewer Goose Island and have provided resources to the Goose Island team to accelerate their growth.”

In Michigan, the craft brewing industry has gone through some “hyper growth” the past five years, Stevens said, adding, “I think the momentum will stick around for the next five years.”

Arcadia Brewing’s Suprise is also optimistic about the potential. “As long as the breweries that are coming online and those that are in an existing state of operation keep the primary focus on quality and good, sound business practices, there is plenty of room for continued growth,” he said.

However, like Graham, Stevens thinks the industry could get too big for its own good. He said it is possible that someday soon there could be too many varieties of beer and not enough shelf space in stores.

“Eventually, retail operations like Meijer or Spartan are going to throw their hands up and say: ‘Enough. We can’t get any more on the shelf.’ “

The beer section in some Meijer stores has as many as 900 “store keeping units” — a code used to identify each unique product. A six-pack of Labatt’s in bottles would have its own SKU, as would a 12-pack of Budweiser in cans.

Although retail shelf space is a finite commodity, neither craft brewers nor their customers have much to worry about at Walker-based Meijer Inc. “Having more choices in any category is a good thing for Meijer,” said Frank Guglielmi, the retailer’s director of public relations.

For the sake of the industry as well as their Barry County farm, the Steinmans hope it’s a long time before it’s last call for the craft brewing industry in the state.

“We both love Michigan beer and the craft brewing community, Bonnie Steinman said. “The camaraderie is very special. It is a community of people who really support each other.”

Chicago resident has plans to extend beer brewing trend to Oak Park

Chicago resident has plans to extend beer brewing trend to Oak Park

New Oak Park brew pub to offer brewing classes

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012 10:00 PM

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A location for the brew pub isn’t finalized yet, but after visiting multiple locations around Oak Park the owner favors The Avenue business district, likely near Oak Park Avenue.

There’s quite a difference between a microbrewery and a home brewery, but with the help of brew master Brian Buckman, the two will form a union.

What’s better though is that his vision could help brew up some fresh activity in central Oak Park.

Buckman, a Chicago resident and owner of Illuminated Brew Works, is working to bring the first ever brew pub to the village. As early as next spring, as long as the village approves and equipment comes in, the brewery could open its doors. Currently, the village is in the process of drafting a new liquor license to allow for the brew pub.

The location isn’t finalized, but after Buckman visited multiple locations around Oak Park it was determined The Avenue district, likely near South Oak Park Avenue would be the ideal location due to its neighborhood feel and proximity to the CTA.

Chicago seems to be the hot spot for breweries, so the question remains, why Oak Park?

“Oak Park had expressed interest in a brewery. Everyone is very excited and supportive,” Buckman said. “It’s a big decision to not do it in Chicago because it’s my home, but it’s really hard to argue with the excitement.”

He isn’t looking to simply open a business; instead Buckman hopes to immerse the business into the community. He’s got a few unique plans he thinks will create a sense of community and ownership for Oak Parkers who want to dabble in the brewing industry.

The brewery will open first, but within 12 to 18 months he expects to open an adjacent facility that will allow for brewing classes and a community brewing space. In fact, each month Illuminated Brew Works will feature a homemade brew from one of the customers.

“This is the perfect synergy of the home brew and the personal experience,” Buckman said. “People expect more personalization in their experience. People don’t just want to be told how to drink.”

He also plans to offer a mug club program that involves gathering fees from members that would later be matched by the brewery and donated to an organization in Oak Park.

“It’s important to me to not only be a good neighbor,” he said, “but important to be an invested member of the community.”

Buckman compared the brewing revolution to the surge of social media, explaining that everyone wants to get their hand in the game. Like social media, beer and brewing can spark conversations and connect people with similar interests.

The concept for a community brewing space came from Buckman’s own start in home brewing just more than four years ago when he and a friend tried to concoct their own beer at home. He knew his home wasn’t an ideal condition for making quality beer and wondered why more spaces weren’t offered for people who want to practice brewing.

“Brewing is a hobby that is difficult to retain,” Buckman said. “You either get sick of it or indulge in it.”

He leaned toward the latter and decided to stir up the concept that continues his passion. Brewing to him is like an art, one that is a result of personal taste and can be shared with others. The brew pub and community brewing space he hopes will create a sense of community and encourage others to get creative.

“It’s driven by community and driven by community feedback,” he said. “[Oak Park] is certainly a community that’s interested in creativity and interested in beer.”

Bringing those two factors can spark engagement and activity in an Oak Park neighborhood where Buckman sees room for growth. There’s open space and he’s excited about bringing new life to the community and watching it grow.

“I’m pretty excited we’ll give more exposure to more recipes,” he said. “Home brewing is more exciting because people are talking more. People love the idea that you’re not really limited by anything. I’m excited to see what people come up with.”

Buckman said the pub itself will be designed in a coffee-shop motif to encourage more conversation and offer a relaxing atmosphere. It will serve locally brewed coffee and baked goods in the early morning and day hours for commuters. Plans are also in the works to offer small plates, various meats and upscale sandwiches.

The venture, albeit ambitious, is one Buckman has been tossing around for years and one he’s ready to tackle.

“It appeals to my proclivity to jump into the unknown a little bit,” he said. “It’s not the easiest way to go about things, but you can’t argue with the desire to be part of the changing nature of Oak Park.”

Beer business wants to bring locally made beer to Ocean Springs

OCEAN SPRINGS, MS (WLOX) -

A craft beer company wants to now brew beer in downtown Ocean Springs, after being rejected by Jackson County supervisors. Last month, supervisors voted against granting a special exception permit to Crooked Letter Brewing that would have allowed them to open in Vancleave. The business owners are hoping this move will be the last.

Those who live in or around downtown Ocean Springs are likely familiar with Broome’s Grocery on Government Street. Store Manager Curmis Broome wants new company Crooked Letter Brewing to join the downtown family. 

“I love craft beer and I think it would be something unique to bring to Ocean Springs, a town that thrives itself on being unique,” Broome said. 

Broome has offered to lease a 2,200 square foot warehouse in the back of the store to craft beer makers Wanda and Paul Blacksmith. The couple said they’re thirsty for a new opportunity. 

“I think this will be a fun location and it is tucked away, a little treasure hidden, and it is not all in everyone’s faces,” Wanda Blacksmith said. 

The Blacksmiths’ original plan was to brew beer on their land in Vancleave. But some of the Blacksmiths’ neighbors complained to Jackson County Supervisors and the business was blocked.

“No, we are not bitter. At first we were disappointed, but we have moved on that is behind us,” Mrs. Blacksmith said. 

The business owners next challenge is getting the Ocean Springs Planning Commission to grant them a special permit to start their craft beer brewing operation. The couple is now calling on folks in the community to support this proposal. 

“Ocean Springs has embraced craft beer. So, having an actual craft microbrewery in downtown Ocean Springs is going to be very unique,” Paul Blacksmith said. 

“It will bring lots of taxes, lots of tourism; it is a trend right now for people to do vacations based on brewery’s,” Wanda Blacksmith said.   

The couple said those benefits, the new location, and help from people, who live and work in the city will be enough to seal the deal so they can start brewing beer.

 The Ocean Springs Planning Commission Meeting will be held on August 14 at city Hall at 6 p.m. 

Copyright 2012 WLOX. All rights reserved.

Care for a Kimchi Beer?

Care for a Kimchi Beer?

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Posted: Jul 02, 2012

NEW YORK ― Like kimchi? Love beer? Why not mix the two and brew up a kimchi beer? That’s exactly what some brewers in the U.S. and Canada did to spice up classic ales.

Are you curious to know what it tastes like? Just like how you’d imagine.

“Intense nose of spice and herbs, hopped palate and a chili spice that sneaks up on you. It’s awesome,’’ describes Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, a microbrewery in Ontario, Canada, which recently introduced kimchi beer at a local beer festival.

Down south in the U.S., one person who tried the version created by Barry’s Homebrew Outlet put it more simply.

“The same [taste] you get from a post-pepper burp,’’ said Jimmy McMillan, co-owner of the brewery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who assured that the comment was a compliment.

Both breweries coincidentally took on the same experiment with kimchi earlier this month, but for McMillan, it was more of a spontaneous idea.

“I love eating Korean barbeque. A few nights before I decided to make the kimchi beer, we had a Korean style barbeque night in the store,’’ recalled McMillan. “After walking by the refrigerator, I noticed about a pound of kimchi was left, along with a few bags of rice crackers.’’

At that moment, he decided to toss the leftovers directly in the mash, one of the first processes in beer brewing.

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At Home: Professional Microbrewery

At Home: Professional Microbrewery

Home brewing is the rage now, with hipsters to business types getting in on the do-it-yourself beer making activity.

Many home brewing kits fall flat when it comes to the actual brew, leaving family and friends trying to fake encouragement while trying not to gag.

If you are really serious about brewing it yourself, then what you need is a professional brewery and luckily, Hammacher Schlemmer has one for you.

You need some space and a water connection, then, at the touch of a computer screen you can have your choice of Lager, Hefe-weizen, or Stout.

The Hammacher Schlemmer home brewery is the same professional automated microbrewery system that can be found in brew houses, but scaled down for needs of the home brewer. Just put in your recipe and let the computer do the rest.

Made of stainless steel, the microbrewery looks as high tech as it is efficient.

Rather than the typical “kit” sold to most homebrewers, the professional microbrewery includes a fully automated Heat Exchange Recycling Mash (HERM) system, complete with a 15-gal hot liquor tank, a 15-gal mash/lauter tun that extracts sugar from the ground grain, or mash, a boil kettle and the final step of the brewing, a fermentation tank. To make it extra easy, electric level sensors, gauges, and temperature detectors control the whole process.

The microbrewery is exclusively available at Hammacher Schlemmer, priced at $45,000. Go to www.Hammacher.com to learn more.

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Costa Rica Craft Beer Brewing Company Announces Seasonal …

CARTAGO – Costa Rica Craft Beer Brewing Company, a microbrewery dedicated to limited production of known craft beers like Libertas Tropical Golden Ale and Segua Red Ale is proud to announce that a new Belgian Ale will soon be ready for tasting and enjoyment. The difference between this new beer and the company’s previous seasonal offerings is in the special brewer’s yeast imported directly from Belgium, which has different qualities that make this Pale Ale unique, according to master brewer CS Derrick:

“We started the year with the first wheat and cas fruit (similar to guava) beer made in Costa Rica, and it was with this special brew that we were honored during the visit of the famous Chef Adrian Ferra to our country. We followed with the release of a pleasantly bitter and robust India Pale Ale and finished with a unique dark oatmeal cream stout aged in a cask of Ron Centenario for 30 days. Now we are proud to bring you this Belgian Pale Ale.”

The idea behind seasonal brews is to present a diversity in options to our restaurant and bar clients, and more importantly to educate Ticos in the art of brewing and the versatility of this ancient beverage, commented Peter Gilman, General Manager of the Cartago microbrewery.

Master Brewer CS Derrick added the following commentary regarding this Likeer Belgian Pale Ale style beer:

“Ever been to Belgium? If not, you are in luck because we are truly bringing you a bit of the country. This medium-bodied and copper-colored beer is brewed with a traditional Belgian yeast that produces spiced aromas during the unfiltered fermentation and conditioning stage. The combination is spicy and dry, with a complex hint of wine grapes, green apples, and a slightly alcoholic taste. The alcohol content is 5.7 percent.”

This seasonal Belgian Pale Ale will be available only from the cask in limited quantities. Interested beer connoisseurs can get more information from Facebook Timeline of Costa Rica Craft Brewing Company.

Earlier in May, the Costa Rica Craft Brewing Company was one of the participating microbreweries in the 2012 World Beer Cup.

Assembly Panel Advances Bill To Help NJ Microbreweries & Brew Pubs

TRENTON – Legislation Assembly Democrats Craig J. Coughlin and Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. sponsored to revise restrictions on New Jersey’s microbreweries and brewpubs and make it easier for them to offer their product to the public and enhance their appeal as tourist destinations was released this week by and Assembly panel.

“Like much of the rest of the country, New Jersey is experiencing a craft beer brewing renaissance,” said Coughlin (D-Middlesex). “The appeal of these regional beers is making microbreweries and brewpubs tourist destinations. To help these small businesses capitalize on their newfound popularity, we need to update the state’s antiquated laws regarding micro-brewing.”

“By making these changes to our brewing laws, we can help better promote New Jersey’s existing breweries and attract new brewers looking to make their mark on the world of craft beer,” said Diegnan (D-Middlesex). “This is good for economic development, job creation and our state’s tourist industry.”

New Jersey is home to more than 16 microbreweries and brewpubs. The legislation (A-1277) would update New Jersey’s existing brewing laws, granting microbreweries and brewpubs many of the same rights enjoyed by New Jersey’s local wineries.

Specifically, the bill – released by the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee – would:

• Allow microbreweries to sell their products to consumers for consumption on or off the premises, meaning a microbrewery could have a sampling room with taps and bottles. Sales for on-premise consumption are limited to brewery tours. Sales for off-premise consumption are limited to 15.5 gallons or half a keg per customer;
• Allow microbreweries to offer product samples of an amount no larger than 4oz. on or off the licensed premise. An ABC permit would be required to provide samples;
• Incorporates a 24 hour “at rest” provision for the state’s microbreweries. The new provision will ensure greater transparency and accountability for state tax and law enforcement officials when monitoring existing regulations and tax compliance.
• Increase the maximum annual allowable production for brewpubs from 3,000 to 10,000 barrels. This will allow brewpubs to produce enough beer so it can be sold to the distribution network;
• Reduce to $250 from $625 the fee for every additional production of 1,000 barrels of beer over the first 1,000 for brewpubs.
• Permits brewpubs opened by the same entity to operate up to 10 brewpubs; however the two consumption license limit per individual would remain intact.
• Allows brewpubs to offer samples of its product off the licensed premise as permitted by ABC at charitable or civic events for promotional purposes.

The bill is a compromise with the alcohol industry and the three tier system made up of the manufacturers, the distributors, and the retailers who all had a seat at the table during negotiations.

The bill was released Thursday by the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee and has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

Costa Rica Craft Beer Brewing Company Announces Seasonal Offering

CARTAGO – Costa Rica Craft Beer Brewing Company, a microbrewery dedicated to limited production of known craft beers like Libertas Tropical Golden Ale and Segua Red Ale is proud to announce that a new Belgian Ale will soon be ready for tasting and enjoyment. The difference between this new beer and the company’s previous seasonal offerings is in the special brewer’s yeast imported directly from Belgium, which has different qualities that make this Pale Ale unique, according to master brewer CS Derrick:

“We started the year with the first wheat and cas fruit (similar to guava) beer made in Costa Rica, and it was with this special brew that we were honored during the visit of the famous Chef Adrian Ferra to our country. We followed with the release of a pleasantly bitter and robust India Pale Ale and finished with a unique dark oatmeal cream stout aged in a cask of Ron Centenario for 30 days. Now we are proud to bring you this Belgian Pale Ale.”

The idea behind seasonal brews is to present a diversity in options to our restaurant and bar clients, and more importantly to educate Ticos in the art of brewing and the versatility of this ancient beverage, commented Peter Gilman, General Manager of the Cartago microbrewery.

Master Brewer CS Derrick added the following commentary regarding this Likeer Belgian Pale Ale style beer:

“Ever been to Belgium? If not, you are in luck because we are truly bringing you a bit of the country. This medium-bodied and copper-colored beer is brewed with a traditional Belgian yeast that produces spiced aromas during the unfiltered fermentation and conditioning stage. The combination is spicy and dry, with a complex hint of wine grapes, green apples, and a slightly alcoholic taste. The alcohol content is 5.7 percent.”

This seasonal Belgian Pale Ale will be available only from the cask in limited quantities. Interested beer connoisseurs can get more information from Facebook Timeline of Costa Rica Craft Brewing Company.

Earlier in May, the Costa Rica Craft Brewing Company was one of the participating microbreweries in the 2012 World Beer Cup.

Apocalypse Brew Works opens in Butchertown – The Courier

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With its location tucked away within H.W. Krauth and Son Plumbing on Mellwood Avenue, Apocalypse Brew Works seems like a place you might stumble onto as you try to escape zombies, nuclear meltdown or the Four Horsemen.

Running from doom, you take refuge behind the industrial lot’s chain-link fence, escaping to the electric red-painted “Fallout Shelter,” the microbrewery’s tasting room.

Inside you find not only brews to ease end-of-the-world jitters but also materials retrofitted to outlast Armageddon.

The mash tun and boil kettle are made out of modified 40-year-old stainless steel tanks. The water used to boil the ground malts is heated via solar panels. And eventually co-owner Leah Dienes would like to grind malt with a bicycle.

One way or another, Apocalypse — named because it is opening in 2012, the year some have predicted the world will end — will live past total annihilation, beyond its grand opening Friday.

“We were thinking about how people survive after the apocalypse and how they find materials and re-purpose them going into the future,” Dienes said.

Apocalypse grew out of Dienes and co-owners Paul Grignon and Bill Krauth knowing one another from the Louisville Area Grain Extract Research Society, or LAGERS, a local club for home brewers. Dienes is the president.

The three, who all have day jobs, have roughly 40 years of combined brewing experience and have gone on to win competitions with their beer and also judge contests.

“When you’re trained to judge, you’re trained to like everything,” Krauth said of the different styles of beer.

And each of them brings specialties to Apocalypse’s 10 taps.

Grignon prefers Indian pale ales and English ales, while Krauth typically brews stronger ales.

Dienes is more experimental. At the recent soft opening, Green Chili Wheat, one of her favorites, was on tap.

“It’s the aroma and taste of green chilies, but it’s not hot,” she said. “Pepper beers, fruit beers, gluten-free beer — I get turned on by mixing it up.”

Other concoctions included Hoptrocution, Atomic Amber, Pestilence Porter and Whirlwind Wheat.