Michael speaks with Joseph Cortes, Executive Director of the Georgia Craft Brewers guild about breweries in the state and dealing with the Pandemic.

Founded in 2010, the Guild is organized to promote, protect and further, in every lawful manner, the common interests of the members and the licensed brewing industry in Georgia. We invite you to sign up for our newsletter so you can be in the loop on activities of the Guild and its members. You’ll have an inside track on special releases from your favorite breweries, beer dinners, cask tappings, festivals, brewmaster receptions, and other newsworthy beer stuff. You can also use our contact section to share with us ideas or comments that will help us better serve you and the Georgia beer community. Welcome to all of the production brewers, homebrewers, distributors, publicans, retailers, and beer enthusiasts who enjoy the brews from our great state!

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Beara
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

Craft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-storm

Craft Beer Storm Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

Craft Beer Storm Facebook:
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Craft Brew News 07/10/20
(Courtesy of Brewbound.com)

Allagash Founder Rob Tod Recovers From COVID-19

In an interview with a Maine NBC affiliate, Allagash founder Rob Tod revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-March after returning from a ski vacation.

Tod told the affiliate that he self-quarantined and “rode it out” at home, not wanting to infect any other Allagashians.

Even with the diagnosis, Tod said he was “so consumed and immersed in running this company at a time when we had lost 70% of our business the day that I came down with the COVID.”

With March and the coronavirus, practically overnight people stopped going to bars and restaurants, where most of Allagash’s sales occurred. In less than a month sales tanked by seventy percent.

Since losing 70% of its business, Allagash has since refocused on building its off-premise business. The company in June shared plans to launch several years’ worth of innovations in the fall, including a line of sparkling session ales made with fruit called Little Grove by Allagash, a new stout called North Sky and 6-pack bottles of flagship Allagash White.

California Governor Orders Shutdown of Breweries and Restaurants in 19 Counties

With a growing number of new COVID-19 cases in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has expanded the state’s temporary shutdown of bars and breweries to include a ban on indoor and outdoor dining and drinking in 19 counties, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. However, restaurants will be allowed to continue operating outdoor patio spaces, as well as breweries that operate licensed food service or partner with neighboring restaurants or food trucks.

Counties included in the order include Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. Majority of counties account for nearly 75% of the state’s population. All 19 are on the state Department of Public Health’s “monitoring list” for areas with an increasing number of novel coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

Dichello Distributors Files Lawsuit Against Anheuser-Busch Alleging Conspiracy to Force Sale

An Anheuser-Busch wholesaler in Connecticut is suing the world’s largest beer manufacturer alleging that the maker of Bud Light conspired with a now former employee to damage the business and force a sale of the distributorship.

New Haven, Connecticut-based Dichello Distributors is suing Anheuser-Busch, claiming A-B “engaged in an ongoing conspiracy” with Sal DiBetta, a former employee who later worked as CEO of the wholesaler between 2013 and 2016, as well as “other unnamed parties,” to “undermine” Dichello and force president John Hall’s family to sell the business to A-B, according to a complaint filed on June 17 in the Connecticut Superior Court.

Dichello also alleges A-B has tried to enforce an equity agreement on the wholesaler and threatened them “with consequences for non-compliance, including forced sale of the distributorship.”

A-B has not responded to a request for comment.

DiBetta worked for A-B for more than 30 years before joining Dichello in October 2013 and departing in 2016, according to his Linkedin profile.

Anheuser-Busch to Pay Record $5 Million Offer In Compromise for Trade Practice Violations Tied to
Sports and Entertainment Sponsorships

Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed to pay a record $5 million offer in compromise (OIC) for alleged trade practice violations related to sports and entertainment sponsorships, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) announced today.

Additionally, A-B’s importer and wholesaler permits were suspended for two days in Littleton, Colorado, and four days in Denver.

The $5 million fine is the largest offer in compromise collected to date by the TTB, Thomas Hogue, a spokesperson for the federal agency, confirmed with Brewbound. A-B’s offer tops a $2.5 million fine collected last year from Heineken USA for alleged trade practice violations.

According to the TTB, the alleged violations included:

“Entering into sponsorship agreements with various entities in the sports and entertainment industries requiring concessionaires and other retailers to purchase A-B’s malt beverages and prohibiting them from purchasing specific competitor brands;

Inducing sports industry concessionaires to purchase A-B’s malt beverages by furnishing fixtures, equipment, and services;

Reimbursing, through credit card swipes, retailers for the cost of installing malt beverage draft dispensing systems, thereby inducing them to purchase A-B’s malt beverages;

Requiring retailers to purchase A-B’s malt beverages in return for such retailers’ use of equipment A-B furnished them free of charge or below market value;

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Beara
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

Craft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-storm

Craft Beer Storm Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

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Specialty Saison

-Color – Pale to dark brown; may take on hue of fruit(s), darker malts or other ingredients

-Clarity: Chill haze or slight yeast haze is acceptable

-Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Typically low to medium-low, but may vary in beers made with specialty malts.

-Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Low to medium-high

-Perceived Bitterness: Medium to medium-high

-Body: Low to medium

-Additional notes: Specialty Saisons represent a very wide family of specialty beers. Entries brewed with dark malts, fruit(s), spice(s) or other special ingredients may deviate substantially from traditional appearance and flavor and from parameters shown in this guideline. Ingredients including spices, herbs, flowers, fruits, vegetables, fermentable sugars and carbohydrates, special yeasts of all types, wood aging, etc. may contribute unique attributes to these beers. Earthy and/or cellar-like aromas are acceptable. Color, body, malt character, esters, alcohol level and hop character should harmonize with attributes from special ingredients.

-ABV: 4.4%-8.4%

-Glassware: Tulip

Examples

IMPERIAL DARK SAISON – BELGIAN-STYLE HOLIDAY ALE

Boulevrd Brewing Co. , Kansas City, MO

ABV: 9.0%

Notes: This Imperial Dark Saison is brewed with a wide variety of specialty grains that offer flavor elements of spice, chocolate and sweet bread. Orange peel offers both a bright citrus note and a nod to tradition, while our house Belgian yeast adds a phenolic cinnamon-and-pepper aroma.


Civil Disobedience
Hill Farmstead, Greensboro, VT

ABV: 8.0%

Notes: Civil Disobedience is our blended barrel-aged series of Farmstead® ales, each one a unique union of carefully selected beers chosen by our brewers to weave often disparate threads into a picture far greater than its individual elements. A blend of two different batches of Arthur and a bit of a beer called ’mimosa’, a Farmstead® ale brewed with orange zest and Brett Claussenii.

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Beara
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

Craft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-storm

Craft Beer Storm Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

Craft Beer Storm Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/craftbeerstorm/

Craft Beer Storm Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/craftbeerstorm/

Classic Saison

(Description Courtesy of Beer Advocate)

Beers in this category are gold to light amber in color. Often bottle-conditioned, with some yeast character and high carbonation. Belgian-style Saison may have Brettanomyces or lactic character, and fruity, horsey, goaty and/or leather-like aromas and flavors. Specialty ingredients, including spices, may contribute a unique and signature character. Commonly called “farmhouse ales” and originating as summertime beers in Belgium, these are not just warm-weather treats. US craft brewers brew them year-round and have taken to adding a variety of additional ingredients.

-Color – Gold to light amber

-Clarity: Chill haze or slight yeast haze is acceptable

-Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low, but providing foundation for the overall balance.

-Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Low to medium and characterized by European-type hops: floral, herbal and/or woody traits are common.

-Perceived Bitterness: Medium-low to medium, but not assertive.

-Body: Very low to low

-Additional notes: Fruity and spicy black pepper attributes derived from Belgian yeast are common.

-ABV: 4.4%-6.8%

-Glassware: Tulip

Examples

Hennepin

Brewery Ommegang, New York

ABV: 7.7%

Notes: Inspired by the traditional rustic brews of Belgium, our iconic American farmhouse saison is charmingly complex yet eminently drinkable. Artfully spiced and gracefully balanced, its champagne-like effervescence delivers a crisp, dry finish, delighting discerning drinkers everywhere.



Saison Dupont

Brasserie Dupont , Belgium


ABV: 6.5%

Notes: The Saison Dupont is a top fermentation beer with refermentation in the bottle. Since 1844, this beer has been brewed in our farm-brewery, during the winter time. Then this beer became a second refermentation in the barrel. During the next summer, this very thirst-quenching beer was served to the “saisoniers” which were working on the fields. Surely therefore, our Saison Dupont is considered as “the classic” among the Belgian season beers!

Coppery blond, the finest aromas and a strong bitterness transform this beer into a thirst-quenchener with no equal, just the way it was created. Our selection of yeasts is the perfect base for these typical aromas and taste. A real refermentation in the bottle, which will continue for a long time in your cellar, result into this complex and particular aromatic beer.

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Beara
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

Craft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-storm

Craft Beer Storm Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

Craft Beer Storm Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/craftbeerstorm/

Craft Beer Storm Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/craftbeerstorm/

Craft Brew News
05/15/20
(Courtesy of Brewbound.com)

Craft Beer Festivals Across the Country Go Virtual During COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered nearly every facet of life and commerce, but one particular area stands to be gutted more than almost any other: large scale events.

In the beer industry alone, event casualties are numerous. The Brewers Association has now canceled three of its marquee events, including the annual Craft Brewers Conference in San Antonio, Texas, SAVOR beer and food pairing event in Washington, D.C., and HomebrewCon in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Great American Beer Festival, the BA’s largest consumer-facing event and the largest beer festival and competition in the U.S., is still slated to take place September 24-27 in Denver, Colorado.

Popular regional beer festivals have also pulled the plug on their 2020 events, including the Oregon Brewers Festival in Portland, Oregon, Bend Brewfest in Bend, Oregon, and Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, Wisconsin.

Without its annual mid-May Oklahoma Craft Beer Summit — a reliable fundraiser — the Craft Brewers Association of Oklahoma (CBOA) was facing a potential loss of thousands of dollars. A creative solution was needed.

CBOA treasurer and COOP Ale Works director of sales and marketing Sean Mossman told Brewbound. “Just one day, kind of organically, it was like, ‘Hey, what if we move this online? What if we made this virtual?’” “Well, that would be cool, but then it’s just a conversation — how do we do beer? How do we make this a beer festival?”

The Oklahoma Craft Beer Summit ’20 Quarantine Edition was born and planned in about a week, with the blessing of the Alcoholic Beverage Law Enforcement (ABLE) Commission of Oklahoma, Mossman said.

Tickets for the sold-out virtual festival on May 15 came with a plethora of beers to sample and an evening of guided tastings and panel discussions about styles, brewing and the beer industry.
Guests purchased tickets that included a kit of 24 beers from breweries across Oklahoma. Kits could be retrieved at designated pickup locations strategically placed across the state, where IDs would be checked against tickets, a provision of the ABLE Commission.

With the help of sponsors and “monstrously low overhead,” Mossman said the virtual festival has helped the CBOA raise multiple times more money than a traditional in-person festival.

“We’re spending about $3,000 to raise about $50,000, so we’re pretty fortunate,” he said. “This would take us probably three festivals to generate this much revenue. And really, our only real expense as a guild is probably our lobbyists at the Capitol. We’re pretty self-governed and self-run, but that is our biggest expense, and it’s the most necessary expense.”

Untappd will also host a virtual beer festival online on June 13 and 14.

Participants have the option of two experiences — one with beer shipped to them and one in which they purchase their own. The Drinking Socially Package costs $89.99 and includes 11 beers to samples during two virtual panels, $10 gift cards to the Untappd merchandise store and Half Time Beverage, the event’s retail partner and beer shipper. Beer packages can be shipped to ZIP codes in 28 states and Washington, D.C., according to local laws.

The Stay at Home Stream package costs $15 and includes access to the virtual panels and is available everywhere.

A portion of sales from both tickets will be donated to the Restaurant Strong Fund, which supports out-of-work service industry employees.

Harpoon Brewery’s annual five-mile road race has taken runners through the streets of the brewery’s Boston neighborhood for 18 years, but this weekend, the 19th edition of the fundraising race will be virtual.

The company’s website said “Run, walk, pushrim, handcycle, or skip 5 miles on Sunday, May 17th from your house, on a treadmill or on a trail using proper safety precautions,”.

Entrants received a printable bib to wear during their run and a race bag filled with gifts from sponsors in the mail. Some race packages included T-shirts and beer and a ticket to a festival at the brewery in the future. The race raises funds for the Angel Fund for ALS Research.

More than 3,000 runners have signed up, according to director of digital strategy Megan Baker.


California ABC Investigation Finds Delivery Apps Allowing Minors to Order Alcohol

An investigation by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) found that third-party delivery services are “routinely delivering alcoholic beverages to minors,” according to an industry advisory posted by the regulatory agency and reported on by the the Washington Post and The Verge.

The ABC wrote “Most concerning is that minors are routinely able to purchase alcohol through delivery from restaurants,”. “There have been instances in which the licensee’s own employees have done so, but a far greater rate has been evident among third-party delivery services. Licensees are responsible for these unlawful deliveries, and the Department encourages licensees to review the practices of these services and their reliance on them.”

The ABC added that it has found that employees of third-party delivery services are “largely” ignoring guidelines setup to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.

In the advisory, the ABC reminded licensees that they are ultimately responsible for the delivery of alcoholic beverages away from their premises, even if those deliveries are made on their behalf by third-party services, and are “subject to arrest and criminal prosecution.” “This is so no matter what assurances the delivery service may have provided to the licensee,” the ABC stated.

Idaho-Based Hardware Brewing Company Defies Executive Order, Risks License

Kendrick, Idaho-based brewpub Hardware Brewing Company is at risk of losing its alcoholic beverage license after reopening in defiance of Gov. Brad Little’s executive order shutting down bars and restaurants, the Lewiston Tribune reported, citing a letter sent to the brewpub by the Idaho State Police.

Although Little’s reopening plan would allow Hardware Brewing to open potentially on May 16 as part of a second wave of business reopenings if the state doesn’t record a significant increase in COVID-19 cases, the brewpub reopened to the public on May 1, including Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin.

Hardware co-owners Morgan, Doug and Christine Lohman discussed reopening on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News program Monday night. Christine Lohman explained that Hardware attempted “to survive on takeout” but there wasn’t enough business.

“It is a destination place,” she said. “They do not drive 35 miles or more for me to come out in a hazmat suit and hand them a burger, so we’re starving slowly.”

The conversation spilled over to the brewpub’s Facebook page, where the Hardware account stated:
“This virus is totally overblown and is not killing the productive and healthy in our society.”
Morgan Lohman told Ingraham that the family has hired San Francisco-based lawyer Harmeet Dhillon to represent the company. Dhillon specializes in “commercial litigation, employment law, First Amendment rights and election law matters,” according to her firm’s website.

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Beara
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

Craft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-storm

Craft Beer Storm Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

Craft Beer Storm Facebook:
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Craft Beer Storm Instagram:
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Belgian-Style Witbier


-Color – Straw to pale

-Clarity: Unfiltered starch and yeast haze should be visible. Wits are traditionally bottle conditioned and served cloudy.

-Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Very low to low

-Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Hop aroma is not present to low. Hop flavor is not present.

-Perceived Bitterness: Low, from noble-type hops

-Body: Low to medium, with a degree of creaminess from wheat starch.

-Additional notes: Wits are brewed with malted barley, unmalted wheat and sometimes oats. They are spiced with coriander and orange peel. Coriander and light orange peel aroma may be present, sometimes as an unidentified spiciness.

-ABV: 4.8%-5.6%

-Glassware: Tulip

Examples

White
Allagash Brewing Company


ABV: 5.1%

Notes: Our interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel, this beer is fruity, refreshing and slightly cloudy in appearance.



Hoegaarden Original White Ale

Brouwerij van Hoegaarden

ABV: 4.9%

Notes: The Original Belgian Wheat Beer. Almost 600 years ago in the Belgian village of Hoegaarden, a band of monks experimented by adding oddball botanicals from halfway around the world to their traditional wheat beer. Our recipe, inspired by their creation, is a beer with a refreshing flavor and captivating aroma, unlike any in the world. Let the refreshing citrus and earthy coriander alleviate the stresses of modern living and whisk you to another place entirely. You might call it divine inspiration... we call it Hoegaarden.

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Beara
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

Craft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-storm

Craft Beer Storm Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

Craft Beer Storm Facebook:
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Craft Beer Storm Instagram:
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Michael catches up with Bill Herlicka, Founder of Brewer Consulting Brewer on his views of the Pandemic and its effects on craft brew.

Starting from scratch?
Adding needed capacity?
Upgrading to a lager brewhouse?
What is your new production goal?
What is your budget?
What options should you be considering as you work to reach your goal?

Drop Bill an email at [email protected]

Or visit his website at https://brewerconsultingbrewer.com/

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Potorti
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

Craft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-storm

Craft Beer Storm Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

Craft Beer Storm Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/craftbeerstorm/

Craft Beer Storm Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/craftbeerstorm/

Craft Brew News
05/08/20

(Courtesy of brewbound.com)

Maine Brewpub Owner Defies Executive Order, Loses Licenses

Even as a mini-revolution, the Sunday River Brewing uprising didn’t last long.

As states grapple with reopening for business in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, one Maine brewpub owner opted to defy the reopening plan Gov. Janet Mills laid out last week that orders restaurants to remain shut for on-premise dining until June.

Rick Savage, owner of Sunday River Brewing in Bethel, Maine, opened his brewpub at around noon on Friday, May 1, drawing a large crowd and defying Mills’ March 18 executive order banning gatherings of more than 10 people. About four hours later, he told reporters that state government representatives had come to the brewpub to revoke his health and liquor licenses.

Savage said to a group of reporters outside the brewpub on Friday. “I think it’s ridiculous,” “I think
it’s totally ridiculous. If they want to deal with people, deal with us in a manner that’s civil.”
“If you don’t like it, take me to court,” Savage said.

But, before 8 p.m. on May 1, Sunday River Brewing had posted to Facebook that the brewpub “will be closed until further notice.” The next day, Savage appeared at a rally protesting Mills’ reopening plan. Sunday River Brewing linked to a GoFundMe fundraiser on Facebook called the “Maine Back to Work Fund,” which has raised nearly $95,000 as of presstime.

Federal Judge Sides with Anheuser-Busch InBev in Corn Syrup Ad Lawsuit

More than a year after it began, a federal circuit judge ruled that Anheuser-Busch InBev is free to continue its advertising campaign calling out the use of corn syrup in Molson Coors Beverage Company’s flagship light lagers.

Molson Coors, then named MillerCoors, filed a deceptive advertising lawsuit against the world’s largest beer manufacturer after it ran a commercial during the 2019 Super Bowl pointing out the use of corn syrup during the brewing process of Miller Lite and Coors Light, which Bud Light does not use.

At the heart of its decision is that Miller Lite and Coors Light both list “corn syrup (dextrose)” among their ingredients.

Earlier in 2019, a different judge granted Molson Coors an injunction that blocked A-B from displaying some billboards and television ads.

A-B said it is “pleased” with the decision.

Pyramid Brewing Closes Seattle Taproom After Over 30 Years

After more than 30 years in business, Pyramid Brewing Co. parent company FIFCO USA announced last week that it will permanently close Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle, Washington. The company notified staff Thursday, April 30, offering severance pay to help with their transition.

The state’s bar and restaurant closures due to COVID-19 have led to business decline, “creating insurmountable business challenges for the Alehouse to continue to operate,” according to a press release. Located in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood, Pyramid Alehouse relied on sporting and entertainment events to bring customers to the neighborhood and support its business during “non-peak” times, according to Rich Andrews, CEO of FIFCO USA. The taproom is located across the street from the Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field and a block from the Seattle Seahawks’ CenturyLink Field.

Pyramid beer will still be available for purchase at its retail accounts throughout the Pacific Northwest, and its beers will be brewed in Oregon’s Portland Brewery.


On-Premise Shutdowns Could Cost Beer Industry $8 Billion

The near-nationwide shutdown of the on-premise channel will result in a loss of $8 billion for the beer industry if it continues into June, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones said during a State of the Industry webinar hosted by the NBWA and the Beer Institute (BI) last week.

Jones said “We really need to step up our conversations and talk about how the loss here to the industry is significant,”. “It’s not going to be made up through grocery stores and 30-packs and cases people are stashing in their garages. It will not be compensated by those additional off-premise purchases. And, of course, the longer the shutdown, the greater the loss.”

On-premise sales account for 9% of the industry’s $328 billion annual economic impact, which translates to $3.1 billion per month. If a quarter of the on-premise channel reopens in May and half reopens in June, the beer industry stands to lose $8 billion.

As states begin laying out plans for the reopening of their economies, the beer industry will need to consider the health of geographic markets when deciding how to return to the shuttered on-premise channel, Jones said.

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
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Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

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If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Potorti
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
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**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

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Belgian-Style Blonde Ale

Description (Courtesy of Beer Advocate)

Belgian Blonde Ale
The Belgian-style blonde ale is typically easy-drinking, with a low but pleasing hop bitterness. This is a light- to medium-bodied ale, with a low malt aroma that has a spiced and sometimes fruity-ester character. Common aromatic ester characteristics include banana, pear drop, apple, honey, roses. Sugar is sometimes added to lighten the perceived body. This style is medium in sweetness and not as bitter as Belgian-style tripels or golden strong ales. It is usually brilliantly clear. The overall impression is balance between light sweetness, spice and low to medium fruity ester flavors.


-Color – Pale to light amber

-Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures

-Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Malt aroma and flavor is low.

-Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Not present to low. Noble-type hops are commonly used.

-Perceived Bitterness: Very Low to mediumlow

-Body: Low to medium

-ABV: 6.3%-7.9%

-Glassware: Tulip

Examples

Leffe Blonde
Abbaye de Leffe S.A., Belgium

ABV: 6.6%

Notes: Age-old expertise and the combination of pale malt, water, hop and yeast lend Leffe Blond its subtle taste and golden colour, which manages to catch and reflect the light. Hints of vanilla and clove infuse the beer with an even smoother flavour, which best expresses itself in a Leffe chalice, simultaneously allowing the soft, fresh essence of this beer to unveil its true elegance.




Devotion
The Lost Abbey, California

ABV: 6.0%

Notes:

AROMA
Designed to be a hop driven beer, the aroma presents mostly European variety hops with underlying notes of fresh hay and grassy fields. There is a very low level of yeast phenols present and much of the subtle spice come from the aromatic hops.
TASTE
A lighter bodied beer that immediately makes an initial hop impression followed by a brief thinning layer of malt

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Potorti
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

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Michael speaks with American Homebrewers Association Director Gary Glass about the surge in Homebrewing and opportunities for homebrewers to go commercial.

Over 1.1 million people brew their own beer at home in the United States. The American Homebrewers Association® (AHA) is a 501(c)6 not-for-profit organization based in Boulder, Colo., dedicated to promoting the community of homebrewers and empowering homebrewers to make the best beer in the world. Since 1978, the AHA has worked to educate people worldwide about the coolest hobby there is—homebrewing.

Quick Facts
The American Homebrewers Association:

Was founded in 1978 by homebrew author and past Brewers Association President Charlie Papazian in Boulder, Colorado.

Has over 46,000 members.

Advocates for homebrewers’ rights in the United States.

Hosts the world’s largest beer competition.

Publishes Zymurgy® magazine.

Is governed by a committee of homebrewers elected by its members.

Hosts multiple events promoting homebrewing, cider and mead making.

Is a division of the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to promoting and protecting amateur and professional craft brewers.

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Potorti
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

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Craft Brew News
05/01/20
(Courtesy of Brewbound.com)

Nearly Half of New York Breweries Say Their Businesses Could Close in 3 Months, According to Guild Survey

The majority of New York craft brewers have seen their sales drop by 75% or more and nearly half have stopped production entirely, according to a survey conducted by the New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA).

The survey’s conclusion read. “Without increased and consistent local, federal and state help, it is possible that nearly half of the breweries operating in New York state could shut down after three months,” Nearly half — 46% of breweries — said they could last between one and three months under current conditions. About a quarter said they could continue operating for three to six months. Ten percent said they could last for the next one to four weeks.

New York has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., with nearly 300,000 cases and 17,000 deaths. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was among the first governors to mandate a statewide shutdown of on-premise sales at bars and restaurants shutdowns on March 16.
On Sunday, Cuomo announced that the order will likely extend beyond its planned expiration date of May 15, but he said some regions of the state could see a relaxation of restrictions based on infection rates, Reuters reported.

As breweries nationwide have lost taproom draft sales, they’ve pivoted to offer to-go sales, curbside pickups and home delivery. In New York, 37% of breweries are offering to-go sales, a quarter are offering curbside pickup and 8% are offering home delivery. Twenty percent are selling beer through their distribution network.


Brewers Association Lays Off 23% of Staff, Reduces Salaries of Management Team

The Brewers Association (BA) laid off 23% of its staff last week “in order to maintain the long-term viability” of the national trade group, which represents the interests of small and independent U.S. craft brewers.

The BA announced the job cuts on its website Monday.

In addition to the job cuts, the BA has enacted tiered salary reduction for its management team, in addition to operational budget cuts that were made earlier in April.
The BA was forced to cancel two of its signature events — the annual Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America and SAVOR — as well as the World Beer Cup competition earlier this spring due to concerns caused by the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. CBC was expected to draw more than 13,000 industry professionals to San Antonio, Texas, from April19-22.

Tickets are still on sale for the BA’s next event, the American Homebrewers Association’s Homebrew Con, which is slated to take place June 18-20 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Brewers Association, Bottleshare Introduce Fund for Breweries, Guilds

The Brewers Association (BA) today announced it has formed a partnership with nonprofit fundraising organization Bottleshare to establish the “Believe in Beer Fund” to support breweries and state brewers guilds across the country that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting today, the BA and Bottleshare are accepting applications from guilds and breweries in need of financial support, as well as donations from consumers for the fund via GoFundMe, with a stated goal of raising $1 million, through Sunday, May 17. The goal of the fund is to provide financial support to pay payroll, rent and utilities.

Boston Beer Execs Discuss Keeping Up with Truly Hard Seltzer Demand, On-Premise ‘Devastation’

The story of Boston Beer Company’s Truly Hard Seltzer brand remains the same; the company can’t keep up with demand for the hard seltzer category’s second largest brand. The mid-March pantry stock up caused by the novel coronavirus shutting down virtually all on-premise sales led to a spike in Truly sales earlier than expected.

Executives from Boston Beer explained Wednesday that the inventory that they had built up for an expected summer rush of sales was instead depleted earlier than planned (Boston Beer reported Q1 depletions growth of 32% and shipments growth of 36%).

So Boston Beer’s summer inventory is smaller than anticipated, but the company believes it has enough capacity between its internal capacity and external production at contract facility City Brewery in Memphis.

Supplementing that capacity is two new full-time canning lines, Boston Beer founder Jim Koch said. The first came online within the last two weeks at Boston Beer’s Pennsylvania brewery, and the second at City Brewery in Memphis will be operational in May. Both of those lines will more than double Boston Beer’s production of Truly in order to meet demand in the summer months and the back-half of 2020.

Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com

*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***

Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2

Michael Beara is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:

https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faeb

If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to [email protected]


Michael Potorti
Founder/Brewer
Host of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcast
[email protected]
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craft-beer-storm-podcast-30776075/

**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**

Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278

Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriber

Craft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-storm

Craft Beer Storm Linked In:
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