December Beer Festivals  December Homebrewing Competitions Bob and Doug's 12 Days of Christmas
   
Wallace Brewing Company holds grand opening(December 28) - Idaho - After the brewing company hosted a packed soft opening party with one beer last month, the orehouse is expected to have a big turnout this weekend with the Red Light Wheat, Rockhead Lager, Dirty Blonde Pale Ale, and Jackleg Stout all on tap. Complete Story

Small-scale brewery: He "hopped" to it(December 27) - Colorado - What struck Jeff Nickel initially about leaving Coors Brewing Co. this year to join Oskar Blues Brewery was the corporate attire.  Complete Story

  
A look inside the new Lexington Avenue Brewery(December 19) - As for the beer, the brewer will be Ben Pierson, who previously worked at Green Man Brewing in Asheville. One of the more colorful characters who has orbited through the Asheville beer universe, Pierson deserves a column all his own. And so that's what we'll do here — tell you about the LAB this week, and give you Pierson's story next week. Complete Story

Mad Elf Ale - Number 1 Christmas Beer(December 19) - Don Russell, the award-winning beer writer known as Joe Sixpack, ranks the 50 best Christmas beers in his new book, Christmas Beer. Here's a look at his top 10 and a brief summary from the book. Complete Story
 
Homemade beer brings good cheer(December 18) -  Last Christmas, my fiancee and I gave ourselves the gift of home-brewing equipment. Since then, we've brewed at least five five-gallon batches of beer — about 50 bottles per batch. Complete Story & Video

Harpoon expands Boston brewery (December 18) - It was a special delivery for Harpoon Brewing in South Boston, Massachusetts: Two gigantic new beer fermenting tanks, each 38 feet tall, made in Missouri, and trucked here.  Complete Story & Video

The economy of beer by Deschutes Brewery's CEO(December 18) - Gary Fish, Founder and CEO of Deschutes Brewery discusses beer matters in his blogI couldn't help but want to share this with my readers.  I just discovered a relatively new blog by the founder and CEO of Bend, Oregon's Deschutes Brewery.  I've added his blog to this page's list of feeds RSS feeds. Complete Story

NY Governor Hikes Beer Tax(December 18) -  Paterson is also proposing other tax hikes to balance the state budget, which include a two-fold increase in beer taxes, and changing the malt beverage tax rate to be in line with the higher liquor tax rate.  Complete Story
 
Fire breaks out at the Hog Haus Brewing Company(December 17) -  Arkansas - An iconic Dickson Street establishment, Hog Haus Brewing Company Restaurant and Bar, sustained damage to its roof after a Tuesday afternoon fire. Hog Haus brew master Steve Mazylewsky was prepping a beer tank for filtration a few minutes before 1 p.m. Tuesday when he smelled smoke.  Complete Story

Beaver Street Brewery seeks expansion to serve state(December 17) -  Arizona - An iconic Dickson Street establishment, Hog Haus Brewing Company Restaurant and Bar, sustained damage to its roof after a Tuesday afternoon fire. Hog Haus brew master Steve Mazylewsky was prepping a beer tank for filtration a few minutes before 1 p.m. Tuesday when he smelled smoke.  Complete Story

Stone Smoked Porter is rich, full and malty(December 17) -  "A porter is an old British style, originally a working man's beer," says Mr. Coyle. "It was almost a lost beer style that came back into fashion in the early '90s. Complete Story
 
Forbes reviews Kona Brewing Pipeline Porter(December 17) -  Hawaii doesn't seem like the sort of place where you'd find good beer. It's a tropical paradise, where people quaff rum drinks like Mai Tais and Lava Flows.  Complete Story

Dogfish Head on Discovery Chanel - December 18(December 16) -  Dogfish will be on Discover Channel this Thursday at 8pm on "How Stuff Works". The topic for the 12/18 episode is BEER!

Karl Strauss Imperial Malt Ball Stout(December 16) - California - It is tradition at Karl Strauss that each winter a different Karl Strauss brewer gets to try their hand at the Holiday Beer. This year the opportunity fell to our very own Ian Young. Ian knew he wanted to brew a Stout, but he had visions of malt balls dancing in his head. Complete Story

Beer of the Week - Anchor Christmas 2008(December 14) - BThis beer has a big, long-roasted profile that's consistent throughout. Moving through the more aggressive flavors, light notes of caramel and citrus emerge.  Complete Story

Full Sail Brewing Releases Big Daddy J's Malt Liquor(December 14) - This year Full Sail celebrates 21 years of doing what they love, brewing beer. As a continuation of their 21st birthday celebrations, Full Sail is proud to announce the next beer in their line up of small batch draft beers called "Brewer's Share."  Complete Story

American craft brewers take on Chinese thirst for beer (December 14) - Brewers Association Bob Pease leads Chinese in beer tasting of American craft beersiBrewers Association Export Development Program Director Bob Pease is reporting increasing Chinese interest in beer from America’s small craft brewers. Complete Story

High Falls Wins Three European Beer Star Awards(December 12) - High Falls Brewing Company is pleased to announce that three of its beers have won 2008 European Beer Star Awards . Genesee Beer won "Gold" in the category of Bottom Fermented Beer with Alternative Cereals or Field Crops; Dundee Honey Brown won "Gold" for Specialty Honey Beer; and Dundee Porter earned a "Bronze" in the Porter category.  Complete Story

Full Sail Wassail - A Christmas Miracle(December 12) - HHistorically, brewers craft small batches of darker beers, generously adding extra hops and malts to make exceptionally robust, tasty ales to celebrate the season, and as a way of sharing the bounty of the season with their customers.  Complete Story
 
Penn Brewery begins shutdown of North Side home(December 12) - The fate of the historic home of the Penn Brewery, Pittsburgh's first and largest craft beer maker, appears sealed this week as the owners prepare to leave the 19th-century structure with its custom brewhouse and restaurant for new quarters somewhere in Pittsburgh. Complete Story
 
Buzzsaw Brown Returns to Deschutes Brewery Line-up(December 10) - Oregon - Buzzsaw Brown creates a tasty encore to the brewery’s winter seasonal, Jubelale. This will be Buzzsaw Brown’s third year as part of Deschutes’ strong seasonal line-up that also includes Cinder Cone Red and Twilight Ale. Complete Story

Michael Jackson’s Final Word on Belgian Beer(December 10) - Colorado - Great Beers of Belgium is a richly detailed examination of Belgian beer and brewing. Michael Jackson's extraordinary passion for Belgian beer shines through in every aspect of this engaging work, from the personal stories of the people behind the beers to the careful descriptions of their flavors. Revised and updated shortly before his death, this work represents the pinnacle of Jackson's meticulous research and masterful writing, presented in a beautifully illustrated visual environment. Complete Story
 
A Better Brew - The rise of extreme beer(December 10) - New Yorker - The brewery’s motto was “Off-Centered Ales for Off-Centered People.” It made everything from elegant Belgian-style ales to experimental beers brewed with fresh oysters or arctic cloudberries. Complete Story

Amnesia's first winter beer fest, Saturday Dec. 13th(December 9) - Oregon Amnesia's fest benefits the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation, which provides brewers scholarships in memory of the much-loved Eugene brewer who died in an accident in 2002. Falconers brother Quentin runs the foundation and is flying in from the Bay Area for the event. Complete Story
 
Anheuser-Busch InBev will trim 6% of work force(December 9) - Colorado - Anheuser-Busch InBev, which operates a brewery in Fort Collins, said it plans to cut about 1,400 U.S. salaried positions in its beer-related divisions. Complete Story

Quarry Brewing: Where They Dig Beer(December 9) - Montana - In Butte, America, they dig things, like copper and silver, big statues on big hills, hunting and fishing, labor unions, big pits, and now, they dig beer, too, all because of Quarry Brewing, one of Montana's newwest microbreweries. Complete Story

Heineken to shut Beamish brewery in Ireland (December 9) - Heineken said the brewery — best known for making Beamish, one of Ireland‘s three brands of dark-brown stout — would close in March with the loss of 120 jobs, about three-fifths of the work force.  Complete Story
 
Sackets Harbor Brewing Company's "War of 1812 Amber Ale"(December 8) - MarketWatch - War of 1812 Amber Ale is Sackets Harbor Brewing Company's international award winning ale that has developed a strong fan base of craft beer aficionados in Central and Northern New York.  Complete Story

One of the best Holiday Ales - Yulesmith Holiday Ale(December 8) - For the winter season, YuleSmith is brewed as an Imperial Red Ale. This version is maltier, more balanced, and darker in color than the summer version. Although quite malty, big hop flavors and aromas are abundant making this an unforgettable winter warmer.   Winter YuleSmith is packaged in traditional holiday red and green. Complete Review & AleSmith Brewing Company

Left Hand Snowbound Winter Ale Review(December 8) - I pour the beer, I get a dark brown color with red tinges and a modest but promising head. The smell is nutmeg and cinnamon and more nutmeg; I'm a little surprised that a beer this dark doesn't have any malt or hop aroma whatsoever, just spice.  Complete Review
 
Cambridge Brewing Company - sake-beer featured at Boston area’s first craft brewery(December 8) -The Cambridge Brewing Company, established in 1989 was the first craft operational brewery in the Boston area.  I dropped by last week for the first time in over a decade – it’s a bit of a haul between Colorado and Cambridge, so you’ll have to cut me some slack.  Complete Story

2008 Beer Books(December 8) - Check out all the new beer books that came out in 2008. Now on sale at Beerbooks.com.  Complete list

BeerAdvocate & Dogfish Head to Brew Collaborative Extreme Beer(December 6) - Typically, beer is brewed with four base ingredients (water, malt, hops, and yeast) and beer styles tightly frame the brewer's art with restrictive captions. Historically, breaking out of these frames was taboo, subject to fine, imprisonment, death, or even worse--a beer not being called "beer!"  Complete Story

Boundary Bay Brewery ties for Best Brewery in Washington State(December 6) - Every year, Northwest Brewing News holds a Reader’s Choice poll. They ask hundreds of readers to vote online or by mail for best beer, best homebrew store, best bartender, best beer store, and best brewery. Complete Story

US drinks to 75 years since end of Prohibition(December 5) - Americans will Friday toast the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition, a dry spell that began in 1920 when a constitutional amendment outlawed alcohol throughout the United States.  Complete Story

Keg & Barrel premieres home-brewed beer(December 5) - The Keg & Barrel brewery is one of the smallest in the nation with a capacity of 20 gallons. While the bar will premiere four beers on Friday, more brews will be on their way as they develop, Neal said. Complete Story

Magic Hat Proves Winter Beers Don't Have To Be One-Dimensional(December 5) - Magic Hat's Winter Odd Notion seasonal which somewhat secretly goes by the name "Braggot" (it's not clearly written on the bottle's label) takes aim at the idea of sweet winter candies with a nose that goes beyond caramel into the realm of brown sugar, butterscotch, even icing. Complete Review

The 10 best beers of Christmas(December 5) - Tampa -  The Christmas-themed category of beers has exploded in recent years and making sense of them can be difficult because there is no standard style. A Christmas-themed beer can be any style, from a spiced brown ale to an India Pale Ale. Complete Story
 
Ithaca Beer Company to celebrate 10-year anniversary(December 4) - Today, Ithaca Beer (IBC) will celebrate its 10th Anniversary around town at the Chapter House, Ithaca Ale House, Kilpatrick's, Korova and Pixel Lounge. “We've been open 10 years, and we're going to celebrate,” says IBC owner Dan Mitchell.  Complete Story

Tallgrass IPA hits the market next week(December 4) - Topeka - This Friday, December 5 Tallgrass IPA will be sampled to the public for the first time in Topeka at Frances O'Dooley's Irish Pub and Grille. Complete Story
 
Warm up with an Alaska Winter Ale(December 4) -Brewed in the style of an English Olde Ale, this ale balances the sweet heady aroma of spruce tips with the clean crisp finish of noble hops. Its malty richness is complemented by the warming sensation of alcohol.  Complete Story
 
Saranac brewery presents The 12 Beers of Winter(December 4) - The latest, the 12 Beers of Winter, also features three new beers Vanilla Stout, Bohemian Pilsner and India Brown Ale. Other beers in the pack include Extra Special Bitter, Season's Best and Belgian Ale.  Complete Story
 
Put Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale on holiday wish list(December 3) - This has been one of my favorites for many years. Celebration Ale is not the typical winter-warmer, dark, malty beers we're used to. Celebration Ale is actually an American IPA.  Complete Story
 
Square One Brewery to Add Distillery(December 3) - St. Louis - Steve Neukomm, owner of Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square, says his craft brewery is about to begin micro-distilling vodkas, liqueurs, aquavits, whiskeys, gins. Complete Story

Schlafly installing extra brewing tanks to raise capacity(December 3) - Missouri - Dan Kopman looked up at the square hole in the roof of his brewery. High above, suspended from a crane, was the latest addition to the Schlafly Bottleworks — a 200-barrel fermenting tank, the largest ever put in the building.  Complete Story

Most wonderful time of the beer(December 2) - During a season when "holiday cheer" is often synonymous with wine and spirits, brewers in Wisconsin and around the country are crashing the party. At Milwaukee-based Lakefront Brewery Inc., they're selling Holiday Spice Lager Beer, which gets it name and taste from orange zest, cinnamon, cloves and honey. Complete Story

Carlyle Brewing Company Is Expanding(December 2) - Illinois - The Carlyle Brewing Company is marking a successful run in Rockford's river district Monday night with the unveiling of their recent expansion. They are calling the expansion "phase two" and it includes several new elements.  Complete Story
 
Left Hand Snowbound Winter Ale Hits the Market(December 1) - Brewed once a year to fight cabin fever, this spiced strong ale uses all natural ingredients, including crushed cinnamon, honey, chopped ginger, orange zest, cardamon and cloves.  Deep red in color, this medium-bodied beer is a winter warmer - enjoy on a cold night in front of the fireplace. Reviews

Watch out for the Killer Penguin Barley Wine(December 1) - Traditional winter seasonal beers are warm and comforting - Not this penguin. Diving in at around 10 percent alcohol by volume, Killer Penguin uses twice the malt as other winter beers, was brewed in December '04 and has been aging for more than 8 months to perfect the flavor and condition of this barleywine style ale. This bird doesn't ferment - it hibernates, and wakes up with an attitude. Boulder Releases

2008 Monthly Beer Festivals
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2008 Monthly Brew News
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