May's Top Beer Stories
Tapped out? Not at Boston Beer(May 20) - Massachusetts - Even in a tough economy, beer lovers need their brew. That's how Boston Beer Co., the maker of Sam Adams, explains its 21 percent jump in revenue last year despite rising commodity prices and reduced consumer spending. Complete Story
Beer By the Year(May 20) - Newsweek - I've always regarded beer as a pretty democratic drink. It's cheap, appealing and widely available. Its biggest fans tend to be the sort of simple, straight-shooting lugs who marry implausibly tolerant women and make a lovable mess of things every half hour or so: think Homer Simpson or Norm from "Cheers" or George W. Bush. Complete Story
Deschutes Brewery Releases Twilight Ale(May 19) - Oregon - June's impending arrival signals the return of Deschutes Brewery's summer seasonal, Twilight Ale. Employing four different hop varieties, the hints of citrus in this lively, crisp ale guarantee an easy-drinking beer that quenches the thirst of summer like no other. Dry-hopping with bold Amarillos provides the perfect finishing touch. Complete Story
Carolina Brewery wins six championship of beer awards(May 18) - North Carolina - Carolina Brewery took home six Carolinas Championship of Beer Awards at the Hickory Hops Beer Festival in Hickory, NC on April 12th. Gold awards were presented to Alter Ego Altbier and Flagship IPA, silver awards to Sky Blue Golden Ale, and bronze awards to Copperline Amber Ale and To Hell ‘n’ Bock. The Alter Ego Albier was also awarded Second Place Best of Show for the entire competition. Complete Story
Guinness calls time on Dublin brewery(May 16) - Ireland - Guinness owners Diageo were expected to announce yesterday that they would wind down operations on the 22ha site that was originally granted to the company's founder, Arthur Guinness, as a 9000-year lease. Complete Story
Dog beer 3: One more for the road(May 16) - Baltimore - Doggie Brew was among the first dog beers to be introduced in the U.S., along with Happy Tail Ale in California, which is now, according to its website, "on hiatus." Complete Story
The Science of Making Great Beer on NPR(May 16) - Seattle - I loves me some NPR. They usually do a pretty decent job of throwing in some beer news every now and again, but here is a link to a 45 minute special on beer that aired today. Complete Story
Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest winners(May 15) - Boston - For two years now, with its LongShot American Homebrew Contest, Sam Adams has been encouraging the pursuit of hoppiness by putting out a call across the land and promising to professionally brew and distribute the winning recipes. Complete Story
Napa Smith Brewery Opens(May 15) - California - The Napa Smith Brewery has opened in Napa, at the intersection of Highways 29 and 12, the former site of Hakusan Sake Brewery. Complete Story
WELLINGTON BREWERY CELEBRATES MULTIPLE AWARD WINS AT THE ONTARIO BREWING AWARDS(May 15) - Canada - A blind taste test in Canada’s most competitive beer market has voted three of Wellington Breweries beers as medal winners at the 5th annual Ontario Brewing Awards. Complete Story
The Sweet Taste of Belgium Beer(May 15) - Canada - We Canadians really do like our beer, but while we as a country like drinking it, some nations really like making it. One of those nations is Belgium, who claims to be one of the best beer makers in the world. I’ve put their claims to the test to see what regular people, who don’t have fancy glasses, or a discerning palette of a professional beer taster, think. Complete Story
Beer, free stuff lead to 'man cave'(May 15) - CNN - During the week Ryan Samuel, 30, is a married man working in the energy market in Richardson, Texas. But on the weekends he lures men away from their homes, wives and children with beer, camaraderie, power tools and "The Ponderosa." Complete Story
Now that spring is back, beer lovers turn to bock(May 14) - Cleveland - It's been said that in the spring, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love. But while he's thinking, there's no harm in quaffing one of the great springtime beers that are showing up on beverage store shelves and on tap at area brewpubs. Complete Story
Software developed for beer keg protection(May 14) - FOOD - In the US alone, Xterprise says that around 300,000 kegs are lost annually at a cost of $50m to the country's beer industry, as rising metal prices make the barrels a valuable resource. Complete Story
Olde Saratoga Brewing Company Expands(May 14) - New York - Paul McErlean, Master Brewer at the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company, said, "In a lot of people's eyes, beer is a casual fun drink." Complete Story
Pyramid Brewing to combine with Magic Hat(May 12) - Seattle - When R. Martin Kelly was chief executive of Seattle's Pyramid Breweries a few years ago, he learned how cumbersome it is for a small company to be publicly traded. Complete Story
Beer with the lime built in(May 12) - Boston - Now that there's more than one mass-produced lime beer on the market, it's officially a trend. Anheuser-Busch squeezed Bud Light Lime onto shelves nationwide at the end of April to compete with Miller Chill, which came out last summer, so we decided to give them both a try. Complete Story
Lagunitas planting its own hops fields(May 11) - California - TONY MAGEE didn't know much about growing hops before leasing a former cow pasture near Marshall's Marconi Cove. "It's an experiment," said Magee, a Point Reyes Station resident. "An adventure." Complete Story
Online Rare-Beer Auction Supports FredFest 2008(May 7) - BeerAdvocate - Beer aficionados across the nation will be reaching for their wallets this weekend when rare beers and vertical collections will be highlighted at the first-ever FredFest Online Beer Auction. Complete Story
Global warming hitting hops hard(May 7) - In a Nature news article this week, Nature staff writer Rex Dalton reports on how the warming climate in Northern Europe is adversely affecting the hop crop. According to Peter Darby, a hop grower in the UK, the warm springs and mild winters have caused the hop vines to sprout early, stagnate, and produce little. Complete Story
Blue Ribbon Beer Can Casket(May 6) - ABC News - A man in Chicago says he wants to be prepared when its his time to go so he's ordered a beer can casket. Check out today's Netcast to see video of the casket that has been painted to look like a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can. Complete Story
What's on Tap: Linden Street Brewery (May 6) - California - WHEN I VISIT the Trappist, the new Belgian beer pub in downtown Oakland — a place famous, of course, for Belgian ales — I often order a lager. No kidding. The beer is Linden Street Common Lager HHH from Linden Street Brewery, the first new brewery in Oakland since Pacific Coast Brewing Co. opened in 1988. Complete Story
Obama woos blue collar voters with beer taste(May 6) - North Carolina - After weeks of looking defensive and depressed, Barack Obama may have found the answer to his troubles in a place familiar to millions of Americans: the pub. Complete Story
Flying Dog Brewery Releases Kerberos Tripel and Canis Major Mixed Pack(May 6) - Maryland - Head Brewer, Matt Brophy said, “Extensive pilot system brewing allowed us to experiment with a variety of recipes and yeast strains. We ended up with a strong Belgian Ale that starts off sweet up front, fruity in the middle and has a really nice dry finish.” Complete Story
High Falls Brewery CEO wants your business(May 5) - New York - "You've got a product that's as good if not better why not give that a shot why not keep things local and the economy going," said CEO Norm Snyder. Complete Story
Beer-licious! Deschutes' new brew pub open(May 3) - Oregon - The new Deschutes Brewery Pub in the Pearl District opens for regular business tomorrow, after splashy invite-only parties over the weekend broke in the sprawling, open space. Complete Story
