Samuel Adams is Reviving Jack Mcauliffe Iconic American Craft Brew for a
Limited Release
Jack McAuliffe, a pioneer in craft brewing and founder of The New Albion
Brewing Company, and Jim Koch, brewer and founder of Samuel Adams announced
today their plans to brew McAuliff’s original New Albion Ale for the first
time in 30 years. Recognized by beer experts as the original American craft
beer, this American pale ale will be brewed true to its original recipe
using the original yeast, which has been carefully preserved at the
University of California since 1977.
Koch and McAuliffe both share an enormous passion for craft beer and are seen as
pioneers in the American Craft Beer Revolution. McAuliffe, a Navy veteran,
acquired a taste for flavorful beer while stationed in Scotland in the 1960s.
Shortly thereafter he developed a passion for homebrewing and eventually started
the nation’s first craft brewery, The New Albion Brewing Company in 1976.
Although the brewery closed its doors in 1982 due to a weak economy and a lack
of financing options, McAuliffe’s vision for New Albion Ale was ahead of his
time, helping pave the way for other American craft breweries, and its impact is
still felt today.
“Jack was brewing craft beer when nothing was easy. Nobody made small scale
brewing equipment, nobody wanted to invest, retailers and distributors didn’t
want your beer, drinkers couldn’t understand why the beer didn’t taste ‘normal.’
It was so different from today,” says Samuel Adams founder and brewer Jim Koch.
“New Albion is a true legacy. Jack’s passion for craft beer has had a widespread
influence, and has shaped the craft beer landscape. What Jack started 30 years
ago inspired brewers to explore brewing full-flavored craft beers. His New
Albion Ale was the original craft brew. We wanted to work with Jack to brew his
recipe for the first time in almost thirty years and recognize him for his
contribution to brewing.”
The first craft brewery in the United States - New Albion Brewery
Samuel Adams is brewing the original recipe for McAuliffe’s flagship beer, New
Albion Ale. McAuliffe traveled to Boston in early July to join Koch and the
Samuel Adams brewers as they brewed the first batch. New Albion Ale is a deep,
golden beer brewed with American Cascade hops and a 2-row malt blend. The
Cascade hops, sourced from the Pacific Northwest, create a moderate hop
bitterness and lingering notes of citrus and floral, balanced by the upfront
cereal character and sweet finish from the malt.
“Jim and I share a common passion for craft brewing, so I was honored when he
approached me about bringing the New Albion original recipe back to life,” says
Jack McAuliffe brewer and
founder of the original New Albion Brewing Company. “I can’t believe I’m brewing
New Albion for a new generation of craft beer drinkers – a group that has more
great beer choices than I ever had! New Albion will have a place in the growing
and diverse craft beer landscape thanks to a fellow craft brewer.”
When McAuliffe decided to turn his passion for homebrewing into a microbrewery,
it was one of the first of its kind. At its height, New Albion Brewing Company
brewed about 450 barrels annually. Microbreweries struggled under a market
dominated by mass domestic beer but paved the way for growth in the 1990s. The
number of craft breweries has gone from 8 in 1980, to 537 in 1994, to close to
2000 in 2012.
Jim Koch and Jack McAuliffe share the same pioneering spirit, and like
McAuliffe, Koch was convinced that he could find his niche in an uncharted beer
market. Koch followed his German-American family tradition and became a brewer,
creating the first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® in his kitchen in 1984
from a family recipe. He insisted then, as he does now, that only the world’s
finest ingredients will make the best beer, and that quality and flavor are the
only standards worth pursuing. Jim wanted a beer brewed with American
craftsmanship and pride.

New Albion Ale will be brewed, bottled and sold by The Boston Beer Company. All
profits will go directly to Jack McAuliffe. The beer will be served at special
events during the 2012 Great American Beer Festival (October 13), in Denver, CO
and available nationwide beginning in January of 2013. New Albion Ale will be
available in six-packs with a suggested retail price of $7.99.
The Boston Beer Company
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that
Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father’s attic. Inspired and
unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe
to life in his kitchen. Pleased with the results of his work, Jim decided to
sample his beer with bars in Boston in the hopes that drinkers would appreciate
the complex, full-flavored beer he brewed fresh in America. That beer was aptly
named Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, in recognition of one of our nation's great
founding fathers, a man of independent mind and spirit. Little did Jim know at
the time, Samuel Adams Boston Lager soon became a catalyst of the American craft
beer revolution.
Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 50 styles of beer. It
relentlessly pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of classic
beers by searching the world for the finest ingredients. Using the traditional
four vessel brewing process, the Company often takes extra steps like
dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. The
Company has also pioneered another revolution, the 'extreme beer' movement,
where it seeks to challenge drinker's perceptions of what beer can be. The
Boston Beer Company has been committed to elevating the image of American craft
beer by entering festivals and competitions around the globe, and in the past
five years has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other
brewery in the world. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains
its single focus. Although Samuel Adams beer is America's largest-selling craft
beer, it accounts for only one percent of the U.S. beer market. The Boston Beer
Company will continue its independently-minded quest to brew great beer and to
advocate for the growth of craft beer across America. For more information,
please visit www.samueladams.com.
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