Sun King To Release Bourbon Barrel Aged Johan and The Velvet Fog(January 25) - Sun King Brewing Company will release two beers in the new King’s Reserve can on January 28th. The King’s Reserve is a new 16 oz. resealable Alumi-Tek can that is manufactured by Ball Corporation in Monticello, IN. Sun King and Colorado’s Oskar Blues pioneered the use of this vessel last year with the release of Chaka and The Deuce. Complete Story
                                

                     
2013 U.S. Open Beer Championship Entries Due June 14(January 23) - The entry date for the 2013 United States Open Beer Championship will be June 14, 2013 with the winners being announced on July 4. The U.S. Open is the only brewery competition to include professional breweries and award-winning home brewers. Last year, the entrants included more than 1600 beers in over 60 different categories. Complete Story

Brewdog officially opens new brewery(January 22) - More than £2m of the money for the new brewery came from “Equity Punk” investors, as the brewery invited fans of the beer to become shareholders in the new project. After spending five years at its original brewery at Fraserburgh, the new facility will see BrewDog focus on improving the quantity and quality of its beer. Complete Story and Slideshow
 
The weirdness of Moccasin Bend Brewing Company(January 20) - Moccasin Bend Brewing Company is located in the basement of a St. Elmo building used during WWII for K-ration packaging. The mortar between the bricks shows, and the ceiling's cedar planks can prove a little intrusive of the overhead light. The Tennessee Avenue brewery and tasting room runs a bit like your favorite uncle’s basement. Complete Story

N.J. brewery Flying Fish releases 'FU Sandy' beer to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims(January 19) - For the first new beer to come out of the new brewery, we wanted to do something Jersey-centric. After the events of the superstorm we thought what better to help our state than to come up with a tasty brew with Jersey attitude and donate all proceeds (not just profit, but every darn cent) to grass-roots organizations helping rebuild in New Jersey. Hence the name Forever Unloved Sandy, which I think we all would prefer to abbreviate. For now, the beer will be draft-only, but we'll see what happens. Complete Story

Catching up with the Brian 'Spike' Buckowski, brewmaster and co-founder of Terrapin(January 18) - Now at the helm of one of Georgia's oldest and most celebrated craft breweries, Buckowski stays busy dreaming up new brews in Athens — and also sometimes abroad. He was recently invited to New Zealand to create three new beers — Spike's Pilsner, Spike's IPA, and Spike's Red Rye — for Boundary Road Brewery's "The Resident" series. Complete Story

Small breweries making big boom across Minnesota(January 17) - Minnesota is undergoing a "beer boom" and catching up with the rest of the country. In just the last two years, the number of breweries in the state has nearly doubled to 53, driving a proliferation of local beers. The "Surly Bill" that passed the Legislature in 2011 is a major factor. Surly Brewing Co., which lobbied for the change, is one of the larger breweries in the state, but the law also opened the door for many smaller beer makers. Complete Story

Beer-powered beer: Alaskan Brewing repurposes brewing by-product as fuel source(January 16) - The Alaskan Brewing Company is now operating with a new fuel source: beer. More specifically, they are using the wet grain known as “spent grain,” left over from the brewing process, as the sole fuel source for their steam boiler. Alaskan is the first craft brewery in the world to use this brewing by-product in this way, reducing the company’s fuel oil consumption in brewhouse operations by 60-70 percent. Complete Story

Maui Brewing Company to Build Brewery in Kihei(January 14) - Maui Brewing Company (MBC) announced Saturday that the company will building a new brewery in 2013 at the Maui Research and Technology Park in Kihei. Groundbreaking on the new production facility is expected in February and should take approximately one year to build. After completion of the new brewery, MBC expect to begin construction of a new brewpub. Complete Story

New Hickory's Skull Coast Brewing toasts emerging regional trend(January 13) - The first batch of beer is at least a couple of weeks away from being brewed at the new Skull Coast Brewing Company brewery, but the Chief Drinking Officer, First Mate and Brewster are hard at work.On Wednesday, Skull Coast founder and Chief Drinking Officer Dave Fox rushed around the active construction site that will house the brewery at the former Hollar Hosiery Mill on Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard. Complete Story

Naples Beach Brewery - Naples' first local brewery open for business(January 12) - Local restaurants and bars are slowly rolling out Naples' first locally brewed beer, the next stage in a nearly 5-year-old plan to make Naples Beach Brewery a reality. The East Naples brewery was licensed about six weeks ago. Owner Will Lawson is now giving twice-weekly brewery tours and working on getting his beers on tap at even more venues. Lawson and a team of volunteers also will be serving the beers at the Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival on Jan. 26. Complete Story

Verboten Brewing opens Friday in Loveland, Colorado(January 11) - Two brewing buddies are launching their own effort to help make Northern Colorado a craft beer drinker's destination. On Friday, Jan. 11, their nanobrewery, Verboten Brewing, will open at 1550 Taurus Court in east-central Loveland. Fort Collins residents Josh Grenz and Joe Akers have been home-brewing together for three years. Complete Story and Video

Hangar 24 Brewery Hopes Its Local Focus Will Bring It Far(January 9) - In a beer industry overflowing with competition, it can be difficult for a brewer to stand out. But one Southern California-based brewery is hoping that brewing distinct beers grounded in its local roots will eventually bring its beer to faraway places. "I started thinking: why is someone in Maine going to want to drink a Hangar 24 Pale Ale when there are 300 other breweries in that part of the country that are brewing pale ales?" said Ben Cook, the founder and head brewer of Hangar 24. "Then there is Orange Wheat. You can't copy that." Complete Story
 
Chelsea Alehouse Brewery expected to be destination attraction for downtown Chelsea, Michigan, now open to public(January 8) - The much-anticipated Chelsea Alehouse Brewery is expected to be a destination attraction that will bring in visitors from all over the region and state. The brewery, owned by Grass Lake resident and longtime home-brewer Chris Martinson, opened Jan. 3. Martinson said he will continue to add to the menu of craft beers and entrees as business grows. Complete Story
 
Brooklyn Brewery to open plant, restaurant in Sweden by end of year(January 7) - How about a Brooklyn Lager with that Swedish meatball? The 25-year-old Williamsburg-based brewery will open a plant and restaurant in downtown Stockholm by the end of 2013. The new brew pub will look out over the Swedish capital’s harbor and have room for 250 visitors indoors and outdoors. Complete Story

Epic Brewing of Salt Lake City announces plan for brewery in Denver(January 6) - Salt Lake City-based Epic Brewing announced Friday it has signed a lease on a 19,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in River North that will house a 20-barrel brewhouse, a taproom and retail sales space. Production at the new brewery at 3001 Walnut St. — a former auto-dealer office showroom — is expected to begin in March. The brewery, Epic's second, eventually will be able to produce as much as 33,000 barrels per year, said Epic co-founder Dave Cole. Complete Story
 
Parkway Brewing Company to open soon in Salem, Virginia(January 4) - Parkway Brewing Company is putting the finishing touches on its building and perfecting its beer before opening at the end of the month. “I think people like to buy local, beer likes to be fresh. It doesn't get any fresher than this when you're sitting here” said Keno Snyder, the Parkway Brewing general manager and owner. Complete Story and Video

Amish country getting craft brewery(January 3) - Ohio's Amish country, a tourist draw for its furniture and antique shops, cheesemakers and restaurants, will soon get its first craft brewery, the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Pub owner William Baker is starting the Millersburg Brewing Co. in downtown Millersburg in Holmes County, the heart of Amish country. The village of just over 3,000 people is surrounded by dry communities, so it's already the area watering hole, and Baker feels the local brew will be an additional draw. Complete Story
 
Diamond Knot Brewery renovation on tap(January 1, 2013) - he Diamond Knot Brewery is expanding near the Mukilteo waterfront. To do so, though, the alehouse will close for about two months beginning Monday. "We weren't looking forward to this phase, although we are all excited about finishing this project, which has been in the planning for several months," said Bob Maphet, president of Diamond Knot. Complete Story

Whole Foods expert offering Beer School(December 31) - Here's one class where it would be better to bring an ale to the teacher rather than an apple. Beer School is now in session at Whole Foods Market, hosted by brew expert and store beer buyer Dan Yarnall. Complete Story

Sierra Nevada Brewing helps rebuild Spanish monastery(December 30) - Monks in a small Northern California town are rebuilding a centuries-old Spanish monastery with help from what may seem an unlikely source: beer. The first phase of the building’s decades-long restoration project in the Sacramento Valley town of Vina has been completed, with the Chapter House of Ovila now standing, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Tuesday. Complete Story
 
World’s largest brewpub in Buffalo(December 29) - Pearl Street Grill & Brewery is claiming to be home to the world’s largest brew pub. How is that possible? General Manager Bill Casale credits years of expansions at several different properties. “We’ve had double digit growth for the last ten years, consecutively,” Casale said. “We’ve grown from two floors to five floors.” Complete Story
 

New Belgium will bring much good to Asheville(December 28) - With this year’s news focused on high unemployment and with New Belgium investing over $175 million to permanently employ 154 people in a town with 15,000 unemployed, concerns about truck traffic are ironic and shortsighted. The city also plans to improve the roads “East West Ashevillians” use every day, and the brewery’s trucks will be on city streets for a grand total of 1.2 miles. Complete Story

 
Dayton, Ohio experiencing brewery boom(December 27) - Dayton is entering a beer renaissance. With seven breweries set to open locally, the region is becoming a hotbed for craft beer enthusiasts. Within the next six to 12 months the Dayton region will be able to boast eight breweries, reminiscing of a time when breweries in Dayton put out 200,000 barrels of beer per year. Complete Story

CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing shares 250 warm meals, Christmas cheer with hungry(December 26) - Old Town Fort Collins was quiet on Christmas, with nearly every building locked up. But for the seventh consecutive year, CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing was the bustling exception. “This is my holiday,” said Jill Eisenberg, who left her sleeping son at home Tuesday morning to volunteer as a coordinator and server. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.” Complete Story