California Will Now Allow Cider & Perry Production For Small Breweries

California takes an important step to level the playing field between large and small breweries. Small breweries will now be able to produce cider and perry under the same roof. Senate Bill 788 was signed by the Governor on July 21st. This was after both the State Assembly and State Senate unanimously approved earlier. Read More

Rupee Beer | Mango Wheat Ale

When brothers Van and Sumit Sharma found themselves back in their adopted hometown of Portland, Maine, helping out at their parents’ Indian restaurant during the pandemic, as they had growing up, the two began to ponder the question of what makes a really good beer to pair with Indian and other spicy food.

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Alternate Ending Beer Co. | Bomba! Iberian Lager

There are many styles of Lager out there for you to choose from in the craft beer world, but have you ever tasted the fine flavors of an Iberian style Lager? Maybe you have, or maybe you haven’t, but if you would like to learn more about the style, please read on as we let Alternate Ending Beer Co. take us on that journey with their Iberian style Lager called Bomba!

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Collaborating for a Cause | Kidd Beer

Alex Kidd and his family have been incredibly humbled by the support they continue to receive from the Beer Community. With this installment, Collaborating for a Cause is highlighting HOMES Brewery, a small but progressive program out of Ann Arbor, MI. Maybe most famously known in recent years for Smooj, their line of all natural fruited seltzers, they also boast a varied and impressive portfolio of uniquely nuanced traditional beer styles. For their ode to Alex Kidd in support of his fight with cancer, they knew they had to go big. We had the chance to chat briefly with Nick Panchamé, Head Brewer at HOMES, about this recent charitable effort and how Alex was able to inspire the amazing gesture. Enter KIDD BEER.

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Barrel Room Spotlight | Moksa Brewing

It’s been long overdue to have another brewery join us in the Spotlight. So without further ado, enter Moksa Brewing Company out of Rocklin, CA. Established in 2017 and opening their doors in 2018, Moksa is another very young brewery that has had a lot of success in a very short period of time. Seeking to showcase beer and brewing as its own unique art form, Moksa has never hesitated to push the boundaries. We had the privilege of chatting with Head Brewer Cory Meyer, focusing on the growth and successes of their barrel program, some of the ins-and-outs of their processes, and their hopes for the future.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Ancient Otter Treats

The continued outpouring of support for Alex Kidd and his family in the wake of his devastating Stage IV cancer diagnosis has been nothing short of incredible. Breweries nationwide and beyond have pledged support, and limited releases of special beers dedicated to Alex have slowly been surfacing. This series began with Horus Aged Ale’s Stay Strong Alex collaboration, and is continuing this week with Forager Brewery’s special release of Ancient Otter Treats in support of the man behind Don’t Drink Beer.

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Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 7/13

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

In honor of one year of calling the former Stapleton International Airport Control Tower home, aviation-themed FlyteCo Brewing is hosting an anniversary weekend complete with a free community drone show and fundraiser, August 19-21. The event takes place on Sat., August 19 – coinciding with National Aviation Day–featuring a fundraiser for I Hart Flying Foundation, which provides flight training scholarships to aspiring women pilots. Tickets can be found here for $100 and include dinner, drink tickets, door prizes and access to on-site games including golf simulators, axe throwing, bowling, mini golf and arcade games.

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Real Wild & Woodsy Festival | Flagstaff, Arizona

For lovers of mixed culture, foeder-conditioned, funky and barrel-aged beers, the Real Wild & Woodsy Festival really is the Teddy Bears’ (or should that be Teddy Beers’?) Picnic of festivals. Held just outside the center of Flagstaff at the Arizona Historical Society’s Pioneer Museum for the first time this year, the festival feels like a secret garden party.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Stay Strong Alex

By now, nearly everybody remotely involved in craft beer has heard the news about Alex Kidd, aka DontDrinkBeers. For those unaware, Alex has been the satirical voice of craft beer for years, a passionate beer enthusiast who, in addition to running a very successful podcast about the current events and trends in the industry, is also a highly respected attorney, loving husband, and father to a two-year old son and soon-to-be daughter expected in September.

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Artist Spotlight | Woodworking in Craft Beer

During this craft beer boom, the industry has provided so much more than just a new and exciting wave of beer styles, techniques and breweries. It has also created an outlet and newfound respect for the arts. Artists all over the country have found support and work from breweries looking for anything from taproom murals to label art to small batch glassware and other merch. Many breweries have even involved the arts at their events as a continued means of support. In fact, this was a huge focus of The Eighth State Brewing’s Altered States Festival in Greenville, SC. One field of artistry in particular that has really popularized itself in the craft beer community recently has been woodworking.

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Fulton Brewing Releases Hop Kingdom IPA Brand Family

Fulton Brewing, one of Minneapolis’ original craft breweries, is expanding its well-known IPA offerings by introducing Hop Kingdom — a brand family of various IPA styles inspired by and made for Minnesotans.

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Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 6/15

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

Are you ready for the first Medianoche Market hosted by WeldWerks Brewing Co. on June 17? The market is a farmer’s market-style event where attendees will be able to visit different booths that will be selling and providing samples of beer, purchase goods from local artisans and enjoy live music on the WeldWerks patio. Don’t miss out this weekend, make your way over to WeldWerks between 11am-5pm.

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Maine Beer Company | Dinner & Second Dinner

When discussing pioneers of the craft beer industry, one name that rightfully comes up every time is Maine Beer Company. Founded in 2009 by brothers Dave and Daniel Kleban, Maine was built on the idea of creating beers that ignored market research and instead ran on a well-brewed product that was done right. It was the hope that people would enjoy their beers enough to keep coming back. The rest is history. Read More

Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 5/18

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

If you didn’t already know, we’re in the middle of American Craft Beer Week. What better way to celebrate in The State of Craft Beer than heading down to your favorite brewery for a pint? Can’t decide which brewery you’d like to head to? Why not check out one of the 19 different World Beer Cup medalists nearby?

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Mortalis Brewing | Peach Brandy Leto

Mortalis Brewing out of Avon, NY, has been making a lot of noise recently in the world of craft beer. Whether it be their smoothie-style Sours or their big and brooding barrel-aged offerings, this talented group have proven exactly why they belong in the conversation of being one of the best young breweries in the country. For this Mother’s Day, there may not be a better beer to open to honor mothers everywhere than the Peach Brandy Barrel-Aged Leto Imperial Stout.

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Together Is Not Always Better: How Consolidation In the Middle Tier Is Impacting The Future of Craft Beer Brands

For most craft breweries, the trajectory of brand growth follows a somewhat traditional path – starting with taproom sales, progressing to selling in the wholesale channel, and then alignment with a beer wholesaler to grow the distribution footprint. Sounds simple enough on paper, but if you drill down into the nuances of selling beer wholesale, things get complicated very quickly. The US is unlike any other country in the world when it comes to the three-tier alcohol distribution system. Some states do not allow suppliers to self-distribute (sell directly) their products to licensed retail accounts, yielding asinine practices like selling beer to yourself for your own taproom. Some states are also dubbed “franchise” law states where if your brand aligns with a distributor you must endure a contractual arrangement that makes changing distributor partners harder than selling beachfront property in Arizona. And we haven’t even begun to address the large big beer elephant in the room and how many large beer distribution houses are aligned with one of two big players in the US beer market. For many craft brands that are just getting started or fall into the category of small to medium-sized producers, strategizing how to enter the wholesale channel is a formidable challenge, including contending with a host of other legislative, litigious, and anti-competitive issues in the middle tier that have surfaced over the past few decades. As if growing craft beer producers didn’t have enough to contend with these days in the form of rising costs of goods, labor shortages, inflation, and the squeeze from alternative beverage choices in the marketplace, woes like wholesaler consolidation, unfair trade practices, and antiquated beverage alcohol regulations are making the middle tier the next big battleground for craft beer brands. 

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Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 4/20

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

If you’ve got a hankering for some of the best gluten-free beer in the state or want to see all there is to see in the Colorado gluten-free food industry, look no further! Holidaily is bringing back its Gluten-Free Foodie Fest on May 6. The Gluten-Free Foodie Festival will take place at the Holidaily Golden taproom, including four food trucks, five food pop-ups, and 10+ Holidaily taps flowing that are 100% gluten-free.

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Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 4/6

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

While most areas around the country relate April to rain showers, we all know that’s not the case in Colorado where it’s still snow showers. But that’s part of what makes Colorado special! Another thing that makes Colorado special is our LOVE of craft beer. That love can be seen all around the state next week on Colorado Pint Day. Be sure to stop in at one of the 215 participating locations around the state to grab this year’s official pint day pint glass!

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No Big Deal: Why Craft Brewery M&A’s Have Lost Their Shock Value

Goose Island, Bluepoint, Boulevard, Sweetwater, Founders, Wicked Weed, Anchor, Oskar Blues, Lagunitas, Dogfish Head, Ballast Point, Cigar City, Modern Times, Stone, Bell’s, and most recently Avery Brewing – not a comprehensive list by any means, but just a sampling of formerly independent craft breweries that merged with or were acquired by larger parent companies over roughly the past decade. The difference between now and then is that craft brewery M&A’s are just not that big of a deal anymore. Back then, craft beer drinkers and superfans would be up in arms over a buyout or partnership deal of any size – suggesting boycotts, bashing brands online, and protesting festivals where “sellout” breweries would be pouring their liquid. Today, that’s not quite the case, with deals like the Bell’s and New Belgium merger or the acquisition of Avery Brewing by import giant Mahou San Miguel barely sparking a peep of controversy online. So what’s changed – the craft beer fan or the business of craft beer?

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Burgeon Beer Company Launches New Online Beer Shop

Carlsbad, California-based Burgeon Beer Company has recently launched a new online beer shop that will be a game-changer in the San Diego beer market. Interested in what they are doing that could be that much of a change? Read on to find out!

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