Brewers Association loathes FDA’s proposal‏

…with good reason.

Under a proposed FDA rule, any brewery‘s spent grain could not be used as animal feed unless it were “treated.”

As I noted last Friday under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the FDA has proposed onerous regulations to severely limit  use of spent grain for animal feed. Because grain used in the brewing process is frequently donated or sold at low cost to farmers for animal feed, the FDA proposal would affect hundreds of brewers across the country. The Brewers Association issued the following statement on the FDA animal feed proposal:

The current rule proposal represents an unwarranted burden for all brewers. Many of the more than 2,700 small and independent craft breweries that operate throughout the United States provide spent grain to local farms for use as animal feed. The proposed FDA rules on animal feed could lead to significantly increased costs and disruption in the handling of spent grain. Brewers of all sizes must either adhere to new processes, testing requirements, recordkeeping and other regulatory requirements or send their spent grain to landfills, wasting a reliable food source for farm animals and triggering a significant economic and environmental cost.

Absent evidence that breweries’ spent grains as currently handled cause any hazards to animals or humans, the proposed rules create new and onerous burdens for brewers and for farmers who may no longer receive spent grain and will have to purchase additional feed. Farmers also appreciate the ‘wet’ grains from breweries because it helps provide hydration for the animals.

Brewers’ grains have been used as cattle feed for centuries, and the practice is generally considered safe. We ask the FDA to conduct a risk assessment of the use of spent brewers’ grain by farmers prior to imposing expensive new regulations and controls.

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California Craft Brewers newest video: Support Your Local Brewery

Great to see one of my favorite breweries (Triple Rock of Berkeley at around the 1:50 mark) on this new video, Support Your Local Brewery,” produced by the California Craft Brewers Association.

I do support my local brewery, Kelsey Creek Brewing. The brewer, Ron Chips, has a new wet-hopped beer, the Wet Willie, (named after?) that tastes great. I was a little hesitant to try it, since I thought it might be like drinking fermented grass clippings (wet-hopped beers can harbor vegetal flavors). Those worries ceased with the first sip. It’s a great West Coast style ale–hop forward. Try it while supplies last!

There are a bunch of great craft breweries in California. Support them all.

Third Street Aleworks Takes Two Golds at World Beer Cup

Incredible collaboration and competition at the 12th Annual Brewers Association

Kudos to Third Street Aleworks of Santa Rosa, CA. for garnering two gold medals at the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup.

Third Street topped 32 other entries to grab the Gold in Category 67 (Classic English-Style Pale Ale) for their Annadel Pale Ale. And, they beat 29 other breweries to get the gold in Category 83 (Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout) with their Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company of Paso Robles, CA. whooped 82 other entries to take first and second for the American-Style Pale Ales category with their Pale 31 and Mission Street Pale.

According to the media release from the Brewers Association, “The ninth bi-annual competition boasted the strongest field of entrants on record, with 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states entering 3,921 beers in 95 beer style categories.”

A detailed analysis of the entries and awards can be found in the 2012 World Beer Cup Fact Sheet (PDF).

Related articles

• 2012 World Beer Cup Winners Announced, Latin America Takes Home Several Top Prizes (hispanicallyspeakingnews.com)
• World Beer Cup Awards 2012 (brookstonbeerbulletin.com)
• 2012 World Beer Cup® Winners Announced (worldbeercup.org)

Brewers Association Announces 2011’s Top 50 Breweries

Craft Brewers Association Announces 2011’s Top 50 Breweries

The Brewers Association has released its annual lists of the top 50 craft and overall brewing companies in the U.S., based on 2011 beer sales volume. Of the top 50 overall brewing companies, 36 are small and independent^¹ craft brewing companies¹,².

 

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies
(Based on 2011 beer sales volume)

Rank	Brewing Company	City	State
1	Boston Beer Co.	Boston	MA
2	Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.	Chico	CA
3	New Belgium Brewing Co.	Fort Collins	CO
4	The Gambrinus Company	San Antonio	TX
5	Deschutes Brewery	Bend	OR
6	Matt Brewing Co.	Utica	NY
7	Bell’s Brewery, Inc.	Galesburg	MI
8	Harpoon Brewery	Boston	MA
9	Lagunitas Brewing Co.	Petaluma	CA
10	Boulevard Brewing Co.	Kansas City	MO
11	Stone Brewing Company	Escondido	CA
12	Dogfish Head Craft Brewery	Milton	DE
13	Brooklyn Brewery	Brooklyn	NY
14	Alaskan Brewing & Bottling Co.	Juneau	AK
15	Long Trail Brewing Co.	Burlington	VT
16	Shipyard Brewing Co.	Portland	ME
17	Abita Brewing Co.	Abita Springs	LA
18	Great Lakes Brewing Co.	Cleveland	OH
19	New Glarus Brewing Co.	New Glarus	WI
20	Full Sail Brewing Co.	Hood River	OR
21	Summit Brewing Co.	St. Paul	MN
22	Anchor Brewing Co.	San Francisco	CA
23	Firestone Walker Brewing Co.	Paso Robles	CA
24	Sweetwater Brewing Co.	Atlanta	GA
25	Rogue Ales Brewery	Newport	OR
26	Flying Dog Brewery	Frederick	MD
27	Victory Brewing Co.	Downingtown	PA
28	CraftWorks Breweries & Restaurants	Chattanooga/Louisville	TN/CO
29	Oskar Blues Brewery	Longmont	CO
30	Odell Brewing Co.	Fort Collins	CO
31	Stevens Point Brewery Co.	Stevens Point	WI
32	Ninkasi Brewing Co.	Eugene	OR
33	BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc.	Huntington Beach	CA
34	Blue Point Brewing Co.	Patchogue	NY
35	Bear Republic Brewing Co.	Cloverdale	CA
36	Lost Coast Brewery Cafe	Eureka	CA
37	Big Sky Brewing Co.	Missoula	MT
38	North Coast Brewing Co. Inc.	Fort Bragg	CA
39	Saint Louis Brewery, Inc./Schlafly Bottleworks	St. Louis	MO
40	Gordon Biersch Brewing Co.	San Jose	CA
41	Breckenridge Brewery	Denver	CO
42	Founders Brewing Co.	Grand Rapids	MI
43	Saint Arnold Brewing Co.	Houston	TX
44	Karl Strauss Brewing Co.	San Diego	CA
45	Real Ale Brewing Co.	Blanco	TX
46	Mac and Jack’s Brewery Inc.	Redmond	WA
47	Smuttynose Brewing Co.	Portsmouth	NH
48	Utah Brewers Cooperative	Salt Lake City	UT
49	Left Hand Brewing Co.	Longmont	CO
t.50	Anderson Valley Brewing Co.	Boonville	CA
t.50	Four Peaks Brewing Co.	Tempe	AZ

Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies
(Based on 2011 beer sales volume)

Rank	Brewing Company	City	State
1	Anheuser-Busch Inc. (a)	St. Louis	MO
2	MillerCoors (b)	Chicago	IL
3	Pabst Brewing Co. (c)	Woodbridge	IL
4	D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc.	Pottsville	PA
5	Boston Beer Co.	Boston	MA
6	North American Breweries (d)	Rochester	NY
7	Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.	Chico	CA
8	New Belgium Brewing Co.	Fort Collins	CO
9	Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc. (e)	Portland	OR
10	The Gambrinus Company (f)	San Antonio	TX
11	Deschutes Brewery	Bend	OR
12	Matt Brewing Co. (g)	Utica	NY
13	Bell’s Brewery, Inc.	Galesburg	MI
14	Minhas Craft Brewery (h)	Monroe	WI
15	Harpoon Brewery	Boston	MA
16	Lagunitas Brewing Co.	Petaluma	CA
17	Boulevard Brewing Co.	Kansas City	MO
18	Stone Brewing Co.	Escondido	CA
19	Dogfish Head Craft Brewery	Milton	DE
20	Brooklyn Brewery	Brooklyn	NY
21	Alaskan Brewing and Bottling Co.	Juneau	AK
22	Long Trail Brewing Co.	Burlington	VT
23	August Schell Brewing Co. (i)	New Ulm	MN
24	Shipyard Brewing Co.	Portland	ME
25	Abita Brewing Co.	Abita Springs	LA
26	World Brews/Winery Exchange (j)	Novato	CA
27	Great Lakes Brewing Co.	Cleveland	OH
28	New Glarus Brewing Co.	New Glarus	WI
29	Full Sail Brewing Co.	Hood River	OR
30	Pittsburgh Brewing Co.	Pittsburgh	PA
31	Summit Brewing Co.	St. Paul	MN
32	Anchor Brewing Co.	San Francisco	CA
33	Firestone Walker Brewing Co.	Paso Robles	CA
34	Cold Spring Brewing Co. (k)	Cold Spring	MN
35	Sweetwater Brewing Co.	Atlanta	GA
36	Rogue Ales Brewery	Newport	OR
37	Mendocino Brewing Co. (l)	Ukiah	CA
38	Flying Dog Brewery	Frederick	MD
39	Victory Brewing Co.	Downingtown	PA
40	CraftWorks Breweries & Restaurants (m)	Chattanooga/Louisville	TN/CO
41	Oskar Blues Brewery & Tasty Weasel Tap Room	Longmont	CO
42	Odell Brewing Co.	Fort Collins	CO
43	Stevens Point Brewery Co. (n)	Stevens Point	WI
44	Ninkasi Brewing Co.	Eugene	OR
45	BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery	Huntington Beach	CA
46	Blue Point Brewing Co.	Patchogue	NY
47	Bear Republic Brewing Co.	Cloverdale	CA
48	Goose Island Brewing Co. (o)	Chicago	IL
49	Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe	Eureka	CA
50	Narragansett Brewing Co.	Providence	RI

According to said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, “In the last 15 years, craft brewing has gone from one percent of the overall beer market to almost six percent in 2011.”

 

*Top 50 U.S. Overall Brewing Companies notes: (a) includes Bass, Beck’s, Busch, Goose Island, Landshark, Michelob, Rolling Rock, Shock Top and Wild Blue brands. Does not include partially owned Coastal, Kona, Red Hook and Widmer Brothers brands; (b) includes A.C. Golden, Batch 19, Blue Moon, Colorado Native, Herman Joseph, Keystone, Killian’s and Leinenkugel’s brands; (c) includes Schlitz and 28 other brand families; (d) includes Dundee, Genesee, Labatt Lime, Magic Hat and Pyramid brands; (e) includes Kona, Red Hook and Widmer Brothers brands; (f) includes BridgePort, Shiner and Trumer brands; (g) includes Flying Bison brands; (h) includes Mountain Crest and 10 other brand families; (i) includes Grain Belt brand; (j) private label brands; (k) includes Gluek and 17 other brand families; (l) includes Butte Creek, Kingfisher and Olde Saratoga brands; (m) includes A1A, Big River, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants, Rock Bottom Restaurants, Ragtime and Seven Bridges brewpubs; (n) includes James Page and Whole Hog brands; (o) sold to Anheuser-Busch in 2011.

The Association’s full 2011 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual breweries, will be published in the May/June issue of The New Brewer, available May 22, 2012.

For additional statistics, see the craft brewing statistics, and 2011 craft brewer sales numbers.

¹The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of beer less than 6 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewer’s brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

²Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for the Top 50 rankings.

Contact:
Abby Berman (on behalf of the Brewers Association)
abby@rosengrouppr.com
646.695.7044

###

The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®, SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.

Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.

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Status Check

A while ago I posted about my homebrewing challenges, specifically brewing my Citra IPA (an India Pale Ale flavored solely with Citra hops).  I said time would tell ( or something equally non-committal). So, how did my beer turn out? Pretty darn well.

I took a couple bottles with me to More Beer on the day Gordon Strong (three-time winner of American Homebrewing Association’s National Homebrew Competition Ninkasi Award [1]) would be signing copies of Brewing Better Beer. Gordon ranks at or near the top of BJCP judges, so he knows his stuff. He took a sip, smiled and said “Mmmm.” He then called Nathan Smith (BJCP beer judge, Brewing Network brewcaster, and self-described “Homebrew fanatic”) over to taste it. Nathan liked it also. Other people in the store sampled it as well. One brewer said ‘if this is how Citra tastes, I’m buying some.’

Gordon Strong savoring my Citrazilla IPA

There is no higher praise than to have people who know good brew enjoy the beer you brewed.

I think I’m getting the hang of this brewing thing. That’s not to say that there’s not more to learn; there is a lifetime of stuff to learn. And let me tell you, it’s fun to learn.

BTW: Gordon signed my copy of Brewing Better Beer, “To Norm, I’d drink your IPA anytime. Sure you need this book?” – Gordon Strong.

Cheers!

Footnote:

[1] Ninkasi Award: Named for the Sumerian Goddess of Beer, this award is given to the brewer having the most wins in the Final Round of the National Homebrew Competition. Brewers earn points toward the award by placing in the 23 beer categories, the 3 mead categories, and the 2 cider categories during the Final Round.

“I am a Craft Brewer” Parody.

I found this on the Beer and Whiskey Brothers blog. They found it on the Brookston Beer Bulletin. It’s fabulously funny.