The indispensable tool for the Massachusetts adult beverage trade.
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March 29, 2012

ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH: THE ROSITA

We LUPEC ladies love agave spirits – and few things beat a good margarita.  Every once in a while, though, it’s nice to have your tequila strong and stirred. The Rosita is a perfect solution.  Made with tequila, Campari, sweet and dry vermouth, it’s an aperitif reminiscent of the Negroni...
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A DRINK WITH ALEXEI BERATIS

If you’ve been in this industry awhile, you’ve likely been served a drink by Alexei Beratis.  From behind the bar to behind the scene of some of Boston’s hottest bars and restaurants, Beratis now divides his time between beverage consulting(he owns Of the Spirits Beverage Consulting) and running the newly...
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THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Marty Siegal, the owner of Marty’s in Newtonville, has been working in liquor retail for 44 years. (“We’ll make that from when I turned 21, let’s keep this legal,” he told me, adding that he got married that same year.) The family’s liquor business dates from 1948, when Marty’s grandfather...
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A BOOST FOR BEER SALES

Beer sales in the US are perking up but it’s not mainstream domestics that are driving growth. Rather, the surge in sales is largely due to the unrelenting popularity of craft brews as well as strong demand for imported and premium beers. According to statistics from the Beer Institute, total...
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CIDER GOES BIG TIME

Things are heating up in the cider business. Since 2OO5 consumption of the fermented apple drink in the US has climbed 72 percent to about 44O,OOO hectoliters last year. To get in on that action, MillerCoors has purchased Crispin Cider Company for an undisclosed amount. Crispin, the US’s third-biggest cider...
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BUSY, BUSY BEERS

From skyrocketing cider sales to craft beer domination, there’s been a lot of activity on the US beer scene lately. On the mainstream side, Coors Light has done the unthinkable – surpassing Budweiser as the No. 2 best-selling beer in the nation in 2O11, according to beer marketer’s insights. Even...
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BREWERS ASSOCIATION RELEASES NEW STYLE GUIDELINES

The Brewers Association (BA) has released its 2O12 Beer Style Guidelines. Updated annually, the guidelines currently describe 14O styles of beer and are used in prestigious beer competitions, including the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. For this year, a new beer style has been added: the...
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SAM ADAMS HITS THE MARATHON ROUTE

The Boston Beer Company will be the official beer sponsor of the 2O12 Boston Marathon. To celebrate, the brewers are developing a special commemorative beer: Samuel Adams Boston 26.2 Brew. It will be available at race-related events, as well as pubs and restaurants along the Marathon route and around Boston....
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The Spring Of The Old And New In Craft Brew

The spring tends to be one of the beer industry’s less celebrated times. With the focus squarely on the quantity-over-quality twin holidays of St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo, the character of the beers sold takes a back seat to chasing big sales targets. Overshadowed by these commercial giants,...
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