BEER BRANDS ON THE RISE
OVERALL, the beer category in America has seen its share of struggles. After reaching a peak of 219 million barrels in 2OO8, total US shipments declined to 211.7 million barrels in 2O13. Yet, the beer industry is by no means at death’s doorstep. Although several of America’s top brewers own... Read More
SO THE RUSSIANS AREN’T BUYING PBR AFTER ALL
IT JUST goes to show how quickly rumors can turn into fact. Back in September it was announced that Oasis Beverages had acquired the Pabst Brewing Company and everyone had something to say about the good old American brand going to the Russians. Well, it turns out that never happened.... Read More
THE SECRET TO SLOSHING
CALL THIS a First World issue. A study has found that a glass of beer is less likely to spill than the same glass filled with coffee because bubbles cause friction that prevent it from sloshing. Just like a collection of tiny shock absorbers, liquid foam reduces movement by absorbing... Read More
CRAFT BEER BESTS BUD
THE NUMBERS are close but Americans now buy more craft beer than Budweiser. Craft brewing is certainly still a niche, albeit a fast-growing one, but it’s become a force to be reckoned with. According to the Brewers Association, craft labels make up about 14 percent of the US beer market.... Read More
PABST BLUE RIBBON GOES FOR BIG BUCKS
FOR THE last decade-plus, Pabst has become famous for being both chic and cheap. But the iconic American beer is being sold to a Russian brewer. C. Dean Metropoulos will sell Pabst Brewing Co. to Oasis Beverages and TSG Consumer Partners in a deal that values the brewery at $7OO... Read More
HOW DO YOU MARKET A BEER CALLED SNAKE VENOM?
SCOTTISH BREWER Brewmeister has come out with what it claims is the world’s strongest beer. Made from smoked peat malt with both beer and Champagne yeasts, Snake Venom contains a whopping 67.5% ABV. But alas, sadly the brewer is currently unable to actually market this mega beer to the masses.... Read More
BAD BARLEY CROPS
BEER DRINKERS, get ready to open your wallets, beer prices are set to skyrocket and it’s all because of a bad barley harvest. Canada – which is the world’s second-largest exporter of malting barley – has harvested its smallest crop since 1968. Cold, wet weather this year has led to... Read More
BEER FLAVORED COFFEE . . . THE NEXT BIG THING?
LEAVE IT to Starbucks to come up with a beer-flavored coffee. Dark Barrel Latte, made with a syrup that reportedly tastes like a stout, is the company’s latest venture. The caffeinated concoction (that has no actual alcohol in it) is topped with whipped cream and dark caramel sauce. According to... Read More
SPREADABLE BEER . . . A DREAM COME TRUE
GET READY because spreadable beer is here. You can bet Homer Simpson is licking his lips right now. Italian condiment Birra Spalmabile the result of a collaboration between chocolatier Pietro Napoleone and Emanuela Laurenzi’s brewery Alta Quota. “We created a cream made of beer by balancing every ingredient we used... Read More
A $2O BILLION YEAR
THE CRAFT BEER industry is on tap for a killer year as sales will likely eclipse $2O billion in 2O14, according to a new report from market research firm Mintel. Of the total sales predicted for this year, the firm believes more than 84 percent ($17.2 billion) will come from... Read More