Beer in the news

[benwedge]

Across from Smith's Bakery. So is there any more to the Brasserie link?

Nope. They're on Twitter and Facecrack though.

[mr x]

I like that building and location. What are they under on those other media? Links?

[pet lion]

I like that building and location. What are they under on those other media? Links?

Links to both from the http://agricolastreet.ca/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; page

[CorneliusAlphonse]

Wine centric, but brufrog is on maritime noon right now.

[Jayme]

Oh, and Southshorebrewing.ca is now a dead site. I have emailed the owner of the proposed brewery to see where they are at. We shall see!

Replying to myself, but my contact confirmed that this proposed brewery project fell apart due to a conflict between the players. Too bad, as Loonieburg could use a brewpub/micro.

I think one is supposed to be opening up in the old Riverport Elementary school instead. There was a piece about it either on CKBW or in the Progress Enterprise just a few days ago according to my mother (she just can't remember which of the two it was). Maybe the guy opening it is one of the players from the previously proposed project.

[brufrog]

Oh, and Southshorebrewing.ca is now a dead site. I have emailed the owner of the proposed brewery to see where they are at. We shall see!

Replying to myself, but my contact confirmed that this proposed brewery project fell apart due to a conflict between the players. Too bad, as Loonieburg could use a brewpub/micro.

I think one is supposed to be opening up in the old Riverport Elementary school instead. There was a piece about it either on CKBW or in the Progress Enterprise just a few days ago according to my mother (she just can't remember which of the two it was). Maybe the guy opening it is one of the players from the previously proposed project.

Thanks!! One of the players was an inn owner, but I gathered from his response to me that he is totally out.

[mr x]

Bell's Brewery files lawsuit against Enbridge and Comstock Commerce Park developer over dredging plans
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/ind ... again.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, MI – Bell's Brewery has filed a lawsuit against Enbridge and the developer of Comstock Commerce Park over dredging plans that are part of the ongoing cleanup of the Kalamazoo River oil spill.

Enbridge entered a lease agreement with CCP Development Co., developer of Comstock Commerce Park, and last month installed a dredge pad and other equipment in preparation for dredging at a delta near Morrow Lake. The dredge pad is near the Krum Avenue production facility of Bell's Brewery, which has plans to expand in the commerce park.

Enbridge was ordered in March by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to do additional dredging in the Kalamazoo River as part of its cleanup from a massive 2010 oil spill.

Comstock Township wasn't notified of the current project before preparation work on the dredge pad began, and several residents and business owners have expressed concern over potential pollution. Township Supervisor Anne Nieuwenhuis said she believes Enbridge is placing the dredge pad in the wrong location.

The Bell's lawsuit, filed Monday in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court, says the planned dredging will "release pollution, hazardous substances, odor, dust and particulate" which could negatively impact brewery operations.

The complaint alleges Enbridge violated condominium covenants by failing to submit a site plan application before installing equipment. It also alleges that CCP, as developer of the commerce park, violated the Michigan Condominium Act by failing to disclose to the condominium association its intent to lease property to Enbridge.

Larry Bell, founder and president of Bell's Brewery, has met with EPA official about his concerns and spoke out against the dredging plans at a township meeting.

"The EPA doesn’t know what is in the sediment," Bell said July 9. "They don’t know what they are dredging up. They are going to put it next to my brewery and they don’t know what contaminants are there."

Enbridge is dredging at both the north and south ends of Morrow Lake, but halted work after the township requested the company submit a site plan application, which it filed July 9.

The next day, Nieuwenhuis sent a letter to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality requesting that it deny Enbridge’s permit for the dredge pad site, where material removed in the dredging would be stored until being taken away for disposal.

"Recently, the U.S. EPA ordered additional dredging activities in certain sections of the Kalamazoo River that must be completed by December 31, 2013," Enbridge spokesman Jason Manshum said. "Therefore, we leased property from CCP to use in order to comply with the Order. We are working with the owner of the property to address Bells Brewery concerns."

Enbridge’s request to place a dredge pad and water treatment facility in Comstock Commerce Park will be addressed by the Comstock Township Planning Commission at its meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, which also marks the three-year anniversary of the oil spill.

[mr x]

...I'm really hoping for a solid beer bar to open in that end of town...

After reading a bit, something tells me this won't be it. Sounds like the focus will be way more on food. Which is fine too, not much up there for French cuisine.

[mr x]

Blue Moon Tells Beer Snobs to Drink Up and Show Respect: Retail
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-0 ... etail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

MillerCoors LLC has a message for beer snobs: Blue Moon is an authentic craft brew. So show a little respect.

Aficionados long ago dubbed Blue Moon an impostor cooked up by a megabrewer to exploit the explosive growth of artisanal beer. In recent months, small beermakers have stepped up their attacks -- calling suds like Blue Moon “crafty” for not spelling out their corporate parentage. Micro breweries have reason to be defensive: Blue Moon has grabbed what equals 15 percent of the U.S. craft market, expanded as far as Japan and spawned an Anheuser-Busch InBev NV (ABI) knockoff called Shock Top.

After years of quietly building its brand in the shadow of MillerCoors, Blue Moon is fighting back against the naysayers. It’s adding more artisanal brews, including a wine hybrid. Marketing emphasizes the beer’s provenance and Belgian-trained brewmaster. Blue Moon is even taking credit for helping to popularize craft.

“We should be proud to make beers that grow and are popular -- that’s the American way,” MillerCoors Chief Executive Officer Tom Long said in a interview. “Being small and unpopular, what’s the utility in that?”

Blue Moon’s decision to confront its critics is a tactical necessity. The brand is the centerpiece of MillerCoors’ Tenth & Blake Beer Co., created to capitalize on the rapid growth of craft and import brews and offset slowing sales of light beers.

Denver-based Molson Coors Brewing Co. (TAP), half owner of MillerCoors, rose 1.7 percent to $50.91 at the close while its other owner, London-based SABMiller Plc (SAB), rose 2 percent to 3284 pence.
‘Crafty’ Beer

The fight over Blue Moon’s legitimacy foamed over late last year when the Brewers Association, craft’s primary U.S. trade group, published a blacklist of companies, including MillerCoors, that didn’t fit its definition of a “craft brewer.” The association went on to brand some big beers “crafty” for excluding parent companies from the label.

Craft brewers are “small, independent and traditional,” according to the definition. That means they produce less than 6 million barrels a year -- it used to be 2 million until Sam Adams maker Boston Beer Co. (SAM) got too big to qualify. They also must be less than 25 percent owned by a non-craft megabrewer and meet certain ingredient thresholds.

Freddy Bensch, co-founder of Atlanta-based SweetWater Brewing Co., says megabrewers are simply trying to cash in without hewing to the handmade ethos of craft brewers.
Informed Decision

“It’s about empowering the consumer with the ability to understand who is really making their beer,” Bensch said. “So they can make an educated and informed decision on who to support with their hard-earned dollars.”

Large brewers can use their muscle with beer wholesalers to limit shelf space for small craft brews, according to Bart Watson, an economist for the Brewers Association.

MillerCoors has lashed out at the blacklist and notions of what is or isn’t craft. In a CNN.com op-ed, CEO Long defended the quality of Blue Moon and beers from the company’s Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. and said such breweries operate autonomously.

“Blue Moon Brewing Co. has been around long before the vast majority of craft brewers,” he said in the interview. “What exactly is crafty about that?”

Which raises a question: Is Blue Moon a good beer?
Revived Category

Even craft brewers such as Sweetwater’s Bensch acknowledge its merits. Blue Moon is a “great representation of the style,” he said. “They pretty much single-handedly revived the white beer category with that beer in the U.S.”

MillerCoors has resisted putting its name on Blue Moon bottles and has no plans to do so. The brew’s creator, Keith Villa, said leaving the parent company off the label almost two decades ago was practical, not expedient.

It mirrored strategies employed by Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) for its specialty brand Lexus and Hallmark Cards Inc. for Shoebox greetings. Villa also worried consumers might be confused when the weird, cloudy Blue Moon didn’t look and taste like other Coors beers.

Many Blue Moon drinkers don’t care where the product comes from so long as it tastes good, said John Faucher, an analyst for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) in New York. He says Blue Moon is right to resist the pressure from the “snobby” craft industry.

“What’s the advantage of letting people know that it’s by MillerCoors?” Faucher said. “The downside is the beer-snob factor. If there is no upside from doing it, then why take the risk?”
Brewing Doctorate

Villa, who has a doctorate in brewing from Belgium and tours the world talking about Blue Moon’s pedigree, said the beer has been instrumental in recruiting consumers into craft beers, especially Belgian white.

Meanwhile, Blue Moon is adding brand extensions, including the Graffiti Collection, which includes Pine in the Neck, a double India pale ale brewed with juniper berries. Specialty releases include Caramel Apple Spiced and Peanut Butter ales. Facebook fans helped determine the ingredients for a limited winter mystery beer due in November.

While still pushing for more transparency, the Brewers Association has since removed the blacklist from its website.

“It’s not something we’re pushing or promoting,” Watson said.

Microbrewers have a complex relationship with industry giants. In October, craft makers will strut their hops at the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Blue Moon is a sponsor.

[mr x]

Oland staff hold picket


http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1 ... old-picket" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Unionized Oland Brewery workers staged an information picket in Halifax on Wednesday in support of their striking counterparts at the Labatt brewery in St. John’s, N.L.

“We want to bring some attention to our brothers and sisters in the St. John’s brewery,” Don Roberts, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Canada Local 361, Brewery and Soft Drink Workers Union, said in an interview outside the Agricola Street brewery. “They’ve been on strike since April 10.

“They’ve tried repeatedly to get the company back to the table. They’ve been unable to do so. When they have talked with the company, it’s been concessionary bargaining.”

Local 361 represents 150 workers at the Halifax brewery, which is also owned by Labatt Brewing Co., a division of international brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev.

The St. John’s facility, Labatt’s smallest Canadian brewery, employs about 45 unionized workers who are represented by the Newfoundland & Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees Local 7004.

Information pickets organized by United Food and Commercial Workers Canada were held in support of the St. John’s workers at Labatt facilities across Canada on Wednesday.

The union representing the

St. John’s workers is calling for a boycott of imported AB InBev products.

These include Stella Artois, Beck’s, Brahma, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Straropramen, Boddingtons, Bass, Lowenbrau and Ozujsko Pivo.

Roberts said he hoped the

St. John’s brewery isn’t at risk of closing.

“But as time goes by, everything becomes at risk,” he said.

“The multinational companies can change things from day-to-day. You never know where you stand.”

Roberts said the Halifax brewery, Labatt’s second smallest production facility, along with a similar sized plant in Creston, B.C., has lost about 30 per cent of its workload since Labatt took over production of Keith’s India Pale Ale across the country.

“But that’s not what today’s about,” he said, noting that the Halifax local reached a seven-year contract agreement with the company last year.

“It’s about Newfoundland.”

Mark Dobson, Atlantic regional director with United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, said the Halifax local faced similar concession demands from Labatt in its most recent contract negotiations. “In Newfoundland, they’re really taking it on the chin,” he said.

[benwedge]

...I'm really hoping for a solid beer bar to open in that end of town...

After reading a bit, something tells me this won't be it. Sounds like the focus will be way more on food. Which is fine too, not much up there for French cuisine.

You're thinking of the Brasserie. I'm not. I'm pretty sure you know what I'm thinking about.

[Jimmy]

*wink wink, nudge nudge*

[mr x]

Good times brewin’ at Halifax Seaport Beerfest


http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/760099 ... -beerfest/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You don’t need much to have a good time at the Seaport Beerfest.

For Peter Burbridge and the folks at the Bridge Brewing Company, it’s as simple as getting into the community and having a couple drinks.

“It’s just that sense of camaraderie,” says Burbridge. “It’s a great industry to be in and all the local craft breweries are really supportive of each other, so there’s that fun community feel.”

The 7th annual Seaport Beerfest is taking place Friday and Saturday at the Cunard Centre. Around 13,000 litres of beer and cider, from 17 countries, will be available for enthusiasts to sample.

Burbridge is bringing a 20-litre keg of each of his summer ales, Belgian blonde and strong dark Belgian, to the grogfest. He recommends the summer ale for a refreshing drink.

“It’s pretty light in appearance. It’s got a lot of hops, bitterness, it’s really dry and refreshing, and you get the citrusy notes from the orange peel,” he said.

Brian Titus, co-producer of Beerfest and owner of the Garrison Brewery, says the goal of Beerfest isn’t for people to get sloppy drunk – but it may be inevitable, given the number of suds available to sip.

Just don’t expect to drink them all, he says.

“Over half the beers available you could not go into a liquor store and buy off the shelf,” he said.

Titus says local beers have more than doubled at this year’s event.

“The scene in Nova Scotia for local craft brewers has absolutely exploded,” he said.

A similar trend is evident in Ireland, according to Seamus O’Hara, founder of Carlow Brewing Company and special guest of this year’s Beerfest.

O’Hara says craft breweries are changing the landscape of the beer industry.

“The new guys are bringing more diversity into the market and getting inspiration as well,” said O’Hara.

O’Hara’s says he’s excited to introduce Bluenosers to four of his brews, but to also try some unique drinks himself.

“I’m really looking forward to taste beers of the other Canadian breweries that are coming along,” said O’Hara. “We might get some interesting ideas for inspiration from that.”

"It’s a great industry to be in and all the local craft breweries are really supportive of each other, so there’s that fun community feel."

Some people might call that a bit naive...

[JohnnyMac]

Oooops.....

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/2 ... 1&gcheck=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jherbin]

"It’s a great industry to be in and all the local craft breweries are really supportive of each other, so there’s that fun community feel."

Some people might call that a bit naive...

Others may call it a good attitude to have towards your peers.

[mr x]

Well, good attitude goes both ways. Is Garrison paying for beer this year, or giving a cut of the gate to participants?

[brufrog]

Oh, and Southshorebrewing.ca is now a dead site. I have emailed the owner of the proposed brewery to see where they are at. We shall see!

Replying to myself, but my contact confirmed that this proposed brewery project fell apart due to a conflict between the players. Too bad, as Loonieburg could use a brewpub/micro.

I think one is supposed to be opening up in the old Riverport Elementary school instead. There was a piece about it either on CKBW or in the Progress Enterprise just a few days ago according to my mother (she just can't remember which of the two it was). Maybe the guy opening it is one of the players from the previously proposed project.

Okay, it is Yardarm, in Lunenburg. I emailed the dude, but have not heard back yet.

[mr x]

Will it fall? A look at America’s brewery boom
http://draftmag.com/features/will-it-fall-brewery-beer/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As beer drinkers toast the brewery boom, the beer industry isn’t celebrating just yet.

By Joe Stange

These are heady days for beer drinkers who like options. Here is a picture of our brewing nation: Prolific taphouses multiply, while both upscale restaurants and corner dives add drafts and bottle lists. Those lists often feature new names, as different towns and neighborhoods—many of which never had breweries before—get their own microbreweries or brewpubs. Those that already had breweries are getting more, becoming destination areas for savvy drinkers. Meanwhile, shops are packing their shelves with more brands from near and far.

More, more and more. Happy times, right? So why do the folks who make and sell this stuff seem so, well, nervous?

The source of the jitters is a certain statistic, bound to be a topic of hall chatter and pub natter at October’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver. By then, in all likelihood, the number in question will be bigger than ever.

Here is that number, as this magazine goes to press: 1,528.

That’s how many breweries were in the planning stages in the United States at the start of May, according to the Brewers Association, craft beer’s industry trade group. To put that number in perspective, there were 2,403 working craft breweries—“small, independent and traditional,” per the BA’s definition—at the end of 2012. While not all of those in planning will open, they represent a potential 60 percent jump in the number of existing U.S. breweries. There are reasons people in the industry fret about that number.

There are also reasons to celebrate it.

***

First: the worries of a niche industry. In 2012, craft beer accounted for 6.5 percent of all beer sold—more than before, but still just one-third the market share of Bud Light alone. While there seems to be no shortage of people willing to jump into craft brewing, the distribution channels, shelf space and tap handles don’t necessarily expand so quickly.

“I wouldn’t want to be a startup brewery right now,” says Mike Stevens, CEO of Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, Mich. Stevens and partner Dave Engbers quit their jobs and borrowed money to open Founders in 1997. He said it took several years to find their footing and sort out branding. Founders is now a national player and one of the country’s fastest growing breweries, distributing to 25 states and counting.

“The days when you could open a brewery and really try to learn your path are over,” Stevens says. “You need a good plan from the get-go.”

He says new brewers need a mastery of quality control from the start if they want to compete for shelf space. The proliferation of newcomers means “more opportunity for folks to get involved that don’t focus on quality … or don’t understand it.”

This is not just about new breweries bringing their A-game. Brewers fear that some of the new guys—especially those just out to make a quick buck—are going to make plain, old bad beer.

“Frankly, I’m pretty convinced that the market [here] won’t support all of these breweries,” says a bar owner in Texas who asked not to be identified, for fear of offending those with whom he does business. “From talking to all of the bar owners in the market, we all have that opinion. There are a few breweries right now that none of us, meaning respected beer bars, support regularly. They sort of get ‘pity handles’ because we’re all on the same team.”

There are a couple of myths in play here, and like all good myths they are partly true. The first myth is that of an elusive creature: a longtime light lager drinker who has never tasted craft beer and one day finally takes that chance. If the beer is bad at that pivotal moment, or so the thinking goes, a convert is lost forever.

The other myth is that craft beer means high quality, so hey, let’s not mess that up.

“What the industry is afraid of is low quality, and that will taint the quality of craft beer overall,” says Jeff Schrag, owner of Mother’s Brewing, a regional microbrewery that opened in 2011 in Springfield, Mo. “But I don’t know,” he adds, looking thoughtful. “There’s a lot of beer now that’s tainting the image of craft beer.”

The spooky spectre that looms over all of this is what happened in the 1990s. An explosion of brewpubs followed a business trend and then bottomed out, with many closing their doors soon after. “Back then, everybody who thought they were a homebrewer could jump in and make commercial beer,” Stevens says. “The new problem is everybody wants to get in the game, experienced or not.”

In San Diego, Stone co-founder and CEO Greg Koch—with a fulsome beard adding an air of sagacity—has used a series of colorful metaphors to illustrate his concerns about a new wave of breweries. First there was the Third World bus, “with all of these people hanging on to the roof,” he told the San Diego Union-Tribune in November. “Sooner or later, we are going to hit a bump in the road.”

“In San Diego we have a lot of eucalyptus trees, all over,” Koch said more recently. “They grow so fast that their branches are not strong enough for the Santa Ana winds. … Sometimes when you grow too fast, the structure isn’t there, and some branches will break when the winds kick up.”

Right now, according to Koch, there are not many headwinds for craft beer. But how long can that last? “I do fear for some of the limbs,” he says. Not a very sunny view for someone from San Diego.

***

Yet there are plenty of reasons for optimism. Craft beer’s current 6.5-percent market share is 15 percent bigger than it was the year before. That marks three straight years of double-digit growth for craft beer, even while the economy flags and the biggest beer makers shed sales.

So how big can it get? For a possible answer, it makes sense to check an especially soaked market.

In Portland, Ore., craft beer was a whopping 37 percent of all beer sold last year, up 8% from the previous year, according to Benj Steinman, president of Beer Marketer’s Insights. Steinman says craft beer there may outsell AB-InBev and MillerCoors in the next two years.

At last check, there were 136 breweries in Oregon, up 50 percent over two years ago. More are coming.

Portland and Oregon—and California and Colorado, among others—would suggest craft beer has plenty more drinkers to attract, and that there’s room for plenty more breweries.

Worth noting: All of these new small breweries will still be minuscule compared to the global companies losing market share. A fraction of a percentage point in a local market is more than enough to sustain most neighborhood outfits. This brings to mind the “burger joint” postulate of Dylan Mosley, head brewer at the Civil Life in St. Louis. In 2011, the year Civil Life opened, I asked him how many breweries were too many.

“Seriously? It’s beer,” Mosley said. “You know how many people drink beer? If I opened a hamburger joint, nobody’s going to be, like, ‘Hey, you know how many hamburger joints there are?’ They’d be like, ‘Sweet! Another hamburger joint!’ ”

Also, like other vectors on the movement toward better food, there’s something undeniably viral about rising interest in characterful beer. Friends turn each other on to new things, and it spreads from there. It has always been thus, but social media like Facebook, Twitter and beer-rating websites—nonexistent in the early ’90s—have made this process simpler, frictionless, adding velocity to the curve.

Viral growth can be exponential, to a point. But there are still plenty of drinkers out there for craft beer to attract.

So what about those drinkers? Should they be worried about a dramatic uptick in the number of breweries?

It’s hard to think why they should. More variety is coming, and variety—not quality—might be the real secret to craft beer’s recent success. Meanwhile, there are still populated chunks of this country—in city neighborhoods, suburban sprawl and rural towns—still waiting for brewpubs and savvy beer bars of their own.

Take Oakton, Va., for example. That’s where Ashley and Jeff Fox, two self-described beer geeks, live; they drive to the nearest Metro station and take the hour-long train into D.C. to peruse ChurchKey’s 55-tap list.

“The lack of a ‘good beer place’ in our area is a sad and frequently discussed topic with us and our neighboring beer-loving friends,” Ashley says. “What we wouldn’t give to have a local beer joint…”

Their home is about 10 miles from the nearest brewpub, but traffic in the area can make it seem longer. Meanwhile, they prefer the variety they get from a long tap list, sampling whatever’s new from a series of four-ounce snifters.

“All bubbles burst,” she says, when asked about the mounting wave of new breweries. But they’ll enjoy it while they can.

[mr x]

Beer is dead.

Cider sales rule


http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1 ... sales-rule" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cider may not yet rule in Nova Scotia, but it’s making strong market inroads.

“Cider is made from natural fruit, is gluten free, low in alcohol and more light and refreshing than most alternatives,” said Sean Sears, owner of ShipBuilders Cider Limited of Halifax, in a recent interview.

“Cider is in sort of a sweet spot.”

Cider sales have blossomed across North America recently, and that trend is very evident in Nova Scotia, said Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation spokesman Mike Maloney.

“Sales are increasing quite dramatically,” he said in a recent interview.”There’s been huge growth in the last year.”

In fiscal 2013, cider sales at NSLC outlets reached $1.785 million, a 23 per cent increase from the previous year, Maloney said.

And 17 weeks into fiscal 2014, cider sales were at $1.072 million, 83 per cent higher than at the same period in 2013.

Maloney said those numbers will likely be stronger once August sales are calculated, noting that cider is a popular summer drink.

Most of that cider is imported, but NSLC sells five brands of cider from four Nova Scotia producers — Muwin Estate Wines Ltd., Tideview Cider, L’Acadie Vineyards and ShipBuilders — that have also seen impressive sales increases.

Sales of Nova Scotia ciders through NSLC are $195,000 to date in fiscal 2014, accounting for 18 per cent of total cider sales compared to 11 per cent at the same time last year, Maloney said.

And he said Nova Scotia cider sales are growing at a phenomenal rate of 206 per cent.

Maloney attributed its growing popularity to changing consumer tastes and an increased appetite for fruit-flavoured drinks, as has been seen in products such as vodka.

He said a growing awareness about gluten intolerance may also be driving cider sales as there aren’t many gluten-free options available to beer drinkers.

“They are similar drinks with flavour-profile differences,” he said, noting that beer and cider also have lower alcohol levels than spirits or wine.

ShipBuilders makes both Shipbuilders, a dry cider, and Stutz cider, which Sears bought in 2010 from Hanspeter Stutz, founder of Domaine de Grand Pre winery.

Both are made at the J.W. Mason & Sons (2013) Limited apple farm just outside Windsor. Stutz is also available in Ontario.

“We invested in the cider business as an extension of our local food investment strategy and because we have always loved Stutz cider,” said Sears, who also owns Petite Riviere Vineyards in Lunenburg County.

Sears attributed the recent growth in cider’s popularity to an increased consumer focus on local products and on healthy foods.

That focus is reflected in his company’s cider sales, which have jumped from 18,000 litres in 2012 to an estimated 87,000 litres in 2013.

“We will continue to expand,” he said, suggesting that cider will continue to eat into the beer and ready-to-drink alcohol beverage markets.

“You are seeing the beer companies respond by buying up the cider makers,” he said.

“Molson-Coors (Canada) first bought Strongbow, the cider industry world market leader, and then introduced their own separate Molson (Canadian) Cider this summer. That is an impressive response to a threat.”

Labatt, a division of Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev, jumped into the cider fray last year with its Alexander Keith’s Original Cider, which is made in New York and isn’t available in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia is an ideal place to produce quality ciders, says Dominic Rivard, co-owner of Muwin Estate Wines Ltd. in New Ross, which makes Bulwark ‘Original’ cider.

“Nova Scotia grows very good apples,” he said in an interview.

Rivard said Muwin, a wholesale fruit winery that ships much of its product to Asia, started making Bulwark last year after seeing how cider was taking off in popularity in the United States.

“Things are kind of rocking,” he said.

Bulwark is sold in Nova Scotia, New England and in Western Canada. Mulwin plans to introduce it in Ontario soon.

Rivard said Muwin produces about 10,000 litres of cider a month and is buying more equipment to bump monthly production to 15,000 litres in anticipation of added sales in Ontario this fall.

Cider has been around for centuries, but Rivard said consumers are rediscovering it as an alternative to beer and wine.

“They taste it, they like it,” he said, adding that many consumers of sweet, ready-to-drink mixes are turning to cider. “It tastes better.”

John Brett, co-owner of Tideview Cider in Greenwich, began making cider in 2005 for a simple reason. “I love cider,” he said in an interview.

Tideview, which is co-owned by Andrew Bishop of Noggins Corner Farm Market in Greenwich, where the cider is produced, makes award-winning sparkling ciders from heirloom apple varieties such as Golden Russets.

Brett said he didn’t see the current cider wave coming, but is happy to ride it.

“I’m certainly encouraged by it,” he said, comparing the growing popularity of cider to the recent craft beer explosion.

“We might just be catching that wave.”

Tideview produces 10,000 to 12,000 litres of cider annually that are sold entirely in Nova Scotia.

Brett said he plans to increase that production and is looking at markets outside the province.

“That’s our plan,” he said.

L’Acadie Vineyards in the Gaspereau Valley outside Wolfville is best known for its award-winning, certified organic, traditional method sparkling wines.

But it also produces an organic sparkling cider from Valley apples that has seen sales grow recently.

“It’s gaining more attention,” said L’Acadie owner Bruce Ewart.

Ewart said the cider now accounts for 10 to 20 per cent of sales at his vineyard shop.

“We’re selling more through the (Nova Scotia Liquor Corp.) this summer,” he said, adding that his cider is also available by the glass at Heartwood restaurant in Halifax.

Ewart agreed that cider’s new-found popularity is tied to many of the same drivers that have made craft beer popular, including consumer demand for new, interesting flavours and a focus on local products.

Ewart said imbibers with dietary conditions, such as gluten intolerance, or who are vegan, may also be drawn to his organic cider.

“We cater to that crowd,” he said.

[LeafMan66_67]

Had the Shipbuilders and Stutz at beer fest last weekend. Preferred the Shipbuilders as it was a dryer, less sweet product.

[chalmers]

I skipped the ciders this year, but I've enjoyed both Shipbuilders and Bulwark, as well as several of the varieties of Tideview.

[mr x]

Angel City Brewery set to unveil -- wait for it -- an avocado beer

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/da ... 1925.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Angel City Brewery is set to become the next L.A.-area brewery to begin bottling its flagship beers. But its brewmaster’s creative use of ingredients in more experimental brews is what's catching craft beer fans’ attention.

The young brewery's main beers -- a West Coast-style IPA and a delicately spiced witbier -- have gained a following around L.A.

The more inventive beers from brewmaster Dieter Forstner -- such as the au jus-inspired French Sip, a nod to downtown L.A.’s feuding eateries that claim to have invented the sandwich, and Pickle Weisse, a light and tart Berliner weiss spiked with pickle brine -- have been conversation starters at the brewery’s tasting room.

Now Forstner is commemorating his 100th batch of beer at Angel City with a new experimental brew that draws on his family’s background as avocado farmers. That’s right, Avocado Ale is brewed with the eminently Californian fruit, along with cilantro and other ingredients that normally make their way into a bowl of ‘guac.

The new beer -- actually, a return to one of Forstner's first experimental batches after he joined Angel City in 2012 -- will debut at the inaugural Avocado Festival at the brewery on Aug. 24 alongside food trucks, avocado popsicles from Octopops, live music and a guacamole contest.

And as for those flagship brews, soon after officially opening the doors to its ambitious Arts District brewery, Angel City announced on Facebook that bottled versions of its flagship Angelino IPA and Eureka Wit would be available in six-packs and 22-ounce “bombers” beginning Sept. 9.

The bottled beer, which will be date-coded to ensure freshness, will be distributed to L.A.-area bottle shops and will retail for $8.99 to $9.99 a six-pack, and about $3.99 for the larger bottles. The brewery is also planning to bottle some of its other offerings, including new seasonal releases beginning next year.

Angel City Brewery, 216 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles, (213) 622-1261

[mr x]

Certain Beer Brands Tied to More ER Visits, Study Finds

http://www.philly.com/philly/health/Hea ... Finds.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr x]

Sleeman, possible buyer in talks on Dartmouth plant


http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1 ... outh-plant" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A serious potential buyer and Sleeman Breweries Ltd. are down to the final sips in talks about the Dartmouth plant’s future.

“We haven’t closed a deal yet, but we’re continuing negotiations with the winner of the bidding process from a number of weeks ago,” Pierre Ferland, a Sleeman vice-president, said Tuesday.

“The potential buyer is continuing with their due diligence, and the process is taking a bit longer than expected.” Ferland said he anticipated the review of plant operations by the interested buyer will continue for another three to four weeks, effectively securing for that time about 32 jobs at the plant, originally slated for potential closure last month.

“At that time, we will hopefully come up with a final sale,” Ferland said.

Three interested group stepped forward with bids for the Dartmouth plant, he said. Sleeman is not revealing the names of the interested parties, Ferland said.

Parent company Sapporo International of Japan announced in March it was pulling out of Dartmouth as part of a plan to shift all Sleeman production to its newly expanded Guelph facility.

Company officials said every effort would be made to keep the Dartmouth plant in production while the search was underway for a new owner.

A preference was to be shown to a purchaser who would retain as many employees as possible.

Sleeman has marketed the Dartmouth plant as an ideal

location for a microbrewery and bragged about its quality and efficiency on different occasions.

The company has said the exit from Dartmouth was made

necessary by the requirement to consolidate production at its Guelph plant.

The Dartmouth plant produces about 27,000 hectolitres of beer annually, while Sleeman produces more than 1.8 million hectolitres at its other Canadian facilities.

Sleeman purchased the former Maritime Brewery plant for about $3 million in 2000. Sapporo acquired Sleeman in 2006.

[Jayme]

Anyone hear any rumours on that sale?