Colorado’s chief beer promoter seems custom-made for the gig. Grew up in Littleton and graduated from the University of Northern Colorado. Lives to mountain bike. Adores beer, and knows a lot about it. Worked at Wynkoop Brewing Co. and Breckenridge Brewery. Laid-back, in the Colorado style? Oh yes, the very essence of laid-back.

Kurowski, 41, says he couldn’t hatch a better job for himself, and he owes it all to the Wynkoop.

The brewery “gave me my start in this industry,” he said. “It’s an iconic brewery, not just in Colorado but nationwide. I learned so much working at this brewery in downtown Denver, about how to be a part of something greater. It has come full circle. Not to just do my job, but how to be part of the craft beer industry, how to be a part of something greater. And the Wynkoop taught me how to do that.”

He sipped a pint of Wynkoop’s B3K lager while we chatted about, mostly, beer and its increasingly prominent role in Colorado.

WYNKOOP BREWING CO.

Steve Kurowski’s favorite place in the state — a brewery — shouldn’t surprise. As marketing director for the Colorado Brewers Guild, his world revolves around the stuff of water, yeast, barley and hops. Selecting one brewery among the state’s array, though, took a little bit more work — but not much.

He was still in his 20s in 1999 when Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver’s first brewpub, hired him away from Yeti Cycles in Durango to become the brewery’s chief evangelist. Ever since, with only a small blip, he’s been in the beer biz.

More than a hundred breweries have opened in Colorado since the Wynkoop tapped its first barrel in 1988, but the place remains at the heart of Colorado’s vibrant suds scene. And John Hickenlooper, the laid-off geologist who started the brewery in a then-rough LoDo, now sits as Colorado’s 42nd governor.

Denver Post: Why is beer such a big deal in Colorado?

Kurowski: It’s not one thing. There is the water. We have amazing water in Colorado, and brewers love the water. It’s the biggest ingredient. It’s clean, and the watersheds are in great shape, which is important for brewers. The first Great American Beer Fest was in Boulder in 1981. They had 20 breweries, like Red Hook, Sam Adams. And Boulder Beer. They were early, super early. We’ve got the Brewers Association in Colorado, in Boulder. That’s the national hub. As time went on, things added up. We have very favorable laws in Colorado that help breweries grow and be profitable. Liquor-store access. Sell your own beer by the pint in a tasting room. Buying beer by the growler. We have 134 operating breweries in the state now, and so what happens? Your beer had better be good or people will bypass it and buy something else. So people in Colorado are always upping their game.

DP: Breweries have been around for a long time, but during the past decade things have really taken off. Is theremore to it than laws and water? Why is this certain … ferment … going on right now in the state?

A: I think people in Colorado support independence a little bit more than in other states. We go to independent restaurants, independent coffee shops. A lot of these breweries are feeding their neighborhoods. The plan isn’t to become the next New Belgium, it’s to be a gathering place in the neighborhood, a place for people to come after work to talk about the day. These days there is all of this distraction going on. Social media. But at a brewery, you talk to people face to face. We like to single-track and ski and fish, and we like to do it with other people. And what do we do afterwards? We crack a cold beer with our friends. It’s a lifestyle thing.

Q :What is your greatest fear?

A: Being diagnosed as gluten-intolerant. If I couldn’t drink beer, I don’t know what I would do. It would change my life in so many ways.

Q: What is cutting-edge right now in beer? It seems like India pale ales — or anything heavily hopped — have dominated for quite a while. Is that changing?

A: Nitrogen-infused beers are the newest, hippest things. It’s not a flavor but a technique. Nitrogen bubbles make the beer feel creamier. It’s not the sharp feel you can get with CO2 carbonation. It doesn’t fill you up with all of that CO2. I can drink nitrogen beers like water.

With the casks, it’s being carbonated as you pour. It’s an English style and served a little bit warmer.

Q: Who is your favorite historical figure?

A: I would love to have a beer with FDR and thank him for what he did: Repealed prohibition in 1933.

Q: What is your favorite style?

A: Pale ale, and it’s almost a dinosaur, because they have morphed into India pale ales. A brewery that can brew a good pale has won me forever. It’s super-basic beer, but difficult to brew because there is so much balance. Not too much hops, not too much malt. I drink a lot of Dale’s Pale Ale.

Q: Have you always been into beer?

A: Way back, my dad had Roland Avenue Imported Beers Association. He had a bunch of buddies in the neighborhood and they would get together and drink imported beers. Not that I was drinking beer then, but I knew about more than American light lager.

Q: Who are your real-life heroes?

A: Anybody who owns a brewery. They have put their finances on the line, their reputations, their families. They put it all on the line for something they love.

Q: What’s it like, working for a brewery?

A: A lot of hard work. Most likely you are doing more than one job. You had better be hardworking because everyone is so passionate about working to keep it alive. It’s Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday, mornings, evenings. But it’s what we do and at the end of the day it’s about beer. And at the end of the day you go and get a nice cold beer, and there is nothing more rewarding than that, sitting back and having a cold shift beer. People give me flak for going to beer festivals every weekend, but it’s hard work. The sales guy at Lefthand Brewing Co. is probably the same guy who is at the festival giving samples of the milk stout. It sounds fun, and it is fun, but you had better work, otherwise you won’t be there long. Some of the hardest-working people are in the beer industry.

Q: What words do you overuse?

A: I don’t like to say “dude” a whole lot, but I find myself still saying it.

Q:What is the most overrated virtue?

A: Moderation. Why do you want to go on a little mountain bike ride, why do you want to have one beer? Life is too short. If it feels good, do it, and do it as much as you can. I haven’t gotten where I am by just doing a little of it.

Q: Is there a signature Colorado beer style?

A: I don’t think so. But that’s what makes us so diverse. We have breweries making the next great stout, the next great pilseners, we have Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs making nothing but saisons and Belgian beers. We are diverse here and I think that’s a badge to our reputation.

Q: A lot of breweries are opening in the state right now, and particularly along the Front Range. Has it reached a peak?

A: There is a lot more opportunity for beer lovers to have breweries in their neighborhoods. I think there is plenty of room as long as they aren’t on top of each other.

Q: Do you think the craze for microbrews will wane? That the Pabst Blue Ribbons of the world will end up elbowing the New Belgiums out of the marketplace?

A: The “microbrew is for yupppies” mentality is going away. People are discovering craft beer at younger and younger ages. Not long ago, it was early to mid-30s when people discovered microbrews, now people are in their 20s and finding it. It’s hard to settle on an American light lager anymore. It’s not that much more expensive to buy a pint of craft beer in a pub, or a six-pack in a liquor store. You don’t have to be rich to enjoy it.

Douglas Brown: 303-954-1395 or djbrown@denverpost.com

Read more: Steve Kurowski preaches the virtues of Colorado craft beers from his favorite spot – the Wynkoop Brewing Co. – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_20640653/preaching-virtues-colorado-craft-beers#ixzz1v96nLxQ5

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill asked eight volunteers between the ages of 18 and 20 to attempt to purchase alcohol from 100 of the most popular vendors using prepaid gift cards.

Nearly 60 percent of companies selling alcohol online made little, if any, effort to verify customers’ ages. Of 45 successful orders, 51 percent didn’t use any type of age verification.

But the researchers also placed blame on the delivery companies, despite corporate policy that age verification is required for wine shipments. Wine is the only alcoholic beverage that the shipping companies — FedEx and UPS in this study — will ship as per their regulations.

“Some packages were left at the door, or handed to recipients after checking an underage identification or simply asking if the person receiving the package was 21,” said Rebecca Williams, the study’s lead author at a research associate at the University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Chapel Hill.

Driver’s licenses given to anyone younger than 21 are clearly marked in N.C., making anyone younger than the legal drinking age easy to identify.

Williams added that parents should also be aware of how easy it is to purchase alcohol online, and how easy it is for teens to obtain and use a parent’s driver’s license.

“Teens widely report having access to parents’ identifications and having no qualms about using them to bypass age verification,” Williams explained. “Children can also hide online purchases from parents by using prepaid cards they can buy with cash.”

In response to the study findings, a spokeswoman for UPS, who has not yet reviewed the study, stressed to ABC News that company policies regarding alcohol shipments are very strict.

“UPS procedures are put in place to reduce the risk that any minors would have access to illegal alcohol,” she said. “If UPS is involved in deliveries containing alcohol, the delivery person would need to secure an adult signature.”

The spokeswoman also explained that wine delivered through UPS must have a sticker on the package that indicates an adult signature is required as part of the company’s wine shipping program that only allows approved vendors to ship wine.

A spokesman for FedEx said the company doesn’t condone the sale of alcohol to anyone underage and has policies in place to prevent it from happening.

“We take the findings in this report seriously. After we have had time to review the study, we will take any necessary corrective action to ensure our policies are being followed,” said company spokesman Scott Fiedler.

In an accompanying editorial, David Jernigan, director of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth said that the online “marketplace” goes beyond the Internet vendors and includes the vast world of social media.

“User-generated pages abound promoting alcohol and using trademarked alcohol brand imagery,” Jernigan wrote. “Alcohol companies have been at the head of the line in partnering with major social media providers like Facebook and Twitter to gain access to the newest tools for optimizing use of those sites for brand promotion.”

Williams said the study provides evidence that illegal alcohol sales are a significant problem.

“Part of why this problem exists is because there is little regulation to restrict online alcohol sales,” she said.

Source: TIME

By Josh Sanburn

April 30, 2012

The latest proposal to save the financially strapped United States Postal Service would allow it to ship beer and wine, overturning a Temperance-era law that has been on the books for more than a century.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate passed legislation designed to help stabilize the post office’s finances. The bill would open the door to 5-day instead of 6-day delivery; it would restructure billion-dollar payments the postal service is mandated to put toward pre-retiree health benefits; and it would provide retirement incentives to close to 100,000 employees, all of which would help the post office drastically cut costs. But the most intriguing proposal in the Senate bill would allow the postal service to ship wine and beer around the country.

Private carriers like UPS and FedEx have shipped booze for years, but the post office has been constrained by a law that’s been on the books since before Prohibition.

For legal nerds, the regulations can be traced back to Section 217 of 18 U.S.C. 1716(f) of the Act of March 4, 1909, ch. 321, 35 Stat. 1131, according to the post office’s legal department. You probably knew that already, but that act was a general recodification of the country’s penal statutes, which barred poisons, explosives, harmful items, and “all spirituous, vinous, malted, fermented, or other intoxicating liquors of any kind” from being shipped by the postal service.

The law appears to be an outgrowth of the Temperance Movement, which achieved its ultimate victory 10 years later with Prohibition.

But things are a tiny bit different than they were near the turn of the 20th century. As private carriers have cornered beer and wine shipments nationwide, online shopping has expanded the sorts of beverages available to U.S. consumers. Now, as the post office looks for ways to dig out of its financial hole, it’s realizing that overturning the 1909 law may be a smart move.

“With the onslaught of e-commerce, as long as (beer and wine) ship legally in terms of states that we’re allowed to ship, I think you’re going to see it take off,” says Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.

But there are a few hurdles the post office would have to jump over to begin shipping booze. First, it would have to make sure it wasn’t shipping to anyone underage. Donahoe says the post office can get around that by requiring a signature either at home or at a local post office. U.S.P.S. would also have to make sure it wasn’t delivering to states that don’t allow the shipment of out-of-state beer, wine or alcohol. For example, only 14 states allow the importation of wine from out-of-state wine retailers, while 40 states allow an out-of-state winery to ship to them, according to Tom Wark, executive director of Specialty Wine Retailers Association.

Donahoe says he doesn’t believe that getting a federal agency like the post office involved in shipping alcohol across state lines is in any way disreputable. In fact, he already has some shipping ideas if it passes: 2-, 4- and 6-bottle wine boxes for one flat rate that would ship anywhere in the country.

Source: WSJ

By LETTIE TEAGUE

Apr 26th

THERE ARE PEOPLE for whom the wine cellar is every bit as important as the wine. The cellars of such people tend to be carpeted, mirrored and lit by chandeliers. They may also be accessorized with Old Master paintings, Roman statues and Cristal Jeroboam souvenirs. Wine in these cellars isn’t so much consumed as it is revered. I don’t have one of those cellars. In fact, I don’t really have a cellar at all. My wines are currently stored in several places-including the basement of my ex-husband’s house.

That last location probably warrants an explanation. My ex-husband, Alan, and I had a great natural cellar in our unfinished basement in New York’s Westchester County. The walls were stone and the floor was rock. The temperature was constant (55 to 60 degrees) and the humidity was pretty steady as well. And although Alan and went our separate (and amicable) ways some years ago, our wines stayed together-I continued to store many of my best wines at his house.

But recently my new husband, Roger, and I moved into a new house and decided that we needed a real storage space. Unfortunately, the basement of our house was completely finished and a little too warm, so any storage would have to be purchased or built. But what kind of space, and how should we start?

Proper storage is essential for any wine that will be kept for more than a few months, and there are certain conditions that must be met. First and foremost, the wine cellar must be set to a correct and constant temperature-ideally at 55 degrees.

A somewhat lower temperature is acceptable: The wine will just evolve more slowly-which may be a consideration if you don’t want your wine maturing long after you’re gone. A higher temperature, conversely, will speed aging along. Humidity is also an important, though less talked about, number; generally 60% to 70% is considered desirable. Lower humidity dries out the cork while more humid conditions can make a mess of the labels.

Bottles should also be kept sideways rather than upright, in a dark place that’s free of excessive vibration. The latter is said to upset the “biochemical” makeup of the wine, though I’ve never read anything about how much vibration was too much-nor have I tasted a wine that was off and wondered, “Could this wine have been excessively shaken?”

These conditions can exist in a natural cellar or one that’s been custom built or, for that matter, in a wine refrigerator. I have one in my basement, an Avanti, but it’s a budget-quality model that’s much too small for my entire collection.

My “collection” really deserves to be captured in quotation marks, as I own just under 500 bottles of wine. That’s not a number that would impress a collector or would warrant building a cellar in my basement-at least that’s what Alan Genee, a sales consultant at the Wine Enthusiast, said. “Financially, you’re better off just buying two EuroCave units,” he told me. “To have someone come in and Sheetrock it and insulate it and tile the floor and get the racking would be tens of thousands of dollars more.”

EuroCave is a wine-storage refrigerator made in France to resemble the conditions of a natural cellar. It was one of the very first such systems on the market and is still considered the gold standard in terms of design and dependability. I checked out the Wine Enthusiast website and found that the Connoisseur EuroCaves, each with a capacity of 223 bottles, would set me back a cool $7,000 altogether. Was it really necessary to spend so much?

There are many less expensive options, and Craig Costanzo sells quite a few of them. Mr. Costanzo, president of BeverageFactory.com, said the wine-refrigerator business accounts for about 30% of his company’s sales. He features a wide range of names, including the affordable Avanti, as well as Haier, Vinotemp and Danby, whose wine refrigerators range from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on their capacity and finishes. (They can also be found at places like Costco and Home Depot.) BeverageFactory’s best-selling wine refrigerators house six and 12 bottles, according to Mr. Costanzo-thereby proving that no wine collection can be too small to “cellar,” I suppose. Deciding between the various brands of wine refrigerators can be overwhelming; I found it quite useful to check out wine chat boards of sites like WineBerserkers and eRobertParker.com to see what collectors were saying about particular models and cellar pro and cons.

The more I researched, the less certain I became that a wine refrigerator was the best choice. Did we really want to line up a couple of large refrigerators along the wall in our basement? On the other hand, it was expensive to build a real cellar space, as Mr. Genee had noted. But just how much would it actually cost?

I decided to consult Scot Ziskind, a Philadelphia-based wine-cellar designer who has been in the custom-wine-cellar business for more than 35 years. Unlike many cellar designers, who have branched out from basic construction, Mr. Ziskind trained as a mechanical engineer. That means he knows a great deal about cooling systems-a skill that is incredibly important in creating a cellar and yet surprisingly rare.

“I don’t think I have enough wine to warrant building a cellar,” I said to Mr. Ziskind by way of introduction. He immediately dismissed this idea. In fact, he said, he had been building more “middle class” cellars for doctors and lawyers than ones for hedge-fund titans these days. “You don’t have to be rich to have a cellar anymore,” he said. And while his average cellar costs between $25,000 and $30,000, Mr. Ziskind could put together a space for me that was 5 feet by 5 feet and 8 feet tall with a great cooling system and cheap racking (wine racks) for about $8,500. I could cut corners on the racks (metal instead of wood), but the cooling system was where the money had to go, said Mr. Ziskind. He had seen a lot of wine cellars where people didn’t spend the money on a proper system or use the right insulation.

If I didn’t want to build my own cellar, Mr. Ziskind noted that he also owns a temperature-controlled warehouse with a few partners. This storage option is especially popular with people who live in apartments and with collectors with wines they may have purchased for investment. (Professionally stored wine is easier to sell.) His storage price is $2 a case per month-a standard number for storage facilities-and the price goes lower if you store more cases of wine. But since I was already storing many of my wines remotely in Westchester, this option had little appeal.

As we pondered our options (EuroCave? Basement cellar? Weekly drives to my ex’s house?), my husband mentioned he wanted to rebuild our garage. Why not put the wine cellar there? I consulted Mr. Ziskind, who said it would cost about the same to put a cellar in the basement as a garage. There was no downside, he added, although I could think of one: When the rebuilding is finished (sometime in the fall), I still won’t be able to say my wine is properly stored-but garaged.

Written by: Laurie Kulikowski 04/24/12 – 12:51 PM EDT

Tickers in this article: SAM

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – What’s happening in small business today?

1. How to get a cash mob into your store. A movement is underway to bring so-called cash mobs to local businesses across the country. Cash mobs are modeled like “flash mobs,” but instead of a group of people breaking out into synchronized dance in a train station, they visit a struggling small business and boost sales by agreeing to spend at least $20 at that retailer.

So how can you get your store on the cash mob visitation list?

While most of the details are kept quiet until the day of the event, you will have a better chance of being nominated if your business is visible and a strong part of your community, says The Houston Chronicle’s website, Chron.com.

You can also gather other local businesses together to let event organizers know you’re interested in having a cash mob select your area. Nominate other businesses to get the community used to the idea of a cash mob and perhaps yours will be next, the article says.

2. Sam Adams’ Brewing the American Dream is expanding nationally. Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer Company (SAM) , the maker of Sam Adams, is expanding its Brewing the American Dream financing program nationwide to help small businesses in the hospitality and food and beverage industries.

The program facilitates microloans and coaching/mentoring and educational resources to business owners who find it difficult to access the capital and guidance needed to sustain and grow their businesses, according to a press release on Tuesday.

With the national expansion, Koch is looking to extend more than $1 million in loans. The loans will be funded by Accion, the country’s only nationwide micro-lender. Accion provides affordable financing and support to everyday businesses.

Brewing the American Dream has already provided more than $1 million in micro-financing to nearly 150 businesses, creating or saving nearly 1,000 jobs, it says.

“I think a large part of the program’s success is due to our ability to offer in-depth expertise and advice that comes from living and breathing the food and beverage industry every day. We understand the challenges because we’ve been there; I’ve been there,” Koch says. “From being turned down by banks 28 years ago when I was just starting out and desperately needed funding, to figuring out how to distribute my product, I know firsthand what these small business owners are going through and sincerely believe that Brewing the American Dream can help them overcome many of their obstacles.”

3. The SBA is looking for more lenders to fund a pilot program. The Small Business Administration is looking to add more lenders to a program that will match small firms that have had difficulty obtaining financing.

The SBA’s Intermediary Lending Pilot Program provides long-term loans of up to $200,000 to small businesses, according to the Associated Press.

The program was launched last year under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. At the time the SBA approved 20 so-called intermediary lenders in 15 states. The SBA is now taking applications for 20 more lenders, the AP says. These lenders receive a maximum of $1 million in SBA funding to help start-ups and small businesses.

The SBA hopes to have a maximum of 60 lenders in the program.

Businesses that want to borrow under the program must have been unable to obtain a loan elsewhere, but have the wherewithal to repay the loan, the AP says. However, unlike the SBA’s 7(a) program, the small business or start-up does not have to show that it has personal financial resources that could be used to repay a loan, the article says.

– Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York.

To contact Laurie Kulikowski, send an email to: Laurie.Kulikowski@thestreet.com.

“In the last 15 years, craft brewing has gone from one percent of the overall beer market to almost six percent in 2011,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “We attribute a large part of that growth to the many talented brewers who are providing beer lovers with more beer style and flavor choices than ever before.”

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 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 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/Louisivlle 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

*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

A. FEDERAL / NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL

Small Brewer Federal Excise Tax Legislation Update

H.R. 1236, the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act (Small BREW Act) introduced by Representatives Jim Gerlach (PA-6) and Richard E. Neal (MA-2), now has 161 co-sponsors.  S.534, companion legislation in the Senate introduced by Senators John Kerry (MA-D) and Mike Crapo (ID-R), has 37 co-sponsors.

H.R. 1236 and S. 534 mirror the provisions contained in last session’s H.R. 4278 and S. 3339 which gained the support of 132 U.S. Representatives and 28 Senators respectively. Specifically, the bills would reduce the small brewer rate on the first 60,000 barrels by 50 percent (from $7.00 to $3.50/barrel) and institute a new rate $16.00 per barrel on beer production above 60,000 barrels up to 2 million barrels.  Breweries with an annual production of 6 million barrels or less would qualify for these tax rates.

FDA Rejects Petition to Ban BPA

In a Consumer Update released on the last day of March, the federal Food and Drug Administration announced that the scientific evidence at this time does not suggest that the very low levels of human exposure to BPA through the diet are unsafe. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical used in the food contact liners (including beer cans and crowns) that was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the early 1960s. The update was in response to a petition filed by the Natural Re­sources Defense Council in 2008 which called for an end to the use of BPA.

B. THE COURTS

Status of Washington Liquor Privatization Initiative Still in Question

A county court judge has reversed his earlier ruling that upheld all provisions of the recently passed ballot initiative I-1183 except for the public funding section which he originally found in violation of the single subject rule of ballot initiatives.  The judge has now ruled the entire liquor privatization measure constitutional.  The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an appeal May 17 while the initiative is set to take effect on June 1.

The measure closes state liquor stores, selling those assets, with the state licensing private parties to distribute spirits and to sell spirits in retail stores meeting certain criteria.  The measure establishes licensing fees for the sale and distribution of spirits based on the licensee’s sales revenues. It also changes some wine distribution laws and allows non-uniform wholesale pricing for wine and spirits.

C. THE STATES

Distribution and Franchise

Illinois
Prior to passing the Senate, S.B. 3399 was amended  to provide that certain compensation requirements applicable to the termination of an agreement between a brewer and a wholesaler apply if the brewer agrees to pay reasonable compensation and the total annual volume of all beer products supplied by a brewer to a wholesaler pursuant to agreements between such brewer and wholesaler represents 10% or less of the total annual gross receipts (rather than the total annual volume) of the wholesaler’s business for all beer products supplied by the wholesaler to the retailer (rather than supplied by all brewers).

Missouri
Passing the House and now under Senate committee consideration, H.B. 1841 would invalidate a recent court decision favorable to the franchise rights of very small brands by requiring Missouri statutes to be interpreted through a prior court decision favorable to distributor brand rights.

The subject of a public hearing, House Bill 1858 delineates certain prohibitions on brewers having an ownership interest in a wholesaler, but also addresses circumstances wherein a brewer can act as their own wholesaler.

New York
Passing the Assembly, Assembly Bill 789 allows small brewers whose annual volume is less than 300,000 barrels of beer and whose sales to a wholesaler are (3%) or less of a multi-brand beer wholesaler’s annual business, the right to terminate an agreement providing they pay the wholesaler fair compensation, except when the termination is for “good cause.”

Wisconsin
Failing to pass committee, A.B. 695 sought to further define “fair market value” when a wholesaler’s distribution rights to a beer brand are terminated and the successor wholesaler must compensate the terminated wholesaler for the fair market value of the terminated distribution rights.  The bill specified that “fair market value,” for these purposes, did not include any amount related to a brewer’s or brewpub’s sale of beer that it brews and sells at retail within the terminated wholesaler’s territory.

Taxation

Idaho
House Bill 489 would exempt beverages including, but not limited to, wine and beer, from the payment of use tax if given as a free tasting to a potential customer.

Mississippi
Dying in committee, House Bill 306 sought to levy an additional excise tax of 64.02 cents on beer.

Direct Shipping

Mississippi
Failing to gain committee approval, Senate Bill 2043 would have allowed the direct shipment of wines that are not listed by the alcoholic beverage control division as a part of its inventory and distribution operation.

Pennsylvania
S.B. 790, providing for a direct wine shipper license, has passed the Senate.

Rhode Island
Held for further study, H.B. 7681 would allow for the direct shipping of wine to the state’s residents.

Trade Practice & Other

Alabama
Receiving favorable House committee consideration, S.B. 294 would allow beer to be sold in containers not to exceed 25.4 ounces.  Currently, all beer, except draft or keg beer, must be sold by retailers in containers not to exceed 16 ounces.

California
Senate Bill 1393 would allow the return of beer that is recalled or that is considered to present a health and safety issue by the manufacturer, importer, or governmental entity if distributed, offered for sale, or sold in the state, and would allow for the exchange of beer or a credit memorandum.

Delaware
Receiving committee approval, S.B. 180 seeks to create a craft distillery license.

Georgia
Passing both chambers of the legislature and before the Governor, House Bill 472 increases the number of barrels that a brewpub can produce from 5,000 to 10,000 and increases from 500 to 5,000 barrels the volume they would be allowed to sell to distributors.  Finally, the restriction that the amount sold to distributors be in draft form only is lifted.

Idaho
The purpose of Senate Bill 1344 is to allow a brewer who produces fewer than 30,000 barrels of beer annually to be allowed to have a financial interest in one additional brewery that produces fewer than 30,000 barrels of beer annually.

Indiana
Signed into law by the Governor, H.B. 1054 specifies that the 30,000 barrel production limitation for small Indiana breweries does not apply to the manufacture of beer for sale or distribution outside Indiana. Provides that a small Indiana brewery may sell the brewery’s beer on Sunday at any address for which the brewer holds a brewer’s permit if the address is located within the same city boundaries in which the beer was manufactured. (Current law provides that a small Indiana brewery may sell the brewer’s beer only at the address for which the brewer’s permit was issued.)

Kentucky
House Bill 543 would establish a craft distillery license that permits the holder to distill less than 50,000 gallons of distilled spirits per year, to serve samples on the premises in an amount not to exceed 1 ounce per patron, and to sell to a wholesaler.

Maine
Referred to House committee, S.B. 667 amends provisions related to manufacturer licenses to provide for greater consistency with regard to taste testing and the provision of samples and other regulatory requirements.

Maryland
House Bill 595, specifying that a holder of certain manufacturer’s licenses may apply for and obtain additional manufacturer’s licenses for the same premises or elsewhere, has received favorable committee action.

Each bill receiving its originating chamber’s approval, House Bill 1126 and Senate Bill 579 create a farm brewery manufacturer’s license.

Passing both the Senate and House, S.B. 874 creates a “refillable container licenses” for restaurants in the city of Baltimore, excluding those establishments that do not serve food.

Minnesota
Companion bills House Bill 2719 and Senate Bill 2374 would allow an out of state craft brewer to bring in craft beer one day per year, without needing to comply with licensing and brand registration laws.

Mississippi
House Bill 7 has died in committee.  The legislation sought to authorize the manufacture of beer of more than 5% by weight for sale in another state.

Passing the House and under Senate consideration, H.B. 1019 seeks to allow beer manufacturers the ability to provide limited amounts of beer on the premises of the brewery for tasting or sampling.

Dying in committee, House Bill 800 sought to allow beer manufacturers the ability to sell limited amounts of beer on the premises of the brewery.

Signed into law by the Governor, S.B. 2878 raises the allowable alcohol in beer sold in the state from 5 percent to 8 percent alcohol by weight.

Passing both legislative chambers, S.B. 2600 allows breweries to provide samples on the licensed premises.

Amended and passed by the House and returned to the Senate for concurrence, Senate Bill 2370 permits the manufacture of beer of more than 5% alcohol volume by weight if the beer is only intended for sale outside the state.

Missouri
The subject of a public hearing, House Bill 1306 prohibits a caffeinated malt beverage from being imported, produced, manufactured, distributed, or sold at any retail outlet in this state. A “caffeinated malt beverage” is defined as a beverage containing caffeine or other stimulants, has at least .5% alcohol by volume, and is either produced by a brewer or produced from a formula that must be approved by the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Trade and Tax Bureau.

Nebraska
Awaiting gubernatorial action, L.B. 824 specifies that the definition of spirits does not include flavored malt beverages (FMB’s), defining them as beer that derives not more than forty-nine percent of its total alcohol content from flavors or flavorings containing alcohol obtained by distillation. This legislation, if passed, would invalidate a Nebraska Supreme Court decision that determined FMB’s are, by their very nature, distilled spirits and must be taxed as such at a rate of $3.75/gallon (beer is taxed at a rate of at 31 cents/gallon).

New Hampshire
Passing the House, H.B. 1172 authorizes nano brewery, beverage manufacturer, and brew pub licensees to sell their products at farmers’ markets.

Approved by the House and sent to the Senate, H. B. 1208 would prohibit the liquor commission from requiring federal label approval for beer sold exclusively in the state of New Hampshire.

House Bill 1236, seeking to allow beverage manufacturers, nano breweries, and brew pubs to obtain up to 5 on-premises licenses has been held over for study.

New York
Assembly Bill 7449 authorizes the liquor authority to issue farm brewery licenses for the manufacture and sale of beer on farms.

Oklahoma
H.B. 2477 authorizes a brewer license holder to serve free samples of beer produced on premises.

Rhode Island
Held for further study in committee, House Bill 7301 would allow brewers and winegrowers to sell their products at farmer’s markets and establish a farmer-brewer license.

Tennessee
Passed by both legislative chambers and before the Governor for action, S.B. 2167 requires the alcoholic beverage commission to report to the State and Local Government Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives by January 30, 2013 all of the following:
(1) A proposal of recommended rules and regulations regarding restricting the sale of certain high alcohol content beverages; (2) A recommended definition of “high alcohol content beverage”; and (3) Information on how other states regulate the sale of such high alcohol content beverages.

H.B. 1892 seeks to increase the maximum percentage of alcohol a beverage may have and still be considered “beer” from 5 percent to 12 percent by weight.  In addition, the legislation would allow retail package stores to sell beer.

Virginia
Agreed to by both the House and Senate, House Joint Resolution 522 commends the good work of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild in promoting Virginia’s small breweries.

Becoming law with the Governor’s signature, House Bill 279 provides that a person who is convicted of DUI may drive only with an ignition interlock after the first offense, as a condition of a restricted license and is required to have an ignition interlock installed in each vehicle owned by or registered to him after a second offense.

Signed into law by the Governor, H.B. 359 relates to the conditions under which a licensed brewery may manufacture beer pursuant to an agreement with a brand owner not under common control with the manufacturing brewery and sell and deliver the beer so manufactured to the brand owner.

Signed into law by the Governor, S. B. 604 allows a brewery licensee to sell beer at retail at premises described in the brewery license for on-premises consumption and in closed containers for off-premises consumption. The bill also allows these licensees to offer samples of the brewery’s products to individuals visiting the licensed premises, provided that such samples shall be provided only to individuals for consumption on the licensed premises.

West Virginia
Signed into law by the Governor, Senate Bill 528 creates the Scrap Metal Theft Prevention Act which includes the following provision relating to beer kegs: no scrap metal dealer may knowingly purchase, possess or receive a stainless steel or aluminum beer keg, whether damaged or undamaged, or any reasonably recognized part thereof, for the intended purpose of reselling it as scrap metal unless the scrap metal dealer receives the keg or keg parts from the beer manufacturer or its authorized representative.

Wisconsin

Signed into law by the Governor, Senate Bill 395 clarifies that “homemade” wine and beer is wine and beer made by a person’s own efforts and not for a commercial purpose, and is not limited to wine or beer made in the person’s home. Under the bill’s provisions, no license or permit is required for the making of homemade wine or beer, and allows the possession, transportation, or storage of homemade wine or beer, if all of the following apply: 1) the person who makes the wine or beer receives no compensation; 2) the wine or beer is not sold or offered for sale; and 3) the total quantity of wine or beer made by the person and any other person living in the same household does not exceed 100 gallons or 200 gallons per calendar year, depending on how many persons of legal drinking age live in the household.
If wine or beer is made in compliance with these requirements, this homemade wine or beer may also be used, without any license or permit, for purposes of exhibition, demonstration, judging, tasting, or sampling or as part of a contest or competition (collectively “home maker’s event”). Finally, the bill also allows a person, including an alcohol beverage retailer or other permit holder, to conduct, sponsor, or host, at a public or private place under the control of the person, a home maker’s event if the person does not sell, or acquire any ownership interest in, the homemade wine or beer.

Becoming law with the Governor’s signature, A.B. 290 provides that a person is not required to hold a license or permit to manufacture wine or beer at a business primarily engaged in selling supplies and equipment for use by homebrewers or home winemakers, or to taste the wine or beer at this business, if the wine or beer is not sold or offered for sale. A person is also not required to hold a license or permit to manufacture wine or beer for educational purposes, or to taste the wine or beer at the place of manufacture, if the wine or beer is not sold or offered for sale. A person who manufactures wine or beer under these circumstances is also not required to pay an occupational tax, however any person providing wine or beer for tasting at a business primarily engaged in selling supplies and equipment for use by homebrewers or home winemakers must hold an operator’s license (i.e., a bartender’s license).

The same folks who have put on the Colorado Mountain Winefest every third weekend in September for the past 21 years are bringing the fun and festivities to Sculpture Park, with the large, white dancing couple on Speer Blvd, next to the Denver Performing Arts Complex on June 9. Last year almost 50 Colorado wineries assembled to pour samples and sell bottles for you to take home. This new festival will offer cutting edge Colorado cuisine, roving wine experts and real-life, interactive aroma wheel.

Look for other seminars and events throughout the week, including the Celebration of Premier Colorado Wines at the Governor’s Residence on June 7.

Ticket information, schedules and a list of wineries and events will be available soon at

At Metro State College, Denver, on April 28

• Seminars and Colorado Twitter Taste-off in St. Cajetan’s

• Lunch and Colorado Blind Challenge in Adirondack Room

Events

• 8:30 a.m., conference registration

• 9 a.m., Colorado’s Terroir and the Challenges of High Altitude. Moderator: Richard Leahy, national wine consultant. Panelists: Steve Menke, PhD, Associate Professor of Enology, Colorado State University; Horst Caspari, Professor & State Viticulturist, Colorado State University; Bruce Talbott, Talbott Farms.

• 10 a.m., Local Food, Local Wine, and Why They Don’t Like Each Other. Moderator: Dave McIntyre, Washington Post and co-founder DrinkLocalWine. Panelists: Rene Chazottes, Pacific Club, Newport Beach, Calif.; Evan Faber, Salt, Boulder; Jensen Cummings, Row 14, Denver.

• 11 a.m., Consumer Perception of Colorado and Regional Wine. Moderator: Rich Mauro, Colorado Springs Gazette. Panelists: Jay Leeuwenburg, Colorado Academy; Jennifer Broome, Fox 31; Chris Anthony, Chris Anthony Adventures.

• Noon, Colorado Blind Challenge. Moderator: Wayne Belding, MS.

• 12:45, lunch

• 2 p.m., Nomacorc-Colorado Twitter Taste-off. Moderator: Kyle Schlachter, Colorado Wine Press. Participants must be 21 or older.

Unique “Spring Fever Firkin” to be tapped on Friday, April 6

DURANGO, Colo. – Spring has sprung at Steamworks Brewing Co., and the brewpub is set to celebrate during its monthly Firkin Friday, April 6, 2012, with a special “Spring Fever Firkin. The cask will be tapped at 3 p.m.

According to Ken Martin, Steamworks head brewer, the firkin’s base beer is Steamworks’ One Wit Wunder, the Belgian style wheat beer spiced with coriander and Curacao (bitter) orange peel.

“We then added extra spice in the form of sweet orange peel and lemongrass and re-fermented it with freshly pureed pineapple and its juice,” said Martin. “The result should be a spicy, citrusy wheat beer with the sweetness of pineapple and a subtle herbal essence of lemongrass.”

“It should be a refreshing spring elixir,” added Spencer Roper, assistant brewer. “Perfect to enjoy on a warm Friday afternoon on Steamworks’ back deck.”

A firkin is an old English unit of volume, typically a wooden cask equal to approximately one-quarter of a regular barrel, or nine gallons. Firkin beer is unpasteurized, unfiltered and naturally carbonated, or conditioned, it its cask. It is served at approximately 55 degrees – cool but not cold, and because it contains no preservatives, it’s designed to be consumed after tapping.

“We’ve got a large following for Firkin Fridays, and it’s growing as more people discover the opportunity to sample a unique brew that they truly can’t get anywhere else,” said Martin. “Come early to make sure you get a pint.”

Steamworks initiated its Firkin Fridays to introduce unusual, specialty craft beers to patrons, and augment its regular, award-winning offerings.

Steamworks Brewing Co., open 11 a.m. to closing seven days a week, is located at 801 E. Second. Ave., Durango (970.259.9200). For further information, visit www.steamworksbrewing.com.