European Beer News
Story by:
Editorial Dept.
UNITED KINGDOM Carolyn Smagalski
British To Land at CBC in Portland
The Society of Independent Brewers has announced that UK brewers can now become International members of the Brewers Association in America. Launching a twist of creativity, the BA had agreed to highlight UK Brewers Association members who brew collaboration beers with UK brewers at the 2015 Craft Brewers Conference in Portland, Oregon, April 14-17. Some of the heavy hitters include the Adnams, Ilkley, FourPure and Rudgate brands.
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If you’re a coffee grinder at heart, you’ll worship the intensity of a HasBean.
BrewDog adds a triple shot of java into its 17th Abstrakt concept brew, HasBean Imperial Rye Porter. Boasting a hefty 17 percent ABV, HasBean rocks the boat with espresso in the mash, coffee in the boil, and whole roast beans in the whirlpool and fermenter.
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Rebellion Beer co-owners Mark Gloyens and Tim Coombes have entered 2015 with a galley of Pirate Beers sufficient to make Captain Jack Sparrow dance on a dead man’s chest. Each brew, released monthly, punches in at 4.2 percent ABV, showcasing a stash of premium ingredients for full flavor. February’s Poop Deck merged Maris Otter Pale Ale, Crystal and Cara malts with Golden Naked Oats, finished with Brewers Gold hops. A galley of beers is set for the remainder of the year: Blackbeard in March; Jolly Roger in August; and the crisp Yo Ho Ho in time for the December holidays.
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The Nottingham rugby community is arse over elbow with the new beer at The Bay. Greene King IPA has signed a five and a half year contract as the Official Beer of Nottingham Rugby as it moves to the Lady Bay Sports Ground, better known as The Bay.
BELGIUM Carl Kins
Palm Changes Name in Homage to History
There was big news from Palm Breweries. The company changed its official name to Palm Belgian Craft Brewers to emphasize that Belgian brewers can be considered the first craft brewers. At the same time, it highlights the company’s heritage and range of special beers, including Rodenbach and Boon. Palm has also installed a small eight-barrel brewery, which it will use to brew limited releases under the general name Arthur’s Legacy. Palm has appointed four dedicated specialists to brew herb and spice, hop, fruit and wood beers. Those beers will definitely be sought after.
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The Belgian beer scene keeps moving with new brewery construction. The beer consumer group ZYTHOS collected information on new initiatives and confirmed 11 breweries in planning during the last six months of 2014 and 26 beer companies, i.e. contract brewers.
One of those in planning is the Brussels Beer Project. The owners call themselves beer architects and are organizing their second round of crowd funding. In the first round, over 350 people joined in and paid $200 and will get 12 beers annually for the rest of their lives. This enabled BBP to commercialize three beers – Delta, Dark Sister and Grosse Bertah, all brewed at De Proefbrouwerij. The second round has the same conditions and the money raised will be used to fund a future micro-brewery located in Brussels. Two other Brussels brewery initiatives scheduled to get started in 2015 are En Stoemelings and Totembeer.
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Five Trappist breweries have joined to create a Taste of Trappists. The Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort and Westmalle brewing operations are aiming for three goals: a sustainable tourism strategy; thematic cycling/hiking routes; and customized vacation packages.
FOR POSSIBLE PHOTOS, ARTWORK:
http://beerproject.be/?lang=en
GERMANY Christopher Guest
Stickee Monkey Gets Beer Star Hat Trick
Brewmaster Matt Brynildson and Firestone Walker have scored top honors for the third straight year at the prestigious European Beer Star Awards in Munich, Germany.
The California brewery received the Consumer’s Favorite in Gold award for its Stickee Monkee, a barrel-aged quad. This brew completed an impressive hat track following Firestone Walker’s Pale 31 and Double Jack, previous winners of the Consumer’s Favorite award.
The 2014 Beer Star featured 1,613 beers from 42 countries. Judging was performed by an expert panel of beer sommeliers, brewmasters and beer journalists from 25 countries.
Fifty-two categories were included at the competition with gold, silver and bronze medals being awarded in each category after a blind tasting. The Consumer’s Favorite was chosen by attendees in a blind tasting of all 52 gold medal winners .
Firestone Walker’s hot streak also included silver medals for its Union Jack IPA, Feral One and the aforementioned Pale 31.
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After a lengthy slump, 2014 saw the first increase in German beer consumption and beer sales in three years. Per capita consumption rose to 28 gallons and beer sales rose for the first time since 2006.
The German Brewer’s Association gave numerous reasons for the uptick. An unseasonably warm winter, a beautiful spring and summer and Germany’s triumph at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil were all given as reasons for the surge in consumption and sales.
Exporting beers was a major part of the upswing in production. German beers, especially the ever-popular Pilsner, continued to gain devotees in the United States and China. “We are currently experiencing a renaissance of beer and a renaissance of brewing,” said Dr. Hans George-Eils, president of the DBB.
CZECH REPUBLIC Max Bahnson
Budějovický Budvar reported a record production of 700,000 barrels for 2014, half sold as exports. The Czech company sent beer to 70 countries last year, an increase of five countries.
The company’s exports include the Czechvar label used in North and South America (under an agreement with Anheuser-Busch) and its original Budějovický Budvar label used in the European Union. More Czech breweries are paying attention to exports as a way to compensate for a market where volume sales are stagnant and profit margins are decreasing.
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Pivovary Lobkowicz has taken an unconventional approach to the Chinese market. Lobkowicz has opened a brewpub in Tianjin, a coastal city near Beijing. To be a chain, the brewpubs will be operated in partnership with a Chinese businessman who spent two years working in the Czech Republic and, like many foreigners, fell in love with “pivo.” Lobkowicz will provide the technology, Czech ingredients and will send one of its brewmasters to China for a year to train local staff.
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November saw the opening of Pivovar Cvíkov, in North Bohemia. The new brewery is part of a very interesting trend unique to the Czech Republic: “resurrected” breweries. This one had been shut-down in 1968 and a local businessman, together with a renown brewmaster are the people behind its resurrection. Like most of its kind, Pivovar Cvíkov focuses mostly on traditional Czech styles, while also trying to play a positive role in its community.
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