Jim Koch, Founder & Brewer at Samuel Adams

Even the best beer can be ruined by improperly maintained draft systems, bad pours, and improper glassware. This can leave a customer with a bad impression of a good beer and it is completely beyond the brewery’s control.

Samuel Adams, arguably the most successful brand in the craft beer industry, has announced a new program aimed at ensuring their beer is properly served every time. “Perfect Pour” certification recipients must educate their staff on beer and draft quality, serve  Boston Lager on draft using the special Boston Lager Glass, and consistently serve fresh, high-quality beer.

It’s obvious that the folks at Samuel Adams understand the importance of educating those that serve beer in addition to those that drink it.  The Cicerone Certification Program aims to do this as well but it’s nice to see a brewery taking the initiative because everyone benefits from the effort.

Here’s the press release:

The biggest expense for breweries, large and small, is often excise taxes. Brewers must pay a tax on every barrel of beer they create, whether that beer is sold or not. This is particularly hard on small breweries which often have very small profit margins.

The Brewers Association has been working for some time to get the government to lower excise taxes for small brewers and has seen some progress on the issue. Bills are working their way through the House and Senate right now which would give some much needed tax relief for small brewers.

Beer and alcohol are often villainized in the media so it’s nice to see this piece from ABC explaining how reducing excise taxes could mean a boost for the economy. (Beware there is video on the page which begins with a loud commercial as soon as the page loads, which is why I chose not to embed it here.)

According to an estimate in a Harvard University study, reducing the excise tax would create more than 2,700 new jobs in the first year to 18 months and an average of 375 new jobs per year over the following four years.

Brady, the co-author of the bill, said although it isn’t a priority for Congress to do, it is a serious bill that could create a lot of jobs.

“I know, considering we are fighting a war, the economy and the oil spill, this isn’t the top of Congress’ agenda, but this is a chance to increase jobs,” Brady said. “Beer has gone global. We have these small craft brewers that can bring amazing new tastes in the market.”

The video features some well-known craft brewers and is worth watching, once you get past the commercial.

Hops are what gives beer it’s unique taste, bitterness and aroma. Researchers at N.C. State University are trying to see if Hops are a viable crop to grow.

Hoping to build on the craft-brewing and local food movements, N.C. State University researchers in Raleigh and a handful of farmers in the mountains are growing experimental plots of hops, the cone-shaped flower clusters that brewers add to beer for bitterness and aroma and as a natural preservative.

Jensen, who is growing on land once used for tobacco, said it’s a huge amount of work but one of the few crops that, on paper at least, could bring in decent income for farmers, which is what led her to try it. Hops can sell for more than $10 a pound in small quantities, and it’s not unusual for an acre to yield more than 2,000 pounds. (Read full article)

I will be trying to grow some Hops here in Arkansas and will keep you up to date with my success or failure. But at $10 a pound it’s worth a try.

Great story from The Boston Globe on how Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company handled the one day drop of stock price from $60 to almost 1 cent.

Had he known what was happening, Koch said he might have bought more shares in his company, which is known for its Samuel Adams beer brand.
“You could get 50 shares of stock for a case of Sam Adams empties,” he quipped. “That’s a good deal.”

Audio: Jim Koch on Boston Beer Co. stock plunge
Boston Beer Co. founder talks about stock snafu with Loren & Wally on 105.7 WROR

JimKochWROR051110

The beer company that help start the modern microbrewery has been sold, and did you know it was owned by Fritz Maytag, heir to the washing machine fortune, since 1965.

Anchor Brewing Co., the San Francisco beer company that helped spark the modern microbrewery movement, has been sold to two Bay Area entrepreneurs who are in the artisan beer and spirits business.

Keith Greggor, 55, and Tony Foglio, 64, of the investment and consulting company The Griffin Group, announced their purchase Tuesday. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Greggor and Foglio, who developed the Skyy Vodka brand, said they plan to expand the brewery’s operations…(via ABC News)

Beer seems like a good investment, I think I will invest in another 6pack myself. It will be interesting to see if they can grow the brand but keep up the quality.

As a graphic designer I have always be fascinated with labels especially Beer and Wine labels. I was very interested when I ran across this article at DallasNews.com

Halbert, who lives in Fenton, Mo., has made a career out of illustrating beer labels. His work appears on packaging from Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors and Samuel Adams, so if you’ve had a beer in recent years, you’ve probably owned a piece of Halbert’s art.

Halbert specializes in scratchboard, a technique where the artist etches black-and-white images into a clay board, giving an old-time, engraved-wood appearance. Breweries’ design firms hire him to draw wheat strands or hop vines or malted grains for labels, packaging and advertisements. read full article here

I did a quick google search and found his website  http://www.inkart.com/index.html take a look and next time you drink a beer maybe Michael Halbert drew it

So this ad was banned in Brazil for being too sensual…really I expected more from Brazil

The ad that has set Brazil on its ear features Hilton seductively rubbing a can of beer over herself while she sashays around a windowed office in plain view of passersby.
Complaints about the sensuality of the spot led to three investigations, and the ad has been pulled by the beer maker, Grupo Schincariol, the Associated Press confirmed.
The company said in a statement it saw nothing wrong with the commercial, but is pulling it for the time being.
The issue according to Brazilian ad watchdog group, Conar, is the fact that the commercial featured beer. Advertising regulations prohibit the sensual depiction of women in alcohol commercials.
While Brazilian beer ads are said to routinely feature women in bikinis, the context is in a beach setting, where such clothing is expected.
“The problem with the ad isn’t a lack of clothing, but its sensual nature,” Eduardo Correia, a Conar spokesman, told The Associated Press last week.
The beer in question, Devassa’s “Bem Loura,” translates “Very Blond,” which explains the Hilton connection….(via The Improper)

Workers at Carlsberg Brewery in Denmark strike after they are told they can only drink free beer at lunch…

Jens Bekke, a spokesman for Carlsberg, the world’s fourth-biggest brewer, said: ‘There has been free beer, water and soft drinks everywhere. Yesterday, beers were removed from all refrigerators.

He said drivers and warehouse workers were particularly upset because they have lost the right to drink three beers a day outside lunch hours. (from Dailymail.co.uk full article here)

I don’t know about you but a few beers at work makes work more fun. Maybe we should all strike for free beer…

This article from Ad Age looks at the new marketing that Boston Beer Company is using small as it’s selling point

At what point does a craft beer get big and become just another big beer brand or can a small brewery keep it’s integrity and grow? What do you think?

Here is a video of some local news coverage of a small brewer who started as a homebrewer. I think this is every homebrewer’s dream. I know it’s mine!

via http://twitter.com/HomeBrewTalk/status/8384230785