Since I have some home brew reviews that I want to post consecutively later this week I am shaking up my typical schedule again by doing beer news on what is normally a beer review day.  With the pumpkin beer evaluations last week and the first “Random Thought Monday” yesterday, I am just going to keep things a bit out of order for a while longer.

Now I will kick off (what I think is) the first ever Tuesday beer news with . . .

• A story that was sent to me by The Wife of a man in Argentina who built his house out of millions of empty beer bottles.  Maybe this is a hint that she wants me to fill our garage with empties for future building project purposes?

• Growing water scarcity around the world and increasing pressure to cut consumption has led AB InBev (and many other companies) to look at ways to cut their water use and still increase production levels.  It seems to me like that just makes too much sense to do, water scarcity or not.

• Though primarily using examples from the D.C. area, this article speaks of how the craft beer market and specifically those higher end brews are (at least) maintaining popularity through this time of a down economy.

• My love of beer, food, and travel would not let me pass up the opportunity to share a short piece about beer and pork knuckles in Bavaria.  Perhaps this is something to add to (or remove from) your travel itinerary to Germany?

• Last but not least is a drinking game to add to your March Madness fun, though judging by some of the rules you won’t remember much of the action after about half time of the first game.  However I will say that if number fifteen actually happens (which is what caught my eye with this one), I will need far more than one pitcher to make me feel better!

Better have a few poured and ready for the tournament!

Sláinte!

There is a pretty wide range of beer news to present today.  It is great that I have found stories about beer that also incorporate a few other topics like sports and movies.  Throwing those things into the mix along with a mention of a few of my favorite breweries and a title I would not mind having some day and I think I have a lineup of really good stuff this week.  For your reading pleasure . . .

• Though I was not aware that there was such a title as “Beerdrinker of the Year” until a short time ago, it seems to be an honor that I would not mind having later in life.  I can imagine there is a lot of competition out there for that crown.

• The World Cup in South Africa is still months away, bit there are measures in place to ensure a steady supply of beer for the fans that will be there.  That is a very important detail not to be overlooked.

• I had no idea that the Oscars were coming up this weekend, but I am glad that the author of this article did because he reminded me that I should watch “Strange Brew” again sometime soon.  Beerfest is a guilty pleasure of mine that I have probably watched too many times already.

• This one caught my eye because of the breweries mentioned, but it also is an interesting perspective on the costs of the increasingly diverse creations in the craft beer market (or at least that in Colorado).

• There is increasing interest among beer drinkers in the United States (or at least myself) in knowing more about the beer that they are buying.  Certain breweries have made it possible to experience various parts of the brewing process at some level.  Thank you to Erin for passing this one along.  With a few more you will soon have a permanent contributor credit here!

Woodstock Inn Station and Brewery (via http://travel.nytimes.com)

Salud!

To shake things up a bit (I am just crazy) today there will be a smaller amount of beer news combined with some images that just had to be shared.  So, for your enjoyment today I bring you . . .

• What happens when titans of the craft brewing and culinary worlds combine forces?  I guess any of us who will be visiting New York City starting sometime this summer will find out.  Check out this story and then this article too for more information.  Here is a hint . . .

Just part of the equation (via http://www.huffingtonpost.com/)

I will skip the details because you can check them out by seeing what The Wife had to say, but there was birthday cake earlier this week for yours truly.  There was bacon in it and on it and it was good.  Though after mentioning the bacon no proof of goodness should be necessary, I will still present you with some evidence . . .

Bacon frosting alone would have been good.

But there was bacon in it too!

Mine! You can't have any!

Best.  Wife.  Ever.

There is nothing but positive beer news to share today.  Of course some of the stories out there were downers, but there is no reason to be bummed going into the end of the week.  Really there is no reason to be depressed at all when talking about beer.  So, for your enjoyment today I bring you . . .

• This first one is mostly to remind me to look for a new Shmaltz product on the shelves soon.  Of course I encourage everyone to do the same.

• Thanks goes to The Wife for letting me know of a new beer from Eagle Rock Brewery.  This also makes the cut in part because they use some of my favorite coffee in one of their brews.

• If you like gimmicks with your beer be sure to keep up on the ongoing battle to create the beer with the highest ABV.  Check out the new titleholder.

• Cousin Adam let me know about the expansion of a local brewery back home in Northern New York.  I will be excited to try some new products from Harbor Brewing Co. in the future.

• I guess this one initially caught my eye because of Zane Lamprey’s enjoyment of bia hoi, but this is a good article regarding the beer drinking culture in Vietnam.  Not sure how it was published three days from now though.

Beer delivery in Vietnam (via http://travel.nytimes.com/)

Chia!

There is a pretty wide range of stories for this week’s beer news and all are interesting in their own way.  There are weeks where it is somewhat of a struggle to come up with a decent list, but the tough part this week was to limit the list to a reasonable length.  Since there is some good reading to get to, I will stop my rambling and let you get on to it.  Enjoy . . .

Getting the financial story out of the way at the beginning.  Here is a summary of how beer sales and stocks are currently doing, both for the big boys and craft brewers.

My homage to Central New York for this week is an article recapping FX Matt Brewing Company’s rebuilding and expanding after a 2008 fire.

Sure it is a beer-pouring robot, but don’t we leave the house and go to bars and pubs for some level of human interaction?  Do you tip the robot?

It seems that Erin and Cousin Adam wanted to make sure that I felt better about my beer drinking by letting me know that it is good for my bones.  Maybe another reason to consider it a vitamin?

Sure I am all for good canned beer and smaller craft breweries expanding, but can Oregon share the wealth a little?  Gregg, it is time to book your trip to Oregon for summer 2011!

It may have made more sense to put this one out there when it was posted last month, but we still have much of the year to look forward to some new beers.  Many of my personal favorites are included in this rundown including this month’s honoree, Great Divide Brewing Co.

More beer coming to Astoria (via Jamie Francis/The Oregonian)

Cheers!

Before heading off around midday to work on some additional content for the site (likely to be announced over the weekend), I wanted to be sure to pass along my beer news for the week.  Not that I often have a theme or any continuity between the stories, but today seems even more all over the map than usual.  However they are still stories that caught my eye and/or were passed along to me by others.

As a side comment this morning it seems that my blaming Cousin Adam for bringing the bad weather with him on his visit may have been accurate as today it is again sunny and beautiful outside.  I would like to now thank him for taking the nasty stuff back north with him when he left yesterday!  Now on to the beer stories for this week . . .

• Starting off today with a bit of an explanation of and review for a new, more sustainable brew from Goose Island.

• Articles that highlight the back-story of small breweries continue to grab my attention as I guess that maybe I am searching for my own way into brewing.  Here is one from Ottawa that has some bonus culinary information, including a “Cheddar Ale Soup” recipe.

• Yet another brewery turning to solar energy to offset energy costs at their facilities.  Kona will be the first to do so in Hawaii.

• Whatever the circumstances, you cannot expect to mess with a person’s beer or, in this case, beer making supplies and get away with it.  Thank you to Erin for provided this example!

• Clearly I was drawn to this last article mainly because I think that I will get a chance to try this new beer tomorrow evening here in Orlando.  Never did I expect to try two oatmeal raisin cookie inspired beers in one week.

Combining two great things. (via http://beernews.org/)

Cheers!

As mentioned on Tuesday, I am planning to dedicate the month of February to a favorite brewery of mine.  Though I am not ready to disclose exactly which one quite yet, I can say that it is located in Colorado and it just might be in Denver.  That should narrow down the list of possibilities until I make the formal announcement.  I also have to say thank you to The Wife for passing along a few of these stories, making this post quite a bit quicker to do.  Now on to the beer stories for today . . .

• This is a story about a brewery in Central New York that is looking to help keep another in Buffalo afloat.  I hope it works out well for both.

• Here is an interesting (and relatively short) video interview done with Mariah Calagione, which announces and gives the story behind a new Dogfish beer that will be available on draft in 2010.

• There is a first for everything on this site and today will be the first link to an exercise article.  Of course it is an article about losing a beer gut without giving up beer though.

• This one probably caught my eye since I recently won a growler kit (http://blogaboutbeer.com) and I am anxiously awaiting its arrival.  It’s a good thing to have if you have a local brewery that will fill it for you.

• Since fast food chains are not typically in my diet, I will likely never actually visit this new BK in Miami, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t pass the news along to those who might.  I guess I am glad to see that they have decided to catch up with what they have been doing in Europe for a long time.

• I am a sucker for a story of a brewery that started out of a garage (maybe keeping hope for me alive) and here is one from LA.

Be sure to let me know how it is. (via http://www.nydailynews.com/)

Cheers!

It should be pretty obvious what I have been doing this week and what I have going on in the near future after reading through this list.  “Random Thought Sunday” has arrived at the perfect time, allowing me to take a short break from the work around the house and getting me back in the living room in time for the NFL games coming up very soon.   There is even a bit of beer news thrown into the mix today just for fun.  Without further delay . . .

Random thought #1 – Having friends or family coming to visit from out of town is great incentive to finally complete projects around the house that have been put off for months.  Of course that inevitably means you will do nothing to the house for the months after the visit.

Random thought #2 – I am a sucker for the opportunity to have a beer flight, whether from the same brewery or many different ones.  Why make yourself settle on just one beer when you can try six?

Random thought #3 – Is it the fumes that put you into a trance while painting?  It is often an incredibly tedious task, but the hours seem to pass by very quickly.

Random thought #4 – Learning that at least one more (good) brewery will be canning their beer really got me excited this week.  I am not sure why, but it just feels right to drink beer out of a can every now and then.

Random thought #5 – It is amazing how much more efficient I am with household tasks with a clean garage at my disposal.  Now that also means I have a lot of work to do to get it messed up again.

Cannot wait!! (via http://blogs.westword.com/)

Until the next time . . .

I do love reading through the beer news, but I don’t like that I ended up with two stories that involves actual or potential beer shortages.  That is a bit of a downer, so I made sure to add in two positive stories as well.  Again this week part of what made the final cut for today’s news came via messages from others, which is always accepted and greatly appreciated.  Now on to the stories for today . . .

• Here is another update on the Anheuser-Busch InBev situation overseas.  Beer shortages have already tapped the supplies of smaller shops and supermarkets are soon to run out as well.

• There is a bit of a brew-ha-ha going on in Ontario that may result in beer being pulled from the shelves.

• Many thanks to my Twitter friend @MelissaMangs and to The Father-in-law for passing along a good piece on Ebenezer’s in Maine.  You can also take a look at the recap from The Brother-in-law after his visit.

• A new Winter Beer Festival coming up in Atlanta.  Certainly would be interesting and worth attending if you are going to be in the area.

Ebenezer's Pub (via http://www.boston.com/)

Kampai!

It is probably because I have never lived in a big city that I don’t know the answer to this, but are newspapers ever sold by yelling that anymore?  I am sure that it happened that way at some point, though I am only basing that on what I have seen in movies and on television.  If I yelled that at home when writing this I would either get two dogs running to me or The Wife strongly considering committing me (more so than usual anyway).  Enough rambling, on with the beer news . . .

The news of job cuts for Anheuser-Busch InBev overseas was included in the beer news less than a week ago and now there is some fallout from that this week in Belgium.

Some time ago Mr. S. Jim passed along news about the Samuel Adams Beer Lover’s Choice Contest winner for me to share.  Now the release of the new brew for Spring is quickly approaching.

Perhaps a story about a former management consultant in the UK giving that up and starting a microbrewery interests and inspires only me, but hopefully not.

So if you enjoyed the microbrewery startup story from the UK, I have saved the best for last.  Many thanks to Erin for sending along a really excellent article about four guys brewing in Minneapolis.  A trip for us to the great white north may be getting closer and closer.

Fulton Beer (via http://heavytable.com/)

Cheers!

It is probably an easy way out to do another post this week based on passing along beer news, but I find a lot of interesting stuff each week that I think is worth sharing.  Of course today I am running on a very small amount of sleep (just like the good old days boys) after waking extremely early to watch The Wife run in the Disney half marathon this morning (she did great) and maybe my mind just doesn’t have the energy for anything else today.  Or it could be that it was snowing (freezing rain, sleet, frozen precipitation of some sort) this morning in Florida and I just figure the end of the world is coming before this post even goes up?  Well, if you are able to read this, please enjoy the following . . .

• Some more good news from Fort Collins as another brewery puts solar power to good use.  Another geographical shout out to Mr. Jeffrey this week.

• A very happy birthday to the beer can this month.  I just may have to crack open a Genny Cream Ale to celebrate!

• Some unfortunate news for a good number of employees of Anheuser-Busch InBev overseas.  Hopefully it will be a one time only action.

• Craft brewing continues to increase in popularity and improve sales despite the economic environment.  It has been a very good decade for craft beer overall.

• One last thing that is good for craft beer happening a little over a week from now in San Francisco.  Not a bad lineup of breweries if you are limited to only ten!

Shine on you crazy . . . beer? (via http://www.coloradoan.com/)

Not that I have to pass along beer news on Thursday, but I usually do and since I feel like garbage today it is a welcome opportunity to continue my own pattern.  Though some good beer related news does cheer me up a bit, it unfortunately has not cured whatever it is I have come down with.  So before I head back to the couch, here are a few stories for your enjoyment . . .

• Maybe this doesn’t qualify as news but it does come from a favorite city of mine that I intend to get back to this summer.  This list will give me a good place to start when we are sampling beers during our visit.

• Italian craft beer was the subject of a magazine article that I read a few months back and this article sheds some light on a good trend if you are a beer lover looking to visit Italy.

• Since The Wife has family (who I like very much) that lives in New Zealand and since I would love to visit someday, it is nice to know that some good beer will be there upon my arrival.

• Smaller breweries in Scotland are looking for a way to combine forces for the better of them all.

• This is another story of breweries holding strong during the down economy.  This time it comes from Mr. Jeff’s backyard.  If you are only interested in the beer part go ahead and skip to the last page.

Odell Brewing Co. expansion (via http://www.coloradoan.com/)

It was not my intent going in to this post, but for the last beer news day of 2009 I am showing a little love for a few breweries here in Florida.  We are still in the winter seasonal beer time of year, but I already passed along enough of that leading into the Christmas weekend.  So for this New Years Eve I bring you . . .

• Here is just another thing where I missed a patent opportunity.  Check out these beer pong designs.

• There is a couple in Colorado with a different idea for a microbrewery.  It is always good to separate yourself from the competition where you can.

• It is not a place you just happen to drive by when in Orlando, but it is worth a stop if you are thirsty for good beer.  They are one of the few organic breweries out there.

• It will take a bit of research to see which states have it worse than Florida when it comes to taxes on beer, but there are a handful of breweries in the Tampa Bay are a that are thriving despite that obstacle.

Why didn't I think of this? (via http://www.beerpongnews.com/)

Of course I am still reading up on my beer news on Christmas Eve.  What else would/should I be doing?  I think I may actually even do a bit of brewing before the day is over!  For those of you checking in on this before going back for your second plate of food I thank you for your loyalty and dedication to the world of beer.

Time to get on with things so you can get back before your cousin takes the last slice of pie . . .

• Here is a last minute rundown on what beers to pair with your Christmas meal.  Of course your choices will likely be limited to what is in the coolers at the closest convenience store.

• One of the best breweries in the country is looking to ensure fresh beer overseas.  Sure I could have picked any of the articles that have mentioned this but I have a soft spot for the Pacific NW.

• Good things are coming with the 30^th anniversary of Sierra Nevada.  It is never to early to start looking forward to beers coming out next year!

• I might even be persuaded to go caroling if it was still done the way it was originally.  Here is a rundown of a few wassails that might put you in the mood to belt out a few notes.

Hopefully you can get where you need to go! http://www.nytimes.com via the AP

Since next Thursday will be Christmas Eve and I suppose it will be too late to pass along any suggestions for beer related gifts for your friends or family, I made sure to include a few options in today’s beer news.  There seems to be an endless supply of articles with holiday beer suggestions, so I just selected a few of them to share.  Also included is some interesting and exciting news from a few New England breweries.  Enjoy!

- For those last minute (beer) shoppers among you:

• From San Diego

• Via Fort Worth

• And Richmond

• Finally from Rochester

- There are many stories about Allagash unveiling something exciting and here are a few:

• Start here first

• Then this one with many links for additional information

- Brewing with oysters.  Yes oysters!  See for yourself.

Barrels at Allagash via http://beernews.org