Beer Buzz: Craft Beer Sales Soar In Iowa, Avery Begins Canning Tap Room Rarities!

American Craft Beer|December 26th, 2018|

While much of the nation was enjoying the winter holidays, craft beer was still making news. But Beer Buzz is always on the case, keeping you up on all the news and lifestyle that matters. Plus we’ve an all-important update on what we’ve been drinking lately and you don’t want to miss that!

Iowa Craft Beer Surges (Dubuque, IA) – Even as craft beer’s momentum slows on a national level, sales are still showing double digit growth in Iowa, according to the most recent data released last week by the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division.

Sales of craft beer in Iowa increased 11 percent from fiscal year 2017 to 2018, to nearly 685,000 gallons, according to the AP. This is the second consecutive year that Iowa breweries have enjoyed considerable growth…Sales grew 9.7 percent in the fiscal year 2016 to 2017.

The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages report also notes this craft beer surge “happened despite a 2 percent decrease in overall beer sold in the state.” About 71 million gallons of craft beer were sold in Iowa in the past fiscal year, which ended June 30.

Words To Drink By (Dubuque, IA) – “Every year, I think it {craft beer} is going to peak, and every year, it seems to keep on going.” Jacob Simmons, a co-founder of Backpocket Brewing

Avery Starts Canning Tap Room Rarities (Boulder, CO) – Avery Brewing has been brewing Tap Room Rarities, which never leave the brewery’s tap room, for more than 20 years. And now, Avery will be canning one of these small batch rarities and making them available ‘to-go’ when you visit the brewery, every other month,

Avery’s first packaged Tap Room Rarity is Preesh Lightning IPA, a 5.2% ABV grapefruit-infused India Pale Ale that was one of the taproom’s most acclaimed beers this past summer. This exclusive “brewery-only” small-batch release debuts in 16-ounce four-packs on December 28^th so you know what to do.

What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (Rochester, NY) – Over the Christmas holidays we hit up something seasonal from the Genesee Brew House which is part of its Pilot Batch release series. Amber colored, rich and malty Genesee Brew House Scotch Ale is a 7.5% winter refresher with a just-below-the-radar sweetness that unlike so many beers in this style, never overpowers.