Beer Buzz – Say Goodbye To 3.2 Beer, Lagunitas Gets Gnarly And More!

American Craft Beer|December 27th, 2017|

The last week of 2017…and clearly the craft beer biz isn’t slowing down any time soon. But no worries, Rumor Mill is always on the case, keeping you plugged in into all the beer 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.

Anheuser-Busch To Produce Less 3.2 Beer (New York, NY) – The world’s largest beer producer has put Utah, the world’s largest consumer of the low-alcohol beer line on notice…that they may be reducing their production of 3.2% ABW beer by 40% in 2018, because Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas (who represent more than 60% of the total 3.2 beer drinkers in America) are all moving to sales of heavier brews in 2018 and 2019.

The legendary ‘3.2 Beer,’ that low alcohol relic of a post-prohibition mentality and state laws that prohibited anything but beers with drastically reduced alcohol levels to be sold in grocery and convenience stores, is finally going the way of the Triceratops. And frankly we’re amazed that it’s taken this long.

In today’s craft beer lexicon the 3.2 beer itself is a kind of misnomer, referring to alcohol by weight (ABW) rather than the more commonly used ABV (alcohol by volume) designation. A 3.2% beer is actually a 4% ABV brew when referenced by volume. And with Anheuser-Busch’s announcement that they’ll be downscaling its production in the coming year, it’s becoming an increasingly rare commodity in the world of beer.

Words To Drink By (London, UK) – “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Mark Twain, American author

Einstök Ölgerð Co-Founder Has Died (Akureyri, Iceland) – Jack Sichterman, the co-Founder and Beer Master of Iceland’s leading craft beer producer Einstök Ölgerð, passed away on December 10^th after a brief but heroic battle with cancer. “Although Jack’s life was cut short, his accomplishments are legendary,” said Einstök’s Co-founder and CEO, David Altshuler. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and Einstök’s extended family of valued distributors and vendors, at this time of collective grieving.”

What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (San Leandro, CA) – Winter is here, and we’re drinking uber-robust at the ACB compound, beers like an ENORMOUS ale we recently tapped from Lagunitas.

Brewed with Crystal and Munich malt for a HIGHLY rich malt-forward flavor that retains some floral hop snap and then aged at 50°F to round things out, Lagunitas Old GnarlyWine is a 10.9% ABV good reason to drink.