Lagunitas To Brew Newcastle Brown Ale

It’s how these things happen…First you’re “still independent” even though you’re 100% owned by Heineken and the next thing you know your brewing house brands for the Netherland’s mothership.

Here’s the deal….

Peter Frost who helms the very fine Behind the Beer, has discovered a label approved by federal regulators which proudly announces that the popular British Brown Ale (also now owned by Heineken) at Lagunitas’ Petaluma and Chicago facilities.

And even more intriguing is the fact that Newcastle/Heineken makes no effort to disquiet the association…

And the fact that “Brewed and bottled (and seen a man about a dog at Lagunitas) in Petaluma, CA. & Chicago, IL” is featured prominently on the front of the updated Newcastle Brown Ale label ‘almost’ celebrates its association with Lagunitas, now an ‘almost’ craft brewer.

Hey the beer biz is business, and Heineken brewing one of its brands in the states is definitely going to help save the Netherland-based global giant some shipping costs, at least on the US side of things.

And it’s not like Newcastle Brown Ale, which was originally produced in Newcastle upon Tyne, but has long been  brewed by Heineken at the Zoeterwoude Brewery in the Netherlands, has any allegiance to the united Kingdom anymore beyond branding…So why not Chicago and Petaluma, California?

Other changes on the Lagunitas front included a significant repositioning of their Daytime IPA as less of a session beer and more of a low- calorie option. According to My Beer Buzz a great site for this kind of news, the new Daytime will sport, a new label, lower 4% ABV (down from 4.65%) and a pitch that trumpets the IPA’s 100 calories.

And speaking of Heineken, Frost also reported that another label submitted to the TTB indicates Heineken USA may be introducing a stronger version of Tecate, its popular Mexican Lager. According to the label Tecate Titanium is a 7.5% ABV lager with “high alcohol content but great drinkability.”