We blame the industry for this… It used to be that when we wrapped up our Weekend Picks on Friday, we could coast through the weekend. There was little need to check in for updates – things were pretty much done. But clearly all that’s changed. So here’s some of what’s happened in the world of craft beer while you were enjoying yourselves.
Drinking Buddies Opens to Critical Acclaim (Chicago, IL) – Drinking Buddies, America’s first movie to legitimately take place within the context of authentic craft brewery life, opened nationally at theaters over the weekend. Already available via VOD, director Joe Swanberg’s film debut has surprised many and gotten pretty decent reviews across the board. And now the public’s chiming in. Movie website Rotten Tomatoes, which allows its visitors to rate a film’s potential, is giving it an 80% positive! This is great news for our friends at Magnolia Pictures who’ve championed this indie from day one.
“Best Beer Name of The Week” Awarded! (Stratford, CT) – This week’s American Craft Beer Name of the Week goes to Two Roads Brewing. Roadsmary’s Baby is their rum-barrel aged pumpkin beer named with more than a nod to Roman Polanski’s horror classic. This was a first “Best Beer Name” win for the Connecticut-based brewery and we’re thinking they’ve got to be psyched.
American Craft Beers Take a Hit in the UK (United Kingdom) – With American craft beer exports to the rest of the world surging, American craft beer imports in the United Kingdom slumped 44.5% in 2012. The Grocer suggests that this decline might be due in part to unrealistic price and shelf-life demands. Supermarkets over there are very price-conscious and unwilling to take a chance on selling beer with a necessarily higher price point. They’re also insisting on a 12-month shelf-life window, which many American brewers find problematic.
Shocker: Founders Centennial to Get Canned! (Grand Rapids, MI) – Okay, we’re just messing with you. Founders Brewing Company isn’t actually pulling the plug on its popular IPA – just the opposite. Following the successful release of their All Day IPA in cans, Founders is preparing to put Centennial IPA in 12-pack cans as well. It’s likely to go on shelves at some point early in 2014.
Alaska Ups Its Breweries (Fairbanks, AK) – No one knows when the first brewery came to Alaska although many think it most likely happened around the time of the Alaskan Gold Rush in the late 1880s. But it wasn’t until Alaskan Brewing Company entered the scene in 1986 that craft beer really took hold in “The Last Frontier.” According to the NewsMiner, “Alaska (now) ranks fourth in breweries per capita, just ahead of Colorado and behind only Vermont, Oregon, and Montana.”
On-Premise Drinking Down in August (Leesburg, VA) – According to GuestMetrics, food & beverage sales at table service restaurants and bars through mid-August 2013 continue to be very soft, and unless there is an improvement in the coming weeks, 3Q-13 risks being the weakest quarter of the year for on-premise. In terms of the specific alcohol categories, overall beer volumes were -4.3%.