American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
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 off enjoying yourselves.
Hand Crafted Tasting Comes to the Nation’s Capital (Washington, DC) – We’ve attended events up in NYC that were produced by the Hand Crafted Tasting Company – and we’ve got to admit that these guys know how to put on a craft beer festival. So when we heard they were bringing their new spring seasonal showcase to DC, we were stoked! The DC Craft Beer Festival is coming to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, March 8th for two sessions – one in the afternoon and one in the evening. The Spring Seasonal tasting will feature more than 150 offerings from 75 of America’s best craft breweries, with a special focus on breweries from DC, Maryland, and Virginia. There will also be craft beer experts hosting intimate, 50-person, first-come, first served seminars. Beer Director Greg Engert from DC craft beer faves Churchkey, Birch & Barley, and Bluejacket Brewery will be leading a food pairing seminar featuring charcuterie and three beers from the main tasting room floor. Other seminars will feature Tom Acitelli, Author of “The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution and Garrett Peck, the Author of “Capital Beer.”
Bottom line – these guys know how to throw a serious craft beer event – and you don’t want to miss their DC debut.
Best Japanese Beer Guide on the Planet! (Sydney, Australia) – ACB has many readers who live in Australia and we hear from them all of the time. And one of them recently tipped us to this excellent article on Japanese beer that was produced by The Bottle-O, an Australian bottle shop network with 200+ stores across the country – and we thought you’d want to know about it.Our Essential Guide to Japanese Beer is a smart and succinct primer on the subject that covers the history of Japanese beer from its early beginnings in the 17th century, up through the advent of craft beer in 1994 and into the present day. There are sections on food pairings and Japanese beer etiquette and also a comparison of Australian vs. Japanese beers – so check it out.
Radiohead Artist Does Dogfish Head Labels (Milton, DE) – ACB has long been an outspoken advocate of the craft beer label as art. We believe that a brewery’s imaging (which we refer to as vibe) matters and that it can even color how you feel about the beer that you’re drinking… When you rate beers on our site, we invite you to evaluate the beer’s imaging. Some think that’s stupid – but we don’t care – craft beer label art matters to us. And that’s why we’re excited about Dogfish Head’s new Aprihop label -the first of a series of labels featuring artwork by Jermaine Rogers.Rogers has worked with Radiohead, Neil Young, David Bowie, The Deftones, Eddie Vedder and “hundreds of others,” according to a company blog post. And now his artwork will adorn the labels of each Dogfish Head seasonal: Aprihop in spring, Festina Peche in summer, Punkin Ale in fall, and Piercing Pils in winter.
89.3 The Current Partners with Schell’s (New Ulm, MN) – Legendary Minnesota radio station 89.3 The Currentannounced that it is partnering with Schell’s, the oldest family-owned brewery in Minnesota and maker of German craft beer, to introduce a co-labeled Schell’s The Current beer, available in May. A cold summer brew that pairs deliciously with hot summer tunes, Schell’s The Current beer is a limited edition of Schell’s seasonal Zommerfest, a Kölsch-style ale. “We know that many of our fans love craft beer, and we look at any partnership or promotion through the lens of our audience,” said Jim McGuinn, program director for The Current. “We know our listeners and this is a natural fit.”
