The American Craft Beer Rumor Mill – April 29, 2015

American Craft Beer|April 29th, 2015|

Yikes April is almost over…So much has happened already this year and it doesn’t appear that things are going to be slowing down any time soon. But no worries – Rumor Mill is always on the case, keeping you plugged in to all the craft beer news that matters. Plus we’ve got an all-important update on what we’ve been drinking lately and you absolutely don’t want to miss that.

Craft Beer Talk Dominates the 2015 NBWA Legislative Conference (Washington, DC) – Beer distributors from all 50 states are in DC, this week for the 2015 National Beer Wholesalers Association Legislative Conference and the growing prominence of American Craft Beer was the 900 lb. gorilla in the room.

NBWA President & CEO Craig Purser shared new data from a survey of NBWA distributor members that revealed:

92% of distributors carry products from at least one local, in-state brewer (i.e. craft beer)
96% of those distributors carry multiple brands of local brewers brewer (i.e. craft beer)
96% say in-state brewer sales are up (i.e. craft beer)
94% of distributors have added at least one new brewer partner in the past year (i.e. craft beer)

Beer Comedy Web Series Coming Soon (Los Angeles. CA) – It’s hard to know whether craft beer has finally “arrived” or if it has possibly “jumped the shark” when they start making sitcoms about it. LA Beer,a web sitcom series that “follows a group of beer lovers and brewers as they compete in a growing industry,” will debut with five episodes on YouTube beginning May 11^th in conjunction with American Craft Beer Week, according to Variety.

Beer Gone Bad (Anywhere, USA) – Who among has not experienced the buzzkill of a “beer gone bad?” Well, new DNA testing methodology, using the PCR technique, might put an end to that. Popular Science is reporting that breweries like Russian River are increasingly turning to this DNA methodology “that takes just a few hours, and can identify beer-contaminating culprits such as bacteria from the Pediococcus and Lactobacillus genuses, which can ruin a beer’s flavor.”

Old Town Soon To Be All Over Town (Portland, OR) – Old Town Brewing has just signed a deal with Maletis Beverage which will bring its award-wining beers to bars, restaurants and tap handles across the Portland area. And look for bottles to hit store shelves later this spring as well.

What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (Washington, DC) – We’d like to thank all the breweries who ship us beer from time to time. It’s always great to sample the brews we write about and helps give us a better feel for what’s happening out there. Last night we hit up an award-winning brew that we recently received from Starr Hill. Crowned the best IPA in Virginia at the 2014 Virginia Craft Beer Festival, Starr Hill’s King of Hops Imperial IPA a 7.5% ABV jolt of Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo and Falconer’s Flight hops – and deserves all the buzz it’s been getting.