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Hey it’s Wednesday and that means it’s Rumor Mill Time….SweetWater Brewing is upping the ante on its commitment to both science and style in a big way. We’ll get into that and on to other things that are breaking right now in the world of craft beer. Plus we’ve an all-important update on what we’ve been drinking lately.
We don’t sleep so you can….THIS WEEK’S RUMOR MILL IS ON!
“Sweet Things Are Made Of This” Part I (Atlanta, GA) – SweetWater Brewing is making some sweeping changes that they hope will make a good thing for you even better. The brewery has announced that they are expanding their beer conditioning that they introduced with the launch of cans last March to now include their bottled beers. Conditioning is a natural method used to carbonate beer. Instead of mechanically forcing carbon dioxide into the brew, a carefully calculated amount of priming sugar and yeast is added to the beer immediately prior to packaging. With a small amount of yeast active in the beer, it consumes the residual sugars as well as any oxygen in the head space during a brief secondary fermentation stage, naturally ensuring fresher and more stable beer for longer periods.
“Sweet Things Are Made Of This” Part II (Atlanta, GA) – SweetWater Brewing is also introducing a new look to their bottle design. Their logo is embossed twice on the shoulder of the new bottle and the brewery’s motto – “Don’t Float the Mainstream”- is molded in the lower label panel. The new package takes its cues from a traditional Belgian bottle, but also incorporates a water wave pattern into a redesigned neck for an end product that SweetWater hopes will make their brands stand out in an increasingly crowded market place.
California’s Epic Drought Impacting Brewers (Los Angeles, CA) – California’s prolonged drought is increasingly impacting the state’s breweries. The LA Times is reporting that Bear Republic has already cut its growth plans by 40% and that they are considering a new brewery location elsewhere that would offer a “more stable water supply.”
Join The AHA and Maybe Win A Trip to the GABF (Boulder, CO) – Our friends at the American Homebrewers Association wanted our readers to know that if they join or renew their membership with the AHA in August–and enter coupon code GABF14 when doing so–they will have the chance to win a special prize package for the sold-out Great American Beer Festival that’s taking place October 2-4 in Denver. The winner will receive two free tickets to the event, free airfare, and a free hotel stay for three nights, which is a pretty sweet deal if you ask us.
What We’ve Been Drinking (Washington, DC) – We’d like to thank Ruari Twomey, Joe Gruss, and the whole crew at GUINNESS for having us out last week – and also for affording us the opportunity to sample their newest creation – an exciting “states-only” release. As the first edition to their new Discovery Series, GUINNESS Blonde American Lager merges European and American brewing traditions to come up with something that reflects the company’s 255 years of brewing experience and is distinctly American at the same time. To ensure this beer’s American pedigree, GUINNESS enlisted the talents of Joe Gruss, a renowned Master Brewer with more than 35 years of brewing experience. This 5% ABV American pours deep golden amber and drinks silky rich and smooth and GUINNESS will be launching it nationwide in October.
