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Hey it’s Wednesday and that means it’s Rumor Mill Time… The Victory Brewing World Domination Tour continues and we’ll be bringing you everything we know so far. Plus we’ve got some huge news coming out of “The Last Frontier,” and some updates from the Hop Kitchen bandwagon. But that’s not all… we’ve also got a special Rumor Mill winter release you’ll want to chase down before the holidays.
So fasten your seat belts everybody because… THIS WEEK’S RUMOR MILL IS ON!
Now Could You Please Do Something With The Beer? (Chicago, IL) – In an effort to spark some interest in a brand that’s lost some luster, Miller Lite, the beer that launched the light beer category, will release the limited-edition Original Lite Can, the updated version of the iconic packaging that changed the beer industry almost 40 years ago.
Victory Dance (Downingtown, PA) – Our friends at the Victory Brewing Company are expanding massively. Beginning this month, Victory’s beer will become available in Oregon and Washington State. And in January, they will be entering Arizona, Idaho, and Kentucky. But it doesn’t stop there. Victory is furthering their brand internationally and will also be entering Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Grand Cayman Islands this month. This sweeping expansion will give Victory a presence in 34 states (as well as the District of Columbia) and seven countries around the world.
Big Beer Brands Continue to Decline (Everywhere, USA) – Clearly, Big Beer is not selling the way it used to. According to the Detroit Free Press, data provided by Beer Marketer’s Insights show overall sales of the beverage declined in four of the past five years. But closer analysis points to once popular Big Beer brands like Budweiser (down 28.8% for the period of 2007 – 2012) and Michelob Light (down a titanic 69.6%) taking massive hits while craft beer’s market share continues to grow.
Riverbend Malt House Jumps the Hop Kitchen Bandwagon (Asheville, NC) – The spring 2014 release from New Belgium Brewing’sHop Kitchen series will be a Rye IPA using rye grown in North Carolina and malted by Riverbend Malt House in Asheville. This is the first time that a beer made with North Carolina craft malt will be given this degree of national distribution. The forthcoming collaboration will feature a variety of rye that’s been grown in North Carolina since the Civil War. The Hop Kitchen Rye IPA will be released to select markets in March 2014.
Karbach Staying Put (Houston, TX) – After weighing other options outside of the city limits, Karbach Brewing decided that continuing to grow in its current location made the most sense. After the acquisition of two neighboring properties, the brewery will remain on Karbach Street (Yeah!) and new construction will increase capacity to 60,000 barrels annually (even better!). Karbach drew national attention earlier in 2013 when it was cited by The New Yorker as the 2nd fastest-growing brewery in the nation. The brewery produced 8,169 barrels in 2012 and is on pace to hit 19,000 barrels this year, which isn’t shabby.
A Rumor Mill Holiday Release You Want to Look Out For
Alaskan Brewing is returning a popular beer to its Pilot Series this week and you’ll want to be ready for this one. Alaskan Barley Wine debuted as a limited-edition vintage in 2003, and has been a cold weather mainstay ever since. The first barleywines were originally brewed in England during the 19th century, named for their higher alcohol content that was comparable to wines of the era, and the style was destined to warm Alaskans on bitter-cold winter nights.
