For 24 years, John Maier has been on the Rogue brewery floor in rubber boots n’ overalls creating and brewing World Class Beer. John can’t do this forever. We need the next John Maier. Come be Rogue’s Brewmaster.

Rogue Ales President, Brett Joyce, quelled any rumors about Maier’s future with the company before they started: “No story here, we’re just trying to get John some help.”

The company is providing an annual six-figure compensation package to the new hire. Combined with Maier’s compensation, that is a decent chunk of change tied up into some kind of dual brewmaster position. Not unheard of though. Oregon pal, Deschutes Brewery, went with a dual brewmaster strategy after Larry Sidor’s departure at the end of last year.

Though, as the listing hints, Maier may not be long for the position anyway.

Rogue Ales ranked 25th last year among craft breweries in terms of production according to The Brewers Association. The company grew 12%, passing 92,000 barrels produced.

Arcadia Brewing Company is in the midst of significant growth and we are seeking a highly motivated, passionate and accomplished Craft Beer professional who is organized, creative and who can, together with the Company President, lead our expansion into a new 32,000 square foot facility, including layout, installation and commissioning new brewing, fermentation and packaging equipment in 2012/2013.

Our expansion will also include selecting and installing a pub brewing and distilling system in Arcadia’s existing brewery/restaurant in Battle Creek that will supplement the core production from the new facility which will have an initial capacity of 30,000 bbls and an expansion capability up to 60,000 bbls annually.

Owner, Tim Surprise, says that the new 50-barrel brewhouse is expected to be commissioned in spring 2013. Production topped 10,000 barrels in 2011 on the brewery’s 25-barrel system. Arcadia is projecting to produce more than 12,000 barrels this year. No word yet on what will be done with the old system.

Sisson says Igot, a 36-year beverage industry veteran, left on his own accord, hinting that growth in the ballpark of 50% can make for stressful times. “We certainly wish Ernie all the best and are grateful for the years he spent with us. His breadth of experience certainly helped establish Heavy Seas as one of the country’s faster growing breweries.”

The company is in the midst of a search for a new brewmaster. Chris Mallon is currently listed as the company’s Senior Brewer.

Clipper City grew 54% last year, surpassing the 30,000 barrel-mark, according to The Brewers Association.

Not a new beer but rather a fun Friday afternoon story…

[...] the kernel of his idea for Soft Dookie (or “Soft DK,” as it’s named and sold in the States), a well-balanced, surprisingly light stout with hints of vanilla on the nose and bananas, molasses, and wood on the palate, was sparked one morning while tending to his young son. “I know this is a stupid story, but I was changing my son’s diaper, and when babies are newborn their poo actually smells a little bit like vanilla,” he says. “You know, it’s soft and it’s sweet so, yeah, that’s when I started thinking about the beer. It’s all fun, as long as it tastes good.”

via Perceptive Travel.

“There’s about 15 craft breweries exporting in some degree to the Australian market,” he said. [...] Pease, who revealed that aluminium cans are making a comeback in the U.S., said he hopes to grow Australia as a market for the 65 of his members that are part of the Brewers Association’s export program, but he is not here to "shove U.S. beers down Australians’ throats".

via The Shout.

And, of course, there’s those frequent reprieves to the interior of the attached 3,000-squarefoot brewery –– it’s why they’re here, after all. For the past eight Saturdays, Deep Ellum Brewing Company has opened its doors to the public for a tour. Four weeks ago, the nascent microbrewery tapped its first full-season brew, the Farmhouse Wit, a light wheat-styled beer that’s brewed without any wheat whatsoever.

via CBS Dallas / Fort Worth.

You may not be aware but Chicago Craft Beer Week 2012 is currently underway. The creators have put together some videos featuring local brewers. If watching brewers wax poetic about the local beer scene isn’t your thing, these may not be for you but a lot of readers hail from the area so just passing it along…

Featured so far: Goose Island, Revolution, Metropolitan, Half Acre and Haymarket.

Videos >> YouTube | Chicago Craft Beer Week.

As a result of the new system the brewery has cut average pressures required to brew from 24 psi to 12 psi. The system also saves 1,200 gallons of water per brew cycle and saves the brewery an estimated $630 a day. The payback time for the instrumentation is about three to four months, Matt Brewing says.

via Environmental Leader.

(Fort Collins, CO) – Beer City Television recently took a tour of Saison specialists, Funkwerks. Here are some things we learned:

- Currently distributed as far south as Colorado Springs and are looking to pick up distribution in the Western Slope and “take on a state or two” within the next year

- Working on a Dark Saison with Candi Sugar that will be aged in red wine barrels for a couple months

- Have a Golden Ale aging in a Cognac barrel

- Typically get 90% attenuation on their beers / two-week primary fermentation then dry-hopping and another week in fermentation

Alaskan Raspberry Wheat Ale

Upcoming Release: June 1, 2012 – Available for a limited time in AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MN, MT, NV, OR, WA, WI & WY

Past Releases: May 1, 2010;  June 1, 2011

via AlaskanBeer.com.

Sponsored Post [by BeerPulse]:

Last summer, France 44 joined BeerPulse as one of its first sponsors. As some of you know, it is THE place to buy Surly Brewing beers online.

Five days ago, someone ordered a 4-pack of Surly Furious online from a guy for $30 plus $7 shipping. The same 4-pack would have cost the buyer < $25 for a 4-pack after shipping at France 44. Not to mention, he would have had it shipped legally from Minneapolis and from a place storing it at proper temperature in the cooler. Not from a guy bootlegging it to Chicago.

And why order just one 4-pack anyway?

France 44 has six different Surly beers in stock right now: Hell (SUPER FRESH! just arrived this week), Furious IPA, Coffee Bender Brown Ale, Bender Brown Ale, Cynic Ale and Bitter Brewer. Order one of each or mix-and-match.

It is a heluva lot more efficient, too, to order a case. If you order six 4-packs, that is the maximum that you can have shipped in one box which means you only pay one box fee (built into shipping cost). Six 4-packs at $8.99 apiece shipped to New York City, for example, would cost around $88. That is $3.67 per 16 oz. can (equivalent of only $2.75 per 12 oz). Not bad at all and a lot cheaper than going through eBay or ordering just one 4-pack.

Taste is subjective, of course, but here are some ratings from RateBeer:

Furious IPA rates as a 100/100, Coffee Bender rates as a 98/99, Bender rates as a 97/99, Bitter Brewer rates as a 94/99, Hell rates as a 91/99 and CynicAle rates as a 95/86.

Good lord, Todd Haug can brew.

Again, if you are worried about ordering a case, you can always place a smaller order. I’d recommend going in with another local drinking buddy and splitting a case order.

This may be the best Memorial Day Weekend purchase that you can make.

Shipping Tips:

Here is a link to the Shipping Policy and list of states to which France 44 can ship beer.

Fill up your cart and then click on “My Cart” in the upper right corner. On the next screen (order screen), punch in your zip code in the Destination Zip Code input field in the lower right part of the order screen and hit enter on the keyboard. It will then calculate your shipping (without having to sign up or enter a credit card).

No international shipping.

New Arrivals/In-store Tasting Updates:

Sign up for the France 44 newsletter.

Follow @france44wine

A Quick Word:

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. As with all of the businesses I feature here, supporting them is a great way to support BeerPulse (in this case, while even getting yourself some beer in the process). Carin and the rest of the crew are big on delivering great service so give them a try if you haven’t already. Got questions about ordering? Ask for Carin when dialing 612.278.4416. Or send Carin an email at carin@france44.com.

Note: this post was written by BeerPulse, sponsored by France 44 and Surly Brewing is not affiliated in any way.

It’s safe to say that the rollout of Bud Light Platinum has so far been a success for A-B. Nearly four months after its initial appearance on shelves, the brand continues to gain share, now at 1.3 market share in all-scan SIG for the month ending May 13, holding share with its 26 week average. Typically in a rollout, by this time share starts to erode if a brand is not getting adequate repeat-buys.

Anheuser-Busch revealed earlier this month that it is expanding Platinum production to more facilities to meet demand.

via Beer Business Daily.

Beer wholesalers in Pennsylvania are speaking out against ending the state’s longtime liquor monopoly. In a letter sent out earlier this week to members of the House of Representatives, the Pennsylvania Beer Alliance said privatization initiatives could pose a risk to the beer business in Pennsylvania and create an uneven playing field.

via PennLive.com.

Police in Boxford, Mass., arrived at the scene of a backyard party on Sunday night to find six cows helping themselves to a table full of beer. The cans of beer were left behind by the 12 or 13 young adult females who had been enjoying their Sunday night when the cows crashed their party in Boxford, a Boston suburb with a population of nearly 8,000, according to police.

via ABC News.

We’ll definitely be up double-digits again this year. The question is how big. We expect to break 2.8 million barrels. There’s even an outside chance that we’ll get close to the 3-million-barrel mark this year. Lager was up right around 10% last year. Light Lager is one of the fastest growing brands in the country. In our chain data, year to date, it’s up about 160%.

via Shanken News Daily.

In what could be the granddaddy of all craft beer collaborations, at least 10 breweries founded in 1988 are planning a series of projects next year to mark their respective 25th anniversaries, Shanken News Daily has learned. While specific details of the program have yet to be revealed, representatives of the breweries met earlier this month during the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego. Craft brewers said to be interested in participating in the collaborative effort include Goose Island, Brooklyn Brewery, Deschutes Brewery, Great Lakes, Rogue Ales, Anderson Valley, Gritty McDuff’s, Gordon Biersch, North Coast and Vermont Pub & Brewery.

via Shanken News Daily.

From the early days of Wheaten Ale to our flagship, award-winning American Hefeweizen, Pyramid Breweries has been passionate about brewing great wheat beers. To celebrate this passion, we proudly introduce the Pyramid Wheat Variety Pack. This limited edition offering includes four unique wheat beers, perfect for sharing with friends.

Includes: Hefeweizen Unfiltered Wheat Ale, Dunkel Dark Wheat Ale, Wheaten IPA Dry-Hopped India Pale Ale and Wit Belgian Style White Ale.

via PyramidBrew.com.

A Louisiana-based beer blog is reporting that Green Flash is expanding distribution to Louisiana next month. My eyes are still in pain after trying to read the text though it looks like the company will enter the market with at least a half dozen brands per The Avenue Pub’s owner. The same blog noted last month that Green Flash would likely be Crescent Crown Distributing.

The Beer Buddha™.

Covaleski also says that Golden Monkey, a Belgian-style Tripel available in 6pks and on draft, is the largest gainer over the past five years from a percentage standpoint with 123% growth.

Video >> Brewbound.com.

We hope you’ll have a chance to enjoy our newest seasonal beer, Stormchaser Summer IPA. It’s a bright golden beer with plenty of citrusy hop flavor, and a great refreshing finish. We’ve previewed it at Cottin’s Farmers Market and the Omaha Beer Festival to appreciative fans. It should be available in your neighborhood retail store next week. Our new web site has just been unveiled, and it offers a load of features for your information and enjoyment. Check it out, if you haven’t already. Still at www.freestatebrewing.com

via newsletter.

(Petaluma, CA) – Lagunitas Brewing owner, Tony Magee, has been busy on Twitter over the past 72 hours. Not to mention, a Chicago Tribune report from Tuesday notes that the taproom at its forthcoming Chicago brewery is slated to open in November. Below, Magee reveals that the new Petaluma brewhouse went into operation this week and they are brewing a new one called IPFukinA (update: turns out this is just another name the brewery uses for its IPA). He then riffs on the meaning of craft brewing.

On production, new brewhouse and IPFukinA:

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

LagChi wont be up until Oct next year so I’m still building here in Petaluma! New warehouse… http://t.co/tNsR1cRs

May 21, 2012 4:43 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

…and lotsa new kegs… They might as well be gold billion stacked up… http://t.co/u478Bzog

May 21, 2012 4:44 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

…meant ‘bullion’…auto spell… d’oh.

May 21, 2012 6:03 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

Today, 5/22, 2012 brewing begins on the extra shiny mondo-ultra-mega-super-Bayern 250-barrel ROLEC brewhouse. The biggest they’ve built yet!

May 22, 2012 2:00 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

Weirdest of all, its only the first of two for us! 1st brew is an IPFukinA. We’ll brew 3 batches= 8,446 cases= 8 truck loads- all sold! Thx!

May 22, 2012 2:06 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

Wanna see sumpin’ real purdy? Our new bottle filler. Still in Germany and preparing to ship… http://t.co/1A4xobAJ

May 23, 2012 9:48 amReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

That 90-valve filler will go to Petaluma for a July install. We will crate up our cool 32-valve line in its entirety & ship it to Chicago…

May 23, 2012 2:44 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

 
On the meaning of craft brewing:

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

Been thinkin alot bout what craft brewing really, really, really is. Brand researchers ask about it in terms of ‘fundamental human needs’…

May 23, 2012 6:38 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

…what ‘fundmntl human need’ does craft beer speak so clearly to?Across the globe; it gets humans excited t think about, t drink, t brew…

May 23, 2012 6:43 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

Seems t me that breweries are created by their customers, not so much by their founders. Maybe beer lovers themselves nurture brewers who…

May 23, 2012 6:52 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

…intuit their unnamed desires and express those fundamental human needs through t medium of beer. Beer lovers don’t know what they want…

May 23, 2012 7:06 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

..but they look to their brewers to brew community and illumination. The brewer as medium- less themselves than channel serving the need…

May 23, 2012 7:10 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

…the brand operating as an oracle. Our industry is not something WE brewers brewed up. Beer lovers collective need WILLED it into being…

May 23, 2012 7:15 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

@lagunitasT

LagunitasT

I might take credit for sumpin’ but I would only have done it at the unspoken urging of the aether of desire broadcast by beer lovers…

May 23, 2012 7:25 pmReplyRetweetFavorite

Surly Brewing is still on the hunt for the perfect spot for its $20 million dream brewery…

Hauschild says they have whittled about 80 possible locations down to about seven or eight. It’s no secret that several cities have tried to woo Surly, including some far-flung exurbs. The company might be in a position to make an announcement by the end of the year, Hauschild said. The short list includes sites in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, and some other inner-ring suburbs Hauschild declined to name, but he did rule out exurbs like Elk River and Chaska.

via Minnesota Public Radio News.

(Portland, OR) – The Oregonian has a lengthy piece today detailing both changes and challenges for Craft Brew Alliance and Widmer Brothers, in particular.

But Widmer’s core beers — the ones that got it here — have been struggling. Sales have declined two years in a row, even as the company enters new U.S. markets. Its staple, Hefeweizen, which makes up around 60 percent of all Widmer-brand revenue, has led the decline, crowded out in bars across the country by a bevy of other wheat beers.

To help illustrate, Hefeweizen sales declined 12.3% in volume in the past four weeks in the Food, Drug and Convenience off-premise channels (as tracked by Symphony IRI Group).

CBA has said that the decline of Hefeweizen is to be expected given competition in the market (mainly Shock Top and Blue Moon) and its positioning of Widmer Brothers as the high-end choice in the portfolio over Redhook and Kona. Still, if Hefeweizen is a volume brand with lower margins than what they are executing with product lines like the Rotator IPA series, the Alchemy Series, etc., 60% of revenue is alarming.

Hefeweizen’s struggles aside, management maintained on the last conference call that Widmer Brothers contributed significant positive incremental revenue to CBA, as a whole. Management alluded to the opportunities to continue to “activate” the Widmer Brothers brand outside of the West Coast and they have the AB distribution network at their disposal to be able to do it.

—

AC Golden Brewing Company’s Peche and Apricot sour beers will arrive tomorrow (Friday, May 25) in limited quantities at Mile High Wine and Spirits in Lakewood, Colo. The beers are part of AC Golden’s Hidden Barrel Collection. They were bottled throughout last year and have been cellared since then to allow bottle conditioning to occur. Peaches and apricots from Palisade, Colo., were used in crafting the beers. Peche won silver in the American-style Brett Ale category at the Brewers Association World Beer Cup earlier this month. Eight cases of Peche and 14 cases of Apricot will be available.

Lo and behold; our operating brewery count hit 2,051 as of April 30, 2012. The current count of craft brewers stands exactly at 2,000 and the count of domestic non-craft brewers stands at 51. (These counts are for brick-and-mortar facilities, and does not include contract or alternating proprietorship operations so that there isn’t a double-counting of breweries.)

via Brewers Association.

S 745 does several things that favor wholesalers, middlemen who take beer from producers, collect taxes and fees, and sell it to retailers. The bill makes it harder for beer producers to terminate contracts with wholesalers or impose higher prices on wholesalers with whom they may be having a business dispute. It also says that wholesalers can’t wave their protections through franchise agreements with brewers.

One thing that seems peculiar is that the NC Brewers Guild favors the bill (per the piece).

via WRAL.

As a result, Starr Hill is in the middle of a five-year, million dollar capital expansion project.  The tasting room will be three times bigger, a new deck is coming, and more tanks are being installed to produce more bottles each day. "To put all of this into perspective for you, right now Starr Hill produces about 275,000 cases of beer each year.  In five years, that number will jump to 826,000," Thompson said.

via NBC 29.

Beijing’s emerging craft brewing scene will get another shot in the arm next month with the city’s first annual Craft Beer Festival, taking place on June 2 at Beijing Shijingshan Electrical Relay Factory. The event, the first of its kind in the Chinese capital, comes off the heels of the first annual Shanghai Beer Week and Sinan Mansions Beer Festival, the latter of which attracted over 2,000 attendees.

via Jing Daily.

This photo gallery captures two steps of the process. The first 11 photos come courtesy of Sierra Nevada’s Bill Manley, and they document the trip that Sierra Nevada’s brewers took to Kansas City in March to work with Boulevard Brewing Co.’s brewers to determine the final blend for Terra Incognita, the 2012 SAVOR collaboration beer. The final four pictures show the labeling process that took place in May in Kansas City. Boulevard’s Julie Weeks took photos of the massive effort to hand-label 4,800 bottles of beer.

via SAVOR Craft Beer.

Tracy McGrady was a legitimate superstar during his time with the Rockets, but there’s no question that playing with Yao brought him an added level of fame in the world’s biggest emerging market. As a case in point, check out this ad for Chinese beer Xuejin, in which McGrady tries to jump to grab a ball lodged between the rim and the backboard on a playground hoop.

via Yahoo! Sports.

Last week we reported that Wingman Brewers started canning its beer. Not only was this a big deal for Wingman Brewers, it was a big deal for Northwest Canning, LLC and all breweries looking to package beer in aluminum cans without making the significant capital investment typically required to set up a canning line. Wingman Brewers was the first brewery to use Northwest Canning’s service. Others will soon follow: the company says more clients are already lined up.

via Washington Beer Blog.

(Portland, OR) – Churchkey Can Company CEO, Ryan Sowards, and Co-Founders, Justin Hawkins and Adrian Grenier (the latter of HBO’s Entourage), gave some insights into the company’s fast start at a tech conference this week.

TechCrunch, one of the world’s largest technology news sites, is hosting the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York City. Separate from the TechCrunch news business is CrunchFund, a venture capitalism company, largely consisting of former TechCrunch employees. CrunchFund General Partner, MG Siegler, interviewed the Churchkey guys and CrunchFund happens to be an investor in the company.

So, what did they have to say?

Churchkey’s Pilsner is currently distributed in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Washington-based distribution partner, Odom Beverage, sold out of their initial allocation in four days, according to Sowards. Sowards recalls a story in which he gave a sales rep a case and the rep took the beer around to five accounts. Sowards was told, “5 for 5. In 27 years of selling beer, this is the easiest sell I’ve ever had.”

Even the Seattle Mariners contacted the company to get the beer stocked at Safeco Field.

Sowards says the company will launch in the San Francisco market on June 5th. After that, the company will open Austin, then Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Denver. The other markets will be opened late summer and fall.

They are ‘allocating’ beers to their wholesalers (versus wholesalers being able to order as much as they want). Sowards acknowledges that “scarcity drives demand” but says they still want brew enough beer to be able to meet demand.

Hawkins says they will likely work with homebrewers to draw up a recipe for an ale next.

The brand does have its detractors including seasoned beer writer, Stephen Beaumont, and some TechCrunch commenters. They question the need to go back to the older, ‘less advanced’ version of the beer can requiring the churchkey, one that Hawkins says ceased being the industry standard in 1965.

Press Release:

(Chicago, IL) – Phusion Projects, LLC announced today that the three best-selling flavors of Four Loko – Fruit Punch, Watermelon and Lemonade – will be making their Canadian debut, as the company enters a major foray into international sales.

As the leading progressive adult beverage in the U.S., Four Loko is an adult flavored malt beverage that features innovative flavors. The three Four Loko flavors will be available in 8 percent Alcohol by Volume (ABV) and come in 695ml (23.5-ounce) cans. The products debuted in mid-May at all 200 Liquor Depot stores in Alberta and will be available in June at nearly 200 of Ontario’s Beer Stores.

“There has been a strong demand from Canadian Four Loko fans to bring our products to the Great White North,” said Steve de Luca, vice president, international development. “As part of our launch into Canada, we are introducing our three most popular flavors which provide a unique taste that we think Canadians will appreciate. We are very excited about the extensive opportunities we see in Canada.”

For more information on our corporate initiatives, visit the Phusion Projects Facebook page.

About Phusion Projects
Phusion Projects, LLC is a Chicago – based alcoholic beverage company that sells its products – including Four Loko, Poco Loko and Earthquake – nationwide. From the company’s inception, Phusion Projects has been committed to making contributions to communities, operating as a responsible member of the alcoholic beverage industry and setting unmatched standards in this regard. To learn more about Phusion Projects and its commitment to responsible drinking, please visit http://www.phusionresponsibility.com and http://www.phusionprojects.com. In addition, we encourage you to learn the facts about Four Loko at http://www.phusionprojects.com/factvsfiction.html.

SOURCE Phusion Projects, LLC

Devoted Bond fans everywhere are pissed — a list that includes former James Bond actor George Lazenby, who played 007 in "On Her Majesty’s Secret Service." Lazenby tells us, cutting the martini in favor of a Heiney breaks a sacred tradition — and to add insult to injury, "It’s not the best beer out there, either." Lazenby adds, it’s sad filmmakers will always "go where the money is."

via TMZ.

Owner Kiernan May sold the brewed-under-contract brand to Paper City Brewing Co., of Holyoke, Mass., the brewery that has been making his beer for the past few years. Paper City plans to continue the brand, primarily in Massachusetts and Vermont, and possibly parts of New York, May said.

Likely to be the smallest M&A deal in beer this year…

via Syracuse.com.

Boston Beer Company Chairman, Jim Koch, passed up on a meatball served to him by one of MSNBC’s Morning Joe co-hosts. The co-host mentioned how the “monolithic breweries” were starting to release craft beers under different names to which Koch replied, “Yeah, there is Goose Island, Blue Moon, Shock Top but hey, they’re good beers. It’s good beer for all and I think Sam Adams would have loved that.”

Straddled the edge there masterfully…

via MSNBC.

The St. Louis-based spirits and beer distributor has reached a deal with Anheuser-Busch to buy Eagle Brands, A-B’s directly owned distributorship in Miami. The agreement gives the wholesaler a new territory, and puts it back in the Anheuser-Busch wholesaler network, which it exited when it sold an Oregon distributorship in January.

via St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Press Release:

(Chico, CA) – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is proud to announce Scott Jennings as Head Brewer of the brewery’s new eastern facility in Mills River, NC. Scott has been with the company since 2001 in various capacities. In 2004, Scott was named Research and Development Head Brewer, responsible for overseeing the brewery’s 10-barrel pilot brewhouse, where most of the in-depth technical research and recipe development takes place.

“Scott is an incredible asset to Sierra Nevada,” said Brian Grossman, co-manager of the North Carolina brewery. “He’s had his hand in developing some of the brewery’s most popular beers, and has been instrumental in the creation and innovation that has stemmed from the beers in our Beer Camp program. His technical brewing skills are first-rate, as is his ample creativity. Under his brewing leadership, our North Carolina location will be in great hands.”

Scott joined Sierra Nevada in 2001 after visiting apprenticeships with Young & Co.’s Brewery Plc. “The Ram Brewery” in London. He holds a Certified Brewmaster certificate from the prestigious brewing institute VLB Berlin, and specializes in technical brewing and recipe development. Working under Steve Dresler, Sierra Nevada’s longtime Head Brewer, he did the primary recipe formulation for popular Sierra Nevada beers: Kellerweis, Ruthless Rye IPA, the Ovila Abbey Ales series and countless limited edition, Beer Camp, and small-batch beers. Steve Dresler will remain as Head Brewer in Chico, and Scott’s new position will oversee all of the brewing, fermentation, and filtration at the new Mills River facility and will be instrumental in commissioning the new brewhouse.

In January, Sierra Nevada announced that it was expanding its brewery with a second facility located in Mills River, North Carolina. Once online, this new facility will provide needed capacity for the brewery and will help facilitate distribution to customers across the eastern United States more quickly and with a smaller environmental footprint. The facility is expected to employ more than 100 people, and be operational by spring 2014.

About Sierra Nevada
Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s premier craft breweries, highly regarded for using only whole-cone hops and ingredients of the finest quality. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide as a winner of numerous awards for its extensive line of beers including the flagship Pale Ale, Torpedo, Porter, Stout, Kellerweis, four seasonal beers, Estate Ale, Harvest Ales, Ovila Abbey Ales and a host of draught-only specialties. For more information about the brewery, and to see what job positions are currently being recruited, please visit www.sierranevada.com

—

The S/V Denis Sullivan, which launched in June 2000, will have some unique cargo aboard as she sails the Great Lakes this summer. The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company has donated Big Eddy Imperial India Pale Ale (IPA), which will age in a wooden apple brandy barrel aboard this majestic educational sailing vessel. The wooden barrel is from Great Lakes Distillery.

Leinenkugel’s Big Eddy Imperial IPA fills the senses with five distinctive Pacific Northwest hops, which are added at each stage of the brewing process. Hops include Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Citra, and the extremely rare Amarillo. After aging aboard the S/V Denis Sullivan within the wooden barrel, the beer’s complexity and bold flavor will be even more pronounced. Discovery World, which also is aging a wooden barrel of Big Eddy IIPA in its Thirst Lab, plans to tap the barrels at a fundraising event this fall.