Summer Beer Glasses Art
Craft Beer Blast
Summer 2016
From Larry...

 

Summer is here and hotter than Hades this year. Does it seem hotter than normal to anyone? The hot weather calls for light, easy drinking, lower ABV brews. Fortunately, most breweries have brewed summer brews. Light ales, Hefeweizen, sessionable beers and lagers all fill the bill for summer. Of course, anything cold and wet works on some of these days. Enjoy the outdoors and drink plenty of water on these especially hot days.


The craft beer industry is changing quickly. Mergers, acquisitions and buyouts are happening all over. In some deals, the investors take a stake in the company and let it retain its culture and uniqueness. This gives the brewery the ability to expand markets and grow without going through various changes. Other deals are an outright purchase, and time will tell how this goes for the newly acquired brewery. The 'Blast' has mentioned some of these transactions in the past; the latest two deals are detailed below.
 

The "Style of the Season" is Berliner Weisse. It is a light sour wheat ale with origins in Berlin. Served with a shot of flavored syrup, they can be colorful and refreshing on a hot summer day. 
 

Summer 2016 is passing by quickly.. Be sure to try some brews at local breweries when you travel this year. They might even have a Berliner Weisse...enjoy!
 

Cheers,

Larry

 
            Style of the Season: Berliner Weisse
Berliner_Weisse_Glass_Art

Berliner Weisse is a sour, tart, fruity, highly effervescent, spritzy, and refreshing wheat ale originally from Berlin. Berliner Weisse is relatively low in alcohol, and it is usually taken with a shot (a "Schuss") of raspberry syrup or woodruff-flavored syrup to cut the brew's tartness. It is a refreshing summer beer that has become popular in the US in the last few years. The style can be traced back to the middle ages and has evolved over the years. American brewers have added their own ideas to the style, and it can be seen in a variety of colors from different flavors of the traditional shot.

Prairie Artisan Ales Sold

Prairie Artisan Ales Logo Art

There has been lots of change for small brewers. Recently, we have seen buyouts of small breweries by the larger brewers to extend their portfolio. This sale was different; a brewer of similar size bought the company that it had been contract brewing for anyway. See full article HERE.
Constellation Brands buys Ballast Point for $1B 
Ballest Point Brewing Logo

 

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The opposite end of the spectrum of the above is the recent purchase of Ballast Point by Constellation Brands. (STZ) Constellation is one of the largest beverage alcohol companies in the world. I have noticed Ballast Point everywhere; this is due to the clout of the new owners with local distributors. The Ballast brews have a great reputation in the craft beer world; hopefully that will continue. Ballast is already a winner for STZ. Read More HERE. 
New  Breweries
 Lincoln's Beard Brewing Co. is now open in the Bird Road "Arts District". Owner John Falco is usually there with a warm greeting. The goal is to create a friendly local watering hole where patrons will relax and enjoy a wide variety of brews. The brewery will be producing for on premises enjoyment only. They will stay with small batch brews so they can brew many different styles of beer; from interesting Belgian styles to dark barrel aged stouts. The house brews are just now hitting the taps so stop by for a tasting soon!
Innovation Update
One of my favorite small western NC breweries is Innovation Brewing of Sylva. Last year, they were involved in a trademark dispute with Bells Brewing of Michigan. Details on that HERE. I hear that Innovation 'won' and now will be free to use the name as they wish. I first visited in 2014 and look forward to seeing everyone later this summer.
Cheers,
 

© Larry Goeser