Real Women Drink Beer: American Beer Festival

In case you hadn't heard, The Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO is sold out. 3 days, 400 Breweries and 1800 Beers. Wow is all I can say to that. There is still a way to participate however and that is to listen from home (hopefully with a beer in hand) to the Festival Podcast - it's brilliant. The Brewing Network returns once again to the Great American Beer Festival to bring the action home to you! They will broadcast at every session, interviewing industry professionals from around the country and accompanied by the BNARMY all week. Listen to the festival preview podcast now!

Real Women Drink Wine: Sexy Wine Tubes

FOUR Wines, a pioneering company committed to innovative, sustainable alternative packaging, proudly introduces a new line of wines available in an upscale and eco-friendly package. The new FOUR Wine brand has developed the first-ever California wine in a “tube” which eliminates heavy glass, corks and foils, reducing its carbon footprint by 50% over traditional wine bottles.

Through the efficiencies of environmentally friendly packaging, FOUR is able to produce a higher-quality wine for its eco-friendly container and has become the first alternatively packaged luxury wine. Winemaker Barry Gnekow sourced and crafted FOUR’s first release, an exceptional California Cabernet Sauvignon, from the Monterey, Paso Robles and Lodi appellations.

You have to check this out - while it is really not different from a box, FOUR manages to make it look waaaaaaaayyy cooler. Check out their website here.

Real Women Drink Beer: Golden Age of Beer

Right now is being touted as the Golden Age of Beer. While this may or may not be the case, the numbers are astounding.

...According to the Brewers Association, the craft industry's national trade organization, based in Boulder, Colo., the number of regional craft brewers and microbreweries has grown to 445, up from 408 in 2006. Add the 975 brewpubs the association counts, and the number of craft-brewing businesses in the U.S. totaled 1,420 in 2007. Volume grew 12 percent and sales 16 percent in 2007 from 2006. The microbrewery category alone surged 20 percent, indicating, according to the association, "great interest in local brewers."

Read this rather lengthy but well written story from the Washington CEO here: article

Real Women Drink Beer: Bud Light Claims Drinkability

Drinkability' is Bud Light's new buzzword.

Anheuser-Busch tries to disprove the theory that all light beers taste the same in a new $50 million campaign for Bud Light, accompanied by the tagline: "The difference is drinkability."

TV spots, via Havas' Euro RSCG, Chicago, will break during college football telecasts this weekend. Baseball stadium signage also sports the new tagline. (Omnicom's DDB in Chicago has also fashioned upcoming commercials in the campaign.)

All six spots show a beer-drinking occasion, such as a backyard bash, a pool party and a tailgate gathering. Three of the spots begin with a reveler stating that either light beers are the same, taste the same or "fill me up." Then everyone freezes as an actor strides through the still scene defining the term "drinkability." One ad explains the concept of "being easier to drink" by illustrating the difference between drinking a raindrop or hail, a bottle of beer or a bottle of hot sauce. Another ad tries bolstering Bud Light's claim of "having just the right taste, not too heavy, not too watered down" by demonstrating drinkability as the difference between eating carrot sticks and a stick, and drinking bird bath water versus spring water.

Read the full story from Technology Marketing here: article

Real Women Drink Beer: Changes in Beer Ownership

This is a great interactive tool that Fortune Magazine created. It shows many major brands in beer and how they have changed hands over the years, including the more recent purchase of Bud by a Belgium Company. Entitled 99 Bottles of Beer on The Wall, check out this fun tool here.

Real Women Drink Wine: True Green Wineries

Calories in Organic Wine: Wineries Going for True Green

While many businesses are turning to eco-friendly practices, wineries are putting their business plans first and getting real green out of changes. Let's think about this a little, while "going green" is extremely trendy, what intelligent business person would go broke to make those changes? Perhaps there is an economic reason that can prompt the alterations.

Read the full story at Calories in Organic Wine here: article

Real Women Drink Beer: Hawaiian Beer in California

REAL Hawaiian Beers to Land in California!

Maui Brewing Co. is proud to announce that a distribution agreement has been reached with Beverages & More (BevMo) of Concord, CA. BevMo owns and operates 82 stores in California and Arizona. Initially, 33 BevMo stores will carry Maui Brewing Co.’s three packaged microbrews: CoCoNut PorTeR, Big Swell IPA and Bikini Blonde Lager.

...These beers are wholly produced and packaged in Lahaina by MBC. Although of course, these are USA products, due to Maui’s geographical location, MBC products can actually be considered “imported” to the mainland, especially given the fact that the Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated group of islands on the planet!

When you are drinking a Maui Brewing Co. microbrew, you are guaranteed that you are enjoying an authentic Mauian beer and “keeping it Hawaiian”. With a strong commitment to the local economy, and deep concern for the environment, MBC microbrews are packaged with the most ecologically-friendly materials. Although cans and bottles are both recyclable, bottles still break and may pose a risk at beaches. The cans are manufactured on Oahu and designed by local Maui artists and have the added bonus of protecting the beer in the best possible manner, protecting our beers from both light and oxygen damage which can seriously compromise the taste. Plastic rings are dangerous to marine life and therefore, you will find a recyclable cardboard wrap around the cans. The spent grain from beer production is donated to local ranchers for cattle feed; and any cans damaged in production are donated to the Maui Humane Society.

Read the full story at The Beer In Me here: article

Real Women Drink Wine: Tasting Room Woes

California vintners push to open wine tasting rooms

RAMONA, Calif. (AP) — Don Cohorst has acres of vineyards, a stash of small-batch vintages and a barn he wants to turn into a cozy tasting room for vino-sipping visitors. He's convinced he can ply those wine lovers with samples of his Syrah and Muscat Canelli and sell them single bottles for as much as $20 — more than twice the price he now gets from several small retailers. But his plan and those of many other winemakers in California have been scuttled by a growing backlash among residents who don't want tipsy tourists weaving through their quiet communities, possibly putting locals at risk while increasing traffic congestion and noise.

What do you think? I personally would love to be able to walk to a tasting room, especially if they had good wine. I'm thinking I would negotiate free wine tasting for life in exchange for my conceding to letting the room open unopposed. You have to think outside the box people... Read the full story from the Associated Press here: article

Real Women Drink Beer: Networking with Beer

This is one of those brilliant ideas that probably works better than any traditional networking group because it builds friendship and people buy from the friend first.

All you can drink for $5

GenKC is a group of “professionals” in KC who decided that networking groups are stupid and boring, and they really just wanted an excuse to meet cool peeps in KC, you know, and drink. Their first event was in the River Market in June, and over 1,200 KC people in their 20s & 30s showed up. They’ve deemed this idea a success, and are starting to pick up steam.

Read about their next event at A Beer Sort of Blog here: article

Real Women Drink Wine: Art Walk in Idyllwild

Sample art, wine in scenic Idyllwild

Visitors will sample new wines and experience original artwork at the 11th annual Art Walk and Wine Tasting in Idyllwild.

Some 16 galleries in Idyllwild and 17 wineries affiliated with the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association will participate. Organizers expect about 2,000 visitors.

Patrons can stroll down mountain roads and browse through galleries, while tasting a variety of wines and nibbling on cheese and crackers.

Read the full story from the Press Enterprise here: article

Real Women Drink Beer: Rogue Independence Ale

Rogue Hop Farms First Release

It’s harvest time in the Rogue Nation. The Rogue Department of Agriculture and Rogue Ales Brewery announce the release of Independence Hop Ale, the first beer brewed with hops from Rogue Farms’ hop yard in Independence, Ore., once called the “hop capital of the world.” A limited release fresh-hop beer, Independence Hop Ale was brewed in two 50-barrel batches, following the harvest cycle of the hops.

There are several great tid-bits in this article, including the fact that this beer experiments with wet hops, a technique not utilized very often.

Independence Hop Ale will be available in Oregon and Washington in serigraphed 22-ounce bottles and on draft while supplies last. The Rogue Post Office has issued a commemorative stamp in honor of the hop farm and has a 24-hour webcam where Rogues can watch the Rogue hops grow.

Read the full story at Beer Therapy here: article

Real Women Drink Wine: Temecula Valley Quality Grape Harvest

High Quality Harvest in Temecula Valley

The 2008 grape harvest in Temecula Valley Wine Country is lighter in volume but better in quality, local winemakers said.

"This could be just a record year for us in terms of quality," said Ray Falkner, president of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association.

This week marks the home stretch for the harvest, which began in August. According to the association, Wine Country wineries and grape growers harvest about 10,000 tons of grapes a year, the equivalent of 1,666 average-sized adult elephants.

….So far, harvesters are seeing slight declines in certain grape varieties. Drake said one block of cabernet grapes that yielded 9 tons last year is producing 2 tons this year. Overall, he estimates he'll harvest about 500 tons of grapes this year, down from 700 in 2007.

Thornton Winery winemaker Don Reha also said he's seeing a drop this year. He attributes the decrease in part to a couple heavy rains in March and April. "Ten minutes of heavy rain can knock off a pretty good portion of (grape) blooms," he said.

This story came from the Press Enterprise and you can read the full article here: article

Stay tuned because I’ll be posting up some interviews I had with the Temecula Valley Quality Wine Alliance and Don Reha in the next several weeks at Calories in Wine.

Real Women Drink Beer: Beer for Boobs

Beer for Boobs night at The Lost Abbey

Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey will be hosting Beer for Boobs, a fundraising event in support of the Susan G. Komen philanthropic trust and The 3 Day event to help find a cure for breast cancer.

October 3rd, 2008 - 4pm to 8pm.

$10 gets you you a commemorative Boobs for Beer pint glass and two pints of any Port Brewing / Lost Abbey beer on tap. Beer for Boobs is the brainchild of our friends at White Labs who will be walking the 60 miles of The 3 Day walk for a cure in November. All proceeds from the evening will go to benefit the Susan G. Komen philanthropic trust.

Who should attend: Anyone who has breasts, knows someone who has breasts, or supports breasts in any way shape or form.

Check out the Lost Abbey site for details here

Real Women Drink Beer: Malt Beverages to be Outlawed in Utah

Utah May Ban Flavored Malt Beverages

According to the Associated Press Utah’s supply of flavored malt beverages like Mike’s Hard Lemonade will likely be exhausted in a few weeks as manufacturers decide whether to comply with labeling rules intended to make it clear the products contain alcohol.

I am unclear if this crosses over into fruit beers or not maybe a reader can help me with that.

Please read the full story at It's The Beer Talking here: article

Real Women Drink Wine: Gallo Expands into Tequilla

This story sort of disturbed me a little. Obviously there is a market for mass produced jug wine, Gallo sold 70 million cases of it last year. They have a large business with a lot of family involvement which is admirable. But to add hard alcohol into the mix, well isn't that a little like Foster's making wine? It doesn't make sense business-wise to me, but hey, I'm also not worth a fraction of the Gallo family so who am I to say anything?

It started in red jug wine; now Gallo sees a future in China and tequilla

The story of how Ernest and Julio Gallo founded their winery has been told often. But the inside story rarely revealed is how the brothers - and subsequently their children and grandchildren - expanded the family business to more than $2 billion in annual sales.

"You have to remain relevant," stressed Joe Gallo, 65. A company must "have an ability to spot opportunities. It's almost like an art form. They come along every day, and it's amazing how the best of people don't see it. But they're there every day."

For 75 years, the winery has capitalized on opportunities and repeatedly reinvented itself - and the wines it produces.

That will continue, Gallo assured. He revealed company plans to expand into hard liquor like tequila, push wine sales into China and Russia, reintroduce an old favorite (sangria) and prepare for the next hot-selling varietal (perhaps malbec).

..."In Modesto, we don't make wine now. It's all for bottling and shipping," Gallo said of his company's headquarters, which employs more than 3,000 people. "A massive amount of our wines are made in Fresno and Livingston, then shipped up here and bottled. We have seven wineries in the state."

It also imports wines from 14 wineries abroad and employs 2,000 more people worldwide. Gallo has wineries in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.

Last year, Gallo exported more than 14.7 million cases of California wine to 90 countries around the world, and it plans to expand to Russia.

"We're starting to make an effort into China. We think there's terrific potential over there," said Gallo, who recently returned from China. "We would ship our cases over there and have people distribute it. That's our current plan."

Read the full story from the San Louis Obisbo Tribune here: article