January 2017: News update, part 2

News wire is heating up now that we've got the holidays packed up in a box behind us and 2017 squarely in front of us and under way. Here are some bits and bytes you should be aware of from the last few weeks.

~ On the way to Cape May....and another Final Four appearance? [link to Cape May Brewing Company blog]

~ This is very good. It's from Lew Bryson, so not a surprise. [link to The Daily Beast]

~ I, too, have found too many breweries and bars not taking enough time to care about things, like cask ale, that require both time and care. Very interesting read. [link to Your For Good Fermentables]

~ Last time here, it was Bell's Hopslam release schedule that I shared with you. If you like that one, I'm guessing that you'll find this one at least as interesting, or maybe more so. -- [link to Russian River's blog]

~ Mitch Steele nails it. [link to The Hop Tripper]

~ Closing in Philly. [link to Philly.com]

~ Excellent piece on the growler. I'm in the same camp as the author, rarely ever filling growlers in the last couple of years and reconsidering my "collection". [link to Draft Magazine]

~ Here's a 2017 list to know. [link to Uwishunu]

~ More Flying Dog to come. [link to Area Development]

~ Now this sounds a bit confusing, does it not? [link to The Full Pint]

~ I liked Helltown so much, I included them in my book. Nice to see them growing into Pittsburgh. [link to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

~ Because I know you've been asking what came of Curt Decker from Nodding Head Brewery that closed nearly 2 1/2 years ago. [link to Philly.com]

~ Drink up, as if your kid's future depends upon it! [link to Joe Sixpack]

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com

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January 2017: News update, part 1

And we're off and running in 2017. A few newsy and fun bits that I collected over the past couple weeks to share with you.

~ I'm a consumer and I'm not confused. Pretty confident there's millions more in the same camp. [link to Richmond.com]

~ A rare look at the more commonplace practice of questionable beer marketing these days. [link to Chicago Tribune]

~ This guy always has some keen insight to beers you should know about. [link to Joe Sixpack]

~ Another fascinating look into the big business of big beer. [link to Brewbound]

~ Here's another decent list worth checking out. [link to Draft Magazine]

~ And one last list; this a well-conceived one of beers. [link to Philly.com]

~ Excellent wish for the new year -- [link to Yours For Good Fermentables]

~ Helpful news for those of you, like me, that really enjoy Hopslam -- [link to The Full Pint]

~ Big business prognostications for those of you, like me, that really enjoy following big business and, in this case, how it affects our favorite beverage -- [link to Beer Business Unplugged]

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com

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Flying Dog looking to the New Year and New Beer

Off the wire from Flying Dog.....the Biere de Garde sure peaks my interest...we'll see! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In February, we are releasing "Cerberus" Tripel, giving us four Canis Major beers, the perfect number of high-gravity brews for our new Canis Major Variety 4-pack. We will also be releasing a mixed eight-pack of 7oz. bottles, which will include two offerings of each Canis Major style. "Garde Dog" Biere De Garde, our new spring seasonal, will be released in March - giving us our strongest seasonal line-up yet. Finally, we will continue our Wild Dog specialty series with our 6th release, due out in the fall.

The Dog is Flying East

Some news out of the Flying Dog crew in Colorado that continues to add to the ongoing saga of hops, malt, and growth in the craft beer industry. I've cut back on some of the text to make it a quicker read. You can find the whole letter at their website. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Message From Flying Dog President Eric Warner To the People’s Republic of Flying Dog "As some of you may have heard, Flying Dog Brewery announced on Tuesday that we are embarking on the next step in our illustrious, 17 year history of crafting remarkable beer by concentrating all of our brewing and production to the brewery in Frederick, MD, where 70% of Flying Dog Beer is already being brewed. This move will take place in January and we are working to ensure that our entire production team will be able to make this move over to Maryland. Accounting, sales, marketing and other administrative functions will remain largely unaffected by this change and our HQ will remain in Denver." ".... We are facing unprecedented cost pressures due in large part to the tremendous hop and malt cost increases. We have also lost some of the contract brewing business we had, thereby decreasing capacity utilization at both breweries ...." ".... Concentrating our brewing operations to one facility will help us become more efficient while maintaining our exceptionally high brewing standards. This is a smart, proactive move for our growing company and will allow us to most efficiently use our resources. This idea was conceived in late summer, and once we understood the magnitude of the price increases we are facing it became apparent that this was a necessary step to remain strong. Like most other craft breweries our costs are going up at least 25%, and we are only going to be passing on a 15-20% price increase. We expect some relief on raw materials costs in 2009 ...." ".... The Frederick facility is a state-of-the-art brewery that has already been producing great beer for Flying Dog and we look forward to ramping up production and growing our business even more than the +20% trends we are experiencing in 2007. The bottling line in Frederick has lower oxygen uptake at filling than the one in Denver, which translates to better flavor stability and longer shelf life. It also kicks out bottles at twice the pace of the line in Denver. The brewhouse in Maryland is also capable of brewing a wider range of recipes than the one in Denver. Finally, the brewery in MD plans on substantial capital expenditures and plant upgrades (close to a million bucks in 2008 alone) to continue to brew better beer in an efficient and environmentally friendly way ...." ".... Everyone in production was offered an opportunity to make the move to the brewery in Maryland. I’m proud to say that almost half of the brewing and bottling line staff is interested and we will be taking a group trip out to MD in early January so they can see if Frederick is a place they would like to relocate to. For those that don’t make the move, we will be offering a severance package and outplacement assistance ...." ".... There is truly never a good time for such news ...." "We are a family here at Flying Dog and as such it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions the last couple of days. Although no one, myself included, would have chosen to write the script quite this way, everyone understands this chapter, why it makes sense and why it’s good for the future of the brewery. The good news for the People’s Republic is that the Flying Dog beers will still be available wherever you are used to purchasing them. Cheers, Eric Warner"

Watch 'em come and Watch 'em go

Some of you know that I've been attempting to clear out some bottles that don't hold up as well over time. (okay, the Bigfoot may not necessarily fall into that category.) You may have even received an e-mail from me asking if you'd like to take some off my hands. But, as things go, where there are empty spots, new beer will always find a way into them.

Either by gift (thanks Scott and Kathleen for the Southampton & Ommegang), package from brewery (as always, thanks Flying Dog), or my own doing (Koningshoeven, plus a new piece of glassware in the gift pack) the empty slots are being filled as quickly as they were vacated. Though, in my ever-so-humble opinion, I think the net result is higher quality.

As much as I look forward to dipping into each of them, the Flying Dog package that I received last week is quite intriguing. First, there's the result of the Open Source Project, an unlabeled "Collaborator Doppelbock." It's been recently released commercially, though I'm not quite sure how far ranging the distribution will be. Then, the barrel-aged barleywine, Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Horn Dog. This one's not ready for commercial release yet and, as such, is only available at the brewery. And, finally, the winter seasonal, K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale. These puppies aren't gonna sit around too long I promise you.

New Brew From Flying Dog

Over the past few months, we've made friends with the fine folks at Flying Dog. They've kept us up-to-date with news events and sent us some preview beers to sample before they've hit the market. And, how do we reciprocate? Not a word. Well, that ends now. (not that they really need press from li'l ol' us)

First they sent to us their barrel-aged Gonzo Porter. Then, the Helles Bock. Now, the Woody Creek White has shown up on our doorstep. We've heaped praise on their "regular" Gonzo in the past and the whiskey character in this Wild Dog release adds a little more fun to this already excellent brew.

The Helles Bock is a spring seasonal with a medium body weight that brings forth a dry and bready character with just a slight bitterness in the finish. A nice drinker for sure, it's still a solid beer at 6.2% that leaves you feeling it after just a few.

The Woody Creek White brought forth words like lemon zest tartness...refreshing...lemonade aroma...delicious...worthy of a 6-pack, or even a case here in PA! This was the newest summer seasonal release, named after a contest winner searched out from entries solicited from customers.

What else is Flying Dog up to? They've started up the Open Source Beer Project. Quite interesting, for sure, go check it out and let us know if you decide to participate.

And, they've got a somewhat new blog that they keep up-to-date fairly frequently.

Flying Dog Beer Naming Contest

Are you feeling creative? Would you like an all-expense paid trip to the GABF in Denver? Only about a week remaining to get your winning name in to Flying Dog.