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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You say you want to try Pliny the Younger but keep missing it? Here's a chance to try it for free, but you'll need to act quickly

The excitement for this beer still shows little sign of waning. According to owner Howard Weintraub, last night his Drafting Room in Exton pre-sold all tickets in 20 minutes for the Pliny the Younger tapping this Saturday during his annual HopFest event.

All except for two.

He has made two tickets available for me to give away to lucky readers of The Brew Lounge. But, I won't make it that easy for you.

I'm a numbers guy and I sense that many of you (particularly the homebrewers in the crowd) are as well.

So here's the deal. You're gonna have to act fast on this one if you want a chance to taste this highly-sought after and praise-lavished beer.

Be one of the first two to respond with the correct answer to this little Russian River-inspired numbers game and you'll score yourself a free glass of Pliny the Younger this Saturday, March 12 at The Drafting Room in Exton, Pa.

One ticket per winner. Two winners.

All of the answers to these questions are not too difficult to find with some low-to-medium web sleuthing skills. Good luck!

s1- Take Russian River owner Vinnie Cilurzo's age. Multiply it by...

s2- The date in February this year when Russian River's brewpub kicked its last keg of Pliny the Younger

s3- Take this result and first add the year in which Cilurzo took ownership of Russian River Brewing Company, then subtract...

s4- The percentage ABV of Pliny the Younger; use whole number, don't convert it to decimal format (according to the brewery's website)

s5- Take this last result and divide it by the IBUs of Pliny the Elder (according to the brewery's website)

In other words, just to help those a little less math-inclined:
( ( s1 * s2) + s3 - s4) / s5

Provide the final result to at least two decimal places of accuracy to Bryan@BrewLounge.com

Who's keeping track around here?

Anyone who can keep up with the beer news this past week is a much better, or just more obsessive, person than am I. Here's a quick rundown of just some of the beer headlines of the last week. Terry Hawbaker announced his departure from renowned Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport, Pa. Within a day, the Fork and Barrel team announced their intention for a new multi-faceted concept in Center City Philadelphia called The Grainery....in-house brewer will be -- Terry Hawbaker Don Younger, legendary publican in Portland, Oregon, passed away Russian River released its Pliny the Younger and dedicated it to the memory and life work of Don Younger Gambrinus announced the discontinuation of the Pete's Wicked brand of beers. One of my original craft beers from the early 90s gone. (great video links at Jay's site as well) Mega-merger news: MolsonCoors buying Sharp's in the UK? Looks like it. News quickly followed by rumors of Anheuser-Busch InBev buying SABMiller? Maybe not so quick. On a much smaller scale, the beer geeks are all a-foam over the announced collaboration beer, aged over a year in wood, being released soon by Cigar City and The Bruery And on an even smaller scale, I put together a Super Bowl Guide to finding Great Beer in Dallas, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and anywhere else you might be watching the game this year. Did I miss anything?