News Release: Dumbarton's Beer Announces Corporate Relocation

August 3, 2012 (Washington, DC) - In a press conference today Dumbarton's Beer announces the relocation of its international and intergalactic headquarters from the capital of the free world, Washington, DC to the capital of winter, Buffalo, NY.

The move to upstate New York will allow Dumbarton's Beer to recognize enhanced craft beer social media economies of scale, create greater efficiency within the company's various output channels, and reduce our carbon footprint. The relocation will increase the population of western New York by at least four. While specific data is not available this increase could lead to the creation of thousands of jobs and a Super Bowl victory for the Buffalo Bills.

The President and Chief Beer Drinker for Dumbarton's Beer said "we are excited for the opportunity presented in upstate New York and we very much look forward to imbibing in the various upstate craft beers. Dumbarton's Beer is very proud of the growing craft beer segment in Washington, DC. With a little luck, Dumbarton's Beer can do for Buffalo area beer what it did for Washington, DC brewers - which amounts to little more than drinking as much of their beer as possible." He specifically mentioned Franklin's (Hyattsville), Chocolate City, and DC Brau; and went on to thank area Petworth pubs including DC Reynolds and Looking Glass Lounge.

Dumbarton's Beer will officially open the new headquarters on August 13, 2012.

Staff of Dumbarton's Beer are not available for media interviews or press inquiries at this time.

Never Spill Beer Again

Mermaids Delay Construction of Reservoir

We chase stories to all four corners of the Earth for our loyal reader(s) - assuming we don't actually have to leave our desk.

In Zimbabwe, Water Resources Minister Sam (Salt N') Sipepa Nkomo reported to the senate delays in a major water project are being caused by mermaids living in reservoirs. How can you get rid of mermaids? By brewing traditional beer. Everybody knows that the best beer for such a situation is brewed right here in America.

Mermaids, according to Zimbabwe custom, are known for carrying humans underwater and may never be seen again if relatives protest. The true motivation is unknown as some customs believe mermaids are spiteful to humans while others believe they simply forget humans cannot breathe under water. According to the report:

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Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo, who also appeared before the senate committee, backed the call for traditional rites to be performed at the dams to allay workers’ fears.

Nkomo said the government is prepared to give the population the water it needs, but is unable to do so until the rituals are performed and necessary repairs can be carried out.

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Yes, I would very much like some bananas at cost.

h/t Off the Bench.

Why So Serious?

Though focused on the craft brew segment, we have a place in our hearts for Budweiser; a place that is growing smaller by the day. Those paying attention at home know that Bud is constantly battling with Bud in Europe. While we don't necessarily support the home team (home being relative now that the American Bud is owned by InBev) but we understand the obvious business issue. You can't have two Budweisers anymore than you can have two FoMoCos (hmmm....two Mustangs?).

We learned via HuffingtonPost that Budweiser is not taking the battle to wine by ordering Budini wine to stop using the name Budini. As it turns out, AB-InBev claims the "trademark for all alcoholic beverages beginning with letters BUD." We strongly encourage you to check out the story and find out why Budini importers, now importing Bodini, decided to cease and desist rather than fight Goliath.

All of this brings us back to our point that we like to have the occasional Bud. We grew up around Bud, enjoy it's taste now and again, and still think there's something inherently American and cool about ordering a bottle of Bud at the local dive. So, if you're from the Budweiser family and reading this please stop being a corporate bully. It's easy enough to hate global conglomerates (and non-conglomerates). We support buying local but don't make us go all hardcore because we're not cut out for cloth bags at the grocery store and living the "vegan lifestyle."

Don't Buy Alcohol in Maryland

Today Governor Martin O'Malley signs into law the first tax increase on alcohol in more than 10 years. While we opposed the increase we appreciate that the elected officials in Maryland were clever enough to raise the taxes from 6 to 9 percent. According to reports, the increase will generate approximately $85 million in revenue for the state.

The self-proclaimed watchdog of the alcohol industry, the Marin Institute, calls this a defeat for big alcohol and a victory for public health policy. According to PR Newswire, Vincent DeMarco of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative said "The new alcohol sales tax increase will save lives by reducing underage drinking and over-consumption while also providing much-needed revenue to fund critical health care and community services in our state."

Sure, and Maryland Lottery funds really do benefit the Maryland public schools.

Don't worry Marylanders we don't just report problems we also present solutions. Purchase your alcohol in another state (or constitutionally-chartered special district). Our geospacial mapping staff tells us the majority of Maryland residents live within shouting distance of Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, DC Pennsylvania, and even Delaware. Sorry Baltimore, you're probably screwed - it's a bit of a hike for you in every direction but you can come to DC grab some beer and catch a Nationals game (aside from the uniform colors and stadium design you will never know it's not the O's).

Support DC Brewers!

Because the nation's capital has not had a proper commercial brewery in years you probably didn't know that it is against DC law for breweries to offer samples of their product on site (if you did know, well piss off). The fine folks at DC Brau have been working like a well-oiled K Street lobbying firm to get this changed. In fact, DC Brau tipped us off on their FB page.

On February 15, 2011, Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. introduced B19-0118, the Brewery Manufacturer's Tasting Permit Amendment Act of 2011. Councilmembers Wells, Alexander, Biddle, Evans and Brown co-sponsored the bill. The two-page legislation allows brewers to offer samples between the hours of 9:00 am and 12:00am, Monday-Saturday. The bill was referred to the Human Services Committee on February 16th.

The legislation was on yesterday's Council Agenda under item C - Reading and Vote on Emergency Legislation. According to the DC Brau FB Page, Councilmember Graham, the guy with the bow tie and goofy glasses, requested a hearing before the vote. The hearing will reportedly occur in April. So if you live in DC (and we do) contact your Councilmember (and we will) and make sure they support B19-0118. It couldn't hurt to call on Mr. Graham as well.

Read My Lips...

The fine people at Heavy Seas recently sent around an E-mail on new legislation being offered in the Maryland legislature to increase taxes on alcohol beverages. Beer In Baltimore touched on this issue as well. HB 121, the Lorraine Sheehan Health and Community Services Act of 2011, increases the state tax rates for alcoholic beverages sold in Maryland from $1.50 to $10.03 per gallon for distilled spirits, from 40 cents to $2.96 per gallon for wine, and from 9 cents to $1.16 per gallon for beer. The House bill has more than 50 sponsors and the Senate counterpart (SB 168) has almost 20 sponsors. The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee held a hearing on the bill today and the House Ways and Means Committee on March 3, 2011.

State budgets are hurting across the country (we're looking at you Wisconsin) and commodity prices are going through the roof, which means prices for food - and beer - are going up too. We understand beer is a bit of a luxury item for some and it's not quite the same as putting food on the table. Maybe more people could afford a little luxury, or even a little tax increase, if wages had increased at all since the 1980s. With the current state of the economy employers have good excuse not to increase wages. What this means is no pay raise this year but the grocery bill is going up and that little six pack of heaven is about to get taxed like a cigarette.

Anyway, we're not saying you should oppose this bill but if you live in Maryland you should oppose HB 121/SB 168. You can voice your opposition at http://www.savemymdjob.com/.

If you live in Wisconsin, we're not saying you should support the unions but you should support the right to collective bargaining.

-Image courtesy of Heavy Seas.

Not That There's Anything Wrong with It

According to reports, the Minerva brewery is offering a product specifically for the gay-lesbian community. Purple Hand Beer and Salamandra will be marketed in Mexico, Columbia, and Japan. These brews are so gay that the labels are designed to be removed from the bottle so people can wear them as a symbol of gay pride.

Minerva is thought to be the first brewer to market a product specifically to the LGBT community - or is it.....

Some Guys Will Do Anything for A Beer

Last night I was craving a brew.  So, I walked to the local grocer's beer aisle and picked up a six pack of Dogfish Head's Raison D' Etre.  A fine beer by any standard. 

I pony up to the register why my sixer by my side.  Suddenly, there we are; standing eye-to-eye.  It's just me and the clerk and only one of us is getting out of this mess alive.  This had the makings of a great story except that I simply paid for the beer and went home.  We both made it out alive.  So goes just about every other beer purchase across the country.  Except one...

In Flint, MI, a gentleman was shot by the store clerk and still picked up some beer - from the same store.  Seriously, here are the particulars:

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"The Flint Journal reports the unidentified victim told police he was standing outside the store about 9 p.m. Monday in the city about 50 miles northwest of Detroit when he heard a gunshot and felt a pain in his leg. The man asked the store clerk why he shot him, but did not get a response.

The victim then entered the store and bought beer. He later walked to a friend's home, who took him to a hospital."
Source: Chicago Tribune
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A Penny Saved is a Beer Earned

We are not a nation of savers.  It's not clear we ever have been - at least not in recent years.  Don't believe us, check out the chart below. Yes, the marketing folks at Nationwide Insurance claim it's our national pastime but we all know Americans are much better at spending than they are at saving.  Like it or not it's a consumer economy and we're a consumer girl.

Not only are we bad at saving the country is stuck in a recession.  Well, officially the recession is over but few people are feeling the positive vibes.  During these difficult times, stories abound of folks doing their part to cut a few corners and save a few pennies (like these poor souls).  Sure, growing your own garden, bagging your lunch, or renting out the guest house can help but we found something better.  Our friends at the Western Bank in Vietnam recently launched a nationwide promotion that offers authentic German Bitburger beer for making deposits.

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"Tropical Vietnam has a long tradition of beer drinking, introduced by French colonists in the late 19th century....

Authorities have been trying for months to get banks to cut interest rates, both on loans and deposits, so lenders have had to get creative in the fight for depositors."
-Reuters
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Of course, there's a catch.  And like any good lender we're putting the fine print at the bottom.  Depositors get one large can of Bitburger for each deposit of 7.5 million dong (don't worry, it's only $385 US) through November 25, 2010.  You can thank us later for not reducing the font size to 1.5.

Dark Times and Free Beer

Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser brand has been getting killed lately.  According to USA Today, Bud unit sales are down 9 percent from last year.  Further evidence of the decline is Bud's place on the Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders list, which ranks consumer loyalty of the top 501 consumer brands (presumably Levi's 501 Original Jeans ranks high on this list).  In 2003, Bud was number 16 but dropped to 220 in 2010.  Things are so bad for the brand that Anheuser-Busch recently started charging up to $2,000 for Budweiser's Clydesdales appearances - sorry Timmy, your stuck with Bozo the clown for your birthday.

The folks at Anheuser-Busch are not going to let the craft brew industry get in the way of their world beer domination so they're unveiling a new, hip marketing push: Bud Emo.

That's right, born in Washington, DC and now representing much of what's hip in music, fashion, and Justin Beiber, emo is going adult contemporary.  Anheuser-Busch is attempting to reach the under 30 crowd, which it has all but ignored in recent years.  Going forward, all Bud brand labels will be in black though certain labels will include a trim of nauseatingly bright colors.  The new slim fitting Bud bottles will be decked out in studded black belt trimmed labels.  Select cases of Bud and Bud Light will come with a free pair of thick, black, horn-rimmed glasses.  The movement will culminate with a free Bud tasting on September 29, 2010, at the National Budweiser Happy Hour (ages 21 and over).

If you're under 30 and want to get ahead of the curve we are here to help.  We scoured the interwebs to find the graphic below.  Follow the detailed fashion advice, download some Weezer, order a Bud, and commence with sharing the tragedy that is your life.  Never forget that you're emo, you're under 30 so nothing is more important than the trumped up pain your feeling right now.  In fact, you should stop reading this and tweeter your pain so we can all share in the center of the universe that is you.

Beer, Deer - Hey, it Rhymes

For years Bambi watched men in camouflage and bright orange caps use hunting as an excuse to get hammered with old high school buddies and not with the wife and kids.  Today, Bambi decided to join in on the fun.

DC Beer Week 2010

After last year's successful inaugural week, the good folks at DC Beer Week are back for a second round.  This year's festivities kick off on August 20, 2010 with DC Nerd Nite and Rock & Barley Concert at the Rock & Roll Hotel.  Of course, there are the standard fare happy hours, brewer meet & greets, and beer dinner pairings through out the week.  They've also added some novel events like the Cherry Blossom Craft Beer Cruise on August 22nd.

We've been having trouble viewing the DC Beer Week Web site, which could be do to our IT incompetence.  Absent the Web site, you can start planning your week by checking out this Washington CityPaper article.  You can also find events information on their Facebook page, twitter feed, or on the DC Beer Events calendar.  So basically you have no excuses for not finding something to do between August 20th and 28th.

Hope everybody inside the Beltway is getting thirsty.

Snakes In A Stadium

The Canadians have created a new tradition for fans bored during the commercial timeouts of CFL games.  We're assuming CFL games are televised, at the very least in Canada, because of their funky content laws.  Let's be honest, the wave is more outdated than the desktop pc.  The vuvuzela is a fad for the other kind of football and hopefully it doesn't find its way into other sports.

Last week during a surely riveting gridiron battle between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Toronto Argonauts fans got a little unruly and created the world's longest beer snake (apologies to Guinness World Records).  The snake, seen in the video below, clearly covers more than one section of the stadium.  Fans from within throwing distance were so anxious to participate they willing threw their glasses filled with the finest Canadian lager towards the snake.  What a thing of beauty.

You will hardly be surprised to find that the Blue Bombers did not take kindly to the behavior of the unruly fans and they issued this statement on their "zero tolerance" code of conduct.  We can't help but think that somewhere, former Argonauts owner (and funny Canadian) John Candy is smiling.

It's the Economy, Stupid

We couldn't help but steal the most overused tag line in political history to remind everybody that we're mired in a recession.  The stock market is a roller coaster and housing is back on the decline.  The new buzzword is "double dip" (it doesn't mean what we thought).

Hey, we could remind you that today's high is 105 degrees making your cubicle more enjoyable than the great outdoors. 

Is there a bright spot?  Is there a recession proof industry?  Well, there's always alcohol.*  Statistics Canada recently reported that, despite the times, the sale of beer, wine, and spirits has increased by more than 5 percent in the last year. 

Yeah, but that's Canada.  Hockey's over so what's the story inside the lower 48?  Despite the Dow Jones being down for the year microbrews are on the up and up.  Shares of the Craft Brewers Alliance, makers of RedHook, have doubled this year (Anheuser-Busch has an ownership stake in the Alliance).  Sam Adams shares are up 42 percent.  According to estimates, craft beer shipments increased by 7.2 percent in 2009. 

*Manufacturing is one industry making gains during the recession but unfortunately most experts believe this will not last.

Breaking News: Troegs Moving to Hershey

Pennlive.com is reporting that the Troegs Brewery will leave it's home in Harrisburg, PA for nearby Derry.  According to the report, Troegs will move to 200 E. Hersheypark Drive in Derry Township of Pennsylvania.  The property is owned by the Hershey Trust.

Troegs brews some of our favorites - including Hopback Ale and Troegenator Double Bock.  We're not sure how we feel about the move.  On one hand, we're big supporters of maintaining corporate headquarters for the long-term.  On the other hand, Troegs is growing quickly and may need additional space.  Having been to the Harrisburg site we now have an excuse to visit Derry, PA.

We also bring you this Muppet News Flash...

It's OK to Cry Over Spilled Beer

It's been a long couple of days for the men and women responsible for getting beer from the brewery to the local grocers and taverns. 

On Monday, a Budweiser tractor trailer overturned outside Atlanta, GA.  The combined weight of the truck, including the beer and the driver, was 80,000 lbs.  Video apparently shows "amber-colored liquid leaking from the back of the truck and saturating the hot pavement of Interstate 285."  No injuries were reported and it's not clear what type of beer was involved in the incident.

Yesterday, a truck carrying 1,200 cases of beer overturned on I-94 near Chicago, IL.  According to one report "[t]he truck struck a guardrail and a concrete bridge support before rolling over at about 3:15 a.m."  The good news is the driver suffered only minor injuries and the beer was Miller Lite. (Image below from WGN-TV.)

There's No Such Thing as Bad Press

Lady Gaga flipped of fans at a New York Mets game.  Who cares, Lady Gaga is just a poor-man's Madonna and we're talking about the Mets.  Hey, at least she was drinking a beer.

The real news, as always, was occurring inside the beltway.  Yesterday, Politico ran with a story about two White House aids seen topless and drinking at a Georgetown watering hole.  Tommy Vietor and Jon Favreau were hanging out with friends at Old Glory.  Said Politico: "Conservative critics said it showed the young Obama crowd needs to get a clue...West Wing defenders said it showed Obama bashers need to get a life."

Clearly, it was a slow news day in Washington, DC but let's be honest; we're talking about a press aide and speech writer.  These two are not exactly in charge of cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf.  They're not what you would call "policy wonks."  In fact, they're job is to lie about the policy after it's been crafted by the policy wonks.  They only read Politico to see if they're name made print.  Frankly, if you're going to have employees running around half naked and drinking it should be these guys.  Ahh, the beauty of the 24 hour news cycle.

They're Back!

The brew kettles are up and running once again at Flying Bison Brewing Company (FBBC).  First reported on their Twitter page, FBBC started brewing yesterday.  According to Twitter and Facebook, our favorite drink Aviator Red is just a few weeks away.  We're hoping they have it out in time for the 4th of July holiday as we'll be in the neighborhood.

More good news reported by the Buffalo News today: "All of the paperwork is signed and filed, and the sale of Flying Bison Brewing Co. to the Utica-based maker of Saranac beer is all but official, awaiting Matt’s licensing approval in Buffalo."  This will allow FBBC to increase capacity to almost 7,000 barrels.  Just like the early days FBBC will only be available in draft in the short-term but bottling is coming back.  So, we will not be bringing any back inside the beltway when we return but we'll scout out the restaurants of WNY while we are there.

To Ryan, Paul, and Colin we give you a virtual high-5!

The Latest on FBBC Sale

A couple of nuggets for the Flying Bison faithful.

Late on the 27th of May, FBBC declared on it's Facebook page "T's have been crossed.  i's have been... Wait for it... Wait for it... Wait for it... Wait for it..."

Certainly sounds like positive for those hoping to touch their lips to the FBBC ales again soon.

In other news...

Shareholder David R. Chudy was quoted extensively in a recent article about the disputed sale of FBBC.  In an opinion piece to today's Buffalo News, Mr. Chudy states that he was misquoted in the May 22, 2010 article. 

Stating that the deal with FX Matt Brewing Company is the best deal for FBBC, Mr. Chudy explains "while I did not think the investors would get back all of our investments, I did and do believe we will get back a significant amount, and a much better return than any other deal available. I went on to say that in addition to the financial return, there is an added intrinsic value to be able to walk into a Buffalo bar and order a Buffalo beer, Flying Bison. Omitting the word “all” and my subsequent comments changed the entire cast of my remarks."