Let’s be honest, 2019 has had its awful moments, but during Thanksgiving week we shove that awfulness to the side and reflect on the many things we can be thankful for. For instance, we gave ourselves this week off! We might even be allowed outside! Three cheers for the Pilgrims or whatever! We assume you will miss us though, which is why we’ve compiled this list of articles for which we are most thankful this year — everything from cool craft beer charity news to sustainable initiatives to helpful new equipment to naked people and dogs. So, grab a sixer, kick back and try to slowly enjoy re-reading these while we revel in our laziness this week.
Very good idea: Fargo Brewing puts available rescue dogs on Original Lager cans
Fargo Brewing Co. came up with an arf-inspiring idea for its not-for-profit event 4 Luv of Dog Rescue. Shout out to Northern Plains Label for helping make this possible.
Huge hop news: CSU scientist uses LEDs to show hops don’t need a dormant period
In a study that wraps up three years and 13 growth cycles of several popular hop varieties, Bauerle is upending conventional wisdom hop growers have followed for decades to coax their plants to flower. His results, published in Scientific Reports, open up new possibilities for indoor, sustainable, local production of hops.
Good idea: Serda Brewing wants to make its own drink mix to help customers recover from a night of drinking
Craft breweries continue to add new low-cal beers and hard seltzers for “healthier” portfolio options, but Serda Brewing is trying a different route to grab that lifestyle adult beverage consumer with RePear — a two-stage drink mix that helps defend and recover from the effects of drinking alcohol. Pretty brilliant if you ask me (go ahead, ask me. I dare you.)
Selecting sustainable brewing solutions: returnable bottles, optimized sanitation, low-water usage and more
A commitment to conserving resources must begin in the production hall to effectively create a successful sustainable beverage strategy. Investing in reliable, high-quality innovations for cans, bottles and more can help beverage producers meet their sustainability commitments, such as reduced CO2 output, water use and waste sent to landfill, in addition to upholding product quality.
Our website is an award finalist for its political and government coverage
Craft Brewing Business has been shining a floodlight on the chaos of beer law since it was founded in 2013. Last year, government beat writer Keith Gribbins took that coverage to award-winning levels. No, really. He’s currently up for a 2019 Azbee Award of Excellence in the category of government coverage for his 2018 work. The Azbees focus on the best business writing in America, judged by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Ska Brewing has a great concept for raising support for charities you should steal (the brewhouse helped donate $28,000 for fire relief funds)
Craft breweries giving to charity isn’t a newsflash because so many of them do it, but Durango, Colo.’s Ska Brewing stands out for its Token Tuesdays concept (launched in December 2017). Every Tuesday at Ska Brewing, customers receive a token for each beer they buy. Customers then take those tokens and donate them (each token = $1), choosing between one of two charities selected for that day. At the end of the month, Ska will write a check to those organizations.
Enjoy some naked people drinking beer: Luxembourg-based brand nudes it up to market beer in Wisconsin
We’ve enjoyed naked people drinking beer before. Now, it’s time to enjoy some more. Really, what took so long? A Luxembourg-based beer brand touting a history back to 1842 has released a new ad campaign that features attractive people in the nude as a way of promoting its natural ingredients. Bofferding is a brand brewed by Brasserie Nationale, which is the largest brewery in Luxembourg, based in the city of Bascharage (go Hedgehogs!). Brasserie Nationale is basically the merging of two impressively old beer brands — Brasserie Bofferding (founded in 1842) and Brasserie Funck-Bricher (founded in 1764).
Brewers Association releases 2018 impact report, craft beer contributes $79B+ to the US economy, marking a 4% increase
In 2018, small and independent craft brewers contributed $79.1 billion to the U.S. economy, roughly 0.4 percent of gross domestic product. The 2018 numbers mark a 4 percent increase from 2017, highlighting the industry’s steady performance across the country. The calculation is derived from the total impact of beer brewed by craft brewers as it moves through the three-tier system (breweries, wholesalers and retailers), as well as all non-beer products such as food and merchandise sold in brewpub restaurants and brewery taprooms.
Five workplace safety tips on tap: How craft breweries can keep workers injury-free
Training your workforce to prevent common MSDs like back injuries, strains and sprains will not only help you reduce injury costs, but it typically has a positive impact on culture and productivity. To help protect the professionals that manufacture and transport your beer every day, try these five proven tips in your work environment.
Gotta watch: New Belgium Brewing produces poignant and artful video series to protect public lands and raise $250,000 for charity
New Belgium Brewing is so committed to the cause that its brand Fat Tire is donating up to $250,000 to organizations that protect public lands. Simply by sharing these videos, you can rack up donations. Look at this awesomeness …
Sustainable brewing part 2: Applying renewable energy strategies in the brewery
It seems that one of the greatest barriers to entry for renewable energy in the brewing process is a lack of awareness regarding the various options available. In fact, there are a variety of simple, executable strategies, as craft breweries have demonstrated in recent years. The Brewers Association laid out a few examples in their 2017 report, a few of which we highlight below.
A new growth model: Two craft breweries explain expansion via new buildings instead of new shelves
We met Landry at a coffee shop during the Craft Brewers Conference to chat about the brewery’s upcoming expansion in Houston — its first venture outside of Louisiana — with a 10-bbl system, a canning line and public taproom and beer garden set to open in fall 2019. It is a modest move on its own, but reflective of craft beer’s most sweeping trend: successful, mid-size indie breweries expanding to new markets via physical space versus shelf space.
Friday Fun: Let’s learn to pair beer and chocolate, so that you might finally find happiness
Today’s post offers a little background on just why beer and chocolate are actually a match made in heaven, as well as some tips on how to choose the best brew — with some examples from a few of our local favorite Craft Beer Fest participating breweries — to accompany a variety of delectable chocolate items and desserts — which we highly suggest be Wilber Chocolates. Yeah, we’re behind this article.
Is alcohol good for you? No. Can it be a key to a healthy lifestyle? Yes.
Spoiler alert: Alcohol is a drug. And shit, it better be, or I’ll quit drinking it. Alcoholic beverages shouldn’t have to contort themselves into being “healthier” in order to play a role in supporting one’s health. The real opportunity for breweries, I think, is in terms of boosting overall well being. Beer’s primary function is a pleasing vice and social lubricant, so own it, and emphasize its (and your brewery’s) connection to the community in order to promote/facilitate a more well rounded, less stressful, healthier lifestyle for regular patrons. You just might form a stronger bond with those lifestyle customers than you would by chasing them with a watered down version of your core product.
Crosby Hop Farm named a 2019 Changemaker, personifies a business that balances purpose and profit
Certified against rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency in business, Crosby Hop Farm became the first hop supplier to be a Certified B Corporation in May 2016. Since that date, the company’s overall B Impact Score has grown alongside its continued investment toward greater social and environmental progress.
Watch: These sweet-looking beer serving tanks help craft breweries ditch kegs to increase efficiency, safety, speed and freshness
This market maturation also means the process of producing and serving beer is changing and getting more advanced. A competitive industry ultimately leads to businesses looking for leaner and smarter business practices to find an edge. Here’s a good example: What if you could get rid of your kegs (at least in-house)? What kind of money could you save? What about time? What about space? What about getting rid of that cold room? Add in factors like increased safety and the need for fewer employees, and the idea of going kegless can sound very attractive. But how would one go about doing that?
Pets are now officially allowed in North Carolina breweries as long as those breweries don’t prepare food
Honestly, I prefer our pet friends to most humans. I enjoy seeing support animals on planes. I like dogs in stores, potbellied pigs in the CBB offices and capybaras should be allowed to roam freely throughout our society. Sensing a similar importance for our four-legged friends, the great state of North Carolina just officially reformed an arbitrary law that disallowed pets like dogs and cats in N.C. breweries and taprooms, as part of an Alcoholic Beverage Control reform bill signed by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.
How craft breweries can adjust to the complex TCJA before the next tax season
One of the most significant changes facing craft breweries under the TCJA, now in its second year, is the tax status of the corporation. Those who last year opted to remain in their S Corporation status and not convert to a C Corporation now have the opportunity to take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of conversion.
TTB adds a ‘Conditionally Approved’ status that will streamline label approvals just a bit
This won’t catch a ton of label issues, but it will be a nice way to avoid having silly “oops” errors hold up the process. Here’s everything else you need to know about the new Conditionally Approved process.
The eco allure and product security of Roberts PolyPro can handles, and applicators perfect for small beer runs
Nothing looks cooler than leisurely carrying a six-pack of beer into a party. Roberts PolyPro provides a key comp/onent in this type of beer transport — can handles for two-, four- and six-pack beer configurations. For 25 years, Roberts PolyPro has been refining the injection molded experience in products that range from carton handles to hangers to beer holders. The company’s can products in particular offer a nice balance of eco allure, easy application and product security.
We asked: How many jobs do small craft breweries create per bbl versus large craft breweries?
Instead of total market share, I asked Watson if he could look into “jobs per bbl” for different size levels of craft breweries. I wanted to know when the search for bbl growth and expansion started to have diminishing outward returns on that business’s employment impact in an area. Said another way, which puts more food on people’s tables across the country: one big 1 million bbl brewery or 1,000 1,000-bbl breweries?
CBB Exclusive: The story behind Charlie Papazian’s Fist Bump Yeast, now available via White Labs
At the Craft Brewers Conference this year, we had the awesome opportunity to chat with Charlie and Chris about the rebranding and reintroduction of Cry Havoc — now to be known as Charlie’s Fist Bump Yeast — which is now available for home and pro brewers alike to purchase via White Labs.
Let’s learn how breweries can accelerate tax deductions by prepaying certain expenses
Nine times out of 10, accelerating tax deductions is going to be beneficial to a taxpayer. Saving tax, preserving cash and accurately timing deductions with cash outflow are the end-goals of tax planning. Prepaying eligible expenses, specifically, is an efficient way of accomplishing these goals.
When I don’t feel like working (like today), I watch the Briess falcon and its adorable falcon babies
Beer and falcons. Two very cool things. Two things I hadn’t really thought of together till late last week when I noticed there was a falcon living in a Briess elevator overlooking Lake Michigan.
Thinking and Drinking 4/20 edition: We try the most intriguing craft cannabis beverage yet and chat with co-founder Matt Vincent
The most revelatory beverage we tried while in Denver for the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewEXPO was not a beer. We were among the first to try the new Oh Hi line of craft cannabis seltzers that was launched by Aaron Miles and Jonny Radding, the co-owners of Durango Organics, and Matt Vincent, one of the co-owners of Ska Brewing and the founder of Ska Fabricating.
Why and how to monitor trademarks (sign up for this FREE CBB webinar, What Craft Brewers Need to Know About Trademark Protection)
Fun fact: Trademark owners are responsible for enforcing their own trademark rights. The folks at the United States Patent and Trademark Office are only responsible for assessing applications and registering marks. So, it’s up to you, pioneering craft brewer, to find a reasonable system to monitor your brands and branding that allows the ability and opportunity to dispute the registration of another mark. I have a solution. With our friends at Trademark.com, we hosted a free webinar that you can still listen to in our archives.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.