Socyberty List's Three Most Expensive Beers

Here is an interesting link to a list of the three most expensive beers. Socyberty is a self-proclaimed "user powered website dedicated to providing you with the highest quality society oriented content on the web."

A few other pricy offerings available around Portland include:

Bush/Scaldis Prestige



Pours a hazy orange-amber with a hugely carbonated top. Nose of sour and sweet grass and sugars. Oaky and musty notes. Fruity and vinous finish. Once in a lifetime opportunity to try this expensive beer. Runs around $50 for a 750ml bottle.

Bosteels DeuS Brut des Flandres Belgian Strong Ale




Commercial Description:
First brewed at Bosteels, transfered to the Champagne region of France were it is treated much like a champagne with the bottles inverted and the yeast expunged and bottle recorked. Approximately $40 for a 750ml bottle.

Also, if you are looking to find one of the most touted Trappist beers in the world, the Westvleteren 12 Belgian quad is running for around $50 bucks for a six-pack on eBay. Couple that with shipping charges from Belgium running another fifty bucks or so, this beer available for purchase exclusively from the monastary, can be quite spendy.

Lompoc Breweries bring a six pack of Holiday Seasonals to the Portland Area!

At PdxBeer Blog, we look for updates from the brewers themselves. We had asked
Derek Clark, Head Brewer, Lompoc Breweries to tell us in his own words what they have to offer this holiday season. Here is what he reported:

Winter is an exciting time for the local Lompoc Breweries, having historically produced five distinct beers for the Holiday and Winter season. This year the brewers at Lompoc have added a sixth beer, encouraged by Preston Weezner (beer afficionado), of Holiday Ale Festival fame, to brew a new and unique beer to be showcased at that great event. Brewdolph is a Belgian-style specialty ale highlighting the flavors of joviality and abundance in which the Lompoc brewers, using sound brewing techniques and a lot of bravado, the Lompoc is proud to premier

Lompoc's usual Winter favorites-- C'Son's Greetings, an extremely popular (and strong) Imperial pale ale; Holiday Cheer, a PORTlandER with hints of vanilla; Blitzen, Lompoc's spiced golden ale; Jolly Bock, the well-loved German-style doppelbock; and the ever anticipated Old Tavern Rat Barleywine that has been aging for a year--will be featured at the Lompoc pubs and select venues around the metropolitan area.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detailed descriptions of the Lompoc Winter Beers.

Brewdolph--A Belgian-style specialty ale with distict fruity notes of Pommegranate, Plum, and Persimmon. 8.8%abv. Light to medium body, light amber color. Slight hop presence expressing mostly balance, hop spiciness and minimal "greeness". Similar to a Belgian trippel.

C'Son's Greetings--The big brother for C-Note. A lot of malt. A lot of Hops. A lot of good times. 8.5% abv.

Holiday Cheer--Our winter porter (PORTlandER). A dark beer, but not tipped to roast, nor charcoal. Velvetty to the palatte, hints of vanilla from whole bean extraction during the brew. 7.0% abv.

Blitzen--Lompoc's lighest beer offering. Lower in potency (5.0%abv), but warming in the spices used during brewing. This is the Lompoc Winter Tonic, an apertiff, a digestiff. Gentle but settling.

Jolly Bock--Lompoc's German-style lager for the season. Sweet and dry, this malty beer gives a bit of a kick. Certainly for a traditional and purist palette; malt heavy for the Northwest Hophead. 7.9%abv.

Old Tavern Rat--The favorite Lompoc barleywine. It's a barleywine! The initial brew had to have a second batch brewed just to balance (id est-Dilute). 11% abv.

Thank you, Derek! We hope to be sampling your wears throughout this joyous season!

New Stout available at MacTarnahan's Taproom in Portland!

MacTarnahan's Tap Room has a great new Brewers Reserve Stout available right now! George Arnold, Master Brewer at Pyramid Breweries writes:
"The product is brewed with 2 Row Barley Malt, Caramel 80, Munich, Roasted and Black malts. It is hopped with Nugget and Liberty hops. We target a 15.5 ° Plato wort and finish at around 4.5° Plato apparent extract. It has a bitterness of about 52 IBU.
Art did a fantastic job with this product. The aroma is very enticing and the flavor robust. It is a perfect beer to dispense with nitrogen.

I hope you enjoyed it as well."
Go by and try some out yourself! MacTarnahan's Taproom@.2730 NW 31st Ave.Portland, OR 97210; ph. 503.226.7623 info@macsbeer.com

Hopworks Dock Sales Start This Week

This just in from Hopworks Urban Brewery's Ben Love:

Hopworks Urban Brewery will start doing regular dock sales this Wednesday, just in time for the long Thanksgiving weekend! Dock sale hours will be from 2-6pm Wednesday November 21. We'll be filling 1/4 bbl and 1/2 bbl Hopworks kegs and peoples personal 5 gal cornies. We ask that cornies come cleaned and filled with sanitizer. Hopworks Organic IPA, Organic Red and Organic Abominable Winter Ale are available.

Prices are:
$130 - 1/2
$70 - 1/4
$55 - 5 gal

Deposit for 1/2 and 1/4 bbl are $100.

We don't have a credit card machine set up yet, so sales are CASH or CHECK ONLY.

Hopworks Urban Brewery is located at 2944 SE Powell Blvd in the old Sunset Fuel Building. People coming for dock sales should come around the back of the building. Turn on 29th Avenue (next to Wendy's) and drive through the ABC Roofing parking lot.

Our regular Dock Sales hours will be Friday's from 5-7pm, starting Friday November 30th. We ask that people wanting their cornies filled for Friday drop them off by Thursday at 6pm, cleaned and filled with sanitizer. We'll have their kegs ready to roll during dock sales hours the next day.

Please contact Assistant Brewmaster Ben Love if you have any questions. Ben@hopworksbeer.com

Checkout www.hopworksbeer.typepad.com to track our progress!

Hopworks Organic IPA
Our flagship IPA is a classic Northwest IPA that is generously hopped with Amarillo, Centennial, and Ahtanum hops in the kettle, hop-back, and dry-hop. This judicious use of hops is balanced by hte finest organic malts available, namely Canadian organic Pilsner malt and German organic Munich and Caramunich.
15 degrees Plato Original Gravity
2.7 degrees Plato Terminal Gravity
6.6% Alcohol by Volume
75 International Bitterness Units

Hopworks Organic Red Ale
Our NW Red Ale has a huge floral and citrus hop aroma from copious use of locally grown Cascade and Centennial hops. Backed up by a full flavored malt bill of 100% organic Canadian Pilsner malt, American Caramel malt and German Caramunich and Carafa malts. Our re is balanced, hoppy and delicious.
13.5 degrees Plato Original Gravity
3.0 degrees Plato Terminal Gravity
5.7% Alcohol by Volume
45 International Bitterness Units


Hopworks Organic Abominable Winter Ale
Our Winter Ale features a floral, spicy and cirus hop aroma backed up by a subtle, yet complex hop flavor and just the right amount of malt sweetness. Made with organic Canadian Pilsner malt, German Caramunich and Carafa malts, American Caramel malts and Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe Hops.
17 degrees Plato Original Gravity
4.4 degrees Plato Terminal Gravity
7% Alcohol by Volume
55 International Bitterness Units

Redhook-Widmer Merger more bloggers write

A Great Blogger of our times Jay Brooks writes in his blog:<http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/>


Craft Brewers Merge, Too
by J @ 2:38 am. November 14th

The last time I took a trip, that one to Denver for GABF, Miller and Coors merged their domestic operations. Now I’m in Munich, Germany on my last day of a long beer trip and Widmer Brothers and Redhook announce, they too, will be merging. I have got to stop leaving the house otherwise who knows what might happen next.
Maybe it’s because the news reports I read were from Seattle newspapers, but I was surprised that Redhook is the buyer because Widmer has been the much stronger performer ever since Anheuser-Busch purchased minority stakes in both breweries in the late 1990s. Shortly thereafter, Redhook was called “Budhook” derisively by many craft beer aficionados and their reputation, as well as their business did appear to suffer. Certainly Redhook was not as active in the community as they had been before. Widmer Brothers, on the other hand, seemed to maintain their reputation and sales continued to grow. But perhaps more importantly, the Widmers continued to be active in the brewing community and were out in the public, effectively managing to keep the perception intact that they are a quality-minded small craft brewery.
Redhook reportedly will buy stock in Widmer valued at about $50 million. The new company’s name, with no touch of irony, will be called the “Craft Brewers Alliance.” Both Widmer and Redhook will continue to brew beer as before at their respective breweries.
Their combined output will be approximately 600,000 barrels, enough to catapult them into the top ten, probably around eighth or ninth. The pair separately was number 11 and 12 last year. Kurt Widmer will become the chairman of the Craft Brewers Alliance, which also has a stake in Chicago’s Goose Island Brewing and a distribution agreement with Hawaii’s Kona Brewing. Paul Shipman, who helped found Redhook will be given the title chairman emeritus, but effectively retiring from the day to day operations of the business.

Widmer-Redhook Merger comments keep coming

Subject: before the big boys come in and buy everyone out

mksgrist writes:

"I think we need to hold on to what we have, brewery wise, before the
big boys come in and buy everyone out. The ruin of the American Beer
revolution may be paved by over sizing, takeovers and greed."

Vasilios Gletsos, Head Brewer-BJ's Brewery, Portland, OR writes:

" Maybe it's just me and my position in the brewing industry, but I feel
this is a short cut to thinking, and promotes a mythical narrative to
the history and growth of the beer industry that's more detrimental than anything else.
I don't believe it can possibly be as black and white as he suggests.
I'm not ignorant of the effects of big money on beer, but one of those
effects is investment in brewers and science and equipment. There are
examples of beers that were 'once upon a time' great breweries, but
dumbed down there beers. You hear this all the time in our small
community (relative to the total beer market,Portland, Oregon). Part of it, I believe
is nostalgia, part changing tastes and part a change in the beer. But
why sit shiva over your can of Balantine or whatever? Craft breweries
exist because there is a market for them. They get bigger because of the nature of the market.
Believe me, I respect and admire those breweries who resist expansion,
perhaps to their own financial detriment if not ruin, because of any reason:
they are satisfied with their size, even if they can't meet demands,
they make a unique product that can't be made on a large scale or
whatever, god bless them, and, hopefully they can keep going, but
there are many shades of amber between light lager and imperial stout.
When I think of how much traffic and adoration we give, rightfully so,
to the support several of the bigger breweries around town give our
club(The Oregon Brew Crew) or home brewer's at large, not to mention continuing to come out with distinctive and challenging beers, I feel we are dumbing down our
opinions faster than they are their beer (if they are?). Buy the beer
you like or brew the beer you like. no corporate captain is forcing
you to, and Rob and Kurt(Widmer), I am sure, look the same last week as they
do this week, and will continue to make decisions that serve their best interest.
There is also this sense of the rock star brewer, individualistic and
mountain tops and machismo. This is an image, just like all the other
images in our personal pantheons of consumer preferences. and it masks
the reality of the beer in front of you. If that's your thing, and you
need the fetish to enjoy beer, fine, but it's fabrication. I've heard
many times people tell me their favorite brewery is some hyped up,
super extreme brewery that isn't even available in Oregon (or perhaps
only their most mainstream product) and they have tried only a couple
times. This illusion may be more harmful to local beer and craft brew than good.
Alright, I going to stop now and make some mediocre corporate brew,
woe is me."

Vasilios Gletsos
Head Brewer
BJ's Brewery
Portland, OR

The Merger: Widmer and Redhook

The following story is from the Portland Business Journal. We would love to here your comments on this story from the beer lovers POV. Please click on comments at the end and give us your thoughts. We will be posting some comments from other home brewers later. Thank you.
Pdx Beer

Widmer and Redhook to merge
Portland Business Journal
Two giants of craft brewing -- Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. and Redhook Ale Brewery -- have agreed to merge. The two breweries said their company will be known as the Craft Brewers Alliance, but that Widmer and Redhook will remain separate brands.
Shareholders of Widmer and Redhook will hold 50 percent of the outstanding shares of the new company.
Red Hook, based in Woodinville, Wash., is publicly traded, and the new company will continue to trade on NASDAQ under the Redhook symbol (HOOK). It will have offices in Portland and Woodinville.
Portland-based Widmer Brothers' Chair Kurt Widmer, will serve as chair of the new company. Red Hook founder Paul Shipman will serve as chairman emeritus. Dave Mickelson, president of Redhook, will serve as co-CEO of the new company with Terry Michaelson, president of Craft Brands Alliance, Redhook and Widmer's sales and marketing joint venture.
Subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008.
The brothers Kurt and Rob Widmer founded Widmer brewery in 1984. The company's flagship beer is its Widmer Hefeweizen. It is the nation's 11th-largest brewery.
Redhook had $35.7 million in sales in 2006. The company's most popular product is Redhook ESB.
Redhook shares fell less than 1 percent to close at $6.10. The deal was announced after markets closed.
Three years ago, another local craft brewing icon, Portland Brewing Co., was purchased by Seattle-based Pyramid Breweries Inc. for $4.2 million.
All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.
Cheers! Prost!

David K. Dronkowski C.M.C.
Publisher and Editor
Guest on Tap
Every Tuesday The Portland Tribune
www.guestontap.com

Pyramid at the Garden

PYRAMID AT THE ROSE GARDEN
Pyramid Brewing has moved into the Rose Garden, taking over the former Garden Club space and converting it to a new and improved restaurant. The official name of the new space, which is on the main concourse, is the Pyramid Taproom at Bill Schonely's Place, in recognition of the team's longtime play-by-play announcer. The new restaurant can accommodate 250 people, compared with 120 for what was buffet-style dining inside the old Garden Club. All your favorite Pyramid brews are on tap so stop by the next time the Blazers are in town.

A Beer that will only Get Better!

Sam Adam's Utopias by The Boston Beer Company is fabulous right now, but will only grow better with time!
Upon tasting this magical liquour, we were blinded by the beauty of this fantastic brew! To think that this was not distilled, we were amazed with wonder flavours throughout the glass and the legs on this beer!n We tasted the limited 2007 Edition Batch#11823 at the Oregon Brew Crew meeting last night. We all agreed this was one amazing "beer"? More comments will be added later.

Sustainability in the Brewing Industry

Methane bubble and water treatment plant at New Belgium Photo by Andrea Hendrickson

SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BREWING INDUSTRY

By Abram Goldman-Armstrong
Honorary Beer Scribe for Guest on Tap

---

Beers once were marketed on flavor alone with straightforward ad slogans such as “finest malted barley.” Now brewers across the country are touting sustainability as a major virtue of their beers.
On coasters and in ads and other marketing materials, breweries such as Laurelwood, New Belgium, Deschutes, Full Sail, McMenamins and Widmer boast about their use of wind power.
For many brewers, the emphasis on sustainability goes beyond mere greenwashing. The Earth-saving practices implemented by breweries like New Old Lompoc often are simple no-frills affairs, consisting of smart use and reuse of energy and resources.
Some of the more glamorous sustainability projects have been implemented by industry leaders such as Colorado’s New Belgium and Northern California’s Anderson Valley.
Both treat their wastewater on site, the former capturing methane with an anaerobic digester to generate electricity for the brewery, the latter using it to irrigate hops.
Anderson Valley boasts Northern California’s largest solar array, which can provide the brewery with two-fifths of its energy needs. In Chico, Sierra Nevada is at work on its own solar array, which, along with hydrogen fuel cells, can provide enough energy to take the brewer 90 percent off the grid.
Packaging materials are an important factor in sustainable brewing. Full Sail uses 100 percent recycled paperboard for its six-packs and cases. Portland Bottling’s manufacturing plant uses about 50 percent recycled glass; even New Belgium, in Colorado, purchases its 22-ounce bottles from it.
Water conservation, too,s can make a big environmental impact. Breweries typically use six to eight gallons of water for every gallon of beer produced. Through various methods, water use can be reduced to as little as 3.45 gallons (Full Sail) or 3.9 gallons (New Belgium).
At Olympia’s Fish Brewing Co., it’s about the water — not in the beer, but in the streams, rivers and oceans of Cascadia. Fish has brewed environmental fundraising beers since 1999, including Wild Salmon Pale Ale, which benefits Save Our Wild Salmon, and draught-only Thornton Creek Pale Ale, dedicated to the restoration of a nearby watershed.
Since releasing its Organic Amber in 1999, Fish has transitioned the bulk of its production to organic, committing to keeping pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers out of streams and rivers.
Fish’s seasonal Detonator Doppelbock is “dedicated to the removal of salmon-killing dams and the restoration of free-flowing rivers.”
Juneau’s Alaskan Brewing recently launched a program to donate 1 percent of proceeds from its IPA to an organization called Coastal CODE (Clean Oceans Depend on Everyone), which gives grants to “individuals and organizations taking action to preserve the health of oceans,” says Alaskan’s Human Resources Manager Heather Conlon.
Oregon’s own Solv was one of the first grant recipients for its annual beach cleanup.
Other sustainability practices at Alaskan have arisen from necessity. Due to its location, Alaskan had to pay a premium to import carbon dioxide and began harvesting carbon dioxide from fermentation in 1998, a practice usually employed only by much larger breweries.
The recovered carbon dioxide is cleaned and stored, and then used to carbonate finished beer.
Here in Portland, a number of smaller breweries are doing their part. They may not be able to install massive infrastructure items such as solar arrays, wastewater treatment plants or carbon dioxide recovery plants, but smaller breweries still can have an impact.
Roots Organic Brewing Co. and the Alameda Brewhouse use “cap” fermenters to trap carbon dioxide in beer as it’s produced. Hopworks Urban Brewery will utilize biodiesel to power its brewhouse.
Most local breweries send their spent grain to farmers, who feed it to livestock, and many brewpubs, such as Widmer’s Gasthaus and Roots, compost their food waste.
Little by little, brewers are moving toward a sustainable future.

New Beer Radio Show in Portland!

Mac is Back!
A new Beer Radio Show comes to KXL Radio in January 2008! The "On Tap Show" will start its new season on January 12, 2008 from 3-4 pm, and will broadcast state wide on 750 KXL! So tune in and drink up, they should have some great shows and more live remotes than studio time, with many prizes to give away....stay tuned for more on Mac’s "On Tap Show" on 750KXL!

Ninkasi presents Oatis

Just in time for the rainy season, Ninkasi Brewing Company of Eugene, Oregon has released the fullbodied oatmeal stout "Oatis."

The newest member of the Ninkasi family is named after Otis, the black lab of the company's working brewer and part owner Jamie Floyd.

Floyd promises "Rich robust flavor, silky oatmeal body, and cheek-warming strength fights off the cold winter months."

The heartwarming 7% ABV brew will be made available around Portland at fine establishments such as Bailey's Tap Room, Horsebrass, Moon and Six Pence, Oaks Bottom, 9 Muses, Kays, and the Skybox sports bar will be featuring the beer on cask.

If you don't get a chance to experience it at one of these places, you can sample it alongside a vast array of winter warmers at the Holiday Ale Fest in Pioneer Square November 29-December 1, 2007.

On a different note, Jamie was invited to participate as a "star" in the local version of Dancing With The Stars. This was a charity event hosted by Upstart Crow Studios. Upstart Crow Studios is a non-profit youth performing arts organization. Their collaborative arts education center showcases programs in performing, visual and applied arts.
See Jamie's performance below!

Life of Brian Release Party at Horse Brass

-- Brian Butenschoen turns 40 years old! The Oregon Brewers Guild's Executive Director, Brian Butenschoen, celebrates his 40th birthday with a beer for him called Life of Brian! It was brewed at Laurelwood, and at 4 percent alcohol, it's a true session beer -- "the perfect third pint," Butenschoen says. Release party, 5 p.m. Thursday November 8th, Horse Brass Pub, 4534 S.E. Belmont St.; proceeds go to the Glen Hays Falconer Foundation.

November 8th Thursday-Evening 5ish
A benefit for the
Glen Hay Falconer Foundation
The Oregon Brewers Guild & Laurelwood
Bring you a firkin of Life of Brian
A flavorful Golden Ale
4% ABV

Hair of the Dog Anniversary Sale this weekend!

Anniversary Sale
It is time for Hair of the Dog Brewery's 14th Anniversary Sale. This year it is November 10th from 10:00 till 4:00 at the Brewery. I will be releasing 2007 Doggie Claws and Fred from the Wood. This years Claws is 11% abv and
as usual, Fred from the Wood will be limited to one case per person.
Also new this year, my Beers are now Organic. This summer I switched the base malt for all my Beers to Organic Pilsner malt and I have
been very happy with the flavor and color improvements to the Beers.
Come join Alan Sprints and my family to celebrate another year, he will have shirts, hats, and some vintage Beers available as well.


Alan Sprints
4509 SE 23 Avenue
Portland OR 97202
#503-232-6585

Morrison Hotel serves up the city's best clam chowder

PORTLAND, Ore - Oct. 31, 2007 - The results are in, and the Morrison Hotel serves up the best New England-style clam chowder in Portland. The recently opened bar, located at 719 SE Morrison, won the coveted People's Choice Chowder Cup at the second annual Chowder Challenge. The blind tasting competition took place on October 27 at the Fifth Quadrant in North Portland. The Morrison Hotel also swept all three of the judge's categories, winning Best with Beer, Most Authentic and Most Flavorful. Rogue Ales Public House came in a close second by one vote for the People's Choice award. The New Old Lompoc, last year's reigning champion, came in third. Other participants included Oaks Bottom Public House, Horse Brass Pub, Concordia Ale House, Fifth Quadrant, Hedge House, Alameda Brewhouse, Lucky Labrador Beer Hall, and Harry's Fresh Foods. The family-friendly event was a fundraiser for Locks of Love.

Ebenezer Ale is Back at BridgePort

BRIDGEPORT BREWING COMPANY SPREADS HOLIDAY CHEER WITH EBENEZER ALE
Known to Transform the Mood of Any Scrooge, Seasonal Winter Ale On Tap and In Stores Now
PORTLAND, Ore. - BridgePort Brewing Company releases Ebenezer Ale, a traditional winter ale available only during the holiday season. Marking the eighth brewing year for this festive, holiday favorite, Ebenezer Ale is a delightfully complex brew that will transform even the coldest miser's heart. BridgePort's Ebenezer Ale is now on tap at BridgePort's brewpub + bakery, BridgePort Ale House and at restaurants throughout the Portland and Seattle area. BridgePort's Ebenezer Ale can also be found at select retail grocery stores throughout Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
A Malty Treat to Keep All the Ladies Dancing and Lords-a-Leaping this Holiday Season A winter warmer at 6.4 percent ABV, Ebenezer Ale is a smooth-tasting bottle conditioned ale with a complex palate derived from four different roasted malts and a blend of local and imported hops. An international award winning brew holding a deep mahogany color, this malty, full-bodied beer is balanced with a light hop aroma, leading to a caramel finish.

About BridgePort Brewing Company
As Oregon's oldest craft brewery, BridgePort is celebrating its 23rd anniversary this year. The brewery has reached this milestone by evolving from a microbrewery to a regional leader in the craft brewing market, while remaining faithful to its commitment to producing high-quality, innovative craft ales. In addition to BridgePort IPA, other ales in the BridgePort family include ESB, Black Strap Stout, Ropewalk Amber Ale, Blue Heron Pale Ale, and seasonal beers, Beertown Brown, Haymaker Extra Pale Ale and Ebenezer Ale. BridgePort Brewery is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall St. For more information, call 503-241-7179 or visit http://www.blogger.com/www.bridgeportbrew.com.

Roots Organic Brewery releases Epic in Bottles & Expands

1. Roots Organic Brewing company set to Releases its second certified organic 22oz. bottle in oregon, washington and california.

2. Roots Organic Brewing Company completes first phase of brewery expansion.
Roots Organic Brewing Company to release 2007 Epic Ale, Winter Strong Ale.

Portland, Or, October 30, 2007: It’s Here…..The second certified Organic 22oz.bottle of beer. The Roots Island Red is to be released on December 1st. 2007. Celebrate the Organic revolution at Roots Organic Brewing company 1520 se 7th, Portland, Oregon, 97214 All through the month of December, Come in and get your case or bottle at the brewery and Of course look for it at all major store outlets!

· Going on our third year of business, we are happy to say that we have just completed the first phase of our brewery expansion. Just shy of Doubling our capacity from 70 bbl.s to 130 bbl.s has allowed us to expand our distribution arm not only through the whole state of Oregon, but now into Washington and California.

· Roots Epic Ale will be released on December 21st 2007 at Roots. Kickoff party starts at 6 pm. In our third year of releasing this Great Ale, we will follow in the tradition of a great party, new label, and of course the limited release of the jeroboams. This year we will be bottling 120 Jeroboams. They always go within the first week, so we hope to see you at the party, as that’s the only place to get your Jeroboam!

· ROOTS ORGANIC BREWING COMPANY is the first certified all Organic Brewery in the state of Oregon. Opened in March 2005, Roots is an industry leader in the Organic movement, unique beers and brewing techniques. Roots main objective is to help sustain healthy living and a healthy planet and of course make the best quality beers on the planet! Remember” Drink Organic Save the Planet One Beer at a Time”

Wall Street Journal Pipes in on Craft Beer and Marketing

The fastest-growing segment in the beer category is no longer independent craft brews -- it's megabrand craft brews, reports David Kesmodel in The Wall Street Journal (10/26/07). According to Nielsen numbers, "sales of craft brews affiliated with the big three brewers ... surged 45 percent to $177 million" in the first eight months of this year. Independent craft brews, meanwhile, grew by only "16 percent, to $531 million." Neilsen's Nick Lake attributes the growth to "a combination of great branding and strong distribution muscle." Some craft brew aficionados attribute it to deception.

"Any brand put into the marketplace with an intentional lack of affiliation with the brewery brewing it, I consider that a faux craft," says Tom McCormick of the California Small Brewers Association." Andy England, cmo of Coors Brewing Company begs to differ, saying that for Coors to market a craft brew like Blue Moon is "no more relevant than Kashi (cereal) being owned by Kellogg of Lexus being owned by Toyota." Plus, it's nothing new: "Coors launchesd Blue Moon, a Belgian-style wheat beer in 2005." It was failing until Coors convinced bartenders "to serve Blue Moon in a glass with a slice of orange."

Miller, meanwhile is making its craft beer inroads via Leinenkugel, a fifth-generation family-run brewery has been around since 1867 and Miller acquired in 1988. Miller's name doesn't appear on the packaging, but it has expanded Leinenkugel's distribution into 17 new U.S. states over the last year alone, for a total of 42 states. "Consumers are so willing and wanting to try new things, especially in beer styles," says Jake Leinenkugel. Some independents actually don't mind the big-three competitors, because, they say, it is expanding the category. So, even though their market shares may be declining, "new legions of craft drinkers" are entering the fold, and improving sales and profits for everyone.

firkin beer
Cask ales -- those left to mature in firkins -- "are unlikely ever to gain more than a sliver of the market," because making, handling and serving them requires great care, reports Eric Asimov in The New York Times (10/24/07). Unlike most draft beers, firkin beers are not "injected with carbon dioxide, filtered ... Pasteurized, stored in pressurized kegs and served through gas-powered taps." Instead, a firkin beer is unpasteurized, unfiltered, and "naturally carbonated, or conditioned, in its cask by yeast transforming sugar into alcohol with a side of fizzy carbon dioxide trapped in the cask."

Serving the beer also requires great care, involving a kind of pulling, pumping action, "in a rhythmic repetition like a farmhand at a well." It's also served cool but not cold, ideally at about 55F degrees. All of that special care puts firkin beers outside the realm of corporate brewers, although makers include Sierra Nevada, which produces Best Bitter, served at pubs including Ginger Man in Manhattan. Serving the firkin beer also tries the patience of some barkeeps, and in turn tests the good nature of their suppliers. "I've literally had to go into places and say, 'That's it, you can't have our beer," says Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery.

"It's a very touchy thing," says Garret, adding: "The galling thing is it doesn't take that much time." Some drinkers don't seem to know what to make of a beer that's naturally carbonated and served at "cellar temperature," either. They think it tastes warm and flat. But interest in firkin beer is growing especially in New York. "It's been a dramatic increase," says Robert Hodson, a distributor. "In 2005 we serviced 12 accounts, and in 2007 its up to 39." Brooklyn is "cask beer central," at pubs such as Spuyten Duyvil, Barcade and Brazen Head, which is holding a cask beer fest November 2-4, featuring 25 casks.