Craft Brewing And Distilling News for August 27, 2012
August 27, 2012•Austin, Texas-based Bone Spirits, the craft spirits venture of former Sidney Frank general counsel Jeff Peace, is set to introduce a new label, Moody June dry gin, next month, reports the Tulsa World newspaper. Moody June joins a Bone Spirits product line that also includes Fitch’s Goat Moonshine ($23), Fitch’s Goat 100 percent corn whiskey ($31) and Smith’s vodka ($16). Bone Spirits’ brands are currently distributed in seven states.
•Chicago’s Goose Island Beer Co., which was acquired by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) last year for $39 million, is set to achieve national distribution by the end of November. The expansion follows the brewer’s recent decision to grow production by nearly 50%, after outsourcing a portion of its brewing operations to an A-B plant in Baldwinsville, New York and New Hampshire’s Redhook Ale Brewery (part of Craft Brew Alliance, in which A-B holds a stake). The company has also ramped up production at its original Fulton Street brewery in Chicago. As of July, Goose Island’s portfolio—which includes the 312 Urban Wheat Ale, Honkers Ale, India Pale Ale, Matilda, Pere Jacques and Sofie labels, as well as a range of seasonal and barrel-aged releases—was available in 36 states. Goose Island’s volume was up 20% to 2.1 million (2.25-gallon) cases last year, according to Impact Databank.
•Denver, Colorado’s Wynkoop Brewing has announced the re-release of two limited-edition specialty beer labels—Orville and Belgorado—and the debut of a new test beer, Hopfen Weiss. A barrel-fermented and barrel-aged Belgian Pale Ale first launched last year, Orville (6.8% abv) is an “ultra-small-batch” offering, currently available only on draft at the Wynkoop brewpub. Starting September 1, Belgorado (6.7% abv)—which combines a Colorado IPA with Belgian techniques—will also be available on draft at Wynkoop, as well as at select Denver bars. Lastly, Hopfen Weiss (6% abv) is a Bavarian-style hefeweizen made with a late addition of German Saphir hops. Hopfen Weiss is a brand new offering, available only on draft at Wynkoop. Founded in 1988 by current Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, Wynkoop also produces the Rail Yard Ale, B3K Black Lager and Silverback Pale Ale labels, among others.
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Tagged : Anheuser-Busch, craft beer, craft spirits
