Beer

According to Micah Bell of Laurelwood, the brewpub chain will go from 7,000 barrels a year to 20,000 barrels a year, which will allow them to distribute six-packs of Free Range Red and Workhorse IPA throughout Oregon and Washington. [...] Previously, Portland got 85 percent of production. Plus, a new acquisition by their distributor, Odom, means that Laurelwood bottles will move into Idaho and Alaska, with California and British Columbia in the works. More >> OregonLive.com.

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(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing Co. shared a photo showing three bottles of its upcoming Drew Curtis / Wil Wheaton / Greg Koch Farking Wheaton w00tstout collaboration on Tuesday. Here is a closer look at the labels that will appear on those bottles, slated for release in July. No further details yet on distribution or how the different bottles will be divvied up.

Press Release: Senator Chuck McIlhinney (R-10) today unveiled legislation that would privatize the retail sale of liquor and wine, improve convenience for consumers and protect small businesses. McIlhinney’s plan would allow current retailers that sell alcohol and beer to purchase an additional permit to sell wines and/or spirits to go. Specialty permits would also be available for retailers who only wish to sell a specific category of spirits, such as whiskeys or vodkas. Rather than charging an exorbitant up-front fee for permits, McIlhinney’s plan would make permits available for an annual fee of $8,000. The proposal would help small, family-owned businesses and preserve the value of licenses that have already been purchased. Packaging reform measures would also benefit current retail beer distributors by allowing the sale of beer, wine and liquor in smaller quantities, such as six-packs. “Many owners of beer distributors, taverns and restaurants were forced to make a giant leap of faith and pour all of their financial resources into their business to succeed in the current system,” McIlhinney said. “As we move toward liquor privatization, we need to give these small business owners a way to protect their investment and avoid handing the entire liquor distribution system over to huge corporate interests.” [Link above will pop up full screen video] Under McIlhinney’s privatization plan, state-owned Wine and Spirits stores would be phased out over time when the private retail market can accommodate the needs of consumers. A number of measures in McIlhinney’s plan are focused on improving the system for consumers. In addition to expanding the number of liquor and wine retailers and creating one-stop shops for alcohol purchases at many establishments that currently sell alcohol. The plan also incorporates a proposal introduced by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) that would allow direct wine shipments to consumers. The Johnstown Flood Tax would also be eliminated as part of the plan. The proposal differs from the privatization plan approved by the House last month in regard to the state’s current wholesale distribution system. McIlhinney’s plan would not immediately divest the state from the wholesale system. However, the legislation would require the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to complete a study within two years regarding the future viability of the state wholesale system. “Opponents to privatization have raised a number of valid concerns, and we need to address these issues carefully to avoid the negative consequences suffered in other states,” McIlhinney said. “My plan offers a way to privatize the retail sale of wine and liquor in the very near future while we continue to find ways to maximize our financial return.” Amendments to Senate Bill 100 (pdf).

Stone Brewing Co. opened its packaging hall last week. Features include: New 99,815 sq. ft. building, Kegging and bottling capacity, Expanded Barrel Aging program and a $6.5 million initial investment. Photos >> Facebook | Stone.

Press Release: (Portland, OR) – The Commons Brewery will be releasing bottles of Fishing With Hallet for Eugene’s 16 Tons Cafe & Taphouse with two events on June 22nd and June 23rd. Keeping with the 16 Tons tradition of naming their anniversary beer after one-armed authors, Fishing with Hallet was inspired by Belgium’s Jean-Pierre Hallet, a naturalist famous for his work in the Congo, which included fishing for predatory crocodiles with dynamite. Fishing with Hallet is a Belgian Dark Strong ale aged in 2nd use Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon barrels with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis. First fermented with yeast cultured from De Dolle Brouwers, this is a nod to their Oerbier and is currently rich and malty with a touch of floral Brettanomyces character. The beer was intentionally bottled young and is meant to be stored at cellar temp to allow the Brettanomyces to continue developing. Fishing with Hallet will be released in Eugene at 16 Tons Cafe on June 22nd at 3pm. Join us for special taps, a complimentary toast and tastings of other Commons bottle conditioned beers. On Sunday, June 23rd at 2pm we will release Fishing with Hallet at our tasting room, where the last keg of Fishing with Hallet will be tapped 750ml bottles of Fishing with Hallet will be $14 at each location. 16 Tons Cafe is located at 2864 Willamette St., Eugene, OR. For more info about 16 Tons check out their website: sixteentons.biz. Opened in December 2011, The Commons Brewery crafts small batch, approachable and balanced European-inspired beers. The tasting room is located at: 1810 SE 10th Avenue, Unit E (entrance on SE Stephens between 10th & 11th). Tasting room hours are Thursday 5-9pm, Friday 5-9pm, Saturday 2-9pm and Sunday 2-6pm.

Today’s infographic is an interactive one called The Hopometer, which is subtitled “Visualising beer strength and bitterness.” It was created by Peter G in London, whose blog Paint by Numbers is used for “focusing on [his] experiments with data visualisation predominantly using Tableau Software.” That’s why you really need to look at it on his page. Click here to see the interactive original version of the Hopometer.