Beer

Press Release: [BeerPulse note: though beer is not specifically mentioned as part of the release, the results of the investigation could indirectly sales of beer at these establishments] (Trenton, NJ) – Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa and Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Director Michael Halfacre today announced the details of “Operation Swill,” a raid executed the previous day by more than 100 ABC and Division of Criminal Justice investigators that targeted 29 establishments that were allegedly substituting premium alcoholic beverage brands with “well brand spirits,” i.e., non-premium brands. Specifically, the ABC investigation indicates that these 29 establishments were allegedly engaging in a practice of filling premium brand bottles with non-premium brands in an effort to deceive the customer and increase their profits. The customer paid for the premium brand, but was instead, unbeknownst to the customer, poured the non-premium brand. “This alleged scheme is a dishonest ruse to increase profits, and it is a slap in the face to the consumer,” said Attorney General Chiesa. “Consumers should have the peace of mind of knowing that they will get what they spent their hard-earned money on every single time – no exceptions.” “I believe Operation Swill will go a long way towards restoring that peace of mind and will also serve as a warning to anyone currently engaging in, or thinking about engaging in, this fraudulent practice,” added Chiesa. Investigators yesterday visited the establishments, inspected the bar areas and seized all opened bottles of the following brands: Vodka: Finlandia, Smirnoff, Absolut, Grey Goose, Ketel One Gin: Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Gordon’s Rum: Bacardi Light, Bacardi Dark, Captain Morgan Spiced Scotch: Johnny Walker Black, Dewar’s Whiskey: Jack Daniel’s Black Label, Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark Tequila: Jose Cuervo Silver, Jose Cuervo Gold, Patron Silver The ABC seized approximately 1,000 bottles yesterday, and that inventory is being securely stored with the ABC Investigations Bureau. The alcohol will go through more rounds of testing by the ABC and the manufacturers. The operation focused on the 29 establishments because of information from confidential informants, consumer complaints and testing of samples conducted by both the ABC and the manufacturers of the brands. The samples were taken in January and February when ABC investigators visited 63 licensed establishments across the state and covertly took 150 samples. The undercover ABC detectives visited these establishments and secured samples of premium brand spirits by paying for drinks ordered “neat” – that is with no ice or mixer. Some of the locations visited had previous complaints against them, and some were chosen at random. ABC Director Halfacre said the Division receives numerous consumer complaints about this practice every year. “These cases can be difficult to prosecute because of the fleeting nature of the offense, and evidence of the offense is nearly impossible to collect after the fact,” Halfacre said. “The ABC made the determination that the best way to address and eradicate this problem was with a coordinated effort like ‘Operation Swill’.” Following the sample collection in January and February, the ABC tested the 150 samples using a new testing technology, a device called the True Spirit Authenticator. This machine provides a preliminary analysis of samples in a short span of time. In addition, the samples were sent to the laboratories of the brand manufacturers where additional testing of the samples was conducted. It was found that of the 150 samples 30 were not the brand they purported to be. The International Federation of Spirits Producers, which represents those manufacturers, cooperated in this process and indicated to the ABC that drink substitution was a challenge for their business. “The establishments raided yesterday by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control were targeted b

(Lexington, KY) – If you are unfamiliar with Reddit at this point, you shouldn’t be. It is one of the largest websites on the internet and perhaps the largest (or one of the top) message board-style sites. Nearly 100,000 people have subscribed to popular updates posted on the beer board. On Thursday, West Sixth Brewing co-founder, Ben Self, hopped on Reddit and started an Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread regarding the Magic Hat lawsuit in which West Sixth is being accused of infringing on the Magic Hat #9 logo. The brewery has been silent on social media over the past 20 hours or so (as of publishing time) after doing the AMA. What follows is the results/highlights of that thread in order of the questions/comments that were the most highly upvoted. — Q: No need to answer, but this whole drama between both companies has turned me off from both of your brands. Would rather support other breweries, try other beers. A: Totally understand, we hate it too. There were no good options — this was the last thing we wanted to do. We had to take it public when the local reporter called us saying she was writing a story on the lawsuit. Q: Hi Ben, thanks for taking the time to chat. Let me say that I empathize. Can I ask when (in planning, design, how long after launch?) did it come to your attention that consumers at least noticed a striking similarity? A BeerAdvocate review 5-22-2012 which can’t be too long after launch commented that the labels looked similar. That should be a red flag, no? A: That’s a good question – don’t know the answer. We opened our doors around 4/1/2012, but had done facebook / website / etc long before that. Q: Did you take any of this up with you agency who designed your logo? They were sort of irresponsible for not doing their homework before submitting a design that so closely resembles an existing logo in the same category. A: Our designers are passionate craft beer drinkers, and excellent designers. They’ve designed hundreds of logos, and are well known in the letterpress world. We’ve done nothing wrong, and so they’ve done nothing wrong! Q: If in 20 years and after some success, if you felt a new brewery was infringing on your logo, how would you feel about them starting a social smearing campaign against you? This would include a petition and fans of that brewery blowing up your Facebook page and Twitter feeds calling you a bully and promising to never drink your beer. They would also have to post daily updates letting everyone know how uncooperative you are. A: I would hope that even after 20 years I’d have the mindset to talk to the brewery by picking up the phone and talking brewer to brewer rather than lawyer to lawyer. Q: and you would have been more likely to comply with their request if their brewer had called instead of their lawyer? I find that hard to believe. A: I certainly think it is easier to negotiate a solution to a problem when you’re talking on the phone business to business rather than exchanging letters back and forth every 3 months. Q: How exactly would it be easier if they believe that you’re infringing and you believe that you’re not? Sounds like a job for the legal teams from the get-go, and legal issues take time, thinking otherwise is unrealistic. I’ve never heard of a contested infringement case being resolved in less than three months, but I’m not a lawyer, I just drink beer. A: Well, because maybe we could get to a settlement like the one we proposed (based on their proposed structure). We’ve already offered several changes to our original logo to them – including changing the design of our compass. Q: While that’s an adorable sentiment, it’s obvious that the Magic Hat brewers have zero say in company trademark disputes. You guys are good at PR. Now fix the logo and get back to making beer. A: Well, our brewer does, but I understand that it probably isn’

#bbpBox_337951290246172672 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0084B4; }#bbpBox_337951290246172672 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; } @StoneBrewingCo Stone Brewing Co. COCONUT #IPA TIME! RT @mitchatstone: Collaboration Brewing today at Stone. Good times! @RipCurrentBeer @R3Cubed @rmaste6282 #craftbeer about 1 hour agoReplyRetweetFavorite

Quiet this week...the calm before Portland Beer Week...

MillerCoors CEO, Tom Long, appeared on CNBC Squawk Box on Friday to talk about the beer business and the BEER Act. Long says that they are looking to grow their above-premium portfolio which is currently only 9% of their business but 24% of the greater industry. He also notes that women only account for 20% of beer consumers so they’ll look to keep growing products geared toward that demographic (they highlight Redd’s Apple Ale). via CNBC.

(Hillsborough, NC) – Mystery Brewing Co. won $50,000 on an Apprentice/Shark Tank-style new reality show on CNBC called Crowd Rules that happens to air on. One of the video clips shows Mystery at 49% and the runner-up business at 48%. Whatever that means, it was apparently very close. The episode originally aired on Tuesday but will re-air on Friday night at 10pm EST, according to the channel’s posted schedule. The full episode is unavailable online, only a couple clips embedded here. Here is some literature on the episode from CNBC.com. It takes money to make money. Three companies compete for a cash prize to help pay off the massive debt they’ve acquired in starting their businesses. The episode features: Mystery Brewing, a beer brewery that’s a few kegs short of staying afloat; Sky Fitness, a small town gym trying to beef up their clientele; and DirtyGirl Disposal, a female owned and operated waste removal company trying to keep abreast of a predominately male industry. As they learn about each company, the crowd will vote to award one business the $50,000 they need to go from problems to profits. Guest Business Expert: Larry Winget. Mystery Brewing Company believes there is a beer for every season. The company is a small craft brewery that makes small-batch, seasonal-only, artisanal ales and lagers. It was founded by Erik Myers, who has a love for brewing beer. The company takes pride in not having a flagship beer. They believe what people want to drink changes with the seasons and as a result they have chosen to create seasonal selections they say are always fresh.

(PHILADELPHIA,PA) – McGillin’s Olde Ale House, Philadelphia’s oldest continuously operating tavern, has…The post Philly Beer Week 2013 – McGillin’s Olde Ale House Events appeared first on thefullpint.com.

Beachwood Brewing has already bottled Thrillseeker IPA, Tovarish and Full Malted jacket and they are “set to release System Of A Stout, an Imperial Armenian Coffee Stout on May 24. “System Of A Stout is far different than any other imperial stout I have brewed before,” says Beachwood Brewmaster Julian Shrago. “This bold brew allowed us to take a step in a new direction, the flavor and aroma is immediately recognizable.”  System Of A Stout is brewed with blackstrap molasses, green cardamom, and a custom Armenian coffee roast blend from Costa Mesa’s Portola Coffee Lab®. This big imperial stout is also aged in Armenian brandy oak adding an additional dimension of complexity.  “The first time we brewed this beer it was in such limited quantities and on draft. We’re very excited to be able to offer this beer again and look forward to reaching a larger audience with its bottled form”, concludes Shrago. System of a Stout will be sold in 22 oz. bottles at finer craft beer retailers across Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The stout will also be available on draft at both Beachwood BBQ locations.”

(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing Company updated its Enjoy By page this week with info on the next rendition in the series: Stone Enjoy By 07.04.13 IPA. The beer is in the tanks and set to be bottled next Friday. It will hit markets on/around Wednesday, June 5th, and consumers will have a chance to buy it through Independence Day before it is pulled from shelves. The lucky markets getting it this time include: Southern California, Northern California, Missouri, Texas and Washington. The last edition in the series was Enjoy By 05.17.13 IPA.

State Reps. Jim Buchy, R-Greenville, and Ron Gerberry, D-Austintown Township, introduced House Bill 174, which would prevent breweries from buying beer distributors in the state before a new law prohibiting such ownership takes effect. More >> Ohio.com.