An Atlanta brewery makes good on a losing bet, Walmart gets sued over beer, Uinta pays homage to national parks, brewers go to camp and a beer label throwdown. That’s the news in the craft beer world this week.
Atlanta: Patriot beer comes out of Atlanta
To add insult to injury, Atlantans who were most likely already planning their Super Bowl parade now must watch their most well-known brewery make good on a bet with Boston Beer Co. SweetWater Brewing Co. has released 100 cans of Patriot SB51 Extra Pale Ale. The beer is described on the can as “A soul crushing pale ale that will leave you feeling deflated. No G.O.A.T. harmed in the creation of this beer (but we gave it our best shot!).” The brewery added via Twitter, “It’s the bet that keeps coming back to bite us in the ass.” The cans were distributed as souvenir beers during tours of the Georgia brewery. But, fortunately for the brewery, the “cans are 100% gone and there won’t be any more. Please stop calling poor Whitney and asking her to ship you some.” Had the Falcons prevailed, Boston Beer Co. would have had to package Dirty Bird Lager.
Ohio: Walmart gets crafty
You may have heard that Walmart has its own line of “craft” beer. Brewed—at least according to the label—by Trouble Brewing in Rochester, N.Y., selections included ‘Round Mid Night Belgian White, Cat’s Away IPA and After Party Pale Ale. But, the trouble with Trouble Brewing is that no such brewery exists. According to TTB listings, the beers are attributed to Winery Exchange, Inc. aka WX Brands, a business that “develops exclusive brands of wine, beer and spirits for retailers around the world,” and is housed at Genesee Brewing, which itself is owned by Florida Ice and Farm Company, a Costa Rican-based company. Confused yet? Anyway, an Ohio man who shops for craft beer at Walmart has filed suit against the big box chain alleging he suffered an “injury in fact” and that “essentially, the Craft Beer is not worth the purchase price paid.” If you’re curious: Trouble’s beers cost $7.96 for a six-pack, several dollars cheaper than other craft beer offered. Citing the trifecta of reference dictionaries—Cambridge, Oxford English and Merriam-Webster—the lawsuit seeks to prove that Walmart is pulling the wool over all of our eyes with their definition of “craft.”
Utah: Paying homage to the parks
In 2016, the National Park Service celebrated 100 years of existence with a massive campaign to reacquaint Americans with the natural, protected wonders that surround them. In 2017, Uinta Brewing Co. is honoring the great outdoors with a new series of cans featuring iconic National Parks. The Park Series cans will pay tribute to eight different parks starting with Yosemite and rotating through Yellowstone, Arches, Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain and Everglades. The beer, a light-bodied golden ale, will remain the same. Brewed with Carapils and Caramel grains and Willamette and Sterling hops, the beer is drinkable and, importantly, easily transported. “Many of the explorations that have inspired our beers have happened in and around National Parks,” said Uinta CEO, Steve Mills. “We’re fortunate to have five National Parks within five hours of the brewery, and hope that our Golden Ale encourages consumers to get out and explore those that surround them.”
Chico, Calif: This one time, at international Beer Camp…
This year’s participants in Sierra Nevada’s annual Beer Camp 12-pack have been announced and for the first time they feature equal representation from domestic and international breweries. Stateside, Avery Brewing Co., Boneyard Beer, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Surly Brewing Co. The Bruery and Tree House Brewing Co. are signed on to participate in Beer Camp Across the World with international partners Ayinger Brewery (Germany), Duvel (Belgium), Fuller’s Brewery (London), Garage Project (New Zealand), Kiuchi Brewery (Japan) and Mikkeller (Denmark). All of the beers will be brewed at Sierra’s Chico brewery and will be released in June for $25 a case. The beers within the 12-pack were also revealed and include Dunkel Weisse (Ayinger), Hoppy Belgian-Style Golden Ale (Duvel), Atlantic Vintage Ale (Fuller’s), Campout Porter (Garage Project), White IPA (Kiuchi), Thai-Style Ice Tea (Mikkeller), Dry-Hopped Barleywine (Avery), West Coast DIPA (Boneyard), Dry-Hopped Berliner Weisse (Saint Arnold), Ginger Lager (Surly), Raspberry Sundae (The Bruery) and East Meets West IPA (Tree House).
Nation: Judging a beer by its label
USA Today’s 10best.com is asking readers to vote for their favorite beer label. The 20 nominees were chosen by a panel of experts including Gary Monterosso of “What’s On Tap,” The Hop Review’s Jack Muldowney, AleSharpton.com’s Ale Sharpton and photographer Lydia Schrandt. Labels were culled from across the country and feature classics such as North Coast Brewing Co.’s Brother Thelonius and Lost Coast Brewery’s Downtown Brown along with newcomers like Hi-Wire Brewing’s Foeder Brett Saison and Stillwater Artisinal’s Why Can’t IBU? The highest vote getter as of writing is Lily Flagg Milk Stout from Huntsville, Alabama’s Straight to Ale. The beer is named after the Jersey cow that produced an astounding 1,047 pounds of butter in 1892. Voting ends March 13 with the winners announced March 17.