Addressing conflict of interest

Our newest team member Craig has recently started working at Port City Brewery and while his recent Port City Oktoberfest review is sincere and was published before he started working at the brewery it could be perceived as a conflict of interest.  I concur with Craig's article, Port City Oktoberfest is a quality märzen style beer, but I have made the decision to pull the review. 

Jolly Good Fellows and its staff does not benefit financially from the breweries we cover, it allows us to comment freely on  the beer scene. We are proud that Craig has the opportunity to be part of the brewing industry that he is passionate about and support his decision to join the Port City team. As the editor and publisher of JGF I  want to ensure that we continue to provide an objective view of craft beer from the perspective of people who enjoy it.  

Thank you for your continued support. 

Beer Links for the first official week of Summer

Let's get right to it! 

In the News!

One day I will end up in Bulgaria and I will
 drink one of these. I'm not sure
if that is a good thing

A line of beers under 5% finds its way (Canoe)

A well crafted session beer is a wonderful thing. 

Craft Brewers Form Connecticut Beer Guild (Hartford Courant)

Slowly but surely craft brewers are stealing guild powers from the SCA. 

Carving a New Niche in Craft Beer (Terra USA)

This growler pouring system sounds bad ass!

Rogue Ales Debut Beer Yeast from Brewmaster’s Beard. (Food and Drink Digital)

Anything to keep your name in the papers...but I'll try it. 

Almost 50% of beer consumption is in summer: Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (FOCUS News Agency)

Because in the winter we all drink liquor!

ABC Beer’s Draft Selection Will Have You Growling In Delight (The Gothamist) 

Growler mania continues to boom.

Beer Notes: L.A. Beer Hop plans bus tours of bars and breweries (Los Angeles Times)

I need an LA writer to go try this out and report back. Any takers?

Beer, Wine, Liquor Sales: How They’ve Changed in Recent Years (Time)

The one common denominator? We love our alcohol. 

Corona beer draws AB InBev to Modelo deal (Reuters)

6th largest beer market...I did not know that. A lasting influence by the Hapsburgs. 

Beer for 24 Cents Gains in Spain Amid Consumer Cutbacks (Businessweek) 

I'm sure Rudy would be thrilled if this was our next combined write up.

Hotels use craft beers, tastings to attract business (USA Today)

It would work on me. 

In Site News

I finally got the Borg Brugghus interview transcribed and will be posting all three parts later this week. The NoVa Summer brewfest was this past weekend, look for a write up of that tomorrow. As always you can find us on a variety of social media sites, just click on the widgets in the top right corner. I hope you are all staying refreshed in the summer sun and thanks for stopping in!

Beer links for the week of June 11th.

We are getting so close to summer I can almost taste it. Here are a few beer links to satisfy your cravings.

In the News!

Finally, gluten-free beer that tastes like beer (St. Louis Post-Dispatch by way of The Republic)
In a few months we will be looking at new arrivals on the gluten-free scene. 

This is a dual purpose picture, one to
inform you about Minnesota's local
craft scene, and the other to remind
you to go read my awesome
SAVOR article!

Beer-lovers to push for homebrewing law (Jackson Clarion-Ledger)
Mississippi beer lovers had a huge win a few weeks ago, here is hoping they soon have another.

To Grow A Craft Beer Business, The Secret’s In The Water (NPR)
Yes it is. It is sort of the rug that ties the whole room together. 

Beer maker asks commuters to give up four wheels for two (WTOP 103.5 FM)
No surprise this comes from New Belgium, sustainability and environmental stewardship are a big part of their corporate culture.

Beer, Wine Now Sold In Lincoln Sundays Before Noon (WOWT Channel 6 News – NBC)
Another blue law steps aside.

Where local beers are King: Patriotism or great taste in Minnesota and Wisconsin? You be the judge (The Dickinson Press)
I vote Wisconsin though in this election we all actually win. 

Secret to being thin hidden in your beer (iol)
Science!

Craft Breweries Take Off In Region (WUSA Channel 9 – CBS)
The DC metro region is starting to take off!

‘Queens of Beer’ to open first LGBT brewery ever in San Diego (Los Angeles Times)
My first thought was, "I thought this would have happened sooner." Needless to say though this is a positive for the industry.

Bill would allow small breweries to expand sales (readingeagle.com)
This is a good thing for small brewers but I find the distributors' response somewhat puzzling. You need to change your business model to reflect the times. 

No limits on local beers as brewers expand (Houston Chronicle)
If I have to move to Texas then this blog won't lack for material.

Beer makes hay while sun shines (Daily Pioneer)
While I read this article I had a little daydream of starting a craft brewery in India.

5 refreshing canned beers to beat the summer heat (MSNBC)
Get prepared for summer! Want other options to bring to the beach or lake where bottles and glass are prohibited? Then go check out www.craftcans.com!

Tom Kitchin: ‘That’s the essence of these artisan beers – the best of the old with the best of the new’ (Scotsman)
That is probably as good a statement for craft brewing as any.

Beer Glasses (New York Times)

Remember the importance of glassware for beer!

In Site News!

Look for more stories from Iceland, pictures from SAVOR, and another piece about New York. I'll be honest I have more content than I can shake a stick at.  As always you can follow us by clicking on the widget in the top right corner. Thanks for stopping by!

Beer links for the week of May 21st!

Big week this week so let's dive in!

In the News!

Beer guru picks the 10 best places in Michigan to have a pint. (Detroit Free Press)

So many awesome options on this list though I think a stop at Kalamazoo is in order the next time I head to Wisconsin. 

My sentiments exactly.
(Original here)

The Great Beer Parade Stimulus of 1932. (Bloomberg)

I do like these old repeal Prohibition stories, but beer drinkers, let this serve as a reminder to never happen again!

Beer still king in friendlier Preakness infield. (Boston Herald)

Preakness always makes me think of this. 

Beer-at-Burger-Chain Fad May Leave Hangover (Advertising Age)

If I was a cop this is where I would camp out after midnight and watch bad decisions live. 

Boca’s Craft Beer Crawl Made a Bit Fruity at the Funky Buddha (Broward – Palm Beach New Times)

Missing out on Funky Buddha is my biggest regret from this year's Brewvival. 

Tom Eblen: Checking in on Lexington’s new brewpubs (Kentucky.com)

For our friends in Goodhead Brewery! If you folks get up that way let us know your thoughts! 

Beer flows like water in Hyderabad (IBN Live)

Someday I am going to drink beer in India and it is going to rock. 

Can you really pick the world’s best beer? (Chicago Daily Herald)

Remember beer is subjective, but it's sure fun to argue about. On a more interesting note I would like to know the impact of personal beer reviews on purchasing. I admit that I use them. 

10 Facts About Beer (Huffington Post)

Fun little video...though the goat produced mead, not beer, both tasty though. 

Building a Beer Brand, One ‘Like’ at a Time (CNBC)

Good public relations strategy here...hey if you are reading this and you haven't started following the JGF fan page then click here!

Have your beer – soak in it, too – at Kapalua Spa (Maui News)

I'm so confused, but I'd be willing to try it!

In Site News!

As mentioned above it is a big week. On Wednesday I'll be in New York City at the New York Historical Society press preview for their Beer Here exhibition. Look for a sneak peak later this week. We also will be reviewing imperial pilsners and if I am lucky sitting down with a brewer from NYC. So stay tuned!

Beer links for the New Year!

This was the alternate for yesterday.
I still wanted to use it. 

Welcome to 2012, it's time for the weekly beer links!


In the news!
Beer bombshell: Guzzlers to dig deeper in their pockets.(Nyasa Times)

86¢ for the low end, $1.53 for the top. Sounds cheap, but the average yearly income is about $800 US dollars. It was a 40% markup from previous with no lead announcement by Carlsberg…Happy New Year. (As I have mentioned before I find the beer scene in Africa absolutely fascinating)

Double blow for drinkers as price of pint and peanuts riseby 10p (The Daily Mail)

Not only the beer but the peanuts too?! For those keeping score at home, 10 pence is the equivalent of 15¢ US. Average price for a pint in the UK is just shy of $5 US. Never forget beer is a commodities based beverage. Bad harvests = higher prices.

Beer-Ad Ban Hits Russia as Nation Boosts Sobriety (Advertising Age)

Good luck with that, for a country and culture so intertwined with alcohol, the ad ban won't do anything intentional. Unintentionally it will have some unplanned effects. 

Beer pong champs get ready to defend their title (stltoday.com)

Meanwhile in America…someday I really hope we do have a BeerFest. All the pieces are slowly starting to combine. 

Governors bet beer and more on Rose Bowl (KGW- News Channel 8)

Hey look! The Governor of Wisconsin is still boot-licking his corporate interest friends at MillerCoors…with all the fine craft brews that call Wisconsin home you would think Gov. Walker would send one of theirs, particularly when you’re going up against a craft beer juggernaut like Oregon. Capital Brewing is in Madison for Pete's sake! New Glarus is right down the road! Oh, I forgot, Walker hates the small brewer scene. /rant over.

Brewers keen to join craft club (New Zealand Herald)

The rise of craft beer in New Zealand. Take note of the definitions being tossed around because this will become more and more important in the upcoming fight.

The Beer Nut: It was a great year for beer (Milford Daily News)

Nice little recap of the 2011 Massachusetts beer scene. I’ve seen similar articles for places like Houston, Asheville, Sacramento, etc. The trend is the same though, craft beer continues to make its presence felt.

This app knows your tastes in beer (newsobservercom)

We’ve been playing around with Untappd, (Our review will be up this week) but I think I am going to add this to the phone also. We’ll let you know how it goes.

Men caught trying to steal beer for New Year’s party (Salt Lake Tribune)

It isn't beer links without an article about beer crime! There is so much going on in this article. The amount of beer, the number of people involved, how they knew and and of course the entry…at least they were honest on the why.

The Great Midwestern Beer Run in a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon (Motor Trend)

That is my kind of road test and my kind of a job. My brother and I may have to recreate this test in a car of more dubious distinction. (Car yet to be determined, suggestions welcome.)

In site news!

We now have an official podcast channel set up on iTunes. You can find the JGF Beercast here. We will be recording a new podcast every 2 weeks. If you have recommendations on what we should talk about let us know! Also if you enjoyed the first then rate us please!

We now have our facebook page up and running. Find us at www.facebook.com/beerfellows

As always you can find us on twitter: @beerfellows
See what we are drinking on Untappd: BeerFellows

Stick around, this week we will be diving into winter warmer month, finishing out the cellaring series, reviewing the Untappd app, and actually publishing the "To the Lab" article I keep talking about. I hope your New Year's has started well. Thanks for stopping by. 

Beer links brought to you by Hanukkah!

When you Google Hanukkah
and select the first image it takes you here (SFW)

In the News!

The Festival of Lights starts on Tuesday. To all my Jewish friends and readers I hope you have a very happy holiday season. 

Beer lovers celebrate, it’s National Growler Day! (eatdrinkexplore.com)

How did I miss this?! Well mark your calendars, we are doing something for this next year, Dec 17, 2012.

Top Ten: Craft beer themes of 2011 (Washington Times) Pretty decent list of craft beer themes for this past year, on a serious note it will be interesting to see how they continue to trend. On a not so serious note, Fuck Yeah Beer!

Police Report: Stolen Beer; Thefts From Vehicles (Waukesha Patch) While Waukesha isn’t a small town it still has some small town charm. Odds that the beer stolen at 12:36 AM was Miller Lite? I’ve got three to one.

Now on Tap: Beer Chocolates and Candy Marketed to Men (ABC News) I have a ridiculous sweet tooth so I would be game to try these. I think the best one is the stout caramel bars….holy shit these are expensive! A good sixer of beer or a small bag of candies? I think the decision is pretty self-evident.

Samuel Adams’ Single Batch series:  4 great beers in 22-ounce bottles (The Boston Globe) I spotted two of these today at my local Total Wine, I think I may have to go grab 8 for a special write up (4 to drink, 4 to cellar)

Beer buys bubble over as the mercury rises (Herald Sun) I can’t say I’m too surprised we know our Australian cousins love beer, but I would really like to see the American version of this.

Jingle Beers (London Free Press) A selection of recommendations for across the pond. Anything that mentions Krampus is welcome in these links.

Beer makers wage turfwars over high-end consumers (Business Daily Africa) Someday there will be a craft beer revolution in Africa but right now we have to content ourselves with the premium beers of Heineken and Miller Genuine Draft. Ugh.

Fear the beer bill (Daily Local News) My views on blue laws are pretty simple, get rid of them. I understand the complaints, but it is monopoly breaking in a sense and it brings Pennsylvania in line with a fair portion of the nation. It will be better for consumers and the brewers.

How a Seattle brewery is using solar technology to brew beer (Geekwire) Yay for going green!

Investigation: Pubs underfilling pints of beer (The Mirror)

This is a goddamn atrocity!

On that note here is what will be happening hopefully around the site this week. A small piece on cellaring tomorrow, a review of Jewbelation on Wednesday, and on Thursday you can expect the last minute beer gift guide just in time for last second gift buying this weekend.  

We missed “Welcome to your weekend” this last weekend, but it’ll be back in time for Christmas holiday.

As always you can find us on Twitter at: @beerfellows and you can friend us on Untappd to see what we are drinking also under beerfellows.

If you have thoughts, comments, or recommendations on the blog let us know in the comments. As always thanks for stopping by and Happy Holidays!