Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Largest Craft Breweries in San Diego 2013

Explore this map at MAPPING THE RISE OF CRAFT BEER.

As of 2013, the United States was home to over 2,800 craft breweries. As of April 2014, San Diego county had 87 craft breweries and brewpubs.





Three San Diego breweries rank among the 50 largest craft breweries in the US:
10. Stone Brewing Co. (2012 production: 177,199 barrels)
38. Karl Strauss Brewing Co. (2012 production: 58,700 barrels)
45. Ballast Point (2012 production: 47,503 barrels)

Sources: SD Brewing Industry Watch

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Why Drinking Budweiser Hurts the Craft Beer Community


To me it's pretty obvious.

When you chose to buy InBev/MillerCoors, who own 4/5 of the U.S. beer market, you are funding their lawyers and lobbyists who in turn work to pass laws against the craft beer community, such as the three-tier distribution law.

In addition, you are not spending this money on a local craft brew, which does nothing to help a local craft brewer grow and create new great beers.

But why should we even support craft beer? Here are just a few of the reasons: craft beers are good for health, have a great variety, taste great, made with better and fresher ingredients, provide jobs (craft brewers provide over 110,000 jobs), and create community. You won't need much convincing after you step into a local craft brewery and witness the dozens of people socializing, learning about the ingredients, the process, and the various styles.


Besides Budweiser and Coors, don't be fooled by "crafty" beers, such as Blue Moon, Shock Top, and Goose Island - examples of brews that are not made by independent companies—their parent companies are MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch InBev—yet which market themselves as craft beers.

What business can be defined as an American craft brewer? The Colorado-based Brewers Association has three criteria: It must be small, independent, and traditional. More specifically, the brewer must produce no more than 6 million barrels of beer annually, less than one-quarter of the business can be owned or controlled by a company that’s not a craft brewer, and the products must be made with traditional ingredients such as malted barley.

Facts about craft beer in the US:
The craft brewing sales share in 2013 was 7.8% by volume and 14.3% by dollars (a 15% increase over 2012)

2,822 total breweries operated in 2013, the highest total since 1887 (with 2,011 breweries)

Craft beer shipments are now exceeding the shipments of Budweiser, the brewery’s flagship lager, and proclaimed “King of Beers.”

The good news is that craft beer is becoming ubiquitous. However, this is leading AB InBev to go on a craft beer acquisition spree, infiltrating from within and creating an identity crisis for the craft beer community.

Sources:
That Craft Beer You’re Drinking Isn’t Craft Beer. Do You Care? 
BREWERS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2013 CRAFT BREWER GROWTH 

Monday, June 2, 2014

Santee Street Fair & Craft Beer Festival


Name: 6th Annual Santee Street Fair & Craft Beer Festival
Location: Riverview Parkway & Town Center Parkway
Time: Saturday May 31, 2014 10am-7pm and Sunday June 1, 2014 10am-6pm
Price: $23 for 10 tasters, $13 for 5 (presale: $20 for 10, $10 for 5)
Review: 2 out of 5
    Event Description:

    Join FM 94/9 at the Santee Street Fair & Craft Beer Festival!
    • Twisted Manzanita
    • BNS Brewing & Distilling Co.
    • Butcher's Brewing
    • Oggi's Pizza and Brewing Co. - California Gold Ale
    • Helm's Brewing Co. (not from Santee)
    • Chuck Alek Independent Brewers
    • Pacific Islander Brewing
    • White Labs (not from Santee)
    The Santee Street Fair is free and open to all-ages.

    CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL

    Saturday May 31 – Enjoy beers from as many as 40 taps
    Sunday June 1 – the 5 brewers from Santee will offer both tasters and one pint pours with 10 taps to choose from.

    Order online before Wednesday May 28 and get 10 – 4oz. tasters and some pizza from Dang Brother Pizza for only $20. 5 taster wristbands are $10 online. At the door, wristbands are $23 for 10 tasters and $13 for 5. 

    Dang Brother Pizza was selling pizza for $2 per slice.