Realbeer.com Beer Therapy

Three months after the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act (Small BREW Act) was reintroduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 494, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Me.) have done likewise in the Senate.

The Small BREW Act seeks to recalibrate the federal beer excise tax that small brewers pay on every barrel of beer they produce. Under current federal law, brewers making less than 2 million barrels annually pay $7 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels they produce, and $18 per barrel on every barrel thereafter. The Small BREW Act seeks to recalibrate that rate so that the smallest brewers and brewpubs would pay $3.50 on the first 60,000 barrels. For production between 60,001 and 2 million barrels the rate would be $16 per barrel. Any brewer that exceeds 2 million barrels would begin paying the full $18 rate. Breweries with an annual production of 6 million barrels or less would qualify for these tax rates.

“Small brewers have been anchors of local communities and America’s economy since the start of our history. In addition to making high-quality beers, craft brewers, including those in Maryland, create jobs and reinvest their profits back into their local economies,” said Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Finance and Small Business committees. “The federal government needs to be investing in industries that invest in America and create real jobs here at home. With more than 2,400 small and independent breweries currently operating in the US, now is the time to take meaningful action to help them and our economy grow.”

“Maine is home to dozens of unique craft breweries and brewpubs that invigorate our economy by providing more than 1,000 jobs and drawing countless tourists into our state,” Senator Collins said. “In meeting with brewers across Maine, they always make clear to me how federal tax policy affects their businesses. This bill, which I support, would help reduce the tax burden placed on many small brewers across our country, allowing them to thrive, create jobs, and further grow our economy.”

For the first time since the end of Prohibition it will soon be legal to homebrew in every state in the nation.

The Alabama Senate gave final approval to a bill that will allow residents to homebrew limited amounts of beer, wine, mead or cider. Gov. Robert Bentley’s office is reviewing the bill, but is expected to sign it relatively quickly.

That means Alabama likely won’t be the last state to “officially” legalize homebrew. Alabama’s law becomes effective as soon as Bentley signs it. The homebrew bill passed earlier this year in Mississippi goes into effect 90 days after Gov. Phil Bryant signed the bill. So the Mississippi law isn’t official until July 1.

Although thousands of people in Alabama already homebrew, they’ve been breaking the law, in fact committing what legally a felony.

The soon-to-be Alabama law is more restrictive than many. It limits production to 60 gallons of beer, wine, cider or mead in a calendar year, compared to 200 gallons in some states. Those who live in dry counties or cities cannot homebrew at all. Small amounts (10 gallons or less) of homebrewed wine and beer may be transported to sanctioned competitions and craft beer shows.

“Homebrewing has been an integral part of the history of America, so it’s thrilling to know that soon all 50 states will support this growing hobby and long-standing tradition,” said Gary Glass, director, American Homebrewers Association. “We appreciate the backing of all of the homebrewers, the dedicated grassroots efforts of Right to Brew and the legislators who have worked so diligently to make homebrewing a reality in Alabama. We are especially grateful to Representative Mac McCutcheon who introduced this bill and has fought long and hard for its passage, along with Senator Bill Holtzclaw.”

Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City has renamed Boulevard Pilsner, put it in a new package and promised Kansas City residents it will share 10% of sales of the new KC Pils.

“From the beginning, we’ve worked hard to give back to the community,” Jeremy Ragonese, director of marketing, said for a press released. “The 10% for KC program takes these efforts to a new level, and allows us – in an even more direct and meaningful way – to express our appreciation to the people who support us and the organizations that make this city a better place to live.”

At the beginning of each calendar quarter, three charities will be selected from a pool nominated by the public. The organizations will have several weeks to help spread the word about their selection before a ten-day online public voting period determines the results. The top vote getter will receive 60% of available funds, while the two runners up will each collect 20%. The process will repeat itself every three months, meaning that 12 worthy organizations will receive funding each year. Consumers are invited to visit boulevard.com/we-love-KC to submit nominations for future consideration.

Stella Artois Cidre will join the suddenly very popular U.S. cider market next week.

Adam Oakley, vice president of import, craft and specialty brands at Anheuser-Busch, said the cider category is seeing 110 percent growth in the United States.

“Stella Artois Cidre is designed to be savored and is very different from sweeter, domestic U.S. ciders,” Oakley said for a press release. “Stella Artois Cidre has the potential to change people’s perceptions of cider here, offering a refreshing alternative to white wine.”

According to the press release, “Stella Artois Cidre is a crisp, distinctive European-style cider made with apples hand-picked from wine growing regions. Initially it will be available in 26 U.S. states, with further expansion possible in 2014.” Sales to retailers begin on May 13.

Stella Artois Cidre will be fermented in Baldwinsville, New York, using apples picked from wine-growing regions in North and South America. It contains 4.5% alcohol by volume.

To celebrate American Craft Beer Week (May 13-19) the Brewers Association has assembled this graphic map of the United States, using logos submitted by breweries in every state. (Click on the map to enlarge it.)

Deschutes Brewery and Sierra Nevada both won two overall champions awards at the International Brewing Awards 2013. The overall winners were honored in London’s Guildhall, the best of medalists previously announced immediately after the judging in February.

The bi-annual competition attracted more than 1,000 entries from 45 countries. Forty judges, all professional brewers, assessed the beers over the course of three days. The medal winners in each category were announced at the National Brewery Center in Burton upon Trent, where the judging was held.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale won Champion Keg Ale and Narwhal Imperial Stout won Champion Strong Ale. Deschutes Mirror Pond was Champion Smallpack Ale and Obsidian Stout the Champion Dark Beer. Samuel Adams Black & Brew captured Champion Specialty. Samuel Adams beers won nine medals overall.

Ruth Evans, director of competition organisers Brewing Technology Services, said, “We are delighted with the response to The International Brewing Awards 2013. The competition attracted more entries than in 2011, from 50 countries and from a broad spectrum of producers from regional micro-brewers to multi-national companies. This diversity is important to our Awards and is key to their appeal to the international brewing community.

Champion Smallpack Lager
Bryggmästarens Premium Gold
AB Abro Bryggeri, Sweden

Champion Smallpack Ale
Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Deschutes Brewery, USA

Champion Keg Ale
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Champion Keg Lager
Hells Lager
Camden Town Brewery, UK

Champion Non and Low Alcohol Beer
Northern Light
Daniel Thwaites, UK

Champion Dark Beer
Obsidian Stout
Deschutes Brewery, USA

Champion Strong Beer
Narwhal Imperial Stout
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Champion Speciality Beer
Samuel Adams Black & Brew
The Boston Beer Company, USA

Champion Cask Ale
Green Devil IPA
Oakham Ales, UK

Champion Cider
Thatchers Vintage Cider
Thatchers Cider Ltd, UK

The simple taste of beer, not influenced by alcohol itself, apparently triggers the release of the hormone dopamine, which controls the reward and pleasure centers of the brain.

The study at the Indiana University School of Medicine looked for evidence of increased levels of dopamine, a brain neurotransmitter long associated with a alcohol and other drugs of abuse. Researchers used used positron emission tomography (PET) to test 49 men with two scans, one in which they tasted beer, and the second in which they tasted Gatorade. The results were published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

The scans showed significantly more dopamine activity following the taste of beer than the sports drink. Moreover, the effect was significantly greater among participants with a family history of alcoholism. “We believe this is the first experiment in humans to show that the taste of an alcoholic drink alone, without any intoxicating effect from the alcohol, can elicit this dopamine activity in the brain’s reward centers,” said David A Kareken, professor of neurology at the IU School of Medicine and the deputy director of the Indiana Alcohol Research Center.

Research for several decades has linked dopamine to the consumption of various drugs of abuse, although researchers have differing interpretations of the neurotransmitter’s role.

The study participants received a very small amount of their preferred beer over a 15-minute time period, enabling them to taste the beer without resulting in any detectable blood alcohol level or intoxicating effect.

“In addition to the PET scan results, participants reported an increased beer craving after tasting beer, without similar responses after tasting the sports drink – even though many thought the Gatorade actually tasted better,” said Brandon G Oberlin, first author of the paper.