ESCONDIDO, CA—Today, Stone Brewing Co. released Stone RuinTen IPA, a re-brew of 2012’s infamous Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA. The triple IPA was embraced by fans and Team Stone alike, which prompted Stone Co-founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner to add the intensely aromatic and unabashedly bitter brew to the Stone special release calendar this year.

Last June, Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA was brewed to celebrate…wait for it…the tenth anniversary of the ground-breaking double IPA Stone Ruination IPA. The special tenth anniversary version clocked in at a staggering 110 International Bittering Units (IBUs) which was accomplished by using twice as many hops as originally used in Stone Ruination IPA – five pounds per barrel to be exact. The beer also cranked up the alcohol-by-volume (ABV) from 7.7% to 10.8%.

“We brewed this beer using the same ingredients as in Stone Ruination IPA, but we jacked up the hops – not just in the boil, but we doubled the dry-hop amount, using a 50/50 blend of Centennial and Citra,” explained Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele. “We also bumped up the malt to achieve its elevated ABV. The combination is obscene. It’s absurd. It’s crazy.”

So, why the name change? Wouldn’t it have been simpler to just use the same moniker as before? Of course it would have been. But here’s the deal. When Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA came out last year Team Stone (and some fans) came to affectionately refer to Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA as “Ruin Ten.” The name seems to have stuck and thus the updated ongoing name Stone RuinTen IPA was born.

If Stone Ruination IPA is “A Liquid Poem to the Glory of the Hop,” then Stone RuinTen IPA is “A Stage Dive into a Mosh Pit of Hops.” Those that dare to dive head first into the mosh pit will notice a myriad of fruity, tropical and citrus characteristics, plus a lusciously long, lingering bitterness on the palate. The elevated ABV brings about a full-bodied maltiness, to balance the equation and soften the blow. Hmm…perhaps more like “A stage dive into a mosh pit of hop pillows!”

For an optimal experience, this beer should be enjoyed before the “Drink By” date on the bottle – in fact, Stone specifically recommends enjoying the beer sooner than later to maximize the redolent hop aromas and flavor.

ATLANTA—SweetWater Brewing Co. announced today the return of its Waterkeeper Hefeweizen to its Catch and Release seasonal lineup. The unfiltered wheat ale will roll out in six-packs, on draft at participating restaurants and retailers, along with summer Tackle Box variety packs across the Southeast starting the week of June 17.

SweetWater debuted Waterkeeper Hefeweizen as an extension to its “Save Our Water” campaign, further raising awareness and proceeds for Waterkeeper Alliance members in cities where its beer is sold. Clean water is vital to the creation of tasty brews as 90 percent of beer comes from water, making this cause near and dear to the brewery.

“I bet many folks aren’t aware, but it takes a lot of clean water to brew our beers,” said co-founder and Big Kahuna Freddy Bensch. “What better way to raise awareness and get the community involved in protecting their local waterways than to take our mission to the next level and dedicate a seasonal brew to the cause.”

Waterkeeper Hefeweizen is golden in color, brewed with wheat and two-row barley malt and capped with Sterling and Hallertau hops. A refreshing brew perfect for summer in the South, this Hefeweizen ale rings in at 5.7 percent ABV, delivering banana and clove notes from the Bavarian Hefeweizen yeast, and finishing with a hint of lemon. On the bottle, the label features a hand drawn river image alongside the story of how the Waterkeeper partnership began, plus details on how drinkers can get involved on a local level.

The “Save Our Water” campaign will officially start making waves again this year kicking off July 4^th weekend. The campaign offers Southeastern patrons the chance to “give of your liver to save the river” by purchasing customizable paper fish donations, commemorative t-shirts or a cold Waterkeeper® Hefeweizen at local participating bars, restaurants and/or retail accounts. Proceeds from these efforts will go towards patrolling, protecting and preserving local waterways.

Since the inception of the program nearly seven years ago, SweetWater has raised more than $550,000 for the cause. SweetWater founded the program with its local Chattahoochee Riverkeeper in 2006, and efforts grew as the brewery did. Today, SweetWater’s “Save Our Water” campaign supports 35 resident Waterkeeper members in Southeastern cities where its beer is sold including Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

FORT COLLINS, CO— Since its founding in 2003, The Fort Collins Brewery (FCB) has been living the dream of all small breweries: making beer, supporting causes its staff believes in, and having no shortage of fun along the way. FCB’s Vice President of Operations, Jan Peters, refers to the last ten years as FCB’s early college career. “Most people don’t go into college knowing what they want to study, or if they do, most end up changing their minds. You have to explore all your options before you commit to something long term, and that’s what we’ve been doing: finding out what we like best about the beer business and what works.”

But with FCB’s ten-year anniversary approaching later this year, Peters says it’s time to grow up. “If we’re going to continue to grow, we realized that we needed to decide what our core values are (besides a commitment to making good beer) and make sure our fans and potential customers understand what we’re really about.”

To that end, FCB surveyed its entire staff to find out what they loved most about what they were currently doing, what they had done in the past, and what they wanted to see in the future. The answers they found are summed up in their new slogan: Create Share Savor.

CREATE embodies the brewers’ passion for experimentation with beer, whether that is trying variations of classic styles or developing completely original recipes, and the staff’s overall interest in seeing other creative endeavors in the community thrive. To take advantage of its staff’s passion for creativity, FCB will be installing a pilot brew system later this year to allow brewers more opportunity for experimentation, and FCB is getting very involved with the art community, focusing philanthropic donations on art-related organizations and founding the FCB Art Brewery.

SHARE represents the importance of beer’s social function to the FCB crew.

“We all love drinking beer for the beer itself, but even more important are the friends and family we do it with, and the memories it creates,” says Marketing Director Charles Stanley. “We make a few beers that appeal to a particular niche, but mostly we design our beers so that a fairly wide range of people can enjoy them, and thus can be enjoyed socially.”

SAVOR largely refers to the value the FCB staff puts on enjoying beer with food and beer’s ability to be food itself. To that end, FCB opened Gravity 1020 Modern Tavern inside its brewery in 2011. Gravity 1020’s menu has a wide and frequently changing menu meant to pair with FCB beers, and many recipes include beer as an ingredient. But that’s not the only way FCB shows its commitment to the combination of beer and food. Those attending FCB’s free brewery tours will now receive a beer-paired hors d’oeuvre along the way, and FCB recently added food pairing tips and recipes to the beer info pages on their website.

“Beer-paired dinners are nothing new to craft beer enthusiasts,” says Jan Peters, “but we want people to know that they can enjoy beer and food together outside of a restaurant setting; it’s something that can be easily done at home.”

FCB also plans to increase philanthropic partnerships with food-oriented organizations and events, and is working with local farmers to begin hosting a farmers’ market on the brewery grounds.

“We’re very excited about the Create Share Savor concept,” says Peters. “By focusing on the aspects of beer and beer culture that we love the most, we’ll be able to take much more advantage of the passion our team has.”

BOULDER, CO–When it rains, it pours! Another barrel-aged beauty is ready to be poured! Ross’s’s Melange, No. 16 in the Barrel-Aged Series, is an 11.04% ABV wild ale brewed with Chardonnay grape must and aged in first use Chardonnay barrels for 6 months. Brewed with both Brettanomyces and Champagne yeast, the beer is as wild and funky as the man who inspired it.

“This beer has a huge white wine influence and aromas of fresh pear juice.  It has some nice tannic notes from the oak and is very dry, definitely Champagne-esque. This is an incredible beer to pair with food,” said Avery Chief Barrel-Herder Andy Parker.

Bottle sales will start at 4pm on Sunday June 16th, Fathers Day, at the Avery Tap Room, 5757 Arapahoe Ave. in Boulder, Colo. CASH ONLY, $10 per 12oz bottle, and limit of 12 bottles per person. Only 147 cases exist, so hop in line early to make sure you get your shot at this awesome beer!

BOULDER, CO—The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) released the results of its fourth annual Homebrew Supply Shop Survey, detailing the current state of the home beer and wine supply retail industry. The results indicate that, on the whole, shops are thriving as they cater to the growing community of homebrewing enthusiasts.

Reviewing data from 275 shops spanning 47 states—a 32 percent increase in participants from last year’s survey—the survey found that on average, participants saw gross revenue increase by 26 percent in 2012. For shops that primarily sell homebrew supplies, gross revenue increased on average by 29 percent. This is 2 percent higher than last year’s results and 10 percent higher than results from the first AHA supply shop survey conducted in 2009.

“As homebrewing continues to grow, retail shops are responding accordingly, satisfying the needs of their increasing customer base,” said Gary Glass, director, American Homebrewers Association. “Homebrew supply shops serve as the heart of local homebrewing communities. The success of a local shop will ensure a thriving community of homebrewers.”

Additional highlights from the survey include:

• Homebrew Beginners: The majority of shops (80 percent) experienced increased sales of beginner homebrew equipment kits, signifying a considerable boost in interest in the hobby. The largest segment of people buying the beginner kits were individuals 30 to 39 years old.

• New Lease on Brewing: In 2013, 43 percent of responding shops said they have been open for three years or less, up from 34 percent in 2012, indicating considerable growth in new shop openings.

• Beer vs. Wine: Sales of beer ingredients outpaced wine ingredients among home beverage supply retailers, with an average of 35 percent of retail revenue coming from beer ingredients versus 21 percent from wine ingredients.

The full report contains additional information on customer demographics, marketing and sales. Results demonstrated significant advancement in several areas considered by the AHA, including gross revenue, store openings and beginner equipment sales, indicating a growth in the industry. The AHA conducts this survey every year to provide homebrewers and supply retailers with the latest industry information.

RALEIGH, NC—Mims Distributing Co., a beer distributor that services a nine-county area in and around the Triangle, has launched a new podcast series titled “Tales from the Cask” featuring CEO Chip Mims as host, with craft brand manager Tony Walldroff and brand development manager Jennifer Balik as co-hosts.

In each episode, the team explores new topics in the world of beer and the national beer industry as well as interviews guests from both national and local beer brands. The series has seven completed podcasts featuring individual interviews with a local brewer, a brewery representative, and Jim Koch and Martin Roper from the Boston Beer Company. Listeners can expect future episodes that will include interviews with people from all areas of the beer industry.

Available on iTunes and Stitcher, the podcast series hopes to educate beer novices and experts alike, bringing a behind-the-scenes look into the industry, all the way from brewing to sales, shipping and delivery.

More information about the podcast series and individual episodes can be found here.

(Press Release)

NEW YORK—Strongbow Cider, the world’s best selling hard cider and the newest brand to join HEINEKEN USA’s premium portfolio of upscale brands, is taking aim at the season of relaxation and celebration with the launch of this summer’s “Golden Hour” on-premise, retail and event activation. Beginning this summer, Strongbow is taking the lead as the catalyst for great, spur of the moment experiences that excite adult consumers, 21 and older, and drive them to engage in or create their own Golden Hour celebrations with Strongbow, a crisp and refreshing adult beverage alternative. On-Premise and retail program elements along with key event activation across the country will generate interest in cider and establish Strongbow as the key upscale player in this dynamic and growing segment.

On-premise, program POS and merchandising materials will be available to drive awareness and interest in Strongbow cider while introducing patrons to an array of Strongbow signature cocktails that showcase the versatility of the brand and establish Strongbow as the upscale beverage for summer’s Golden Hour experiences.

At retail, a range of custom designed display and POS materials will be available that position Strongbow as the crisp, refreshing beverage choice for laid back summer drinking occasions. In addition, channel relevant IRC (instant redeemable coupon) and MIR (mail in rebate) offers (where legal) on the purchase of Strongbow and complimentary items will help drive higher basket rings in grocery, c-store and liquor accounts and keep consumers coming back for more.

“Golden Hour is that great time of evening when the sun is setting, everything has an incredible golden hue and when day turns into night. It’s the perfect time to relax and unwind with friends and chose Strongbow, a more sophisticated beverages alternative that will enhance the experience ” noted, Charles Van Es, Brand Director, Heineken USA. “In addition to Strongbow’s on-premise and retail activation, this summer we will activate our Golden Hour Influencer program designed to engage consumers on multiple levels through short, surprising moments with promotions that will generate buzz and excitement around the brand and the category.

Van Es continued, “The hard cider category is on fire and provides one of the most dynamic growth opportunities within the adult beverage category. Strongbow, the #1 global cider brand, is taking a lead role in driving category growth in the U.S. and delivering higher profit margins to retailers and on-premise operators. With substantial investment and dedicated programming including this summer’s Golden Hour program, Strongbow is poised to drive further growth of the cider category and become the #1 upscale badge cider brand in the U.S.”

INDIANAPOLIS—On July 1, Sun King Brewery will unceremoniously fire up the brew kettle and celebrate our fourth birthday the same way we celebrate everyday, by doing what we love. However, on Saturday, July 6 we’re throwing a party at Sun King to share our joy and excitement with everyone featuring great, live music, Indy’s best food trucks and the release of our most anticipated seasonal beer Grapefruit Jungle I.P.A.
Grapefruit Jungle (GFJ) is a classic American I.P.A. that was devised by head brewer Dave Colt and showcases hops from the Pacific Northwest to create an intense citrus hop flavor explosion that is reminiscent of biting into a fresh Grapefruit. Every release of GFJ has sold out in record time, so this year we are doubling production and releasing it in its very own 16 oz. can, as well as on draft throughout Indiana.
“When we set out to create Sun King, we wanted to focus on continually crafting seasonal and specialty beers that complement the time of year and keep beer lovers engaged,” said Dave Colt, Sun King owner and head brewer. “It doesn’t seem like all that long ago we were working feverishly to get things in order for our first brew, but it feels like a lifetime considering the feverish pace of our growth. We are incredibly fortunate to have so much support from the people the local community!”
Sun King’s mission statement is; Enriching the lives of Hoosiers one pint at a time, and in keeping with that mission we have partnered with the Indianapolis Public Schools Education Foundation’s Teaching with Technology program and will be donating a portion of the proceeds with the goal of outfitting an entire classroom with updated technology.
The SKB IV Party is presented by Sun King and community partner MOKB Presents, who booked live music which includes nationally touring acts, Sturgill Simpson (http://sturgillsimpson.com), St. Paul & the Broken Bones (www.facebook.com/St.PaulandTheBrokenBones), and Luella and the Sun (www.luellaandthesun.com).  The musical lineup covers genres rock and roll, honkey tonk, blues, and soul to please patrons twenty-one and older.  The event would not be complete without an array of Indy food trucks, Scratchtruck, Taco Lassi, and Mac Genie.
Tickets are available now for $15 online at www.MOKBpresents.com or at Sun King Brewery for $12 at a limited amount.  The event will take place in the south parking lot of Sun King Brewery from 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM (EST).

“The syllabus tells people what content we will test on in the exams,” Cicerone Certification Program Founder and Director Ray Daniels said. “As such, it is the starting point for us in writing exams and also for students in preparing for those exams.”

The new syllabi will be used to prepare exams starting on Sept. 1. Individuals taking exams prior to that date should be studying a syllabus with a 1.x version number; those taking exams after Sept. 1, should be using a syllabus with a 2.x version number.

Daniels said that the program wants exam content to be based on a consistent knowledge base to make it easier for people to prepare for the exams, but that occasional updates and revisions are needed to accommodate new knowledge and current trends. “This revision is the first comprehensive overhaul we have conducted since the program launched in early 2008,” Daniels said.

The program continues to base its content on third-party standards whenever possible. The Brewers Association’s Draught Beer Quality Manual is a key reference for all aspects of beer service; the Beer Judge Certification Program’s beer styles guide serves as the reference for beer styles.

The most difficult part of the syllabus to prepare is the beer and food pairing section, said Daniels.

“We looked at what is being written and taught on pairing by people like Garrett Oliver and met to discuss the overall structure and content with Randy Mosher (author of Tasting Beer), Sean Paxton (chef and author) and Don Feinberg (industry veteran and importer, Vanberg & DeWulf),” said Daniels.

From all this input, we try to include as many of the principles, models and concepts as we can at the Master level. The most universal concepts then get included in the Certified Cicerone syllabus.”

“Beyond the beer and food section, changes have been smaller and more incremental—adding small things that might have been omitted previously or removing things that are less relevant now. We also refined the organization of the materials in some cases to make the overall flow more logical.”

In addition to serving as the overall knowledge base for the program, the Master Syllabus serves as a study guide for those preparing to take the top-level Master Cicerone exam. The syllabus for Certified Beer Server is geared toward frontline customer service in the beer industry such as wait staff, bartenders, route sales, inside sales and customer service representatives. The second level Certified Cicerone is for more senior positions, such as beer/beverage managers, buyers, trainers and sales staffs.

Daniels also noted that input submitted by those in the industry was also reviewed and considered in the process of revising the syllabus. He said that the Cicerone program is always open to input and suggestions on the syllabus from those who work with beer.

At the Certified Beer Server level, the most significant changes have been made to the BEER STYLES section of the syllabus—a rundown of those changes can be found at cicerone.org.