During an economic recession, one of the first things to be downsized is company perks. At New Belgium Brewery, a craft brewer in Ft. Collins, Colo., one of the biggest perks is free beer. Employees used to be able to take home 24 bottles of beer every week, but in February take-home brew was reduced to a mere 12 bottles.
Not many employees are complaining. When keeping a job is probably today's biggest perk, losing a six-pack per week probably isn't such a bad deal. Melyssa Glassman, the company's creative director, says that the only downside to free beer was carrying it home on her bicycle during the summer.
New Belgium is the third largest craft brewer in the United States and has been hailed for its employee-friendly policies that include free beer, a new bicycle after one year of employment and an all-expense paid trip to Belgium (where the idea for the company was created.) The 320 employees own a 33-percent stake in the brewery, and while it's not mandatory, it helps if you like drinking beer. A lot.
A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.
Kentucky might be better known for its whiskey distilleries than its beer prowess, but like most cities with more than a million people in its metropolitan area, Louisville has seen growth in its specialty and craft-beer market over the past few years due to the average American's increased awareness of the variety of beer available.
Louisville's beer scene is "getting better," says James Donald Gunnoe, co-owner of one of the reasons that scene has gotten better: the small beer outpost known as The Nachbar. "There are about five microbreweries in town and I think there's room for more."
About two and a half years ago, Gunnoe and his wife, Heather Burks, opened Nachbar with the intention of creating a "place we'd want to go to ourselves." Working from faith in their own tastes and desires, they focused on stocking the beers they drank and loved, attempting to offer the beer at prices they knew people could afford. Gunnoe puts it best when he states, "We cater to ourselves, and from there we're just really fortunate that people appreciate what we like."
Read more about Nachbar and see this past weekend's draft list after the jump...
A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.
We all have our vices: Some live for libations while others pine for sweets. In St. Louis these two groups can merge in one ecstatic, sugar-fueled pit of sin at Bailey's Chocolate Bar. A lengthy menu of treats includes dramatic desserts, award-winning cocktails and sometimes the two in one beautiful bite (Irish Cream cheesecake, anyone?).
Beer is another of Chocolate Bar's specialties, as it boasts one of STL's most highly-regarded draft lists. A few selections seem obvious (such as Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Arcadia Cocoa Loco) but the bar also boasts a namesake brew, Bailey's Chocolate Bar Chocolate Ale. Of course, a great beer bar can't just stock stouts, and general manager Gene Bailey says they strive for "good enough variety where everyone can find something they like." Many of the current taps come from one brewery: "We're big fans of the New Belgium [Fat Tire] people," Gene admits. Beyond pure pints, Bailey's happily mingles sugar & suds: The Stout Beer Shake, blending chocolate stout and cinnamon ice cream, is a favorite.
Check out Bailey's Chocolate Bar's complete draft list after the jump, tell us if you've got a favorite chocolate beer and get your indulgence on in person next time you're in St. Louis.
A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.
The city of Milwaukee has long been known as Beer Town USA. Considered "the beer capital of the world" at the turn of the 20th century, it was home to four of the world's largest breweries (Blatz, Miller, Pabst and Schlitz).
Nowadays less than 1 percent of Milwaukee's workforce is employed by the brewing industry, but as long as Miller stays in business, Old Milwaukee remains on store shelves and the city keeps calling their baseball team the Brewers, it will continue to earn its moniker. Like many cities, the area is seeing a boom in craft-beer culture. Smaller brewers like Lakefront and Sprecher have national followings and the city is home to a number of brewpubs.
One of Milwaukee's most highly regarded watering holes is Romans' Pub, which DRAFT and Imbibe Magazines have called among the best beer bars in the nation. Indeed, 30 selections grace today's tap list. Sounds like Wisconsinites like to stay relatively local when they booze, though: Owner Mike Romans informed us that Goose Island IPA from nearby Chicago is their most popular brew. Locals craving a beer can simply check the list: "As soon as one gets changed out, it goes up on our site."
A sampling of suds on tap is after the jump. Got a favorite microbrew? Let us know in the comments.
Sunday's New York Times explains that despite Utah's "quirky alcohol laws" pubs and breweries have managed to flourish, even in rough economic times. It all began in 1986 when ski bum and beer enthusiast Greg Schirf opened up Wasatch Brewery in Park City, Utah's first brewery. Back then, pubs were illegal. So, when Schirf wanted to add a pub to his brewery, he had to work with a legislator to construct a bill that would change the state legislature's stance. In 1989, the bill was passed.
Today, craft beers in Park City, Salt Lake City, and other cities in Utah are prospering. Garrett Oliver, at Brooklyn Brewery, in New York, states, "Utah craft brewers can coax a lot of flavor out of a relatively low amount of material." If you're a tourist traveling to Utah, chances are that you are going to come across a pub and/or brewery. The majority of them are located in tourist areas, such as Zion Canyon Brewing Company, near Zion National Park, or Moab Brewery and Eddie McStiff's in Moab.
So, while much of the state remains Mormon and doesn't drink alcoholic beverages, Utah can count on tourism to boost its beer business. If you're going to Utah this ski season, check out the Times article to find out more about the state's finest pubs and breweries.
Part of me admires them. Despite earning more dollars than any other brewer on the planet and holding onto a walloping American market share just below 50%, the guys who practically invented macro-brewing still feel like they have something to prove. So mark late 2008 as A-B's final surge into the craft beer market featuring the reboot of a familiar name: Michelob. When it comes to the craft beer revolution, Anheuser-Busch is not going gentle into that good night.
The Michelob website has been completely overhauled, with a new slogan -- "Crafting a better beer" [my emphasis] -- that is completely on the nose. The site is overflowing with high society tips on things like "How To Serve Beer" and "Food Pairings." (Sadly, pairing Budweiser with a box of Cheez-Its is not on the list.) And Michelob is no longer just a product; A-B has created the Michelob Brewing Company to "give even more autonomy and creative license to its skilled brewmasters." Classy.
So Michelob AmberBock was just the begining. A-B has announced that Michelob Dunkel Weisse and Pale Ale will now be available year-round nationwide (joining AmberBock, Honey Lager and Porter). In addition, Michelob will be serving up a Marzen and Irish Red Ale in its sampler packs. Oh yeah, and they're also lumping all their previous specialty beers -- Shock Top Belgian White, Stone Mill Organic Pale Ale, Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale, Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale, Sun Dog Amber Wheat and Beach Bum Blonde Ale -- under the Michelob nameplate. It's enough to make your head spin... especially if you plan on trying them all on the same night.
Do you love craft beer? Are you going to be in Boston this weekend? If I were, I'd go to the American Craft Beer Festival.
It's taking place at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, and it's gonna be big. There'll be about 75 breweries represented, and they'll be offering up somewhere around 300 different brews. Plus there'll be plenty of guest speakers and events.
Everything is happening Friday June 20 and Saturday June 21. Tickets are $40. Friday's events start at 6pm and there are two sessions on Saturday at 1pm and 6pm. If you get to go, tell me all about it and how great it was.
It's pretty common in the world of craft beer for brewers to come up with, hmm, interesting names for their creations. I love coming across really good names and trying to get the joke. Most of the time I get it.
Joey Redner, over at Tampa Bay Online took the time to compile a list of the top ten beer names ever. I won't spoil the number one pick for you, but there are some great names on the list. Beers with names like "Old engine Oil" and "I'll Have What the Gentleman on the Floor is Having" are just a sampling of the fun to be had.
This top ten list is just the opinion of one man, though. What would you put in a list of the top ten best beer names?
Well, the bad news is that Ruby Tuesday is not a sports bar. You can't go there and expect to watch the big game. The good news is that they now carry a wide variety of craft beers.
Craft beers have risen in popularity exponentially over the last decade or so, and I don't think we're close to leveling off. Few, if any, national restaurant chains carry craft beers. Ruby Tuesday is among the first. The chain, which has over 900 locations, will now carry the likes of Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, Flying Dog, Abita, and Widmer Hefeweizen. They'll offer a draft of the day and draft flights, though that won't be available everywhere due to local liquor laws. Also, offerings will vary by location. Ruby Tuesday have even given the bartenders studying at their Center for Culinary Excellence a course with instructors from the Boston Beer Company on "how to store, pour, and otherwise care for these special beers".
So maybe you want to stay home to watch the super bowl. You can always go out after the game for a good burger and a great beer at Ruby Tuesday.
I'd like to think that in some small way beer geeks like my friends and I are to blame for this year's uptick in craft beer sales.
But I know that's a lie, since we usually stick to a few brands, Dogfish Head,Stone Brewing Co., Rogue, Harpoon, Heavyweight, etc. Aw heck, basically we drink any U.S. craft beer that's good, and available, on the East Coast. Of course, we've also been known to sample some fine non-U.S. brews, including Belgian Trappist ales.
Regardless of my crew's drinking habits the numbers speak for themselves. U.S. sales of craft beer grew 11 percent in the first half of this year compared with 2005, according to the Brewers Association.
Paul Gatza, a director of the group's professional division, says consumption "appears to be accelerating." Rest assured my friends and I will continue to do our parts to help aid this noble cause.
Do you love craft beer? Are you going to be in Boston this weekend? If I were, I'd go to the 
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