5 Stories Over Beer is a weekly article that presents 5 thought-provoking stories about beer and the brewing industry from the week before that you should read. So sit down, grab a beer, and take a few minutes to read 5 stories. Cheers!
Craft Brewers Conference & World Beer Cup Tops This Week’s 5 Stories Over Beer
1. Craft Brewers Conference & World Beer Cup: The Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America® was held last week in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This mega-event hosted 12,000+ brewing industry professionals and was presented by the Brewers Association (BA), a recognized leader in the national and international brewing arena. “For professional brewers, CBC is the number one environment in North America for concentrated, affordable brewing education and idea sharing to improve brewery quality and performance.
At the conclusion of the CBC, the winners of the World Beer Cup were announced. The Brewers Association introduced the World Beer Cup competition in 1996 to celebrate the art and science of brewing by recognizing outstanding achievement. The World Beer Cup is held every two years. “Brewing has no boundaries or borders,” said Charlie Papazian, founder, Brewers Association. “The World Beer Cup recognizes the very best in the global community of brewers—their innovation, creativity and the craft of beer and brewing.”
This year’s World Beer Cup event witnessed 6,596 entrant beers from 1,907 breweries representing 55 countries. Entries were judged by an elite international panel of 253 judges from 31 countries. Judges awarded 287 out of 288 total possible awards, reflecting the chance for one gold, one silver and one bronze award in each of 96 beer style categories.
To see the full list of 2016 World Beer Cup winners, click here. A detailed analysis of the entries and awards can be found in the 2016 World Beer Cup Fact Sheet.
2016 World Beer Cup Winners Announcement Presented at Conclusion of the Craft Brewers Conference – Photo © Brewers Association
2. Too Much Old Hoppy Beer On Shelves?: Could that hoppy beer you’re drinking be out of date? In an attempt to ensure consumers a vast selection, some retailers may be compromising the quality and freshness of their inventory. Consumers need to become more savvy and some retailers need to improve the stewardship of their retail selection. Read the complete story in The Full Pint, by clicking here.
Is your hoppy beer fresh?
3. Fighting for Shelf Space: With the nation’s brewery count exceeding 4,200 and craft beer’s novelty giving way to neighborhoods packed with breweries, it requires great effort on the part of older brewers to stand out. Read the full story by clicking here.
Photography courtesy of Fort Collins Brewery.
4. The Hottest Brewer in America Doesn’t Even Brew: A blendery is a facility that doesn’t have a brewery themselves, but still makes beer. Buying wort, the liquid product created from brewing grains and then fermented to create beer, from several different notable producers to create unique beers is not uncommon in countries like Belgium. However, this approach is rare in the United States. Troy Casey of Casey Brewing & Blending in Glenwood Springs, Colorado focuses on blending to produce some extraordinary beers. Read the full story by clicking here.
Photograph courtesy of Casey Brewing & Blending.
5. The Little Barrel That Roamed the U.S. Creating Big Beers: I actually saved my favorite story from last week for last. You must read this remarkable story about a single barrel which embarked on a journey that would span the course of American sour beer history by clicking here. Disney movie next?
Photograph courtesy of Beer Advocate and Gail Ann Williams.
