Revolver Opening Brewery Near Texas Rangers’ Stadium
Another member of MillerCoors’ Tenth & Blake division is setting up shop near a Major League Baseball stadium. Texas’ Revolver Brewing plans to open a brewery inside the forthcoming entertainment district being developed by the Texas Rangers and the Cordish Companies in Arlington, Texas.
The Revolver Brewery will serve its flagship beers along with exclusive offerings, according to a press release.
“Revolver Brewery is an exciting, strong addition to Texas Live!,” Texas Rangers executive vice president of business operations Rob Matwick said in a release. “Today’s announcement will provide our fans another excellent local experience in combination with national brands to experience at Texas Live! when it opens in 2018.”
Revolver was purchased by MillerCoors in August. It follows Terrapin, acquired by MillerCoors in July, which last month said it had a deal to open a brewery near the Atlanta Braves’ new stadium.
Construction for the first phase of the project began last week, and the entire “Texas Live!” location is expected to open in the spring of 2018.
Laguna Beach Beer Company Purchases Cismontane Brewing Company’s production facility and tasting room
Laguna Beach Beer Company has acquired Cismontane Brewing Company’s production facility and tasting room in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., according to a press release.
Laguna Beach plans to rebrand the site as Laguna Beach Beer Company @RSM as well as add a kitchen and additional seating.
“The opportunity for Laguna Beach Beer Company to partner with Cismontane and to acquire a turnkey brewing facility that has room for expansion and is strategically located near our Laguna Beach brewpub location is rare and unique,” Laguna Beach Beer founder and CEO Brent Reynard said in a release. “We could not be happier about this transaction and partnering with Evan and Ross at Cismontane. We also look forward to becoming a part of, sharing our beers with, and serving the RSM community.”
Cismontane retains the rights to its brand name and trademarks and will move its operations to a new brewing facility and tasting room in Santa Ana, California.
During that transition, Laguna Beach will continue to brew Cismontane’s beers at Rancho Santa Margarita facility. Lagunas Beach Beer Company could move into the space as early as next month, CFO Michael Harden told Brewbound.
Meanwhile, Laguna Beach is continuing work on a brewpub in its namesake location, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017.
Grimm Artisanal Ales Opening Brooklyn Brewery
Grimm Artisanal Ales is planting its headquarters in Brooklyn, according to New York Craft Beer Guide.
Husband and wife Joe and Lauren Grimm had been creating original recipes in their apartment while commercial batches were produced at Beltway Brewing in Sterling, Virginia. The gypsy brewery’s headquarters in a two-story building at 990 Metropolitan Avenue in East Williamsburg will feature a brewhouse, two tasting rooms, a rooftop patio and a bottling line.
The project will reportedly cost $4.5 million. However, the timetable for opening is still unknown.
Brooklyn Brewery May Head Upstate
Brooklyn Brewery may be heading to upstate New York. The Staten Island Advance recently reported that Brooklyn’s production facility — which could be as large as 200,000 sq. ft. — was being lured to upstate New York.
Brooklyn Brewery CEO Eric Ottaway told the Advance that “multiple sites in New York City, upstate, and other areas” are under consideration. Though a final decision hasn’t been made, Ottaway said a final decision is likely to come before the end of the year.
Brewery president Robin Ottaway also recently told Brewbound that despite earlier intentions of building a brewery on Staten Island, there was now a smaller chance the company would actually end up there.
Fat Head’s Plans Brewpubs in Canton and Charlotte
Fat Head’s Brewery is eyeing a brewpub expansion. The Ohio-based brewery is looking to open two locations — in Canton, Ohio and in Charlotte, North Carolina — according to the Akron-Beacon Journal.
In addition to the company’s North Olmsted, Ohio, homebase, Fat Head’s operates a brewpub in Portland, Oregon, and a production brewery in the Middleburg Heights area of Ohio. It also has a restaurant in Pittsburgh.
Fat Head’s reportedly hopes to open in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood by early 2018. The Canton brewery is contingent on a pair of liquor options on the November ballot, the article noted.
To Øl Opening the ‘Smallest Craft Beer Bar in Scandinavia’
Following the opening of BRUS, a brewery and restaurant in Copenhagen, To Øl announced via its website plans to open the “smallest craft beer bar in Scandinavia.”
“The bar will open in Oslo – more precisely Osterhaus gate 11 in the young, pulsating area of Oslo,” according to the brewery’s website.
The bar calls for 25 taps that will pour mostly To Øl beers, but it will also serve cocktails, coffee, sandwiches and sweets.
“Norway is going through the same craft beer revolution now, as we’ve seen in Denmark and Sweden the last 5-7 years,” Tore Gynther said in the release. “It’s a super interesting development calling for even more crazy good crafted beverages.”
Tore adds: “And, when Norway already wants to cure their hangovers in To Øl, then we might as well ensure that they’ll be getting the most fresh brewed beers and drinks to quench their thirst in general, right?”
Firestone Walker Now Brewing Beer in Venice
The future of Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s portfolio is going to come from its Propagator brewhouse in Venice, California.
The Propagator opened last week, and it will also serve as a neighborhood brewery, with one-off beers only available in Venice, according to a press release.
“The Propagator is the next step in our brewery evolution,” David Walker said in the release. “It will be our idea laboratory, and hopefully an integral contributor to the local brewing community.”
Ben Maushardt, a two-year veteran of Firestone Walker, will lead the pilot brewhouse and brew “experimental beers, setting the pace for what is next from Firestone Walker” on a $1 million small-scale Kaspar Schulz brewhouse from Germany, the release said.
Harriet Brewing to Close in January
The end is near for 6-year-old Harriet Brewing in Minneapolis. The brewery announced via Facebook that it’s shutting down on January 31.
Harriet blamed “development plans” for the brewery’s site for the closure.
“After much contemplation, it has become apparent that Harriet can only exist in it’s current location,” the brewery wrote. “Attempting to relocate and repeat would be lame. Relocating would require a new brand and business plan, and, frankly, starting another brewery now seems unoriginal and risky in this saturated market.”
Harriet brewed “traditional European styles, particularly Belgian ales and German lagers.”
Boulevard Offers Refunds for Imperial Stout
Another quality-control issue has reared its head in craft. Boulevard Brewing Company is offering refunds to customers who purchased 750 ml. bottles of 2016 Imperial Stout, which the brewery said have developed off flavors.
A recent staff tasting of large-format bottles of the beer recently revealed off-flavors in the form of lactobacillus.
“While lactobacillus is not harmful, it can produce off-flavors and aromas not intended by our brewers, most notably a distinct tartness,” the Kansas City brewery announced in a blog post Thursday.
The off-flavors weren’t present during tasting prior to the beer’s release. However, in the weeks after, lactic acid became noticeable in bottles that were stored in warm and cold climates.
“We are currently conducting extensive research to pinpoint the precise source of the problem, and taking immediate steps to try to ensure that it does not happen again,” Boulevard wrote.
The bottles were sold as part of a “Barrel-Aged Thrilogy” sample pack, with Bourbon Barrel Quad and Rye-on-Rye. Only the 750 ml. bottles of Imperial Stout were affected. The brewery said 12 oz. bottles of Imperial Stout have shown no off-flavors.
Boulevard is offering refunds totaling one-third of the total retail price paid. Customer can visit a dedicated website (https://boulevard.com/2016-imperial-stout-announcement/) to learn more about receiving a refund.
Meijer Stores’ Say Selling Craft Beer Makes $100 Million Economic Impact
Two decades ago, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer sold its first craft beer, Bell’s Oberon, at a store in Kalamazoo. The company now sells more than 550 different craft beers from 220 local breweries in the chain’s six-state footprint, according to a press release.
Forty of those brands are brewed in Detroit or southwest Michigan, with the state’s craft beer sales account for 31 percent of the store’s craft beer sales and 10 percent of the retailer’s total beer sales. That’s good for $100 million in economic impact across the Midwest, the press release said.
“Meijer expects to stay on par with its projected double-digit volume growth in craft beer sales, as the retailer has experienced over the past three years,” the press release said.
Watch the video below to find out why Michigan’s craft brewers love Meijer.
Budweiser Resurrects Harry Caray for Cubs World Series Win
Ho-lee-cow! Budweiser, with a little help from VaynerMedia, reminded everyone why it’s the king of beer marketing. After the final out of the Chicago Cubs’ Game 7 World Series victory in the midnight hour, the “King of Beers” aired this classic spot with the voice of the Cubs, the late Harry Caray.
Budweiser followed it up Thursday with a spot stitching together classic Caray calls, giving viewers the a sense of what it wouldn have sounded like if the legendary broadcaster had called the first Cubs World Series victory in 108 years.
It’s a classy move considering A-B’s roots in St. Louis, the home of the Cubs’ rival, the Cardinals, and because it’s been rumored that Caray and August Busch III’s daughter-in-law were having an affair.