Yuengling Launches New Year-Round Pilsner
For the first time in 17 years, D.G. Yuengling & Son will offer a new year-round beer: Yuengling Golden Pilsner.
“Yuengling Golden Pilsner is our unique interpretation of a refreshing pilsner, with all of the qualities consumers have come to expect from Yuengling in a beer that is highly sessionable and full of flavor,” Jen Yuengling, vice president of operations, said via a press release.
Yuengling spent 18 months developing Golden Pilsner, which clocks in at 4.7 percent ABV and 135 calories. The “all malt beer” combines specialty malts and Hallertau and Saaz hops.
Yuengling Golden Pilsner will be available in cans and bottles starting April 1 in several markets. The beer company added that the beer is expected to be available throughout Yuengling’s 22-state footprint by the end of the year.
Pabst Legacy Brands Launch New Beers
Pabst Brewing Co. is releasing a few new beers under its legacy brand labels. The California-headquartered beer company announced the latest release — Old Style Cooler By the Lake Radler — yesterday on social media.
“At 4.2 percent ABV, this new crisp blonde lager is brewed with refreshing citrus flavors, easy to drink and finishes clean on the palate,” the company wrote on Facebook.
The limited-edition seasonal will be available in 16 oz. 4-pack cans and on draft throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Indiana.
Additionally, the company has also launched its first new National Bohemian brand — Crab Shack Shandy — in more than 30 years, according to the Baltimore Sun. The 4.2 percent ABV summer seasonal is currently available in cans and on draft in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and Washington.
Pabst has also filed for and received federal label approval for a Stroh’s session IPA called Perseverance, according to Crain’s Detroit Business. Pabst brand manager Andy Gurjian told the outlet that the company has been “working on” the concept, but “it’s still in the development stages.”
Fire Rips Through Rogue’s San Francisco Pub
In a YouTube video, Rogue Ales & Spirits president Brett Joyce discussed the four-alarm fire that broke out in the company’s San Francisco pub over the weekend. Joyce said there were no injuries from the fire, but the 15-year-old California outpost is closed indefinitely as the building’s roof is gone and the facility is “a mess.” He added that the company’s San Francisco employees will remain on the payroll as the company figures out what’s next. See the video above.
Dixie Beer Owner Tom Benson Dead at Age 90
Billionaire Tom Benson, who purchased a majority stake in the Dixie Beer brand in July, died at age 90 on March 15, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Benson had been admitted to a hospital in mid-February with flu-like symptoms. Benson was the owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.
A public visitation for Benson started today and continues through Thursday, the outlet reported. Benson’s funeral is slated for Friday.
Wormtown Plans 30,000 Barrels in 2018
As Massachusetts’ Wormtown Brewery celebrated its eighth anniversary last weekend, the Worcester-based craft brewery announced it plans to sell 30,000 barrels of beer this year, MassLive.com reported. The company produced 21,000 barrels in 2017.
To get there, Wormtown is adding 4,500 sq. ft. of fermentation space to it headquarters, Wormtown majority owner David Fields told MassLive. He added that the company is adding a faster canning line in the next month to its new 7,500 sq. ft. packaging hall.
Wormtown now boasts statewide distribution in Massachusetts and limited coverage in Rhode Island and plans to open a taproom in Keene, New Hampshire, in Q2.
TTB Reaches Settlement with Citizen Cider
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has accepted an offer in compromise from Vermont’s Citizen Cider for failure to pay the federal excise tax at the appropriate rate from October 2014 through June 30, 2017. The Burlington-based company offered to pay $32,000, which the TTB accepted on March 7. Beer Business Daily first reported the story.
Anheuser-Busch Launches National Ad Campaign for Breckenridge Brewery
Anheuser-Busch craft brand Breckenridge Brewery is getting its first national ad campaign, according to AdWeek.
Chicago-headquartered VSA Partners developed the campaign, called “In Good CO,” which highlights the 28-year-old brewery’s Colorado heritage, AdWeek reported. The first 60-second spot shows the gates to Breckenridge’s Littleton-based craft brewery opening and a voiceover saying, “Welcome, friends, to our 67 million acre beer garden.”
A second spot focuses on the addition of Nitro Irish Stout to Breckenridge’s year-round lineup.
“Our approach with Breckenridge, as with any of the craft breweries we work with, was to bring out the essence of their culture,” VSA Partners associate partner of client engagement Mike Walsh told AdWeek. “This isn’t just a brand—it’s a brewery.”
A-B purchased Breckenridge in 2015.
P.F. Chang’s Selling Budweiser, Bud Light Again
After a “multi-year hiatus,” Chinese chain restaurant P.F. Chang’s will once again serve Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser and Bud Light on draft, the company announced in a press release.
The additions are part of a new drink menu that includes the introduction of several Asian beers, such as Tiger Lager and Hitachino Red Rice Ale, the company said.