Archives for January 2020

Glendale, Wisconsin – A group of Milwaukee-based investors and Sprecher fans led by Sharad Chadha have purchased Sprecher Brewing Company from its founder and CEO, Randy Sprecher.

Asked why he decided to sell after thirty-five years, Sprecher replied, “Sharad’s offer presented the ideal opportunity. It was important to me that Sprecher stay locally owned. This has been my life’s passion for decades and I want to see the company thrive. With this talented and experienced group, I’m sure it will.” Sprecher will continue as an investor with the new ownership group.

Sharad Chadha, a former executive at GE Healthcare, Samsung Electronics, ABB and Electrolux, will be the Chief Executive Officer of Sprecher Brewing Company.

Others in the ownership group include well known Milwaukee entrepreneurs, and advisors with significant experience in the consumer-packaged goods and beer industries. Andy Nunemaker will serve as chairman of the board; Peter Skanavis will be on the board. Industry veteran Jim Kanter will be part of the investor group and the company leadership team. Angel investors include Silicon Pastures. Commerce State Bank funded the debt and the investors funded significant equity to make the purchase happen.

Chadha noted, “Much like Milwaukee, Sprecher Brewery is a little known gem with a great future ahead of it. Sprecher not only has a diverse portfolio – craft beer, soda, cider, hard seltzer and sparkling water – it also has the best tasting products in the industry. We want to capitalize on what Randy built and share these amazing beverages with as many people as possible. Sprecher Root Beer is a craft beverage icon, and we have the potential to significantly grow the company.

“We plan on listening to and working with our retail partners, distributor partners, employees, community and other stakeholders to bring Sprecher beverages within reach of as many people as possible. With a great local group of investors who are Sprecher fans, we plan to do great things that make our Milwaukee community and customers proud of our history and heritage of great tasting quality products.”

Chadha stated, “It is my goal to make Sprecher the craft beverage icon of America.”

About Sprecher Brewing Company
Established in 1985, Sprecher Brewing Company is not only Milwaukee’s first craft brewery since Prohibition, it is also the most highly awarded brewery, having won numerous national and international awards including, 2004 Great American Beer Festival® Small Brewing Company of the Year; several World Beer Cup® medals, including a gold medal for Black Bavarian in 2016. Sprecher produces more than 15 beer styles and nine craft sodas. Sprecher is best known for its most popular beverage, non-alcoholic Sprecher Root Beer which has earned numerous accolades from the press and public.

Sprecher is also a proud sponsor of many local activities and events including the Wisconsin State Fair. It is also the official craft Root Beer of the Milwaukee Brewers. And it has many great local community partnerships such as the Milwaukee County Parks System and their summertime Traveling Beer Gardens®.

Sprecher owns and operates a tasting room and visitor center located at 701 West Glendale Ave, Glendale WI 53209.

For additional media inquiries and questions please contact Sharad Chadha at sharadchadha100@gmail.com. Cell: 262 309 2227.

San Francisco, California — Two renowned American breweries, 21st Amendment Brewery of San Francisco, CA, and Boulevard Brewing Company of Kansas City, MO, today announced a friendly wager on Super Bowl LIV as the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami, FL on Sunday, February 2, 2020. Boulevard officially challenged the Bay Area brewery to a Big Game bet in which the losing city’s brewery will send a couple of cases of beer to the winner and, most importantly, donate $1,000 to a local charity of the winner’s choice. To cap it off, the loser’s Head Brewer must wear the winning team’s jersey, snap a picture, and post it to social media. 21st Amendment has accepted the bet.

“There is nothing more Kansas City than cheering on your favorite team with your favorite local beer, and we’ve been honored to be a part of those celebrations for three decades,” said Natalie Gershon, VP of Marketing at Boulevard Brewing. “Now we look forward to the biggest moment, on the biggest stage. This is our year. This is a #KingdomWithoutBorders, and we hope the country joins us in raising a toast to the city that has waited 50 years to bring home an NFL championship.”

Shaun O’Sullivan, Co-Founder & Brewmaster of 21st Amendment commented, “Bay Area football and craft beer have a long-standing tradition of excellence. The 21st Amendment Brewery is excited to be part of the Bay Area’s enthusiasm cheering on our beloved San Francisco 49ers in this year’s Super Bowl.”

The two breweries are nationally recognized for their award-winning portfolios of specialty beers, including their lauded wheat beers, Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer from 21st Amendment and Boulevard’s Unfiltered Wheat Beer. Boulevard is the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest, and 21st Amendment is rated among the top 50 craft brewers in America. With the incredible support of their beloved communities, and to commemorate the big game, the companies agreed there was no better way to celebrate a victory than a donation to a local charity.

Boulevard has selected Veterans Community Project as their non-profit of choice, and 21st Amendment chose Project Night Night.

Leading up to Super Bowl LIV, 21st Amendment Brewery will serve a limited-edition beer Kittle Kraze Hazy IPA at its San Leandro taproom and San Francisco brewpub to celebrate the San Francisco 49ers’ appearance in Super Bowl LIV. Boulevard Brewing will release a commemorative Super Bowl beer following the Big Game.

For more information, please visit: www.21st-amendment.com boulevard.com

About 21st Amendment Brewery
Twenty years ago (established in 2000), Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan opened the doors to the 21st Amendment brewpub in San Francisco’s historic South Park neighborhood. In addition to quickly becoming one of the city’s favorite pubs, 21st Amendment began expanding beyond the Bay Area by helping to pioneer the movement to canned craft beer. Known for their witty names and delicious brews, 21st Amendment offers year-round selections, as well as seasonal offerings and their infamous “Insurrection Series” of once-in-a-while limited-edition releases. Sold in 28 states plus Washington D.C., 21st Amendment produces beer in its state-of-the-art brewery headquarters in San Leandro, California and is among the top 50 craft beer brewers in America.

About Boulevard Brewing:
Boulevard Brewing Company is the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest, producing fresh, flavorful beers using traditional ingredients and the best of both old and new brewing techniques. Known for their full flavor, exceptional balance and superior quality, Boulevard beers are available in 41 states and 11 countries. For more information, visit boulevard.com or follow us on facebook.com/Boulevard, twitter.com/Boulevard_Beer and instagram.com/boulevard_beer.

AVONDALE ESTATES, Ga. – The Lost Druid, an “own-premise” brewery in Avondale Estates is now the first brewery in DeKalb County powered with solar energy provided by Velo Solar.

The 14.1 kW solar installation was created and is maintained by Atlanta-based Velo Solar. The array will save The Lost Druid as much as 15 percent on its annual power bill. In addition to that cost savings, it will reduce the operation’s carbon footprint by 42 metric tons of CO2 each year.

Created through a special financing arrangement offered by Velo Solar, the solar equipment is provided through a Solar Energy Procurement Agreement (SEPA). This allowed the panels and other infrastructure to be installed at no upfront cost to The Lost Druid.

The Lost Druid’s solar array will produce 21,514 kilowatt hours of power annually. This helps to run the brewery’s 6,800 square-foot operation, including its brewery, taproom, aging facility, kitchen, and upstairs event space.

Stacia Familo-Hopek, owner and co-founder of The Lost Druid, said the decision to “go solar” is in keeping with the brewery’s core mission.

“The Druids respected nature, and this is one of numerous measures we employ to minimize our impact on the environment,” she said. “Other environmentally sensitive initiatives we use include reclamation of our chilling water, a natural carbonation process, LED lighting and providing spent grain to local farmers for livestock feed.”

She said The Lost Druid selected Velo Solar to provide the solar installation because of Velo’s demonstrated expertise and customer-centric approach.

Britt Lothridge, director of sales for Velo Solar, said Georgia business owners have more options than ever to add solar to their energy resources. SEPAs make it easy to save money and contribute to a healthier environment, he explained.

“This is a great option for forward-thinking clients who want to reduce their reliance on utility-provided power without a hefty upfront investment,” he said. “They not only pay less for electricity month-to-month, they also reduce reliance on fossil fuels.”

About Velo Solar
Velo Solar is one of Georgia’s largest EPC solar firms providing engineering, consultation, installation and digital monitoring for renewable energy solutions designed to meet customers’ needs. Certified to the highest standards in the solar industry, Velo Solar is dedicated to system quality, customer service and reliable performance. For more information, visitwww.velosolar.com.

About The Lost Druid
Focused on serving beer lovers in its taproom rather than selling packaged products through retail outlets, The Lost Druid offers more than 20 frequently changing taps with a diverse selection of beers for a range of tastes. The Lost Druid’s facilities at 2866 Washington Street, Avondale Estates, GA, include its brewery, cellar/aging facility, taproom, kitchen and upstairs mezzanine with private event space. Two pet-friendly outdoor patios are enhanced with extensive landscaping and bike racks nearby. Visit thelostdruid.com for more information and updates, or search @thelostdruid on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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In honor of Elvis’s Birthday, BeerInfo’s Beer of the Day is Brewdog Elvis Juice brewed by brewdog. Elvis Juice is an IPA like no other. This IPA puts grapefruit center stage. Primed with tart pithy grapefruit peel for a citrus assault on the senses. This zest zenith delivers intense US hop aromas. Gigantic grapefruit notes are tail-gated by orange and pine. All piled high on a caramel malt base. ABV: 6.5% IBU: 60

Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. Presley is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He was commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.

Lawsuit:
The Ellon-based brewer initially lost the right to call its grapefruit and blood orange IPA ‘Elvis Juice’ after the UK Intellectual Property Office found in favour of the Elvis Presley estate last June.

Before the first ruling, BrewDog founders James Watt and Martin Dickie both changed their names to ‘Elvis’ by deed poll after the estate took legal action against them.

The Presley estate objected after BrewDog applied to register ‘Elvis Juice’ and ‘BrewDog Elvis Juice’ as trademarks. It felt that the application was in conflict with its registered trademark and believed that people buying BrewDog’s beer could mistakenly believe that the estate had endorsed the product.

In the appeal hearing, BrewDog has been given permission to trademark ‘Brewdog Elvis Juice’ (but not ‘Elvis Juice’) and a ruling has been overturned which ordered the brewer to pay the estate £1,500 in costs.(The Drinks Buisness)

 

BOULDER, Colo. – Avery Brewing Company, an innovative craft brewery in Boulder for over 25 years, announces Sparkle, a glacier-spiked hard seltzer brewed with quality ingredients to have zero added sugars, 100 calories, and 1.5 carbs.

Along with everyone else in America, Avery’s brewers have been enjoying their share of hard seltzers between beers. True to their Beer First commitment, Avery’s team wanted to create a hard seltzer of their own, with the consistency and quality they embrace every day.

When the brew crew set out to develop a hard seltzer, they wanted to focus on all-natural ingredients, crisp flavors, and their proven brewing process. Avery spent over a year diligently perfecting a hard seltzer with flavor and body that raises the standard in this rapidly expanding market. Using their extensive brewing experience and knowledge, Avery’s team crafted a consistently high-quality hard seltzer that’s glacier-spiked, clean, and refreshing.

Their brewers tried over 60 flavor options during Sparkle’s development. They handpicked all-natural ingredients and carefully balanced different flavor profiles to find the best combinations. Through this process, the Avery brew crew discovered that classics are beloved for a reason. Avery ultimately selected three flagship flavors: Cherry Lime, Grapefruit, and Cran Raz.

While some hard seltzers are back sweetened, Sparkle has zero added sugars for a crisper, cleaner finish. All three Sparkle flavors are 5% ABV, 100 calories, and 1.5 carbs.

Sparkle will be distributed across Avery’s distribution footprint in mixed twelve packs of 12oz cans and in six packs of 12oz cans beginning in February. Find Sparkle near you withAvery’s brew finder:http://www.averybrewing.com/brew-finder

About Avery Brewing Company
A Colorado-based brewery for over 25 years, Avery Brewing has a singular focus on creating the perfect beer. In a world full of discord, their belief is that a singular dedication to something as seemingly simple and inconsequential as beer can transform the world. Avery Brewing exists to pursue the mastery of beer and to reveal its power. Standouts include White Rascal Belgian-Style White Ale, a remarkable selection of IPAs including Maharaja Imperial IPA, and Barrel-Aged 16ers like Vanilla Bean Stout. Discover what great beer can do to your world. Beer First. The Rest Will Follow. www.averybrewing.com

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