Yuengling Is Planning a Beer Hotel

A new hotel is taking the idea of the minibar to another level. Pennsylvania-based brewery Yuengling is developing a beer-themed hotel as part of its campus in Tampa, Florida that will come with an attached microbrewery, tasting room and as yet unannounced other beer amenities. In a statement, Wendy Yuengling, the breweries chief administrative officer said,

“As consumer interest in locally crafted beer continues to grow, we are always looking for ways to engage our loyal fans and re-envision the Yuengling experience in Tampa. This new development will not only offer visitors an enhanced brewery hospitality experience but will also increase our presence in the local community.”

Technically, Yuengling is the most popular craft brewer in the United States, although the brewery’s use of that label came with some controversy. The Brewer’s Association, which officially decides what is and is not a craft beer in the United States, changed its definition in a way that seemed designed to let Yuengling use the moniker. Whatever you call the it though, Yuengling clearly sells a lot of beer.  

As for the hotel, while Yuegling’s will be one of the biggest, it certainly won’t be the first beer hotel. Scottish brewery Brewdog opened the DogHouse in Columbus, Ohio last year, offering IPA on tap in every room and Dogfish Head opened the 16-room Dogfish Inn in Lewes, Delaware in back in 2014.

The Yuengling project is still in the early zoning phases, so beyond the existence of the adjoining brewery and taproom, we don’t know much more about what will be included in the hotel, but if similar hotels are any indication, you can bet they will include lots of cans on Yuengling.

RIP Craft Beer: Sam Adams’ Company Buys Dogfish Head Brewery

by Jenny G. Zhang

Two big beer players merge in $300 million deal

If craft beer wasn’t already over, this latest news might be the nail in the coffin: the Boston Beer Company — the producers of Samuel Adams beer and the second largest craft brewer in the U.S. — is merging with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, the 13th largest independent brewery as ranked by the Brewers Association. The deal, valued at $300 million, follows other major consolidations in the beer industry, such as Constellation Brands’ $1 billion acquisition of a San Diego’s Ballast Point in 2015. 

Boston Beer CEO Dan Burwick (who is NOT the guy in all the Sam Adams commercials) will lead the merged company. “We expect that we’ll see more consolidation in the craft industry over time, and we’ll be in the best position to take advantage of those changes,” he said in a press release.

And in other news…

• Also on the beer beat: Beer pong favorite Natty Light is taking a unique approach to summer intern hiring with a nationwide search to attract candidates who are “just as creative writing an English 102 essay as they are converting a bathtub into a cooler.” Hey, for a generous $40 an hour, no task is beneath me, including drinking Natty Light on the job. [MLive]
• Amy Sedaris’s wonderfully batty hospitality show has been renewed for a third season on TruTV. More cheese balls and goofy dancing, please! [@AHWAmySedaris]
• Gene-edited crops are making their way into our food supply, but governments still haven’t figured out the whole regulation bit. [NPR]
• Michael Pollan wants you to slow your roll on psychedelic mushrooms. [NYT]
• Armyworms are rapidly spreading across China’s grain production and could majorly impact staple crops like rice, soybeans, and corn. [CNN]

Beware the Bubble in Alcohol Stocks

By dkorth@finsum.com (FINSUM)

Many investors may not be aware of it, but those with assets in the sector could be sorry. Alcohol stocks, and specifically bourbon shares, are in a bubble. Tech has stolen all the limelight, but whiskey stocks-one of America's oldest industries-have had a great decade. Millennials have revived American whiskey makers, such as Brown-Forman and MGP Ingredients, the latter of which's shares have jumped from $6 in 2014 to $98 in 2018! P/E ratios are at about 30x and the stocks have recently started to fall sharply. It looks like the bubble is bursting.

FINSUM :  The performance of this sector is pretty amazing-doubled revenues in the last decade. That is outstanding for such an old industry. However, valuations seemed to have significantly outpaced realistic value.

The 10 Best Canned Wines for Summer 2019, Tasted and Ranked

By. Tim McKirdy

Canned wines might have seemed gimmicky when the category launched — heck, brand names like Porch Pounder certainly didn’t help — but they’re absolutely here to stay. According to market research firm BW 166, canned wine sales rose 43 percent between June 2017 and June 2018. In January 2018, Nielsen reported the category was worth more than $45 million.

For the past two years, VinePair has scoured the landscape to find our favorite canned wines. As the sector continues to evolve, and an increasing number of brands get in on the action, we thought it was time to try some more.

Following an extensive tasting of more than 30 nationally available canned wines, we noted many similarities (both positive and negative) with tastings in years gone by.

If you’re the kind of person who gains just as much enjoyment out of a wine’s aroma as its flavors, canned wines might not be for you. When consuming directly from a can, it’s difficult to pick up the wine’s aromas — and, if you do, many are tinged with reductive notes of burnt matches and boiled eggs (once cans are sealed, no oxygen can reach the wine within).

The convenience of the grab-and-go packaging is also a double-edged sword. The vast majority of cans come in 375-milliliter servings, the equivalent of half a standard bottle of wine. Frankly, that’s too large a serving size in our opinion. The (less common) 250-milliliter and 187-milliliter cans are much more user-friendly and more brands would do well to adopt these sizes, even if it means spending a little more.

To come up with this year’s ranking, we judged the wines first on their flavors, given how difficult it is to judge aromas when drinking — as intended — from the can. Afterward, we gave them a swill in a glass so we could share some of their many delicious aromas with you. Finally, we ranked our favorites.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 canned wines for summer 2019.

10. INFINITE MONKEY THEOREM ROSÉ BUBBLE UNIVERSE

Denver-based Infinite Monkey Theorem was one of the pioneers of the category, launching its first single-serve release back in 2015. Lightly carbonated, with vibrant aromas of raspberry, bubblegum, and ripe strawberries that continue onto the palate, Rosé Bubble Universe is the pick of the bunch from this producer. Average price: $14.99 per 4-pack.

9. VINNY

Launched in 2018 by Thomas Pastuszak, the wine director at New York’s NoMad hotel, VINNY is a bubbly white blend from the Empire State’s Finger Lakes region. This gently sparkling white wine smells like a slightly candied Riesling, with pear and aloe on the palate. Size-wise, it’s a hit, arriving in slender 250-milliliter cans. Average price: $20 per 4-pack.

8. SANTA JULIA ORGANIC ROSÉ

Santa Julia is one of Argentina’s largest certified organic wine producers. In February 2019, the winery released a line of three canned wines. We enjoyed them all but were particularly impressed by the rosé, which is made using 100 percent organically grown Malbec grapes. With an attractive blend of cranberry, strawberry, and raspberry notes, Santa Julia delivers clean-tasting, organic wine you can drink on the go. Average price: $5.99 per can.Continue Reading

Coca-Cola moves into alcohol market with premium mixers

Coca-Cola’s Signature Mixers range marks the first time the brand has expanded into the alcohol space and taps into the growing premium mixer market.


By.Molly Flemming

is launching its first premium mixers under the Coke brand as it looks to expand into growing premium mixer market.

Coca-Cola Signature Mixers features four flavours designed to be mixed with dark spirits, which will launch in the UK from June alongside a fully integrated marketing campaign.

“Coca-Cola has always been part of cocktail culture and history, from the Cuba Libre of the 1900s to some of the world’s best cocktails today,” explains Ana Amura, senior brand manager at Coca-Cola Great Britain.

“Coca-Cola Signature Mixers marks an exciting time for the brand and expansion into dark spirit mixology.”

The move comes as drinkers increasingly opt for more expensive mixers. According to figures from research company CGA, premium mixers are growing at 32.9% compared to the 7% decline seen for mainstream mixers, a trend which is set to continue.

Inspired by the brand’s heritage, Coca-Cola Signature Mixers are served in a contemporary Hutchinson glass bottle, first used by Coca-Cola in 1894 when the product was bottled rather than served at a soda fountain.

READ MORE: Coca-Cola: We must keep creating brands or online retailers will win

The new range, which is available in Smoky, Spicy, Herbal and Woody, was created in collaboration with mixologists and marks the first time Coke has invited outsiders to help develop its own brand.

Coca-Cola asked mixologists to attend a London workshop in March 2018 who were briefed to experiment with ingredients and create mixers to enhance dark spirits.

Consumers were then invited to taste the new recipes, with the four most popular going into production, with each bottle stamped with the signature of its co-creator.

This quick 16-month timeline is a marker of how Coke is trying to streamline its innovation pipelines in order to keep up with consumers’ changing tastes.Continue Reading

The Secret to Serving Beer is Surprisingly Simple, Says an Industry Expert

Curious about the best way to store, serve, and sip that craft IPA? We tapped an expert to answer all your burning beer questions. 

FLUBYDUST/GETTY IMAGES

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that bad beer is to be avoided at all costs. But it isn’t just about the price point, origin, or brand of beer that determines its quality—how you serve beer has a seriously significant effect on the flavors, aromas, and overall experience you’ll have when sipping it. 

Just in time for summertime barbecues, baseball season, and Father’s Day, we tapped Ryan Daley, the Sr. Educator and Master Cicerone for Anheuser-Busch for all the info you’ll need to give your beer—whether it’s a lager, porter, stout, IPA, pilsner, or some crafty combination of the above—the top-tasting treatment it deserves.

How to serve beer

According to Daley, the top tip for serving beer is simple: pour it into a glass. This offers several benefits to the drinking experience. The first is being able to appreciate the beer’s appearance. Beer has an amazing array of colors, from bright golden sunshine to dark mahogany. If you don’t pour it out you’ll never even get the chance to appreciate the look of the beer. Next, by pouring the beer into a glass it helps to release the carbon dioxide. This benefit is twofold: on one hand it helps to release more aroma, and ultimately more flavor, in the beer. On the other, it makes the beer feel and taste less filling.

There are dozens of different styles of glasses for beer. Some may have a historical connection to a certain style of beer; others may be better suited for one style versus another based on the size and shape of the glass. According to Daley, when all is said and done, you should simply select a glass you like. “A good beer glass is a combination of form and function. By pouring the beer into a glass you are already gaining some positive functionality. In terms of form, it should look good to your eye and feel good in your hand,” he explains. Long story short, it’s just as important to choose a glass that’s right for you as it is to choose a glass that’s right for the beer.Continue Reading

Nicaragua Craft Beer Co. Releases Panga Drops Keller Pils in North America

SAN JUAN DEL SUR, Nicaragua – Nicaragua Craft Beer Co., the first craft brewery in the country, is expanding distribution of one of its flagship beers, Panga Drops Keller Pils, to 12 U.S. states this month. The brewery was started by Americans Matt Greenberg and Brendan DeBlois and is nestled within the beach town of San Juan del Sur.

Named after the world-famous surfing destination in Nicaragua, Panga Drops registers at 6.2% ABV and is a highly drinkable and interesting take on the Kellerbier style. “We wanted to appeal to informed craft drinkers, but also people who might not be so into hoppier or darker styles,” said president and co-founder Matt Greenberg.

Refreshing in both flavor and packaging, this unfiltered and crisp golden-colored beer comes in an 8 oz. squat can inspired by local soft drinks. “When you’re drinking a beer in the Nicaraguan heat,” said Greenberg, “the last four ounces tend to get warm. So, we moved those ounces to the next can to keep them cold. The 8 oz. squat cans chill faster to help keep you cool and refreshed.”

The 8 oz. squat can also stands out on shelves. Designed with a laid-back beachy vibe that matches the liquid within, it emulates its unique placement as Nicaragua’s only exported craft beer, and there is no other craft brew quite like it available in the United States.

Panga Drops has been available with limited distribution in Los Angeles and New York, but its official U.S. launch this month is the first time the unique brew will be available to the masses, with distribution now totaling 12 states including Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island and South Carolina.

About Nicaragua Craft Beer Co.

Nicaragua’s first craft brewery was established in 2013 by Americans Matt Greenberg and Brendan DeBlois in the town of San Juan del Sur. The country’s premier beach town is also a world-renowned surfing destination. The brewery offers a range of styles on draft and in cans, many of which feature local ingredients unique to the “land of lakes and volcanoes.” Learn more at www.nicacraftbeer.com.