Anheuser-Busch brewery in Baldwinsville to produce 3 million cases of beer with solar power

By PAYNE HORNING

The Anheuser-Busch brewery in Baldwinsville will now be partially powered by a 2.7 megawatt solar farm, the largest off-site solar installation of any Anheuser-Busch brewery in the country.

The 8,300 solar panels located on a vacant lot in the Town of Van Buren will provide enough electricity to help Anheuser brew more than 3 million cases of beer at its Baldwinsville brewery annually. That's only a fraction of the 85 million cases it produces now, and only about 4 percent of its total electricity usage. But Baldwinsville brewery General Manager Bryan Sullivan says this is about more than just finances.

"Across the U.S., our employees are united with a deep passion for brewing beer and an unwavering commitment to supporting the communities that we call home," Sullivan said. "This includes acting as stewards for our lands and waterways, recognizing our responsibility to lead our industry toward a cleaner environment as well."Continue Reading

'Imitation rum and vodka' soft drink deal selling for less than $10 slammed by health officials

By Giselle Wakatama

Health officials and the distilled spirits industry have slammed what they call an imitation vodka and rum deal, with soft drink, as akin to a deconstructed alcopop.

Key points:

• Health researchers and the ABC obtained the 20-22pc alcohol, classed as wine, and soft drink deal at several NSW outlets for under $10
• Researchers and the peak distilled spirits body say the products are taking advantage of wine taxation which is lower than spirits and beer
• The ATO said it could act if the producers are not acting in accordance with tax obligations

The drinks avoid the high taxes linked to spirits as they are classed as wine.

The ABC has been investigating the deal involving a clear liquid, which comes in a wine bottle labelled Verochka, written in a Russian or Polish style.

Verochka is a Russian girl's name and means 'true', but health experts and those in the spirits industry have questioned the truthfulness of the product and its labelling.

It is 22 per cent alcohol, contains 13 standard drinks, and is offered in a deal where the purchaser can also get a bottle of soft drink for free.

The label contains the words "triple filtered, premium blend" in font similar to some popular vodka brands.

Doctors have also raised concerns about a brown liquid in a wine bottle labelled Sailor Jacks, with the label containing the wording "Caribbean premium spiced gold' in a style similar to popular rum brands.

It is 20 per cent alcohol and contains 12 standard drinks.

ABC reporters purchased a bottle of each at a bottle shop in New South Wales and were told the soft drink and liquor promotion was a supplier-driven initiative.

In a double deal, a consumer can buy two bottles of the high alcohol, wine based drink for $18 — along with the free soft drinks.

That equates to 26 standard drinks for less than $20.

The deals have been slammed by Newcastle University academic Kypros Kypri, one of the architects of hotel lockouts and earlier closing times rolled out in Newcastle a decade ago, followed by Sydney.

PHOTO: Dr Kypri said Verochka with a soft drink, sold as a package, "is clearly orientated towards a sort of cheap alcopop". (ABC Newcastle: Anthony Scully)

"The promotion that I have seen was of bottles of a clear sprit that looks like vodka and has a name, and the bottle, deliberately there to look like a vodka bottle and the name is Verochka," Dr Kypri said.

"There are 13 standards drinks in that bottle [Verochka], and that is certainly enough to make someone ill in a session."

Both drinks are produced and supplied by the company Kymbari beverages based in Victoria, linked to the Barrand Family Trust.

The ABC searched trademark records and other company data and was unable to find contact details for anyone linked to the trust.

Addresses listed on trademark applications were also searched, with at least two appearing to be abandoned or run-down factories.

The company's products are lawful and the ABC is not suggesting otherwise.Continue Reading

Father's Day Gift Guide: High-End Wine And Spirits That Can Double As Art

By. Aly Walansky


Whether dad loves tequila or whiskey at the end of a long day, the best Father's Day gifts are those that he can display long after the bottle is finished. These bottles contain some incredible wines and spirits that make great gifts, but are also artistic and meant to be displayed after the drinking is done!

Hennessy Paradis Impérial 

This liquor comes in a gorgeous new crystal decanter by internationally acclaimed artist Arik Levy, which was designed for Paradis Impérial to celebrate precision in craftsmanship. Levy worked hand-in-hand with master crystal cutters to create a gem-like setting for the crown jewel of Hennessy’s rare collection. A contemporary and rare Cognac, Paradis Impérial defies preconceptions about old Cognacs with its pale color and very precise, non-traditional taste: the striking vessel by Levy balances curve and tension with a faceted design that captures subtle variations of lighting to enhance the blend’s coloration.

Around $3,000 at Reserve Bar

Clase Azul Reposado Tequila

Continue Reading

McHenry City Council to consider 'bring your own alcohol' liquor license

Some businesses want to offer BYOB without selling food, alcohol

By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN

McHenry City Council will meet Monday to consider the creation of a “bring your own alcohol” license.

The city doesn’t have an ordinance in place that regulates customers who want to bring their own alcohol into a business that doesn’t serve food or alcohol on site.

“In recent years, the city, much like our surrounding communities, has seen a growth in businesses who wish to allow their customers the ability to bring their own alcohol on premise and consume alcohol in conjunction with a service they have purchased at the business,” McHenry Police Chief John Birk said in a memo to the council. “The regulation and oversight of businesses involved in either the sale, service or consumption of alcohol is directly linked to the safety of a community and those citizens who live, work and visit within it.”

Some places in McHenry, such as Studio Art School and a new boating business, are interested in allowing customers to drink, according to city documents. The new liquor license would allow the city and police to have some oversight in “bring your own alcohol” situations, according to city documents.

The new ordinance will make it illegal for businesses to let customers bring alcohol on site without a license. The licensing fee will be $250, and no more than two active permits will be allowed at a time, according to the ordinance.

Customers won’t be allowed to bring in their own drinks after midnight or before 6 a.m.

City Council also will consider the boating business Pedal and Pour Inc., which wants a “bring your own alcohol” license for its new Fox Waterway service.Continue Reading

Dozens of new liquor licenses could be issued in Detroit if approved by City Council, state

Dozens of new liquor licenses could soon be issued in the city of Detroit.

City Council is expected to refer the item Tuesday to the Planning and Economic Development Committee to review Thursday a resolution allowing 20 businesses to secure special licenses that let them sell alcohol for on-premises consumption. The city says a total of 63 such licenses could be issued, with more every three years, if the state approves the licenses in a "City Redevelopment Area" established by the city late last year.

The licenses would be above and beyond the city's maxed-out quota of Class C liquor licenses, the most common — and coveted — type for restaurants and bars. They would also cost one-fourth the price of a typical license.

"Liquor licenses are very expensive at the moment because of a high demand and a limited supply," according to a summary of the proposal provided by the city. "To mitigate this high expense for small and medium size businesses, we are proposing to establish a City Redevelopment Area, which would allow for businesses to purchase a liquor license, straight from the State Liquor Control Commission."

The proposal is being spearheaded by Mayor Mike Duggan's administration as a tool for spurring economic development. It has caused worry for some small business owners who believe that injecting more liquor licenses into the market could lower the value of their own and saturate the market — already home to the highest number of liquor licenses in the state.

The proposed licenses are categorized as "redevelopment liquor licenses," which were established through provisions of Public Act 501 in 2006, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. The law allows for a city to add one new liquor license for every $50 million invested in real and personal property in the redevelopment area.

The redevelopment area, drawn out in a document from the city clerk's office, includes downtown and Midtown, as well as many other areas spread across the city that Duggan is targeting for redevelopment, from the Livernois Avenue of Fashion corridor in northwest Detroit to Jefferson Chalmers on the east side.

According to the city's assessor's office, the city saw $3.15 billion of investment in its main commercial corridors and targeted areas from 2014 to 2016. That would make it eligible for 63 new licenses. Every three years, more licenses can be issued depending on investment in the redevelopment zone, according to state law.

City Council unanimously approved in September the establishment of a redevelopment area. It now must OK the licensees before going to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for final approval.

"… The availability of escrowed on-premise quota licenses for new businesses to purchase in the County of Wayne has significantly decreased, and the price for such escrowed on-premises licenses has increased more than 100 percent over the past year," according to the city clerk's document.Continue Reading

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]