GABF visitors enjoy one-ounce beer samples from the festival's breweries. These breweries are arranged on the festival floor by regions of the country, giving beer lovers a walking tour of the nation's beer-blessed landscape. Many of the booths are staffed by the brewers themselves. More than 46,000 beer enthusiasts from Colorado, the United States, and around the world will attend this year's GABF. The 2008 GABF will cover 188,000 square feet of the Colorado Convention Center.

The GABF also hosts one of the world's largest and most prestigious tasting competitions. Over 100 professional beer judges from the United States and abroad evaluated over 2,800 beers are expected to be entered by more than 470 domestic breweries. Gold, silver and bronze medals in 75 beer-style categories will be awarded on October 11 at the 1:30 p.m. awards ceremony held during the Members-Only Tasting Session.

The GABF's popular food & beer pairing seminars featuring an A-list of America's brewers joined local and national celebrity chefs for demonstrations on how to cook with beer and pair different styles of beer with various dishes.

Firstly, thanks for all your comments about issues/problems you have been having with Easybrew. I think my site is starting to appear in search results alongside the actual easybrew.co.uk site, so hopefully this will warn people off shopping there!

As you may have read in my posts last year and early this year regarding Easybrew, I placed an order about 15 months ago and only received half of it. About 6 months later I was given a refund for the rest of the order. I was not happy with the service, but at least I hadn't lost out.

I am now getting about 10 comments a day (See here and here) about easybrew through this blog, as well as 4 or 5 private emails a week from people with orders that are "missing in action", or who have been promised refunds that have never materialised or who have had refunds actioned and then removed from their bank accounts again. There is clearly something badly wrong with this company, although I still can't decide whether it is deliberately crooked or just (really) badly managed!

If you have placed an order which you haven't received, or are wanting a refund and not getting any joy from Easybrew over the phone/email you should send a request to them in writing (registered/recorded post) for a refund of the money owed to you (Keep a copy for yourself). In this letter set a date/time by which you expect to have heard from them (say 10 - 14 working days). If after this time you still have no joy, I would strongly urge you to go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau and tell them the whole story. They will then advise you on the course of action to take. They can also probably either contact trading standards for you, or give you the relevant contact details. Mention the fact that there are many other people having problems with Easybrew.

I am also considering writing to some of the "homebrew" or CAMRA interest group magazines to alert more people to this company. Does anyone have any suggestion which publications would be most relevant?

Good luck to you all, and let me know how you get on!

Cheers,

Graham

According to a report in the Lawrence Journal-World a fire at a newly renovated brewing and bottling plant will delay a major expansion planned by Free State Brewing Co. The fire was reported about 6:30 a.m. Sunday. The building was not occupied at the time and no injuries were reported. Investigators continue to look for a cause. Brewmaster Steve Bradt said only refrigeration equipment was running at the time of the fire. The plant contained brewing equipment and malted barley, wheat and hops. Free State has been overhauling the plant for months. It plans to significantly increase production from the 2,700 barrels of beer per year it brews at its downtown location.

Constellation Brands Inc. said Thursday it lost nearly $23 million in its fiscal second quarter as strong sales of vodka and high-end wines were more than offset by charges to shrink its operations in Australia. Its shares fell more than 6 percent. Constellation became the world's biggest wine business by volume when it acquired Australian vintner BRL Hardy Ltd. in 2003. Its 300-plus brands run from jug wines to coveted California reds, including the Clos du Bois, Geyser Peak and Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi labels. It also imports Corona and St. Pauli Girl beer and owns liquors such as Fleischmann's vodka and Black Velvet Canadian whiskey.

Here is a snippet:

In 18th-century Virginia, beer for breakfast wasn't a matter of college boys on a binge. It was everyday life for working people.

But before you imagine folks in knee britches and tricorn hats having drunken fun in the morning sun, let Frank Clark set the record straight.

"Water was often unsafe, because it was contaminated," said Clark, historic foodways supervisor for Colonial Williamsburg. "So for most people, the everyday beverage was beer or cider. It was for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

You can view the whole article here.

Accoding to the Associated Press Micro-brewers are upset that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill they say puts them at a competitive disadvantage.

The bill allows breweries to give away promotional advertising items valued up to $3. That's up from the current 25-cent value limit.

The bill's author, Democratic Assemblyman Alberto Torrico of Fremont, says the measure helps level the playing field between beer companies and distilled-spirits manufacturers. Hard-liquor dealers can give away items valued up to $5.

The California Small Brewers Association says the state's 280 micro-brewers won't be able to afford goodies similar to those likely to be given away by giants such as Anheuser-Busch.

I am unclear if this crosses over into fruit beers or not maybe a reader can help me with that.

The article says that Utah has some of the strictest liquor laws in the country, a byproduct of having a population dominated by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon church counsels its members not to drink alcohol and is highly influential among state lawmakers when it comes to alcohol policy.

On Wednesday, a state law the church supported goes into effect, making Utah the only state in the country to ban the sale of the fruity alcoholic drinks at grocery stores and convenience stores. The law is aimed at keeping the drinks away from minors. The only place they can be sold will be in state liquor stores, where customers will still need to be at least 21 to buy them.

Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control spokeswoman Sharon Mackay said once the drinks can't be sold in convenience and grocery stores, the state's limited supply in liquor stores will likely be gone in a few weeks. Many grocery stores had already run out of flavored malt beverages days before they were required to pull them from store shelves.

Flavored malt beverages make up about 2 percent of all beer sales nationwide, according to the Flavored Malt Beverage Coaltion.

The drinks are already sold in liquor stores, but with a higher alcohol content than what has been allowed in grocery stores and with the same labels found in the rest of the country.

As part of the law, the drinks must contain new labels approved by the alcoholic beverage control department. Those labels must be on the front of the product and contain capitalized letters in bold type telling consumers the drinks contain alcohol and at what percentage.

 You can go to Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for more information.

Shares of the nation's beer and spirits makers fell Monday as Wall Street tumbled on news that lawmakers rejected a proposed $700 billion bailout plan for the financial industry.

The House of Representatives defeated the proposal Monday, and the news sent the Dow Jones industrials down more than 735 points. Investors are worried the failure to pass the rescue plan will make the current credit crisis worse. President Bush and congressional leaders had sought the package, which was defeated in the House 228-205.

Shares of Constellation Brands Inc.(nyse: STZ - news - people ) fell $1.22, or 5.5 percent, to close at $20.89. Shares ofFortune Brands Inc. (nyse: FOPRA -news - people ) fell $2.96, or 4.9 percent, to $57.01.

Beer maker Molson Coors Brewing Co. (nyse: TAP - news - people ) saw its shares slip $1.62, or 3.5 percent, to $44.79. Shares of Anheuser-Busch Cos. (nyse: BUD - news -people ) fell $2.52, or 3.8 percent, to $63.50.

The province announced Friday it will provide $8 million over four years to help small breweries, on top of an existing $1-million-a-year microbrewery strategy.

Brick, the largest Canadian-owned publicly held brewery in Ontario, did not specify Monday what its share of the cash would be.

But chairman and founder Jim Brickman stated: "It is encouraging that the government recognizes the importance of a strong, vibrant, locally owned and operated Ontario craft brewing industry."

Under the plan announced Friday, Ontario breweries producing less than 30 million litres per year will share in $1.8 million a year for four years. The taxpayers will also provide $200,000 annually to the Ontario Craft Brewers Association.

Shareholders also approved a capital increase and share issue that would raise up to $10 billion to pay for part of the deal. That covers the existing equity bridge financing of $9.8 billion in place since the deal was announced in July, InBev said, with an extra margin to cover any major currency fluctuations until the deal closes.

Shareholders of St.Louis-based Anheuser-Busch still neeed to approve the deal.

Anheuser-Busch already plans to shed 1,185 positions - mostly by offering early retirement and not filling existing vacancies.

To back his statement UBB’s data showed that beer production and exports have increased significantly in the past 12 months, ending this July. A total of 5.399 million hectolitres of beer were sold, compared to the 5.352 million in the previous 12 month period.

Ledenika & MM Brewery is responsible for its significant contribution to the increase of beer sales. The brewery has a domestic market share of about 10 per cent. Its market share also had an impact on exports, with figures overall reaching 78 358 hectolitres in 12 months, compared to the identical time period last year with 69 173 hectolitres exported.

Zagorka, Bulgaria’s best selling beer and a brand with the largest portfolio topped the chart with 1.716 million hectolitres, while Kamenitza ranked second with 1.571 million hectolitres, followed by Danish Carlsberg with 1.468 million hectolitres.

I have had time to brew (and drink, yay!) 2 batches of beer in the interim. The first was a very simple light bitter using 1lb of light DME, a handful of hops and a gallon of water to make a refreshing brew. The 2nd was virtually identical, with the addition of a handful of crystal malt to add a little more body and flavour. I'm in the process of trying to find my "standard" brew.

With regard to all the messages about Easybrew that I get: People with order problems need to contact Annette Ferre directly on her personal email address, annette.ferre@btopenworld.com

Cheers ;-)

While I'm at it, I want to give a big shoutout to international BeerMinion Mike and his lady Dana for checking in from Amsterdam the other day. I'm sure they're having a much better time there than I am here, but for once I won't hold that against someone.

So--who wants to be a Beermonger?

Recently, one of our staff members at Rick's had to move and her leaving puts us in a bit of a bind heading into the holiday season. Basically, I'm putting out a call here on the blog to anyone who is looking for a full-time job and is interested in taking over the beer department here at Rick's. This is a position that will have you overseeing a selection of over 400 beers, not to mention special orders and weekly beer tastings. I can tell you first-hand that this can be a fantastic learning experience and can introduce you to many people in the craft beer business. It's a lot of hard work, but then again it should be.

So, you may ask, why is Nick looking for a beer person? Well, as some of you know I actually have more experience as a wine sales guy. I went into my first wine job a few years ago (has it been that long? Yes, it has...) with a fair knowledge of beer, but knowing nothing about wine. This was a part-time position, stocking and keeping the store organized. My bosses offered to teach me whatever it was I'd like to know about wine and about three or four months later I was a full-time wine salesman. In fact, when I interviewed for the job here at Rick's, I thought I was interviewing for a wine job up until the moment that Caroline told me they needed someone to run beer. I figured 'Hey, I can do that...' and that's how I became the Beermonger you all know and love. Right now, though, I feel like I can be of greater service to the store on the wine side, hence looking for a beer person.

If you are looking for an 'in' into the beer industry; if you're looking for a great job in a business that is tough but rewarding; if beer is a hobby that you think you could make a career call or write or come by Rick's Wine & Gourmet and we'll see what we can get going.

Regardless, I will continue to write on the blog here. I know I'm not the most consistent blogger on the planet, but I do have a job to do and cherish my time off. Anyway, I do have fun writing here so I'll keep it up. You may see some 'Winemonger' columns on the horizon, though...

Ok, then. Write in or come by for my job. Do it. Back tomorrow or Wednesday with some very cool arrivals to tell you about. Until then,

Cheers,

Beermonger

Munich mayor Christian Ude opened the 175th Oktoberfest beer festival on Saturday with the traditional cry of "O' zapft is! - "It's tapped!"

It took Ude just two swift strokes to pound a spigot into the first massive keg of beer. Following festival protocol, he handed the first liter mug, called a "Mass," to Bavarian Governor Guenther Beckstein.

A 12-gun salute signaled to the hundreds of thousands who turned out on a cool September afternoon that it was time to start the beer flowing.

The 16-day festival is a huge tourist draw for this southern German city. This year, 6 million visitors from all over the world are expected to prowl Munich's sprawling 31-hectare (77-acre) Theresienwiese grounds in search of a coveted seat inside the beer tents or to the pretzel and sausage stands.

That's the question being asked near Wrigley Field as Anheuser-Busch and the owners of a building with a huge red and white Budweiser advertisement on the roof square off in a legal battle.

The new owner of the building covered the ad with a tarp, saying the beer maker didn't pay its rent on time and defaulted on its lease. He wants to take legal possession of the part of the roof where the sign is.

Anheuser-Busch said it tried to pay but its check was sent back. The brewer contends it has exclusive rights to the roof through next February.

A Cook County Circuit Court judge Friday granted a temporary restraining order that means Anheuser-Busch can remove the tarp.

The event ends with the 2nd Annual Manhattan Cask Ale Festival at the Chelsea Brewing Company, which features 45 ‘firkins’ of cask-conditioned ale from noon to midnight.

Check it out before it is too late.

The beer pushes the boundaries of flavor, according to Sam Adams, with 12 pounds of hops per barrel of Bavarian Noble Hallertau Mittelfrueh Hops. 

“Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner is brewed for the hungry-for-hops beer lover and the entire community of great beer connoisseurs who are always on the hunt for a brew that unabashedly pushes the boundaries of flavor,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams(R) beers. “Each fall, I travel to Bavaria and personally hand select the highest quality Noble hops used in the Hallertau Imperial Pilsner to ensure every bottle is bursting with the distinct bitter taste and floral aromas typical of Noble hops from this region, and necessary to support the bold, extreme flavor found in this beer,” Koch added.

Just as different grape varieties lend distinct characteristics to wine, hop varietals offer their own distinguishing flavor and aroma character to beer. While average beers use an ounce and a half of hops per barrel and a big, full-flavored beer like Samuel Adams Boston Lager uses a full pound, Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner -- one of the “hoppiest” beers available -- is brewed with approximately 12 pounds per barrel of Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. These prized hops are only grown in the Bavarian region in Germany, considered one of the best hop-growing regions in the world.

Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner will be available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles at select specialty beer retailers beginning late September 2008, for a suggested retail price of $9.99.

Every beer we had was enjoyable, but the one of special note is Summer Haze Dry Hopped Pale Weizenbock(at Blue Mtn.), which was rich and spicy with clove and well balanced by the hops, yet retained traditional banana and bubblegum notes.

We're looking forward to the rest of our trip - eating some good "Q", tasting some great beers and visiting our Asheville friends and fellow beer travelers. Hopefully I'll find a moment to log in and write about it, but if you don't hear from me, assume I'm having way too much fun!

The one-of-a-kind course, to be offered in next semester’s timetable, features beer taste-testing and allows students to study the science behind one of their favorite frothy beverages.

Jon Roll, a faculty associate in the bacteriology department who will teach the course in the spring, and Brandy Day, a UW senior majoring in microbiology, learned how to use the equipment in Milwaukee this summer. They are piloting the new course with two students this semester. 

The fermentation and zymurgy class, aimed at juniors, will be offered for the first time on a large scale in the spring, but enrollment will be limited.

Many schools seem to be starting similar classes. It really is a food/science course and I think it is a great idea to teach the students to respect beer rather then just guzzle it (I was there once).