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This is the "Big One", The American Homebrewers Association's "Big Brew" Day
The Society of Oshkosh Brewers will participate in the National Homebrewer Association's National Homebrew Day.
Each year on the first Saturday in May, homebrewers unite non-brewing and brewing friends and family to celebrate National Homebrew Day, joining with thousands of homebrewers from around the world in brewing the same recipes and sharing a simultaneous toast at noon Central Time.
The event will begin at the crack of dawn and continue throughout the day with many brews going at once. There will be demonstrations, tasting and much more.
The public is most welcome and is invited to participate in the actual brewing operations. Learn to homebrew and meet some great people!
Find out more HERE.
Why Price Increases Are Brewing for Craft Beers
That six pack of high-brow beer is about to come at a higher price, thanks to the sharpest surge in decades in the cost of the hops and barley that give each brew its distinctive taste.
Consumers could pay 50 cents to $1 per six pack more in the coming months for many small-batch "craft beers," as brewers pass on rising hops and barley costs from an unpalatable brew of poor harvests, the weak dollar and farmers' shift to more profitable crops. Other makers of craft beers, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. brewing industry, say they may eat the higher ingredient costs, which will pare their profits. Read more...
A Toast to Michael Jackson...
 August 30, 2007, Beertown.org • It is with deep regret that we must inform you of the passing of Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter, who died this morning at his home in London, UK.
Michael's presence in the beer world profoundly impacted us as it did many, many of you. He was revered and honored each and every time he joined us and brewers in Denver and across the U.S.
Many of us have fond memories of Michael, his writings and his relentless support for great beer. We invite you to share your thoughts and tributes to Michael. The Brewers Association has a web page devoted to Michael’s extraordinary life and we will update that page as information becomes available. Truly this is a sad day for the beer industry as we have lost a good friend.
www.beertown.org/michaeljackson
Send your tributes to mark@brewersassociation.org.
AHA Club-Only Competition Schedule
The SOBs are actively participating in the AHA Club-Only Competition series. Five different competitions are scheduled between now and May, 2008, and the contests are held throughout the US. The competition schedule is shown below, in our Competition Corner. More information is available at beertown.org.
Small-town Czech bars humble but fun
By Rick Steves. A strip of honey-colored flypaper spirals down from a thumbtack that anchors its now-empty canister. Speckled with lifeless flies, the canister swings each time the violin bow pokes it.
Read more...
Enjoy Oktoberfest like a local
(AP) -- If you think your travel guidebook's phonetic tips for ordering a liter of beer are enough to get you through Oktoberfest without being labeled a Saupreusse (for genteel readers, a dumb tourist), maybe you should stay home.
Read more...
Bears eat man at beer festival
BELGRADE, Serbia (Reuters) -- A 23-year old Serb was found dead and half-eaten in the bear cage of Belgrade Zoo at the weekend during the annual beer festival
The man was found naked, with his clothes lying intact inside the cage. Two adult bears, Masha and Misha, had dragged the body to their feeding corner and reacted angrily when keepers tried to recover it
"There's a good chance he was drunk or drugged. Only an idiot would jump into the bear cage," zoo director Vuk Bojovic told Reuters
Local media reported that police found several mobile phones inside the cage, as well as bricks, stones and beer cans.
Alcoholic Professional Beer Taster Sues His Bosses
The Associated Press repoted recently that AmBev, a large Brazilian brewer, was ordered to pay $49,000 to a beer taster who said he drank more than three pints of beer a day on the job. The professional taster claimed his duties turned him into an alcoholic. For over a decade, the employee reportedly drank 16-25 small glasses of beer during an eight-hour shift at the brewery. The company countered thatthe man was already an alcoholic before starting to work as a taster.
Anheuser-Busch to Purchase Budvar?
Rumors are spreading that Anheuser-Busch is about to purchase the Czech brewery, Budejovicky Budvar, which produces Budweiser Budvar, known in the U.S. as Chechvar. A-B and Budvar had been battling for nearly a century for the use of the name "Budweiser," but had recently reached a distributorship agreement that greatly enhanced the visibility of Budvar in the U.S. but puzzled the brewing industry.
According to the European Beer Consumers Union, which has over 110,000 memobers in 13 countries, the sale of the state-owned Budvar brewery to A-B would harm the quality of Budvar. The EBCU claims there is no reason for the Chech state to sell the prosperous brewery, which is currently the third largest Czech brewery, a strong exporter, and the last state-owned brewery. However, the purchase does make sense to A-B, which has been agressively expanding into Eastern Europe, China and other countries.
Drunken Driving Test
A 27-year-old German man failed his driving test after taking the exam while three-times over the legal alcohol limit. The examiner smelled alcohol on the man's breath, but let him try to take the test. Apparently, the man's driving was so bad, the examiner directed him to a police station where he was given an alcohol test and fined.
A Barley that Keeps Beer Fresh
Sapporo Breweries of Japan has developed a new variety of barley that keeps beer fresh longer. Commercial production with the new barley is to begin in Canada in 2008. The new barley, with eight years of development, lacks lipoxygenase, an iron-containing enzyme that may cause beer flavor to deteriorate. The new barley reportedly reduces the flavor-deteriorating substances to one-third of conventional levels. It also reduces foam-reducing substances by one-half.
Biofuels Cause Skyrocketing Barley Prices
Germans will have to dig deeper to indulge in their beloved beer in the next few months as barley is increasingly displaced in the country's fields by heavily subsidised crops used for biofuels. [more]
New Belgium Helps Brew Biodiesel
A new energy company in Fort Collins, Colorado, is using carbon dioxide from the New Belgium Brewing Company to grow lipid-producing algae. These lipids will be refined into biodiesal fuel.
Read more...
Beer Boosts Bust Size
It is reported that Boza, a traditional fermented drink made from wheat flour and yeast, enlarges women's breasts. The drink is suddenly becoming very popular in Europe. Brewed traditionally in Bulgaria, which recently joined the European Union, Boza's customers are predominently men, who are reportedly hoping to bring about improvements in their wives and girlfriends. I wonder Boza's effects are related to beer goggles?
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