Buffalo Bill Battle Buffalo Bill cody, Army-scout-turned- bison-hunter-turned-sharpshooting- showman is now the subject of a legal battle in his home town. Recently two businessmen each launched a brew named after this Western icon and now the battle is on. Former professional wrestling executive Eric Bischoff hired a microbrewery to create a light, spicy rye that he is marketing as "Buffalo Bill Cody Beer - brewed in the spirit of the wild wild West." His rival is Mike Darby has a craft brewer ship him crates of bland lager in blank bottles and then puts on his own Buffalo Bill labels. Mr. Darby got his beer to market first, by two days but he failed to get federal approval of his label. Mr. Bischoff did get his label approved, and applied for a federal trademark. Mr. Darby didn't—yet he insists that he is rightful owner of the brand becasue he also owns the Buffalo Bill Hotel. The case will go to a full trial, on a date not yet scheduled. |
Three Big Buck Beers Sam Adams Utopias is cask aged and blended from batches of beer spending time in everything from Portuguese muscatel finishing casks to bourbon, sherry, Cognac and brandy barrels. The brew is a strong one at 27 % ABV, allowing it to age successfully. The beer comes across more like a liqueur with a rich maple syrup undertone and a boozy warmth that's rare among beers. The creamy texture and molasses and fig aftertastes make it even more distinctive and intriguing. At $175 or more per bottle, it's definitely an expensive taste to cultivate, but one of those intriguing snifter shaped bottles lasts a while. Carlsberg Vintage 3 – The third and final in a series of super premium beers from Carlsbert, Vintage 3 was brewed under the watchful eye of Jacobsen Brewery brewmaster Morten Ibsen. Working with six other brewers, Ibsen put together a limited run of 1,000 bottles. The beer, aged in French Côte d’Or oak barrels, is somewhat sweet, coming across closer to a dessert wine than a beer. Get ready to pay $348 per bottle. And since bottles like this are rarely ever opened, each one is labeled with the work of one of six artists who were commissioned to do the label art, which is depicts the “...story of what Carlsberg City may look like someday.” According to Ibsen, the beer “tastes as wonderful as the angels sing.” Antarctic Nail Ale – Nail Brewing is an Australian brewer with a commitment to environmental responsibility. In fact, the founder's own brother is a crew member on the Sea Shepherd – the controversial eco-crusaders featured on the Animal Planet show “Whale Wars.” To support his brother's cause, Nail Brewing's founder, John Smallwood, brewed up a special ale to benefit the cause. The Sea Shepherd brought back ice from the Antarctic to use as the base for a 30 bottle run of Nail Ale. These 30 bottles sold at auction for hefty prices, with the first bottle going for $800. |
| Feature News from beernexus.com |
Edited by Jim Attacap
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| BEERNEXUS the crossroads of the beer world |
Biggest Losers
Some of America’s most famous beers have
lost a tremendous amount of their national
sales over the last five years. Mostly, they are
full-calorie beers, and they have lost sales to lower-calorie
products, as well as imports and craft beers. In fact, eight
major, well known beer have lost a staggering 30% or
more of their sales between 2006 and 2011.
Surprisingly, Budweiser, the best-selling beer in America
for years has lost 30 percent of its sales over the five-year
period. Given that Budweiser sold 18 million barrels last
year, this is a massive loss — more than 7 million barrels
less. Here the big losers:
8. Budweiser > Sales loss (2006-2010): -30 percent
7. Milwaukee’s Best Light
> Sales loss (2006-2010): -34 percent
6. Miller Genuine Draft
> Sales loss (2006-2010): -51 percent
5. Old Milwaukee
> Sales loss (2006-2010): -52 percent
4. Milwaukee’s Best
> Sales loss (2006-2010): -53 percent
3. Bud Select
> Sales loss (2006-2010): -60 percent
2. Michelob Light
> Sales loss (2006-2010): -64 percent
1. Michelob
> Sales loss (2006-2010): -72 percent