The top 12 craft beer brewers in America in 2008, by sales:

1. Boston Beer Co. in Boston, MA

2. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, CA

3. New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, CO

4. Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX

5. Pyramid Breweries Inc. in Seattle, WA

6. Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR

7. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, NY

8. Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City, MO

9. Full Sail Brewing Co. in Hood River, OR

10. Magic Hat Brewing Co. in Burlington, VT

11. Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau, AK

12. Harpoon Brewery in Boston, MA

Are any on the list surprising to you? I must say, despite the many types of craft beer I’ve tried thus far, I haven’t had brews from the majority of the list. Guess I should get crackin’!

What breweries, if any, would you have expected to see here?

TAGS [ CRAFT BEERS | CRAFT BREWERIES | TOP CRAFT BREWERIES | TOP MICROBREWS ]

Despite economic issues throughout the country, craft beer sales are still on the rise. I know I haven’t stopped enjoying my favorite craft brews, so I’m glad to hear that other people are still treating themselves as well. According to Tim Sheehan, CEO of L. Knife & Son, a top distributor for Anheuser-Busch, "It has not taken a big economic hit because most people consider it more of a staple than a luxury. On the higher-end brands, people are pretty passionate about them. They may drink less, but they’re going to continue to drink what they like." (source)

The word on this was clearly evident at the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Boston last week - business is up and everyone’s talking about it. Looking for cost effective ways to enjoy your favorite craft beers? Check out my post from last week, Enjoy Your Favorite Beers Without Losing Your Shirt.

Cheers to craft beer and to those who truly appreciate and enjoy it! Don’t ever settle for less than what you love.

TAGS [ CRAFT BEER | CRAFT BEERS | CRAFT BEER SALES ]

In these uncertain financial times, you may want to consider the advantage of serving draft beer from home.

Kegworks sells a variety of keg fridge conversion kits that will allow you to serve fresh draft beer from a spare fridge in your home; Right now our popular C240 Kegerator Conversion Kit is only $159.95, and it includes an empty CO2 tank that you can get filled at a local welding supply place.

Let’s say your household drinks 2 cases of beer a week, with the cost of a case of beer at approximately 20 dollars.

The average cost of a half keg of the same beer is about 55 dollars. That works out to about 8 dollars per case for the same amount of beer out of the keg.

So your weekly savings would be about 24 dollars a week, so the conversion kit would pay for itself in about 7 weeks.

Not bad, considering the enjoyment factor of fresh draft beer versus bottles or cans.

Cheers!

TAGS [ KEG BEER | DRAFT BEER | DRAFT BEER AT HOME | DRAFT BEER TIPS ]

Absolut Vodka Company paid Zach Galifianakis a bunch of money to create a spot for their In An Absolut World campaign. Zach enlisted the help of his friends Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, the creators of Cartoon Network’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job, where Zach has been a frequent guest.

Now, I love Tim and Eric, I watch their show religiously and have even seen them live, but their dry comedy, usually dealing with some form of absurdist extreme personal embarrassment, is not for everyone. Pretty much the same can be said for Zach’s brand of humor. I think the 3 commercials (more like short films) are hysterical and exactly what I would expect from Zach, Tim and Eric, but I have to wonder what the marketing people at Absolut thought of the spots. Check them out for yourself and let us know if Absolut got the most out of their marketing dollar.

TAGS [ ABSOLUT | ABSOLUT COMMERCIALS | ZACH GALIFIANAKIS | TIM AND ERIC | ABSOLUT ADS | FUNNY ALCOHOL COMMERCIALS | FUNNY ALCOHOL ADS ]

I don’t know about you, but when I drink I usually don’t talk about fun facts or trivia. But recently, I ran into this website, so now, with this newfound information, it just may be something to give a try and impress some people!

Here’s a glimpse at some fun facts:

The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.

Vikings used the skulls of their enemies as drinking vessels.

Anyone under the age of 21 who takes out household trash containing even a single empty alcohol beverage container can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol in Missouri.

The early Church declared that alcohol was an inherently good gift of God to be used and enjoyed. While individuals might choose not to drink, to despise alcohol was heresy.

While there wasn’t any cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie to eat at the first Thanksgiving, there was beer, brandy, gin, and wine to drink.

During Prohibition, temperance activists hired a scholar to rewrite the Bible by removing all references to alcohol beverage.

Bourbon takes its name from Bourbon County in Kentucky, where it was first produced in 1789 by a Baptist minister.

The alcohol in drinks of either low alcohol content (below 15%) or high alcohol content (over 30%) tend to be absorbed into the body more slowly.

There’s plenty more, too. Check out the site, and if you have any other interesting facts to share, be sure to pass them along to us!

TAGS [ DRINKING TRIVIA | FUN ALCOHOL FACTS | ALCOHOL TRIVIA ]

I know we’ve been throwing a lot of great commercials your way over the past few days but I saw the following Heineken ad this morning (thanks Mike!) and I just had to share it.

Being the creative type, I’m a big fan of clever ads and good execution and in my opinion Heineken hits a home run with this television spot. When the commercial starts, you’re not quite sure what’s going on… it’s fun, it’s catchy, it’s sexy and it makes you feel good - but for the first 18 seconds (of 30 seconds total) you’re not sure what’s going on.

The story sucks you in though - and at 25 seconds they hit you with the message, "let a stranger drive you home" - a fun twist on the usual "don’t drink and drive" and the always popular "please drink responsibly!" The commercial says nothing about the beer – and you don’t even know that the message is from Heineken until the very end. The brilliant "Give Yourself a Good Name" tag ties it all together and plays up both the ad’s message and the Heineken brand at the same time. Bravo Heineken, bravo!

And please, take this clever message to heart. If you’re drinking, it’s always wise to let a stranger drive you home!

TAGS [ DRINK RESPONSIBLY | HEINEKEN COMMERCIAL | HEINEKEN AD | BEER ADS | BEER COMMERCIALS ]

We’re going back to basics and taking you on a journey to soak up some draft beer fundamentals. We’ll quench your thirst for knowledge and make you a more educated beer connoisseur, starting with draft beer definitions and a breakdown of keg volumes and dimensions.

The next post in the Draft Beer 101 Series will focus on Pressure in your Draft System. Check back soon!

TAGS [ DRAFT BEER | KEG SIZES | KEG DIMENSIONS | DRAFT SYSTEMS | DRAFT BEER HELP | DRAFT BEER GLOSSARY ]