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European Beer News
UNITED KINGDOM Carolyn Smagalski
British To Land at CBC in Portland
The Society of Independent Brewers has announced that UK brewers can now become International members of the Brewers Association in America. Launching a twist of creativity, the BA had agreed to highlight UK Brewers Association members who brew collaboration beers with UK brewers at the 2015 Craft Brewers Conference in Portland, Oregon, April 14-17. Some of the heavy hitters include the Adnams, Ilkley, FourPure and Rudgate brands.
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If you’re a coffee grinder at heart, you’ll worship the intensity of a HasBean.
BrewDog adds a triple shot of java into its 17th Abstrakt concept brew, HasBean Imperial Rye Porter. Boasting a hefty 17 percent ABV, HasBean rocks the boat with espresso in the mash, coffee in the boil, and whole roast beans in the whirlpool and fermenter.
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Rebellion Beer co-owners Mark Gloyens and Tim Coombes have entered 2015 with a galley of Pirate Beers sufficient to make Captain Jack Sparrow dance on a dead man’s chest. Each brew, released monthly, punches in at 4.2 percent ABV, showcasing a stash of premium ingredients for full flavor. February’s Poop Deck merged Maris Otter Pale Ale, Crystal and Cara malts with Golden Naked Oats, finished with Brewers Gold hops. A galley of beers is set for the remainder of the year: Blackbeard in March; Jolly Roger in August; and the crisp Yo Ho Ho in time for the December holidays.
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The Nottingham rugby community is arse over elbow with the new beer at The Bay. Greene King IPA has signed a five and a half year contract as the Official Beer of Nottingham Rugby as it moves to the Lady Bay Sports Ground, better known as The Bay.
BELGIUM Carl Kins
Palm Changes Name in Homage to History
There was big news from Palm Breweries. The company changed its official name to Palm Belgian Craft Brewers to emphasize that Belgian brewers can be considered the first craft brewers. At the same time, it highlights the company’s heritage and range of special beers, including Rodenbach and Boon. Palm has also installed a small eight-barrel brewery, which it will use to brew limited releases under the general name Arthur’s Legacy. Palm has appointed four dedicated specialists to brew herb and spice, hop, fruit and wood beers. Those beers will definitely be sought after.
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The Belgian beer scene keeps moving with new brewery construction. The beer consumer group ZYTHOS collected information on new initiatives and confirmed 11 breweries in planning during the last six months of 2014 and 26 beer companies, i.e. contract brewers.
One of those in planning is the Brussels Beer Project. The owners call themselves beer architects and are organizing their second round of crowd funding. In the first round, over 350 people joined in and paid $200 and will get 12 beers annually for the rest of their lives. This enabled BBP to commercialize three beers – Delta, Dark Sister and Grosse Bertah, all brewed at De Proefbrouwerij. The second round has the same conditions and the money raised will be used to fund a future micro-brewery located in Brussels. Two other Brussels brewery initiatives scheduled to get started in 2015 are En Stoemelings and Totembeer.
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Five Trappist breweries have joined to create a Taste of Trappists. The Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort and Westmalle brewing operations are aiming for three goals: a sustainable tourism strategy; thematic cycling/hiking routes; and customized vacation packages.
FOR POSSIBLE PHOTOS, ARTWORK:
http://beerproject.be/?lang=en