{FOR WHAT ALES YA!}
Craft beer continued to grow, Santa's Butt got banned and Anheuser-Busch got all organic on us.
Craft beer growth continued to outpace all other alcoholic beverage segments in 2006, while sales of domestic macro lagers saw little growth. The increasing popularity of import, craft and micro brews has led many distributors of domestic lagers like Miller Lite, Coors and Budweiser to acquire additional brands to supply America's broadening palates with the richer flavors they crave. Locally, the JJ Taylor Company, which distributes Miller and Coors, has started representing micro breweries such as Flying Dog from Colorado and are said to be in talks with craft brewers in Michigan and Georgia in an effort to add more craft product to their portfolio.
Area experts speculate JJ Taylor's craft beer push might be a response to Anheuser-Busch acquiring the exclusive rights from European brewery InBev to import its popular Beck's, Bass and Stella Artois brands; which JJ Taylor distributes. Of course the trickle down effect may mean smaller craft-beer-focused distributors like Micro Man (who used to distribute Flying Dog) and Unique Beers will seek to acquire new brands to replace departing brands. What that means for beer lovers in Florida is wider distribution of more brands of craft beer, which is something to look forward to in 2007.
Butt-head reasoning: Santa's Butt is a porter style beer from England where "butt" refers to a barrel and not, well, a butt. However, it's not the reference to Santa's ample rear that caused concern. Officials in Maine and New York claim Santa's presence on the label could entice young children to drink beer. But, beers featuring images of Santa, such as Rogue's Private Reserve sold in New York and Gritty McDuff's Christmas Ale sold in Maine, were not banned. This seemingly unequal treatment moved the importer of Santa's Butt, Shelton Brothers Co., to sue both states over the matter. The story received national media attention and led to a run on the product in states bordering New York and Maine. Santa's Butt wasn't banned in Florida so if you want a taste of what all the controversy is about head to a local retailer like Total Wine & More before the Butt is gone.
A-B goes organic: To earn the label organic by the USDA 95 percent of a beer's ingredients, usually barely and hops, must be grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals. Beers that earn the label are big sellers at health food stores and specialty markets such as Wild Oats, Whole Foods and Fresh Market. Established organic brewers such as Bison Brewing, Butte Creek and Wolaver's faced little competition. That is until the largest brewer in America decided to get in on the organic act. You won't see the words Anheuser-Busch on the labeling of Green Valley Wild Hop Lager or Stone Mill Pale Ale and that's apparently by design. But A-B's new organic brews are a sure sign there's a market for specialty organic brews. It recently launched a new beer that defines niche marketing. Redbridge is A-B's new sorghum beer brewed to be tolerable for people afflicted with Celiac's disease. People with this genetic disorder can not tolerate gluten, found in barley and most grains. Sorghum is gluten free and therefore safe for Celiac sufferers to enjoy.
