tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75912770055767775352008-07-24T13:59:20.978-05:00Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-43995985444483228972008-07-23T21:30:00.002-05:002008-07-24T13:58:10.924-05:00

Pitcher This: Beer travels well 07-23-2008 Traveling is its own reward — the chance to see new things, to get out of one's comfort zone, and of course the pleasure of getting away from work, which I'm sure is a vacation motivator for others (though not for me, honest).But I take special pleasure in getting out of town because it means trying beers I can't get at home.Beyond the brews

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-64591664834728526452008-07-09T14:08:00.002-05:002008-07-24T13:58:45.753-05:00

Pitcher This: The selling of 'the great American lager' 07-09-2008 There's been lots of talk recently about the biggest beer deal in years: The offer by Belgium-based international brewing giant InBev to pay $46 billion for America's iconic beer-maker, Anheuser-Busch. Depending on who's talking, the offer is either a common-sense investment by one giant corporation in another, a

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-71084136393564774582008-06-25T00:00:00.001-05:002008-07-24T13:59:03.652-05:00

Wow, didn't realize I'd skipped one. Here it is, just two weeks late. Pitcher This: Fresh tastes better, even with beer 06-25-2008 It was an unexpected phone call, but definitely the welcome kind."Can I pick you up some beer?"That's similar to asking someone if they'd like a free pile of cash, isn't it?The caller was in a store I don't normally frequent, one that tends to stock

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-67111691347280945072008-06-11T11:28:00.003-05:002008-07-24T13:59:20.994-05:00

Pitcher This: At last, good things are brewing in Bama again 06-11-2008 After a long, thirsty year, Alabamans can again wet their whistles with beer brewed in their home state.Just in time for the Magic City Brewfest a week and a half ago, Birmingham's Good People Brewing Co. started filling kegs and brought some of its brand-new brown ale to the festival.This came just shy of a year

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-81461869110915715402008-06-04T11:57:00.006-05:002008-06-04T13:56:33.921-05:00

As noted in the first post from the Magic City Brewfest, a great surprise was to find Alabama-brewed beer there after all. Birmingham's Good People Brewing Co. offered its beer to the public for the first time at the festival. I got a chance Sunday to chat with Good People's Jason Malone, who said the company this week is beginning keg production, and will begin distributing the draft beer to

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-25834402540081790602008-06-01T21:40:00.006-05:002008-06-02T13:23:42.666-05:00

Just in from the 2008 Magic City Brewfest. The Star's 10-strong contingent had a great time, despite the occasional rain and one nearly hour-long storm delay. Over the next few days I'll be emptying out my notebook here on the blog. In the meantime, here's a few highlights from the festival off the top of my head: There was Alabama-brewed beer there after all. Birmingham's Good People Brewing Co.

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-79502506641372433522008-06-01T10:38:00.004-05:002008-06-01T11:45:11.641-05:00

I, the Mrs. and a group from The Star are rolling out this afternoon for the Magic City Brewfest. Looks like there was overwhelming support from the public last night. Enough people showed up that there were ticketing and entry problems. Free the Hops' Danner Kline posted a message at the festival Web site last night after the session was over, indicating they would handle some things different

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-44056935440849722752008-05-28T10:34:00.001-05:002008-05-28T10:36:53.581-05:00

Pitcher This: Birmingham's beer bonanza 05-28-2008 With apologies to the Iron Bowl and Talladega Superspeedway's twice-a-year festivities, there's no better time to enjoy beer in Alabama than this weekend.Saturday and Sunday will see the return of the Magic City Brewfest, which debuted in 2007 to rave reviews despite a few first-year glitches.The two-day festival will again take

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-4351342619351976072008-05-23T10:45:00.002-05:002008-05-23T11:08:23.723-05:00

The second annual Magic City Brewfest is just over a week away. Organizers say this year there'll be more beer, more food, and probably more people. The festivities will be at Birmingham's Sloss Furnaces Park, Saturday, May 31 from 7 p.m.-11 p.m., and Sunday, June 1, from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Tickets are available online now; they'll be more expensive at the gate. Stuart Carter, president of Free the

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-4670363274061121742008-05-20T15:15:00.003-05:002008-05-20T15:30:11.465-05:00

I just spoke with Stuart Carter, president of Free the Hops, the group pushing the Gourmet Beer Bill to raise the allowed alcohol-by-volume limit on beer sold in the Alabama to 13.9 percent from 6 percent. He said last night's failure by the state Senate to do much of anything has ended any chance of passing the bill this year. Carter and other members were disappointed, to say the least. "If it

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-38535748853369420982008-05-20T11:26:00.002-05:002008-05-20T11:53:04.231-05:00

The Alabama Senate adjourned last night without passing an education budget or accomplishing much of anything else, let alone getting close to touching the Gourmet Beer Bill. Free the Hops' President Stuart Carter, in a post on the group's blog that was also e-mailed to members and supporters, wrote that Alabamans were "failed by the Senate." Beyond FTH's pet issue of raising the ABV limit on

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-56334128504283925752008-05-19T14:32:00.003-05:002008-05-19T14:44:09.643-05:00

It could be that we'll never know if Gov. Bob Riley would sign a bill to increase the amount of alcohol allowed in beer here this year. It could also be that we'll never know if the Senate would approve such a measure. That's because the Senate is stalled in its final day of deliberation on the state's education budget. The Associated Press is reporting that the Senate is in danger of ending the

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-6582468545876312782008-05-19T10:39:00.002-05:002008-05-19T11:07:44.040-05:00

The Alabama Senate should today take up what supporters have called the Gourmet Beer Bill, which would increase the allowed alcohol limit for beer to 13.9 percent from 6 percent. Free the Hops, the citizens' group which has sought the change for three years now, decided two weeks ago to hold off on having the bill considered as tensions were running high in the Senate's rush to get things done.

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-40156313349380133062008-05-14T12:34:00.001-05:002008-05-14T12:35:55.142-05:00

This from The Daily Home in Talladega. -aj By Chris Norwood 05-13-2008 TALLADEGA COUNTY — The County Commission voted unanimously Monday night to authorize county attorney Barry Vaughn to come up with a proposed bill that would allow the sale of draft beer on and off premises in the county following a public hearing.There was no opposition to the proposal during the hearing, and

Andy Johns, mobile reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12351414761440889747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-34619674819196268332008-05-05T11:24:00.002-05:002008-05-05T11:36:11.912-05:00

Is the promised land in sight? The folks at Free the Hops say the Gourmet Beer Bill, HB196, will finally be up for discussion in the Alabama Senate this week, likely on Tuesday. The bill would raise the allowed alcohol limit on beer sold here from 6 percent alcohol by volume to 13.9 percent. The group's president, Stuart Carter, sent an e-mail to supporters this morning asking that they call

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-21088812778875519782008-04-30T07:32:00.001-05:002008-04-30T07:39:35.757-05:00

Pitcher This: 121 bottles of beer on the wall 04-30-2008 There's an old saying attributed to an ancient philosopher comparing loudmouths and containers."As empty vessels make the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest blabbers," it goes.One might add that when it comes to beer bottles, he who empties more vessels tends to display less wit and blab

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-15255141223065410912008-04-23T20:25:00.002-05:002008-04-23T20:49:39.038-05:00

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Bob Townsend, in today's column, profiles hometown-brewer-done-good Sweetwater. In March the company installed eight new 400 barrel fermentation tanks, doubling capacity at the downtown facility. Sweetwater's beers are available in eastern Alabama, but only on tap at a few places I've seen (Cooter Brown's Rib Shack and the Vault in Jacksonville, plus the Mellow

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-5291420349065248912008-04-17T19:04:00.005-05:002008-04-18T21:38:10.554-05:00

One of the joys of starting a beer column has been that people in the newsroom now randomly bring me new beers to try. This works well as long as I can wait until I get home to sample them. A fellow hop-head at the office (Staff Writer Matt Kasper, whose dad Rob Kasper, coincidentally, writes the Kasper On Tap blog for the Baltimore Sun), recently brought me a can (yes, can) of Dale's Pale Ale,

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-36118059281105985022008-04-16T11:57:00.001-05:002008-04-16T12:03:41.776-05:00

Pitcher This: Lawnmower beer — Brews to cool you 04-16-2008 The dust is still settling. The sun will blaze for a few hours more.You've just pushed your 80-pound Craftsman over every square inch of your half-acre lawn and your arms are pink from the exposure. Your head aches from the heat and two-cycle exhaust.Your body somehow still is squeezing out sweat, which in turn runs right

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-23765500542498018922008-04-15T11:31:00.004-05:002008-04-15T11:54:29.632-05:00

Looking for something cool and beer-related to do this weekend? Atlanta's Sweetwater Brewing Co. is havin' a big ol' Earth Day throwdown. The two-day Sweetwater 420 Fest takes place Saturday & Sunday at Atlanta's Candler Park. There's live music both days, a 5K run on Saturday, lots of good Sweetwater-brewed beer, and a new "Planet 420" environmental expo with all sorts of info on how to live

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-84293589967862979252008-04-09T17:01:00.003-05:002008-04-09T17:18:12.777-05:00

Boston Beer Co. is recalling Samuel Adams beer sold in bottles shipped from one of its glass suppliers. The bottles may contain small fragments of glass that could injure drinkers if ingested, the company said. They've set up a Web site with information about the recall here. Bottles embossed with the code "N35 OI" at their base should not be drunk, according to the site. According to news

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-85533083859031525112008-04-07T15:38:00.002-05:002008-04-07T16:41:27.825-05:00

Today's April 7th, marking 75 years since the first legal beer in 13 years as an amendment to the Volstead Act took effect in 1933, effectively ending the total ban on alcoholic beverages in the United States. Liquor would flow later that year after the 18th Amendment was repealed. But for eight months, beer slaked the nation's thirst. Tonight, I'll raise a glass of whatever's in my fridge to

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-9231610868888044552008-04-04T13:30:00.005-05:002008-04-04T15:18:40.710-05:00

Long-time Pitcher This readers may recall my erstwhile fondness for Rolling Rock, and my concern for the fortunes of Latrobe, Pa., where it was once produced. I wrote a column last year relating to Anheuser-Busch's purchase of the brand, and the decision to move production to New Jersey. City Brewing later bought the shuttered Latrobe plant and began using it to brew Samuel Adams under contract (

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-67412161298218777452008-04-04T11:48:00.003-05:002008-04-04T11:55:51.975-05:00

The Wall Street Journal has this bit today (you've got to be a subscriber to read the whole thing, but the main news is in the free nugget): Anheuser-Busch will begin allowing some of its distributors to carry competing brands. How big a deal is this? Aren't AB's exclusive distribution deals one of the major tools it's used to build it's mammoth market share? Is this a sign that we should expect

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591277005576777535.post-61352385642704725922008-04-03T10:30:00.004-05:002008-04-03T10:45:10.978-05:00

Markeshia Ricks filed a report on Wednesday's Senate committee hearing on home brewing. She seems to have read more reluctance into the senators' reactions than I've seen mentioned elsewhere. The story pasted below is carried in today's edition of The Anniston Star. Normally it would be available on our Web site for subscribers only, but we're offering it for free to Pitcher This readers. Enjoy!

Ben Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089028149998032584noreply@blogger.com