Nearly 800 breweries from 54 countries entered a record-breaking 3,921 beers for the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup, the world’s largest commercial beer competition. Expert judges from around the world conducted blind samplings, evaluating each beer’s appearance, aromas and flavors. Judges awarded AB InBev the Champion Brewery/Brewmaster Award – Large Brewing Company category. Award-winning beers included:

• Leffe Brown – Gold Medal, Belgian-Style Dubbel
• Michelob ULTRA – Silver Medal, American-Style Low Carbohydrate Light Lager
• Leffe Blonde – Silver Medal, Belgian-Style Blonde Ale
• Hoegaarden – Silver Medal, Belgian-Style Witbier
• Beck’s Premier Light – Silver Medal, European-Style Low Alcohol Lager/German-Style Leicht(bier)
• Michelob Light – Bronze Medal, American-Style Light (Low Calorie) Lager

This week we received our first shipment from the O’Fallon Brewery.  We had a kickoff meeting a few weeks ago with the founder and the VP of Sales.  The LWC sales team tried all of the beers O’Fallon produces.  The whole sales team thought the beers were very good. 

They brew five everyday beers: Hemp Hop Rye, 5 Day IPA, Gold, Wheach and Smoked Porter.

They brew a series of seasonal beers: Cherry Chocolate, Cocoa Cream Stout, Black Hemp, and Pumpkin Beer.

The following information is from the O’Fallon Brewery website:

At the O’Fallon Brewery we are passionate about making beer and we work hard to brew beers that look good, smell good and taste good!  Ours is a small manufacturing brewery located in St. Charles County just north and west of St. Louis, Missouri.  The brewery was founded by Fran and Tony Caradonna in January 2000, and sold to Jim Gorczyca in May of 2011.  Fran and Tony continue to be a part of the operations that currently employs eight full-time.  In 2011 we brewed around 6,000 barrels of beer…equivalent to about 82,000 cases.  Our 15-barrel brewhouse in O’Fallon produces small batches of beer that take about two weeks from brew-day to packaging-day. 

For more information about O’Fallon Brewery visit their website http://www.ofallonbrewery.com/

 STEVENS POINT BREWERY RECEIVES 

INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM

Hand-Crafted Beers win Medals in International Beer Competition 

STEVENS POINT, Wis.  (May 7, 2012) – The Stevens Point Brewery recently claimed silver and bronze medals in the 2012 World Beer Cup®, a global beer competition presented by the Brewers Association (BA) that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding brewers and their beers.

Gold, silver and bronze were awarded in the competition’s impressive field of nearly 4,000 entries from 828 breweries in 56 countries. World Beer Cup winners, selected by an international panel of 218 beer judges from 29 countries, were presented Saturday, May 5, 2012 during the World Beer Cup Gala Awards Dinner at the Town and Country Resort in San Diego, California. 

The Stevens Point Brewery was awarded a silver medal in the German-Style Schwarzbier category for its year-round Point 2012 Black Ale, a dark and robust brew inspired by the ancient Mayan “Long Count” round calendar which ends abruptly in 2012.   

The brewery also won a bronze medal in the German-Style Kölsh category for its spring seasonal, Point Three Kings Ale, a delicious, well-balanced, crisp yet smooth ale made with authentic Kölsh ale yeast.

“The World Beer Cup is the largest commercial beer-judging competition in the world,” said Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner Joe Martino. “It is also known as the Olympics of Beer,” he said.  “For our hand-crafted beers to be selected the world’s best is a great honor for our brewery,” Martino added. 

The 2012 competition drew the largest, most international field of entrants in the history of the World Beer Cup.  Visit WorldBeerCup.org for additional World Beer Cup information.

The Stevens Point Brewery

Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew their handcrafted beers, including flagship Point Special Lager, which won the gold medal in the American Premium Lager category at the 2003 Great American Beer Festival.

In addition to spring seasonal Point Three Kings Ale,  seasonal specialty brands include Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, an award-winning unfiltered wheat ale for the summer, Point Oktoberfest, a Bavarian-style Märzen beer for the fall; and Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a dark, abbey-style ale for the winter months.

Point’s year-round specialty beers include the award winning Point 2012 Black Ale, a robust dark ale; Point Belgian White, a Belgian-style wheat ale; Point Burly Brown American Brown Ale; Point Cascade Pale Ale, a hoppy American-style pale ale; Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager, and Point Drop Dead Blonde, a 110 calorie ale. 

The brewery’s craft beers also include the Whole Hog Limited Edition Brewmaster’s Series of “big beers,” including year-round Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale and seasonal offerings, Whole Hog Raspberry Saison, Whole Hog Russian Imperial Stout, Whole Hog Barley Wine Ale and Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale.

Gourmet soft drinks from the Stevens Point Brewery include Point Premium Root Beer, Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda. Point Premium Root Beer, made with pure cane sugar, natural vanilla and Wisconsin honey, was awarded a gold medal by the Beverage Testing Institute.

For more information about the Stevens Point Brewery, visit www.pointbeer.com or call 1-800-369-4911. Tours of the brewery are available, with schedules listed on the web site.

The World Beer Cup

The World Beer Cup has been held every other year since 1996 and is presented by the Brewers Association. The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America®, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.

The Weekly Beer Brief recently caught up with Rick Oleshak, director – Stella Artois, to get an inside look at this weekend’s Kentucky Derby.

Weekly Beer Brief: What makes Stella Artois a good fit as the official beer of the Kentucky Derby?

Rick Oleshak: The sophistication and ritual associated with Kentucky Derby weekend is a great fit for our brand. It is an excellent chance to launch our second promotional window of the year, focusing on Belgian heritage, with the premiere of a new TV spot – “World Trade Fair” – during Saturday’s Derby broadcast on NBC Sports. In addition, the iconic Stella Artois Chalice will join the iconic mint julep as the drink of choice at the Kentucky Derby this weekend. We anticipate more than 40,000 consumers in Louisville will enjoy a wonderful Stella Artois in a commemorative Chalice this weekend.

WBB: Besides the actual day of the Kentucky Derby, how else are we leveraging this sponsorship leading up to the Derby?

Rick Oleshak: Our support for this event goes beyond just the day of the race. We have been able to participate in many exciting opportunities leading up to the Derby, such as the sponsorship of the high-end ‘Taste of Derby’ food & wine event, a half-page print ad in Friday’s Kentucky Derby special section in USA Today, and our sponsorship of Julien Leparoux – the jockey who is slated to ride pre-race favorite Union Rags in the 138th Kentucky Derby.  Julien’s jockey silks will also prominently feature Stella Artois branding during the race.

WBB: During the broadcast of the Derby, where can we look for Stella Artois’ presence?

Rick Oleshak: We have multiple locations where Stella Artois will be prominent on Derby day.  First, our latest television commercial will celebrate a proud achievement from Belgium – Stella Artois.  Second, the iconic Chalice will get a special makeover with Kentucky Derby branding for race day – a clever take on the mint julep tradition.  Finally, Stella Artois will be visible throughout Churchill Downs – on the Jumbotron, track, street and outdoor signage, as well as on uniquely branded Build-A-Bar locations within the facility.

WBB: Are there upcoming plans to expand Stella Artois’ partnership with other horse racing events?

Rick Oleshak: We are eager to ride along with jockey Julien Leparoux as he races Union Rags in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.  With our sponsorship of Julien, we have several appearances and media interviews lined up, as well as an option to ride along with him as he continues his quest for a Triple Crown, if he is successful in the Derby race.  We are currently in the middle of planning for 2013 and you can bet that horse racing will continue to be a big avenue for us in the coming years.

WBB: If you had a horse in the Derby, what would its name be?

Rick Oleshak: Considering our exciting new activation behind the Kentucky Derby, “Thing of Beauty,” a take-off of our Stella Artois tagline, “She is a thing of beauty,” seems very appropriate.

When the demand for our award winning ales exceeded the capacity of our 10-barrel brewery below the pub, we built our present 30-barrel facility at the corner of Highways 128 and 253, a mile from the center of Boonville. That was in 1996, and this brewery saw us through a dramatic period of growth, which included the introduction of a 12 ounce bottling line and a production level of 15,000 barrels in 1998, twice the amount brewed in 1997.

Yet, the brewery’s growth was outpacing its larger space and expanded capacity. In 1998, construction began on a state-of-the-art, three-story Bavarian-style brewhouse. The centerpieces of the brewhouse are gleaming 100- and 85- barrel copper brew kettles rescued by Ken Allen from a defunct German breweries during a trip to Europe in 1995. The new brewhouse went online in August of 2000.

By 2010 Ken Allen decided to retire and began to search for a successor to continue the Anderson Valley commitment to quality. In April of 2010 the brewery sold to industry veteran Trey White. In September of that year Fal Allen (former general manager 2000 – 2004, no relation to Ken) returned to the brewery as brewmaster. White has focused on innovation and quality, introducing the Bahl Hornin’ Series, expanding the barrel aged program, and increasing brewing capacity.

From the www.abvc.com website:

from his Family of Employees.

Pillman Award Recipient

Alexis Clark

She constantly has the best interests of the company in focus.

She constantly fights for fair prices, good service, and strong internal controls. 

Alexis consistently volunteers to help out and organize company events.

She offers suggestions for improvement and wants the best for herself and for others.  She is self-motivated.

In addition to Alexis’s attributes she helped organize the Christmas gift drive, she helped Marlo with the food drive and has won and been nominated for the W.O.W. award.

Top W.O.W. Award Recipient

Kip Willis

Where do we start with this winner?  He definitely wows his customers on a regular basis.  He is known to shovel driveways, stack beer, and just be an overall good representative of the company.

Kip has helped Kyle throughout his first year.  He showed him the proper procedures and was a sounding board.

Kip wants to ensure the drivers on his route know the customers and are well liked.

Kip wants the best for his customers, the company, and himself.

 Office

Becca Knaack

She has taken teamwork to a higher standard.  Becca is always upbeat, finds a positive light in a dark situation and has a great attitude.  She is not afraid to take on additional work and constantly wants to learn more.  Becca helped with the Christmas party, newsletters (goes above and beyond), speaking at CSC, volunteers, etc.

 Warehouse (AM)

Rick Saul

Rick is always willing to help in any division where we are short-handed.  He has worked in the warehouse, on Pepsi routes, loaded A-B trucks and always runs to Peoria or other places when we need product.  Rick has come back in after his shift was over to help out  He has worked Saturdays when we were in a pinch. Rick never hesitates if he has to run a delivery route when we are short drivers.

 Warehouse (PM)

Roger Godsil

Roger never has a negative attitude.  He will always do whatever is asked of him and not complain.  He does the extra little jobs that come up without hesitation.  He has even helped out Dave Wynes on extremely busy nights and has unloaded late incoming loads.

 Pepsi

Ron Bollivar

Ron is always willing to help out other employees and is dedicated to our customers.  Ron has maintained a great attitude in spite of extended periods of training new employees and running delivery routes.  Customers trust Ron and call him directly.  They know he will take care of them.  Ron consistently takes product out on routes when needed.  He never hesitates.  Each month he helps drivers unload product and deliver large loads.  A customer’s size does not matter to Ron.  He is willing to help them all.

 Anheuser-Busch

Jason Coon

Jason is well liked by his accounts and has built great relationships.  Jason regularly attends promotions and contributes to the company’s goodwill.  If needed Jason has even come in on the weekends to help deliver product.  Jason will help others with close-dated beer.  Jason also never hesitates to sell-in new items and leverages his relationships.

 Liquor-Wine-Craft

Travis Stoneking

During 2011 Travis outperformed the LWC division average growth by 9%.  He increased his sales dollars by 15% compared to 2010.  Travis was the salesman of the quarter 3 out of 4 times.  One of his biggest accomplishments was securing new wine placements. Travis is always a team player.  He and Don Hillman work together on tastings.  Travis has even gone out of his way to pick up items for the Pepsi division.

 Manager

Don Hillery

Don goes out of his way to accommodate customers and never says no.  He is constantly looking to improve himself and his team.  Don searches for better ways to perform regular routines.  And, Don knows how to create and manage a budget.  Don can be relied upon to make the right decision and always lookout for the company and the customer.

 Overall Employee

Bryan Leffler

Bryan was nominated by numerous managers.  He is always willing to do what is asked of him and maintains a positive attitude.  Bryan is dependable and helps others without having to be asked. Bryan does jobs that are not assigned to him and helps out no matter where he is needed.  Bryan often rearranges his personal schedule to help the company.  His dedication is an example to others.

 Service Anniversaries

Twenty-Five Years

Steve Scharfenberg

Ten Years

Marlo Abernathy

Dominick Reading

Chris Ashby

Don Hillman

Carlos Sosa

Five Years

Travis Stoneking

Tevyn Stewart

Dave Nalley

Chris Admire

Dave Wynes

With growing consumer demand for new flavored products that in turn drive growth in the flavored malt beverage category, Michelob ULTRA takes it one step further and introduces a new lighter flavored malt beverage product…the ULTRA 19^th hole. A light alcohol beverage infused with natural lemonade and iced tea flavors perfect for the spring and summer selling seasons!

With fewer calories and superior refreshment, ULTRA 19^th hole brings a new twist to the classic combination of iced tea and lemonade for a perfect outdoor occasion or just no occasion at all. 

Backed by the credibility and sophistication of Michelob ULTRA and it’s long term success in the beer category, this new flavored malt beverage product not only brings new consumers into the Brand but also new drinking occasions.