Most Poured Beers

iPourIt, a self-serve beer technology company, released a report of its most-poured beers,
\ ciders, and wines. The data spans more than 45.5 million ounces of beer and 2 million
ounces of wine poured from 125 bar and restaurant locations between October 2017 and
October 2018.The results are somewhat surprising. Among the “top” lists — which include
top 50 craft beers, top 10 domestic beers, top 20 import beers, and top 10 ciders — are
brands that rarely make beer nerds’ “best” lists.

The leading craft beer, at nearly 250,000 ounces poured, is Firestone Walker 805.
The blonde ale was released with little fanfare compared to the brewery’s other brands like
Firestone Lager or its line of IPAs, yet it beat out Blue Moon’s 153,000 ounces and
came close to Coors Light’s 269,000 ounces.

Following Firestone Walker 805 and Blue Moon Belgian White are Narragansett Lager,
Lost Coast Brewery Tangerine Wheat, and Station 26 Brewing Juicy Banger — a flavored
wheat beer, a lager, and a juicy IPA, respectively.

Top imports included Modelo Especial, Stella Artois, Delirium Tremens, Lindemans
Framboise, and Grapefruit Radler. So, while Mexican imports unsurprisingly dominate,
Belgian and German beers aren’t too far behind.

iPourIt’s data, although representative of an admittedly small sample of beer drinkers,
shows one advantage of self-serve beer operations: choice. When given the chance, beer
drinkers are willing to expand their horizons and try a variety of styles. Yes, Bud Light and
Coors Light still top the list overall, but with Firestone Walker at a close third, and a juicy
IPA not far behind. The future is now, friends.

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Big Deal

In a deal worth more than $300 million, Heineken is joining forces with China Resources
Enterprise (CRE) and China Resources Beer (CR Beer), the largest beer company in
the world’s largest beer market. CRE and CR Beer reportedly acquired seven of
Heineken’s businesses as part of a long-term strategic partnership in mainland China,
Hong Kong, and Macau.
Feature News  
from  beernexus.com
Edited by Jim Attacap
BEERNEXUS
the crossroads of the beer world

Supermarket Bars Flourish

It's a retail truism that he longer you keep
someone in your store, the higher chance you
have of them spending more money,  However
virtual shoppers are programmed to purchase a
pre-set list of items, are unlikely to linger. That’s
why chains like Wegmans, Whole Foods, Kroger,
and Baron’s have rolled out a slew of amenities
to get “real” shoppers in the physical door.

Chief among them is the in-store bar. Shopping
drives most of us to drink, it seems; and savvy
grocery chains figure they might as well capture
those dollars by turning supermarkets into
destinations for excellent craft beer and wine.
Wegmans is an East Coast-based supermarket
chain with nearly 100 stores, approximately 10
percent of which contain “The Pub by Wegmans”
concept. Menus offer seasonal comfort food
ranging from crab cakes to buffalo wings and, of
course the classic comfort dish: mac & cheese.
They also have plenty of craft beers on hand,
some of which are pub exclusives.
America’s largest supermarket chain, Kroger,
has over 2,000 stores nationwide and has
offered growler fills in multiple states for
over a decade.
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New Job Despite Boycott

Longtime former New Belgium Brewing
Brewmaster Peter Bouckaert has joined the
board of Melvin Brewing, a GABF award-winning,
Wyoming-based brewery that faced a boycott
of its products this spring after a server at
another brewery accused a Melvin employee
of groping her.

Bouckaert, who’s won American craft brewing’s
highest award and has been an industry icon
since his days brewing at Rodenbach in Belgium,
risks at least a bit of pushback for willing to put
his reputation behind the brand. Brewery
management initially suspended the offending
Bellingham brewer and sent him to sexual
harassment training and drug addiction
treatment. He no longer holds his position.  
Melvin Brewing CEO Frank Tofte went on an
apology tour through his distribution territories,
while his website pledges transparency and a
chastened attitude.

Growth has come quick to the brewery that
started nine years ago in the closet of a Thai
restaurant in Jackson and now produces almost
40,000 barrels of beer per year.