Does A-B still make beer?

Don't want a Budweiser?  Try their
new B to E.  Still not happy?  Don't
worry the director of innovation at
A-B's domestic brewing subsidiary
has just announced the creation of
"Tilt" a raspberry flavored drink that
takes many of its cues from beer.

Tilt targets 21 to 27 year old males
who, according to Mic Zavarella,
production director, want a
beverage that "helps them make
the transition to play from work."  
(note - He did not explain what
that actually means.)

Tilt is a blend of caffeine, ginseng,
and guarana - a paste derived from
a Brazilian fruit.  Each 16 ounce
serving of Tilt, packaged in
sleek, aluminum cans- contains
6.6% of alcohol by volume.  
Cans will be sold individually.  

Each can contains about 70
miligrams of caffeine, which is about
27% more caffeine than in a 12-oz.
can of Mountain Dew, the soft drink
famed for it's high caffeine content.

18 Year old Drinking age?

Dennis Hawver, seeking the
Republican nomination next year
for governorof Kansas,
has proposed lowering the state's
legal beer drinking age to 18.  

The drinking age is determined by
individual states howerver all have
been 21 since the 1980's when the
federal government pressured them
into raising minimums or lose
highway funding.
Feature News  from  beernexus.com
Labatt Introduces
Insulated Beer Cans

The world's first insulated beer can is now being
used by Labatt Brewing Company.  Labatt is now
adorning cans of its Blue Pilsener with a "Cool2Go"
insulated shrink sleeve made in conjunction with
DuPont Chemical.  The wrap has a thin, thermal
barrier that protects the beer from condensation and
rising temperatures.

DuPont says the wrap is made by placing a polymer
insulation between two layers of its Melxnex film,
which results in the thermal barrier.  Once chilled the
insulated wrap will keep the beer colder longer.

The cans have just been released in the Canadian
market and are being promoted as the Labatt "Blue
Cold One."

Bavarian Dirndls Saved

Bavarians breathed a collective sigh of relief this
week when they learned legislation would not force
barmaids in beer gardens to cover up.  Under the
EU's Optical Radiation Directive, employers of staff
who work outdoors in high risk occupations must
ensure they cover up against the risk of sunburn.  It
was believed that the law could mean the demise of
the dirndl, a dress and apron with a tight, very low
cut top, that Bavarian barmaids typically wear.

Officials after lengthy discussion concluded that
working in a beer garden is not considered a high
risk occupation, at least for sun exposure.


Craft Beer Sales Soar

The Brewers Association estimates that craft beer
sales were up over 7 % in the first half of 2005.  
Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch's second quarter net
income fell 9.9% as the brewer suffered from volume
declines amid stiffer competition from rivals.