Monks Find Hidden Recipe Books

Connoisseurs of Belgium's world-renowned beer will soon be able to taste a range of special
brews made according to recipes that have been sitting untouched in the archives of
Grimbergen Abbey for more than 200 years.

Monks at the Norbertine abbey recently delved into a collection of books that was almost
destroyed by a fire during the French Revolution. They uncovered details on how Grimbergen
beers were brewed in the past -- the last time in 1798.

But now the brothers of the abbey, which is located near Brussels, want to brew the original
beer themselves. They are combining ancient traditions detailed in books -- some dating back
to the 12th century -- with modern techniques to craft limited-edition batches.

"Beer has always been part of life in the abbey and we are proud of the beers we have today,"
the Rev. Karel Stautemas, subprior at the abbey, said in a statement. "We've really enjoyed
reading more about past brewing traditions in the pages of these ancient texts. We've spent
hours leafing through the books, which are written in Latin and Old Dutch, and have discovered
ingredient lists for beers brewed in previous centuries, the hops used, the types of barrels and
bottles, and even a list of the actual beers produced centuries ago."Karel will undertake
additional formal brewing training to help with the production himself.

The books were saved by the monks when a fire ravaged the abbey in 1798, destroying it for the
third time. They knocked a hole in the library wall and secretly funneled about 300 books to safety
before the blaze. The microbrewery, which will be inside the abbey and will feature an on-site bar
and restaurant, will open to the public in late 2020 and is projected to produce about 10,000
hectoliters. One of the new brews is the limited-edition Grimbergen Triple D'Abbaye, which has
been aged in whisky barrels for five months, a technique similar to those used in the production
of Belgian beer back in the 1500s.
Feature News  
from  beernexus.com
Edited by Jim Attacap
BEERNEXUS
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Guns N' Rose(s)

Guns N’ Roses are suing a Colorado brewery for
trademark infringement over a beer named Guns
‘N’ Rosé. In a California court filing, the band
argue that consumers are likely to be confused
by the branding from Oskar Blues Brewery, part
of the Canarchy Craft Collective, and could
assume it is an official partnership.

The complaint argues that the
band’s brand has thus had “irreparable
damage” done to it by the craft beer, and has
“suffered and continues to suffer and/or is likely
to suffer damage to their trademarks, business
reputation, and goodwill”.It argues that the
brewery “should not be entitled to continue to sell
infringing products and intentionally trade on the
GNR’s goodwill, prestige, and fame without GNR’
s approval, license, or consent”. The band are
seeking damages and legal costs.

Oskar Blues Brewery has not yet responded to
the lawsuit. It had attempted to trademark the
Guns N’ Rosé name and abandoned the
application after opposition from the band –
but is understood to intend to continue selling
the beer until March 2020. Its flavour is
described as “sticky prickly pear and floral
hibiscus with a subtle hop profile”.
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Ballast Point Dumps Beer

Ballast Point owned by Constellation Brands' -
Production fell by about 110,000 barrels from
2016–2018, and shopper interest at grocery,
convenience, and other stores is way off pace in
2019. Closing in on the halfway point of 2019
(through June15), the Ballast Point family of
brands has sold just under a third of its
packaged product as it did in all of 2018, setting
it up for a third-straight annual decrease
by year end.2019 has shown to be a
disappointing start for the brewery

Ballast Point Brewing Company then dumped
and destroyed  1,300 oak barrels’ worth of wood-
aged beer as part of the closure of the
brewery's San Diego-based Trade Street R&D
brewing facility, one of two locations ceasing
operations due to financial troubles and
lagging sales."Our goal is to right-size our
investment, resources and align with consumer
trends," Stephanie McGuane, communications
and brand PR for Constellation Brands' beer
division, told GBH at the time."I understand it,"
a former VP of Ballast Point said. "They don't
have a sales force to actively sell obscure,
barrel-aged, and sour products.".  He could
also have said craft buyers are not supporting
a sell out beer brand...