As we’re approaching the lazy days of summer, I’m sure many of you catch yourselves daydreaming here and there about kicking up your feet and enjoying your favorite food and beverages with family and friends. For the consuming public, it looks as though more and more are finding refreshment of the craft variety.
Craft brewer also looks to Iowa, California expansions
May 5, 2014
Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, Colo., announced its expansion into western Pennsylvania. Beginning May 5, Left Hand will be available in the greater Pittsburgh market through a distribution partnership with Pittsburgh-based Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale Co.
Boston-based The Boston Beer Co. Inc. reported its first quarter 2014 net revenue totaled $183.8 million, an increase of $47.9 million or 35 percent compared with the prior-year period. The company attributes this growth to a 32 percent increase in core shipments. Net income for the first quarter was $8.3 million, an increase of $1.4 million from the first quarter of 2013, also primarily due to shipment increases that were partially offset by increased investments in advertising, promotional and selling expenses, and the impact of a favorable federal income tax settlement.
In the craft beer segment, hops tend to steal the spotlight when it comes to formulation. They’re prominent within India Pale Ales (IPAs), which is the segment’s top-selling style, according to Information Resources Inc., Chicago. Plus, they’re even measured in most beers by International Bitterness Units (IBUs), which assess the bitterness of a beer as provided by the hops that are infused during brewing.
In the “Wizard of Oz,” among the many concerns that Dorothy encounters on her quest for home is the musically entertaining “lions and tigers and bears, oh my.” Although not potentially threatening like wild animals, a trio of options often presents itself to beverage manufacturers in the form of packaging: plastic, aluminum and glass, oh my.
In our increasingly digital world, it makes sense that people have developed digital forms of currency to coincide with Internet and mobile shopping. Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to arrive on the financial scene in 2009 and has since increased in popularity.
Although it’s common for siblings to attempt to out-compete each other as children, it’s less likely that it will result in a profitable business venture for them as adults. But for brothers Russ and Jim Klisch, what started out as a case of sibling rivalry over who could homebrew the better beer turned into a successful beer business.