Category: News

Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies Bought By InBev

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Yup, it’s true, Northern Brewer (which also owned Midwest Supplies) was recently purchased by ZX Ventures, a venture capital arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev. There is a lot of buzz in the home brew news and forums this week about what this means, and whether or not this is a sellout.

I’m sure that there are a lot of opinions out there about it, and plenty of speculation about Humongous Beer’s motives, but the folks at NB swear that they remain true to the passion of home brewing.  I’m sure that the good folks that work at NB/MS hope that ZX-Ventures will leave them alone to follow their passion.  I hope so too.  Time will tell.

LHBSFortunately, there are plenty of options out there for those who do not want to line the pockets of A-BI.  First off, remain true and loyal to your local home brew supply shop.  For us in the Itasca County area, that’s Wine Creations.  A shameless plug? No, they have just been there when we needed them, and WC has continued to expand their offerings to include more and more of what we need on a growing basis.

When looking at specialized equipment and items that you cannot source through your LHBS, there are plenty of other independent suppliers out there.

New Mobile Friendly Site

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Mobile Friendly WebsiteI updated the theme of our site to make it mobile friendly. The original theme showed poorly (very crowded) on a phone or tablet. This new theme is much easier to read and navigate on your smartphone or tablet. Check it out.

The new theme changed some things around on our site, and I will try to get much of it back to the original look, but it will take some tweaking, so bear with me. Hopefully, it’ll still be familiar and easy to find your way around on the desktop site.

Relax and have a homebrew.

Date Announced for the Deer River Bar-b-que & Brew Fest

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Save the Date! July 18th, 2015, 3 p.m.

Deer River will be smokin’ for the 6th Annual Deer River Bar-b-que and Brew Fest, Saturday, July 18th, 2015 at White Oak Learning Center in Deer River.

Bar-B-Que & Brew FestThe event will kick-off as pit and brew teams assemble for the competition. The Burners and Smokers will be creating their best renditions of low and slow beef brisket, pork, ribs and chicken. Brewers will be chilling down their favorite recipes in up to four styles – IPA (India Pale Ale), Stout/Porter, Lager and Brewer’s Choice. All will be competing for awards and bragging rights Beginning at 3 p.m., the public is welcome to mingle with the champion cook while sampling sauce-smothered ‘que & brew.

Homebrewing Now Legal In All 50 States

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On Thursday, May 9, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed homebrew legalization bill HB9 into law, making Alabama the 50th state to legalize homebrewing.

Alabama Legalizes homebrewing
The State of Alabama recently became the 50th State to legalize homebrewing

Earlier this year on March 19, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a homebrew legalization bill that officially goes into effect July 1, 2013, at which time homebrewing will be legal in all 50 states for the first time since before Prohibition.

For the past five years the American Homebrewers Association , along with Alabama homebrew advocacy group Right To Brew, has been working towards homebrew legalization in their state.

“Homebrewing has been an integral part of the history of America, so it’s thrilling to know that soon, all 50 states will support this growing hobby and long-standing tradition,” said Gary Glass, director, American Homebrewers Association. “We appreciate the backing of all of the homebrewers, the dedicated grassroots efforts of Right to Brew and the legislators who have worked so diligently to make homebrewing a reality in Alabama. We are especially grateful to Representative Mac McCutcheon who introduced this bill and has fought long and hard for its passage, along with Senator Bill Holtzclaw.”

Post-Prohibition, homebrewing was not federally legal until President Jimmy Carter signed H.R. 1337 on October 14, 1978, which officially went into effect on February 1, 1979. Shortly after that bill was signed, the American Homebrewers Association was formed by Charlie Papazian and Charlie Matzen to promote and celebrate homebrewing. Since then, the AHA has taken a leading role in advocating for homebrew rights and supp

orting the legislative efforts of local homebrew communities.

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) continues to promote homebrewing rights. Over the past several years, the AHA has advocated for homebrewing rights legislation in more than a dozen states. If you are not already a member, please support the cause and join the AHA today!

Source: AHA Newsletter