More than two years after announcing her retirement, the eponymous German-inspired brand of craft brewing pioneer Carol Stoudt will return to Pennsylvania draft lines in time for Oktoberfest season thanks to a licensing partnership with Evil. Genius Beer Company, based in Philadelphia.
“It is important to continue this legacy of equality and the pursuit of innovation,” Stoudt said in a press release. “When we closed the brewery in 2020, we had no intention of retiring the brand. We just needed the right situation to bring Stoudts back to the forefront of the market.
In February 2020, when she announced her retirement, Stoudt had planned to continue brewing at a two-barrel brewhouse at Stoudts Black Angus, the Adamstown restaurant her family owned. However, she and her husband Ed Stoudt closed the restaurant in April 2021 and sold the property, according to Penn Live Patriot-News.
Evil Genius will handle production and the Stoudts team will be involved in sales, marketing and recipe development, a spokesperson told Brewbound.
Stoudts Oktoberfest will be the first beer launched in partnership when released on August 1 through Stoudts’ previous distribution network:
- Muller Inc. in the Philadelphia area,
- LT Verrastro Inc. in northeastern Pennsylvania,
- Ace Distributing in York and Harrisburg areas,
- And Origlio Beverage in the Lehigh Valley.
The beer will be available in sixth and half barrel for festivals. Stoudts Gold will then be brewed and “even more deals” will be available next year.
“Stoudts was founded on Gemütlichkeit – there’s no direct translation but we explain it as like-minded people having a good time together,” Stoudts vice president Kurt Bachman said in the press release. “We created our Oktoberfest beer in the hope that you get that feeling with every sip.”
New gear lists from Offshoot, Lagunitas and Finch Beer Co.
Several breweries announced auctions this week:
The Bruery, headquartered in Placentia, Calif., and sister brand Offshoot Beer Co. will sell “assets no longer needed” at an auction hosted by New Mill Capital.
Equipment available includes a 170-barrel Metalcraft fermenter, two 250-barrel Foeder Crafters of America white oak feeders, five 100-barrel Vicard French oak feeders, stainless steel TranStore bins, and a Parker industrial gas boiler.
The online auction opens at 1 p.m. EST on August 4 and closes at 1 p.m. EST on August 11.
Similarly, Lagunitas sells brewing equipment it no longer uses, a spokesperson told Brewbound.
The California brewery has listed more than 150 assets with EquipNet, including an “idle” 250-barrel brewery, priced at $1.25 million. Other items include approximately 450 barrel racks and keg racks, several unused Rolec fermenters, and unused Rolec beer and bottling tanks.
And Chicago-headquartered Finch Beer Co. will auction its 30-barrel brewhouse and all brewing equipment next month, according to a listing by Loeb Equipment.
The auction will end on August 17 and includes five tanks, 14 fermenters and a canning line. The brewery is available as a possible turnkey acquisition, according to the listing.
Finch moved to the site in 2017, taking over from Like Mind Brewing, which opened the facility 18 months prior. In 2020, Finch partnered with restaurant group 4 STAR to launch The Perch Kitchen and Tap in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.
DISCUS testifies in favor of lowering the RTD tax rate in West Virginia
Andy Deloney, vice president of state public policy for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), testified Monday before the West Virginia Joint Standing Committee on Finance and asked lawmakers to cut rates state taxes for ready-to-drink spirits. (RTD) cocktails.
A legislative priority for DISCUS this year has been to reduce excise taxes and expand market access for spirit-based RTDs that have similar ABV levels to beer and other flavored malt beverages. (FMB). In West Virginia, 6% ABV RTDs have a tax rate of $0.71 per can, 35% more than the $0.02 per 12 oz. can assess for 6% malt and sugar drinks, according to Deloney in his testimony.
“Unfortunately, consumers of spirits in West Virginia are forced to pay much higher taxes for a spirits-based RTD product, even if the product contains the exact same or similar amount of alcohol as a RTDs made from malt, sugar or wine,” Deloney said. “Spirits-based RTDs cost, on average, 15-20% more in West Virginia than in all neighboring states except Pennsylvania…Updated tax laws will allow consumers to take advantage of these spirits-based RTDs at affordable prices and continue to generate excellent returns for the state.”
Reducing the state tax on RTDs to a tax similar to hard cider – $0.225/gallon – could add $3 million in new tax revenue over the next 3-5 years as consumers buy more products and distilleries would be more likely to enter the segment, Deloney argued.
“Put simply, there is no moderation drink, only the practice of moderation,” Deloney said. “Suggesting through a statement or policy that some forms of alcohol are ‘milder’ than others sends a dangerous message when science has long recognized that standard servings of distilled spirits, beer and wine contain the same amount of alcohol This is an essential aspect of responsible drinking.
The Beer Institute (BI) has fought against changes to RTD excise tax laws, arguing that the move will actually hurt local economies and kill jobs. The trade group wrote a letter to lawmakers in June, urging them to fight RTD bills that ‘do nothing for consumers’, ‘harm the local beer trade’ and ‘boost liquor company profits. out of state”.
In 2022, bills reducing taxes on spirits-based RTDs were defeated or blocked in Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Kentucky, Marland, Washington, and West Virginia. A Vermont bill that lowered the excise tax rate for RTDs and allowed them to be sold at licensed retailers rather than state-owned liquor stores passed in May, at from July 1.
Brewers Association and BI revise advertising standards after 2020 census
The Brewers Association (BA) and BI have each revised their respective ad codes, following updated US demographics from the 2020 census.
Both trade associations now require that all targeted media be placed in mediums – including digital and social media channels – with an audience of at least 73.6% of legal drinking age (LDA). The number reflects the percentage of LDA adults that make up the U.S. population – a +2% increase from the previous requirement of 71.6%, which was created in May 2011 and based on the 2010 census.
Sounds somewhat counterintuitive, as the US population ages and a higher percentage of the population is LDA, the percentage of LDA readers/viewers a media outlet must have increases.
“It’s critical to stay relevant to the latest demographics,” said Marc Sorini, BA’s general counsel, in a press release. “Our updated code will help ensure that our members continue to market their products responsibly.”
As noted earlier in Brewbound’s coverage of bev-alc’s presence on TikTok, social media advertising and marketing is self-regulated by trade groups including BI, BA and DISCUS.
Labatt USA and Barstool Sports Launch New Beer Brand, Big Deal Brewing
Barstool Sports and Labatt USA announced a new partnership project last week: Big Deal Brewing.
Produced by Labatt, Big Deal Brewing launched its first offering, Big Deal Brewing Original Golden Ale – a 4.5% super premium golden beer – at the Labatt Brew House in Buffalo, New York on July 21. Created in conjunction with Barstool’s Spittin’ Chiclets hockey podcast, the beer brand will officially hit stores in September and will be available in select cities across the United States and Canada this fall, according to a press release.
Labatt and Barstool have partnered on various marketing projects since 2019, primarily through the Spittin’ Chiclets franchise, which includes former NMH hockey players Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette, according to the release.
This isn’t the first bev-alc release in the franchise. In 2019, Barstool and Spittin’ Chiclets launched Pink Whitney Vodka in partnership with New Amsterdam Vodka from E. & J. Gallo. A beer category offering was a “natural next step for the guys,” Barstool said in the release.
