In case you weren't aware, Bellingham's craft beer community brews some of the best beer in the world. This year's World Beer Cup continued to prove that to everyone. Every two years the World Beer Cup is hosted held at the annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC.) The Craft Brewers Conference [...]
Boulder, CO • December 13, 2017 – Strong brewery growth, increased beer tourism and the launch of the independent craft brewer seal—with more than 2,700 craft brewers signed on—were all part of a watershed year for craft beer in 2017. The Brewers Association (BA) —the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independentAmerican brewers—looks back on [...]
An increasing number of American breweries are making beers similar to Belgian Lambics using traditional methods, such as spontaneous fermentations, turbid mashes, long boils, barrel aging, etc., along with traditional ingredients such as raw/unmalted wheat and aged hops. Some are even blending one-, two-, and three-year-old batches, similar to Belgian Gueuze [...]
The 2017 Great American Beer Festival came to a close yesterday with the award ceremony on Saturday. For all those fanatics that watched it on live stream or followed online, you already know what's coming. For those that didn't Bellingham represented well at this year's event. Chuckanut Brewery pulled in [...]
Chances are good you know at least something about Oktoberfest. Even the most buzzed among us would be able to deduce that it’s some sort of German party, and of course everyone knows that its mascot is someone raising a liter-sized stein of lager, wearing either a dirndl dress or [...]
In Bellingham, craft beer is killing it. It's growing, breweries are flourishing and things are looking up. Across the US though, outside of our secluded and protected waters, craft beer isn't flowing with the same fervor. The Brewer's Association released a midway 2017 report on how craft beer is fairing. [...]
Boulder, CO • June 27, 2017—In an effort to educate beer lovers about which beers are independently produced, the Brewers Association—the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers—launched a new seal touting independent craft brewers. Featuring an iconic beer bottle shape flipped upside down, [...]
Many of the hops coming out now have a really citrusy profile. With an amazing amount of hops being grown all over the US, and hop crops be bought up internationally, it's important to know what hops does what! Want to know what's in a particular hop, grab a cone [...]
Bellingham's craft beer scene just swelled in size with the addition of Melvin Brewing Company, who officially opened last Saturday. There were lines up the street and the beer floweth-ed. The opening was an exclamation on years of insane brewery growth, accolades and Bellingham making it onto numerous Top Lists. [...]
I love chocolate porters, stouts, and brown ales, but most of the commercial examples I have had lack the chocolate depth I desire, and many seem to get their chocolaty flavor more from dark malts than actual chocolate additions. I get it, though. As a homebrewer, I understand how challenging it [...]
Last week AB InBev bought the entire South African hop crop. That's right, the entire country's crop. South African hops make up about 1% of the world's hop crop, but have become an increasingly hot commodity in the race towards breweries seeking out new, rare and innovative hops. According to AB [...]
It happened again. AB InBev acquired yet another craft brewery. I know, shock of the century. Except, this time it was the highly praised and respected Wicked Weed Brewing of Asheville, N.C., and it nearly broke the internet. After reading hundreds of comments from various sources, the same arguments, explanations, [...]
Many of you know what Bellingham Beer Week is right around the corner, April 21-29. You may ask why we moved it to April. Well, take a look at who else in our region does awesome beer weeks in spring: Seattle, Portland, and Victoria, BC. We just wanted to be [...]
The Alcohol and Tabacco Tax and Trade Bureau just released it's Beer Statistical Report of December 2016. The numbers show (full report below) that domestic production for December was down approximately 200,000 barrels. The total volume for 2016 was down about 2.3million barrels, or a drop of 1.3%. According to Bart [...]
Craftbeer.com held a poll to determine the best beer bars in America. This is what it's readers determined as the list of the best beer bars around. Only one Washington State beer bar made it, Manito Tap House in Spokane. Never been there, but, clearly, I'll have to make it. [...]
As craft beer moves to a more digital presence we're much more apt to quantify things and create lists. The always graphically wonderful VinePair release this awesome map for you to peruse. For the full zoomable map, go here.
Scotland’s dog-friendly brewery, BrewDog, opened its new brewery, restaurant and taproom in Columbus, Ohio yesterday. Named DogTap Columbus, the stylish building features a gaming area, a full restaurant, and a dozen taps from BrewDog and other guest breweries (see photos below from brewdog.com). Once its brewhouse is fully operational, it will double [...]
In December 2016 Amazon announced plans to open its first Amazon Go store in Seattle by early 2017. That's kinda now. Amazon Go is a market where customers can walk in, scan their phone, shop for what they want and walk out. No registers. No cashiers. No lines. Looks pretty [...]
Scotland's BrewDog is well known for not only its crazy powerful beers, expanding business, but also its unique business practices. BrewDog has announced that any employees that adopt a dog will officially receive one week of paid vacation when they bring a new dog into the household. This is a [...]
It looks like the political season's tumult has leaked into the craft beer world. The current administration has nominated Scott Pruitt to head the EPA and 33 breweries across the US have signed onto the Natural Resources Defense Fund's Brewers for Clean Water Campaign to oppose him. They feel the [...]
RateBeer has just released its last batch of competition results from its annual RateBeer Best Awards for the year 2016. “I'd like to raise a glass to the people who make the beer we drink,” says Joe Tucker, executive director of RateBeer. “These men and women are the artists, engineers, visionaries, [...]
Green Flash Brewing was one of the fastest growing breweries in California these past few years. They were growing so fast they also acquired Alpine Brewing Company in 2014. Then in late 2016 they followed suit of other west coast breweries and opened a brand new brewery on the east coast. [...]
Michigan is full of beer and they are frequently in the craft beer news cycle with the likes of Bells, Founders and Atwater. New Holland Brewing Company entered into a distribution deal with Pabst in 2016. Founders gave about 30% of their company to Mahou San Miguel group of Spain [...]
Some beers trends are welcome. Others are not. As the competition stiffened in 2016 many breweries sought out odd and unique ingredients to catch people's attention and, no doubt, to broaden and challenge drinkers and brewers. Uproxx listed these beers are maybe taking it all a little too far. We [...]
Bellingham has many auspicious titles, including being the snobbiest beer city in the US. We wear these titles with happiness, and maybe even a tad bit of concern. Regardless, we wear them. There are so many different lists, awards and things these days, but some of them stick out. So, [...]
The 2016 CBC made it's way westward to our nearby neighbor and craft beer mecca, Portland. The conference brought thousands of brewing professionals together to discuss the state of craft beer and best practices. This year's conference makes its way back east to our nation's capital. Here's the deets on [...]
Craft beer is a culture. It's bigger than a "market" or a "sector", it's a culture. And when a movement becomes a culture larger questions arise. We've looked into sexism in craft beer and groups like Pink Boots Society that helps introduce women into the craft beer industry and to [...]
Belgium's beer culture is pretty rad...you know, simply put. Some of the best beers in the world consistently come from their many cobbled streets. (Make sure to checkout Aubrey's first hand account of seeking out the world famous "Westy 12.") Well, now the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization [...]
Hop's famed relative is marijuana. They look similar. They also smell similar, but they do very different things. Hops ensure those awesome Tap Trail beers tastes just amazing. Marijuana ensures, well, that you get high. The two genera are apart of the same taxonomic family Cannabinaceae. Some people might not be [...]
Beer uses water. Dependent on what beer you're brewing it can use lots of it. But, comparatively, beer uses much less water than many other drinks, including wine and juices. But at 2 gallons of water per ounce, a 16oz beer still uses 32 gallons of water per pint. That [...]
A couple weeks ago, while enjoying a pint at a brewery in a small town in Oregon, I overheard a beer distributor talking about all the recent mergers and acquisitions. He had a curiously simplistic take on it all: “Beer will always be in demand. The logo on the side of the truck is [...]
For the 35th year in a row, craft beer lovers will gather in Colorado at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the premier beer festival and competition in the U.S. With 379,000 square feet in the tasting hall, an anticipated 60,000 attendees will have the opportunity to sample some 3,800 [...]
Some world records are more important than others. This one might be the greatest - and most generous - in history. The owners of Britain's Box Steam Brewery spent two hours, between 12pm and 2pm, pouring 412 drinks for patrons. The record led to the emptying of 36 gallons of beer (four [...]
Press Release Stone Brewing will begin renovations to a 10,000 square-foot iconic building in downtown Napa, bringing its bold and flavorful craft beer to the region well-known for its amazing wine. Stone’s newest outpost, located on 3rd Street and Soscol Avenue, will include a pilot brewing system, a dining experience, [...]
This is not The Onion folks. Budweiser has submitted paperwork in order to change its name from to "America." To further increase the patriotic fervor they will also be changing: "King of Beers" has been changed to "E Pluribus Unum," "The World Renowned" changed to "Land of the Free" "Anheuser-Busch, [...]
The Brewers Association (BA) — the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers — announced the results of one of the largest commercial beer competitions to date, the 2016 World Beer Cup. The awards were presented at the conclusion of the Craft Brewers Conference & [...]
Welcome back beer lovers from near and far, pundits of Porter and sippers of Scotches. I was fortunate enough to have spent the last week with dear friends in the UK, exploring many new beers and pubs, some which stuck out to me the most however, were from BrewDog. Our gracious hosts [...]
So many accolades for Bellingham breweries lately and this is another one. Men's Journal drops the occasional craft beer article and I've actually been impressed by the breadth of their suggestions and choices in these lists. They certainly put their time in. The article goes into each and every state and [...]
The US isn't the only one drinking our craft beer. We're shipping it around the world, so others can drink it too. Craft beer is all about sharing, isn't it? Well, the numbers just released by the Brewer's Association show that sharing it at an all-time high with our international friends. [...]
Whether you’re a seasoned craft beer connoisseur or a craft brew newcomer you’re certain to find something new, exciting and fresh at the 2016 Okanagan Fest of Ale. The 21st annual Fest of Ale takes place in the waterfront city of Penticton BC April 8th & 9th, 2016. The 2-day event features [...]
The Brewers Association just released the numbers from 2015 growth. Let's look over them a bit and see what we can glean. At the end of 2015 the US was at a record high, 4,269 breweries and held a 12.2% volume market share. The BA said their goal is to have 20% [...]
I remember drinking my first Fat Tire. It was some time in the late 90s, before I was 21. I was pretty proud of drinking something that was unique "crafty" and, frankly, had a bike on it (I like bikes.) I dug the bottle because it was different than the [...]
Greg Koch, Stone Brewing's Executive Chairman, recently stepped down from his position as the CEO of Stone Brewing. He said it was time and that his leaving was not a sign the brewery would sell to the largest bidder, Stone Brewing will never sell out. Stone Brewing is sacrosanct. We’re not [...]
There's buyouts, sellouts, equity positions, but everyone forgets about those sneaky mergers! It was just announced that Southern Tier and Victory are merging breweries under the title Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV.) According to the Unionville Times, the new partnership provides "provides capital, security and vision for the future." Under the umbrella [...]
Some argue that the lack of women in the craft beer industry is a because craft beer doesn't afford women the same opportunities as men. Tap Trail's own Ariana, has expressed her frustrations with being a craft beer lover in a male dominated industry. Society has sadly associated drinking beer as a [...]
The Washington Beer Commission organizes some pretty awesome events to further the greatness that is #WABeer. Every year they promote the Washington Beer Open House. It's a one day event where the public is encouraged to get to know their local breweries better. Tours are a popular event during Open [...]
“I’m going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight … I promise you that.” - Peyton Manning, after winning the Super Bowl. Admittedly, I missed him saying this. I wasn't a big fan of Peyton in the first place and this didn't help. He's kinda boring. Cam on the other [...]
We'll file this under "craft drama." Like any community craft beer has it's own drama. The Full Pint is well known in the craft beer industry for covering breaking craft beer news and generally being all around pretty awesome. Today they "broke the news" that Cigar City might be the [...]
With so many amazing variations and styles of beers you'd think we'd eventually run out of ideas. Wrong! Thanks to big data that may never happen. According to PC World, marketing company Havas Helia, has brewed the first's beer from big data. Late last year, Havas Helia's goal was to create a [...]
It was announced in December that New Belgium (NB) was exploring the possibility of selling. "Selling" isn't as simple as it sounds. A sale could mean a minority equity stake (see Dogfish Head) or selling the whole thing (see Elysian Brewing.) The interesting thing is, NB has invested millions in becoming [...]
Thanks for visiting us! If you’d like to learn more about Tap Trail or Bellingham Beer Week please visit our Contact Us page and send us a message!
Copyright 2015-2023 © Tap Trail / Bellingham Beer Week. Tap Trail is a product and DBA of Ketchup+Mustard, Inc.
