Beer News Briefs for the Week of March 22nd(ish)

There are lots of little things coming across the Beer News Wire today so I thought it would be most beneficial to post them all at once and let you troll through for anything you might need.

• To start, The Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the Androscoggin Bank Colisée to produce the second annual Maine Grains and Grapes Festival on June 20th at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston (click here to read my recap of the inaugural festival in 2008). Tickets are $25 (if purchased in advance) or $30 purchased at the door (Designated Driver tickets are $10 each). You can purchase online by visiting androscoggincounty.com or at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée box office or by phone at 207.783.2009.

• A website 15 months in the making, www.beer-universe.com, has launched. Beer Universe is a new social media/e-commerce platform that “synthesizes beers/bars/breweries together”. What differentiates Beer Universe, however, is that they’re giving “beer points” away to users to use in their points store for free stuff. Essentially the more you use Beer Universe – the more free stuff you can get. You can also follow Beer Universe on Twitter at @BeerUniverse

• The Indianapolis Star has a recent story about the new Indianapolis Sun King Brewing Co. owned by Clay Robinson. The story (part 2 to be specific) even features a video where you can watch Clay receiving his new 15-barrel brewing system. Check out the story here (part 1) and here (part 2) with video.

• Andy Crouch — author of one of my favorite beer books: A Good Beer Guide to New England — Heeds The Call Of Beer Evangelism…

“The continued success of craft brewers and the industry that supports them will not depend in the long-term on a small but passionate group of beer geeks buying greater amounts of quality ales and lagers. Instead, craft beer’s prospects rest with the uninitiated masses who have yet to embrace the products we love”.

• There is a fun new Facebook application from the folks at LivingSocial going around which allows you to pick your top 5 favorite beers (among other top 5’s, including top 5 albums, movies, books, ncaa basketball teams, tv shows, video games; the list goes one). And I was pretty impressed with the depth of the application’s database. Just for shits & giggles, I chose 5 of my favorites (I don’t know if I would call them all my only top 5’s though) and ones I thought were sure to stump the application. But sure enough I was able to choose Bar Harbor Brewing Cadillac Mountain Stout, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, Bell’s HopSlam, Meantime Coffee Porter and Portsmouth Brewing Kate The Great.
• And last but not least, a good friend (and the friend who hooked me up with a bottle of Kate the Great, speaking of which, in February so I still owe him even more link love) @jchristie has released an awesome new blog combining two of the world’s best guilty pleasures: good books and good brews. Check out what he has to say at www.brewsandbooks.com

Until next time BlogAboutBeer.com faithful…