Latest news with #U.S.OpenBeerChampionship
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Orange Wheat Beer Brings Gold To Nashville, Tennessee Brewery
Employees of TailGate Brewery gather after their votes led to the brewery being named a Top Workplace. TailGate Brewery Craft breweries rarely call a fruit-flavored wheat beer their flagship beer. Nashville-based TailGate Brewery has placed that distinction on its TailGate Orange wheat beer, and last month it won a gold medal at the U.S. Open Beer Championship. The brewery describes the 5% ABV beer as 'light-bodied, creamy and zesty from start to finish.' A July 13 consumer review at the influential Beer Advocate website, which rated the beer as 'very good' with a score of 87 of 100, is more descriptive. 'Bought a solo can of this at Trader Joe's to take home and wish I had bought a case. This is a very smooth, drinkable wheat with low carbonation and just the right amount of orange sweetness without being overpowering. Smells great, like a freshly peeled essence is perfect, and everything is balanced, my new favorite summer beer. I could suck these down like soda and get in trouble quick..' Wesley Keegan, TailGate Brewery's founder and sole owner, says no special brewing process or preparation was done before entering TailGate Orange in the U.S. Open Beer Championship, which calls itself the third-largest brewing competition in the United States 'We literally just grabbed the cans from our cooler in the taproom,' he says. 'No special anything to it, besides what we do for every brew.' TailGate Orange wheat beer captured a gold medal last month. TailGate Brewery TailGate Brewery has nine taprooms in Tennessee, including one at Nashville International Airport. The brewery's Nashville headquarters was a former Moose Lodge, and its large taproom, outdoor bar and pizza shop sit on seven acres. The brewery opened in 2014, but Keegan says a lot of prior beermaking work was expended. 'There were about eight years of hard knocks prior to the opening,' he says. 'I started like most brewery owners do—from a homebrew background. Homebrewing was huge when I was in college in San Diego, and Ballast Point's Home Brew Mart (now under different ownership) was the mecca. I have family in Nashville, so it was a natural landing place for me.' Many of TailGate's beers are rated highly at the BeerAdvocate website, but Keegan prefers talking about employee workplace awards. TailGate employs about 300 workers. In 2023 and 2024, the brewery was named a Top Workplace. That's a national designation given to companies with more than 150 employees who rate their employer highly in a survey. 'There's a lot of virtue signaling done on platforms like Linked in by people preaching from their local public workspace that 'people are your best asset' or some similar biz-speak garbage,' Keegan says. 'But we really walk it here. We pay great. We offer 100% paid healthcare to 100% of our team members. We have paid time off and a 401k with a 4% match. And we invest in our spaces—resources, equipment, comfort, safety. It matters.' Tennessee isn't renowned for its craft beers, but the state has some great breweries, Keegan says. 'The Embrace the Funk program of the original Nashville Yazoo Brewing is some of the best wild beer in the country,' he says. 'I really like Oddstory of Chattanooga. Xul in Knoxville is doing crazy hype-beer, and Wiseacre of Memphis does great business in a huge city with very little competition. I like to think we help make Nashville a great beer city, too.' Besides Tennessee beers, Keegan has many favorites that are known to beer drinkers worldwide. 'I grew up near Chico (Caifornia) where Sierra Nevada was everywhere,' he says about the ground-breaking Chico brewery. 'I still love their stuff to this day.' Saison Dupont of Belgium's Brasserie Dupont is the gold standard of the saison style, Keegan says. 'Saisons don't sell in our market, no matter how good they are,' he adds. 'But I love them. Give me a Saison Dupont and a stemmed beer glass, and I'm happy.' Any beers brewed by California's Russian River Brewing meet Keegan's approval. 'But I really enjoy Blind Pig,' he notes. 'I can drink more than one. It's a textbook example of a great IPA.' Four other beers are favorites: Guinness, Slow Pour Pils brewed by Denver-based Bierstadt, Kirkland Lager of Oregon's Deschutes and Hefe Weissbier of Germany's Weihenstephan. 'Weihenstephan Hefe Weissbier is such an incredible beer,' Keegan raves. 'I have not made it to Germany but really need to. I think beers like our TailGate Orange have so much thanks to give to beers like this. It's timeless.'
Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Big beer brand closes breweries without filing Chapter 11 bankrutpcy
Many breweries start more as a dream than a business plan, In a lot of cases people go into the beer business because they love beer and want to follow their passion. That's sometimes a recipe for success, but there's a reason so many breweries, restaurants and other passion-based businesses fail. Related: Iconic ice cream, fast-food chain closing dozens of locations Passion goes only so far. Doing something you love can make it easier to put in long hours, make sacrifices, and do all the other things needed to give yourself a chance at success. A chance, however, is not the same as a guarantee. The competition in the beer business has become intense, with local breweries battling with regional and national brands. In many cases, markets have become saturated, so being really good is often not good enough. You must win recurring business in spaces where the biggest fans tend to want to try new things. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Add in the added debt loads that many breweries took on during Covid and you can see the uphill battle most breweries face. In recent months, that has led to a bloodbath. Dozens of breweries have closed, and now another beloved brand has abruptly joined that list. The so-called beerpocalypse has claimed dozens of once-successful brands including San Francisco's Anchor Brewing, a leader in the craft-beer space. A number of other brands, including Chicago's Metropolitan Brewing, New Jersey's Flying Fish, Denver's Joyride Brewing, Tampa's Zydeco Brew Werks, Wisconsin's Great Dane Brewing, and Cleveland's Terrestrial Brewing, also fell into bankruptcy. Some markets were literally destroyed as San Antonio lost Weathered Souls Brewing and Busted Sandal Brewing in fall 2024, and Freetail Brewing Co. ended its beer distribution operations following that. The list is long and it has claimed some companies that had proved to be more than just a hobbyist's dream. "In 2013, Jekyll Brewing opened its doors to the public, offering a range of beers that reflected the founders' commitment to quality, craftsmanship and innovation," the company website said. "The brewery quickly gained a following, with beer enthusiasts from all over the state of Georgia flocking to Alpharetta to taste the latest offerings from Jekyll Brewing." More bankruptcy: Iconic auto repair chain franchise files Chapter 11 bankruptcyPopular beer brand closes down and files Chapter 7 bankruptcyPopular vodka and gin brand files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy The brand grew to five locations - four in Georgia and one in Florida. The company also won numerous awards including gold and silver medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the U.S. Open Beer Championship. "Today, Jekyll Brewing is recognized as one of the leading craft breweries in the Southeast, and its beers are available in bars, restaurants, and retail stores throughout Georgia and other nearby states," it added. "Despite its success, the brewery remains committed to its roots and its mission to create unique, flavorful beers that reflect the spirit and character of the Georgia coast." Jekyll Brewing abruptly closed its doors on May 11, Mother's Day, with its own posting about the shutdown on a members-only local beer Facebook page. DigitalDen shared the news on an Atlanta beer Reddit page: "It seems Jekyll Brewing will be the latest brewery to close in metro Atlanta. After news in February that the company had stopped producing kegs, rumors swirled that there was a deeper issue with the business. "Those rumors were realized Tuesday when Jekyll Brewing owner Michael Lundmark confirmed the imminent closure of all Jekyll Brewing locations via a post on Atlanta Beer Society, a local Facebook page." All Jekyll Brewing locations closed at the end of service on May 11. Not every comment was sympathetic to Jekyll Brewing. "It would help if they made better beer," posted Furthur. "Jekyll had a great launch and Tart Vice and their Marzen were great. Hop Dang was solid too and it's variants were fun. As per the cyclic conversation we've been having for years now, the market is oversaturated and there are a few distro houses you can blame for buying up rights, pushing their products onto shelves competing with themselves." Related: Popular casual restaurant chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy In fact, most of the comments on the Reddit thread, leaned toward negative. "Saw that coming a mile location was never busy even during peak times, overpriced (but very tasty) food, sub-par beer," Brohamz wrote. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
And the most popular beer in California goes to ... really? Survey finds surprising results
There's no shortage of craft beer options in California, In fact, Golden State brewers across California won gold medals in Ohio's U.S. Open Beer Championship in 2024, while such microbrewers as Pliny the Younger have garnered devoted, cult-like fans. However, according to a recent report from Coffeeness, a review website for coffee products, the most popular beer brand in California is more commercial. Coors is the most popular beer brand in California, according to the Coffeeness report, which Visual Capitalist shared. Coffeeness used Google Trends data to measure search interest across a selection of well-known beer brands in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report used YouGov Ratings data to compile a list of mainstream beer brands for the search analysis. "This approach allowed us to include beers with significant market presence and consumer recognition, ensuring the data reflected genuine consumer interest rather than niche or local brands with limited availability," the report said. The report makes it clear that its beer rankings are not based on sales or consumption figures. Online search interest, the report said, "serves as an indicator of consumer curiosity, information-seeking behavior, and overall brand engagement." Miller was the most searched beer brand in 29 states and the District of Columbia, according to the report. Coors was the most searched beer brand in eight states, mainly in the South and Southwest. Guinness was the most popular brand in three states: Georgia, New Jersey and South Carolina. Heineken, Busch, Budweiser, and Bud Light were the most popular beer brands in two states each. Blue Moon was the most popular brand in Colorado. Corona was the most popular brand in Connecticut. Alabama: Miller Alaska: Miller Arizona: Coors Arkansas: Miller California: Coors Colorado: Blue Moon Connecticut: Corona Delaware: Miller District of Columbia: Miller Florida: Heineken Georgia: Guinness Hawaii: Miller Idaho: Miller Illinois: Busch Indiana: Busch Iowa: Miller Kansas: Miller Kentucky: Miller Louisiana: Miller Maine: Miller Maryland: Miller Massachusetts: Miller Michigan: Coors Minnesota: Miller Mississippi: Miller Missouri: Budweiser Montana: Miller Nebraska: Miller Nevada: Miller New Hampshire: Budweiser New Jersey: Guinness New Mexico: Coors New York: Heineken North Carolina: Bud Light North Dakota: Miller Ohio: Bud Light Oklahoma: Miller Oregon: Miller Pennsylvania: Coors Rhode Island: Miller South Carolina: Guinness South Dakota: Miller Tennessee: Coors Texas: Coors Utah: Miller Vermont: Miller Virginia: Coors Washington: Miller West Virginia: Miller Wisconsin: Miller Wyoming: Miller This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Study uses search data to map most popular beers in California, US
