BEERzology's Official Youtube Channel is here!

Link to the BEERzology Official Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/BEERzology

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Big Dick Beer Is On The Rise!


Here is an article from InterestAlert.com about a new website/apparel-accessories product line called "Big Dick Beer" which has the tag lines "Feels Great In Your Hands" and "Goes Down Smooth" and the beer by the same name will soon be in production..."the new company's focus long on humor, aims to penetrate markets nation-wide having just created a website in August 2010 and is ready to take all comers to its e-commerce site, BigDBeer.com. The new website sells funny t-shirts, hats, beer koozies, coasters, and glassware with Big Dick Beer's logo on it and their slogan, "Goes Down Smooth."

"Although making beer is a serious business, we don't take ourselves seriously," said Ralph Allen, founder. "We think that the country needs to lighten up some, and we hope that Big Dick Beer can help in some way."

In the future, BigDBeer.com will run contests for readers of the site's blog and for its followers on social media channels. BigDBeer.com will also be launching a beer in the near future. "We're in the early stages -- you could call it the foreplay -- of producing our beer," Allen continues. "We don't want to come out to the market prematurely, so we're taking it slow. Once we're ready, though, we expect that our beer will explode on the marketplace and really shake things up!" Go to BigDBeer.com for more information, to join the mailing list, or to purchase Big Dick Beer products now.

About Big Dick Beer...founded in 2010, Big Dick Beer revolutionized the beer industry with its clever innuendos, puns, and light-hearted approach. By making all of its products purely of concentrated awesome -- a distillation process which can only be learned after three consecutive lifetimes of study -- Big Dick Beer has created a product that either makes your hair glossier, your dancing better, your body more sculpted, or none of the above.

If you think that the country needs a little more humor and aren't afraid to let everyone know that, go to www.BigDBeer.com and join in on the fun by entering a contest, submitting a picture or video, or purchasing one of their quality -- and concentrated awesome -- products today. Find them on Facebook at http://facebook.com/BigDickBeer
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BigDickBeer."


Top 10 Beer Myths


Ain't it the truth? Here is an article by Michael Hall found on the website DrinkingBeer.net about the top ten myths about beer...

"It seems like there is always that guy in the bar that has a crazy story about the beer he's drinking. The worst part, sometimes its believable, so you tell someone, then they tell someone, and thats a beer myth. Here are ten of the more outrageous myths about beer and what you need to know to set that guy in the bar straight.

Beer Myth 1: Beat the Beer Belly with Light Beer
OK, light beers have maybe 90-100 calories, regular beers generally have less than 200 calories. A beer lover would say the difference is comparable to the difference between McDonalds and a 5 star restaurant. A dietician would tell you the difference is negligible. So unless you are drinking 300 beers a week, I would drink the good stuff.

Beer Myth 2: The darker the beer, the more alcohol it contains
Not even close. Guinness is black, and has 4.2% alcohol. The color of a beer comes from the toasted malts, which has no effect on alcohol content. Ingredients like rice syrup, honey, and corn syrup add alcohol to beer, but do not influence the color.

Beer Myth 3: Beer is ruined if warmed and then refrigerated
This can be true, if you do it many, many times, and it will happen gradually. People think re-chilling beer will cause it to be "skunked". Beer can be ruined by air, light and time. Temperature won't ruin a beer unless it's extreme. Get fresh beer and store it in dark place, and it will be fine.

Beer Myth 4: Imported beers have more alcohol than domestic beers
This comes from the way US beers reported their beers' alcohol content. The rest of the world uses "Alcohol by Volume", here is the US they used "Alcohol By Weight". Since beer weighs less than water, US beers had smaller numbers, but not less alcohol.

Beer Myth 5: The Guinness they serve in Ireland is better
It seems widely accepted that beer in "the old country" is better than what they export to the rest of the world. The brewing process is cheap, so why would a brewery risk their reputation by brewing a different beer for export? It doesn't make sense, and it's not true. With few exceptions, the beer that is exported is the exact same beer that they serve in the bar across the street from the brewery. The difference is purely freshness. It takes two weeks for a keg of Guinness to get from Dublin to your favorite bar in the states. Some beers, like Fosters, is brewed in Canada under a license for sale in the US. But it is clearly stated on the bottle when this is the case.

Beer Myth 6: Beer shouldn't be Bitter
The bitterness of a beer comes from the hops. Hops are in all beers to balance the sweet malts and to act as a preservative. Some beers have a lot of hops, like India Pale Ales (IPAs) and some beers have less hops, like Wheat Beers. Hops can give a beer complexity and add all sorts of flavors and aromas, like pine, citrus, and earthiness. Hops are why people say beer is an acquired taste, but they also make beer delicious.

Beer Myth 7: The best beers are in green bottles.
As it turns out, brown bottles protect the beer from the light much better than green bottles or clear bottles. This myth comes from when there was a shortage of brown glass in Europe after WWII. The European beers were bottled in green instead, so green bottles came to represent imports. This certainly isn't the case anymore.

Beer Myth 8: The Thai beer Singha has formaldehyde in it
It seems widely believed that Singha is brewed with formaldehyde, as is Chang beer, San Miguel, Vietnamese 33, and Singapore's Tiger Beer. The most believable explanation for this one is that Singha is much more bitter and contains more alcohol than most lagers. When American or British expatriots and soldiers were drinking beer in Thailand, they got drunk much more quickly then they were used to, and it was much more bitter flavor then they were used to. To explain this it was suggested that it contained formaldehyde. Crazy.

Beer Myth 9: Corona is Mexican Piss
In the 1980s there was a rumor that Mexican workers were peeing in the Corona tanks that were destined for the US. Certainly alarmingly disgusting... if true. As it turns out this myth was started as a result of Corona's rising popularity in the US market, and who was jealous? Heineken. This was nothing more than a rumor started by a Heineken wholesaler in Reno. It all worked out, the guy from Heineken admitted his wrongdoing, and Corona continued it's rise to popularity. But the rumor can still be heard today in bars across the country.

Beer Myth 10: Women don't like beer
Thats crazy! My wife loves beer almost as much as I do. Women have brewed more beer than men in the History of Beer. Sister Doris in Bavaria brews Mallersdorf lager. Fortunately, this myth is far from true."


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Announcing BEERzology's Official Youtube Channel

Finally, the BEERzology Official Youtube Channel has arrived! It went live on September 26, 2010 and is a way to compliment the BEERzology blog (http://BEERzology.blogspot.com/)
...presenting BEERzology's favorite Youtube videos on the topic of global beer products, beer TV and radio commercials, beer brewing and any other info related to the world of beer. So...go grab a cold one, then point your web browser to http://www.youtube.com/BEERzology (or just click on this link), sit back, relax and while away the hours enjoying all that the new BEERzology Official Youtube Channel has to offer. "Nuff Sed.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Budweiser Ad Aired Only Once For 9/11/2001 Rememberance

This Budweiser beer ad was aired only once (so as not to profit from it) in rememberance of the Nation's tragedy which occurred on September 11th, 2001...check it out here:

Friday, May 28, 2010

Laura Hall: First Banned From ALL UK Pubs!!!


UPDATE:22JAN2011 see article below - In a Daily Mail article by Andy Dolan he relates the story of Laura Hall, the first person ever to be banned from all Pubs and Clubs in the United Kingdom due to her binge drinking...
Woman becomes first person banned from EVERY pub and club in the country
By Andy Dolan
Last updated at 10:54 AM on 16th April 2010

A woman has become the first person to be banned from buying or drinking alcohol anywhere in England and Wales.

Laura Hall, 20, was issued with a Drinking Banning Order - nicknamed Booze Asbos - which bars her from entering any pub, club, off-licence or bar.

The two-year order also bans Hall from buying alcohol at any other establishment or shop, carrying it in an unsealed container or drinking it in a public place.

Last orders: Laura Hall cannot enter a pub or club for two years after committing a series of public order offences in Bromsgove, Worcestershire

Police applied to magistrates after Hall was convicted of breaching an Asbo imposed for drink-related anti-social behaviour.

She has been convicted of a series of public order offences, and had flouted bans from pubs and clubs through local Pub-Watch schemes in her home town of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

Kidderminster Magistrates' Court heard yesterday that Hall faces a £2,500 fine if she breaks the conditions of the order.

Sergeant David Roberts, of West Mercia Police, said: 'There have been some Drinking Banning Orders issued already but this is the first to be issued on a nationwide basis.

'It bans Laura Hall from drinking or buying alcohol in any licensed premises across England and Wales. The conditions will also help to protect the public from the anti-social effects of Laura's behaviour.'

Officers applied for a DBO rather than another Asbo because Hall would be at risk of prison if she breached it again.

'We want to rehabilitate her rather than send her straight to jail, and hope the banning order will help Laura address her problems,' he said.

Under the terms of the order, Hall must attend an approved alcohol-misuse course. If she completes it without breaching any of its terms, the DBO could be lifted after 12 months.

Since their introduction in September, police and local authorities can ask magistrates to impose the orders on anyone responsible for alcohol-fuelled crime or anti- social behaviour to stop them drinking or entering licensed premises.

They cannot be issued to anyone with mental health problems or alcoholics.

But Rachel Seabrook, spokesman for the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: 'I think most of the disorder problems we see around alcohol reflects a lack of police enforcement powers and policing laws.

'I am not opposed in principle but I do have doubts about whether it's a realistic thing to enforce. How can a police officer in, say Wales, know whether this women has been banned if she turns up in his town?'

A study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation last year found that female binge drinking had almost doubled over the last decade. According to Government statistics, the number of women involved in alcohol-related crime rose 30 per cent between 2005 and 2007.


UPDATE:
22JAN2011 - Laura Hall, age 21 and unemployed, gets lost on the road to recovery from alcohol abuse...she was found drunk on Tuesday 18JAN2011, arrested  and fined for breaking the two year national pub ban placed on her. The only person ever in the U.K. to have such a sentence carried out by a court there. This, occuring just days prior to the TV show interview which is to be aired in Britain on Monday 24JAN2011 that follows her efforts to remain sober. Here are the details of the incident from a local UK newspaper (click here).

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Russia Goes After Beer As Cause Of Alcoholism...Not Vodka?!

UPDATE: 22JAN2010 - Russia Considers Beer As Food...but politicians there are trying to categorize it as alcohol in the eyse of the law...what? Click here to get the updated details on this issue.

Alcoholism in Russia? No way...oh it's the beer not the vodka! Here is an article from MarketWatch.com on the subject:

Russia targets beer, not vodka, to tackle alcoholism...
FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- Vodka may be the drink of choice for most Russians, but Moscow is focusing on beer in its attempt to clamp down on rampant alcoholism, a major cause of the country's social ills.

A draft bill under consideration in the Russian parliament proposes a dramatic increase in taxes on beer, provoking an outcry from the mostly foreign-owned brewing industry whose profits are bound to be hurt by the measures.

President Dmitry Medvedev has said alcoholism is "a national disaster" and is leading a campaign against it. On average, every Russian drinks 18 liters of pure alcohol a year, more than twice the level defined as dangerous by the World Health Organization, according to government statistics. Not surprisingly, alcohol is one of main causes of the country's high mortality rate.

"You have the macro environment of Medvedev's anti-alcohol campaign," said Kim Iskyan, an analyst at Eurasia Group. "The other big picture issue is Russia's fiscal situation. They are looking at 6.5%-7% deficit [relative to GDP], so they are trying to raise money any way they can."

The Russian economy has contracted sharply this year, hit hard by the global financial crisis. Against this backdrop, the country's budget deficit is expected to rise to about 7% of gross domestic product.

"It might be politically easier to focus on beer" rather than vodka, Iskyan said, though he added that the Russian beer lobby is "very effective and vocal."

200% tax hike?
A bill proposing to increase excise duty on beer by 200% from next year has been sent to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. The bill also includes an increase in 2011 of 11% and a 20% increase in 2012.

In the coming weeks, the Duma and the Council of Federation, the upper house of parliament, will discuss and vote on the bill before they send it to President Medvedev for final approval and signing.

The Union of Russian Brewers, the industry's trade group, has been lobbying for a more balanced increase in taxes on beer.

Anton Artemiev, chief executive of St. Petersburg-based Baltika Brewery, says the bill will negatively affect the beer industry as well as Russia's economy, employment, and foreign investment climate.

"I find it very hard to understand the logic behind the disproportionate increase of excise duty on beer compared to strong alcohol, which will inevitably favor the consumption of hard alcohol, including vodka, and is bound to have a negative effect on alcohol abuse in the Russian society," Artemiev said in a recent statement.

The proposed legislation provides for only a 10% increase in the excise duty on strong alcohol like vodka, according to Artemiev. Vodka and other strong alcohol account for close to 70% of total alcohol consumption in Russia compared to 20% and 30% in most markets in the European Union, Artemiev says.

The Russian beer market is the third largest in the world and its growth potential has lured foreign multinationals to buy most of the local brewers in recent years. More recently, however, as the economy deteriorated and unemployment rose, beer consumption in Russia fell 5% in 2008 and 9% in the first half of the year.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

History of Beer: A Timeline



Here is a brief overview of the world's history on the news topic of beer...from the year 4300 BC through July 2009 (it will be updated from time to time)...presented in a timeline format with associated/suggested link topics for your further research enjoyment (includes an exact date where possible):


Ancient History
Historians speculate that prehistoric nomads may have made beer from grain & water before learning to make bread. Beer became ingrained in the culture of civilizations with no significant viticulture. Noah's provisions included beer on the Ark.

4300 BC,
Babylonian clay tablets detail recipes for beer. Beer was a vital part of civilization and the Babylonian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Chinese, and Inca cultures. Babylonians produced beer in large quantities with around 20 varieties. Beer at this time was so valued that it was sometimes used to pay workers as part of their daily wages. Early cultures often drank beer through straws to avoid grain hulls left in the beverage. Egyptians brewed beer commercially for use by royalty served in gold goblets, medical purposes, and as a necessity to be included in burial provisions for the journey to the hereafter.

Different grains were used in different cultures:

a) Africa used millet, maize and cassava.

b) North America used persimmon although agave was used in Mexico.

c) South America used corn although sweet potatoes were used in Brazil.

d) Japan used rice to make sake.

e) China used wheat to make samshu.

f) Other Asian cultures used sorghum.

g) Russians used rye to make quass or kvass.

h) Egyptians used barley and may have cultivated it strictly for brewing as it made poor bread.


1600 BC
Egyptian texts contain 100 medical prescriptions calling for beer. If an Egyptian gentleman offered a lady a sip of his beer they were betrothed.
Early brewers used herbals like balsam, hay, dandelion, mint, and wormwood seeds, horehound juice, and even crab claws & oyster shells for flavorings. Romans brewed "cerevisia" (Ceres the goddess of agriculture & vis meaning strength in Latin).

55 BC
Roman legions introduce beer to Northern Europe.

49 BC
Caesar toasted his troops after crossing the Rubicon, which began the Roman Civil War. Before the Middle Ages brewing was left to women to make since it was considered a food as well as celebration drink.

23 BC
Chinese brewed beer called "kiu"

500-1000 AD
the first half of the Middle Ages, brewing begins to be practiced in Europe, shifting from family tradition to centralized production in monasteries and convents (hospitality for traveling pilgrims).

1000 AD
By this time Europe had about 50 monastic breweries.
Links: Beer

1671 Apr 22
King Charles II sat in on English parliament after which he gave his Royal Assent to the several Bills that were presented to him, fourteen private Acts, and eighteen public, including an act for exporting “Beer, Ale, and Mum.”
Links: Britain, Beer

1755
The annual 12-day Bergkirchweih beer festival began in Erlangen, Germany.
Links: Germany, Beer

1755
Arthur Guinness began brewing a dark-brown stout in the town of Leixlip, Ireland.
Links: Ireland, Beer

1839
Trappists monks at St. Sixtus in Belgium began brewing Westvleteren beer in order to finance construction of a new monastery.
Links: Belgium, Beer
ELearners
For online college information, or program details including accredited online history degrees please visit eLearners.com for course details.

1860
John Wagner established Nevada's longest-operating brewery in Carson City during the rush to Virginia City. The Carson Brewing Co. built a new two-story brewery in 1865 in the commercial form of Classical Revival, on the corner of Division and King streets, where it was later turned into an arts and performance center.
Links: USA, Nevada, Beer

1860
William McGillin began opened McGillin’s Olde Ale House in Philadelphia. In 2009 it celebrated its sesquicentennial.
Links: USA, Pennsylvania, Beer

1862
The first US federal tax on beer was levied to finance the Civil War.
Links: USA, Beer, Civil War (US)

1867
Jacob Leinenkugel, an immigrant from Bavaria, founded Leinenkugel Beer to supply the lumberjack community of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. In 1988 the family business agreed to be acquired by the Miller Brewing Co.
Links: USA, Wisconsin, Beer

1883
The Brooks and Carey Saloon opened on Mission Road, Colma, Ca. It was later renamed the Brooksville Hotel. Frank Molloy purchased the place from Patrick Brooks in 1929 and renamed it Molloy's.
Links: USA, Beer, SF Bay Area, Colma
System Renewal
Optimizing legacy applications

1884
Cassilly Adams (1843-1921), American painter, completed a 9x16 foot painting titled “Custer’s Last Fight.” It was purchased by Adolphus Busch, president of Anheuser-Busch, in 1888. Lithographs of a smaller copy of the work began to be reproduced in 1896. In 1895 Busch donated the work to the US Seventh Cavalry. It was destroyed by a fire at Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1946.
Links: Artist, USA, Beer

1888
In Chicago Louis Glunz set up shop as a wine, beer and spirits merchant at Wells and Division streets. By 2009 the Louis Glunz Beer company represented Chicago-land consumers with the largest portfolio of Micro, Specialty and Import Beers with 665 brands and 172 breweries worldwide.
Links: USA, Chicago, Wine, Beer

1890
Philippine brewer San Miguel began making beer.
Links: Philippines, Beer

1893
Charlie Wacker, director of the World's Columbian Exposition and a friend of Louis Glunz, was instrumental in making Louis a bottler of Schlitz beer for the Chicago Exposition.
Links: USA, Illinois, Chicago, Beer, Expo

1901
The US tax on a barrel of beer was reduced from $2 a barrel to $1.60.
Links: USA, Taxes, Beer
Timelines
Timelines organized by subjects.

1907
The San Francisco Brewing Company established a facility at 155 Columbus Ave, South San Francisco.
Links: USA, SF, Beer, SF Bay Area

1918 Sep
Pres. Woodrow Wilson ordered all US breweries to shut down on December 1 in order to save grain for the war effort.
Links: USA, Beer, WilsonW

1918 Dec 1
US breweries shut down due to a September directive from Pres. Wilson.
Links: USA, Beer, WilsonW

1934 Feb 20
In San Francisco a fire destroyed the recently opened Anchor Brewing Co. at 1610 Harrison St. The plant specialized in steam beer for which SF was once famous.
Links: USA, SF, Beer, Fire

1935 Jan 24
The 1st canned beer, "Krueger Cream Ale," was sold by Krueger Brewing Co. of Richmond, Va.
Links: Virginia, Beer

1939
Latrobe Brewing of Latrobe, Pa., began making Rolling Rock, a pale lager. It was later acquired by InBev SA. In 2006 Rolling Rock was acquired by Anheuser-Busch, which moved operations to Newark NJ. In 2008 Anheuser-Busch was acquired by InBev SA.
Links: USA, Pennsylvania, Beer

1955
The Old Milwaukee brand was first brewered by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company of Wisconsin. It was the first beer brand launched exclusively as a “popular” beer.
Links: USA, Wisconsin, Beer

1959 Jan 22
The Adolph Coors Co. of Golden, Colombia, introduced the aluminum beer can.
Links: USA, Colorado, Beer

1959
The West End Brewing Co., producers of Utica Club Beer, began running TV commercials in the Northeast US. The ad campaign included the Schultz and Dooley ceramic mugs based on the ad characters.
Links: USA, New York, Beer

1967
Gablinger’s beer, named after Swiss chemist Hersch Gablinger, was launched by Rheingold Breweries. Joseph Owades (1919-2005, brewmaster, developed the process to remove starch from beer and gave the formula to Meister Brau. The product failed but Meister Brau was sold to Miller Brewing. Miller successfully marketed the beer as Miller Lite.
Links: USA, Beer

1969
Fritz Maytag bought out Laurence Steese and took over the Anchor Brewing Co.
Links: USA, SF, Beer

1971
1988 Peter Bronfman (1929-1996) and his brother Edward Bronfman co-owned the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. Their uncle, Samuel, was the founder of the liquor company, Seagram Co. Ltd. The brothers acquired holdings in Brascan Ltd., a property mgmt. company, Noranda Inc., a natural resource company, and John Labatt Ltd., one of Canada’s 2 biggest brewers.
Links: Canada, Hockey, Beer, Liquor

1973
The SF pub Liverpool Lil’s began operating at 2942 Lyon St.
Links: USA, SF, Beer

1973
The Albion Brewery was declared a SF historical landmark.
Links: USA, SF, Beer

1974 Jun 4
Ten Cent Beer Night was an ill-fated promotion held by the American League's Cleveland Indians during a game against the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
Links: USA, Ohio, Baseball, Beer

1979 Feb 1
US Pres. Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing.
Links: USA, Beer, CarterJ

1980 Sep 26
A bomb attack at the Oktoberfest in Munich killed 13 people.
Links: Germany, Beer

1982 Jun 10
The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company and the Old Milwaukee brand was acquired by Stroh Brewing Company of Detroit. The Old Milwaukee brand was first brewered by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.
Links: USA, Michigan, Wisconsin, Beer

1983 Nov 9
Alfred Heineken, beer brewer from Amsterdam, was kidnapped and held for a ransom of more than $10 million. Heineken was freed Nov 30. Cor van Houton, the kidnapper, was shot to death in 2003.
Links: Netherlands, Beer

1983 Nov 30
Police freed kidnapped beer magnate Alfred Heineken in Amsterdam.
Links: Netherlands, Beer

1983
The Mendocino Brewing Co. became the 1st Brewpub in California and only the 2nd in the nation to open since Prohibition.
Links: USA, California, Beer

1984
The Reagan administration, spurred by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) ordered US states to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose 10% of their federal highway funds.
Links: USA, Beer, Liquor, ReaganR

1986 Feb
Eduardo Cojuangco (b.1935), aka Danding and crony capitalist to Pres. Marcos, fled the Philippines. Cojuango had acquired a controlling stake in San Miguel beer using public funds deposited in a bank that he controlled. In 1999 Mr. Cojuango regained his position as head of the board of San Miguel even pending litigation for 'ill-gotten wealth."
Links: Philippines, Beer

1989 Aug 24
British brewery Bass bought the Holiday Inn hotel chain.
Links: Britain, M&A, Beer

1992
In Finland the Wife Carrying contest was initiated to revive a 200 year old tradition from when Ronkainen the Robber tested aspiring members of his gang by making them carry huge sacks on their backs through an obstacle course. Cash prizes and the wife’s weight in beer was awarded to the winners.
Links: Finland, Women, Beer, Sociology, Games

1993
In Germany the Reinheitsgebot law of 1516 was relaxed to allow foreign brewers to sell their beer in Germany.
Links: Germany, Beer

1993
In Tanzania in a privatization drive part of the government stake in Safari beer was sold to a South African company.
Links: South Africa, Tanzania, Beer

1994
South African Breweries (SAB) moved into the China market.
Links: China, South Africa, Beer

1995
Anheuser-Busch Cos. bought the largest brewer in central China and began selling Budweiser in major Chinese cities.
Links: USA, China, Beer

1996 Aug 27
In Indianapolis 4 police officers engaged in a fight outside the city’s Circle Center mall. They were off duty and had just consumed a large amount of beer in the city’s luxury suite at a ball game. They were later tried for battery, disorderly conduct and public intoxication but the 1997 trial ended in a hung jury.
Links: Baseball, Beer, Indiana

1996
In Germany low-tetrahydrocannabinol hemp was made legal and quickly became a fast-growing cash crop. A young Berlin brewer began to add its flowering buds to his beer in violation of the 1516 Reinheitsgebot law on beer ingredients.
Links: Germany, Beer, Agriculture

1997 Feb
Ahmed Zayat, an Egyptian American, took over the Al Ahram Beverages Co. and began to build a state-of-the-art brewery to produce Egyptian Stella and Danish Carlsberg Beer.
Links: Egypt, Beer

1997 Jul 16
Jerold Mackenzie was awarded $26.6M for being fired from Miller Brewing in 1993 for sexual harassment for relaying a Seinfeld episode to a co-worker. Higher courts later threw the entire award out. In 2003 Mackenzie accepted an out-of-court settlement for $625,000.
Links: TV, Beer, Lawsuit

1998 May 2
Police fired tear gas into a crowd of 3,000 students at Michigan State Univ. who were protesting the end of drinking at Munn Field.
Links: Michigan, Beer

1998 Dec 26
President Clinton, in his weekly radio address, urged Congress to lower the blood-alcohol limit for drunken driving nationwide to 0.08 percent to conform with 17 states and the District of Columbia. The other 33 states have 0.10.
Links: USA, Wine, Beer, Liquor, ClintonB
System Renewal

1998
Anheuser Busch paid an estimated $80 million for exclusive alcohol rights to the 2002 and 2006 soccer World Cup tournaments. In 2000 Germany was selected as the host for the 2006 tournament and German fans became furious over the prospect of drinking Budweiser at the tournament.
Links: USA, Germany, Beer, Soccer

2000 Jun 1
Stores across Japan emptied beer vending machines to comply with a voluntary ban on beer vending to help reduce alcoholism.
Links: Japan, Beer

2000 Aug 28
Foster’s Brewing of Australia reported a deal to buy the California Beringer winery for some $1.5 billion.
Links: Australia, Wine, Beer

2001
The Firestone Walker brewery relocated from Santa Barbara, Ca., to Paso Robles. The brewers fermented their ales in used wine barrels.
Links: USA, California, Beer

2002 Jan 3
Alfred Henry Heineken (78), builder of a global beer brand, died in the Netherlands. Freddie designed the green bottle and logo. In 1983 he was abducted for weeks and released unharmed.
Links: Netherlands, Beer

2002 Dec
In Uganda Nile Breweries, owned by SABMiller began selling a new kind of clear lager-like beer called Eagle. Industrial enzymes were used to convert starches in sorghum to sugars. It sold well and expanded to other countries in the region.
Links: Uganda, Beer

2002
China surpassed the US to become the world's largest beer market by volume.
Links: China, Beer

2002
South African Breweries bought America’s Miller Brewing for $5.6 billion.
Links: USA, South Africa, Beer

2003 Feb 20
The Station, a Warwick, Rhode Island, nightclub erupted in a raging fire during a pyrotechnics display at a rock concert, 98 people were killed and 200 others injured. Flammable soundproofing was later blamed. In Feb, 2006, Dan Biechele, manager of the band, pleaded guilty to 100 counts of manslaughter in exchange for up to 10 years in prison. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison. In 2008 Anheuser-Busch and a Rhode Island beer distributor agreed to pay $21 million to settle lawsuits brought by survivors of the fire.
Links: USA, Pop&Rock, Beer, Fire, Lawsuit, Rhode Island

2004 Jan 9
The German Neuzeller Kloster Brewery announced plans to introduce its "Anti-Aging-Bier" this year and sell it in grocery and drug stores.
Links: Germany, Beer

2004 Feb 28
In Finland hundreds of trucks prepared to roll onto frozen roads at midnight, stocked with beer and hard cider for a population that eagerly awaits a historic government measure that will cut alcohol prices by nearly 40 percent.
Links: Finland, Beer

2004 Apr 16
After analyzing 730 confirmed cases of gout from among a group of 47,000 men over 12 years, London researchers demonstrated that drinkers are more likely to get gout, and that beer is worse and wine is best. Gout is caused by deposits of crystals of a chemical called uric acid in joints. Alcohol consumption leads to "hyperuricaemia" -- when the body produces too much uric acid.
Links: Britain, Medical, Chemistry, Biology, Beer

2004 Apr 19
Researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine that fairly heavy alcohol consumption appears to moderately increase the risk of cancer in the colon and rectum.
Links: Medical, Wine, Beer, Liquor

2004 May 5
British-based SABMiller launched an unsolicited HK$4.3 billion ($550m) bid for Harbin Brewery, China’s 4th largest brewer.
Links: Britain, China, M&A, Beer

2004 Jun 1
Anheuser-Busch offered HK$5.58 per share for China’s Harbin Brewery Group Ltd. 2 days later SABMiller withdrew its HK$4.30 offer.
Links: China, Beer

2004 Jul 3
Two Estonian students clinched the country's seventh straight wife-carrying world championship on Saturday, winning the "wife's" weight in beer and a sauna.
Links: Estonia, Beer

2004 Aug 27
It was reported that SABMiller was investing $82.2 million to build a brewery in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China.
Links: China, Beer

2004 Aug
An $11 billion merger between Belgium’s Interbrew and Brazil’s largest brewer AmBev formed InBev.
Links: Belgium, Brazil, Beer

2004 Sep 18
Munich's mayor opened the southern city's 171st Oktoberfest festival for a crowd of some 500,000.
Links: Germany, Beer

2004
Billy Gaines and Duncan Carrroll, graduates of Carnegie Mellon Univ., developed a Web site called bpong.com along with a multiplayer online beer-pong game. Beer pong had gained popularity on college campuses in the 1990s.
Links: USA, Internet, Beer, Games

2005 Feb 7
In England and Wales new laws came into effect that allow pubs, clubs and other drinking venues to apply to stay open 24 hours a day.
Links: Britain, Wales, Beer

2005 Apr 4
In Canada Edward Bronfman, Canadian businessman, died. Bronfman and his brother, Peter, built Edper Investments Ltd. into a business with interests ranging from forestry and mining to banking, beer and hockey to form the core of what is today Brascan Corp.
Links: Canada, Beer

2005 Jul 19
British firm SABMiller announced a $7.8 billion purchase of Grupo Empresarial Bavaria, South America’s 2nd largest brewer. The Santo Domingo family of Colombia were Bavaria;s controlling shareholders.
Links: Colombia, Britain, Beer

2005 Jul 27
It was reported that some Chinese beer makers used small quatities of formaldehyde to improve color and prevent sediment from forming during storage. Major producers said they did not use the additive. The practice was abandoned in the West.
Links: China, Beer

2005 Sep 17
Germany’s 172nd Oktoberfest opened and will run to Oct 3.
Links: Germany, Beer

2005 Oct 3
Munich's two-week Oktoberfest drew to a close, and organizers said more people visited this year but they drank less beer than in 2004.
Links: Germany, Beer

2005 Nov 23
In Britain and Wales the early pub closing times, that had governed drinking in Britain since their introduction during World War I, were set to end at midnight. The laws had required most pubs to close at 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10:30 p.m. on Sundays. New rules allowed pubs, bars, shops, restaurants and clubs to apply to open any hours they like, although each license must be approved by local authorities.
Links: Britain, Wales, Wine, Beer, Liquor

2005
Vijay Mallya (27) inherited the UB Group of India when his father, Vittal Mallya, died of a heart attack. Sales for UB then grew from $100 million to $1.6 billion in 2003. Import duties on foreign liquor of up to 550% protected his business.
Links: India, Beer, Liquor

2005
In Laos the state-owned enterprise Beerlao, which traces its origins to French colonial times, added dark brew and a light beer to its regular lager this year and went into a 50-50 joint venture with Denmark's Carlsberg Breweries, the world's No. 5 beer-maker.
Links: Laos, Beer

2006 Jan 23
Belgian brewer InBev NV, the world's largest brewery by volume, said it has agreed to buy the largest brewer in China's Fujian province for 614 million euros ($740 million).
Links: Belgium, China, Beer

2006
Maureen Ogle authored “Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer.”
Links: USA, Beer, Books

2007 May 28
Britain’s public health minister said beer, wine and hard liquor packaging in Britain will carry warning labels next year detailing how many units of alcohol each drink contains as well as recommended safe drinking levels.
Links: Britain, Wine, Beer, Liquor

2007 Jul 31
A new study reported that drinking wine or beer every day increases the risk of bowel cancer. The British Daily Telegraph reported 35,000 people are diagnosed each year with bowel cancer and that it kills 16,100 a year.
Links: Canada, Medical, Wine, Beer

2007 Aug 30
Michael Jackson (65), a leading world beer critic, died in London. He praised the brews of Belgium and his books "The Great Beers of Belgium" and "World Guide to Beer" introduced them to many export markets, including the United States.
Links: Belgium, Britain, Beer

2007 Oct 9
Brewers SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing said they have agreed to combine their US operations to create a business that will have annual sales of $6.6 billion and be the second-biggest market player behind Anheuser-Busch.
Links: Canada, USA, Beer

2008 Jan 25
Scottish & Newcastle, the UK's largest brewer, announced it has agreed to be bought by Carlsberg and Heineken, for around 7.6 billion pounds.
Links: Britain, M&A, Beer

2008 Jun 9
Budweiser, US beer brewer, announced that it would go on sale in Vietnam.
Links: USA, Vietnam, Beer

2008 Jun 11
InBev, the Belgian-Brazilian brewing giant, offered $46 billion, or 65 dollars a share, in cash for Anheuser-Busch in a bid to create an unrivaled global brewing giant.
Links: Belgium, Brazil, USA, Beer

2008 Jul 13
Belgian-based brewer InBev announced it will buy Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion.
Links: Belgium, USA, Missouri, M&A, Beer

2008 Nov 18
Belgian brewing giant InBev announced it had completed the takeover of Anheuser-Busch to create the world's biggest brewer. Beijing agreed to Belgium-based InBev SA's takeover of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.'s Chinese operations as part of their global merger, but limited future acquisitions on anti-monopoly grounds.
Links: Belgium, USA, China, Beer

2009 Mar 9
French lawmakers passed an amendment to ban the sale of alcohol to teens under 18, part of an effort to tackle the rise of binge drinking in a country known for a relaxed attitude toward a little libation.
Links: France, Wine, Beer, Liquor

2009 Jul 1
Utah ditched a 40-year-old requirement for bar customers to fill out applications and pay a fee to become a member of a private club before entering a bar.
Links: USA, Utah, Beer, Liquor

2009 Jul 20
In Malaysia Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno (32), Muslim woman, was sentenced to six lashes and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,400) for having a beer in a nightclub. She would become the first woman in Malaysia to be given the punishment under Islamic law.
Links: Malaysia, Women, Beer, Sociology

(source:timelinesdb.com)