13 November 2007

Hop Crop / Brugge News

As we've discussed before, the increase in hop prices means an increase in beer prices. It also means that homebrewing just got a whole lot more expensive. How much more expensive? According to this article in the Denver Post:
..Cascade hops, the most popular among craft brewers, (have) jump(ed) from $4.10 per pound to about $12.35 per pound in two months.
On the craftbrew side, the price increase isn't really all that substantial for the consumer.
At Idaho Springs-based Tommyknocker Brewery, which produces 9,000 barrels of beer per year, head brewer Steve Indrehus expects prices to go up.

A six-pack of “Maple Nut Brown Ale,” its flagship beer, is currently $6.99, while a case costs $28. Those prices will likely go up to $7.25 and $29 respectively, said Indrehus.

He said hops are not the only reason; the industry is taking a hit from increases in barley and glass costs.
NPR is also reporting on the story, which you can listen to in convenient audio form by clicking the link on this page.

* * * * *

Our friends over at Brugge Beer have launched a blog of their own under the creative name of "Brugge Beer".
This will be updated regularly, with developments, promotions, and activities in both Terre Haute and Broad Ripple, including the current beer selection, weekly specials menu, and TV sports schedule at Brugge Brasserie.

Your participation is key as we really want to hear your comments about everything we're doing.

Ted and Shannon, along with Micah Weichert, our head brewer in TH will be talking about the good, bad, and ugly about all of Brugge's operations.
Check out the Brugge Beer Blog here.

4 comments:

  1. i wish i could get cascades for that cheap... this summer they seemed to be running about 12 bucks a pound before shipping. 10 i guess if you got real lucky. i've seen them recently for upwards of 30. yeah that's right i said 30!

    most commercial brewers sign contracts for the upcoming season well in advance to lock in prices. if the brewer was smart, the upcharge shouldn't affect the price of commercial brews at all. too bad we don't work on that kind of scale.

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  2. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a few minutes to explain how we came up with our, in your word, "creative" Blog name.
    It will be difficult because I can't use diagrams, Powerpoint, overhead projectors, slide rules, etc.

    After several months of brainstorming, which included many team building efforts, we came to the consensus that we do in fact have a restaurant named Brugge Brasserie.

    This continued to cause us consternation, however, because Brasserie has an implied connotation of women's undergarments, and in our new Terre Haute facilty, we don't, surprisingly, make those.

    For the first few months after we bought the brewery, we, in fact, made nothing. Even the maketing neophytes in our company realized we couldn't call our company or Weblog, "Brugge Nothing".

    When we finally got our federal and state approval to make something, again after several corporate retreats, we hit upon the idea to make beer. Because of signed confidentiality agreements, I can't tell you why.

    AFter that we were so exhausted, we just said, "The hell with it."

    Hence the name "Brugge Beer."

    If there are any business schools that would like me to teach a semester on this process, please let me know.

    Thanks for giving me all this ink to explain the tortuous, convoluted, vermiculate, flexuous, path we followed to reach the creative, inspired, visionary, and hip title of our new Weblog.

    Cheers,
    Charlie

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  3. Did you consider Brugge House of Chicken and Waffles?

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  4. Good Lord I love Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Maybe we should open one? Who are you, Rodney, so bright and with such vision?

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