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PRESS RELEASES - 2001
2008
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2007
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2006
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2005
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2004
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2003
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2002
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2001
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2000
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1999
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1998
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1997
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1996
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INDEX 2001
Archive Index: Past releases and stories from AVBC
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Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale to Debut November 1st
October 22, 2001 - Boonville, CA - "The frost is on the pumpkin, the corn is in
the crib..." how does the rest of that go? Oh, yes! And the Anderson Valley
Brewing Company's award winning Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale is resting in the
conditioning tanks, making ready for its annual appearance on November 1st. A
two time Gold Medal Winner at the World Beer Championships, the Winter Solstice
Seasonal Ale will be flowing freely from taps in your town throughout the
holidays. You can also find this fine libation in 12 ounce bottles, by the
six-pack, or in our larger 22-ounce bottle. Each bottle is packaged with a
festive label suitable for gift-giving featuring the snow dappled hills of the
Anderson Valley, garlands of holly, and our legendary boonville beer.
The first sip of Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale will arouse thoughts of sleigh
rides and gently falling snowflakes, while each consecutive taste will slowly
warm your soul like glowing embers of the hearth. Our holiday ale is robust:
brewed with a high original gravity and our secret mixture of holiday spicing.
Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale is great alone or with any holiday meal and has a
reputation for adding a little spark to every event. This highly esteemed and
much sought after brew is released in November, just in time for the holidays
and will only be a fond memory by the first of the New Year. Some folks tell
of finding an empty pint glass next to Santa's milk and cookie plate, so don't
forget to put an extra bottle in every stocking!
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AVBC Expands Production Capacity
April 4, 2001 - Boonville, CA - Due to the popularity of their Poleeko Pale
Ale and other brands Anderson Valley Brewing Company has had to add additional
fermentation capacity. The makers of the legendary Boonville Beers have
purchased three new 100 barrel fermenters to meet the additional demand. This
addition comes close on the heals of the installation of their new 100 barrel
cooper brewhouse late last year. These new fermenter will give Anderson Valley
about 20 percent more capacity. Brewery President, Ken Allen explains "when we brought the
Poleeko Pale ale out in six packs last year we knew that we would see an
increase in sales, but the response has been phenomenal, people just love it."
The new tank will be put into service in time to supply beer for the busy
spring and summer months.
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AVBC Retires a Bit of Brewing History
April 4, 2001 - Boonville, CA - After more than 13 years of dutiful service,
Anderson Valley Brewing Company is retiring its original bottling machine. The
1946 Liquid Carbonics 12 head filler was purchased from Sprecher Brewery in
Milwaukee in 1988. The Liquid Carbonics machine was originally set up to fill
12 ounce soda bottles, but AVBC retooled it to fill 22 ounce bottles. Anderson
Valley was one of the first American micro-breweries to sell beer in the 22
ounce package. The 22 ounce package size was a hot item in the 1990s, but sales
in that category have slowed some in recent years. "The six pack is a larger
percentage of our sales now, but the 22 ounce is a nice package and it still
does very well for us," says President Dr. Ken Allen. So much so that Anderson
Valley Brewing has purchased a "new" 1978 Crown, Cork and Seal Uniblend 28 head
rotary filler. Dr. Allen points out that "our old filler served us well, I kind
of hate to see it go, but this new Uniblend filler does more bottles with fewer
people and less oxygen pick up - this will help keep our shelf price stable and
make the beer fresher for the consumer." The old Liquid Carbonics filler
will most likely go to Ukiah Brewing Company or another small scale bottling
operation in the area.
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AVBC Receives Second WRAP Waste Reduction Award
Boonville, CA (Sept. 26, 2001) For the second year in a row, Anderson Valley Brewing Company been honored by the State of California for their commitment to waste reduction. The California Integrated Waste Management Board has noted Anderson Valley Brewing's innovative recycling efforts, by including them as winners under this year's Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP).
The Waste Board's WRAP awards are designed to recognize companies that develop creative and aggressive programs to reduce the amount of waste they generate. Applicants are honored based on a set of criteria developed with input from the business community. Practices evaluated include waste prevention, materials reuse, recycling, recycled product procurement, and employee education.
Anderson Valley Brewing was cited for its operation of a unique three-pond effluent waste water treatment system which filters out excess nutrients and other byproducts of the brewing process, leaving the water suitable to irrigate the company's 30-acre property. Further, the brewery also donates approximately 2000 tons per year of spent grain to local livestock ranchers as a nutritionally rich feed supplement. Anderson Valley Brewing's employees also mix the company's protein rich spent yeast into the grain destined for animal feed after first thermal-killing any active organisms, making it safe for livestock.
Upon learning of the award, President and founder Dr. Kenneth Allen reflected on Anderson Valley Brewing's commitment to reusing resources. "I think it's important that all companies be responsible for not impacting the environment in a negative way. Resources need to be used as efficiently as possible, and with an effort we can not only keep waste products out of the landfill, but useful applications can be found for them."
Dr. Allen pointed out that most of the time the water used by the brewery is used three or four times before it is naturally filtered for irrigation. First to chill and then to heat liquids during the brewing process, then to actually brew the beer or to clean up afterwards, then to the ponds for filtration and ultimately for irrigation. "Good environmental practices are also good business practices, " Allen noted. "We're always looking for new ways to save resources and reuse materials."
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AVBC Puts Final Touches on New Brewery
March 30, 2001 - Boonville, California - Life moves at a different pace here in
the Anderson Valley. Folks are a little more cautious, they figure that there's
no point to rushing into something when you have the time to do it right. Ken
Allen, the President of Anderson Valley Brewing Company, (makers of the Legendary
Boonville Beers), has always sought controlled growth for his company, but when
Dr. Allen read that a German brewery in Kasendorf was going out of business and
planned to sell their copper brewhouse for scrap, he knew that something had to
be done. He got a couple of his friends together and organized a rescue
mission. Several months later the one hundred barrel brewhouse showed up on a
truck in Boonville, more than 8000 miles from it's original Bavarian home. It
took a couple of years to design and construct a building to house the new
brewery. Equipment installation took a little while longer. There were, of
course, a few changes and additions to the original plan, but in March of 2001
the project was complete. The result is a brewer's dream. Four stately "onion
dome" copper vessels are set in a handsomely tiled chamber with full length
windows that overlook the rolling hills of the valley as it heads down to the
sea. The wait had been worth it. Head Brewer Brit Antrim says that "Not only is
it beautiful and easy to work on, it is still a 'hands on' system that really
gives one a sense of tradition and appreciation for the brewers art."
The additional brewing capacity came on line at a very fortuitous time; the
growing demand for Anderson Valley's full flavored beers had overreached the
capacity of the old 30 barrel brewhouse. "We even had to hurry a bit there
towards the end," said brewery engineer Rod Dewitt. The new brew house
will be open for tours starting in April and there will be a special two-hour
open house from 10:00 to 12:00 on April 21
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, the morning of the Legendary Boonville Beer Festival. But if you can't make
it out that day, don't worry, there is no rush, Anderson Valley Brewing will
still be there, and still making world-class beers for those with a sense of
tradition.
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5
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Annual Legendary Boonville Beer Festival Announced For April 21
st
Boonters (local residents of Anderson Valley) and beer aficionados agree that
the Legendary Boonville Beer Festival is … well, simply put, "the bahlest
steinber hornin', chiggrul gormin', frattey seepin' tidrick in the heelch of
the Boont Region", or anywhere else for that matter. We're harpin' about the
upcoming
5th Annual Legendary Boonville Beer Festival
, of course, and it's scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 21
st
at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in beautiful, downtown Boonville.
Fifty craft breweries are expected to be on hand to pour their excellent brews
for an appreciative crowd of over 1,000 knowledgeable beer and ale
fanciers. Plenty of good food and soft drinks will be available and,
musical entertainment will be provided by local legends "The Bleeding Blues
Band", with AVBC's Chief Maintenance Engineer Rod "Don't Quit Your Day Job"
DeWitt on drums. Also scheduled are legends in their own minds, "The
Rolling Boil Blues Band" anchored by Celebrator Beer News publisher Tom
Dalldorf and other industry stalwarts. We've also invited back Greg Schindel,
"The Train Singer," who was such a hit at last year's Boonville Beer Festival
with his acoustic guitar, train conductor's uniform, and repertoire of
railroad-themed songs. Greg will be strolling the grounds and serenading
beer sippers during interludes on the big stage.
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Super Secret Sect Meets in Boonville for the Immaculate Concoction.
If you know about the small, secluded nook of Anderson Valley at all, you know
it for either its world-class beers or unspoiled natural beauty. But there is
another side to the Anderson Valley, one of diligence, dedication, and somber
reflection. This side of the valley is rarely seen by most visitors and is
little know to many of the locals. There is amongst the rolling hills and
towering redwood trees a quiet group of dedicated men and women that have
pledged their lives to the betterment of mankind's existence on this lonely,
blue planet. This is the Anderson Valley Society for the Study, Proliferation
and Advancement of Small Scale Monastic Brewing Sciences and Technology
(AVSSPASSMBST). This reclusive group of stalwart perquisitors of knowledge
gather but infrequently. One such assembly occurred on a recent
near-spring-like weekend in the hamlet of Boonville. This aggregation of socii
was to formulate and then execute the brewing of one of the most difficult and
dangerous beer styles on earth, that of the really humongous Belgian Double.
What follows is a photo essay of this mysterious society's creative endeavors.
The release party will be held Saturday, April 28th, at Toronado, 547 Haight
Street, in San Francisco, from 4-8 pm.
Click on the thumbnails below for a larger view.
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