Beer: The 411 on area code brews and festivals
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724 Imperial Pale Ale, coming in September from Beaver Brewing Co. -
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News earlier this month that giant Anheuser-Busch InBev wants to trademark area codes of 15 cities, including the "412" of Pittsburgh, made me think of tiny Beaver Brewing Co.
Anheuser-Busch earlier this year bought Chicago's Goose Island, which brews "312 Urban Wheat" and "312 Urban Wheat Ale," both of which are very popular. The thinking is, putting other area codes on brews could make more money for Anheuser-Busch.
Beaver Brewing's Dan Woodske is pressing on with his own plan, which predates Anheuser-Busch's May 20 application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to make beer named for his area code, the one for much of the area around Pittsburgh.
Beaver Brewing's 724 is to be an imperial pale ale brewed with seven varieties of hops (he'll give a case to the person who guesses all seven), a two-hour boil and four malts. He's only making 724 bottles, all individually numbered, and it should be ready for September. There's a waiting list.
"I did a taste test with it last month [at his Patterson Township nano brewery] and it went over real well," he said in an email earlier this month, adding: "I may break down and distribute it into Pittsburgh (even though it is in the 412 zip code), because I have gotten several requests for it."
He'd seen the news about Anheuser-Busch, too, and was skeptical if craft beer fanatics would bite on area-code-labeled macro brews even if they were brought to market. (No one knows what the brewer is up to, and it's not saying; maybe they'd distribute renamed 312 to different areas.) "It makes me feel good though; if A-B sees a market for it I must be doing something right!"
He believes he can protect 724 because even though he doesn't have it trademarked, he has registered it with the Alcohol, Tobacco & Trade Agency and the state Liquor Control Board and he has a record of using it commercially (see beaverbrewingcompany.com). "I THINK I am good to go on it and I hope so because I already have about 33 percent of the beer reserved for people so far!"
First Published July 28, 2011 12:00 am
