In one of the most embarrassing craft beer related lawsuits since the Vermonster debacle, our friends down at Bear Republic Brewery have filed a trademark infringement order against Central City Brewing, who are located here in British Columbia. Before getting into my dissection of this lawsuit I do wish to fully disclose that I know the people behind Central City Brewing, and am a fan of their beers. For a detailed breakdown of the lawsuit you can download the filed document here.
Above is a picture of both trademarkst. It’s true that arguments about both fonts and naming can be made. However, when using standard fonts found on almost any computer you can easily make the counter argument of coincidence. As for the names, it’s a stretch to assume Red Racer and Racer 5 have any significant relationship when compared to most craft beers. The sheer number of breweries using colors as denominators for their products is daunting, and the term Racer is vague; so much so one could argue AlesSmith’s Speedway Stout could also fall into this lawsuit if that were the case. Aside from this there is the blatant copyright infringement Bear Republic has done on their own part, creating a brand based off of the Speed Racer cartoon and its ever so famous car the Mach 5.
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CAMRA President Rick Green (left) & Dockside Brewing Brewmaster Daniel Knibbs (right)
On January 17th, the CAMRA Vancouver Annual General Meeting took place at the Alibi Room. If you have ever been to an annual general meeting for any sort of organization, then you know that it’s not always the most exciting thing in the world. In order to get the conversation flowing, R&B Brewing graciously donated a keg of their award winning Auld Nick winter warmer. Along with the free beer also came free food from our good hosts at the Alibi Room, making everyone feel appreciated as an organization and ready to dive into the business at hand.
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Many people outside of the eastern United States have yet to hear about the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. If it were not for RainCity Brands, British Columbia’s newest craft beer distributor, I too would have no idea Pretty Things existed. Luckily for me, on a trip to the Alibi Room for a pre-holiday pint, I ran into the man behind RainCity Brands. It was there I was treated to a sample of Babayaga, a Pretty Things’ winter seasonal, and the story behind the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.
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Throughout December I posted The Beer Drinker’s Holiday Gift Guide Parts 1 & 2, focusing on books, novelty items, and big ticket presents. With Christmas mere days away Part 3 is going to focus on those last minute gifts that you grab on the way to a Christmas Party, your family’s house, or as you step out to ‘run an errand’ Christmas Eve. So ladies and gents, when you’re pressed for time and all out of ideas the best present for a beer drinker what do you buy? Beer of course! But, the question remains, what beer?
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A couple of weeks ago I posted The Beer Drinker’s Holiday Gift Guide Part 1, breaking down the best books to buy the hop-head in your life. With Christmas fast approaching, I figured it best to post part two in order to avoid this becoming a Valentines Day gift guide. In this part, I break down a couple of big ticket items as well as a couple of cheaper, yet still well thought-out gifts.
Organization Membership: Often beer lovers wish to explore their passion, yet they lack a group of like minded-people to share experiences with. With that in mind, I feel one of the best gifts you can give to a beer lover is a membership to a local beer club, group, or organization. Locally, we have CAMRA Vancouver; abroad there are many other organizations such as the Craft Brewers Association, and CAMRA UK.
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This past Saturday at 11:30am people began lining up to sample the best the BC craft beer scene has to offer. With breweries from all across the province descending onto DIX BBQ & Brewery, the air was full of anticipation as we hardcore craft heads mingled and tried to stay warm on the crisp, sunny December morning. After a short wait, we were called into the brewery in order to start the festivities by CAMRA president Rick Green.
Upon entering the venue, many of us quickly surveyed the landscape, identifying what casks to hit first and what ones we would need to build up to. Trust me when I say that if you were one of the few who approached Gary Lohin’s Double Roach Imperial IPA first, you were not enjoying the flavors of the other beers for the next couple of hours as it was a pure pallet wrecker.
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Earlier this week I posted information about two events, the first of which is the Alibi Room’s 100th tap rotation happening tonight at 5:00pm. If you are on the fence about this event, just take a look at the beer list that was leaked by an unnamed CAMRA member:
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Every year people around the world struggle to find gifts for friends and family come the holiday season. In the past, my trick was to figure out their hobby and then research useful items that pertain to that passion. However, this is a dangerous way to go as you could end up buying them something completely useless despite its relation to their hobby. I know I have my share of gifts I grinned and thanked someone for, then thought to myself ‘what the heck am I going to do with this?’ With that in mind, I have set out to provide the loved ones of us craft beer fans a holiday gift guide. Each item was researched with care, taking the input of many craft beer fans to help make this as universal as possible. Without any further delay, the beer drinker’s holiday gift guide 2009 part 1:
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This week is the start of the holiday season for British Columbia craft beer fans. Unlike most craft fans south of the border, there is no late November Thanksgiving up here to set the festive atmosphere. No, we rely on something much different. This coming week marks two of the best beer events of 2009 with the 100th tap rotation at the Alibi Room and DIX BBQ & Brewery Winter Xtreme Caskival!
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Many people are unaware of BC when it comes to being a beer region. Despite this fact, its staggering just how much good product is coming out of BC breweries. That is why when I sat down to pick the best brewery in BC for 2009 it was no small task. I will state that this opinion comes from a number of factors, and the conclusion was not came to lightly. Considerations include not only quality of beers, but how the participate in the local craft industry, their accessibility, presentation, and marketing. With this in mind I present truecask.com’s best BC brewery of 2009:
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