COLUMBIA DISTRIBUTING WELCOMES HOPWORKS URBAN BREWERY| 06/07/2012
I am very pleased and excited to announce an exciting and unique addition to the Columbia Distributing portfolio with our new relationship with Hopworks Urban Brewery, also known as HUB.
Hopworks Urban Brewery is a unique and award winning brewery with a uniquely “Portland” feel. Hopworks Urban Brewery brews some of Oregon’s finest handcrafted organic beers, right here in Portland at their Powell Boulevard location, using fresh, local ingredients. Hopworks incorporates many aspects of sustainability in its operation and is a 100% renewably powered and “cradle to gate” carbon neutral operation. Both their Powell Boulevard location and their BikeBar location on N. Williams are exceptional spots to expose Oregonians to their fantastic organic beers. This is a truly unique and exciting brewery that will grow with our team at Columbia.
FROM ASHLAND, OH TO ASHLAND, OR...CHEERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO AMERICAN CRAFT BEER WEEK®| 05/08/2012
May 14-20 Marks the “Mother of All Beer Weeks” with Celebrations in All 50 States
Boulder, CO • April 26, 2012—With craft beer delighting the palates of Americans nationwide, beer enthusiasts and beginners alike will come together to toast the seventh annual American Craft Beer Week (ACBW). From May 14-20, celebrations are expected to be held across all 50 states as communities come together to show appreciation on a local level for the more than 1,900 small and independent craft brewers responsible for the steadily advancing American craft beer culture.
“As the craft beer community continues to experience exponential growth, American Craft Beer Week has quickly become an iconic event that underscores the ever-increasing appreciation for small producers in this country,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and craft beer program director at the Brewers Association. “This year’s celebrations will once again provide an opportunity for small brewers, enthusiasts and the community of better beer retailers to celebrate this growth and the progressively popular craft beer culture in the U.S. The thousands of scheduled events nationwide underscore the grassroots nature of the craft beer movement."
Going Social
This year, Untappd, the mobile-based social network that connects breweries with craft beer lovers, will allow 2012 ACBW participants to earn a special badge for enjoying craft beer during the week. Craft brewers are encouraged to leverage the sharing app by listing their brands on the social media site.
Local Celebrations
This year’s events include exclusive brewery tours, special beer releases, multi-course food and beer pairing dinners, collaboration beers and retail promotions throughout the U.S. To find a local celebration, visit the official American Craft Beer Week events calendar hosted by CraftBeer.com.
MILLERCOORS NABS NINE MEDALS AT 2012 WORLD BEER CUP| 05/07/2012
CHICAGO, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- MillerCoors hauled in nine medals -- including five from Tenth and Blake, the company's craft and imports division -- this weekend at the Brewers Association's biennial World Beer Cup International Competition. Among the highlights of this year's competition, Coors Light won gold in the American Style Lager or Light Lager category and Blue Moon Vintage Blonde won silver in the Fruit Wheat Beer category.
Following is the complete list of medals won by MillerCoors:
Gold
Coors Light - American-Style Lager or Light Lager
Steel Reserve - American-Style Premium Lager or Specialty Lager
Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark (Tenth and Blake) - American Style Dark Lager
Florhosen (SandLot -- Tenth and Blake) - German Style Marzen
Silver
Blue Moon Vintage Blond (Tenth and Blake) - Fruit Wheat Beer
Colorado Native (Tenth and Blake) - American Style Amber Lager
Peche (Tenth and Blake) - American Style Brett Ale
Bronze
Icehouse - American Style Premium Lager or Specialty Lager
Milwaukee's Best - American Style Cream Ale or Lager
MillerCoors has won a combined 238 medals at the World Beer Cup and the annual Great American Beer Festival, also hosted by the Brewers Association.
"We are thrilled to have nine of our beer recognized as medal winners at the 2012 World Beer Cup," said David Ryder, head brewmaster at MillerCoors. "It truly is a testament to the hard work and passion all of our team has for making beers that delight American beer drinkers."
The 2012 World Beer Cup was held on May 4-5 in San Diego, with 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states entering 3,921 beers in 95 beer style categories, the biggest selection of entries to date.
About MillerCoorsBuilt on a foundation of great beer brands and nearly 300 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers. MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in the United States, capturing nearly 30 percent of beer sales in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of brands across every major industry segment. The portfolio is led by the company's premium light brands: Coors Light, Miller Lite and Miller64. Coors Light, the World's Most Refreshing Beer, offers consumers refreshment as cold as the Rockies. Miller Lite established the American light beer category in 1975, offering beer drinkers a light beer that tastes like beer should. Miller64 is 64 calories of crisp, light taste that complements a balanced lifestyle. MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft, and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light. Tenth and Blake Beer Company, the MillerCoors craft and import division, imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch, and features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company. MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel's craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and two microbreweries, the Tenth Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at the Sandlot in Denver. The MillerCoors vision is to create the best beer company in America through great people changing the way America enjoys beer. MillerCoors builds its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and sustainable environmental and community impact. MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company. Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors.
COLUMBIA DISTRIBUTING RECEIVES "DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR" HONOR| 10/27/2011
Columbia Distributing is proud to announce that it has received the 2011 Beverage Distributor of the Year award by Beverage Executive magazine.
View the full article: http://www.beverageexec.com/articles/full/14833/having-the-beer-gene
COLUMBIA DISTRIBUTING EMPLOYEES DONATE OVER 2000 BOOKS TO BRIDGE MEADOWS| 10/27/2011
A generous donation of over 2000 books was delivered on October 25th to local non-profit Bridge Meadows’ library by employees of Columbia Distributing. Columbia held a “Fill the Shelves” book drive at branch locations in both Oregon and Washington throughout the month of August asking employees to donate new or gently used books. The large donation will help Bridge Meadows, an inter-generational community for adoptive families located in North Portland; serve the families and senior residents of the community.
The donation was well received by Bridge Meadows Executive Director Derenda Schubert, “The Bridge Meadows community is so very grateful for the incredible donation of books by the employees of Columbia Distributing. The library is a special place for children, parents and elders to gather and learn, and the books from the Columbia Distributing team will be a wonderful addition contributing to a love of reading!”
Columbia Distributing is a corporate sponsor of Bridge Meadows and has worked with the organization since 2008 to help partially fund the building of one of the units located within the community. Bridge Meadows placed its first family in the community this past May and already houses six of the nine family homes.
About Bridge Meadows: Bridge Meadows (www.bridgemeadows.org) is an intergenerational, affordable housing community located in North Portland whose mission is to develop and sustain intergenerational neighborhoods for adoptive families of foster children that promote permanency, community and caring relationships, while offering safety and meaningful purpose in the daily lives of older adults.
YOUNG’S MARKET COMPANY PURCHASES COLUMBIA DISTRIBUTING’S INTEREST IN YOUNG’S-COLUMBIA COMPANIES IN OREGON AND WASHINGTON| 4/15/2011(Portland, OR)
Young’s Market Company and Columbia Distributing jointly announced today that Young’s Market purchased Columbia’s 50% interest in Young’s-Columbia of Oregon, LLC and Young’s-Columbia of Washington, LLC, effective April 18, 2011. The Young’s-Columbia entities are the largest distributors of wine in Washington and Oregon, with annual sales in excess of $500 Million. The parties have agreed to continue their highly successful shared services business arrangement in Oregon and Washington pursuant to which Columbia Distributing will continue to strategically partner with the Young’s Columbia entities to maximize operational synergies.
In announcing the purchase, Christopher Underwood, the CEO of Young’s Market Company said: “This acquisition is a further demonstration of Young’s absolute and unqualified commitment to the beverage alcohol distribution business in the Western United States. Columbia Distributing has been a loyal and supportive partner and they will continue in that role as the services provider for the Young’s-Columbia companies. Neither our customers nor our suppliers will experience any operational changes as a result of this transaction. We are very excited about the future of our business in the Pacific Northwest”, Mr. Underwood concluded.
Gregg Christiansen, the CEO of Columbia Distributing said: “Our company has worked closely with our partners at Young’s-Columbia since 2003 to implement the most innovative and efficient shared service agreement in our industry. This has enabled both companies to provide optimum service standards to our retail and supplier partners. Columbia Distributing looks forward to continuing this successful relationship with Young’s-Columbia”.
About Young’s Market Company: Young’s Market Company is one of the nation’s largest distributors of fine wines and spirits with operations in California, Hawaii, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Montana and Wyoming.
About Columbia Distributing: Columbia Distributing is one of the nation’s largest beverage wholesalers, with annual sales of more than 33 million cases of beer and 11 million cases of non-alcoholic beverages. The Company has over 2,500 employees and operates out of nine primary distribution facilities throughout Oregon and Washington.