Bottoms Up

Quick bits… Boston Beer (Sam Adams) said in a SEC filing that the company has completed purchase for $55 million of a brewery in Breinigsville in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania from Diageo North America.

Also, Krups, the German manufacturer, has introduced The BeerTender, an in-the-home cooler-dispenser that keeps on of those new take-home, four-liter Heineken kegs at a perfect serving temperature and dispenses it just like in a pub. Unfottunately, it appears to work only with a Heineken keg. Costs $279-$300 depending on model. Oh yes, also takes Heineken Light kegs. Wowie.

And finally… Heineken’s Web site has the slickest “ID checker” of any I’ve ever seen. This is a screen grab. To try it requires Flash. Every beer site should use this one. What do you think?

About the Sam Adams brewery purchase…Diageo, which owns Guinness, bought the plant from Pabst Brewing in 2001 and used it to make Smirnoff Ice and other products, There is a chance, Boston Beer will continue to make some Diageo products, according financial reports.

When Boston Beer bought the plant, it took a $3.4 million write-off for costs associated with building a new brewery in Freetown, MA. In an SEC filing two years ago, Boston Beer said it needed another brewery because its main brewery in Cincinnati was pushed to the limit.

In 2007, Sam Adams sold 1.8 million barrels of beer, up 14 percent from 2006 and making it the largest craft brewer in America.

Here’s the scoop on The BeerTender:

BeerTender the ultimate gadget for the beer connoisseur. The BeerTender by Krups is an innovative, and new all in one home draught beer machine designed for beer enthusiasts.The BeerTender offers the following features:

· BeerTender chills and maintains Draught Keg at the correct temperature and with its traditional tap handle provides you with an authentic draught beer experience

· Unique internal carbonator technology ensure beer remains fresh up to 30 days and provides a crisp quality beer with the right head of foam every time

· Unique internal carbonator technology ensure beer remains fresh up to 30 days and provides a crisp quality beer with the right head of foam every time