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9/17/2014
Outside Magazine
You Should be Drinking Canned Craft Beer
12/1/2013
The Meeting Professional
9/22/2013
Triathlete Europe
8/15/2013
Triathlete
9/2/2011
Mutineer
Crafting and Growing a Partnership McDonald & Ludstrom Win Ironman Lake Tahoe Course Recon: Ironman Lake Tahoe Mutineer Magazine to Sponsor 3rd Annual CANFEST
Title
You Should Be Drinking Canned Craft Beer WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
Canned beer has finally caught on, and that’s a good thing. Finally there's an acceptable reason to say the words "nice" and "cans" in the same sentence. Nice, cans! (with a comma), is okay when squealing about your favorite bottled IPA. Why? Despite the can's lowbrow reputation, cocooning beer in aluminum actually can keep the final product fresher. "We always knew we wanted to be in cans," says Katy Jordan, marketing director for Dog Tag Brewing Company. "There was such a stigma against canned beer for such a long time but luckily we're moving away from that." Chad Melis, the marketing director at Oskar Blues Brewery, which started producing canned beer before it was cool, remembers the stigma well. "In 2005 the New York Times named Dale's Pale Ale America's top pale ale and people were like, 'What the hell? ' Back then it was laughable to put a good beer in a can." In 2005—when Oskar Blues won Best Pale Ale—there were 20 craft brewers producing canned beer. In 2013 there were 262,CraftCans.com, a website devoted to the canned craft-beer industry, reports. That's 1,210 percent growth in eight years. Caveat: the overall craft brew movement has exploded (sales were up 17 percent industry-wide last year alone). Even with its explosive growth, canned beer still only occupies 9 percent of the beer market. But Claude Marbach, the vice president of sales and marketing at Rexam BCNA, one of the world’s largest beverage canning corporations, thinks that percentage will grow. This year his company canned beer for more than 40 craft breweries, while a few years ago; it only had a small handful of craft beer accounts. You should be embracing the beauty of a good set of cans, too. Here’s why:
#1: The Seal "A bottle top has pores in it. But an aluminum-on-aluminum seal doesn't allow any oxygen in or out. Oxygen is bad for beer," says Melis.
#2: Aluminum Blocks Light Hops are light sensitive. According to a 2001 study conducted at the University of North Carolina, when the isohumulones—or light sensitive compounds found in hops—are exposed to visible or UV light, they break down into free radicals, which produce a foul odor. That's why beer that's been exposed to light "skunks." While brown or green bottles can alleviate the issue, aluminum cans eliminate it completely.
#3 Aluminum Is Better for the Planet "Aluminum cans are infinitely recyclable. The one you drink out of today can be recycled, smelted to can sheet, converted to cans again, and back on a shelf at your neighborhood store within 60 days," says Claude Marbach, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Rexam BCNA, one of the world's largest beverage canning corporations. "The U.S. aluminum-can-recycling rate is currently at 67 percent, which is more than double the rate of other beverage packages." Cans also weigh less and can be packed compactly into pallets, meaning they take less fuel to ship. "We can get 100 cases of beer onto a pallet in cans, versus 60 to 72 cases in bottles," says Melis.
#4 Portability "It fits into our lifestyle. If you want to go biking or kayaking, you can just throw a few in a backpack and not worry about it," says Marbach. "Cans provide a vessel that's totally portable. When we thought about it, it wasn't just, 'This is something we should do,' it was, 'This is something we have to do.'" With cans, you don't have to worry about glass breaking the backcountry and you can crush them after you're done drinking. Win. Want to try a few new canned beers? These brews took home awards at this year's Sixth Annual Canned Beer Fest, held last month in Reno, Nevada. Best Lager: Brooklyn Brewery, Lager
Best Hybrid and Wheat: SanTan Brewing, Sunspot Gold Best Pale Ale: Nebraska Brewing Co., Cardinal Pale Ale Best Dark Ale or Lager: Southern Star, Buried Hatchet Stout Best IPA: Oskar Blues, G'Knight Imperial Red IPA (Also won Best In Show) Best Belgian, Fruit, Spice or Specialty: Sockeye Brewing Company, Summer Ale Crowd Choice: Dog Tag Brewing Company
THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL
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ESSENTIAL JOB SKILLS FOR 2014
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MOVING MEETINGS FORWARD
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EUROPEAN ECONOMIC REBOUND
DECEMBER 2013
CANFEST
Crafting and Growing a Partnership A popular Nevada-based canned beer festival is growing alongside the burgeoning craft brewing industry thanks to a new venue partnership. BY ROB COTTER
THE RECENT BOOM IN CRAFT BREWING has been giving beer connoisseurs extra reasons to work up a thirst. Sales in the U.S. are up 15 percent in the past year, and growth potential is huge for the nearly 2,500 craft breweries making inroads into the US$100 billion beer industry. Many festivals, such as CANFEST—“The Annual, Original Canned Beer Festival,” held in August 2013 at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada—have sprung up as part of the beer revolution. These events offer a sure- ire way to get word about a new brew lowing to a wider audience. “CANFEST started in 2009 as the only festival in the world strictly for canned beer,” says Connie Aguilar, CANFEST event producer and head of strategic communications at digital engagement irm The Abbi Agency. “A trend in craft beer was happening at that time, and beer festivals started becoming really popular. Out of that the little stepchild that emerged was canned craft beer, so we put on the idea for CANFEST.” Establishing a ledgling niche idea in a growing industry placed a number of demands directly on the event organizer, but these de-
mands were met through a strong partnership with a new host venue. “We saw that people inside of and beyond Reno were very interested in CANFEST, and so each year we continued to do it and knew that we could keep growing it,” Aguilar says. “But we grew out of the venues, from a little theater to one of the bigger ballrooms to an event center. Going to Peppermill in 2013 changed everything.” Peppermill of icials were able to raise CANFEST’s pro ile through the direct use of their client database, an initiative that led to an increase of attendance by 600 (30 percent), one of several aspects of the event that saw a dramatic improvement due to the new partnership. Securing Growth Another partnership coup for the event came through the venue assuming responsibility for security, freeing the organizer to focus on growing the entertainment.
“Our security team is well versed in crowd and alcohol management and all trained from the medical side,” says Pat Flynn (MPI At-Large member), executive director of hotel operations and sales for Peppermill. “We took on the responsibility to ID everybody that walked through the door and ensure that everybody that came into the venue was of legal drinking age.” Safe and secure in the new surroundings, eager beer lovers were this year served up a whole new entertainment program to complement the expanded selection of ine craft beverages on offer from almost 50 breweries. “The Peppermill provided a full buffet of great food in our VIP section—there was a band playing, a DJ was in from the resort’s nightclub and we also had a ‘silent disco’ that we recruited from San Francisco, with around 50 pairs of headphones,” Aguilar says. “We had the ability to add these elements since we could breathe easy knowing the Peppermill was taking care of security.”
BEER INDUSTRY 2012
1%
Overall growth | US BEER INDUSTRY
15%
Rise in volume | CRAFT BREWERS Source: Brewers Association
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WHAT IS A CRAFT BEER? An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional. SMALL: Annual production of beer less than 6 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. INDEPENDENT: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not a craft brewer. TRADITIONAL: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewer’s brands) or has at least 50 percent of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor. Source: Brewers Association
A successful understanding between venue and organizer tends to be the perfect pairing in the meeting industry, with communication at the core of their relationship.
No Spillage A “no spillage” attitude to waste was another success stemming from the partnership, realized through the venue taking care of signage and info sharing and the organizer’s responsibility for direct waste collection. “We’re really big on digital signage, so that there’s not any waste factor when it comes to poster boards and podiums,” Flynn says. “Throughout the whole property there’s just a ton of digital signage that we use to get the message out to our hotel guests. In addition, at check-in we inform guests of what’s going on while they’re here.” The Abbi Agency then takes care of the recycling that does need to be conducted. “We work with a group in the community that ensures every single can is recycled,” Aguilar says. “We love canned beer because it’s better for the environment; we aim to make sure that not one beer can ends up in the regular garbage.”
Bikes for Beer Extending the “no spillage” ethos to CSR, organizers also reached out to the local community through their “bike drive” initiative, seeking donations of unwanted bikes to the NFP Reno Bike Project (with each donor receiving a free ticket to CANFEST). The charity rebuilds bikes for disadvantaged children, and also seeks out venues where they can participate in some healthy sport. “Every year the bike drive raises between 150 and 250 bikes for the charity, which is the bread and butter of their shop,” Aguilar says. “We also conduct a raf le that raises around $3,000 for them, and make sure they have a strong presence on all of the PR and marketing we do up until the event.” Success in a Can While bikes and beer are the perfect pairing for CANFEST, a successful understanding between venue and organizer tends to be the perfect pairing in the meeting industry, with communication at the core of their relationship. “Leading up to the event, even four or ive months out, we spoke to the Peppermill every day,” Aguilar says. “We had meetings two or three times a month and did walk-throughs together. They dedicated themselves fully in making sure that the event would be great—you can’t ask for more than they gave.”
PAT FLYNN MPI At-Large Member
“WHAT I LEARNED” With CANFEST, I learned that by working together with a good cause you can really make a difference in improving people’s lives and benefit the community in general.
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The weeks leading up to the inaugural Ironman Lake Tahoe were filled with discussion about how difficult the new course would be on the athletes, but the final hours focused solely on the weather conditions. Saturday’s weather in Lake Tahoe featured frigid winds, rain and then snow. The temperature stayed in the low 30s throughout the night, making many athletes nervous about staying warm out of the water and onto the bike for Sunday’s race. Race organisers made the decision Sunday morning to let the swim, bike and run take place as planned. Though the morning was chilly, conditions were better than Saturday and the temperature reached the mid60s. In the end it was Australia’s Chris McDonald and Sweden’s Asa Lundstrom who claimed the well-earned victories. The Men’s Race France’s Romain Guillaume led the men out of the water and into the frigid air with a time of 51:36. Joe Gambles (AUS), Paul Ambrose (GBR), Maik Twelsiek (GER) and Matt Lieto (USA) followed him closely into transition. T1 was unique for an Ironman as even the top pros took their time to ensure that they were properly dressed for the temperatures on the bike. The top men all spent well over four minutes in the transition before taking on the 112-mile bike course. Through the first quarter of the bike, Gambles led the way for a group that included Twelsiek, Lieto and Guillaume. Ambrose, who was originally part of that group, struggled to keep pace and eventually dropped out, citing trouble breathing on the bike as the reason. Eventually, Twelsiek made the decision to break away from the others and had a gap of 1:25 at mile 50. The German held a 90-second lead over Mcdonald and a 6:24 lead over Gambles coming off of the bike. Twelsiek managed to maintain the gap through the first 10 miles of the marathon, but eventually he faded and opened the door for a steady-running McDonald. By mile 14, Twelsiek’s lead stood at only 12 seconds as McDonald was preparing to make the pass. The Australian, known as “Big Sexy” in the triathlon community, took the top spot and didn’t look back. He capped his day off with a 2:59:40 marathon to take the 8:55:14 victory. Despite losing the lead to McDonald, Twelsiek was able to regain some momentum and held on to second position, finishing in 8:57:53. Gambles earned the final podium spot in 9:02:55.
The Women’s Race American Dede Griesbauer celebrated her birthday by exiting the swim in first position in a time of 55:12. The conditions showed in the rest of the women’s swim times, with no other pro exiting the water in under one hour. It was Catriona Morrison who was second out of the swim (1:00:02). Like the men, the women took a significant amount of time in transition before starting the tough bike ride. Griesbauer maintained her position at the front for the first 25 miles, but was being chased by a fast-riding Lundstrom. By mile 41, Lundstrom took over the top spot and held a lead of two minutes over Morrison, with Griesbauer 3:22 back and Angela Naeth (CAN) 4:15 back. Coming into T2, Lundstrom’s lead stood at 1:43 over an even faster riding Jeanne Collonge (FRA). Third into transition was Naeth, who is also known for her strong cycling skills. Lundstrom struggled to find a solid pace early in the marathon and Collonge overtook her within the first few miles. As both Collonge and Lundstrom maintained steady paces in first and second, respectively, Morrison was running the strongest, but with a significant deficit to make up on the faster cyclists. As the three neared the finish line it became evident that Morrison wouldn’t be able to catch the two leaders. It also became clear that Collonge did not have the victory wrapped up. It rarely happens in Ironman that a leader will surrender the lead on the marathon and then get it back, but that’s exactly what happened. As Collonge started her last mile, Lundstrom passed her and excelled to the finish line to earn the Ironman victory. Collonge finished in second, 50 seconds back. Morrison rounded out the top three at 10:03:38. Ironman Lake Tahoe Results Top 5 Men 1. Chris McDonald (AUS) 8:55:14 2. Maik Twelsiek (GER) 8:57:53 3. Joe Gambles (AUS) 9:02:55 4. Kirill Kotsegarov (EST) 9:04:39 5. Kevin Taddonio (USA) 9:09:09 Top 5 Women 1. Asa Lundstrom (SWE) 9:58:53 2. Jeanne Collonge (FRA) 9:59:43 3. Catriona Morrison (SCO) 10:03:38 4. Elizabeth Lyles (USA) 10:08:41 5. Angela Naeth (CAN) 10:10:47
Course Recon: Ironman Lake Tahoe
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http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/08/photos/course-recon-ironman-lak...
By Susan Lacke Published Aug 15, 2013 Updated Aug 16, 2013 at 12:45 PM UTC 1 of 16 Back to Start
“The Ironman Tahoe swim course is incredibly scenic, with some of the clearest water in the world. You can literally see the bottom in 70 feet of water,” says Truckee resident and Boost Swimming coach Jeff Pearson. The swim, which starts and finishes on Kings Beach, is expected to be between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit on race day.
If the scenery doesn’t take your breath away, the hills and altitude will. Excitement and curiosity has reached a boiling point since World Triathlon Corporation’s announcement of the inaugural Ironman Lake Tahoe. In addition to selling out within 24 hours of opening, social media and triathlon forums have been abuzz with speculation about the difficulty of the course and challenges with altitude.
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Course Recon: Ironman Lake Tahoe
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http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/08/photos/course-recon-ironman-lak...
At 6,000 feet, the race boasts the highest starting altitude of any Ironman with plenty of climbing, it may also earn the title of “toughest” Ironman. Triathlete was recently allowed full access to the course, including the closed-off Martis Camp portion of the bike route, as part of a course recon. The 2013 event is set for Sept. 22. Photos: Susan Lacke
Triathlete.com Poll: Would You Race At Ironman Lake Tahoe? Ironman Lake Tahoe Sees 20% DNF Rate Chris McDonald, Asa Lundstrom Win On Chilly Day In Lake Tahoe Tour Guide: North Lake Tahoe
FILED UNDER: Photos / Race Coverage TAGS: Ironman Lake Tahoe
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10/25/2013 12:53 PM