News

Time Magazine Talks about Woody Creek & Wacko

NYC beer sommelier Samuel Merritt sat down with Time Magazine to recommend "Five Beers to Try This Summer."

Included in his list was Flying Dog's Woody Creek White Belgian Wit or, as Sam called it, "lemonade for grownups" and Magic Hat’s Wacko summer seasonal. Both products are available now from JJ Taylor!

http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,111741390001_2003373,00.html

Woody Creek White’s refreshing citrus and spice flavors come from the traditional Belgian wit recipe, which incorporates coriander and orange peel into the brewing process. This is actually the only beer we brew where we add ingredients other than malt, hops, water, and yeast to the beer.

Wacko is the Liquid Song of Summer: Crisp like the morning; cool like the evening & quenching all day long. Delicious Summer Beer, big malty aroma, subdued hop bite & clean finish.

Cicerone Certification Program

On behalf of Mike Bamonti:

It is my honor to announce that Joe Falkowski and Derek Johnson, two members of the J.J. Taylor of Minnesota Craft Sales Team have become Certified Cicerone™. Joe and Derek have worked and studied hard to earn this distinct honor in our industry.

The Cicerone Certification Program seeks to ensure that consumers receive the best possible beer and enjoy its flavors to the greatest extent possible. To facilitate this, those who sell and serve beer need to acquire knowledge in five areas:

• Beer Storage, Sales and Service
• Beer Styles and Culture
• Beer Tasting and Flavors
• Brewing Ingredients and Processes
• Pairing Beer with Food

Joe and Derek both passed all five areas earning them the honor of being Certified Cicerone™. Please join me in congratulating Joe and Derek and wish them luck as they start their next journey to become Master Cicerone™.

Thank you.

Mike Bamonti
President/General Manager
J.J. Taylor Distributing Company of Minnesota, Inc.

Alcohol Server Training Seminar

On June 22nd, 2010, JJ Taylor Minnesota hosted an Alcohol Server Training seminar for our retail partners. The training focused on all aspects of selling and serving alcoholic beverages, it dealt with prevention and how to handle issues that arise. The training was conducted by Bob Pomplin the owner of Loss Control Prevention.

Our retailer partners in attendance found a wealth of knowledge in the seminar and ideas that they could immediately put into practice. Some of these ideas included:

• Great examples of proper people skills
• Benefits of talking to your customers to evaluate their current condition
• Identifying False ID’s
• Proper phrasing when attempting to defuse situations
• The difference between “House Rules” and "The Laws"
• What to do when a customer appears intoxicated

Below are two quotes from the students who attended:

Q: What are you learning from the class today?
A: "The little nuances; things that are changing on ID’s. Also the type of language that should be used when referring to an incidences". – Rachal from Bricks.

Q: What is one thing you will use most?
A: "Paying closer attention to the phrasing that I use with customers and/or investigators and also establishing control of any situation". – Amber from Burger Jones

JJ Taylor Minnesota is committed to the responsible sale and use of the products we sell. This event was highly successful and we look forward to offering similar programs in the future.

Best Summer Bars in the Twin Cities

Amstel Light Proud Sponsor of the Metromix Summer Guide

This summer, Metromix Twin Cities is on the search for the best summer bar in the Twin Cities! The search will stretch from the west 'burbs of Minneapolis to the east side of St. Paul and everything around and in between.

At the end of the summer, we will tabulate all the online and text votes to determine the winner in each district before putting those 6 up to vote to find the ultimate winner—the best summer bar in the Twin Cities!

So what's in it for you? The Metromix Street Team will be at a different bar each week to spread the summer cheer and offer up specials for you and your crew to enjoy. Plus, every two weeks, we will be giving away a beach bike! To enter for your chance to win 1 of the 6 bikes, simply text or vote online for your favorite bar in the highlighted district. Read more

Meet America's Next Top Beer - Fat Tire Amber

After hundreds of beers, thousands of votes and more than a few hangovers, we have found America's Next Top Beer. We enlisted the aid of the some of the beer world's sharpest minds and sampled the finest brews this land has to offer. But in the end, one copper-colored Colorado craft beer towered above all others. And now, thanks to your votes, Fat Tire Amber Ale is America's Next Top Beer.

"It's a complete honor," said Tyler Foos, who has introduced countless visitors to Fat Tire and all of New Belgium Brewing's offerings in the tasting room of their Colorado brewery. "It's amazing and humbling. There are so many great craft beers out there." Read more

Start-up Crispin Cider aims to capture biggest slice of hard cider business

Sprawled on a chair in the blue-and-white boardroom of Crispin Cider Co.'s headquarters in northeast Minneapolis, Joe Heron reflected on one of his company's core values.

"We walk the talk," he said. "We do what we say we're going to do. Every time."

Heron, the charismatic founder of Crispin Hard Apple Cider, isn't exaggerating. When he and his wife, Lesley, created Crispin in 2008, their goal was to make the most innovative cider company in the country. Two years later, the native South African seems to have put a fresh face on the cider industry. Read more

1-800-taxicab and MillerCoors

MillerCoors also has a responsibility program assisting consumers with a safe ride home. http://www.1800taxicab.com/

MillerCoors partners with 1-800TAXICAB, a national dispatch service that consumers can call to hail a cab, wherever they are. 1-800TAXICAB maintains a comprehensive network of taxi companies and can be reached through the toll-free number or online (address above).

Taxi Magic and Heineken

Heineken has unveiled new technology to hail a cab. In this Digital, automated world we now live in this is a fast and efficient way for us to link our consumers with a safe ride home. Please visit Taxi Magic's Website to learn more. www.taximagic.com

Heineken will be demonstrating how to download this application on a: Blackberry, IPOD Touch, other Smart Phone Devices and will have the website up and running at the EXPO on Monday.

JJ Taylor & MDA Shamrocks Agaisnt Dystrophy Program 2010

This year 30 JJT retail accounts participated in the MDA Shamrock program by selling shamrocks for $1 and $5 each.  There were 17 off-premise and 13 on-premise accounts that raised money.  Over $6,000 was raised for the MDA!   All money raised stays local to support the services MDA provides to individuals and families living with a neuromuscular disease.

Carbone’s was the top overall location raising $2,001 and won the manager’s choice of a Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit, or Flip Video, a day trip to Summer Camp VIP Day and Labor Day Telethon Check Presentation. 

American Legion Lino Lakes raised $1,261 and won a trip to Summer Camp VIP Day, and a $50 gift card to Target.

Thank you to all of our valued retail partners that participated in this years program!

3rd Annual Trade Expo

On April 26th, 2010, J.J. Taylor of Minnesota held its 3rd Annual Trade Expo at the beautiful Burnsville Performing Arts Center. Hundreds of retailers visited more than 60 booths and sampled over 200 brands of beer, wine, spirits, sodas and energy drinks. The event was tagged “First Choice” by our retailers and suppliers. Here is what they had to say:

Retailer Quotes:
"Wow, you have a ton of great beers."
"Your show is so much fun every year."
"My sales person actually took me around and pointed out some of the best things here, see his enthusiasm is great."
"The food is always top notch at your shows."
"I didn’t realize that you have these really great wines."
"I will be putting 4 or 5 of these beers on tap for sure to see if my customers think they are as good as I do."
"My sales person is doing a great job; he really takes good care of my account."
"You guys have almost all of my business and after tonight I am tempted to give you the rest."

New to this year’s expo, were three great seminars from Micro Matic, Corporate Drug & Alcohol Specialists, and American Amusement Arcades that were very informative and received great reviews from all the attendees.

At JJ Taylor, we have a strong commitment for the responsible consumption of our products. The trade show featured booths from our key responsibility partners. These partners included MillerCoors, Heineken, Dry Drivers, Minnesota Highway Patrol, Minneapolis Police Department, DDI, Ramsey County Sheriff, and Robert Pomplun.

This years Trade Expo was a huge success and we thank everyone who came out to the event! We look forward to brining you another great expo next year!

2010 Trade Expo Gallery >

 

Schell’s Fire Fighters Charity Chili Cook-off

If you are a chili lover, beer fan, or just love to spend a Saturday afternoon supporting a good cause, you are not going to want to miss this event! We are hosting a charity chili cook-off for fire departments across the state. Prizes will be awarded for the best chili by the brew crew judges, and you too can be part of voting for the people’s choice award!

Proceeds from this event will be donated to the winning fire departments charity of choice! The winning fire departments will also receive cash prizes, which they can use to help fund their equipment needs.

In addition to chili, the event will also feature a great music, antique fire truck display, brewery tours, enough funnel cakes and kettle corn to go around, and of course, great beer! The Museum of Brewing and Gift Shop will be open so you can leave properly attired supporting your local Minnesota brewery, which holds the title of the second-oldest, family-owned brewery in the nation! Make sure you join us in giving back to local fire departments!

Where: Schell’s Brewery Grounds (1860 Schell Rd, New Ulm, MN 56073)
When: May 22nd, 2010
Time: 11am - 3pm
Click here for more events!

 

JJ Taylor Minnesota in celebration of Earth Day

 

On 4/21 a trash pickup was organized by Kelsey, the CRO - Chief Recycling Officer, at JJ Taylor Minnesota in celebration of Earth Day. The entire administrative staff got down and dirty to clean up a long stretch of Industrial Boulevard as well as the surrounding grounds. Despite how much fun we had - we filled six large garbage bags to the brim will all sorts of questionable debri. We can't wait to do our part again next year and hope you will too.

 

25th Anniversary of John Taylor purchasing the then East Side Beverage

 

J.J.Taylor Distributing Company of Minnesota celebrated an important company milestone this April. April 15, 2010, marks the 25th anniversary of John Taylor purchasing the then East Side Beverage. In 1985, J. J. Taylor Companies, Inc.-a company founded in Massachusetts in 1958 by John J. "Joe" Taylor - continued its steady growth when it acquired East Side Beverage in Minnesota. East Side Beverage began in the beer distribution business in 1933 in Northeast Minneapolis and was founded by two brothers who took to the streets selling Grain Belt and other local brands of beer from a model "A" truck. By the late 1970's, East Side was servicing the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and sales grew to three million cases by 1983. When J.J. Taylor took over, sales had been on a two-year decline. With its experience and systems, the company was able to more than double its sales within the next eight years, becoming the largest beer distributor in the state of Minnesota.

 

JJ TAYLOR OF MINNESOTA 2010 WORLD BEER CUP WINNERS

Congratulations to JJ Taylor Of Minnesota Breweries that were winners at the 2010 World Beer Cup Competition at The Brewers Association Annual Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago. Awards were announced an Saturday, April 10, 2010.

Brewery Name	City	State	Website	Beer Name	Category	Award
Choc Beer Company	Krebs	OK	www.chocbeer.com	Signature Quadruple	Other Belgian-Style Ale	Bronze
Deschutes Brewery	Bend	OR	www.deschutesbrewery.com	Bachelor Bitter	Special Bitter or Best Bitter	Gold
Flying Dog Brewery	Frederick	MD	www.flyingdogales.com	Gonzo Imperial Porter Vintage 2007	Aged Beed	Silver
Miller Brewing Co.	Milwaukee	WI	www.millercoors.com	Red Dog	American-Style Cream Ale or Lager	Gold
Miller Brewing Co.	Milwaukee	WI	www.millercoors.com	Mickey's Malt Liquor	American-Style Specialty Lager	Silver
Rogue Ales	Newport	OR	www.rogue.com	Smoke Ale	Smoked Beer	Silver
Summit Brewing Co.	Saint Paul	MN	www.summitbrewing.com	Summit Extra Pale Ale	Classic English-Style Pale Ale	Gold

 

Shamrocks MDA Against Dystrophy

J.J. Taylor Minnesota is helping raise money for the MDA this year! We have a total of 129 on and off premise accounts that signed up to participate, that’s 29 more than last year! Shamrocks will be sold for $1.00 and $5.00 a piece at each participating location February 12-March 17th. All money raised will stay local to support the services MDA provides to individuals and families living with a neuromuscular disease.

JJ Taylor, MillerCoors and Metro Transit to provide Free Rides on St. Patrick’s Day

No fares. No blarney. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day responsibly and get a free ride on any Metro Transit bus or light-rail train. More Info >

Minnesota Family Creates Buzz Over Beer

A Minnesota family, who's name means beer, has created a lot of local buzz in the southwestern part of the state with their own brand of beer. Jason Davis went on the road to the tiny town of Lucan to meet the Brau brothers. More Info >

Leinie's Classic Amber top new craft beer

Leinenkugel Brewing Company’s newest craft beer has already become a classic - in more than just name. Leinenkugel’s Classic Amber, has been named the number one new craft item in the U.S. in 2009 based on sales by The Nielsen Company, a leading monitor of supermarket data. More Info >

Who the Firkin are you? Read this and you’ll Firkin know!

Beer Magazine – When the Firkin Flows–Why cask ale is like Heidi Klum, chicken wings, and not at your pub

Other than, say, an aquarium full of lobsters, most restaurants don’t carry live products. Makes sense. One could imagine the potential problems that could arise if chefs had to chase down Foghorn Leghorn during the dinner rush. It would create an awful lot of extra work, and of course the potential for an ever-looming worker’s comp lawsuit, what with chefs running and hacking at a chicken’s neck and all. More Info >

Just in Time for Ice Fishing Season: New Lakemaid Beer, Winter Edition Because great (ice) fishermen need a great beer.

MINNEAPOLIS – The cold north winds from the Great North have finally arrived, temperatures are plunging, and ice is finally coating the lakes and rivers of the North Country. 

That means only one thing: ice fishing season has finally arrived. And to help ice fishermen truly appreciate their time on the ice, Lakemaid Beer has introduced a special, limited-time only Winter Edition of Lakemaid Beer (www.lakemaidbeer.com). With a mild malt flavor, a Lakemaid Beer Winter Edition goes down as smooth as a crisp winter day on the ice.

Available only during ice fishing season – December through early March – Lakemaid Beer Winter Edition is a refreshing, smooth, classic American lager inspired by freshwater mermaids, known as lakemaids, who live in the lakes and rivers of North Country. Long ago, these beautiful creatures of the deep found their way inland from the oceans, down tributaries such as the St. Lawrence Seaway, into the Great Lakes and then, to cool, clear freshwater lakes and rivers throughout fishing country.  

The introduction of Lakemaid Beer Winter Edition is in direct response to the success of the summer or open water edition of Lakemaid Beer, which was introduced two years ago by the August Schell Brewery, the second oldest family owned brewery in the United States, and Rapala, manufacturer of legendary Rapala fishing lures and knives.  The response was so overwhelming to the summer edition of Lakemaid Beer that Schell’s and Rapala decided to offer a winter brew especially for ice fishermen.  Same great beer, only colder!  More Info >

9/26/09 – The 2009 Great American Beer Festival Winners Announced

The Great American Beer Festival, held in Denver September 24-26, boasted more than 3,300 different beers from 495 U.S. breweries and was attended by almost 50,000 people. The awards presented at GABF are among the most coveted in the industry and are recognized around the world as symbols of brewing excellence.JJ Taylor is proud to represent the following award winning breweries and brands:

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Category: 1 American-Style Cream Ale or Lager, 24 Entries
Gold: Milwaukee's Best, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Hamm's, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Red Dog, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 18 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 110 Entries
Silver: Barrel Aged Gonzo, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Category: 20 Aged Beer, 32 Entries
Gold: Horn Dog Vintage 2007, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Category: 23 International-Style Pilsener, 13 Entries
Silver: OE800, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 29 American-Style Lager or Premium Lager, 34 Entries
Silver: Miller High Life, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 30 American Style Specialty Lager, 23 Entries
Bronze: Steel Reserve, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 32 German Style Marzen, 45 Entries
Gold: Dogtoberfest, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Category: 66 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale, 58 Entries
Gold: Signature Dubbel, Choc Beer Co., Krebs, OK

Category: 75 Imperial Stout, 56 Entries
Gold: Gonzo Imperial Porter, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

8/22/2009 - JJ Taylor and MillerCoors teamed up to support a donation based car wash at Woody’s Bar & Grill on Saturday, August 22nd, from 1pm-4pm. We had a great turn out and wonderful weather!

The Woody’s Bikini Team volunteered their time to help raise money for the Animal Humane Society (AHS) by washing cars and playing games with consumers! The AHS is a private, non-profit organization operated by 222 full and part time employees. More Info >

7/12/2009 - J.J Taylor MN Participated in the Third Annual Minnehaha Creek Clean up Sponsored by Leinenkugel’s

On Sunday, July 12, approximately 150 volunteers from across the metro area together with the MCWD and Leinenkugel’s, cleaned up Minnehaha Creek.  The Creek received a facelift from litter and invasive plant life starting at Lake Hiawatha moving upstream.

Throughout the morning, volunteers dispersed along the banks of the creek.  Before they began, they fueled up on a complimentary pancake breakfast and learned more about the creek from Citizens for Minnehaha Creek Corridor.  Once all the trash was collected, the celebration continued with a lakeside barbeque complete with a Leinie’s brew compliments of Leinenkugel’s.  

 

7/7/09 - A major congrats to Specher and August Schells breweries!  Both finished in the top 10 Overall Breweries

Atlanta, GA – Breweries and home brewers worldwide have another reason to say "cheers!" with the establishment of the first annual United States Open Beer Championships*,  the first competition to include professional brewers and award winning home brewers.

Fifty categories were judged. Winners will receive a medal in the shape of a beer stein for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Beers placing in the top 10 of each category and top 10 breweries overall will be featured in America’s Best and Top 10 as well as BeerInfo.com.  Along with the medals awarded, A Grand National Champion will be awarded based on a point system for beers(5 minimum) entered in the competition.  
  
Deschutes Brewing Wins the 1st United States Beer Championship 
 
Top Ten Breweries

1. Deschutes Brewing
2. Sprecher Brewing
3. Boston Beer Company
4. August Schell Brewing
5. Maui Brewing
6. Anderson Valley Brewing
7. Terrapin Beer Company
8. Tallgrass Brewing
9. Atlanta Brewing
10. Sweetwater Brewing

If you want to read more and see individual category winners Read Entire Article >

6/29/09 - Jacquie Berglund and Finnegans Inc are in the news.
There's an old business rule of thumb that says as soon as the CEO moves into a Taj Mahal-like headquarters, business heads for the basement. Read Entire Article >

6/10/09 - Lifetime members will Slip into Summer with MGD 64 at six EXCLUSIVE poolside acoustic shows featuring emerging rock artist Tim Mahoney. Work Out Rock Out with MGD 64!
Recap of EP Life Time Fitness Event Tonight’s event went over great, despite the poor weather!  I can only imagine what it will be like on a warm Summer night. The turnout almost tripled from the first event.  There was around 250 consumers in attendance, a mix of male and female.  Overall everyone was very positive towards MGD64.  Many stating they had previ ously tried or purchased the product.

Enhancements At this event I had brought some MGD 64 POS including roll up banners, buckets, coasters and table tents.  This really helped announce that MGD 64 was one of the sponsors of the event.  One idea for enhancements would be to provide a extra “gift” for those who participated in the concert pre run.  Possibly an extra drink ticket, a 64 t-shirt or sweat band.  If approved Minneapolis 64 AM can provide some items.  If anything was avail to order “fitness” type giveaways would be best, like water bottles, pedometers or towels.

4/27/09 - JJ Taylor 2nd Annual Trade Show
On April 27th, JJ Taylor MN hosted its 2nd annual tradeshow and again we had an excellent showing from our suppliers and our retailers. The event was again tagged “Best of Show” by our retailers who annually attend events like ours put on by other Liquor, Wine, and Beer Wholesalers. The event was held at the Marriott Mall of America.

The immediate impact of the show was felt with added distribution in our liquor and wine sales where we have accounts still discovering that we now carry spirits. Our ever growing selection of craft beers also impressed the retailers at this year’s event; our craft segment continues to show growth even in the slumping economic times. Our major domestic brands had a strong showing of creative ideas to help promote increased sales and increased traffic at both on and off premise accounts.

This year we added booths for JJ Taylor’s Sign shop, Draft Service, and Space Management departments, this gave us the opportunity to show our retailers that we are their First Choice for Graphic needs, service and installation of draft equipment, and our category management people showed the crowd where to find the free money hiding in their beer coolers just by have us come in and reorganize their selection to take advantage of the trade up and add on flow sets we are currently executing at retail.

To show how important safety and responsibility is to us, we had the Ramsey County Sherriff’s Department, MN State Patrol, and the Bloomington Police Department on hand to interact with the crowd.