Holy trolling! Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, founder of Evil Twin Brewing, took to Twitter this week to escalate his years-old feud with his brother and competitor, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, co-founder of Mikkeller. Jeppe piggybacked on a tweet from Brewbound editor Chris Furnari about how Scottish brewery BrewDog was losing its “punk” factor by being partially owned by private equity firm.

Seeing this, Jeppe slipped in to talk trash on Mikkeller.

This was a targeted burn toward his brother, yes; but it also takes aim at the subjectivity of what constitutes an “independent brewery” by the Brewers Association.

The drama goes deeper. According to Danish beer journalist and blogger Martin Petersen of Stovt, Jeppe allegedly lashed out at Mikkeller on Facebook recently, implying the company had knowledge of its fake reviews on Untappd. Petersen has since been banned from any and all Mikkeller beer events or establishments.

We all know the internet turns people into jerks. We see it in every comments section, from YouTube to The New York Times to Reddit. But as beer drinkers and fans of brewers like Mikkeller and Evil Twin, it’s a bummer to see this play out. We’ve highly rated both brewers’ beers. I’ve had excellent experiences drinking Evil Twin, and recently really enjoyed the new Mikkeller brewery at Citi Field (it’s awesome). But as much as I liked Evil Twin’s Bushido Berliner weisse or raved about Mikkeller’s Twin Peaks beers, getting a front-row seat to immature feuds like these leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Maggie Timoney Appointed Heineken USA’s First Female CEO

Did you know women run the beer industry? In (genuinely) exciting news, Heineken USA has named Maggie Timoney as its new CEO, effective September 1, Adweek reports. Timoney, succeeding Ronald den Elzen, will be the first woman to ever lead the company.

In fact, she is the first female CEO of any major American beer company.

A female CEO of the world’s second-largest beer company is new to us, but Timoney’s last position was CEO of Heineken in Ireland. She worked her way up the ranks, having held positions in Heineken’s offices in the U.S., the Netherlands, Canada, and Ireland since 1998.

It should go without saying that this is great news. Women powerhouses are behind the beer industry in more ways than people realize, from brewery founders to brewmasters to brewers guild presidents. Unfortunately, they often go unseen. Having a female CEO leading a company as huge as Heineken puts a public message out there that beer is not just for boys.

Samuel Adams Owner, Boston Beer Fined Close to $1 Million for Selling Unregistered Products

Boston Beer subsidiary American Craft Brewery has agreed to pay a $975,000 settlement to the New York State Liquor Authority for selling unregistered beer, cider, and other beverages in New York. This is the largest fine a brewer has ever had to pay in New York.

The company reportedly sold 1.4 million cases of product valued at more than $24 million without obtaining the required brand label registrations. Products included Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, and Samuel Adams, the Democrat and Chronicle reports.

“Brand label registration is a critical component of our mission to ensure that the public health, safety, and welfare is protected within the marketplace of alcoholic beverages that are distributed for sale within the state of New York,” Christopher Riano, the authority’s counsel, said in a statement. “The law is the law, and American Craft Brewery has acknowledged that they were operating outside of it.”

My takeaway? Just because a brewery is “independent” doesn’t mean it ain’t shady.

Published: June 7, 2018