Summary: Craft Brew News – 10/26/18<br><br><a href="https://www.brewbound.com/news/last-call-canada-lifts-tariff-on-u-s-aluminum-cans-climate-change-effects-on-beer-refuted" rel="noopener">https://www.brewbound.com/news/last-call-canada-lifts-tariff-on-u-s-aluminum-cans-climate-change-effects-on-beer-refuted</a><br><br>Canada Lifts Tariff on U.S. Aluminum Cans; Climate Change Effects on Beer Refuted<br><br>In response to a shortage of aluminum cans, the Canadian government has lifted a 10 percent tariff on U.S.-made aluminum cans, according to Reuters.<br><br>Luke Harford, president of trade group Beer Canada, told the outlet that Canadian brewers had faced a shortage of 16 oz. cans, which are only available from U.S.-based suppliers. That forced some companies to halt production for weeks, or delay product launches.<br><br>Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum remains in effect.<br><br>Brewers and Farmers Refute Barley Shortage Fears<br><br>A recent paper published by 10 international scientists in the Nature Plants journal suggested a barley shortage caused by climate change could cause beer prices to double. The report said heat waves and droughts could lead to barley yield declines of as much as 17 percent while beer production could drop 16 percent.<br><br>However, Brewers Association (BA) chief economist Bart Watson told NPR that the “study isn’t a great indicator of what is going to happen in the real world” and the study overstates the effects on the beer industry.<br><br>Dwight Little, president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association, added that climate change is likely to occur slowly, which will give farmers time to adapt and change their planting schedules.<br><br><br>Craft Beer Cellar Lawsuit Against Glassdoor Thrown Out<br><br>A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Craft Beer Stellar LLC, the franchisor of the Craft Beer Cellar retail outlets, against Glassdoor. In the suit, Craft Beer Stellar argued that anonymous users — possibly franchisees — had unfairly critiqued the company and violated the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, among other claims.<br><br>According to Massachusetts trial attorney Andrew Caplan, the court tossed out Craft Beer Stellar’s lawsuit, citing the federal Communications Decency Act, which bans lawsuits against website publishers for defamatory statements posted by third parties.<br><br>A-B’s Natty Light 77-Packs Draw Ire of Maryland Comptroller<br><br>Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot is accusing Anheuser-Busch of promoting binge drinking following the release of specialty 77-packs of Natural Light, which were exclusively sold in College Park, the home of the University of Maryland.<br><br>“Corporate beer manufacturers claim to care about the public health impacts of alcohol, but the message they send by selling a 77-pack of beer designed to look like a keg in a college town shows they care more about their bottom line than the negative impacts of binge drinking,” Franchot spokesman Alan Brody told the New York Daily News.<br><br>A-B released the multipacks earlier this month to celebrate the year of the brand’s creation. The packages, which retailed for around $30, quickly sold out.<br><br>Franchot has drawn headlines in the last couple of years for his advocacy of the state’s craft breweries.<br><br>Heady Topper is a double India Pale Ale brewed by The Alchemist in Stowe, Vermont. It is unfiltered and contains 8% ABV, with hints of citrus flavors. Unpasteurized, it is kept refrigerated by authorized retailers until point of sale.
