USA: Saint Arnold Brewing Company reports record production in 2006

Saint Arnold Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewery in Texas, a 25 percent growth in 2006 according to Saint Arnold’s press release of January 16. The Houston brewery produced a record 13,638 31-gallon barrels last year, an increase of 25 percent over 2005. This comes on top of the 20 percent increase in 2005 and 27 percent growth in 2004.
Strong demand prompted Saint Arnold Brewing to make a significant investment to boost capacity by 67 percent this year. During 2006 four new 120 barrel fermenters were added along with a new bright beer tank, filtration system and extra refrigeration.

"2006 was a banner year for Saint Arnold Brewing, with strong demand across all our beer styles and lots of excitement about our single batch Saint Arnold Divine Reserve series," said Brock Wagner, founder of Saint Arnold Brewing. "In 2007, we will deliver on our commitment to using the finest ingredients to produce flavorful, quality beer while continuing to experiment and stretch boundaries with our Divine Reserve brand."

According to industry analysts, the craft and microbrewery segment is the major growth market for beer drinkers. Through the first half of 2006, the Brewer's Association reported craft beer production was growing at an 11 percent pace while the U.S. beer market overall grew 3.1 percent in the first six months of this year. In 2005, about 1,400 craft brewers produced about 6.3 million barrels of beer, worth about $3.8 billion in sales.

This winter, Saint Arnold Brewing Company is giving men an excuse not to shave with a contest to see who can grow the best Donegal beard between New Year's Day and St. Patrick's Day. Inspired by the documentary, "Growin' a Beard," which follows competitors in an annual competition in Shamrock, Texas, the winning Donegal will receive a Nintendo Wii. All competitors will gain free admission to Saint Arnold's St. Patrick's Day Party at which the judging will occur.

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