USA: Malt Advocate names Russian River Brewing Co. its brewery of the year

Russian River Brewing Co. earned the honors of Brewery of the Year in Malt Advocate magazine's 12th annual awards, RealBeer posted on January 25.

The magazine, which honors mostly those in the world of whiskey, points to the range of beers made at the Santa Rosa, Calif., brewery. It cites Supplication, a brown ale aged for 12 months in pinot noir barrels, produced with sour cherries and wild bacteria and yeast; Beatification, a blond ale aged for 22 months in barrels acquired from New Belgium Brewing Co.; and Pliny the Elder, a beer that evolved from the first commercial Double IPA brewed in America.

"Their list of beers seems endless," the magazine offers in praise, "restricted only by how many hours a day brewing artist Vinnie Cilurzo is willing to brew, and not willing to sleep."

The magazine also gave Michael Jackson, the world's best-known beer writer, and Lifetime Achievement award for his equally popular writing about whiskey.

Saveur magazine bestowed a different sort of honor on Allagash Brewing Co., naming the Portland, Maine, brewery to the Saveur 100. The explanation begins, "Creamy, rich and powerful, the eight or so Belgian-style ales from Allagash Brewing Company are beers to savor slowly."