ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ – First introduced in 1994 and widely popular in the late 90s, The Original Honey Brown is mounting a comeback. Credited as one of the first beers to add honey, The Original Honey Brown sold like wildfire. Made with clear water, barley malt, hops and pure Manitoba White Clover honey, its distinctive taste won over beer fans quickly. “It developed somewhat of a cult following,” said John Fischer, brewmaster for The Original Honey Brown. “Sixteen years ago, it was a very new idea among American craft brewers to use honey as a beer ingredient and people loved it.”

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100222/NY58367)

In its heyday, sales of The Original Honey Brown quickly peaked to 250,000 barrels, fueled by consumer demand for the smooth, unique flavor profile. When the brewery started going through hard times in the late 90s it pulled back its support of The Original Honey Brown. Sales dipped and the brewery quickly reacted by repackaging the beer, hiking up the price and putting it in the craft brew section of grocery stores. It didn’t work. Distribution lagged and sales slumped further.

“We’re excited to re-launch a popular beer that people once loved. Back in the late 90s, the brewery failed to recognize they had a hit on their hands with The Original Honey Brown. The great recipe remained the same but the changes to the packaging made it hard for people to find,” said Jason Drewniak, brand manager for The Original Honey Brown. “I couldn’t be happier to get back to our roots and tell consumers that The Original Honey Brown is back. And it looks just like they remember,” added Drewniak.

Starting today, people can find their old favorite, The Original Honey Brown – like it looked when it was first introduced in 1994. The “new” look adopts the exact same iconic label and packaging that made The Original Honey Brown famous. Along with the packaging changes, The Original Honey Brown will have a new, lower price in many areas where it’s sold – making it competitive among specialty beers, which was a key part of the beer’s original success.

According to Drewniak, sometimes you have to admit when you’ve gotten off track. “Consumers spoke with their wallets. They stopped buying the beer we know they love because they didn’t recognize it and couldn’t find it,” he said. “We don’t have to create something new. We already had the right recipe for success. We just have to give people what they want.”

Reaction from distributors and retailers to the return of The Original Honey Brown has been very positive. The boost in availability for the brand will mean old fans will get a chance to rediscover the beer and new fans will be introduced to what was once among the hottest new introductions in the beer business. The Original Honey Brown is available in six and 12-pack bottles, and 12-pack cans at grocery, convenience and drug stores throughout the country. It’s also available on draft at bars and restaurants.

About The Original Honey Brown

The Original Honey Brown was first introduced in 1994. Produced by the Dundee Brewing Co. in Rochester, New York, Honey Brown is famous for being one of the first beers brewed with honey. Dundee Brewing Co. is part of North American Breweries, which also owns the Genesee Brewing Company, Labatt USA and a perpetual license for Seagram’s Escapes from Pernod Ricard USA, LLC. 

Please drink responsibly.

 

SOURCE Dundee Brewing Co.

Gov. David A. Paterson returned to his boyhood hometown on Saturday and defiantly proclaimed his candidacy for election, portraying himself as a champion of New Yorkers struggling with discrimination and economic hardship.

“So many people are saying I shouldn’t run for governor,” Mr. Paterson told a supportive but relatively subdued crowd of about 400 people at the Hofstra University student center here on Long Island. “But you need to know that this is a governor that does not quit.”

Mr. Paterson, who ignored White House pressure to pass up the race, faces the daunting task of building enough political support to win the Democratic nomination. On Saturday, he compared himself to ordinary New Yorkers struggling against the odds: An unemployed sheet-metal worker from Rochester, a black single mother from Queens and a family forced out of East Harlem by gentrification.

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The death of a 16-year-old girl at a sleepover in West Seneca last year has contributed to a change in carbon monoxide detector laws for New York state.

On Feb. 22 any dwelling that has systems or appliances that can emit carbon monoxide or has an attached garage will be required by law to have a carbon monoxide detector installed.

The act, known as “Amanda’s Law,” was passed on Aug. 26, 2009.

According to the original bill, it was named after Amanda Hansen who died from carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of a defective boiler while spending the night at a friend’s house for a sleepover last January.

There are different guidelines for different types of dwellings, said Joe DeFrancisco, Madison County Fire Coordinator.

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Thursday night was the annual Unity Banquet as part of Viticulture 2010, an event put on by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

A number of awards were given out at the banquet. Here is the lo-down from Jim Trezise of the Wine and Grape Foundation:

The 2010 “Unity Award” was presented to Rory Callahan, President of Wine & Food Associates in New York City, who has fostered cooperation and collaboration among industry members through his Greenmarket and other programs in New York City to promote New York wines.

The “Industry Award” — presented to an individual or company which has made a major contribution in advancing the interests of the New York grape and wine industry — was presented to the New York State Wine Grape Growers, which also celebrated its 50th anniversary at Viticulture 2010 with a dinner dance. NYSWGG has played a leadership role in the industry for decades, and is largely responsible for its progress in many areas, including advocacy for the creation of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation.

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From a deep red to a light lemon, 13 New York ice wines were swished, sniffed, tasted and judged in the first competition of its kind.

Casa Larga Vineyards in Perinton, whose 2005 Fiori Vidal ice wine won Best Dessert Wine at the 2008 International Wine and Spirits Competition in London, promoted February as an ice wine month last year in conjunction with four other wineries.

This year, Lorraine Hems, a sommelier and a lecturer in Rochester Institute of Technology’s department of hospitality and service management, proposed adding the New York Ice Wine Competition to the month’s events.

The competition, held Friday at RIT, was designed to position New York as a leading ice wine-producing region, said Hems, who chaired the event.

Most of the wineries that entered the competition also will participate in the New York Ice Wine Festival on Saturday at Casa Larga.

The competition allowed only wines made using New York grapes and the German Eiswein process.

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No nuptials at Niagara Falls? Jones Beach off limits on a 90-degree day? The “Grand Canyon of the East” devoid of campers?

New York’s state parks system, the nation’s oldest, is facing another round of funding cuts that is likely to result in the first budget-related closures in the system’s 125-year history. State officials say even popular parks at Niagara Falls and Jones Beach, with attendance figures in the millions, could be closed, along with such destinations as Letchworth, a popular hiking and camping spot ringing the rugged Genesee Gorge south of Rochester.

“It’s going to be pretty bad. As bad as I’ve ever seen it,” said Robin Dropkin, executive director of Parks & Trails New York, a 25-year-old nonprofit advocacy group.

Peter Humphrey, a member of the State Council of Parks, predicts as many as 100 of New York’s 213 state parks and historic sites could be shut down because of the state’s fiscal problems.

“It’s scary, to be honest with you,” said Humphrey, president and chief executive of Wyoming County-based Five Star Bank.

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The New York wine industry will converge on Rochester this Wednesday, as “Viticulture 2010″ begins.

Jim Trezise is the president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation. He says the conference is held every three years, and is targeted at wine industry professionals. It covers everything from growing and bottling wine in the age of global warming, to marketing it on a tough budget.

The conference and trade show aren’t open to the public, but attendees can register to attend, on the day of the event at the Rochester Riverside Hotel.

Trezise says New York is generally supportive of its wine industry, but that small family-owned-and-operated wineries still face significant distribution challenges.
He says those small outfits don’t have the budget to market their own wines - but when they use distributors, they lose out on profits.

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In a difficult economic climate, one new local small business is off to a successful start.

It’s a wine bar called “Chocolate and Vines,” located on University Avenue in the city.

The menu is simple enough – cheese, coffee, wine, chocolates, and dessert.

Danielle Lewis and Michael Goldberg spent 18 months turning this historic house into a cozy chocolate and wine bar.

Contrary to the idea that small businesses are discouraged in New York State, they say they were welcomed.

“Working with the city was a breeze. They love what we’re trying to do. We’re not here to turn a 100-year old home into an apartment complex and modernize everything. We want to bring back the charm of the home and honor it,” says Michael Goldberg and Danielle Lewis, owners of Chocolate & Vines.

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The Rochester Rhinos announced today the signing of defender Adam West, goalkeeper Neal Kitson and forward/midfielder Carlos Aguilar pending USSF approval.

West, 22, joins the Rhinos after spending the 2009 season with the Tacoma Tide of the Premier Development League (PDL) and the previous two seasons with the Seattle Sounders of the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1).

The Gig Harbor, Washington native appeared in 16 matches for Tacoma scoring 1 goal, appeared in 29 matches for Seattle over two seasons (2007 & 2008) and was a member of the Sounders 2007 USL First Division Commissioner’s Cup championship team.

West attended Bellarmine Preparatory School where he played on the 2004 Washington State championship soccer team and attended the University of Washington (2004-06) prior to signing his first professional contract.

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