Beer Minute: Magic Hat, Starr Hill, growlers

Things are turning ugly between a new Kentucky ale-maker and Magic Hat. Magic Hat has headed to court with a trademark complaint against Lexington, Ky., brewer West Sixth over its logo. The giant 6 looks a little too much like the style of Magic Hat's 9 motif for the one-time Vermont brewer's tastes. Magic Hat says trying to resolve the matter amicably turned sour and got uglier when West Sixth asked its followers to ask Magic Hat to lighten up. Magic Hat's owners (North American Breweries) filed suit against the year-old West Sixth in federal court last week. West Sixth tells the Lexington Herald-Leader the suit has no merit.

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Beer-makers like Stone (California) and New Belgium (Colorado) opening breweries in the eastern U.S. are helping raise the profile of craft beer for craft brewers who have long called that region of the country home. That's what Starr Hill Brewing's Mark Thompson tells Veer magazine. Thompson further notes how his state's brewing industry enjoys an assist from wineries there. Virginia's largest craft brewery and the maker of Jomo Lager, Northern Lights IPA, Starr Saison and Grateful IPA continues with an expansion that will boost annual brewing capacity to 55,000 barrels.

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One of the largest beer festivals on the East Coast is just days away. Sponsored by BeerAdvocate and Harpoon Brewery, the Sixth Annual American Craft Beer Fest at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston will feature 640 beers from 140 breweries. No Garden State brews are on the lineup for the May 31-June 1 event, but brewers regional to the Jersey area such as Dogfish Head, Troegs, Victory, Brooklyn and Sixpoint will be there.

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It's predictably heavy on wheat and fruit beers, but there are some IPAs in there, too. The Brewers Association, and its website CraftBeer.com, have a list of summer brews worthy of your glass. Citing a study by marketing researcher Mintel that says craft beer drinkers make their beer choices based on what season it is (imagine that!), the BA has put out the list of brews, which feature, among other ingredients, honey, blueberries, raspberries, banana and orange peel. Some gems on the lineup that are available in New Jersey are Founders All Day IPA and Flying Dog's Woody Creek Belgian White.

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Citing New Jersey liquor stores' ability to fill growlers, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell took the occasion of American Craft Beer Week last week to make the practice legal in the First State. Says Markell: “Delawareans who own craft breweries or liquor stores were at a disadvantage compared to their competitors across our borders." Thanks for the shout-out governor, but in New Jersey it's not as simple as every package goods store tapping a keg and sending growler customers on their way. Stores that are allowed to fill growlers here in New Jersey at one time in their existence were also actually bars. Thus, no bar license in their history, no growler sales.

– The Beer Minute is a quick-read round-up of notable events or news about breweries from elsewhere that distribute in New Jersey.