[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 1, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING BULL JAGGER BREWING COMPANY

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I have heard time and 
again how difficult it is to start a business in our current economy. 
As the new year begins, I find it especially critical to honor those 
entrepreneurs, who in spite of these challenging times, are surmounting 
all obstacles to pursue the American dream of starting a small 
business. With this in mind, today I wish to commend and recognize the 
most recent addition to the renowned brewing family, the Bull Jagger 
Brewing Company of Portland, ME.
  Bull Jagger opened in the fall of 2011 with two employees and a dream 
to produce high-quality lager. In a 1,500-square-foot space in 
Portland's Riverside Industrial Park, the two owners, Tom Bull and 
Allan Jagger, have begun producing the Portland Lager. In their small 
facility, they currently produce about eight barrels a week which makes 
approximately 1,800 bottles of the refreshing beverage. Their lager 
debuted at the Portland Harvest on the Harbor in October of 2011 to 
rave reviews.
  This success is truly exceptional as only a few years ago, Tom Bull, 
a Bath native who has worked at local companies such as Gritty McDuff's 
and the former Stone Coast Brewing, was developing his own homemade 
beer and dreaming of opening a micro-lager business. Fortunately, after 
meeting through mutual friends and tasting Tom's homebrew, local 
businessman Allan Jagger was convinced that Tom's dream was worth 
pursuing. Together as partners, they decided to turn their aspirations 
into reality and venture into Maine's micro-brew market.
  Across the State, both Tom and Allan found that Maine's micro-brew 
market lacked one particular beer variety--a micro-brew lager. While 
larger breweries all produce lagers, most micro-breweries shy away from 
lagers because of the increased length of brewing time in comparison to 
ales. Typically, lager has to sit in a cold cellar for several weeks to 
allow proper fermentation to occur. While this may have deterred other 
micro-breweries in the past, Bull Jagger believed their lager would be 
worth the wait, and they were certainly right. In true lager fashion, 
this small brewery allows their lager to ferment over 6 weeks, which is 
approximately a month longer than traditional ales. This may have 
diminished the speed with which the product leaves the factory, but it 
certainly has not slowed down the consumption, as sales are continuing 
to grow.
  As a new small business that has already distinguished itself in 
Maine's prominent micro-brew market, Bull Jagger is looking forward to 
producing additional varieties, including a Pilsner beer, in the near 
future. This small firm's attention to detail and initial success 
demonstrates the remarkable quality of their product. I am proud to 
extend my congratulations to Tom Bull and Allan Jagger for their 
tremendous efforts, and offer my best wishes for the continued success 
of Bull Jagger Brewing Company.

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