News roundup: Hackers in Iran responsible for cyberattacks, U.S. says … American wholesale prices jump 1.1% in September … Tin Roof launches new Parade Ground Coffee Porter brew

Published Oct 12, 2012 at 10:00 am (Updated Oct 12, 2012)

Screen shot: U.S. authorities believe that Iranian-based hackers were responsible for cyberattacks that have recently devastated Persian Gulf oil and gas companies, a former U.S. government official says. Just hours later, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the cyberthreat from Iran has grown, and he declared that the Pentagon is prepared to take action if America is threatened by a computer-based assault. The unnamed former official says U.S. authorities believe the cyberattacks were likely supported by the Tehran government and came in retaliation for the latest round of American sanctions against Iran. The full story is available here.

Money to burn: A second month of sharp gains in gasoline costs drove wholesale prices higher in September. But apart from the surge in energy, prices were well contained. Wholesale prices rose 1.1% in September following a 1.7% gain in August, which had been the largest one-month increase in more than three years, the Labor Department reports this morning. In both months, overall prices were pushed higher by gasoline, which rose 9.8% in September following an even larger 13.6% gain in August. More details are available in the full story here.

Happy hour: Baton Rouge's own Tin Roof Brewery has released its latest brew, Parade Ground Coffee Porter, reports Bite and Booze's Jay Ducote, who's also a regular 225 blogger. "The Parade Ground is an ode to the iconic field on LSU's campus, Louisiana's parading culture, and the grinding of coffee beans," says Ducote. "It is a dark, rich beer with plenty of coffee in the aroma. On taste it contains a pleasant coffee bite that warms your mouth with enough balance from the malts to prevent any unwelcome bitterness, though the coffee and hops are most certainly present." Parade Ground is the fifth brew Tin Roof has released since beginning operations about two years ago. Check out Ducote's complete blog post here.

Today's poll question: Who won Thursday night's vice presidential debate?