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RBPMail 5.03, March 1999
Real Beer Page Mail (RBPMail) began as a modest update to craft-brew events on the WWW. It evolved into a news digest and sometimes editorial forum. We present its contents here much as they were emailed to subscribers. Often, links you will see are out of date, and businesses referred to may also be long gone.
In this issue:
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IN SWITZERLAND, 'THIS BUD' MAY NOT BE FOR YOU
Switzerland's highest court has ruled against U.S.-brewed "Bud" beer in
a battle over the Budweiser and Bud trade names. Anheuser-Busch took its
case to the Federal Tribunal in late 1997 after a trade panel ruled
against its "Bud" beer. The trade panel said the U.S. beer should not be
sold as "Bud" in Switzerland because of a risk of confusion with the
name "Budweiser," claimed by state-owned Czech brewer Budejovicky
Budvar. Switzerland's Supreme Court has upheld that decision. Anheuser-
Busch chief executive and president Stephen J. Burrows said the ruling
would not affect the company's pending trademark case against Budvar
outside of Switzerland. The two brewers have been claiming rights to the
Budweiser name since 1911. Anheuser-Busch still holds unchallenged
rights to the Budweiser name in most of the world, including North and
South America and virtually all of Asia. It will continue to sell beer
in Switzerland, but use a different name.
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The Australian Financial Review reports that Foster's Brewing Group has
unloaded one of the two loss-making Chinese breweries it put on the
market last August. Foster's sold its brewery in Guangdong province in
southern China to a Hong Kong-based investment company and The Princess
Group -- the Australian company's original partner in the brewery, which
has made losses each year since it was bought in 1993. A spokesperson
for Foster's said the sale would deliver an abnormal gain of less than
$10 million but the purchase price would not be disclosed. The other
brewery on the market is the Tianjin brewery and it is understood that
Foster's is in the final stages of negotiations with South African
Breweries for its sale.
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JUDGE RULE AGAINST BREWER IN BRITISH TAX BATTLE
British independent brewer Shepherd Neame has lost the latest round in
its battle against higher beer taxes in the UK. Three Court of Appeal
judges said they were "sympathetic" to the brewery and others fighting
for lower beer prices, but said there was "no legal obligation on the UK
to abstain" from raising tax on beer. Shepherd Neame vowed to fight on,
saying it will appeal to the House of Lords after the court refused to
refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.
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A-B BREWS ALL-MALT BEER FOR JAPANESE MARKET
This month, Budweiser Japan launched a new beer in the Japanese market
that would certainly surprise American craft beer fans. "Budweiser Fine
Malt" is a golden 5.5% alcohol beer made from 100% American malt. With
no rice and no corn, it's Anheuser-Busch's first 100% malt beer in
Japan. With a metallic brown and gold label with ivory insets, this new
Bud product seems to be going after Japan's super premium (mass-
produced) beer niche occupied by Yebisu, a 100% malt beer brewed by
Sapporo with a similar color scheme on the label. Budweiser Fine Malt is
priced the same as popular Japanese beers at 225 yen (US $1.90) per 350-
ml bottle. (Reported by Bryan Harrell in BEERWeek.)
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DUTCH BEER CONSUMPTION DOWN 2.4% IN 1998
Beer consumption in the Netherlands was reported to be down by 2.4% due
to poor weather during the summer. Dutch beer exports are reported to be
off by some 3.7% due to slower markets in Russia and Asia. The region is
home to the world's second largest brewer, Heineken NV, which sells some
17% of its products in the Netherlands.
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In a cost-cutting move against a deepening recession, Latin America's
largest brewer, Cia. Cervejaria Brahma, has laid off 108 workers. The
employees laid off comprised 1% of Brahma's work force. Brahma is
anticipating that beer and soft drink sales will shrink about 4% in
1999. Brahma controls 50% of the Brazilian beer market, with 25
factories in Brazil and an additional one each in both Argentina and
Venezuela.
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PUBS MAY BE GRANTED 'SOBERING' HOUR
Britain's pubs would be allowed to stay open an hour after they stop
serving alcohol in an effort to prevent fights at closing time, under
plans being considered by the government. But "happy hours" could be
outlawed. Reports are that proposals being studied by government
ministers, as part of the overhaul of the licensing laws, include
allowing all pubs to remain open for 60 minutes after "time" is called.
But they would be able to sell only soft drinks, tea and coffee. The
move is designed to stop last-minute binge drinking, and to curb the
rowdiness and violence that often occur near town center pubs at closing
time.
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CAMRA TAPS NORWICH PUB AS BRITAIN'S BEST
The Campaign for Real ale (CMARA) has chosen the Fat Cat in Norwich as
Britain's Best Pub. Locals regard the pub as a beer drinker's paradise
with up to 20 real ales available, many served direct from the beer cask
in a unique taproom that can be viewed from the bar. Explaining the
pub's success, licensee Colin Keatley said, "Tradition is the
cornerstone of our business. We have worked hard to build a good
reputation for a wide selection of quality beers at reasonable prices."
Ian Woolverton, CAMRA's Marketing and Campaigns Assistant said, "The Fat
Cat is a traditional pub serving an excellent range of good quality real
ales. It is extremely encouraging to see that community pubs continue to
thrive despite moves from certain sectors of the brewing industry to
replace them with bland theme pubs."
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GET INSIDE THE GAME
A new contest from the Boston Beer Co. gives readers a chance to check
their basketball and beer trivia skills and win prizes. The Grand Prize
drawing will select one winner, who, along with three friends, will be
flown to New England for a sports fan's ultimate fantasy adventure, a
behind-the-scenes tour of the ESPN Studios plus other sports adventures
in Boston. Daily prizes include stuff you can wear and play with as well
as subscriptions to ESPN Insider from espn.com.
http://www.getinsidethegame.com
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ASK MICHAEL
Have you been wondering what that beer Michael Jackson is drinking in
his picture at the Beer Hunter website? Do you have a question about
something you've read in one of his books or his opinion about a
particular beer? He receives too much email to guarantee and answer to
every one, but he gives it a pretty good try. For the latest set of
answers to reader questions head to:
http://www.beerhunter.com/askmichael.php
DON'T BE A LAST-SECOND ST. PATTY'S DAY SHOPPER
You probably already know how hard it is to shop for St. Patrick's Day -
- the lines, the shortages of this year's hot St. Patrick's Day toys,
the leprechaun controversy Jerry Falwell has stirred up . . . Wait,
there's a less painful way. Just head for BREWMALL. For instance, the
book "Clone Brews: Homebrew Recipes for 150 Commercial Beers" has 12
recipes for brewing stout, you can buy a Gritty McDuff's Black Fly T-
shirt or you can purchase actual stouts. In fact, there are nearly 3,000
items to choose from, so you might want to get started right now.
http://brewmall.com
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*****************REAL BEER PICKS***************
INNOVATIVE BREWING TECHNOLOGIES
IBT was formed by brewing industry professions who have been involved in
more than 100 brewpub startups, with an eye toward developing a complete
set of educational products. IBT has launched the first series in a set
of manual specific to the brewpub business, using information gather
from wide range of sources, including a survey of the top 200 grossing
brewpubs in North America in 1997. Both start-up and existing brewpub
owners will find fascinating reading at:
http://www.innovativebrew.com
FRESH, HOT, STEAMY PICS OF NEW ZEALAND BEAUTIES
Take a South Island Tour with the New Zealand Brewers Network, visiting
places like the Pink Elephant Brewery. Lots of pictures of breweries,
brewers and beer. For a taste of what is going on "Down Under" head to:
http://brewing.co.nz/south_island
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*********** Brewed Fresh For You! **************
The Real Beer Page announces a diverse group of brew websites
to check out:
http://www.ommegang.com
http://www.petes.com
http://www.newbelgium.com
http://www.safetap.com
http://www.spartanburgstainless.com
http://www.newcastlebrown.com
http://www.bestbelgianbeers.com/beerprd/lagr_st.htm
http://www.bestbelgianbeers.com/beerprd/whitvill.htm
http://www.bestbelgianbeers.com/beerprd/abbey.htm
http://www.bestbelgianbeers.com/beerprd/lambic.htm
http://www.gordonbiersch.com
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QUICKIE EMAIL SURVEY
Thanks to all who have been replying to our Quickie Surveys. We draw one
winner each month for a prize, which this month will be a Real Beer T-
shirt. Last month's winner was Larry Eoff, who wrote: "My Internet
connection is very fast at work, much faster than at home.
Unfortunately, they say I can get fired for using it for non-work
related activities."
LAST MONTH'S QUESTION:
Last month we asked how fast your Internet connection is at work. More
than three-quarters of those who responded have a 56000 or faster
connection, and 96% are at 28.8 or faster.
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PABST, MILLER PUT STROH OUT OF ITS MISERY
After months of rumors and continued reports of lagging sales, Stroh
Brewery Co. announced in February that it is quitting the brewing
business. The 149-year-old Detroit-based brewer is selling its entire
beer operations to Pabst Brewing Co. and Miller Brewing Co., pending
approval of the transfer of the brand names that must still be approved
by federal antitrust officials. Pabst Chairman Bill Bitting said the
purchase would increase his company's share of the nation's beer market
from 2 percent to "slightly less" than 8 percent. In the deal, Pabst
bought just one of the five Stroh breweries -- its facility in the
Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. If Stroh can't find a buyer for the
others they will close, putting more than 2,000 employees out of work.
The deal is expected to close in April, after which Stroh will operate
the five breweries during a nine-month transition period.
Much of the production of the beer Pabst sells will go to Miller Brewing
Co., which will boost its market share (of beer actually brewed) from 21
to 30 percent. Industry analysts pointed out that this will eliminate
much of the excess capacity in the industry. However, The Boston Beer
Co., which relied on Stroh for about half the production of its Samuel
Adams beers, announced that Pabst Brewing would assume BBC's brewing
contract with Stroh if the sale is completed and Miller Brewing has
agreed to guarantee Pabst's contract brewing commitment.
* What Miller gets from Stroh:
Henry Weinhard's and Mickeys.
* What Miller gets from Pabst:
Hamm's and Olde English 800.
* What Pabst gets from Stroh:
Old Milwaukee, Old Style, Schlitz Malt Liquor, Lone Star, Colt, Stroh
Brewery in Pennsylvania.
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LONE STAR RETURNS TO SAN ANTONIO
As a result of the Pabst-Stroh deal, the brand of beer that originated
in San Antonio will once again be brewed there, though at a rival
brewery. Lone Star beer will now be made at the Pearl Brewery, which is
owned by Pabst. The move means more than 200 Pearl Brewery jobs and a
part of the city's history are safe for now. The city lost about 175
brewing jobs in September 1996 when Stroh closed the 66-year-old Lone
Star Brewery. The production of Lone Star beer, born in San Antonio,
moved to a plant in Longview. Now, increased production at the Pearl
Brewery is expected to mean an undetermined number of new jobs for San
Antonio. Just a year ago, brewery employees were worried that Stroh
would buy Pabst and move all Pearl Brewery operations to the Longview
plant.
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BEER, WINEMAKERS ALLOWED TO PROMOTE HEALTH BENEFITS
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has ruled that both beer and
winemakers may mention the potential health benefits of their products
on their labels. The labels may contain the words: "The proud people who
made this (beer-wine) encourage you to consult your family doctor about
the health effects of (beer-wine) consumption. To learn the effects of
(beer-wine) consumption, send for the Federal Government's Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion,
USDA, 1120 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 or visit its website."
However, the Brewers' Association of America suggests that its members
and all other brewers not use health claims on its labels, packaging and
other promotion material. It notes: "Beer labels, packaging and other
promotional materials are not the appropriate medium to inform the
consumer about the health effects of consumption. The subject deserves
more careful and thorough explanation. Any attempt to simplify the
message about the potential positive health effects of beer will be used
by anti-alcohol forces to further defame the beer industry." It also
suggest that brewers may incur legal risks by using the new latitude on
health effects for promotional purposes.
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New Belgium Brewing Co. of Fort Collins, Colo. became the largest
private consumer of wind power last week with its commitment to buy the
equivalent of the brewery's electricity use from wind power. This will
make New Belgium the first wind-powered brewery in America. A 660-kW
wind turbine will be built next fall at the Platte River Power Authority
wind site near Medicine Bow, Wyo. to support New Belgium's subscription
to the program. The turbine will produce about 1.8 million kWh of
electricity per year, which is about the amount of electricity that New
Belgium will consume in the coming year. New Belgium owners Kim Jordan
and Jeff Lebesch did not make this financial commitment alone. Rather,
the choice of wind power was presented to the entire New Belgium staff
and, although its additional cost would diminish the size of their
bonuses (which are paid out on costs-per-barrel), the 70-person vote was
unanimously in favor.
http://www.newbelgium.com
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A GOOD YEAR FOR ANHEUSER-BUSCH BOSS
Anheuser-Busch chairman and president, August Busch III, earned a bonus
of $1.75 million in 1998, more than double the amount he received the
previous year. Busch's 1998 salary of $1,107,750 was unchanged from the
previous year, when he received a bonus of $691,000.
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BOSTON BEER BOOSTS PROFITS THOUGH SALES SLIP
The Boston Beer Company's sold less beer in 1998, but boosted profits.
The brewery reports it sold 1,227,000 barrels of beer in 1998, compared
to 1,352,000 in 1997. However earnings per share were 0.39 in 1998 -- and
would have been .44 without a one-time special charge -- compared to
0.37 in 1997. "Despite the turmoil in the craft segment of the beer
market and a modest erosion in volume, our leading market position and
aggressive programs combined to produce very satisfactory operating
results in 1998," said Jim Koch, president and founder.
http://www.samadams.com
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In the light of flat sales, Miller has decided to cancel its McKenzie
Brothers TV spots for Molson, a brand the company manages in the U.S.
Miller's new ad efforts will focus on product shots, while radio spots
will feature CCAN, a fictional Canadian radio station. Molson's U.S.
sales were flat during the two-year campaign featuring Rick Moranis and
Dave Thomas as the Brothers McK. Molson's import rival, Labatt Blue, on
the other hand, grew by double digits in 1998, making it the number
three best-selling import and the best-selling Canadian import.
http://www.labattblue.com
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NEW MEXICO LAWMAKERS SHOOT FOR .05% LEGAL BLOOD ALCOHOL
Two New Mexico lawmakers have introduced legislation that would lower
the threshold for determining when a driver is legally drunk to become
the lowest in the nation. The proposed law would reduce the state's
legal blood alcohol content from .08 to .05%. "This hopefully would
create the kind of awareness we created with earlier drunk driving
decisions," said Sen. Cisco McSorley, Albuquerque-D, one of the sponsors
of the bill. Sixteen states have adopted a legal intoxication limit of
.08% blood alcohol content, with the remaining 34 states setting the
limit at .10%. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, an organization that
lobbies for stricter drunken driving laws, does not support legislation
to reduce the legal threshold for drunken driving below .08%, said
Brandy Anderson of MADD. Anderson said scientific research has failed to
prove that all drivers are impaired at blood alcohol contents of less
than .08%.
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Back Bay Brewing Co. in Boston has long taking a whimsical and local
approach when naming its beers. That became news in February when a
local television story noticed that the pub was serving Boston Stranger
Stout, a beer brewer Todd Mott has made once a year for three years. It
was named after Albert deSalvo, a.k.a. The Boston Strangler, the serial
killer who stalked the Boston-Cambridge for two years in the early
1960s, killing at least 13 women. (He was murdered in his prison cell in
1973.) Edward Brooke, state attorney general at the time of the murders,
expressed dismay: "It's not something you want to be reminded of when
you're drinking beer." The TV story was then repeated by national news
sources. Don't be surprised if the beer has a new name when it is served
next year.
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The folks at Great Northern Brewing Co. in Whitefish, Mont., didn't
anticipate how seriously some people would take the Black Star Beer
Tattoo Contest. The competition was to see who would show up Valentine's
Day with the biggest tattoo of the brewery's cowboy/buckin' bronco logo.
To inspire contestants, the brewery gave away a Harley-Davidson
motorcycle. The turnout for the first contest in 1998 was modest and the
largest tattoo measured 20-plus inches. This year, that would have
placed seventh. In fact, two tattoos at 30-plus inches finished almost
two feet behind winner Ken Marvin of Federal Way, Wash., whose wrap-
around tattoo covers 50.25 inches. It starts at the top of his back,
wraps around his right side onto his chest, and down his leg to mid-
calf. Pictures of the tattoo and more from the event are at:
http://www.blackstarbeer.com
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WASHINGTON BREWER TRIUMPHS IN NATIONAL BREWING CHAMPIONSHIP
By all accounts, the first Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing
(MCAB), held last month in Houston, was a rip-roaring success, both as a
homebrew competition and as a technical conference. John Childs of
Lynwood, Wash., captured Best of Show with his American Pale Ale and
thus won a Seibel Short Course at the Seibel Institute in Chicago.
Brewers interesting in participating in MCAB II, which will be hosted by
the St. Louis Brews, must pass through one of the MACB qualifying
events. A list of those competitions, as well as the complete results of
MCAB I are at:
http://hbd.org/mcab
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It's not unusual for a brewpub's website to linger on after the brewery
closes, often leaving readers the impression they can still visit. Not
so for the Phoenix Brewing Co. in Atlanta. When the doors closed,
webmaster Bill Parks updated the homepage with a classy tribute to what
was a fine brewery-restaurant. See for yourself at:
http://www.phoenixbrewing.com
SOUTHERN DRAFT BREW NEWS CEASES PUBLICATION
Southern Draft Brew News, a brewspaper that served the Southeast, has
ceased publication. The brewspaper served the Southeast since October of
1993 and added a Southwest edition in 1998. Publisher Bill Dickens cited
a lack of advertising support in making the decision to discontinue
operations.
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GUEST EDITORIAL: TOM SCHLAFLY, THE SAINT LOUIS BREWERY
With the presidential impeachment trial behind it, the United States
Senate, which styles itself as the greatest deliberative body in the
world, can now return to the business of the American people. For some
senators the most pressing matter on their agenda is regulating the
language on wine and beer labels.
As most readers know, the BATF recently announced that it would permit
the wine industry to use bottle labels that mention the "health effects
of wine consumption." Labels could now say, "To learn the health effects
of wine consumption, send for the Federal Government's Dietary
Guidelines for Americans," followed by an address at the Agriculture
Department. They could also advise consumers "to consult your family
doctor about the health effects of wine consumption."
Predictably, neo-prohibitionists and their senatorial allies are
outraged. Although the labels would merely refer people to their family
doctors or to federal guidelines, the opposition was immediate and
vocal. Leading the charge in the U.S. Senate are les grands seigneurs of
their respective parties, Democrat Robert Byrd and Republican Strom
Thurmond. Both have denounced this seemingly innocuous commercial speech
as dangerous and have vowed to pass legislation outlawing it.
At this point, a little background information on Byrd and Thurmond
could be instructive. Just as Congressman Henry Hyde admitted to a
"youthful indiscretion" -- extra-marital sex three decades ago -- so too
did Byrd and Thurmond have youthful indiscretions of their own: hanging
out with hate groups. As a young man in his 30's, Byrd was a card-
carrying, hood-wearing member of the Ku Klux Klan. In his 40's Thurmond
ran for president on a platform of white supremacy, appealing to
klansmen such as Byrd.
Although Byrd and Thurmond have since been forced to muzzle their
previously overt bigotry, the fires of intolerance still burn in their
respective bellies. Both preach a form of "zero tolerance" when it comes
to brewers and wineries promoting their products, even if the message
happens to be true; and even if the message comes from a family doctor
or from the federal government's own dietary guidelines.
As we all know, the country just weathered a major constitutional
crisis. Luckily, however, the sage and august leaders of the U.S.
Senate, ever mindful of the wisdom and vision of the founding fathers,
managed to preserve our republic and the integrity of our constitution.
Let's hope they are equally attentive to all of our constitutional
freedoms.
I'm specifically referring to the first amendment. It protected Robert
Byrd's right to wear a white hood and burn crosses as a member of a hate
group. It also protected Strom Thurmond's right to court hate groups
with a message of white supremacy. Why shouldn't it protect the right of
brewers and winemakers to advise people to consult their family doctors
or federal guidelines. Surely, our message isn't nearly so dangerous as
that of Byrd and Thurmond.
Tom Schlafly is a recovering lawyer and president of the Saint Louis
Brewery.
The views expressed are those of the guest editor and not necessarily of
the publisher or its advertisers.
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