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RBPMail 5.10, October 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 Often, links you will see are out of date, and businesses referred to may also be long gone.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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WORLD'S BIGGEST BREWERS BID FOR CZECH PRIZES
A heated bidding war looms for the two leading brewers - including the
prestigious Pilsner Urquell - in the Czech Republic that Japanese bank
Nomura has put up for sale. Although the suitors haven't been officially
announced, among the names mentioned are Bass, Scottish & Newcastle,
South African Breweries, Anheuser-Busch and Heineken. Pilsener Urquell
is the last beer with Pilsener on the label to still be made in the
Czech town of that name. It has been brewed there since 1842 and is the
biggest selling beer in the country and a top-selling import in many
countries. Radegast, the second brewer for sale, is the No. 2 two brewer
in the republic. The bidding has just begun and Nomura officials expect
the results to be announced in November or December.
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SLEEMAN GETS RIGHTS TO PABST BRANDS
Sleeman Breweries Ltd., Canada's largest craft brewer, paid Pabst
Brewing Co. C$39 million (US$26.57 million) for the rights to distribute
Old Milwaukee, Rainier and Stroh's beers in Canada. About 80% of the
Stroh Canadian production will move to Canadian breweries over the next
two years. Old Milwaukee, the No. 1 selling imported beer in Canada,
will move within three months. Sleeman purchased the rights from Pabst,
which purchased the brands in a three-way deal with Miller Brewing Co.
that liquidated Stroh Brewing in April. "We are basically doubling the
size of the company in terms of volume," said Peter Amirault, managing
director for Sleeman. Market share is expected to double in Canada from
the current 2% to 4.6% next year.
http://www.sleeman.com
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SCOTTISH & NEWSCASTLE EXPANDS PUB CHAIN
Scottish & Newcastle, the United Kingdom's biggest brewer, plans to buy
Greenalls Group pubs and restaurants, thus becoming a truly nationwide
pub chain. Scottish currently runs a 2,650-pub estate while Greenhalls
has 821 pubs. Because it is legally prohibited from having a beer supply
agreement with more than 2,739, 664 of its pubs will have to be freed
from its tie or sold. As a result, Scottish will have a more
geographically diverse estate of mostly larger pubs. Just over half the
pubs Scottish will acquire are in Greenalls' heartland of north west
England, and the rest in the Midlands and across the south of England.
Scottish is strong in Scotland, northeast England and southern England.
http://www.newcastlebrown.com
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INTERBREW WINS TRADEMARK BATTLE WITH CORONA
Belgium's Interbrew, which brews Sibirskaya Corona beer in Russia, won a
trademark dispute with Mexico's Grupo Modelo over the use of the word
Corona in Russia. Russia's patent office rejected Modelo's complaint
that Sibirskaya Corona, which means Siberian Crown, violates the
trademark of Mexico's Corona brand. Made in the Siberian town of Omsk,
Sibirskaya Corona is packaged in a dark brown bottle with a light green
label decorated with a golden crown and fir-tree branches. The Siberian
pilsner is darker than its Mexican competitor. When Modelo entered the
Spanish market a decade ago, a sherry bottler already held the rights to
the brand Corona, forcing Modelo to change its brand name to Coronita,
or Little Crown.
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US SALES BOOST HEINEKEN'S FIRST HALF NUMBERS
Heineken, the world's second largest brewer, announced first half
profits are up by 11%. Much of the credit goes to increased sales in the
United States, which are further helped by rising prices. "(Heineken is)
benefiting from trading up in most of the world and the real jewel in
that improvement is the US market," said John Wakely, an analyst at
Lehman Brothers. Heineken raised prices 1% in three US regions, keeping
pace with rival Anheuser-Busch. Further increases totaling 3% are
expected by the year's end.
http://www.heineken.com
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EXPORTS BEHIND BELGIAN BREWER'S GAINS
Duvel Moortgat, a highly respected Belgian Brewer, announced first-half
operating profits for 1999 to have increased by some 31% added by
favorable exports and domestic sales. Sales to its four main markets,
the Netherlands, France, the U.S. and the U.K. were all up at a time
when worldwide beer sales were flat.
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ASAHI WILL CUT WORKFORCE
Asahi Breweries Ltd., Japan's No. 2 brewer, will close a Tokyo facility
in 2002 to cut costs. Five percent of its workforce will face the axe
over the next five years. Asahi makes Super Dry, Japan's most popular
brand, but has ignored the increasingly lucrative low-malt market and
has fallen off in sales. The recession in Japan has fueled growth for
the less expensive low-malt products which sell for a third as much as
regular brews due to a tax loophole. Asahi operates nine plants in
Japan, of which its newest, in Kanagawa, has an annual production
capacity of 150,000 kiloliters, twice the Tokyo facility's capacity.
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WINE HEALTHIER THAN BEER?
Cancer-fighting compounds in wine may make it healthier than beer,
according to a study of over 36,000 middle-aged Frenchmen. One to three
glasses of wine per day can reduce the levels of cholesterol in the
bloodstream and lower blood pressure, studies have concluded, and can
lessen the chances of a heart attack. The French study concluded that
drinkers of moderate amounts of wine had a death rate from heart attack
between 45-48% lower than those who do not drink. Red wine in particular
contains antioxidants which may prevent heart disease. Beer drinkers
were found to have a 42% lower rate of fatal heart attack than non-
drinkers do, but not as low as wine drinkers. Wine drinkers were found
to have lower death rates from cancer or other diseases due to
substances such as resvaratrol which are present in wine, but not in
beer.
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ENGLISH CHURCH MARKETS ITS OWN BEER
The Ripon, England, Cathedral church claims to be the first in its
country to launch and bless its own brand of beer. The Cathedral has
been granted a license to sell Ripon Jewel in its shop. The bottled
beer, which is being made by Daleside Breweries in Harrogate, has been
officially blessed by the Dean of Ripon in a special ceremony. A
procession then carried the beer through the streets of the city for a
civic toast and tasting. The brew will be sold in presentation packs in
the cathedral shop and in supermarkets throughout the country. Ripon
Diocese communications officer the Rev John Carter said: "The church is
against alcohol abuse, but it recognizes that a drink in moderation is a
gift from God, and is in many ways central to Christian worship."
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****WEB WATCH****
REAL BEER SPOTLIGHT: CELEBRATING AMERICAN BREWING
In 1984, there were 44 brewing concerns in the United States operating
83 breweries. Now there are nearly 1,500. We offer a look at several of
them, plus the most complete coverage of the Great American Beer
Festival you'll find anywhere. Stop by to read what brewers and drinkers
are saying during the festival, and be there Saturday for a complete
list of this year's champion beers.
http://www.realbeer.com/spotlight
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MORE DESTINATIONS: MORE FEATURES
Milwaukee and Atlanta are the newest City Guides at Real Beer. We're
always making additions to the other guides, so make sure you stop in
often. For those bound for the Great American Beer Festival, we've added
a new feature in Denver. Check out the recommendations from the Real
Beer Network as well as Real Beer readers. We'll be doing the same for
all the City Guides in the next few months, so tell us about your
favorite watering holes now. Just head to:
http://www.realbeer.com/destinations
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VISITING THE WORLD'S BEST BEER FEST
Although Stephen Beaumont will be unable to attend the 24 Hours of Beer
festival Oct. 16-17 in Belgium this year, he offers "an appreciation and
preview of the world's greatest beer festival."
http://worldofbeer.com/features
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*****************REAL BEER
PICKS***************
KALAMAZOO BREWING CO.
Larry Bell founded Kalamazoo Brewing Co. out of his homebrew supply
shop, first brewing with a 15-gallon soup kettle in 1985. Bell and an
idiosyncratic band of brewers offer a variety of no-holds barred beers
and an attitude to match. Here's vintage Larry Bell: "If God had wanted
us to filter our beer, he wouldn't have given us livers." Best viewed
with a Bells beer in hand at:
http://www.bellsbeer.com
MAGIC HAT BREWING CO.
Magic Hat Brewing Co. is one of the fastest growing breweries in the
Northeast, offering customers great beer and, well, a psychedelic
experience. Visit the Magicsphere and the greeting sets the tone: "Visit
now the Magisphere. But be aware if you should enter here. There's more
afoot than simply beer. So banish fear and plan to steer through things
both strange and wondrously queer." It's a trip, and it begins at:
http://www.magichat.net
HEAVENLY DAZE BREWERY
Heavenly Daze Brewery's first brewpub in Steamboat Springs proved to be
so popular that "The Daze" expanded into Denver. Visit the website to
take a tour of the original brewery with head brewer Andy Stern. Find
out where else you can buy this beer and even pick up a coupon for a
free beer. Grab one at:
http://www.heavenlydaze.com
SABCO INDUSTRIES
Sabco specializes in both new and used kegs and equipment for brewers of
all sizes. Sabco offers the finest in new American-made kegs, and
advanced home-brewing systems, as well as quality kettles and equipment
for brewers at all levels. To find out why Sabco, with 38 years of
kegging, proudly boasts that it offers "A keg-full of great ideas!",
head on over to:
http://st14.yahoo.com/sabco/index.php
DRINKTEC
Starting with a family-run brewery in Germany in 1858, Drinktec
continuously explores and implements the best in brewing equipment and
practices. Drinktec Philadelphia has served the North American brewing
industry, in particular the craft-brewing segment, for more than 10 ten
years with the finest quality equipment. Check out their extensive
portfolio at:
http://www.drinktec.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 Steve Ladobruk.
LAST MONTH'S QUESTION:
Looking ahead to holiday shopping online, we asked what improvement in
online shopping would most compel you to buy more? Clearly most
important to those who voted was "better prices" with 41% making that
their top choice. Second was "easier to compare" and third "better
security."
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**********REAL BEER ONLINE POLL*****************
READERS PREFER BLUES & BREWS
Blues, Irish music, Rock - they all go well with beer, according to
those who visited the Real Beer voting booth in September. We asked what
style of music goes best with beer. Blues received 24% of the votes,
Irish 21% and Rock 20%. This month's poll asks what most influences you
to try a new beer. Vote in the Poll area, Spotlight or in any of our
City Guides.
Here's a shortcut:
http://realbeer.com/fun/poll
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*********** Brewed Fresh For
You! **************
The Real Beer Page announces a diverse group of brew websites
to check out:
http://www.firkin.com
http://www.heineken.com
http://www.kegworks.com
http://ericsbeerpage.com
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com
http://www.thefallingrock.com
http://www.widmer.com
http://www.meheen-mfg.com
http://www.thebeeressentials.com
http://www.mid-atlantic-beer.org
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MARYLAND MAKES SHIPPING ILLEGAL BOOZE A FELONY
A new law in Maryland raises the penalty from misdemeanor to felony for
any out-of-state liquor or wine dealer that ships alcoholic beverages
into that state. In taking this action, Maryland joins a growing number
of states that have increased penalties against out-of-state alcohol
beverage sellers. It is part of a backlash against the escalating number
of Internet and catalog merchants skirting state beverage taxes and
sales restrictions, state and industry officials said. "Making it a
felony elevates the whole issue," said Charles W. Ehart, the director of
the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit in the Maryland Comptrollers Office.
The "goal" of the new law is to serve as "a deterrent to would be
shippers," he said.
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ADS TARGET 'BINGE DRINKING'
Full page advertisements warning about excessive alcohol consumption on
college campuses ran early in September in some 100 major daily
newspapers as well as national papers including the Wall Street Journal,
The New York Times and the Washington Post. The headline "Hitting
college campuses this fall" played over a bottle of beer labeled "Binge
Beer." The text notes, "We need your help in convincing our students of
the dangers. Talk to your kids about binge drinking..." The bottle
displayed in the ad looks more like a specialty beer than a mainstream,
industrial beer.
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ANHEUSER-BUSCH LAUNCHES NEW 'RESPONSIBLE DRINKING' ADS
Anheuser-Busch announced that it will nearly triple its investment in
efforts to combat alcohol abuse with a new series of advertisements.
"Public education campaigns are clearly working, so we decided to triple
our part in this effort to help keep alcohol abuse trends on a steep
decline," said Francine Katz, vice president of Consumer Affairs at
Anheuser-Busch. "Rather than declare victory and stop, it's time to
recognize what works and do more." A-B's new advertising campaign is
entitled, "We All Make A Difference."
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'TEACH A FRIEND TO HOMEBREW' DAY POSTPONED
The date of "Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day" has been changed from Sept.
18 to Nov. 13. The change was made to take advantage of the holiday
brewing season. "For many brewers, mid-November kicks off the holiday
brewing season," said Paul Gatza, director of the American Homebrewers
Association (AHA). "We feel that 'Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day' will
experience greater success if scheduled for November." The AHA is
teaming up with the Home Wine and Beer Trade Association (HWBTA) to
present "Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day." The AHA and the HWBTA want
homebrewers to find an interested friend who has not brewed before, take
them to a local homebrew supply shop, help them select ingredients, and
then brew a batch of beer together Nov. 13.
http://www.hwbta.org
http://www.beertown.org
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PROHIBITION COMES TO EBAY
eBay, the Internet's biggest auction site with easily the largest
variety of beer collectibles, has announced it will "disallow listings
of certain alcohol and tobacco products on eBay, including wine, beer,
hard liquor, cigars, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products." The ban
goes into effect Oct. 13. Sales of collectibles associated with tobacco
and alcohol, such as vintage packaging or decanters, will still be
allowed provided that sellers follow several rules. The action should
not effect most items in auction in eBay's breweriana section, which
often has more than 20,000 items listed at a time. However, it will have
a major impact on wine sellers and buyers. Bottles of wine will no
longer be permitted "because their value is based on the wine in the
bottle, and not the bottle itself."
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BREWING TECHNIQUES CEASES PUBLICATION
Brewing Techniques, a Eugene, Ore. based magazine, has ceased
publication. The last issue was May/June. It was considered by many in
the industry to be the best brewing magazine in the country. It offered
homebrewers as well as advanced and professional brewers excellent
articles and dependable information. The Brewing Techniques archive
remains online through Real Beer, and collectible back issues - destined
to increase in value at the previously mentioned eBay -are available
immediately for sale at:
http://brewingtechniques.com
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EDITORIAL:
GREAT BEERS IN AMERICA
We just finished putting together our A-to-Z (Alaskan Brewing to
Zebulon's Peated Porter from Phantom Canyon) Primer for the members of
the Real Beer staff who will be attending the Great American Beer
Festival (GABF) in Denver for the first time this coming week. When we
got to the letter "I" we didn't scribble in "IBUs," we wrote
"Impact...", as in what happens when you combine the entrepreneurial and
frontier drive of the U.S. with traditional brewing styles from around
the world.
The impact, quite frankly, is incredible. It attracts passionate
consumers who evangelize the good beer culture and recruit new drinkers
into the category. It builds the import market that serves quality
representations from the homeland. It drives artisans and marketing
mavens to build breweries and brewpubs in every corner of the country
and pursue their interpretation of good beer. And that impact will be on
display from Oct. 7-9 at the GABF.
Only a tiny portion of American beer drinkers who will enjoy a specialty
beer -- be it American brewed or an import -- this week will do so at
Currigan Hall in Denver. However, the festival has mirrored what was
occurring in U.S. beer in the last 20 years and influenced what will
happen next. Sometimes, like when we were flooded with unbalanced fruit
beers in the mid-'90s, this didn't necessarily seem like a good thing...
but when you put hundreds of brewers together and let them try each
other's beer there can only be one result. More great beer.
Association of Brewers president, Charlie Papazian, loves telling the
story about the first festival in 1982. Fred Huber, president of Huber
Brewing in Monroe, Wis., looked over the 500 drinkers who had assembled
to try 35 beers from 20 breweries. "I never imagined in my wildest
dreams that there'd be all these people so enthusiastic about quality
beer. I can't believe my eyes," Huber said.
This weekend, tens of thousands of drinkers will be able to choose from
1,700-plus beers from 400 breweries. But the numbers only start to tell
the story. Three years ago, Richard Stueven (a.k.a. gak of
beerismylife.com, who is "G" in our primer) briefly took time from
his mission to taste every beer on earth to assess what he had found in
one evening at the festival.
"The good beer is really outweighing the bad beer," he said, pausing to
make a point. "Unlike two years ago."
You may have read stories in the last year about how Americans who are
looking for quality beer have been turning to classic imports. The
category is on fire, lead by light lagers such as Corona and Labatt with
strong performances by Heineken and Beck's. Michael Jackson
(http://www.beerhunter.com) notes that almost every style of beer made
in the great brewing nations is imported to the U.S. Certainly, many of
these are great beers. But Jackson also points out that most of these
styles are made by American breweries, and sometimes U.S. efforts come
closer to the historic style. This is as true for the largest industrial
brewers to the smallest brewers.
For instance, since 1993 brewer Chuck Skypeck of Bosco's in Tennessee
has been making one of the few "flaming stone" beers in the world. He
recently contacted German brewer Gerd Borges, who revived the
Rauchenfels Steinbier style in Europe, to see if he could get some of
the same Alpine stones Borges uses in his beer. Only an American brewer
would go through all that trouble.
While many Europeans like to characterize American beers as being all
the same, European brewers decline to export beer to the States because
they figure Americans wouldn't appreciate their beer. "The number of
Americans who care about beer, who really care, is higher than anywhere
else," Jackson said. "When I give a talk on beer in America, the
questions I get are far more comprehensive than anywhere else."
Come Thursday, some of those drinkers will be able to choose from a
variety of unavailable beers -- literally, beers not found any place
else in the world. We plan to visit old friends, both brewers and beers,
from every region of the country (sometimes we think they should call
this the "Great Regional Beer Festival"). But we also know that within
half an hour after the fun begins, we can start asking other drinkers
for recommendations and they will send us off to try absolutely
delightful beers we've never had before.
That's why the entry for "E" in our primer is "Enjoy."
Don't forget to visit http://realbeer.com during the festival to read
about what beers those attending the festival are recommending.
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