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RBPMail 6.01, January 2000
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 Often, links you will see are out of date, and businesses referred to may also be long gone.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:
If you like what you read here and want more every week, subscribe
to BEERWeek. Much of the
content within is digested from BEERWeek,
the paid subscription supported industry email newsletter. Get
your free sample today at
http://www.beerweek.com
INTERBREW IPO?
Despite company protests to the contrary, the London Telegraph
continues to report that Belgian brewing company Interbrew is
considering going public. The company reportedly has held talks
with a number of investment banks in London -- including Goldman
Sachs, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Merrill Lynch -- to discuss
an initial public offering. It is considering a limited issue
of shares to the public to raise about $1bn in cash to help fund
its strategy of growth by acquisition. The IPO would value the
business at $8bn to $10bn.
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BRITISH BEER DRINKERS FACE PRICE HIKE
British beer drinkers face high prices for draft beer in the
new year. Customs and Excise told brewers that the tax regime
for beer casks would change in a way that adds about 1% to the
cost of a pint. Bottled, canned and keg beer is not affected.
Independent brewers protested that this "stealth tax" was "sneaked
through" by the government. The measure was to go into effect
New Year's Day but after protests, the ministers have agreed to
a delay. Under the new plans, tax will be payable on the entire
contents of beer casks while before brewers paid duty on the notional
contents. Traditionally they have overfilled casks in order to
take account of spillage and to comply with weights and measures
laws. Anthony Fuller, chairman of the Independent Brewers of Britain,
said the move was a "stealth tax which will hit hardest, the smaller
brewer, the community pub and the drinkers of traditional draft
beer".
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BUDVAR WINS LATEST ROUND WITH A-B
Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar has won the latest round of its
ongoing battle with U.S.-based Anheuser-Busch. Budvar announced
that courts in Latvia and Lithuania had thrown out cases brought
by A-B attempting to stop Budvar's use of the "Budweiser" trademark
in the two countries. The rulings will allow the Czech government-owned
beer maker to continue to sell its beer in Latvia and Lithuania
under the trademark. The two breweries have fought a decades-old
trademark battle over rights to use the term "Budweis." It is
the German name for the south Bohemian town of Ceske Budejovice,
where Budejovicky Budvar is based. On the other hand, A-B began
producing its Budweiser before Budvar was brewing. A-B has had
mixed success in pursuing its trademark claim in courts around
the world. A recent decision in Britain allows both companies
to use the name, while the Swiss have banned Anheuser-Busch from
selling beer under the "Budweiser" name.
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HEINEKEN EARNS APPROVAL FOR SPANISH TAKEOVER
Heineken must cut its production in Spain by at least 17% as
part of the conditions for its takeover of Spain's Grupo Cruzcampo.
"The conditions set by the Spanish authorities are tough but we
are happy with the approval," said Albert Holtzappel, a spokesman
for the Dutch brewery. Spanish authorities reportedly were concerned
that with the purchase of Cruzcampo, Heineken's position in certain
parts of Spain would be too dominant. With the takeover of Cruzcampo,
Heineken plans to merge its operations with its other Spanish
subsidiary, El Aguila. Heineken and the merged group, Cruzcampo
and El Aguila, will be market leaders in each segment of the Spanish
beer market despite the cuts.
http://www.heineken.com
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CARLSBERG EXPECTS MORE CONSOLIDATION IN BRITAIN
Danish brewer Carlsberg denies reports it has begun talks with
Scottish & Newcastle of Scotland about a strategic alliance. The
London Telegraph reported executives from both companies met within
the past five weeks to explore a number of issues including joint
venture distribution and marketing initiatives in overseas markets.
Carlsberg does acknowledge, however, that there will be further
consolidation in the British market. "We all know that the four
big brewers can't continue to operate as they are doing now, and
we want to be one of two - perhaps three - brewers in the U.K.,
after a consolidation," said Flemming Lindeloev, the company's
chief executive. The brewery's Carlsberg and Tetley brands have
a 13% to 14% share of the U.K. market. The other major players
are Scottish & Newcastle Breweries, Whitbread and Bass.
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CITY BREWING ACQUIRES GENESEE BREWING
City Brewing Co. of La Crosse, Wis., has reached an agreement
to acquire virtually all the assets of Genesee Brewing Co. Genesee
Corp. did not reveal the amount for which it sold the brewing
operation. City Brewing, a closely held firm that is part of the
New York investment company Platinum Holdings, will take ownership
of all the Genesee brands and operating assets, including the
3.3-million-barrel brewery in Rochester, NY. City Brewing will
continue to produce the Genesee and HighFalls brands at the Rochester
plant. It expects the brewery will continue contract brewing for
Boston Beer Co., maker of Samuel Adams beers.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-000455.php
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INDIANA LAW AGAINST INTERNET ALCOHOL SALES
OVERTURNED
A federal judge has ruled unconstitutional an Indiana law prohibiting
residents from buying alcoholic beverages from out-of-state sellers
and having them shipped to their homes. The law also applies to
ordering and selling alcohol via the Internet. The ruling by U.S.
District Judge Allen Sharp in South Bend, Ind., declared that
the 1998 law interferes with interstate commerce. "This court
now, and has always been, greatly reluctant to wield the federal
Constitution against state legislation," Sharp said. "But here,
the result is inescapable because these statutes on their face
discriminate against out-of-state commerce." Similar laws are
in place in 18 other states, but the Indiana law was the first
to be challenged, said Robert Epstein, attorney for the plaintiffs.
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MOLSON, UNION REACH AGREEMENT
A three-week occupation of a Molson Inc. brewery in Barrie, Ontario,
ended in mid-December after the 300 unionized workers approved
a tentative agreement, company and union officials said. Molson
spokesman John Paul Macdonald said production was expected to
fully restart in about two weeks. Canadian Auto Workers union
spokesman Hemi Mitic said an agreement offered preferred hiring
for 70 Barrie employees at an another Molson plant in Hamilton,
Ontario, as well as a lower retirement age and better severance
package. The occupation and a boycott of Molson products were
launched Nov. 21 after Molson announced the closure of the Barrie
plant. Nearly 30 brewery workers took over the plant and others
protested outside.
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'BEST BEER IN AMERICA' TITLE UP FOR GRABS
The Boston Beer Company can call its Samuel Adams brand the "Best
Beer in America," but cannot prevent competitors from making the
same claim, a federal appeals court ruled in December. The U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office's 1998 rejection of Boston Beer's application
to register the "Best Beer in America" as a trademark. Samuel
Adams beers were widely promoted as the "Best Beer in America"
after winning that title in consumer polling at the Great American
Beer Festival in the 1980s. (BEERWeek TM, Week of Dec 13-20, 1999)
http://www.samadams.com
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STUDY FINDS SMALL BREWERS ADD $11 BILLION
TO ECONOMY
Small brewers contribute more than $11 billion annually to the
U.S. economy, according to a study released by the Beer Institute.
The small brewer segment, along with wholesalers and retail partners,
directly and indirectly employ approximately 70,000 Americans
who earn nearly $5 billion in wages and benefits. "Diverse interests,
such as agriculture, transportation, packaging and advertising,
also benefit from the strength of the brewing industry," said
Institute president Jeff Becker. The small brewers segment directly
and indirectly accounts for approximately $750 million in tax
collections at federal, state and local levels, according to the
Institute.
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JULY SET AS AMERICAN BEER MONTH
The Institute of Brewing Studies and brewers guilds across the
nation have selected July 2000 for the first American Beer Month.
American Beer Month is a national promotional campaign designed
to raise awareness of the variety and quality of American craft
beers. American Beer Month will provide many different avenues
for celebration and promotion. State brewers' guilds will organize
beer festivals and beer dinners. Individual brewpubs, microbreweries,
and regional breweries will organize their own events, inviting
other restaurants and breweries to partner with them, or will
highlight their own examples of American brewing and American
beer cuisine. The IBS hopes that companies in the business of
selling beer, such as wholesalers, taverns and beer retailers
will participate. All events will be united under the American
Beer Month umbrella.
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****WEB WATCH****
BEER NOTES FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
The renovated Beer Notes site archives three great brewspapers in
one spot. Beer Notes provides coverage of the Midwest, Rocky Mountains
and Northwest regions, offering features, news, brewery information
and more. The redesigned website makes navigation easy, whether
you want to focus on one region or surf through all three. The site
also features breaking news stories and photos that capture the
spirit of craft brewing. Reading three publications at one time
has never been this easy, so head to the front page at:
http://www.beernotes.com
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BEER AND WINE TRAVELS WITH THE KILKELLY'S
Maureen and Bernie Kilkelly dedicate Kilkelly.com to the pursuit
of great beer, fine wine and good fun (what the Irish call 'craic')
around the world. They've found that there is nothing like heading
to the source to experience great beer and wine and their stories
share these experiences. Any beer traveler should check them out
before hitting the round, particularly those bound for the East
Coast.
http://www.kilkelly.com
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SEND AN INVITE WITH EVITE
A beer almost always tastes better in the company of friends, be
it in a brewpub, a bar or at a beer festival. Real Beer and Evite.com
combine to offer a way to hook up with friends over a beer. Whenever
you use the City Guides or do a Brew Tour or Events search you'll
see the Evite logo with the result. Just click on the symbol and
you'll be launched to one of the simplest and most robust tools
on the 'net: an Evite with all your beer information already filled
in for you. Invitations have never been so easy. Check it out at:
http://www.realbeer.com/search/evite.php
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WORLD OF BEER LOOKS AT 1999
Stephen Beaumont offers his own view of the 1999 Year in Beer. We'd
almost forgotten that fast-moving urban legend about a Japanese
beer called Suiso that was inoculated with hydrogen. The story went
that the flammable gas could be lit when expelled by the drinker
via a burp, allowing karaoke singers to belch blue flames across
the bar. That one wasn't true, but Beaumont reminds of those that
were, and of course adds his own opinions about them at:
http://worldofbeer.com/features
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*****************REAL BEER PICKS***************
WYNKOOP BREWING COMPANY
Denver has become such a beer Mecca that it is hard to believe
that Wynkoop Brewing, Colorado's oldest brewpub, opened less than
a dozen years ago. Founders John Hickenlooper and Russell Scherer
had plenty of work to do in the early days. "People forget you
had to explain beer styles 50 times a night," said Hickenlooper.
"It was like being the first one on the Santa Fe Trail ... a lot
of boulders to move." Wynkoop, housed in the beautiful J. S. Brown
Mercantile Building, grew into what was until recently the biggest
producing brewpub in the country. Its influence can been seen
in brewpubs from coast to coast, but there's still nothing like
the original at:
http://www.wynkoop.com
STONEY CREEK BREWING COMPANY
The Michigan-based Stoney Creek combines a hip, beautiful website
with good old-fashioned beer. The highly acclaimed beer was one
of five beers and seven single malts served during the "Old Cask,
Old Scotch" malt dinner at the University of Pennsylvania Museum
of Archeology and Anthropology hosted by Michael Jackson (http://www.beerhunter.com).
While speaking about "Original" Vanilla Porter, Jackson said: "A
remarkable beer... reminds me of a very, very smooth stout. It has
a nice dry flavor with a smooth liquorice and rooty dry finish."
Check out the rest of the Stoney Creek family at:
http://www.getstoney.com
PIKE PUB & BREWERY
The original brewery (then known as the Pike Place Brewery) - created
in 1989 in a narrow 2,000 square foot storefront - grew, moved and
added a pub but still adheres to time-tested brewing traditions.
The pub and website mix old (such as the pub's friendly museum)
and new (the site's 360-degree moving videos) at:
http://merchantduvin.com/pages/3_pike_brewing
SAMUEL SMITH
Now in its fifth generation of family management, Samuel Smith's
Old Brewery at Tadcaster epitomizes traditional brewing. Founded
in 1758, it is Yorkshire's oldest brewery and is among the last
anywhere to use the classic Yorkshire Square system of fermentation.
The yeast at The Old Brewery has not been altered since the turn
of the century. The brewery's wide range of beers has been particularly
influential as U.S. beer drinkers rediscovered flavorful beer.
http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith.php
LINDEMANS
Merchant du Vin introduced Lindemans lambics to the United States
in 1979, making them the first lambics marketed in U. S. history.
Lambics, or spontaneously fermented beers, are among the world's
rarest and remain unknown to many beer drinkers. Lindemans beers
are a perfect introduction to the style and, and this site is a
great place to learn more about it.
http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/lindemans.php
PETESWICKED.COM
If you visited the old Pete's Brewing Co. website then Peteswicked.com
will look familiar but a little more wicked. The old favorite features
- like Pete's Landscape of Beers - are there along with nifty additions.
Beer News is updated weekly while the fashions available in the
E-store remain timeless. Get wicked at:
http://www.peteswicked.com/
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CHEM LAB SUPPLIES
Chem Lab Supplies is an independent distributor for various scientific
supply and chemical manufacturers, providing supplies for both
craft brewers and homebrewers. It's a source for hard-to-find
items and chemicals, and offers small quantities as well as large.
There's no need to buy a case of glassware if you only need one.
The online catalog is at:
http://www.chemlab.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 Beer 2000 Calendar. Last month's winner was Delos Pieper,
who wrote, "I vote for having articles and info on homebrewing
including recipes and techniques."
LAST MONTH'S QUESTION:
Last month we asked if you would like to receive a second (or
third) Real Beer newsletter every month, and if so what you would
like the topic to be? The clear favorite was a homebrewing newsletter,
with 39% of the votes registered. Second was information on free
beer stuff, contests and other giveaways with 19%.
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**********REAL BEER ONLINE POLL*****************
MMM-GOOD, THOSE HOLIDAY BEERS
The December Real Beer Page Poll confirmed how special holiday
and winter beers are. We asked how many such beers readers hope
to sample during the season. Almost two thirds indicated they
expect to try four or more, with 34% picking 7 or more and 30%
four or more. This month you can let us know if you prefer draft
beer, bottled beer or beer from a can. Head to the Poll area,
Spotlight or vote 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.mooseheadbeer.com
http://www.threefloyds.com
http://www.celticmalts.com
http://www.sleeman.com
http://www.abestkitchen.com/store/beerpage.php
http://www.rockbottom.com
http://flyingdogales.com
http://www.bellsbeer.com
http://www.magichat.net
http://www.heavenlydaze.com
http://st14.yahoo.com/sabco/index.php
http://www.drinktec.com
http://www.thefallingrock.com
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FRENCH BREWERY SELLS GLACIER BEER FOR THE MILLENNIUM
Beer maker La Brasserie Fischer rolled out something new for
the millennium. The French brewery is selling 1,000 3-bottle boxes
of a special beer called 63°N46°W. It is made from water taken
from ice the brewery says could be up to 250,000 years old. The
ice blocks were acquired during an expedition into Greenland headed
by glacionaut Janot Lamberton. They were taken at 63° Northern
latitude and 46° Western longitude -- thus the name. Each bottle
is numbered and dated. Fischer promoted this as a beer to taste
"at the dawn of the millennium" and claims the water dates to
the days before pollution. The pale beer contains 5% alcohol by
volume. 63°N46°W is on sale only at a special Internet site --
www.63n46w.com, which is
in French.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-000458.php
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WHY BUBBLES FLOAT DOWN IN A GLASS OF GUINNESS
A computer simulation has been used to show that even though
bubbles float up, they also go down in a glass of Guinness. Professor
Clive Fletcher and students at the University of New South Wales,
Sydney, Australia, used FLUENT computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
software from Fluent Inc. to illustrate that bubbles go both up
and down in a glass of Guinness. Fletcher's team used the software
to simulate the motion of the bubbles and discovered that, as
expected, most bubbles do move upwards. The bubbles in the center
of the glass, free from the effects of the glass wall, move upwards
most quickly and drag liquid with them. But the liquid moving
up in the center of the glass, having nowhere else to go, must
eventually turn towards the walls and start to move downward.
The liquid moving downward near the walls tries to drag down bubbles
with it. Larger bubbles have sufficient buoyancy to resist but
smaller bubbles are continuously dragged to the bottom of the
glass.
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McAUSLAN BAR MATS FEATURE EFFORTS OF LOCAL
ARTISTS
The McAuslan Brewery has commissioned four original works of
art by contemporary Quebec artists to appear on McAuslan beer
coasters. Elisabeth Liston of IDEM Edition approached the Montreal
brewery with the idea. In France, beer coasters (also known as
beer mats) often feature original art and are highly collectible.
"It just struck me as a neat idea," said Peter McAuslan. McAuslan
chose four pieces of art from a stable of artists IDEM represents.
He purchased three of the original works, which have now been
added to the brewery's art collection. The brewery has ordered
50,000 copies of each coaster. They will be distributed to bars
around Montreal.
http://www.mcauslan.com
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ENGLISH COUNTRY PUB INSTALLS DEFIBRILLATOR
A British pub in a small country town has reemphasized its status
as community center by installing a life-saving device for heart
attack victims. The £2,500 defibrillator - which gives electric
shocks to "jump start" patients back to life - has been installed
at the Deane Gate in Deane, near Andover, Hampshire. Andover,
a village of 63, is 20 minutes drive from the nearest hospital.
The machine will serve residents of Andover and two other villages
minutes away. Mike Perkins, the landlord, had the idea after a
friend died of a heart attack yards from the pub. Figures from
the British Heart Foundation show that of the 780 people who suffer
a heart attack every day in Britain, between 200 and 250 die before
reaching hospital.
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A-B'S MARKETING PROWESS LAUDED
Advertising Age magazine ranks Anheuser-Busch fourth among corporations
showing the most market savvy in their respective businesses.
The magazine wrote that A-B shows a "deep understanding of the
nuances of the brewing industry and target markets and stellar
ads building knockout (market) share." A-B's aggressive pricing
and solid image have made it the "king of beer marketing." The
rest of the top five included Proctor & Gamble (1), McDonald's
(2), Coca-Cola (3) and Nike (5). (BEERWeek TM, Week of Dec 20-27,
1999)
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BAD NEWS FOR BEER BELLIES
Researchers don't have many good words for beer bellies these
days. One study by a German expert on metabolism links beer paunches
to a variety of health risks. Another in Great Britain points
out that beer bellies are much more dangerous than the extra "padding"
some women put on around the middle. In the German study, Gerard
Klose said too much fat makes diabetes, certain forms of cancer
and heart disease a distinct possibility. An article in the Times
of London reported that fat that collects around the internal
organs to form the typically male beer belly also finds its way
into the bloodstream, thus raising cholesterol levels.
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BREWPUB, BREW YOUR OWN MAGAZINES UNDER NEW
OWNERSHIP
BrewPub and Brew Your Own magazines recently changes ownership.
Carl Landau, who launched those publications as well as WineMaker
magazine under the Niche Publications umbrella, sold them to employees.
Craig Bystrynski, who has been the editorial director since start-up,
and Corey Gerhard, advertising director, will operate BrewPub
Magazine and the National Brewpub Conference & Tradeshow. Brew
Your Own magazine and WineMaker will be owned and published by
Brad Ring, who has been circulation director for Niche Publications.
(BEERWeek TM, Week of Dec 20-27, 1999)
http://www.byo.com
http://www.brewpubmag.com
http://www.winemakermag.com/
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EDITORIAL: THE YEAR AT REAL BEER
We spend a good bit of our time every year at Real Beer, Inc.
figuring out what we are going to do next. However, we stop occasionally
to look back and grade ourselves. Our goals don't necessarily
change a lot -- from the beginning we've thought "more" and "better"
-- but specific objectives may. In 1999 we wanted to:
- Roll out a redesigned version of the Real Beer Page.
- Add more features to the Real Beer Page.
- Extend and improve the Real Beer Network.
That meant accomplishing things that appeared pretty dramatic
-- if you looked at the Real Beer Page the morning of June 5 (hours
before EVERYTHING changed) and then checked it later that day,
you know D-Day came a day early in 1999. The Real Beer Network
jumped in size in November when BreWorld, the largest source for
brewing information in Europe, joined.
It also meant making daily changes. Often it was with the help
of our publishing partners, with Celebrator Beer News adding an
issue, Beer Notes several issues or Brew Your Own new killer homebrew
stories. Or another day it was Authors chipping in, with Kurt
Epps providing a great beer travelogue on Bermuda or Gregg Smith
putting the role of U.S. taverns in historic perspective. During
the course of the year, BREWMall.com grew into a Beer Superstore
with nearly 4,000 items.
While we are always recruiting new publishers -- Eric's Beer
Page strengthened the network in several categories -- and Authors,
we still appreciate the incredible lineup of allies we already
have. Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter wasn't new to the Real Beer
Page in 1999, it was just great. Stephen Beaumont's World of Beer
got a new look in 1999, but underneath he offered the same straight-from-the-hip
opinions.
Not that we don't get a thrill from the big changes. Your reaction
to our redesign was gratifying. After all, your loyalty has been
the key to Real Beer's success so we weren't about the change
for the sake of change. We went over years of your answers to
our email quickie questions, reviewed your ongoing suggestions
and studied our traffic statistics before deciding what to keep,
what to change and what to add.
We created a site that is easier to navigate and easier to communicate
with. Beyond that, we made several additions, chief among them
among them new City Guides, a News section, a monthly Spotlight
and improved searches for stories, news and events. It took a
year of planning and work to implement and was a foundation on
which we continue to build. For instance, we opened with two City
Guides in June and now have 18. There will be plenty more in 2000.
Our ongoing international expansion was just as extensive, ranging
from the New Zealand Brewers Network to BreWorld in Europe. We're
already at work integrating these great resources with Real Beer.
The result should make beer information more easily accessible
for interested readers around the world. Look for an enhanced
and personalized beer experience, easier searches for everything
from events to brewery locations, more news and stories of special
interest and plenty of additional fun features.
Our alliance with Evite.com (see above) qualifies as such a tool.
With the click of a mouse readers will find it easier to hook
up with friends when they use the Brew Tour and Events databases
or the City Guides.
Not all the changes in 1999 were so obvious. Behind the scenes,
Real Beer moved to new, bigger, offices because it takes a big
team to produce all that we do. We added new members to every
department. Stephen Mallery joined as us Publisher to make sure
we keep delivering great content and growing our viewership. Dan
Gaffey took over Sales Management, with Linda Starck, Mark Walker
and Tim Chadsey joining the sales team. Luke McDowell and Nathan
Day bolstered the back end with their web design and programming
skills. Anne Gray came aboard in Account Services as Leslie Wilmot
took charge of Account Management. Down under, Luke Nicholas heads
business development for New Zealand. And, of course, Thomas Lange
heads up BreWorld and our European efforts.
We also remain committed to beefing up the "back-end," investing
in networking equipment to guarantee Real Beer won't experience
a frustrating outage or painfully slow downloads and adding technology
for faster and more relevant data delivery.
We plan to make 2000 even more exciting. We apologize when we
don't offer more details, but we work in an industry where vaporware
is all too common and we like to promise satisfaction upon delivery.
We can tell you that while the changes may not look as dramatic
as in 1999 at first glance, the improvements will be just as big.
The principles that guide us remain the same as when we launched
Real Beer in 1995: To grow the category, the network and resources
for beer online.
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