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RBPMail 7.04, July 2001
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 Often, links you will see are out of date, and businesses referred to may also be long gone.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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http://www.beerweek.com
MICHAEL JACKSON'S GREAT BEERS OF BELGIUM DEBUTS
The talk was mostly about beer last week when Michael Jackson
appeared in San Francisco to announce the launch of a beer of
the month club devoted only to Belgian beers and limited to 5,000
members. But discussions also wandered onto related subjects that
provided an insight into how such a tiny country can produce beers
with such diversity and idiosyncrasy.
Rita Marie Bral, Honorary Consul of Belgium who lives in San
Francisco, talked about when she was a small girl in Belgium.
Her mother was a widow, so each afternoon she would go to her
grandmother's house after school. Her grandmother would give her
a small glass of Het Peerdeken ("The Little Horse"), a dark beer,
and she'd put an egg in it.
"She said that it was good for me, that it would make me smarter,"
Bral said, almost laughing. She doesn't drink beer every day,
but when she does she still favors dark, Belgian-brewed beer.
"I'm living proof beer is good for you," she said.
Jackson offered many anecdotes as evidence of the individualistic
nature of Belgians and the brewers who make their beer. Those
include Pierre Celis -- a man who revived an almost lost beer
style in his own country, then helped fuel the American micro
revolution at the Celis Brewery in Texas before selling it and
returning to Belgium.
"Fifteen years ago Pierre Celis took me to a cave he had bought
-- he has had this dream for a long time," Jackson said in discussing
the Celis Grottenbier that will be shipped to club members in
January 2002. Jackson has visited the caves where Celis is experimenting
to see what happens when maturation takes places in a natural,
moist, cool setting ... and the bottles are turned regularly.
"They are large caves ... big enough to drive a car in," Jackson
explained. "It has a James Bond feel, like you might meet Dr.
No at the end of the road." Instead, he noted, there's actually
a bar at the end of the road.
Only in Belgium.
The club is limited to 5,000 members, offers beers that have
never been seen outside of Belgium, and could be sold out before
the first beers are shipped in July. You can view a video of Jackson
talking about the club and Belgian beer at:
http://realbeer.com/rbstore/gbb/intro.php
- Landlord Gary McClure at the Old King's Head in Broughton-in-Furness,
Cumbria, is protesting the sale by canceling his supply of Beck's
beer. "We will not be having a German night in this pub. This
bank will take all the proceeds from their investment out of Britain
and back to Germany." McClure is leader of a vocal group of landlords
demanding the right to buy their pubs from Whitbread before the
sale to MGPE is complete.
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MGPE WINS BATTLE FOR WHITBREAD PUBS
Whitbread has signed a deal for the sale of its 3,000-strong
U.K. pub estate with Morgan Grenfell Private Equity valuing its
pubs and bars division at £1.63 billion (about $2.3 billion).
The sale follows a hotly contested final round of bidding in which
German-owned MGPE narrowly beat Japanese investment bank Nomura,
already Britain's biggest pub landlord, Punch Group and a joint
bid from Candover and Pubmaster. Whitebread, which owns U.K. family
restaurant chains such as Pizza Hut, TGI Friday's and Bella Pasta,
plans to focus on the high-growth lodging, eating out and active
leisure markets.
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SHOWDOWN IN CHINA
Beijing Yanjing Beer Group has bought three beer factories in
east China's Shandong Province that will allow it to pass Qingdao
Beer Group (maker of the beer known as Tsingtao in the United
States) as the largest beer producer in the country. The company's
new venture into Shandong Province, a traditional territory for
Qingdao Beer Group and China's largest beer consuming market,
signifies upcoming fierce competition among major Chinese breweries.
Peng Zuoyi, General Manager of Qingdao Beer Group, said that only
some 10 beer manufacturers will survive competition in China in
the coming five years a mergers and acquisitions become more common.
The Chinese beer market has grown to be the second largest in
the world, and is expected to surpass the United States and become
No. 1 in a matter of years.
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AUSTRALIA NEAR DEAL TO CUT BEER TAXES
Australian Democrats and the federal government are near a deal
to reduce the beer excise, which could cut up to $200 million
from the budget surplus. The government reluctantly agreed to
cut beer excise after Labor and the Democrats insisted it stick
to a pre-GST promise that the price of ordinary beer would rise
by only 1.9% -- but that went up 9% in hotels and pubs. Democrat
leader Meg Lees said the party had commissioned independent estimates
of the impact of the higher beer prices, especially on country
pubs. "It's money that should never have been collected, it should
never have been rolled into the budget in the first place," she
said. Faced with the higher taxes, many Australians turned to
homebrewing. Sales of kits rose 55% at Woolworth, Australia's
largest grocer, after the taxes went into effect.
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U.K. BEER TAX FROZEN, BUT PRICES HEAD HIGHER
Great Britain's Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) was not impressed
by Chancellor Gordon Brown's decision to freeze taxes on beer
in wine in 2001, and news shortly thereafter that beer prices
are headed higher also didn't sit well with drinkers. "Although
it's preferable to an increase, this freeze will do nothing to
reduce smuggling of cheap Euro fizz which is being sold on to
whoever has the cash, including children," said Mike Benner, Head
of Campaigns and Communications. The United Kingdom has one of
the highest excise taxes on beer in the European Union. Estimates
are that more than one million pints a day are being smuggled
into Britain. Now British drinkers face price increases of up
to 10p a pint. Brewers have raised retail prices by a few pence
each, but once the cost is passed on to consumers at the pub it
will be more.
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AUGUST BUSCH III PAID MORE THAN $4 MILLION
IN 2000
August A. Busch III, chairman and president of Anheuser-Busch,
collected more than $4 million in salary and bonuses in 2000 (with
stock options on top of that), according to a company report.
The report was issued in advance of the company's annual meeting
April 25. Among the stockholder proposals that will be discussed
then is one that calls on the brewery to stop using genetically
modified crops in the production of its beers until it can be
proven that they cause no harm. In the meantime, the brewery would
be required to put a label on its beers saying they might have
been produced with such modified corn or other crops.
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A-B OWNS HAPPY HOUR AT MARKETWATCH.COM
Anheuser-Busch and MarketWatch.com have struck a major advertising
deal that is rumored to be worth 7 figures over the next year. For
its money, A-B will get much more than traditional "banner"
ads across the top of some pages. For instance, the company's Budweiser logo
will appear as "wallpaper" in the background of many pages,
including those where readers check their stock prices. A-B will also own exclusive
ad rights to the MarketWatch.com's front page every Friday over the
next 10 months, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. in every U.S. time zone.
The idea is similar to TV advertising where advertisers target key demographics
during a particular time and day when. In this case, A-B owns
the time right before Happy Hour.
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FOSTER'S BOOSTS ADVERTISING BUDGET TO $15 MILLION
According to the New York Times, we can start looking for more
and
longer TV and radio commercials from Australian brewer Foster's.
It is
increasing its advertising budget this year by about 75%, to more
than
$15 million. The ads will still have the "How to speak Australian"
theme but sometimes in more urbane settings. One, called "Keeper,"
depicts a couple at a bar on their first date; the man is somewhat
awkward until his date tops off his glass of Foster's and crushes
the
empty can against her forehead. A second commercial, "Calamari,"
shows
two couples drinking Foster's on a yacht in Sydney Harbor; one
of the
men is sucked overboard by a giant squid.
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CARGILL CONSOLIDATES ALL MALTING OPERATIONS
Cargill is reorganizing and consolidating all North and South
American
malting operations and marketing, including Ladish and Schreier,
into
one entity known as Cargill Malt. "We selected the new name
to
effectively convey to the marketplace the innovative nature and
united
mission of our ongoing operations, and have consolidated our multiple
facilities into a new organization," said Doug Eden, president
of
Cargill Malt. "We will continue to market malt produced in
Biggar,
Saskatchewan, under the Prairie Malt Limited name to reflect the
joint-
venture status of that operation." Eden said that for most
customers
and suppliers, the name change is merely a formality that acknowledges
what they have been aware of for some time.
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****WEB WATCH****
DIFFERENT LOOK AT REALBEER.COM
If you haven't visited since March 14, head there now -- we'll wait.
By
redesigning the front we hope we've made it easier to find all your
favorite pages at Real Beer or to buy beer you won't find anywhere
else. Don't worry, the underlying structure is the same and you'll
even
find some new features.
http://www.realbeer.com
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BEERLOG: PINT OF VIEW
Along with changing the front at RealBeer.com, we added BeerLog
because
we already scan scores of websites each day looking for interesting
bits of beer information. Now we're passing along the best we find
each
day, and occasionally offering our take on what the stories mean.
http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerlog
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HOMEBREW ROUNDTABLE
Ray Daniels, editor of Zymurgy magazine, well known homebrew supplier
Lynne O'Connor and several homebrewers discuss everything from the
state of the hobby to who they might induct into a Homebrew Hall
of
Fame.
http://www.realbeer.com/spotlight/homebrewing
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GOT PLANS TO BE IN PORTLAND APRIL 6-8?
The Pacific Northwest is known for outstanding hand crafted beverages.
Oregon's 2001 Spring Beer & Wine Fest is proud to showcase this
bounty.
Now in its seventh year, this event's diversity of handcrafted
beverages, art, and live music make it a must see.
http://www.springbeerfest.com
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*****************REAL
BEER PICKS***************
21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY CAFE
A full-service restaurant and brewery featuring a superb menu
emphasizing local, grilled seasonal meats and produce, and a staff
focused on service. The brewery serves a variety of unique, house
made
ales and lagers, including re-creations of historic styles from
the 40
breweries that existed in San Francisco at the turn of the century.
http://www.21st-amendment.com
BREWSHOW.COM
Visit for video tours of the world's great breweries. Brewshow plans
to
travel the world to feature both breweries and the brewers who produce
their beers.
http://www.brewshow.com
CLAUSTHALER USA
Clausthaler beers won first and third place in the non-alcohol
competition at World Beer Cup 2000. Its beers have the important
nutrients that make beer good for you, but with a limited amount
of
alcohol -- at levels found in many foods.
http://www.clausthalerusa.com
ESSENTIAL SPIRITS ALAMBIC DISTILLERIES
Using the traditional methods of Bavarian Braumeisters, Essential
Spirits proudly introduces Bierschnaps, a refreshing, un-aged, single-
malt spirit. Bierschnaps is microbrewed beer distilled in small
batches. The result is a dry, aromatic spirit. Enjoy Bierschnaps
as a
chilled 2-ounce shot, a martini garnished with a lime zest, or ...?
http://www.essentialspirits.com
FULLER, SMITH & TURNER
One of the United Kingdom's leading independent breweries and
retailers, famous on both sides of the Atlantic for its beers, as
well
as its pubs, bars and hotels at home. Beer has been brewed on the
Fuller's site for more than 350 years, with London Pride the top-
selling brand today.
http://www.fullers.co.uk
MARKET BASKET
Founded in 1985, BrewCitySupplies.com is a family owned and operated
business that takes pride in offering quality products, low prices,
good selection and prompt reliable service to "what we believe
are the
greatest hobbyists on the planet." You'll find it all in the
online
catalog.
http://www.brewcitysupplies.com
MICROSTAR KEG MANAGEMENT
MicroStar handles all the administrative responsibilities associated
with keg management. Client breweries need no longer worry about
wholesaler keg deposits, tracking, retrieval or loss. MicroStar
works
with 620 beer wholesalers in 48 states.
http://www.microstarlogistics.com/mkm.php
TRAQUAIR
Britain's oldest working domestic brewery situated in Scotland's
oldest
inhabited house. Both the castle and the website are steeped in
history. Take a tour of the brewery or even think about reserving
the
house for a wedding.
http://www.traquair.co.uk
WESSEX CRAFT BEERS
Essex Craft Brewers went into business in 1998 to boost distribution
for the best British bottled beers (and ciders) from the best
small
brewers and microbreweries. Essex provides small brewers with
a range
of services. Stop by and visit the new ale shop:
http://www.wessexcraftbeers.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 is a Real
Beer T-
shirt. Last month's winner was Bill Lambert.
LAST MONTH'S QUESTION:
We asked what kind of bar do you prefer? We also asked the same
question in our online Voting Booth and were surprised by the
difference in results. Of those voting via email, 43% listed brewpubs
as their favorite, while 13.3% picked an Irish pub, 13.1% a
neighborhood bar and 11.5% a British pub. Then came unspecified
other
venues, German beer halls and sports bar.
However, online voters gave neighborhood bars a narrow plurality
with
23%. Irish pubs received 20.7% of the votes, brewpubs 20.6% and
British
pubs 16%. Then came German beer halls, sports bars and other venues.
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*********** Brewed Fresh For You! **************
The Real Beer Page announces a diverse group of brew websites
to check out:
ROCK BOTTOM RESTAURANTS
You may know the members of this restaurant and brewery clan
by any of
many names -- Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Chophouse
& Brewery,
Old Chicago, Walnut Brewery, and our newest concept Brew Moon
Restaurants. As well as casual dining, each offers fresh microbrewed
and specialty beers, often made on site. Although the family was
born
in Colorado, it has grown into a national group. Find a restaurant
at:
http://www.rockbottom.com
Also visit:
http://www.baderbrewing.com
http://www.belgianbeer.com
http://www.brewlab.co.uk
http://www.darwinbrewery.co.uk
http://www.guinness-webstore.com
http://www.listermann.com
http://www.shepherd-neame.co.uk
http://www.steinecker.com
http://www.beer-wine.com
http://www.morebeer.com
http://www.boddingtons.com
http://www.brewpack.com
http://www.hopback.co.uk
http://www.beersolutions.co.uk
http://www.mendobrew.com
http://www.nabrewing.com
http://www.pilgrim.co.uk
http://www.potrerobrew.com
http://www.pyramidbrew.com
http://www.radebergerusa.com
http://www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk
http://www.stellascreen.co.uk
http://www.beertrips.com
http://www.irishpubtours.com
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CZECHVAR EXPANDS INTO MORE STATES
Czech brewery Budejovicky Budvar confirmed last week what others
have
known for months -- that it is selling beer in the United States.
It
officially launched the beer it calls Czechvar at a press conference
in
Prague. "Our goal was to sell our beer (in the U.S.) in a
non-
confrontational manner," general director Jiri Bocek said.
He added
that the brewery will not be giving up the use of its traditional
brand
name on other export markets. Budvar and Anheuser-Busch of St.
Louis
have fought for years for the rights to the Budweiser, Bud and
Budweis
trademarks. "We made a deep legal analysis and we do not
think our new
trademark violates the rights of third parties, including Anheuser-
Busch," Bocek said. While A-B has so far lodged no legal
objections,
its lawyers have asked the U.S. Patent office to prolong the public
commenting period.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-001495.php
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CRAFT BEER SALES UP 4.2%
Craft beer sales growth was the best in three years in 2000,
increasing
4.2% compared to 1.9% growth in 1999. Figures compiled by the
Institute
for Brewing Studies indicate total barrels sold were up 235,000
for the
year, to 5.9 million barrels. Craft brewing's share of the total
U.S.
beer market remained at 3%. "Freshly brewed, flavorful, local
beers are
indeed here to stay," said David Edgar, director of the IBS.
"More
brewers today say they are truly optimistic, rather than 'cautiously'
so, which is what we heard at the end of 1999. Yet this renewed
2001-
style gusto is a more experienced, pragmatic, and healthier confidence
than the mid-1990s-style hubris." The combined volume of
beer sold by
microbreweries and regional specialty breweries increased by 210,000
barrels, bringing their total volume to just under 3.8 million
barrels.
Among reporting regional specialty brewers, sales increased by
an
average of 8.7% per company. Among reporting microbreweries in
business
for more than two calendar years, sales increased an average 6.9%
per
company.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-001486.php
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... BUT BREWPUB SALES FLAT
Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc. was the highest-selling brewpub
group in
America last year, according to the Institute for Brewing Studies.
Rock
Bottom led U.S. brewpub groups with overall beer sales of 34,966
barrels, a 4% improvement over its 1999 performance. Despite a
slight
decline in beer sales, the Brew Brothers/Eldorado Hotel and Casino
Reno, Nev., was the highest-selling single-site brewpub in the
U.S. for
the fourth consecutive year with sales of 5,040 barrels. In contrast
to
the rest of the American craft-brewing industry, brewpub production
fell .2%.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-001496.php
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CONTROVERSIAL BEER ADS OK'D
A British advertising watchdog has rejected a decision to ban
brewer
Shepherd Neame's Spitfire beer posters from the London Underground.
In
December, Underground authorities ordered them removed from trains
because they were viewed as offensive to Germans. Advertising
Standards
Authority noted that Germans also have a sense of humor and the
references to World War II are light-hearted. Shepherd Neame first
brewed Spitfire in 1990 on the 50th anniversary of the Battle
of
Britain and has used the war theme in its advertising since. None
of
the complainants was German. The Authority also didn't accept
that one
of the posters with the slogan "Rear gunners drink lager
shandy" was
homophobic. Shepherd Neame said the complaints had been fuelled
by
"overzealous" political correctness.
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LIFE AFTER ANIMAL HOUSE
Being a party animal in college may be less detrimental to your
future
than you think. A new study, published in "Psychology of
Addictive
Behaviors," concludes that college fraternity members drink
more than
non-Greeks, but that heavy drinking does not usually continue
after
college. "Once the students leave campus they are no longer
immersed in
a social environment that supports heavy drinking, and their drinking
decreases as a result," the study noted.
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MAN DOWNS PINT OF GUINNESS IN 3.9 SECONDS
A British man who broke the listed world record for drinking
a pint of
Guinness in 3.9 seconds says he has done it before in 1.5 seconds.
Paul
Behan, 23, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, broke the record
on a
morning radio show -- after he already drunk two pints of Guinness
before the 8:30 a.m. program to calm his nerves. "I was so
nervous I
needed a couple of pints," he said. "I'm not a big drinker.
I used to
play rugby for Saracens before they became professional and maybe
I
picked it up there."
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MUSEUM SAVES BOTTLES, NOT BEER
A British museum in Horsham, West Sussex, plans to honor the
history of
a brewery that was shut down in 2000, but will pour its beer down
the
drain. "I'm not a beer drinker but even I think an ale brewed
in 1977
might taste a bit foul now," said Horsham Museum curator
Jeremy Knight.
He plans to drain bottles produced by King & Barnes to mark
a series of
Royal events during the 1970s and '80s. The beer was brewed in
1977,
1981 and 1986, to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee and the marriages
of
Prince Charles and the Duke of York. The beer will be dumped because
if
the bottles were broken other exhibits could be damaged.
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PUB MAY BAN PARROT
A publican in south Wales is considering banning the pub's pet
parrot
because it thinks it is one of the regulars and has been unruly.
He
says the bird called Captain has taken to copying the behavior
of
regulars -- drinking from pints, taking cigarettes from packets
on the
bar, and even swearing. Lee Jones, landlord of the Penryhys Inn,
said
"the worst thing is his wolf-whistling -- women hear a loud
whistle
when they walk in and they think it's me."
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EDITORIAL: IS THIS A TREND AND IS IT
A GOOD ONE?
You'll notice a recurring theme in these recent news stories:
- A two-hour Beer Appreciation for Women course at Portland Brewing
Co.
proved to be so popular that the brewery scheduled another one
this
month.
- Tesco supermarkets in Great Britain has instituted an all-woman
panel
of beer tasters, nicknamed the Tesco beer beauties, to work alongside
the supermarket's own tasters to try any new brands being considered
for the shelves.
- Britain's annual Beauty of Hops competition this year is looking
for
the "Ultimate Fem-Ale." The beers will be judged by
an all-female panel
of journalists, scientists and others working in the beer industry.
The
competition is open to all brewers using English hops.
- As part of its "Ask if it's Cask" promotion, Britain's
Campaign for
Real Ale (CAMRA) has condemned brewers' marketing departments
for
failing to make beer appeal to women. CAMRA claims that beer is
the
only product that is still promoted almost exclusively to men,
but that
pub owners who have made their establishments more friendly to
women
have seen sales increase.
These initiatives make perfect sense. "Craft-beer drinking
is growing
in popularity," said Fred Bowman, co-founder of Portland
Brewing. "We
intend to make sure women are also a large factor in continuing
this
trend. After all, the larger the beer drinking population, the
larger
the possibilities for the craft-beer drinking industry."
This isn't earth-shaking news. It was several years ago that
John Hall,
founder of Goose Island Brewing in Chicago, said he thought that
women
were much more adventurous when it came to trying new styles of
beer.
However, with the big brewers/advertisers obviously targeting
young
male consumers, women beer drinkers continue to be a marketing
afterthought.
So we say "cheers" to any program that changes that.
Portland's
seminars with local beer writer Lisa Morrison are spot-on because
they
focus on education, with a wide range of Oregon beers for tasting.
There are those in Britain who aren't as sure about Tesco's motives,
and contend this is a marketing ploy.
Worse yet, they worry that what the women say will be used to
try to
influence brewers to change their beers, making them lighter in
color
and taste.
We hope they are wrong -- the women John Hall were talking about
certainly didn't guide Goose Island toward producing less assertive
beers. We're inclined to trust the women on the Tesco panel. Rebecca
Mowling, a beer-drinking advertising copywriter, actually came
up with
the idea. She found that when shopping for beer the packaging
was drab,
nutritional information lacking and there was a distinct lack
of variety. "You don't have to have a beard and big tummy
to enjoy a really good glass of ale," she said.
We're for any dialog that focuses on taste -- something often
missing>from advertising aimed at young male beer drinkers.
"The macho approach
to beer drinking where quantity is sometimes more important than
quality holds little appeal for me," Mowling said. "It's
the ideal
social drink in a pub because it's thirst-quenching and lasts
much
longer than a glass of wine."
The number of women beer drinkers in Britain has more than doubled
in
the past five years, but they still constitute a modest 7% of
the
market. Because big brewers/advertisers don't spend significant
time or
money courting smaller segments, the opportunity exists for brewers
on the fringe of the mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic
to reach
those markets.
In Britain, that could be good news for real (cask conditioned)
ale.
"Our research suggests that women who try real ale are attracted
by the
qualities of the product, like its taste and naturalness,"
said Mike
Benner of CAMRA. "But of those who haven't tried it, it is
the image of
the product that frightens them off. Poor image is created by
poor
marketing and it's time brewers stepped into the 21st Century
and made
a real effort to make their beers appeal to women."
That message doesn't have to be complicated. Shortly after Wisconsin's
New Glarus Brewing Co. opened in 1993, President Deb Carey designed
a
bumper sticker with a message for men and women alike. It read:
"Real
women don't drink light beer."
Real women. Real beer. It works for us.
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