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RBPMail 7.06, June 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 Often, links you will see are out of date, and businesses referred to may also be long gone.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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NEW INTERBREW-BASS DECISION NOT EXPECTED UNTIL
JULY
Belgian brewer Interbrew must wait until next month or later
to discover whether the government will again demand the sale
of Bass Brewers' U.K. operations. The Office of Fair Trading said
this week that interested parties have until June 20 to comment
on potential remedies to the competition worries raised by Interbrew's
£2.3 billion purchase of Bass last year. When that process is
complete, the OFT will come up with its own proposal for a new
solution, which will then be subject to more consultation. Only
after that will the OFT make a formal recommendation to the trade
and industry secretary on what to do to ensure that Interbrew
does not wield too much power in the U.K. beer market. Stephen
Byers, the trade and industry secretary, told Interbrew in January
that it must sell Bass Brewers' operations in the UK, including
brands such as Carling, Tennent's, Worthington and Caffrey's.
After Interbrew requested a judicial review, a High Court judge
last month overturned that ruling on procedural grounds.
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GUINNESS, WORKERS AGREE TO DEAL ON PLANT CLOSING
Irish workers at a Guinness plant in Dundalk have accepted a
redundancy deal that includes free beer for the next 10 years.
The agreement will allow Guinness to close the beer packaging
plant by the end of July without fear of another strike. A one-day
strike in April shut down all Guinness operations in Ireland.The
deal for the 140 workers includes pensions at 45 and lump sums
of up to £137,000, along with free beer, health insurance and
scholarships for schoolchildren for the next 10 years A spokesman
for Guinness's parent company, Diageo, says beer allowances are
common in the industry and work out to about 14 bottles a week.
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HEINEKEN IRELAND WORKERS PROTEST BREATHALYZER
TEST
Workers at the Heineken Ireland brewery (formerly the Murphy
Brewery) held a wildcat strike last month after a beer delivery
driver was asked to undergo a breathalyzer test before starting
his morning route. Drivers refused to operate trucks and vans
at the Dutch-owned brewery's Cork base after a management official
asked the operator to take the test. The driver refused and was
immediately supported by 16 other delivery men at the Ladyswell
depot.
Beer and stout deliveries throughout Cork city and county were
delayed for almost three hours until talks between management
and the union led to normal operations being restored.
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OTHER JAPANESE BREWERS CALL ASAHI ADS INACCURATE
A Japanese breweries' group has asked the Fair Trade Commission
(FTC) to take action against Asahi Breweries Ltd. over its advertisements
for "happoshu" low-malt beer-like liquor. The Association of Happoshu
Makers, comprising Kirin Brewery, Sapporo Breweries, Suntory and
Orion Breweries, said Asahi Breweries' claim in the advertising
that its use of deep-sea water in the beverage removes the watery
smell typical of happoshu is a misrepresentation.
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BREWING FAMILY BACK IN BUSINESS
Horsham in Sussex has a new brewery run by a name familiar not
only to beer drinkers in England, but also those in the United
States. Bill King, formerly managing director at the King & Barnes
brewery in Horsham, has launched his own microbrewery with wife,
Kathy, called WJ King and Co Brewers. The small micro will be
capable of producing a modest 20 barrels per week. King is the
fifth generation of the brewing family that had run King & Barnes
for 200 years. The business was taken over last year by Hall &
Woodhouse, which kept the pubs but closed the old brewery in Bishopric.
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ALCOHOL GOOD FOR YOU ... IF YOU WAIT TO GET
STARTED
Doctors have suspected for years that the occasional drink can
be better for health than complete abstinence. But new research
suggests men should not drink until their 30s and women until
their 50s for the effects of alcohol to be beneficial. Before
these ages, experts say, the health problems of drink cancel out
any protective effect it has against heart disease or strokes
in later life. A study in England found that men should wait until
they are 34 to enjoy drinking while women should put off alcohol
until they reach 54.
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PRINCE CHARLES WANTS TO MAKE THE PUB A HUB
Great Britain's Prince Charles has a unique suggestion for how
to save England's endangered village pubs, banks and post offices:
put them all together -- and in the pub. "I am starting a small
campaign of my own to make the pub become the hub," he said while
visiting St. Austell Brewery in Cornwall as part of its 150th
anniversary celebrations.
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****WEB WATCH****
A TALE OF THREE BUS(C)HES
Stephen Beaumont writes: "It is not often that I find myself in
complete agreement with powerful people named Bush or Busch, but
this is one such case. The individuals in question are President
George W. Bush's daughters, Jenna and Barbara, and the head of Anheuser-Busch,
August Busch." The subject is underage drinking.
http://www.worldofbeer.com/features
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THE WHEATS OF BRITAIN: POUR WITH CARE
Michael Jackson examines some of the offerings from the competition
to determine the best wheat beer in Great Britain. He notes: "The
questions of bright beer versus hazy, and cellar temperature versus
ice-cold are theological issues among devotees of wheat beer. I
was amused to see a new British wheat beer called Pour With Care.
Could it be clearer than that? A name that is a clarion call to
decant. Pour with care and you will not be troubled by cloudiness."
http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-001549.php
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BEER MYTHS AND FACTS
Is bock really the beer left over at the bottom of the tank? Are
imported beers stronger than American beers? Should wheat beers
always be served with a lemon? Those questions and others are answered
at:
http://realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20010517.php
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*****************REAL BEER PICKS***************
BASS BREWING SYSTEM
The Bass Museum, in Britain's brewing capital of Burton upon Trent,
offers an intriguing insight into beer and brewing through the ages.
It includes a shop selling a wide range of Bass Brewers branded
merchandise.
http://www.bass-museum.com
BREW GUILD
Offering an ever-growing array of quality apparel and fine glassware
from craft brewers. Constantly adding new products -- including,
accessories, its own custom items, and still more from brewers.
http://www.brewguild.com
BREWERS RENDEZVOUS
Founded in 1996 by Robert (bobbrews) Johnson, Brewers Rendezvous
sells everything a homebrewer could need -- as well as full line
of hot sauces, British goods and plenty more.
http://www.bobbrews.com
BREWERS RESOURCE
The Brewers Resource serves homebrewers of all levels of expertise.
Everything in its product catalog has been thoroughly tested and
evaluated to enhance the quality of customers' beers and brewing
environment.
http://www.brewtek.com
HENNESSEY HOMEBREW EMPORIUM
The first homebrew supplier in Albany, N.Y., Hennessey has been
around since 1983, and serving customers by mail since it first
opened. In- store shoppers will fine the largest variety of beer-making
supplies in the area and regular "brown bag" specials.
http://www.beerbrew.com
NEONCENTRAL
Everbrite Inc. has been producing neon signs since the 1930s, and
opened NeonCentral to sell neons -- those brilliantly lit glass
tubes that put off a brilliant glow -- directly to customers. NeonCentral
sells residential and commercial neons, with everything from collegiate
favorites to beer companies.
http://www.neoncentral.com
SOUND BREWING
Sound Brewing Systems, Inc. offers complete consulting services
for start-ups, expansions, and problem solving. SBS has orchestrated
start- ups and major expansions for over two dozen brewpubs and
production breweries, and is prepared to deal with projects of any
size.
http://www.soundbrew.com
WEISSBIERBRAUEREI HOPF
The brewery, founded in 1910 and presently run by the third generation
of the Hopf family, produces eight different types of wheat beers,
of which three are brewed uniquely by Hopf. The brewery recently
was awarded the most prestigious of German brewing industry awards,
the "Price for the Best of the Best."
http://www.hopfweisse.de/en
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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 QUESTION:
Do you drink more ale or more lager? Nearly three-quarters of
those who answered said they drink more ale, while 8% drink an
equal amount of ale and lager.
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*********** Brewed Fresh For You! **************
The Real Beer Page announces a diverse group of brew websites
to check out:
CARGILL MALT
Check out the new Cargill Malt-Specialty Products Group (formerly
Schreier Specialty Malt) web site for the latest on our new malts,
including Cargill Moravian, Meussdoerffer Wheat from Germany and
the Crisp Malting line from the UK.
http://www.specialtymalts.com
DCI INC.
DCI, Inc. has been a leader in design and fabrication of stainless
steel storage and processing vessels since 1955. We offer a full
range of brewing equipment including fermenters, bright beer tanks,
hot/cold liquor tanks, mash & lauter tuns, brew kettles and whirlpools.
http://www.dciinc.com
Also Visit:
http://www.beachchalet.com
http://www.bigsys.com
http://www.homebrewhq.com
http://www.meheen-mfg.com
http://www.wildales.com
http://www.sapporobeer.com
http://www.spartanburgstainless.com
http://www.thirdstreetaleworks.com
http://www.21st-amendment.com
http://www.brewshow.com
http://www.clausthalerusa.com
http://www.essentialspirits.com
http://www.fullers.co.uk
http://www.brewcitysupplies.com
http://www.microstarlogistics.com/mkm.php
http://www.traquair.co.uk
http://www.wessexcraftbeers.com
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BOTTLE RELIEF FOR FLORIDA DRINKERS
Gov. Jeb Bush has signed into law a measure that will allow Florida
beer to be sold in all size containers 32 ounces or smaller. The
bill eliminates a decades-old ban on retail sale of any beer bottle
or can that isn't 8, 12, 16 or 32 ounces. The bill will take effect
Oct. 1. It will increase the number of microbrewed beers (many
of which are sold in 22-ounce bottles) and imports (often packaged
in metric size) that may be sold. It also applies the container
size law to cider.
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BATF CONSIDERS NEW LIQUOR LABEL WARNINGS
The Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
is exploring a proposal to make warning labels on alcoholic beverages
more noticeable. The new warning label would have to be in larger
type, would add an attention-getting image (a red exclamation
point in a triangle), and would be prominently placed on the front
of all alcoholic-beverage containers. The coalition's proposal
doesn't seek to change the current wording of the government warning,
which says: "women should not drink alcoholic beverages during
pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects" and that drinking
impairs the "ability to drive a car or operate machinery." The
ATF will accept input until Aug. 20. Send e-mail
or postal mail to Chief, Regulations Division, Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms, P.O. Box 50221, Washington, DC 20091-0221.
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AMERICAN BEER MONTH BEGINS A LITTLE EARLY
The second annual celebration of American Beer Month will debut
with a weekend of beer-related events on the East Coast beginning
June 28 and continue throughout the July (officially ABM), culminating
on the West Coast with a rally at the Oregon Brewers Festival,
July 27-29 in Portland, Ore. The highlight of the opening weekend
will be a rally from 2-4 p.m. June 29 in downtown Philadelphia,
featuring brewers from across the country, a colonial color guard,
Founding Father character actors and the recitation of the ABM
pledge. A pub crawl will follow.
http://www.realbeer.com/spotlight/abm
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UNIBROUE'S NO-GMO CLAIM RAISES QUESTION IN CANADA
In almost 200 billboards that have gone up across Quebec recently,
brewer Unibroue Inc. says its beer does not contain modified crops
(is GMO-free). For proof, it points to a government food inspector's
signature on an export document that describes the beer that way.
The federal food agency says Unibroue's assertion is nonsense,
given that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does not determine
whether foods derived from gene-splicing science are in commercial
products. Also, neither Unibroue or the Brewers Association of
Canada cites many examples of beers that contain genetically modified
organisms. Critics say that the brouhaha (or brewhaha, if you
prefer) points out the need for a GMO-labeling system, which many
other countries already have.
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CZECHVAR HEADED TO FOUR MORE STATES
Ceske Budejovice -- brewer of the beer known as Budvar Budweiser
in the rest of the world and Czechvar in the United States --
has been encouraged enough by its first six months of sales to
add distribution in four states, bringing the number of states
it is sold in to 11. Robert Chrt, the brewery's export director,
said during a tour of California last month that plans are being
made to begin selling Czechvar in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and
Texas, and that the brewery may also make Czechvar available to
bars in draft form. "I'm excited the way people have accepted
our brand," Chrt said
http://realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20010524.php
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WANT TO OWN A HISTORIC BREWERY COMPLEX?
The Pabst brewing complex -- 40 buildings totaling 1.3 million
square feet on 21 acres -- is finally on the sale block in Milwaukee.
Pabst and its owner, S & P Co., recently hired Polacheck Co. to
market the entire complex. The sale was delayed because of estate
matters. "This isn't just peddling a warehouse," said T. Michael
Parker, Polacheck senior vice president. He said some of the older
buildings could be redevelopedinto offices, housing and other
functions. Renovations would include removing the brewing kettles,
packaging lines and other equipment that remain where they were
when shut down in 1996. "It looks like people left in a hurry,"
Parker joked.
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MOLSON'S 'THE RANT' CAPTURES ADVERTISING AWARD
Canada's two largest brewers walked off with Best of Show awards
at this year's Bessies, the annual competition recognizing excellence
in television advertising. Molson won top honors in the singles
category for The Rant, a 60-second, patriotic-themed ad for Molson
Canadian that captured lots of attention on both sides of the
U.S./Canadian border. Labatt came out on top in the campaign portion
of the program, winning for three, 30-second ads for Bud Light.
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HOMEBREW ODYSSEY JUNE 21-23
Twenty-seven speakers and hundreds of homebrewers will gather
June 21-23 in Los Angeles for the 23rd annual American Homebrewers
Association 's (AHA) National Homebrewers Conference. "2001: A
Beer Odyssey" includes educational seminars, second-round judging
for the National Homebrew Contest and social activities. The conference
will close on Saturday evening the evening with the Rogue Ales
Grand Banquet, an awards dinner for the National Homebrew Competition.
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MILLER LITE TURNS REALITY LENS ON TEXAS BAR
Miller Brewing Co. is getting into the reality TV business. The
"Miller Lite Lens" will visit bars in five Texas markets throughout
June and July, conducting screen tests for consumers who may then
star in a series of commercials. "The Lens" film crews will visit
popular bars andclubs in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio,
Austin and Rio Grande Valley areas and will conduct screen tests
for Miller Lite drinkers 25 and older. In each market, selected
consumers will appear in a "Miller Lite Lens" television commercial,
with one consumer in each market being selected to star in the
series of final spots.
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EDITORIAL: BEYOND THE HEADLINES
- We knew when we read the story that Guinness and workers
at its Dundalk, Ireland, plant had worked out a deal to close
the facility, that we could expect to see the words "free beer"
in the headlines. Sure enough, a lot more publications used the
story than we would have expected -- and quite often the headline
included the information that part of the severance package included
free beer (about 14 bottles per week) for 10 years. We understand
the appeal to headline writers -- though one that read workers
would be "able to drown their sorrows" was a bit much -- but that
light-hearted approach sometimes blurred a key point. People lost
their livelihoods in a company town where there are few comparable
jobs. If they had to choose between the beer and their jobs, we'd
guess most workers would take the latter.
- A proposal to make the warning label on alcoholic beverages
more prominent bothers us because:
* A new regulation could cost small brewers money to make the
changes, and they have to pass the cost along to us or absorb
it (making it harder for them to make a profit and continue to
produce beer we want to drink).
* Maybe labeling won't reduce beer consumption in the short run
(you may vote on that in our quickie email poll above), but we
know that every time neo-prohibitionists get a measure they want
enacted, the next time they will push for more. Maybe they'll
require we read the label to the checkout clerk before we buy
a six-pack (hey, we're not kidding).
* Four members of Congress and 121 "health and consumer groups"
submitted the proposed change. These organizations have opposed
efforts to place positive language about the health benefits of
beer and wine on labels as a counterbalance to the federal warning.
- Then there is labeling we can support. Unibroue's billboards
declaring its beer GMO-free (no genetically modified ingredients
are used) have brought an important issue to public attention
in Canada. "The government's been caught with their pants down
again," Greenpeace Canada's Michael Khoo said, arguing that whether
it's beer or French fries or anything else, Canadians want to
know what's in their food. Now let's get that information on beer
labels everywhere (just give the brewers a little lead time to
use the old labels first).
- A healthy Czech up. Over the years, many European brewers have
chosen not to export beer to the United States because, they said,
American beer drinkers would not appreciate their beer. It would
languish on the shelves, become old and undrinkable. Last month,
representatives of Czech brewery Ceske Budejovice toured California
and sampled their delicate pilsener -- known as Budweiser Budvar
in other parts of the world, but Czechvar in the U.S. They then
declared they were so pleased with how things have gone the first
six months the beer has been in the states, that they will expand
distribution. We already knew that American brewers are the match
of any in the world and that American beer drinkers are as knowledgeable
as any other beer drinkers, but we still feel like we passed some
secret test.
- Every once in a while even a prince has a good idea. There
is zero chance that the U.S. Postal Service would consider the
suggestion from Prince Charles designed to save pubs, banks and
post offices in England's smaller villages -- that is to combine
them all into one. But think of it this way: Do you dread going
to your local watering hole like you do the prospect of waiting
in line half and hour to mail a Father's Day present? Which of
these two, the pub or the post office, is the endangered species?
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