HOT
TRUB
March 21, 2001
Edited by: Peter LaFrance (peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com)
Presented by: American Brewer
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Vol. 2 No. 12
This news letter will post items of special interest to brewers, members of the
brewing and distilling community, and members of the media that cover the
beverage alcohol business.
Should you wish to contribute in any way to this venture please contact Peter
LaFrance at peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
If you wish to be dropped from this list please respond to this posting to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
and include the word remove in the Subject: line.
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Help save the Great British Pint
The following is an extract by David Fisher from London's METRO newspaper.
“The great British pint could become a thing of the past as the nation is slowly dragged towards compulsory use of metric measures, a court was told yesterday (16/01/01)."
We in Britain, have a unique attitude to beer. Real ales, bitter, mild, stout - these are what make Britain's pubs unique and to not serve ale in a pint glass would be wrong. Imagine asking for a 1/2 liter of Guinness. Did you know, it is already technically illegal to ask for a pint of Shandy in a public house?
There is also the price issue. Do you want to see a pint replaced by 1/2 a liter (approx 3/4 pint) but the price remaining the same to cover the costs of replacing glasses?
If you want to have your say about this sign our petition http://www.savethepint.com”
The New York market just received the first shipments of Tesoro, the only Puerto Rican beer available in the United States.
Originating from the town of Mayaguez, the beer's introduction to this market is being handled by their US based marketing company, Tesoro USA.
With hints of roasted malt and a crisp taste, the beer is a premium Tropical offering. Tesoro, which means, "Treasure" in Spanish, will connect to its roots by embracing and preserving Puerto Rican culture.
The brand's label is based on a Spanish nautical map and aims to capture the beer's origin and character. Tesoro has an applied ceramic label. The paint is baked into the glass.
The company
can be reached via http://www.cervezatesoro.com
Where Are The Women? (Who do "beer
tastings"?)
The last two issues of Hot Trub featured news items referring to the
fact that both the brewing industry and the restaurant industry has largely
ignored female beer drinkers.
This week we hear from Lisa Morrison who recently held a Beer Appreciation for Women class.
>I was
wondering if you had any further comment on why the event was so successful?
I think women enjoyed the opportunity to learn about beer in a friendly, supportive and testosterone-free environment. There was a lot of laughing and hugging going on. And most of us didn't know each other before the class!
>Why did you
decide to do an "all female" tasting event?
That was actually Fred Bowman's (of Portland Brewing) idea. He says that he was looking at how the craft beer market would expand and realized that there was 50 percent of the market that was basically untapped.
Fred and I came up with the idea when he approached me and we started talking about how there aren't a lot of women into beer. He asked me if I would be interested in teaching a seminar for women and I jumped on it.
>What was the
most satisfying aspect of the event for you?
That I got through it alive and that the women really liked it. No, really, I think the most satisfying thing was when one class member said to me "My husband has been homebrewing for 3 years and he is always telling me stuff about beer. I learned more from you in 2 hours than I've learned from him in those 3 years!"
>What feedback
have you received from those who were there?
I have heard only good things. It was such a success that we have started our own Yahoo group (by invitation only -- you have to be in the class to join) and we are planning on expanding those classes to perhaps a monthly meeting or something. Plans are still in the works!
>How important are events like this in promoting "hassle-free" beer-friendly environments for developing female customer base?
That's probably a better question for Fred. My role is simply as the female beer ambassador. Kind of the Julie McCoy of "Love Boat," but with beer. :-)
>What sort of environment would attract this sort of event? (Neighborhood "hang out, pub, up-scale pub, bar/restaurant, restaurant, or up-scale restaurant?)
I think it would work pretty much anywhere, but my experience is that you need two things: A place away from the rest of the clientele (so you can communicate easily) and a place that either offers several different breweries' beers or a place that is willing to bring in other breweries' beers.
To Portland Brewing's credit, they realized that this was an educational experience, not a direct marketing opportunity, and were confident enough in their beers to allow other breweries' beers to join in the class. I wouldn't do the classes if I were simply peddling one brewery's wares. That's not what it's about.
>How surprised are you that this is not something happening in more places? (I have never heard of one in NYC!)
I have not heard of anything like this
either. I thought it had potential when Fred and I started bandying it
about. And I hoped that I would be the right person for the job. But I have to
admit that I am a little amazed at the exposure this is getting.
On the flip side, with Portland being at the heart of the craft brew phenomenon, I would think that something like this might happen here first. I think we are primed for it, being a little ahead of the curve in the microbrew scene.
That said, I really would like to be able to expand this and do it in other parts of the country. I am sure women don't make up a huge percentage of the craft beer-drinking population anywhere in the US. I would like to have a hand in helping women better appreciate craft beers.
>Do you have any thoughts to share with a list of over 150 leaders in the beer industry and press (the readers of HotTrub...)?
I love the idea of spreading education and the joy of craft beers to women. I would love to be able to walk into a beer festival a few years from now and see a lot more women being knowledgeable about beer.
Guinness Book of Records on the market
Yesterday Reuters reported that Diageo Plc has put its Guinness Book of Records business up for sale in a bid to bring in around 60 million pounds ($85 million). The Guinness Book of Records lists a series of extraordinary facts and achievements and was started in 1955 when Guinness was purely an Irish brewing company. The book was the brainchild of Hugh Beaver, then managing director of Guinness, as a definitive source of information to settle general knowledge and trivia questions. The Guinness World Records business makes six million pounds annual profits on sale of 23 million, largely from book sales.
Diageo has moved to focus its business on wine, spirits and beer. It last year announced plans to float off Burger King, sell its U.S. food unit Pillsbury and expand its wines and spirits side by buying a portfolio of products from the Seagram's drinks empire.
Diageo will retain the Guinness brand name for its famous beer, but will look to restrict the use of the Guinness name to a potential buyer solely to the publishing business.
Diageo and Goldman both declined to comment.
On Tuesday Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. announced that executive vice president John H. Purnell will retire effective March 31.
Purnell, 60, has served as a member of the Corporate Office along with Busch and Anheuser-Busch Companies Senior Executive Vice President Patrick T. Stokes since 1998. Purnell will continue to attend Anheuser-Busch planning meetings and will also continue to serve as one of the Anheuser-Busch representatives on the Board of Directors of Grupo Modelo. Anheuser-Busch holds a sizeable stake in the Mexican brewer, whose brands include Corona.
In addition, Purnell will become an Executive in Residence at Washington University's Olin School of Business.
6th annual
CLASSIC CITY BREW FEST Needs Volunteers
The folks at the Classic City Brew Fest posted the following…
HELP! THE BREW FEST REALLY NEEDS VOLUNTEERS!
We still need lots of persons (21 and over) to pour beer and help out at the
Brew Fest on April 7th, so volunteer and also round up some of your friends.
It's really fun to pour and be a part of the action, and when the
festival is over, the volunteers get to drink the remaining beers and eat
pizza! There is also a free t-shirt and other goodies in it for you.
We also need people to help do hand stamps at the door, run the registration
booths out front, and dump the dump buckets.
IMPORTANT VOLUNTEER MEETING: Tuesday, April 3rd, 8 PM to 9 PM upstairs at Wild
Wing Cafe (Washington Street, downtown Athens). Please do your very best
to attend if you'd like to volunteer. If you can't make it to the April 3rd
meeting, but would still like to volunteer, please be present in the downstairs
exhibit hall of the Classic Center by 11:30 am on April 7th. We will
still need volunteers, and we can get you set up then. Please reply to this
email or call Owen at 706-254-BREW if you would like to volunteer or if you
have any questions. Thanks.
The sixth annual
Classic City Brew Fest will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2001, between 2:30-7
PM at the Classic Center, 300 N. Thomas St., Athens, GA
Tickets are $17.75 in advance and $20 at the door (plus tax). Part of
each ticket price benefits: AIDS Coalition of NE GA, Athens Area Emergency Food
Bank, and the Athens Humane Society.
Call 706-254-BREW to charge tickets by phone or purchase in Athens at: Classic Center Box Office, Five Points Bottle Shop (S. Lumpkin St.), Normal Brew Shop (Prince Ave.), or School Kids Records (Clayton St., downtown). In Atlanta: Brick Store Pub (Decatur square), Brew Your Own Beverages/Stellar Cellars (Howell Mill Road), Marietta Homebrew (Roswell Road), or My Brew Heaven (Canton Road, Marietta). Click on ttp://www.negia.net/~brew/brewfest.html
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