Category: Beverage Industry News
- Business of Beer 776
- Commentary 159
- Crisis Response 190
EU Clear Interbrew Spatan Deal
Interbrew, has received unconditional clearance to its strategic partnership with Bavarian brewer Spaten from the European Commission. The approval, the Belgian brewer said, is the first condition to be fulfilled and brings Interbrew one step nearer to closing of the transaction, which is expected in the second half of 2004.
(more...)
Siebel Offering Carbohydrate Test for Brewers
Low-carb beer is the emerging category (fad?) of the year and with more consumers watching their carbs, the question of “how many carbs are in this beer?” may become one of the most frequently asked question of your staff, especially in brewpubs.
(more...)
EU Win for Budvar
The European Union’s Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) has ruled in favor of the Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar (BB), allowing it to register its Budejovicky Budvar name as a European Community trademark, according to BB’s press department. An appeal that had been filed by U.S. brewing giant Anheuser-Busch was rejected; the American brewer was attempting to keep BB from registering the Budejovicky Budvar name within the EU on the grounds that it could be confused with its Bud trademark. But the Czech Republic (CR) is scheduled to join the EU soon, and the CR’s accession treaty with the EU protects the expressions “Budejovicke pivo” and “Ceskobudejovicke pivo.” Protection by the place of origin is guaranteed only for those products that are well known internationally through their long tradition and continuous level of top quality, says BB, which currently has about 380 trademarks registered in over 100 countries around the world, and is currently involved in more than 40 lawsuits and 40 other administrative proceedings at patent offices involving the trademark dispute with AB.
(more...)
Firestone Walker Develops Mild Ale for Sports Arena
Firestone Walker Brewing Company and the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, in collaboration with local distributor Valley Wide Beverage Company, have teamed up to launch Firestone Mild Ale, a special low-carbohydrate craft beer that will be served at the center beginning on December 15. Firestone Mild Ale will be the only all-malt craft beer served at the new sports and entertainment arena. “Ovations Food Services, the Save Mart Center’s concessionaire, wanted to offer patrons a flavorful complement and alternative to lighter, mass-produced beers-but they also wanted it to be the same lower alcohol level as the other beers on draft,” said Steve Almaraz, Firestone Walker’s vice president of sales. “Our brewmaster made a special beer that ended up being both lower in alcohol and carbohydrates – but still with a signature Firestone Walker ale flavor.” Crafted by Head Brewer Matt Brynildson, who was named Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewmaster of The Year at the recent 2003 Great American Beer Festival, Firestone Mild Ale is a medium-bodied, full-flavored ale that contains half the calories (99 calories/12 oz) and carbohydrates (5.4 grams/12 oz) found in most craft beers. Its alcohol level of 3.2 percent is also considerably lower than most craft beers. Firestone Mild Ale incorporates East Kent Golding and Cascade hops, as well as Munich, Crystal, English Pale and Chocolate malts. The Save Mart Center is a new multipurpose sports and entertainment facility that hosts the Fresno State University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the Fresno Falcons of the West Coast Hockey League. The center will also host events by leading musicians and entertainers such as Toby Keith, Aerosmith, George Lopez, and Stars on Ice.
(more...)
Chicago Real Ale Festival on Hiatus for 2004
Despite the best efforts of festival organizers, Chicago will not be having its well-known Real Ale Festival in 2004. A smaller, alternative celebration of real ale is planned for the weekend (March 4-6) on which the 2004 edition of the festival was originally scheduled. Festival organizers will announce details soon. The organizers had planned to run the festival in the Finkl building, at the site of a Chicago steel mill, where the festival had a successful run in 2003. However, City of Chicago authorities were no longer willing to grant special event licenses for the Finkl space, and the venue has no on-premises license of its own, and would not be likely to secure one in time for the planned weekend of the Real Ale Festival. Organizers hope to bring the festival back during the first March weekend of 2005, either at Finkl or some alternate location in or near Chicago. As an alternative, a real ale party has been planned for the weekend of March 4-6, 2004, open to any and all comers. Organizers hope to work with Chicago brewpubs and bars such as Goose Island, Rock Bottom, the Map Room, and other venues, to find homes for as many great real ales as possible. Organizers are also looking to run buses on a circuit to the various sites and create America’s biggest real ale pub-crawl. For further information and updates, see the festival web site at http://www.realalefestival.com/
(more...)
AOB to Offer Weihenstephen Course at Craft Brewers Conference
For those going to San Diego this April for the 2004 Craft Brewers Conference, the Association of Brewers will be offering AOB members the opportunity to take a 2-day Weihenstephan course on April 13 and 14. The course will be offered at the conference hotel. This is the first time a Weihenstephan course has offered in the US. More information at
http://www.beertown.org/events/cbc/attendee/wcourse1.html
(more...)
Tod Mott Joins Portsmouth Brewery
While much of New England s attention is focused on the Red Sox and their off-season dealings, the Portsmouth Brewery has signed Tod Mott on board to head up its brewing operations. “Having Tod join our staff is the brewpub equivalent of Curt Schilling signing on with the Sox,” says brewery founder Peter Egelston. Since his days as an apprentice at Vermont’s Catamount Brewery, Mott’s career has included stints as head brewer at Boston’s Harpoon, Commonwealth, and Back Bay Breweries, Quincy Ships in Quincy, and most recently at the newly opened Tap Brewpub in Haverhill.
(more...)
Labatt Introduces Low-carb Beer
Add another entrant to the emerging low-carb beer market, this time in Canada. Labatt Breweries has launched Labatt Sterling, a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate beer, targeting drinkers who have chosen to go with Atkins-style low-carbohydrate diets. Sterling has 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per bottle, compared to typical beers at 10 grams and up; it also has a relatively low 88 calories, compared with 145 calories in regular beer. The alcohol content, at 4%, remains the same as regular light beer.
(more...)
Deal Near for Former Olympia Brewery
Has Miller Brewing finally found a buyer for its shuttered former brewing plant in Olympia, Washington? According to the Olympian, a purchase deal may be nearly ready to go with a newly formed water bottling company, All-American Bottled Water Corp. of Nevada. The deal would also result in the recall of a small number of laid-off brewery workers, as the plant would employ about 40 workers, about 10% of the headcount that was laid off when the brewery closed. All-American will bottle the artesian water from the brewery’s own source – the same water that figured prominently in Olympia Beer’s heyday – and would also bottle water on a contract basis with supermarkets and retail chains. It will be sold nationwide and internationally. There has also been confirmation from representatives of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 378 and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 286 that a deal is in the works. Union members would be the first to be re-employed by the new water bottler, under a severance deal negotiated between Miller and the brewery’s labor unions. Miller’s asking price for eight buildings, with more than 1 million square feet of space on 176 acres, is $15 million. The amount of All-American’s offer was not disclosed. The water rights that accompany the brewery are a big draw for any potential buyer, and could be particularly attractive for a bottled-water manufacturer. For decades, the motto for Olympia Beer was “It’s the water.” If the deal goes through, water, not beer, will be the primary focus of All-American’s business.
(more...)
French Vintners Suggest (Moderate) Drinking and Driving
In spite of government campaigns against drinking and driving, France’s wine industry is promoting a somewhat contrarian viewpoint: Go ahead and a have drink or two, before hitting the road. The message is intended to fight back against the government’s campaign to discourage drunk driving, actions that French vintners claim is scaring people away from ordering a glass with dinner. The industry has suggested that such campaigns – and stricter blood-alcohol limits and drunk-driving laws – have resulted in a 15 percent drop in wine sales at restaurants. At stake is a sizable portion of France’s wine industry’s revenues, estimated at 15 billion euros ($18 billion). Wine makers counter that they have always promoted moderate drinking to comply with the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.5 grams per liter, but fear of law-enforcement efforts has scared people away from drinking at all. The government says road deaths have fallen by more than 20 percent in the first ten months of 2003, compared to the same period last year, and the rates are still high by European standards. Afivin, an umbrella organization representing wine producers as well as distributors and retailers in France, is planning a 300,000-euro ($350,000) initiative to distribute alcohol breath tests to restaurants across France, starting next year, hoping that it can convince those motorists who have stopped drinking altogether to return to their old habits – in moderation, of course. Afivin director Pascal Rousseaux says that diners should know they can enjoy “two or three glasses” with their meal and still be well under the legal blood-alcohol limit, so they will still be fit to drive.
(more...)
Coors Announces Low-Carb Entry; Aspen Edge
After watching Anheuser-Busch soar with its Michelob Ultra and numerous other brewers introduce new labels in the emerging low-carb category, Coors has finally announced that it will launch a low-carb brand called Aspen Edge. Aspen Edge will make its debut in ten states in March 2004, and will expand to nationwide sales by the end of the year. Coors has not yet disclosed the carbohydrate level in Aspen Edge, but the obvious competition target is Michelob Ultra, which has captured about 3 percent of the U.S. market since its debut in September 2002. Coors will also borrow another Michelob Ultra marketing strategy from A-B’s playbook; Aspen Edge will be priced higher than Coors Original, much as A-B prices Michelob Ultra at a higher point than its flagship Budweiser brand. Coors will face challenges with the Aspen Edge launch; it’s far from the first to market to the low-carb consumer, and by the time it launches, many consumers will have had a chance to settle on a favorite. Launching a new product nationwide is also expensive, and A-B’s marketing budget dwarfs that of Coors. Adolph Coors plans plenty of advertising and media buys to support the launch of Aspen Edge, and expensive marketing support for the beer will take money and attention away from other brands, including Coors Light. It remains to be seen if Coors can stem A-B’s relentless advance towards marketplace dominance, which has come at the expense of market share for Coors brands.
(more...)
Dark beers heart friendly
Dark beer offers some of the same heart-healthy benefits as chocolate and red wine, according too a new study. Guinness Stout had substantially more anti-clotting activity than Heineken, said John Folts, University of Wisconsin scientist. He presented his findings Tuesday at the American Heart Association annual meeting.
(more...)
Coors to Cut Memphis Work Force
Adolph Coors Company is cutting back jobs at its Memphis plant, and plans to eliminate 80 to 90 jobs in a 20% work force reduction, with a company-stated goal to “improve competitiveness and create greater efficiency.” Early retirement will be an option for some, based on the number of years employees have worked for the brewer. Coors acquired the Memphis plant from Stroh Brewing Company in 1990. Its principal products are Zima and Coors N-A nonalcoholic beverage, and Coors Light and Coors Original beers are also packaged there.
(more...)
Warm Summer Weather Pulls German Beer Consumption Up
The unseasonably hot summer that swept Europe this year has helped pull Germany’s beer industry out of its nosedive. As German beer consumption has fallen in recent years, figures released today by the German government show consumption leveling off in the third quarter. In July through September German’s drank 2.96 billion liters of beer, unchanged from the same period last year, according to the Federal Statistics Office. The amount of beer drunk in Germany has been on the wane due primarily to increasing health awareness and the sluggish economy. The introduction of an unpopular system of deposits on cans and bottles earlier this year exacerbated the situation. Across Europe, the summer contributed to a rise in beer exports in the third quarter by 18%, with 380 million liters being sold abroad.
(more...)