Drinkers Can't Judge a Beer by Its Taste, Study Finds

Good beer is not something you should think about.

Knowing what's in a beer, or who made it, can taint your taste buds, a new study finds.

Past research has revealed that knowing the brand or other information about a product can lead to higher consumer ratings.

Full Story

Professor Jean-Pierre Dufour, has died in Ghana

We have received the sad news today that Professor Jean-Pierre Dufour, has died in Ghana from natural causes. Jean Pierre was last years recipient of the BrewNZ, Life Time Achiever Award. More information to follow as it comes to hand.

Otago University

"J-P - a huge loss" Forum

More Information

Boutique beers strut their stuff

Beer is still the nation's drink of choice, cornering more than two thirds of the market, and the turnout at the festival in Auckland was proof of that. Some 6,000 punters attended the sold out event, according to organisers.

Full Story

NOTE: also see TV clips about the Beer Festival from Breakfast TV from links on the above link.

True brew

Selling someone a beer can be a tough business - particularly when you have a small operation. MIKE MATHER caught up with the three new local "boutique" brewers taking on the big boys.

Alongside the "big two" of DB and Lion Breweries, people may soon be ranking the likes of Aotearoa Breweries, The Croucher Brewing Co and the Waipa Brewing Co.

All three companies are this weekend hawking their wares and striving for the marketing condition known as "brand awareness" at the inaugural New Zealand Beer Festival at the Ellerslie Racecourse.


Full Story

NZ Alcohol consumption continues to rise

According to Statistics New Zealand, which issued alcohol consumption figures today, the popularity of alcopops was the leading contributor to a new high in the total volume in 2006.

Beer remained the most popular type of alcoholic beverage in New Zealand accounting for more than two-thirds of the total available for consumption in 2006.

But its 42 per cent total was 2 per cent down from its 44 per cent in 2005, and wine's consumption share accounted for 34 per cent (up 1 percentage point on 2005).

Distilled Spirits Association chief executive Thomas Chin put the growth of the spirits sector down to the wider range of flavours, innovative packaging and variety of brands available on the market.

Full Story

====
HELLO BREWERS!! WAKE UP, AND STOP MAKING BORING LAGERS WITH NO FLAVOUR.

PEOPLE WANT - "the wider range of flavours".

BEER CAN HAVE FLAVOUR.

GIVE IT TO THE PEOPLE, AND THEY WILL KEEP DRINKING BEER. WITH FLAVOUR.
====

Brewers braced for soaring costs in 2007

Poor harvests for hops and barley, together with mounting energy bills, are set to significantly increase cost pressures on all brewers this year.

"It wasn't a good barley harvest in the UK [in 2006] because conditions were too extreme. We had an exceptionally hot summer, which led to shortages of water, and the winter crop suffered from excessive frost."

Full Article

The Financial Times reported the chief executive of the world's fourth largest brewer, Jean-Francois van Box-meer, as saying that after a "disastrous Australian harvest, the market is almost dry of barley at this point", adding that prices had also risen for aluminium, which it used for packaging.

Full Article

"Bilk"

Things the world never knew it needed:

TOKYO - Great news for beer and milk lovers: A liquor shop owner in Japan's largest dairy farming region has stopped crying about local spilled milk and started making beer from it instead.


Full Story

Glass tip to Barry Hannah for the link.

Monday Morning Frivolity

While nothing can quite surpass the sight of England winning the Tri-Series, here are a couple of Monday morning beer snippets which defy classification.

First up, stunning survey results from the US:

Wine consumption among NASCAR fans is up 22 percent from last year, far outpacing overall growth in wine consumption in the nation, according to a study released yesterday by ACNielsen and Nielsen Sports, both business units of The Nielsen Company here.

Why is watching NASCAR a key statistical factor? Full article here.

Finally, a joke. This is from the Two Ronnies made in 1979 so I take no responsibility for this gag.

A CAMRA member goes into a topless bar. When asked later how it was he says the ale was fine but the hostess was a little flat.

Petition grows against beer glass ban snobbery

Beer connoisseurs are rallying on-line to protest against a decision to ban glasses at the Blenheim Blues, Brews and Barbecues event while still allowing much flimsier glasses at the Wine Marlborough festival.

An on-line petition protesting the discrimination against beer drinkers has quickly gathered several hundred signatures but organiser and local beer expert Geoff Griggs is hoping for many more.

“We need to send a message to the authorities in Marlborough that it is not acceptable to treat beer as a second class beverage to wine. Both drinks taste better out of glass. Either both festivals should be allowed to use glass, or neither. There is no justification for singling out beer,” says Mr Griggs.

Sign the Petition

Read the full release.

or HERE

Lion Nathan seeks interest in Auckland brewery

Brewery giant Lion Nathan warned yesterday that conditions in New Zealand were increasingly difficult, but it was confident of meeting previous profit guidance due to solid Australian sales.

For the three months ended December, total beer volume fell 0.7 per cent to 52.1 million litres.

"In New Zealand, performance was mixed with a beer market characterised by sustained and at times, intense price discounting, particularly in key sales weeks,"

Full Story

Beer Drinker of the Year

Bruce Holloway, beer and sports writer for the Waikato Times has initiated the inaugural "Beer Drinker of the Year" Awards.

Hold on before you get too up in arms about this, it isn't about who can drink 10 pints the fastest. It is about a cross section of beer knowledge, and experience.

The judging panel of Bruce Holloway, Luke Nicholas, and other judge(TBA), will be asking contestants to present their case for why they think they are the Beer Drinker of the Year.

Then contestants will be quizzed on topics like how beer is made, styles of beer, there may even be a line up of beers which contestants will have to taste blind and then name the brands.

If you would like to nominate yourself or a friend email beer_drinker_of_the_year@epicbeer.co.nz

You will need to be present at the Cock & Bull in Te Rapa, Hamilton, at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 28th February 2007.

(Yes this is short notice and is currently only focused on the Waikato region, but next year we will be going further a field to hopefully cover the whole country)


Connoisseurs, raise your glasses

Looking at the brewing scene, it struck me that Australia and New Zealand already have more than enough worthy beer awards and competitions. And readers can make up their own minds on what's good and bad anyway.

But there is a glaring gap in the market.
Beer awards tend to focus exclusively on the production side of the industry as opposed to the consumption side.

To redress the balance, I am proposing the inaugural Beer Drinker of the Year Competition.

This is an embryonic regional award to recognize the merits of a good beer drinker, as opposed to a good beer.

Mark of a good brew the quality of resulting burp?

Nominations for the inaugural Beer Drinker of the Year awards, sponsored by Epic Brewing Company and being held at Cock & Bull (Pukete) on Wednesday February 28 (7.30pm).

Want to enter? email beer_drinker_of_the_year@epicbeer.co.nz

BLUE LION RED CAN

Isn't Trade Me great?

"This is a genuine item, and please note this auction is for the CAN - as it is against the rules to sell alcohol on Trademe!!
This can was part of a single pallet that the brewery made as a trial, however these did not make it for sale to the public. The story I was told was that when it was made it was done under very strict security, and all were supposed to be destroyed, I only know of one other that made it out."
Trade Me

2006 Best Beers?

The most popular beers are by and large the big-selling mainstream beers, so when M2 Magazine asked me to review the best beers from their 2006 Reader's poll I was a little apprehensive.

When I saw the list was Heineken, Corona, Tui, Speights GMA and Mac's Gold - I knew it would be a challenge to stay positive and tell a good story.

How did I get on? Read my review here.

On this page (which is part of the Realbeer site that is yet to go live) you'll also find my beer of the month column for M2 Magazine and a monthly Beerdrinker's diary.

Beer and Cheese Tasting at Regional Wines

As mentioned below, Geoff Griggs and myself will be running 3 beer and cheese tastings on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th of feb I have selected some of my favorate locally produced cheeses and Geoff and myself have matched them with both local craft brews and some imported classics.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased from Regional Wines.

Cheers

Kieran Haslett-Moore

So much colour in every drop

Check this out - it's where your inner beer nerd and your inner psychedelic hippy get together for a hop inspired cosmic jamfest. Like, WOW man!

Glass tip to Neil Houghton in Christchurch for the trippy yet intellectually stimulating link.

The Bodega Beer Imbibement Association

The Bodega Beer Imbibement Association will be starting its new season of monthly beer tastings next Wednesday 7 February in Room 101 at Bar Bodega. (Start time 7.30pm - cost $25.)

This will be the 11th year of tastings and there will be something to mark the occasion.

Tastings this year will be on the following dates:

7 Feb
7 Mar
4 April
2 May
6 June
4 July
8 Aug
5 September
3 Oct
7 Nov
5 Dec

See you there.

Cheers
Neil McInnes

PS FYI - Regional Wines and Spirits are running 3 beer and cheese matching sessions on 22-24 Feb.