Lion Nathan Launches Steinlager Pure

Steinlager Classic, which remains New Zealand’s biggest selling premium lager selling over 22 million litres locally and 8 million litres offshore annually.

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Based on local beer sales of 320 million per annum that gives Steinlager a 6.9% market share.

Salient Points

Here are the links to my two latest columns from Salient Magazine:

Discovering good beer - a look back on my beer drinking development:

My beer drinking career got off to a rough start with my first recollection being a slightly warm six-pack of Rheineck. This unpleasant experience certainly put my beer appreciation back several years.

Teenagers called Rheineck ‘weasel piss’, which was unfair. If my pet weasel passed Rheineck, I’d rush him to the vet

.

Beer the South should be proud of - An article about Emerson's:

Brewers are, on the whole, extraordinary people. From just toasted grain, the flower of a vine, ordinary water and a single-celled organism, they can produce delicious, sweet, life-giving beer.

Given those ingredients, most people would produce soggy muesli which smells of wet grass, and tastes vaguely like bathroom mould. Or worse - Mash beer.

The Wellington Food Show - A Beer Perspective

In a plan so cunning that Rowan Atkinson is considering suing me, I went to the Wellington Food Show at 3:45pm on Friday. The intention was to avoid the crowds, particularly that sub-set of crowds who think a packed food show is the perfect place to take a double baby buggy.

The plan worked to perfection with minimal waiting at most stalls. The number of stands displaying tea was way down, the number offering spreads was way up. So how did beer fare?

Here is the tally:

There were 36 wine stands offering (conservatively) 5 wines each so at least 180 wines were available. I saw one person who looked like he had tried to sample them all.

There were 4 spirit and liquer stands offering (approximately) 15 different spirits and liquers to the punters.

Finally, there were 2 beer stands offering (exactly) 9 different beers.

The only places flying the flag for beer were Monteiths and New World (which had the three Bavaria beers).

Am I the only one which finds this just a little bit sad?

Land of Hops and Glory

There are few things in the history of the world more satisfying than a good beer festival. On the 5th May the Hops and Glory festival was held in Upper Moutere. It is the brain child of real ale enthusiasts Martin Townshend, Andrew Cole and Kieron Lattimer.

Kieron was kind enough to supply the following report:

Approx 350 were at the beer tasting (sober drivers and non-beer drinkers weren’t charged entry so we don’t know exact attendance).

The majority of the attendees were from the immediate local area (rather than Nelson itself) and over 100 signed up to the “Hops and Glory” email link.

The event also attracted people from the local tourism/restaurant industry who wanted to check out alternatives to mainstream beers – very encouraging!

Beers from 10 South Island brewers were available – including “The Twisted Hop” and “The Townshend Brewery” – the only Real Ale Breweries in the South Island. 140 litres of Real Ale alone sold out in less than two hours! (many thanks to “The Twisted Hop” for providing the three beer engines for the night – people were mesmerised watching the beer being pulled and loved watching it swirl and settle in the glass).

Full list of Brewers/beers

Lighthouse - Dick’s Dark, Pilsner
Founder’s - Generation Ale
Mussel Inn - Captain Cooker Manuka Beer, Apple Roughy Cider
Pink Elephant - Golden Tusker
Renaissance - Perfection Pale Ale
Emerson’s - Pilsner
Townshend - Dinner Ale, Number 9
Twisted Hop - Challenger
Three Boys - Wheat Beer
Tasman Brewing Co - Best Bitter, Tasman Lager

The event also got a great deal of attention from the print media - (Nelson Mail, The Press, Malborough Express, Nelson Leader, Motuka-Golden Bay News) - the best of these will soon be displayed on our website.

The next event is planned for Spring 2007

Any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the other guys involved.

Cheers – Kieron Lattimer

This sounds like an absolutely fantastic event and the organisation deserve our congratulations. I for one plan to be there for Hops and Glory II!

JOB - Speight's - Production Brewer

Would you like the opportunity to be the best you can be, really make a difference and have a great time doing it? We are currently looking for a talented Production Brewer, based at Speights Brewery - Dunedin.

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Some Alcohol May Help Aging Brains

Drinking alcohol in moderation may slow the progression to dementia in elderly people who already have mild mental declines, new research suggests.

One notable study – from Bordeaux, France – found three to four glasses of wine a day to be optimal for reducing age-related dementia risk. Most other positive studies have shown benefits for much lower consumption.

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Wigram and Mata Beers Strike Gold

Press Release: Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA)
May 22, 2007

The Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA) would like to extend a hearty congratulations to our award winning sponsor breweries, after some excellent results in the recent Australian International Beer Awards, Melbourne (http://www.beerawards.com) and New Zealand International Beer Awards, Nelson (www.nz-beer-awards.co.nz).

A special mention must be made of two of New Zealand's smaller craft breweries: Christchurch's Wigram Brewing Company picked up medals at both the Australian and the New Zealand events, including a gold medal and hugely coveted Best in Class for their German-style lager 'Munchner Dunkel' at the Australian awards. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Aotearoa Breweries of Kawerau picked up a brace in Nelson for their Mata range of beers, including a gold medal and Best in Class for their specialty honey beer 'Mata Manuka'. Keep an eye these beers in your local bars, restaurants, bottle stores and supermarkets. If they are not in the fridges, then please request them.

Further congratulations goes out to two other well-known SOBA sponsors, who picked up a bag full of silver amongst them: Limburg (3 silver) and Steam Brewing (5 silver for their Cock and Bull range and further 2 for their increasingly popular Epic beers).

Of course, congratulations to all of New Zealand's other award winning breweries whose continual strive for excellence helps ensure that there truly is a beer for every occasion.

While we are paying tribute to the brewers, we must also acknowledge one of our members, Bruce Holloway, for his award-winning article "My date with a few stale beers". Bruce has been a long running advocate for great beer and it's a privilige to have him as a member.

For more information on great beer, and SOBA member benefits, visit www.soba.org.nz

Brewery links:
Wigram Brewing Company
Aotearoa Breweries
Limburg
Steam Brewing Company

Bruce Holloway Wins Award For Beer Column

At the Qantas Media Awards function in Wellington last night, for the second time in three years, beer columnist Bruce Holloway has been recognised for his Saturday columns. He won the food/nutrition category for a piece titled: My date with a few stale beers.

Congratulations Bruce!! Keep up the great writing and the crusade to educate people about good beer in New Zealand.

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Columns by Bruce Holloway

HOME BREWING BEAN (SACKS)

Has any one had a chance to use Home Brewing Beans before? I have tried getting a price list and spec sheet from Cryer Malt but have had no reply.

HOME BREWING BEAN (SACKS) for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand
6 sacks of home brewing beans
2 pale ale malt 1 full 1 half full
1 chocolate half full
1 brairds malt united kingdom 3/4full
1 munchner malt typ 1 3/4 full
1 whest malt cryer malt 3/4 full

TradeMe.co.nz

Monteith’s Doppelbock

Monteith’s Doppelbock Winter Ale is on sale in supermarkets and liquor stores from July 2. Monteith’s expects the tradition of winter beers to be as strong as ever this year, especially on tap at its 19 concept bars that start pouring in mid-June.

Monteith’s Doppelbock Winter Ale differs slightly to the 2003 Doppelbock speciality release with a 6% alcohol content (previously it was 7%).

Doppelbock Winter Ale replaces the previous Monteith’s Winter Ale seasonal release which boasted cinnamon and clove flavour cues.

Doppelbock was last released by Monteith's in 2003 for a limited time and since then has been the brew most often requested by beer lovers to be returned to the stable.

Lion Nathan is lamenting a tough market in New Zealand.

A total of 100 million litres of beer wine and spirits were produced in New Zealand over the last six months, giving it a 6% rise in sales to $320m.

But the competitive beer market, higher commodity costs and the strong dollar have all combined to give a 4% fall in half year earnings.

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Enjoy Beer

Have you ever thought your beer tasted more like a soft-drink than a real beer? Or have you ever questioned the motives behind some of the big companies that market "premium beer"? If so, there's more bad news here...

In more positive news: Geoff Griggs sums up the awards at Nelson's NZ International Beer Awards. He's been tasting his way, with six other judges, through 156 beers of varying styles (from the gold medal winning, working class, Bennett's Black to the heady 26% Samuel Adam's Utopias). Some great results from NZ brewers and an excellent new Trappist range to keep an eye out for.

Beerly Writing

In the latest edition of the Free Radical the beer column covers "The Mussel Inn - A whale of a time."

"It is quite frankly in the middle of nowhere and I have only spent one afternoon there, yet the Mussel Inn in Golden Bay remains a highlight of my beer drinking career."

"The Weasels beer – any of their standard beers mixed with 50% soda water – had me in stitches. That kind of subtle mockery is exactly what shandy drinkers deserve really."

Last weeks Wellingtonian had a column on "The new house of hops and malt" - the Malthouse.

"Many otherwise stoic Wellington beer lovers shed a little tear at the end of 2006 when the beloved Malthouse on Willis Street closed its doors. Their building was being redeveloped into yet another stack of shops, offices and apartments and the bar which served the largest range of beer in New Zealand was forced to seek a new home."

Both are reposted with the kind permission of the editors.

Under the radar

I came across this news snippet on an international supermarket site today:

NEW ZEALAND: Government May Raise Cost Of Alcoholic Beverages

Alcohol prices in New Zealand could be in for a upwards price revision, as legislators suggest the low prices are one of the reasons behind the problem of under-age binge drinking. The price was one of the factors identified by Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor, as part of a review of youth drinking.

O'Connor said he could not prejudge the review's findings but said that increasing the cost of alcohol to make it less attractive to under-age binge drinkers was one of a handful of options being investigated. The move could see a law put into place which would prohibit supermarkets and bottle stores from discounting alcohol.

I can't say I had seen any local media coverage of this issue.

It actually closely parallels a debate in England where the big four supermarkets have rejected calls to increase alcohol prices and said they are not to blame for town centre binge drinking.

They say that binge drinking in towns centers is a very complex issue and it is too easy for people to blame the sale of cheap alcohol in supermarkets.

The supermarkets also argued that agreeing to raise prices would actually be unlawful and anti-competitive.

Craft Beer Heaven

May 14-20 is American Craft Beer Week. Yes yes, I know we're Kiwis, but it doesn't hurt to appreciate what has been built up in the USA since the early 80s.

This article covers 24 of the best beers available in the USA today. If anyone wants to import these, it could make a great business opportunity. I'll accept a case or two for the tip...

Foster's to aid in first "beer battery" fuel cell project

Oddly enough, "scientists and Australian beer maker Foster's are teaming up to generate clean energy from brewery waste water by using sugar-consuming bacteria," and better yet, the University of Queensland will host a microbial fuel cell at a Foster's Group brewery near Brisbane. Essentially, the cell will consume brewery wastes such as sugar, starch, and alcohol, while producing clean electricity by harnessing the energy released from the organic materials coming in. The device is expected to produce two-kilowatts of power, and while hopes are to bring the technology to other breweries and wineries around the country, this iteration should crank up sometime in September.

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AIBA 2007 - Breweries from New Zealand Results

Canterbury Brewery - Christchurch [1 x Silver]
Speight's Distinction Ale - Silver

Cock & Bull - Auckland [5 x Silver]
Blue Goose - Silver
Buxom Blonde - Silver
Classic Draught - Silver
Dark Star - Silver
Fuggles - x
Monk's Habit - Silver

DB Breweries - Auckland [1 Gold, 5 x Silver, 3 x Bronze]
Export Dry Beer - Silver
Export Gold Beer - Gold
Monteith's Black Beer - Silver
Monteith's Celtic Red - Silver
Monteith's Golden Lager - Bronze
Monteith's Original - Silver
Monteith's Pilsner Lager - Bronze
Monteith's Radler - Bronze
Monteith's Summer Ale - Silver
Tui Beer - Bronze

Emerson's Brewery - Dunedin [5 x Silver]
Emerson's APA - Silver
Emerson's Dunkelweiss - x
Emerson's Oatmeal Stout - Silver
Emerson's Old 95 - Silver
Emerson's Pilsner - Silver
Emerson's Taieri George - x
Emerson's Weissbier - Silver

Epic Brewing Company - Auckland [2 x Silver]
Epic Pale Ale - Silver
Epic Mayhem - Silver

Founders Organic Brewery - Nelson [2 x Silver, 2 x Bronze]
Founders Fair Maiden Ale - Bronze
Founders Generation Ale - Silver
Founders Long Black - Silver
Founders Red Head - x
Founders Tall Blonde - Bronze

Limburg Beer Company - Auckland [2 x Silver]
Limburg Czechmate Pilsner - Silver
Limburg Hopsmacker - Silver
Limburg Witbier - x

Limburg Beer Company - Hastings [1 x Silver]
Limburg IPA - x
Limburg Porter - Silver

Lion Breweries - Auckland [1 x Silver, 2 x Bronze]
Mac's Gold Malt Lager - Bronze
Steinlager - Bronze
Steinlager Premium Light - Silver

Mac's Brewery - Auckland [4 x Silver]
Black Mac - Silver
Mac's Great White - Silver
Mac's Hop - Silver
Mac's Sassy Red - Silver

Martinborough Beer & Ales - Martinborough
White Rock Wheat Beer - x

Matson's Brewery Ltd - Christchurch
Matson's Classic Draught - x
Matson's Gold Label Lager - x
Matson's Premium Dark - x
Matson's Premium Pilsner - x

Nelson Bay Brewery - Nelson [1 x Bronze]
Amadeus - x
Bengal Bitter - Bronze

Speight's Brewery - Dunedin [1 x Bronze]
Mac's Springtide - Bronze
Speight's Gold medal Ale - x

The Croucher Brewing Company - Rotorua [1 x Bronze]
Hef - x
Pale Ale - Bronze
Pilsener - x

White Cliffs Brewery - Taranaki [1 x Silver]
Mikes Mild Ale - Silver
Mountain Lager - x

Wigram Brewing Co. - Christchurch [1 x Best in Class, 1 x Gold, 1 x Bronze]
Hefeweizen - Bronze
Munchner Dunkel - Gold / Best in Class
Propeller Lager - x

New Zealand Won:
1 x Best in Class
2 x Gold
29 x Silver
11 x Bronze

Congratulations to all breweries that achieved medals for their beers.

[results as per AIBA 2007 Results]

Organic Beer and Wine Festival

On May 4th, Students for Environmental Action (SEA) would like to change the way you think about organics by hosting a night full of tasty treats, beers and wines.

For the past four years, Students for Environmental Action (SEA) have been organising the event to promote the availability of organic beers and wines in Dunedin. "The festival is always well attended by both students and the wider Dunedin community and is a positive event for a university student group to be involved in", says Sarah Cleland, the organiser of this year's event.

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IPA - Yeah Right

Well it's been talked about and joked about for as long as we have had the billboards. Now finally we have the image.

RateBeer.com

Aussies teaching us a thing or two?

At first read, this seems like a bit of a "who cares?" article about VB going low-alcohol. Read on though for gems like this:

"Mid-strength and boutique beers are the new darlings of Australia's $A5.5 billion beer industry, with 12 per cent annual growth against flat sales for mainstream beers."

"New boutique breweries including Cascade, Boag's and James Squire have won huge followings in most city pubs, while so-called microbreweries such as Little Creatures, Mountain Goat and Blue Tongue have lured drinkers away from VB in droves."

and

"Hundreds of craft breweries are opening and aiming to rival small European makers, turning Australians away from traditional lagers and on to more complex beer styles."

Oh yes... let's, just for once, let the Aussies lead the way eh?

Read the full article.

Miller Mashes MASH

Have your say, have a vote about MASH

Miller Mashes MASH

Price of drinks going up soon - Lion Nathan

Lion Nathan says the price of a drink is going to go up soon as it cannot continue to absorb higher production costs any longer.

Managing director Peter Kean says the company has no choice but to pass on higher costs for manufacturing and distribution to customers. These include higher aluminum, glass, sugar and fuel prices and a recent increase in road user charges.

Between them they make up nearly 90% of New Zealand's beer market.

From Radio New Zealand

[Ed. "...make up nearly 90% of New Zealand's beer market" where does this statistic come from? or is it just the same figure thrown around for years by NZ's media that can't be arsed doing any real investigative journalism on the NZ beer market.

So what makes up the other nearly 10%?
Independent Liquor - ??%
Fosters - ??%
Imports - ??% (what % of Lion's beer sales are imported beers?)
Micro Breweries - ??%

Or is it now more than 10%? ]

Beer 102

It's a bit of a grab bag of goodness today with two new columns, a piece of on-line vandalism and a "joke".

First up is my column from Salient on legendary drinkers:

"Yet another worthless series of Dancing with the Stars has started and sadly hundreds of thousands of mindless drones will be glued to the screen to see who is crowned New Zealand’s least worst amateur dancer.

As part of my personal struggle against the continual dilution of what passes for popular culture, this column is about some people we should actually admire – the legendary beer drinkers of the world!"

Already popular, this weeks column laments the Worst Beers of the Year:

"For the first time ever, my unofficial tasting panel complained bitterly about getting free beer.

These beers are probably best drunk cold, but no fridge I know gets it cold enough."

Speights are busy promoting their competition to travel on a ship to England with their new pub but I was alerted to their listing on Wikipedia which (for about 40 minutes) read:

'Speight's' is a brewery in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is famous for tasting like sheep urine fermented in a car radiator and its promotional branding based on being 'a real southern man' and being 'the pride of the south'.

The vandalism was quickly fixed but whoever did so neglected to also correct the description of Speight's Old Dark as "an English Porter"...

Speaking of jokes, this one is doing the rounds:

Nelson rings his boss first thing monday morning.

Nelson 'Boss I can't come to work today'

Boss ' Why not? '

Nelson ' I've got the bird Flu'

Boss ' How in the hell did you get the bird flu?'

Nelson ' Too many Tuis!'