An interesting spin on one of the big alcohol stories of the moment. I’m not too sure how many of the glassings in the current “sharp rise in glassing incidents” were caused by beer bottles as opposed to glassed. Not to mention I’d expect that the experience of drinking out of a plastic bottle will drive more drinkers to pour their stubby into a glass. In which case, it’s lucky that Conrad Jupiters has installed their toughened glassware otherwise the move may well have increased the number of glassings rather than alleviated the problem.
While they have led with the safety line, they do mention the other apparent benefits of plastic which is the way other brewers are selling the PET bottles. I can see many of these benefits…though I’ll be interested to find out more about PET bottles cooling down quicker than aluminium and keeping beer cooler than glass.
It will be very interesting to see what the reaction to the PET bottles is. It won’t change the flavour of the beer at all, as homebrewers have known for years, and if it does lead to more drinkers pouring their beers into a glass and drinking it the way beer should be enjoyed, it will be a good thing for beer.
5th November 2009
Conrad Jupiters puts Patron Safety first.
This Friday 6th of November will see the first Beer in PET bottles sold in QLD. Conrad Jupiters are the first in Queensland to receive a shipment of Byron Bay Beer company product in the brand new PET (Plastic) bottles designed by Visy.
Conrad Jupiters led the way in bar patron safety by introducing toughened glassware in their major bars back in 2005. In January this year all glassware in both bars were upgraded to the top of the range toughened glassware, as recommended by manufacturers as the safest on the market. Now as an addition to consumer safety the PET bottles will be on sale from this Friday the 6th of November in both the Atrium and the PA Bars.
“This is the first PET product in Queensland that we have seen that has a good shelf life and keeps the beer fresh and cold”, explained Bar Manager Stephen Lawrie, “on top of this Conrad Jupiters are committed to making our venues as safe as possible for patrons and this is just one more step towards the high level we aim for”
Byron Bay Beverages partnered with Visy to rethink its packaging game plan. Using superior new technology in plastics, Byron Bay Brewery has created the perfect PET bottle that stores beer safely without compromising the quality or taste. The development is a response to the sharp rise in glassing incidents across Australia and introduction of new liquor licensing laws, banning the serving of glass after midnight at key venues.
The introduction of the PET Byron Bay Beer bottles is just one more preventative measure making the Gold Coasts premier entertainment venue safe 24 hours a day. This, coupled with the intensive training programs in Responsible Service of Alcohol all staff and security undergo, ensures that our patrons remain the safest on the Gold Coast.
“Conrad Jupiters is all about innovation and leading the pack, on this occasion we are very proud to be the first in Queensland to introduce this product to the market” explained Managing Director Stuart Wing.
UPDATE:
I probably should add that while Byron Bay Brewery has finally opened a brewery at Byron Bay (it rankled many that they didn't have one) the plastic bottles - and in fact all of the beer sold outside of the Byron Bay brewery/restaurant is still contract brewed. Not that there's anything wrong with that...it just matters to some.