Beer from the library

Thanks to Gavin Bannerman, Oral History and Digital Storytelling Coordinator at the State Library of Queensland, for sending this link to this through.

Surprisingly, beer and brewery history isn’t bigger in this country. Great small breweries come and go with their histories and passing barely documented. Even the big breweries seem to refuse to develop any form of true corporate histories, other than the PR and marketing created ones than are largely creative back stories rather than true accounts of periods of time.

One of the few serious beer historians in the country is Dr Brett Stubbs who maintains the Australian Good Beer Directory, though being a serious historian rather than a populist PR hack historian, his efforts are largely confined to his passion and own time rather than funded in any way.

It is great to see an interest microbrewery featuring in this project. The project is called “Storylines” and was run by State Library Queensland, funded by the Queensland Government for Q150 – Queensland’s 150th birthday celebrations. It’s one of those little projects that gets funded by Governments for which they receive little, if any, credit – but often provide important historical markers.  This was a project to capture stories from all around the state – local people, places and events. The stories made for Q150 have been added to the library’s parent site, “Queensland Stories” which Gavin coordinates.

Sunshine Coast Brewery is one of those little breweries kicking around, doing some really enjoyable beers largely unheralded. This year they won the Trophy for Best Reduced Alcohol Beer at the AIBA (yes, a beer that’s even better than XXXX Gold coming from Queensland) and came within a point or two of winning the wheat beer trophy for their Dunkelweisse – beaten by Weihenstephaner Dunkel.

It’s great to see it recorded in Queensland’s official history.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYLH-G2OmKo&hl=en]

A treasure trove of beer history

Maybe it’s just me, but when I read about Trove in The Punch, several hours disappeared before I realised it. Of course I started searching for “beer” and was amazed at the results that came back… A year after Fosters launched in Australia, they were advertising about it being “highly nutritive” in The Argus, which may have been why they were so certain that it was going to become the national drink of Australia.

Fosters also reported an increased beer sales in 1895, as well as receiving from Prince Regent Luitpold the first consignment of that season’s Bohemian hops – which were reportedly of choice quality.

Keeping with the CUB theme is this photo that is identified as being:

Holding the bottle of Melbourne Bitter beer, part of a gift parcel from the RSL is, Sergeant (Sgt) Brian Charles Cooper MM, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR), of Perth, WA (right), who won an immediate award of the Military Medal (MM) for his conduct in action fought on the night of 24 July 1953. Sgt Cooper, commander of a Vickers medium machine gun section, came under fierce attack by an enemy force of estimated Company strength following a heavy artillery barrage. Leaving sufficient of his gun crews to man the guns covering his primary task of guarding the western approaches to The Hook, he organised the remainder into a separate defensive position. From this position he engaged the enemy with such a volume of grenades and small arms fire that they were unable to penetrate the position despite the overwhelming superiority of numbers. He called down friendly fire so close to his own and neighbouring US positions that he prevented the enemy from pressing home any further organised attacks. Sgt Cooper also continued to pass back information to the Battalion and personally supervised the evacuation of wounded to safety through an area in which the enemy moved and under heavy shellfire. He displayed throughout cool courageous leadership. With Sgt Cooper is Corporal Ron Walker of Bayswater, one of the brave band who fought in the battle. Note the tin of Johnson's baby powder, part of the gift pack.

Castlemaine Perkins and Fourex features prominantly too, including these ads from the early 1900s…

I don’t speak German, but the google translation of the first is:

Fourex, The memory of the last bottle of beer in the verkäuff the next bottle of XXXX

You get the point.

Then there’s this article on lager beer from Burton-on-Trent, interesting because I had never realised that Burton produced lagers – and that the beers tastes of garlic…

WALKER'S LAGER BEER.

Walker's Lager Beer, concerning which an advertisement appears in another column, is brewed in England, at Burton on-Trent (so noted over five centuries for the purity and suitability of its water) by a firm established for upwards of 50 years. It is brewed from only the best malt and hops, and produced under the most perfect hygienic conditions that both scientists and modern mechanical skill can devise. It has no sediment, is conditioned for many months by nature's own process-is free from the objectionable preservatives used in foreign lagers, and reaches the consumer in bright, palatable condition. It contains a very small amount of alcohol and a relatively large amount of nutritive material. In addition, it is appetising and digestive. It is therefore not only light and refreshing, but it is claimed to be an ideal dietetic. It may be obtained through all wine, spirit, and beer merchants. The "Lancet" writes; -"Lager implies a stored or matured beer, the word itself meaning a storehouse. Storage implies time, and time means expense. The essential difference between English beer and lager beer is that the former is brewed at a comparatively high, temperature, and the latter at a low temperature. The work of the yeast in lager beer proceeds at the bottom of the vat, the so-called bottom or sedimentary fermentation, while in the brewing of English beer the fermentation at the higher temperature proceeds at the surface and much more rapidly. Surface fermentation succeeds therefore in preparing briskly foaming and strong beers, bottom fermentation produces the cold, light lager. The products are different in flavour, in nutrient value, in alcoholic strength. Some people imagine that lager beer is flavored with garlic. That is not the case. The peculiar taste has its origin entirely in the mode of fermentation adopted. A matter of genuine dietetic importance is that while lager beer contains a higher proportion of nutritive substances than ordinary brewed Burton ale the amount of alcohol in it is decidedly less while the process is conducted throughout not only in the cold but under  seal. Lastly the beer is preserved by a carefully conducted method of pasteurisation the object of which is to keep the product in a sound condition, the control over this process being such that no disturbance of the delicate flavor is incurred.   The foregoing facts apply to the Burton   lager which Messrs Peetr Walker &, Son have placed upon the market"

The site truly is a trove and a great place to while away a few hours ‘researching’ over the quieter summer days at work.

A non-New Year’s resolution

I normally don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I figure that if there’s something that you really should do, you should do it now rather than wait until some arbitrary, future date. New Year’s resolutions seem a form of procrastination (which I am also very good at). So this resolution isn’t actually a New Year’s resolution, it just a change I plan to make that happens to coincide with the end of year period. Clear?

That out of the way, my resolution is to be more positive about beer on this blog.

This comes about because I have been flat out for the last two weeks and have been too busy to write, but it has given me plenty of time to reflect on the past year of writing. I realised that I work in beer because I love it, but that if the only contact someone had with me is this blog you might wonder.

It’s funny really, I spend so much of my time presenting beer appreciation classes, hosting corporate tastings, hosting the 4BC beer show and writing about beer. Through all of that I’m pretty much a huge fanboy for beer, raving about it and trying to show how exciting, interesting and dynamic beer is. This blog was planned as an adjunct to all of that, but something happened along the way. I don’t get paid for writing it and don’t sell advertising, it’s something that I started to do because there’s a lot that I think should be said about beer and the Australian beer industry that doesn’t really find a place in print. Unfortunately, because it’s something that I do around real work and only write here when motivated rather the need to earn a dollar, I seem to have been most motivated to write when stuff pisses me off. This has seen the blog tend towards beer bile rather than a site that celebrates beer the way I want to. So I resolve that will change. From the site traffic stats, I am frankly amazed at how many people (apparently you are ‘uniques’ in the jargon of the web) stop by to read these self-indulgent rantings and I think I owe it to you be a little more enthusiastic here.  I will still vent, but I will also use the site to to celebrate all of the beery goodness in the world, not just the bad.

Just like the quitting smoker, I expect to have you hold this resolution up to me if I lapse…

How serious are they?

Last week I posted about the new campaign from Cricket Australia, supported by Fosters, Diageo and Channel 9, called ‘Know when to declare”. While supporting the campaign, I did highlight some of the challenges that a company that profits from selling alcohol faces in being taken seriously selling the healthy drinking message. Last Sunday night on the Beer Show we had Troy Hey, Fosters General Manager-Media and Reputation, on to talk about the campaign. Troy spoke about the campaign and its aims and made good points about the role a business like Foster’s has to play in changing societal perceptions about alcohol. It’s obviously an issue that, at least on some level, the business is serious about.

Then today, I’m strolling through the local bottlo and see the latest promotion for Carlton Mid, Ken’s Bucks. With the tagline, “We made up a man so you can go to his Bucks”.

Google “Ken’s Bucks” and the first return is:'

Now, what is the first thing that you think of when you think of a buck’s party? (Ok, maybe the second..after boobs and before the shaved eyebrows and one-way train tickets). But it’s certainly not moderation or responsible drinking.

To quote comedian Robin Williams out of context, sticking the ‘enjoy responsibly’ logo on a promotion that ties beer with a buck’s night is like trying to stop a Ferrari with a tissue.

A couple of weeks ago, Foster’s national sponsorship manager, Chris Maxwell, admitted the company was wrong to feature David Boon as part of their talking doll campaign because it could be seen promoting binge drinking.

The issue with Boonie is a hard one. He is a great Australian, and he has personally never sought to promote or glamorise his inflight ‘achievement’. As a recent article about it recounted:

When asked a few years ago to discuss it, his blunt reply was: "Never have, never will." When he penned his life story soon after his retirement he didn't even mention it.

But, fairly or not, he will forever be associated with the 52 cans on a flight to London and associating him with a beer campaign is a nudge and a wink in that direction.

In admitting the error, Chris Maxwell said:

"Looking back, we have decided that was the wrong thing to do. We didn't have the foresight to see that this issue was going to be so significant. And in glorifying that behaviour we have added to the issue of the normalisation of binge-drinking in Australia.

''The difference is now we realise we have a responsibility to the community to promote our products in a responsible way. Therefore, we think a lot more deeply about how we use ambassadors, how we use our messages, and the potential impact down the track."

When I put this to Troy, he replied:

The promotion is for midstrength beer, aimed at spending time with your mates with the prize a 5 star accommodation, meal, nightclub entry and grand canyon helicopter and white water rafting adventure.

There’s nothing in the promotion that encourages abuse of alcohol and instead, it plays to the modern incarnation of the bucks party - as the ultimate leave pass for the bloke who finds it tough to get time away to do ‘stuff’ i.e. golf, go-cart racing, fishing, fly to LA and white water raft etc.)

All reasonable, except the competition isn’t called “The Ultimate Leave Pass” competition.

The “Know when to declare” message is a positive one, but it seems to be inconsistent with and undermined by the very same brewery tying a campaign to buck's parties.

What's the first thing you think about when you think buck's nights?

Little Creatures Special Bitter

Just received from Little Creatures...for Brisbane readers, we'll speak to Matt Coorey at the Grand Central about getting hold of a keg soon...

Special Bitter Now on Tap!

Hi Hopheads,

Here at the brewery we have been very busy in the lead up to Christmas.  But not so busy we couldn't have a bit of fun...

A while back we held a little brewing competition between our brewing and packaging guys - each entrant was to craft their own beer for a blind judging.  The winner would have their brew replicated in the 10,000L brewhouse.  So after much tasting, debate and more tasting, the big trophy went to Cam Barron, Packaging Man, with his Special Bitter.

Special Bitter (sometimes referred to as "Best Bitter") is a traditional english style of beer with a moderate alcohol content and firm bitternes.  The beer was produced with a blend of Pale Ale, Crystal and Belgian Aromatic Malts.  It is a "single-hop" beer, produced with 100% East Kent Goldings (traditional UK hop) used in several additions early and late kettle, along with whirlpool.

The results is a bold beer with a golden hue - the hop aroma is more subtle and "english" (think of an old stately fellow), but the bitterness will give you a run for you money.  Nice little early summer session beer.....

The specs for the beer lovers:

Alcohol = 4.2% ABV

BU = 34.0 IBU

Colour = 22 EBC

It will be on tap at Little Creatures starting Friday 3rd December while supplies last.  And for those not living a stones throw from the brewery - we will have it on tap in select outlets around the country - check with your local.....

Sip, slop, slap

I have an article in today’s The Punch (complete with the perfect picture to illustrate the concept) arguing that, despite what certain anti-drink campaigners would like to think, having a beer is more like going to the beach than smoking…so cover up and don’t get burnt this weekend.

Let me know what you think.

A rose by any other name

Good post from Hefevice about the closure of Macs Shed 22 Wellington waterfront site, which I gather is the original brewery.

I always feel a little vexed when I read about these closures. Beer is a business afterall. No brewer doing it commercially – not even the smallest, craftiest microbrewer – is doing it for free.  While a focus on quality (and by quality I mean more flavoursome and interesting beers, not cookie cutter consistency) may assume a higher focus for these brewers, they still want to pay their bills, feed their family and make the odd mortgage payment, just the same as the big corporates

Corporate brewers – or any corporation – always fall back on their duty to maximise the return on their shareholders investment, which is fair enough. These obligations mean that they aren’t just looking at generating a sustainable business, but to constantly increase profits. Again, fair enough - although as I get older I seem to be developing a bit more of a concern about the long-term sustainability of this sort of rapaciousness. This is particularly so when you see the reasoning given by Lion (or should that be Kirin these days?) for the decision…

The Wellington Brewery is a higher-cost facility relative to our other breweries but up until now we considered this a component of our investment in building the Mac’s brand and its reputation for brewing innovation.

However the brand has developed to a point where consumer adoration for Mac’s no longer depends on the Wellington Brewery underpinning the brand’s reputation for brewing innovation. The maturity of the Mac’s brand and the introduction of the Mac’s Brewbars throughout the country have contributed to this change in consumer attitude, to the extent that we can now no longer justify the expense of operating the Wellington Brewery.

Is it just me, or is this really saying that:

• while the brewery is making a profit, it’s not making enough of a profit because making smaller batches is too expensive
• despite this we kept the facility until now because there was a non-monetary value to the brewery, namely to convince our customers the Mac’s is all about quality beer
• Now, enough people – people who don’t really think about what they drink and are swayed by a label and clever marketing – think that we rock and will think that even if we close the brewery that made this possible, even though it is still making us money.

Am I wrong in reading it that way?

Of course, there is the environmental line being trotted out as well -

Only 20 per cent of the beer produced on site is enjoyed by Wellington drinkers. The rest is shipped off around the country via Christchurch which generates huge freight and distribution costs.

"It makes good commercial sense to move the brewery to Christchurch where we have the flexibility to meet current and future demand. Then there's the environmental footprint, which we're keen to address," Ms Read said.

Yep, because New Zealand is such a huge country, trucking beer around it has a massive environmental downside…but we’re still willing to export to Australia and have the beer trucked around that huge mofo of a country. Wait, I just realised – that will be the excuse for brewing Mac’s under licence in Australia once the brand has developed to a point where consumer adoration for Mac’s no longer depends on a New Zealand-based brewery underpinning the brand’s reputation for brewing innovation. The maturity of the Mac’s brand and the introduction of the Mac’s Brewbars throughout the Australia have contributed to this change in consumer attitude, to the extent that we can now no longer justify the expense of brewing beers for export in New Zealand.

As usual, I am diverting…what I actually wanted to post about – hence the title – was this…

We will maintain a dedicated Mac’s brewer who will still brew the craft beers with the same passion and hand-crafted approach as now…

There are a couple of words that are guaranteed to appear in any brewery media release, whether a 6 hectolitre micro or 100 hectolitre behemoth and “hand-crafted” is one of them. What does that mean in brewing? Especially in a 40 hectolitre plant…I’m pretty sure the brewers aren’t carrying in bags of malt and hops, nor measuring the water in measuring cups. One of the ways that the other breweries would be five times less expensive than the Macs brewery would be automation. Isn’t automation the opposite of hand-crafted?

Other marketing speak on my hate list are:

• Premium (how can Corona be a ‘premium’ beer except that being a crap beer from an exotic foreign country we have convinced the punters to shell out $50 for it)
• Super or ultra premium (how can Boags Pure – that’s repackaged Steinlager Pure for my kiwi readers - be super premium when it has less flavour that regular beer? Oh, it’s in a nicer bottle)
• finest quality ingredients (our cane sugar and tetra hops are the finest quality)
• innovation…we put it in a nicer bottle, or a new label that does a magic trick or put fruit cordial in it like people have been doing for years

Readers, what are your pet hates?

You an effen great bloke?

I normally shy away from talking too much about contract brewed beers. At their best, they can be pretty good beers and there are some really good examples going around. Unfortunately, at their worst they are cynical and the rapidity with which aspiring beer moguls spring up, talk big about ‘craft’, brew cheap and then disappear has the potential to really damage the microbrewing scene. The US experience in the late-80s and early-90s shows what damage contract brewing done cynically can do to the broader industry.

Contract brewers seem to enjoy an advantage over their brewery-owning brethren in that, by avoiding the necessity of investing in plant and equipment, they always seem to have some of the slickest marketing. When this marketing is about all there is to the brand, contract brewing lunges into the cynical. The flipside is that where the beer is good, it’s a pretty smart way to brew your beer and build your brand without incurring crippling debt. Boston Brewing in the States, the biggest US-owned brewery since the InBev takeover of Anheuser Busch, is a great example of the best that contract can be.

One of the better contract beers going around at the moment though is Effen lager. A nicely-crafted golden lager, it is a pretty good summer drinking beer that hits the spot on a hot day but still tastes of malt and hops. Of course, their marketing is pretty slick but at least is backed up by a pretty enjoyable beer. Their marketing hasn’t been without problems though and as a result of a trademark dispute with a Dutch vodka maker, their media releases and website look like they’ve been graffitied by someone called TM. 

Anyway, for all that, they are running a competition that closes tonight offering you the chance to win a year’s supply of beer… media release below (apologies for the TMs)

LOOKING FOR AUSTRALIA'S effen^TM GREAT BLOKE!

An effen^TM Great Bloke - is he the guy that mows the lawn and crops the hedges, the mate you can rely on when the going gets tough - through thick and thin, past hell and high-water. Well, that’s one way of looking at it. It’s very Australian to be in the company of an effen^TM Great Bloke and effen^TM beer is searching for Australia’s answer.

“We are looking for a true-blue bloke who knows how to be an effen^TM Great Bloke – most of the time,” said Ryan Leslie, founder of effen^TM Beer.

“Not the guy who stands up his mates because he has a new girl on the scene, nor the one that is a repeat offender at missing the football because he has domestic chores.”

effen^TM Beer is looking for an Effen Great Bloke and his best mates to give away a year's supply of beer to – the ultimate ‘mates’ gift.

“We’re encouraging people to communicate what makes them an effen^TM Great Bloke in a way that best represents the theme of the campaign.”

To win, consumers are required to log onto the www.effengreatbloke.com and say who or what they think is an

‘effen^TM Great Bloke’ in up to 150 words, upload a photo or send a video via YouTube. The competition has been receiving some really creative and great entries and it ends on the 1st of Dec, 2009.

effen^TM breaks the perception that all Australian beers have to be watered down and consumed as a thirst quencher in the summer months. It has emerged as a brand with real character, designed for free spirited individuals in search for a good time. Created like no other craft beer in Australia – effen^TM is an ultra smooth, full bodied malt lager with exceptional balance and a clean, crisp finish. effen^TM beer also won the People's choice Best Lager award at the Victorian Microbreweries Showcase held at Federation Square in  October this year.

Tightly bunched

If you want to see just how much the world has got its panties into a bunch about alcohol, read this article about the UK’s ultra-hyped Brewdog brewery. Now, it’s true that Brewdog actively court controversy as a means of seeking free exposure and goes out of its way to do so, but comments such as this from campaign group Alcohol Focus Scotland show that the anti-alcohol lobby has no sense of moderation either…

“It is a product with a lot of alcohol in it, that's all. To dress it up as anything else is cynical.”

And this one…

“We want to know why a brewer would produce a beer almost as strong as whisky.”

The brewery itself says the beer, called Tactical Nuclear Penguin, should be drunk in "spirit sized measures".

A warning on the label states: "This is an extremely strong beer; it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost."

Of course, launching it on the same day as the Scottish government's Alcohol Bill which includes proposals for minimum pricing on drink was introduced is both inspired and incredibly cynical marketing which, while great for Brewdog’s business, does little to take the heat out of the debate about alcohol.

Crap la monde

Pete Brown captured the decline of Stella beautifully in this recent piece I’ve mentioned here before. It came down to:

After the merger, Inbev instituted an aggressive cost-cutting culture. Out went the lavish TV ad production budgets. In came cheaper, high-visibility posters. Out went the embossed cans; in came a smaller bottle size for supermarket multipacks.

The beer itself, brewed in the traditional style with quality ingredients, had always tasted more full-bodied than its competitors. That put some people off. Inbev started to brew with maize, cheaper than barley, producing a blander-tasting beer.

There is a particular corporate mindset that seeks to redress this by returning to more lavish ads while keeping the beer cheap, but that seems to be the InBev way. The fact that it often works says a lot about us.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwYCFnIo5FI&hl=en]

I think Roger Protz has the best answer.

Deserves a promotion

My question yesterday asking in all of the Schoolies photos that have been taken this past week, has anyone seen one with Schoolies carrying cartons of Murray’s 2IPA or Redoak Wee Heavy Ale into their units prompted a comment from colleague Ian Watson linking to this article from The Onion. It’s priceless and deserves a post of its own…

Know when to declare...indeed

I often get accused of cynicism...I'm not a 'glass half empty' or a 'glass full guy', I'm more of a 'the glass is too big' sort of guy. So, I will lead with praise this post...

Congratulations to Fosters, Diageo, Channel Nine and Cricket Australia for announcing today they are partnering on a responsible drinking campaign titled, "Know when to declare". You can read all about it here and here. Without having seen any of the campaign, if Fosters applies any of the consumer insight and creativity that they use to get people drinking their product then this is the sort of positive campaign that can make a real contribution to changing the drinking culture that has come under fire of late.

Having said that though, a couple of things sprang to mind when I read it about it...

It is suddenly clear why "a senior Foster's executive" apologised a few weeks ago - seemingly apropos of nothing - for using David Boon and the "Boonie Doll" in a campaign a few years ago because Foster's "had not anticipated binge drinking would become such an urgent social issue." It was less of an apology and more of a clearing of the decks so that they nullified the issue so that nothing would take the rosy glow off the campaign methinks...

Also, while I concede that there is definitely a hiding-to-nothing element to this, there is just something that jars about a company like Diageo running a campaign such as this. They are proud to be a company with a "strong and continuous innovation pipeline driven by consumer demand and market opportunities", (which I think in English means, "we will continue to develop cheap alcohol that tastes just like soft drink at the same strength as beer and argue that even though it is designed to be appeal to a generation that wants to drink but doesn't actually like the flavour of alcohol and so has no nasty alcohol flavours to act as a brake or a speed bump to excessive consumption, it should be taxed at the same rate as drinks that do have a flavour brake and aren't as binge-worthy." (draw breath)

I am trying to think of an appropriate simile to describe this. The best that I can come up with (and I know that it is a little extreme, but it makes the point) but there is an element of Jack the Ripper campaigning for better street lighting while plying his trade in the alleys to the campaign.

In all of the Schoolies photos that have been taken this past week, has anyone seen one with Schoolies carrying cartons of Murray’s 2IPA or Redoak Wee Heavy Ale into their units or even a bottle of an Islay malt?

But maybe I'm just being cynical.

It’s all fun until someone loses a Coffee Porter

Sometimes you’re having harmless fun and then some clown takes it a little too far and then everyone suffers when Mum and Dad crack down and ban everyone. It’s a theme that I’ve returned to a few times of late, what with distillers who couldn’t confine themselves to crappy sweetened distilled alcoholic beverages, deciding they would be better off making flavourless beer and then adding sugar and raspberry flavourings to it so they could sell the same tasting slop but cheaper. (It was obviously mature and responsible adults that they were targeting these sweet, fizzy alcopops to.) Of course, this just meant that the Federal Government changed the definition of beer to stop the practice and in doing so made it difficult for centuries-old styles of beers – ones that aren’t sweet or ‘sessionable’ – to be brewed.

(And to deviate from that theme for just a minute, it may be an old-fashioned view, but shouldn’t taste like the source from which it is derived? Shouldn’t wine taste of grapes? Beer of malt, hops and yeast? Once you get to the stage that you’re just making alcohol in the cheapest possible way and masking the flavour to make it easy to drink – you’re not drinking, you’re just consuming alcohol. The marketers can put it in fancy bottles and call it ‘Something-Something Platinum’ but it is just flavoured alcohol. While the advertising and marketing of these things portrays attractive 20-somethings in a chic nightclub being sophisticated, the reality is it should be a vagrant in an alley drinking metho and milk – because the approach to drinking is just the same: “I don’t care where my alcohol is from and what it tastes like, I’ll just mask the taste and drink as much as I can for the effect it brings.” But I digress…)

Another example is what’s recently happened in the States where the Federal Drug Administration has sent letters to 30 manufacturers of alcoholic beverages with caffeine in them asking them to prove that the combination is ‘Generally Regarded As Safe’. There is plenty of discussion of the issue on many of the US beer writers’ sites – as usual Jay Brooks has one of the best round ups – but the upshot is there is a risk that caffeine can be banned in alcoholic beverages. Now, when some of the drinks covered by the FDA letters include such classy beverages as Liquid Charge, 3Sum, 3AM Vodka, Vicious Vodka with Caffeine and Slingshot Party Gel, I can understand why they come under the scrutiny of the government. But as always the government would impose a blanket ban rather than just dealing with the problem ones and so because a couple of hyperactive kids with sticks who don’t know when to stop whack kids in the heads with sticks until they cry, there is a risk our parents will ban the rest of us from having fun recreating Star Wars light sabre fights with sticks too.

Now, if the logic is applied in Australia, Meantime Coffee Porter (there aren’t many locally made versions, though Brad Rogers did Crema  while he was at Matilda Bay) – which is definitely a one-beer-a-night-with-a-nice-dessert beer could be banned all because of a we-put-caffeine-and-guarana-in-a-vodka-drink-cos-the-kiddies-think-they’re-cool-and-can-stay-up-all-night-drinking-them drink.

Coffee and porter or stout are an almost perfect combination – blended together for flavour not for effect, but we could lose them because some kids just don’t know how to play right and take it too far.

Not quite mainstream, but…

You know that beer (and food matching) is starting to make headway when you see terrific articles like this appearing in mainstream media. I don’t know of James Smith and with the few ‘beer writers’ in  Australia I suspect he’s not a ‘specialist’ beer writer. (Willie Simpson is about the only one who can really claim to be a beer writer as if it’s a full-time occupation rather than a sideline.) But it’s a wonderful piece that conveys how good beer can be and how well it matches with food – a surprise to many.

It’s a funny thing but there is a section amongst beer writers  who fume when a non-beer writer writes about beer. I don’t know what the motivation is for this view, but I suspect there’s more than a little bit of the “one true church” about it. You need the high priests to interpret the Gospel of Beer. Outsiders can’t possibly know the truth about beer and the masses need guidance from the ‘Church’ to live a life in beer.

What crap.

The thing about beer is that, unlike wine, it doesn’t have those sorts of divides. It’s not owned by an elite cadre,  it is for everyone. More importantly, the more widely it is written about – particularly in such an enthusiastic piece – the better it is for beer.  I wish more mainstream journalists would write about it.

Beer –v– wine smackdown

About a year ago we did a beer versus wine smackdown on the Beer Show on 4BC. Three foods matched to three beers selected by me and three wines selected by James McIlwain from Southern Cross Wine Merchants who does a wine show on alternate weeks. On that occasion beer lost, 2-1. I was devastated. Last night we had a rematch. Beer won and won well.

The three foods were prawns, chicken satay and dark chocolate. The matchups were:

Prawns: Schneider Weisse Original –v– Meadowbank 2006 Riesling (Tasmania) Chicken Satay: Singha Lager –v– d'Arenberg 2006 Grenache (McLaren Vale) 75% Cocoa Dark Chocolate: Trois Pistoles –v– Rutherglen Port.

The judging was done by the host, Walter Williams, his producer, myself and James. Beer won the prawns match 2-2, but on points. Not convincing. I think if I had gone with Ian Watson’s suggestion of a nice golden lager, such as Jever Pilsner, I would have even done better, but the Schneider Weisse is an old favourite and I couldn’t be told. It worked but not perfectly.

With the chicken satay I had no clue what to match, as I wasn’t sure how it would be prepared. It ended up being quite spicy. I hadn’t had a Singha for several years and hadn’t realised that what was once an aromatic and fairly distinctive lager of 6% abv is these days a much sweeter, less hoppy beer of 5%. It was steamrollered by the spice in the sauce. Nice enough, but just didn’t stand up. In hindsight, I would have gone with something bolder – maybe even Alpha Pale Ale. I was amazed at how well the Grenache worked with it. Even I gave the round to the wine. Beer 0-4.

Then came chocolate. I knew I was on a good thing here. I pulled out Trois Pistoles from Unibroue. The Port went really well but the Trois Pistoles was superb with the dark chocolate. James declared the round even before the judging. Beer 4-0. Then I pulled out a haymaker…I had a packet of chocolate covered blueberries from the Noosa Chocolate Company. I passed them around and the panel tried again. The beer tasted very different, but worked. The panel was in raptures. Beer 4-0 and dancing around singing “In your face, wine!”

It was great fun and, as always, I found some wonderful flavours in wine and some surprising matches – that as a largely non-wine drinker I often forget. James is a great bloke with a fantastic palate. We might try and do a dinner somewhere together doing the same thing.

The great thing for me is that beer always holds its own in the match ups…something that surprises many and is another reason why increasing the profile of beer and food matching is good for beer.

Roger that.

Last week saw one of the few occasions when I disagreed with Roger Protz. He’s back in form today though with a great post about brewers stirring up the establishment and creating further problems for the brewing industry. Only, this time the problem is with a supposedly craft brewer. I can’t think of any local microbrewers who resort to this type of garbage with the sole intention of promoting themselves and selling their product with little regard for the industry. Though there is this mob of beer marketers who will no doubt come into anti-alcohol sights soon and take the whole brewing industry with them.

I drink responsibly and I don’t want government intervention to interfere with my choice to drink sensibly. However, alcohol does have a potential for harm and care must be exercised in its sale and use. While my libertarian nature wants no regulations because I am responsible, the sad truth is that like many philosophies, it doesn’t take into account human nature or business. Being liberal carries with it some obligation towards restraint, otherwise limits will be imposed by government. Unfortunately, some companies that generate profits from the making and sale of alcohol have exhibited a reluctance to show restraint in their products or pricing in the name of ‘growing the market’ and are making all alcohol a target.

Somebody slap that bitch, please

I find myself getting cranky a lot these days. I recently turned forty and I hope my crankiness is not due to getting old, but I can’t think what else it could be. I know that it’s not because I’m turning into a wowser, because the precise reason I’m getting cranky is that I WANT to drink. As I have said often, I love beer. I love to drink it. I want to drink the beers that I love when I want to, where I want to and how I want to.

I don’t want to be made to drink beer in plastic cups, or only before 10pm, or only drink beer with less that 4 per cent alcohol.

I want to drink a beer and not have it labelled with pictures of withered and spotty livers, or pictures of bleeding bodies littered around a car smashed by a drunk driver.

I want to be able to drink a beer and not to have to wait until the children are in bed and then sneak out to the back yard for a quick beer and then hide the bottle. Hell, I want my daughters to get the same pleasure out of pouring a beer properly for their hard-to-please dad that I did when I was growing up. Actually, I even want to be able to say that previous sentence without being accused of modelling unhealthy alcohol use and getting dragged into Children’s Services to explain myself.

Because of all of this I wrote an article for The Punch arguing the thesis that:

• Times are changing, the levels of alcohol consumption that are considered healthy are lowering and community attitudes to alcohol are changing too.
• What are considered the visible effects of alcohol – street violence and alcohol induced crime, all grouped under the heading ‘binge-drinking’ - are increasingly becoming hysterical front page fodder for the media.
• The hysteria will force governments to act or at least be seen to act to quickly solve what is a problem developed over a generation. When government acts in this way it acts badly.
• The upshot will be that people who enjoy beer (or wine or spirits) and do so responsibly will be subject to the same ridiculous “anti alcohol” rules and restrictions as the relatively small but visible problem group.

As a result I took a shot at the trend amongst the big breweries to chase the 18 –30 market, raised on fruit juice and sweet soft drinks, that are moving away from “bitter” beer (i.e. most beers) and opting instead for sweetened alcopops. The result is that brewers have gradually been lowering the body and bitterness of new beers to try and attract this demographic. Of course, one of the attractions of these beers is that they are “sessionable” – marketing speak for there being no flavour to leave you feeling like you’ve had enough to drink, no matter how many you have. (Ironically, they also tend to use the description “thirst-quenching” and “satisfying” even though the beers are designed not to quench or sate a thirst - the brewers don’t want you stopping after just one or two.)

Despite the above, one thing that can be said for these beers is that they have also been edging down on their alcohol content. Even XXXX’s beer-like Summer Bright Lager is “full-strength” at 4.2%.

While I think these beers pander to a certain type of drinker, they oddly do it in a sort of semi-responsible way…if that’s possible. And that’s exactly why someone should slap Bitch Beer before they ruin it for the rest of us.

This is a beer that has been designed to fill a gap in the market that didn’t need filling – the market for higher alcohol, lower flavoured beers. Their marketing basically brags about being brewed for effect, unashamedly chasing the market that is in the anti-alcohol crosshairs – young people who drink for effect.

Despite the compulsory, but feeble, ‘Bitch is potent stuff. Please drink responsibly’ the rest of the marketing spiel is a single-entendre.

Why BITCH? Simply because we'd had a guts full of beers made for old men. And BITCH embodied our non-conformist, play hard attitude to life.

Sure, we could have brewed it with less alcohol. And we probably could have made it not taste as good, but then we'd be just like the sh*t loads of ordinary beers made for old men that are already out there.

Packing 6.0% alcohol, it has a bit of kick. The extra alcohol adds a slightly sweet flavour. Unlike many high alcohol beers, BITCH is an unexpectedly fresh, easy drinking Aussie beer.

Swigged extra cold straight from the bottle, it's crisp, clean and gob-smackingly refreshing. Like a Mexican beer, you can add a slice of lemon or lime to put a twist on the flavour. Goes really well with food, or without food, which makes it perfect for every occasion, or not occasion.

This is basically just a malt liquor.

Again, it’s not a wowser thing. As I write this, I have a glass of Flying Dog Barley Wine beside me weighing in at 10 per cent…but it has so much flavour that I’ll probably have written another 1000 words before the glass is empty. (And it is satisfying, I won’t want another.)

This sort of cynical-half-smart-marketing-concept-cash in-contract-brewed (not that there’s anything wrong with contract brewing as a rule) garbage only hurts the beer industry and, I fear, will end up making it harder for people who want to drink beer (not just consume alcohol) to enjoy it. It will tar all higher alcohol beers with the same brush. The hysteria around BrewDog’s Tokyo shows that when it comes to a good frenzy, logic and facts will not calm things down (even if the frenzy was probably self-generated). The big brewers are already shy of putting out higher alcohol beers, even from their craft arms, lest there be public outcry. With branding and marketing like this on a product designed for one thing, these clowns are just painting a huge target on the back of all beer and the rest of the industry should call code red. Failing that, bars that stock it are pretty much signalling that they’re high risk and should start ordering the plastic cups and extra security now as well as putting the lawyers on stand-by.

And don’t get me started on Skinny Bitch, their planned low carb offering…

Beer and food

One of the best beer and food matching dinners that I have ever been to was at last year's Australian National Homebrew Conference, where they matched four beers from award-winning homebrewers with a menu devised by the cooking (cheffing?) teachers at the William Angliss TAFE. The beers were superb and the food matched perfectly. The same team are hosting another one in two week...if you live in Melbourne, or have an excuse to be there I would highly recommend attending.

The ANHC 2009 Food and Beer Pairing Dinner is nearly here.

We're excited about beer. We're even more excited about food and beer together, and this year's tasting dinner should be a very special treat indeed.

The menu has been designed by Chris Badenoch (from BeerMasons and Masterchef~) and David Whitfield (William Angliss' very own master chef), and is a real adventure, drawing on Chris' passion for the exotic, but down-to-earth elements of food.

Prepared by the students at William Angliss and accompanied by beers from four of Australia's best homebrewers, this dinner really is a showcase of the best from up and coming chefs and brewers.

The Beers

Like last year, four beers have been especially brewed for the dinner by award-winning homebrewers. They are:

• Kölsch (a delicately-flavoured, German-style, cool-fermented ale), brewed by John Kingston (VIC), winner of "Best Brewer" at Beerfest 2009, a first place at Vicbrew 2009 and a second place at AABC 2009.
• American Rye IPA (a big, citrusy, strongly hopped India Pale Ale with a twist of rye), brewed by Lyndon Wilson (SA). A version of this beer won its category at AABC 2008, won its category at the SA state championships 2009 and finished sixth at AABC 2009.
• Czech Dark Lager (a smooth and seductive lager in the great tradition of dark Czech beers), brewed by Scott Simpson (NSW), winner of gold at AABC 2008.

Dry Stout (roasty, dry and silky with a hint of hickory), brewed by Geoff Daly (VIC), winner of medals at Beerfest 2009, Vicbrew 2009 and AABC 2009.

Commercial beers? We've got those too. On top of these unique homebrews, we'll also be pouring these beers from our generous sponsors:

• Otway Estate Summer Ale
• Kooinda Pale Ale
• Matilda Bay Big Helga
• Temple Brewing Company Saison

Non-beer drinkers will be catered for by our wine sponsors:

• Otway Estate Chardonnay 2006
• Hickinbotham of Dromana Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

And of course there will be plenty of soft drinks available as well.

All beverages are included in the price of the dinner.

The Menu^

Chris' passion for down-to-earth meals with the raw ingredients of beer (as well as the finished product) as well as David and his team's technical ability have combined to create a unique dining experience.

Appetiser: Assiette of cured meats, antipasti, malted barley bread - Kölsch

Entree: Pig’s trotter and baby lentil terrine, grilled king brown mushrooms and smoked tomato jelly - American rye IPA

Main: Braised beef cheek (marinated in hefeweizen), cauliflower puree, red onion fondue and semolina gnocchi - Czech dark lager Dessert: Chocolate tian, coffee pearls, crystal malt and white chocolate icecream - dry stout

Please note that vegetarians and those with other dietary requirements will also be catered for - please let us know when you purchase your tickets.

You won't want to miss this. Tickets are selling fast at $80 per person (all food and drink included). Book now at www.anhc.com.au

~ Chris was a contestant on Network 10's “Masterchef” programme. There is no connection between the ANHC Pty Ltd, the organisers of this dinner, and Network 10's Masterchef programme.

^ Menu subject to change without notice.

Why four?

Beer advertising is fascinating, the way that 'brand attributes' are draped over a beer that is largely indistinguishable from its competitors so as to make it more desirable. Essentially the idea is for you to identify with the product in a way that it is seen to reflect with your hopes, dreams and social aspirations. What fascinates me more is that this process is so visceral and so well done that even understanding this process doesn't stop it from happening on a subconscious level. We all have beers that just push the right buttons for us - which have nothing to do with how they taste. But why do beer ads usually have four blokes in them? All is answered here (to cut to the chase, skip ahead to 3:38)...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPUkfcEdFFM&start=20&autoplay=1]

Anyway, now that you know why four blokes, you have the chance to be one of them:

XXXX gives Aussie blokes a golden opportunity

13 November 2009: XXXX GOLD has begun the search for the stars of its new television advertising campaign, and this time it could be YOU! As well as inviting professional actors to audition, the nation’s second biggest selling beer brand is giving real Aussie men the chance to live the dream by inviting anyone who thinks he’s got what it takes to apply for a role.

Four men will be cast to play a group of mates who’ll be depicted living the ‘XXXX GOLD good life’ in a range of different scenarios.

“We’re putting out the call for ordinary Aussie blokes, over the age of 25, who enjoy drinking a couple of XXXX GOLD with their mates, and reckon they’ve got what it takes to star in a TV commercial,” said Andrew Coates, Marketing Director, XXXX.

“The new series of ads will be classic XXXX GOLD. It’s about living the good life – a reflection of simpler times and enjoying a beer or two in the company of good friends.

“Previous ads, such as the ‘Jacko’ campaign and the most recent ‘boat building’ series, have been a huge part of making XXXX the Aussie icon we know and love.

“We want the new campaign to celebrate the brand’s core values – mateship, being social and down-to-earth – which is why we’ve opened up the casting to real Australian men,” said Andrew.

Natalie Hall, Director of Natalie Hall Management, who is managing public applications for the XXXX GOLD campaign, said, “This is an opportunity of a lifetime for the right person as they’ll be paid as a professional actor and I dare say it’ll be some of the most fun they’ll ever have at work!

“Having a part in these ads won’t just make you popular amongst your mates and at the pub, you’ll be recognised nationally. Whilst this sounds glamorous, this is a professional acting role, which will involve long hours and you’ll need to be able to perform with the best of them.

“We’re looking for very definite skills – some natural acting talent is a must and comic timing is absolutely essential. We want the best men for the job, whether they’re professional actors or raw talent.

“The ads are quintessentially Australian and the actors will be playing characters who are not unlike themselves so there’s every chance that could be you or your son, brother, neighbour or boyfriend!”

Men who are over the age of 25 and are interested in applying should send a photograph of themselves and contact details, including name and phone number, to Natalie Hall Management at competition@nataliehall.com or call (07) 3871 0906. Photos do not need to be taken professionally; they can be simple digital photos.

Applicants will only be contacted if they’re chosen for an audition. Candidates will need to pay their own expenses to get to the audition, which will be held in Brisbane and Townsville the week commencing 23rd November.

Successful actors must be free to film during the week 15th – 19th December.

Duty of care

Publicans across Australia will be breathing a sign of relief today. In a fascinating (if you’re into that sort of thing) judgement, the High Court in the case of

C.A.L. No 14 Pty Ltd v Motor Accidents Insurance Board; C.A.L. No 14 Pty Ltd v Scott [2009] HCA 47

has ruled publicans have no general duty of care to protect patrons from the consequences of getting drunk..essentially not duty to protect them from themselves.

It is predictably being hailed as a victory of common sense, which in many ways it is. However, it would also seem to raise considerable problems for the Responsible Service of Alcohol schemes that operate in many states.

The Court found that there is no general duty of care, saying…“outside exceptional cases, which this case is not, persons in the position of the Proprietor and the Licensee, while bound by important statutory duties in relation to the service of alcohol and the conduct of the premises in which it is served, owe no general duty of care at common law to customers which requires them to monitor and minimise the service of alcohol or to protect customers from the consequences of the alcohol they choose to consume.”

While emphasising the “important statutory duties in relation to the service of alcohol”, the also highlighted the problems in policing these laws.

In Queensland the Liquor Act makes it an offence on licensed premises to (my emphasis):

• sell/supply/provide liquor to an unduly intoxicated patron
• allow another person to supply an unduly intoxicated patron with liquor
• allow an unduly intoxicated patron to consume liquor.

In reaching their decision three judges, with whom a fourth agreed, stated (again, my emphasis):

Expressions like "intoxication", "inebriation" and "drunkenness" are difficult both to define and to apply. The fact that legislation compels publicans not to serve customers who are apparently drunk does not make the introduction of a civil duty of care defined by reference to those expressions any more workable or attractive. It is difficult for an observer to assess whether a drinker has reached the point denoted by those expressions. Some people do so faster than others. Some show the signs of intoxication earlier than others. In some the signs of intoxication are not readily apparent. With some there is the risk of confusing excitement, liveliness and high spirits with inebriation. With others, silence conceals an almost complete incapacity to speak or move. The point at which a drinker is at risk of injury from drinking can be reached in many individuals before those signs are evident. Persons serving drinks, even if they undertake the difficult process of counting the drinks served, have no means of knowing how much the drinker ingested before arrival. Constant surveillance of drinkers is impractical. Asking how much a drinker has drunk, how much of any particular bottle or round of drinks the purchaser intends to drink personally and how much will be consumed by friends of the purchaser who may be much more or much less intoxicated than the purchaser would be seen as impertinent. Equally, to ask how the drinker feels, and what the drinker's mental and physical capacity is, would tend to destroy peaceful relations, and would collide with the interests of drinkers in their personal privacy. In addition, while the relatively accurate calculation of blood alcohol levels is possible by the use of breathalysers, the compulsory administration of that type of testing by police officers on the roads was bitterly opposed when legislation introduced it, and it is unthinkable that the common law of negligence could compel or sanction the use of methods so alien to community mores in hotels and restaurants. 

To me they are also saying that it is almost impossible to adhere to the responsible service of alcohol requirements that Governments require them to adhere to.

As the publicans are saying today (as reported in The Australian):

But the AHA and individual publicans hailed the ruling as sending a strong warning to drinkers to take responsibility for their own actions.

Which as a general principal I agree with – people should take responsibility for their own actions. Except that there is a significant section of society that doesn’t. Even though drink driving laws have been around for a generation, there are still f*ckwits around who think nothing of driving with a skinfull. If taking personal responsibility meant that they were the only ones killed by their actions, all would be good. But these people share the roads with me. They are just as likely to kill me or my children as themselves.

I don’t know what the solution is, but it is a lot more complicated than any one of the groups with a vested interest would have us believe. I’ve been doing a of of writing about this lately, soon to be published, that I suspect makes me sound like a wowser or a card carrying anti-alcohol crusader. Believe me, I’m not and I know I’m not because all of this thinking about it is driving me to drink!