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Salutations,

The news this morning finds FORBES magazine presents the world’s top brewery tours:

http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/01/beer-travel-brewery-drink08-forbeslife-cx_rr_0701brewery.html

Will someone please explain to me how Montreal (1,620,693) can support over a dozen brewpubs and New York City (8.2 million residents) can boast of only one – two with a nod to Heartland (brewed in Brooklyn).

http://www.the-leader.com/lifestyle/food/x833714179/The-Beer-Nut-Montreal-says-bienvenue-for-beer

Finally, a sign that the end of the civilized world as we know it is ending…

Increased costs affecting fish frys

By The Associated Press and Leader-Telegram staff

“It's a price increase that's getting hard to swallow. Wisconsin's famed fish frys have seen the cost of their most popular fish - Icelandic cod - jump more than 50 percent in recent months. Restaurants that had been eating the cost are now changing menus and raising prices.”

http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-business.asp?id=BH2ICPOIE1J

On that happy note…

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

( http://www.beerbasics.com )

“All you ever wanted in a beer… and less!”

The world of “Lite” beer began when a television advertisement, featuring two just slightly over-the-hill athletes arguing whether the same beer was full of flavor or “less filling.” Where did the idea for a “light” beer come from? Why in the world would anyone care, or even notice, if beer was “filling”? Is “Light” beer simply a water-thin shadow of “real” beer? Why should “real” beer drinkers even consider sipping a “light”? Is the category more than just a list-filler? Now that summer is here, should you care? Let me tell you a story…

            In 1972 Miller bought rights to the Meister Brau line of products, including one called Lite Beer. Although Lite Beer cost less to produce than regular beers, the Miller Brewing Company positioned it as a premium beer.

            The formula for Lite Beer continued to prove a winner, especially because of widespread, aggressive marketing. Miller's goal was to convince the public that the low-calorie beer was as suited for men as it was for women.

Not only did Miller achieve this goal, it broke ground in the brewing industry by developing the Lo-calorie/low-carbohydrate beer and made it a national best seller. Here is the story of how that was done.

In 1973 Miller's advertising agency, McCann-Erickson, was given the Lite Beer account. Bob Lenz was the creative group head in charge of the account. He did the usual brand research and found that, for some reason, the beer drinkers of Anderson, Indiana, were head-over-heels in love with this "Lite" beer.

This friendly town in the heartland of America had taken "Lite" to its heart. Men, women, lawyers, anyone who drank beer in Anderson, drank "Lite" beer. All Lenz had to do was figure out how to convince the rest of America to love low-calorie beer, too.

The first piece of the puzzle fell into place while Lenz was riding a bus in New York City. He glanced up at an advertisement for the fledgling New York Off-Track Betting business. The smiling countenance of ex-New York Jet Matt Snell smiled back at him. Lenz had worked with Snell before, so with a little convincing, signed him up as the new "Lite" spokesman.

That first television ad was a classic....you remember it! There is lovable Matt Snell, sitting in a comfortable-looking bar room (actually Joe Allen’s in New York City) with the graphic "Matt Snell Super Bowl Hero" plastered at the bottom of the screen. There is a huge pile of Lite beer cans on the table. Snell begins.... "You know, new Lite Beer from Miller is all you ever wanted in a beer...and less." Snell then held up a bottle of Lite and told you that it was not only low in calories; it was also low in carbohydrates! (A big topic at that time.) Finally, as the camera pans back to reveal the pile of beer cans, Snell offered the following (as the FCC required); "Oh, I'm not saying I drank all this beer myself. I had some help from my friends.!" (Then came the punch-line): "At six foot three, two-thirty, there's a lot of me to fill." That was the start of an advertising campaign that turned Miller Lite into a national institution, and started the "light beer" revolution.

What is the difference between Lite™/Light beer and “regular” beer?

When the few examples below are taken in context, there is actually very little difference between light and “regular” beer. However, consumer interest in consuming less quantities of alcohol can be one reason for the popularity of these brews. I have included the statistics for Guinness stout for perspective.

Amstel Light                              3.5% ABV 

Becks Light                               3.8% ABV                     Becks 4.8% ABV                       -1.0%

Bud Light                                  4.2% ABV                     Budweiser 5% ABV                   -0.8%

Carlsberg Lite    Light                 4.1% ABV                     Lager 5% ABV                          -0.9%

Labatt Lite                                 4% ABV                        Labatt Blue 5% ABV                  -1.0%

Miller Genuine Draft Lite             4.5% ABV                     Miller Genuine Draft 4.7% ABV   -0.2%

Miller Lite                                  4.2% ABV                     Miller High Life 4.7% ABV          -0.5%

Sam Adams Boston Lager         4.9% ABV                     Sam Adams Light 4.05% ABV    -0.75%

Data from: Ratebeer.com

Calories:

Bud Light          109       Budweiser         146

“Light/Lite™”     102       “beer”                138

Data from: Kelpiesoft Food

Guinness Extra Stout (North America)  5% ABV            153 calories

The Charge of the Light/Lite™ Brigade

Since the introduction of the first Lite™ brew, the growth in that market segment has been dramatic and almost universal. Today more than half of the microbrewery/brewpub producers have a “light” brew available. This is only a partial list of micro-lights: Abita Light, can be found in LA, Leinie's Amber Light, is a mid-west favorite, Stevens Point Honey Light and Point Premier Light, are in the Wisconsin market, and there is a growing market for the Pennsylvania brand Yuengling Premium Light. Texas is covered by Shiner Light, and Lone Star Light. Florida can boast of their Ybor Gold Light. Almost any state can offer at least one locally brewed “light” for the summer.

On the other hand, SAB Miller, one of the top mega-brewers, is continuing to test-market a “Brewers Collection” line extension to the original Lite™ product line (Miller Lite Amber, Miller Lite Wheat, Miller Lite Blond Ale).

Salutations,

This morning there were a few news items that popped right to the top of my news crawler…

First I saw the bitter-sweet news that a British micro-brew pioneer was hanging up his boots:

British Micro-brewing Pioneer Retires:

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED20%20May%202008%2019%3A37%3A44%3A740

http://www.dissexpress.co.uk/news/Wolfe-hangs-up-his-barrel.4133735.jp

Then the bad news from “Down Under”…

300% INCREASE IN AUSTRALIAN BEER TAX?!

http://news.theage.com.au/business/big-rise-in-beer-tax-will-harm-sector-20080508-2c8i.html

It made my blood run cold…

However, I was encouraged by the news that the folks in Evansville have decided that micro brewing is not a “fad”…

Evansville Courier: Microbreweries are not just a fad.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/jun/04/04d01microbreweries-main/

For a different perspective on a few of the microbrews of British Columbia I enjoyed this piece by Australian journalist John Lee, writing for The Australian:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23666912-5002031,00.html

And that the way I see it…

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

(http://www.beerbasics.com )

The blood-curdling stories began towards the end of the month of May…

http://rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=614352

Greetings,

After a morning visit to the www stalking brewpubs I can present the following items offering some “good news/bad news” and that’s the way it is…

HOPS IN THE NEWS

“The shortage of hops - that crucial flower that gives beer its spice - has made for tense times at smaller craft brewers. Reconfirming its roots as a craft brewer, the Boston Beer Co. recently freed up a portion of its hop supplies and offered them to brewers in danger of not finding - or not being able to afford - enough of their own.”

“A lottery determined the lucky recipients, including Denver's Bull & Bush. The Cherry Creek brewpub gets two 88-pound boxes of Tettnang Tettnanger hops - enough to go into a year's worth of its pilsner - at Boston Beer's cost, $5.42 a pound. Erik Peterson, Bull & Bush's minister of progress (aka brewery and restaurant manager), recently returned from a trade show in San Diego where the same hops were selling for $29 a pound.”

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/may/06/dedrick-secrets-out-on-brew/

Global warming hitting hops hard

By Matt Ford | Published: May 07, 2008 - 08:58AM CT

“Hops are one of the key ingredients in beers—along with yeast, water, and some sort of grain, they are used to produce the world's oldest alcoholic beverage. For those who love the best type of beer—India Pale Ale, which has a strong, hoppy taste—times may be getting tough. In a Nature news article this week, Nature staff writer Rex Dalton reports on how the warming climate in Northern Europe is adversely affecting the hop crop. According to Peter Darby, a hop grower in the UK, the warm springs and mild winters have caused the hop vines to sprout early, stagnate, and produce little. On Monday a group of plant scientists met at a hop conference at the Hop Museum in Wolnzach, Germany to discuss ways to combat the impact of higher temperatures.”

http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars/2008/05/07/global-warming-hitting-hops-hard

Global warming may soon spoil the party for beer lovers

“LONDON: If reports are to be believed, global warming has threatened the production of hop plants, which are used in breweries for making beer.

Hops initially served as a flavouring agent, and then a preservative in unrefrigerated kegs of beer that European colonial powers shipped abroad on sailing vessels.

The weedy plant is grown in lines up trestles, and a fruit-like cone is harvested to make hops for brewing. The plants currently grown in northern climates require moist soil, a hard-winter freeze and a hot summer.

But, according to a report in Nature New”

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Global_warming_may_soon_spoil_the_party_for_beer_lovers/articleshow/3007138.cms

Finally, the following was found on Red Orbit this morning… essentially positing that hops could have a major part in cancer research. It’s not reading for the novice but there are sections that make fascinating reading.

EST Analysis of Hop Glandular Trichomes Identifies an O- Methyltransferase That Catalyzes the Biosynthesis of Xanthohumol(W)(OA)

“The female inflorescences (cones) of hop are rich in terpenoid essential oils and terpenophenolic resins. In addition to the terpenophenolic acylphloroglucinols (e.g., humulone) that give beer its characteristic bitter flavor, hop cones also contain;1%of xanthohumol, a prenylchalcone with potent cancer preventive properties (Stevens and Page, 2004). Xanthohumol has been shown to exert cytoprotective effects through the induction of phase 2 proteins that function to detoxify carcinogens and metabolize oxidative radicals and also shows antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties (Miranda et al., 2000a, 2000b).”

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1367470/est_analysis_of_hop_glandular_trichomes_identifies_an_o_methyltransferase/#

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

( http://www.beerbasics.com )

Salutations,

Two recent news items show that beer is actually good for us in ways that we never fully understood. The first item gives yeast all the credit:

http://www.huliq.com/57211/potential-yeast-selecting-lou-gehrig039s-disease-drugs

What's good for the body is good for the soul eh? A look at how healthy the micro brewing business is in the state of Montana, here in the United States of America…

http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/montana_brewers_taprooms_prosper_in_local_markets_drawing_tourists/C41/L41/

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

(http://www.beerbasics.com )

Greetings,

The news on the net continues to be good for small Brewers at least that’s the way I see it.

For your consideration, I offer the following item about Hanger 24 taking off in Redlands California: http://www2.redlandsdailyfacts.com/news/ci_8811081

The New York Times recently reports that New Jersey brewpubs are also feeling no pain:

Now I’ll get to the name dropping…

A recent news item made note that Fritz Maytag, head of San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Co., will receive a 2008 lifetime achievement award this June from the James Beard Society.

After its recent problems, it is now quite an impressive organization. What makes the award even more interesting is that Fritz Maytag is not only a brewer, he also launched Anchor Distilling Co. and has been in charge of the families dairy farms in Iowa since the 1960s.

The first time I ever met Fritz Maytag was, I believe, in 1992. It was at a beer presentation event held at the Windows on the World. The wine steward there was very excited about beer and here was a chance to show some off.

One of the people present was Fritz Maytag. He and I were discussing what they call their Anchor Special Ale, which is released once a year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had just posited the following question, “Would you say that this year’s Special Ale was more of a Bordeaux or a Burgundy?”  As Maytag paused for a moment to consider the question one of the other journalists piped up.  “We’re here to talk about beer, not wine.”  At that Maytag took the measure of the man looking, him up and down, and calmly remarked, “We’re all friends and fermentation.”

For more information on the award in Fritz Maytag, you may click on the following link:

http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/04/01/food/doc47f16b61dc735223100859.txt

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

( http://www.beerbasics.com )

Greetings,

This time I am glad to offer some hope after the last diatribe on the “death” of the British Public House.

I offer the following as rays of hope…

Comedy star’s serious mission to rescue village pub

“WHEN he opens his pub serving fine food and drink later this year, actor Neil Morrissey, will be hoping there will be no men behaving badly at the prestigious event.”

“The voice of Bob The Builder, along with friend Richard Fox, is buying a North Yorkshire village pub and between them they aim to renovate and transform the establishment.”

http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/mostpopular.var.2194691.mostviewed.comedy_stars_serious_mission_to_rescue_village_pub.php



Offering something unique is also a stratagy...

Welcome to the Halal Inn: Britain's first alcohol-free Islamic pub
Last updated at 00:22am on 12.04.08  

“There are bar snacks, quiz nights, snooker tables and blaring music. But if you fancy a beer you've come to the wrong pub.
The Halal Inn is open for non-alcoholic business only. The country's first Islamic pub opened last December in Oldham and although trade is not exactly roaring, it is purring along. “

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23476969-details/Welcome+to+the+Halal+Inn%3A+Britain%27s+first+alcohol-free+Islamic+pub/article.do

The brewing news is good for the fine folks of Scotland as well…

http://www.drinksint.com/articles/59992/Scottish-brewer-Harviestoun-stays-independent.aspx?categoryid=9048&cid=1150181283&ei=i9kESI_2Dafg6APblbz4Dw&usg=AFrqEzd1vJ9hjxDerCoBe2fbKAIlzbDLDw

I hope to post more evidence that the British Pub continues its fight to survive!

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

( http://www.beerbasics.com )