Liberty Beer clattered into London this week to see some brewers and some pubs.
We had the pleasure of meeting Gary at Redchurch (http://theredchurchbrewery.com/), Jasper and some of his team at Camden Town (http://www.camdentownbrewery.com/), Andy at Redemption (http://www.redemptionbrewing.co.uk/) and the brand new guys at By the Horns (http://www.bythehorns.co.uk/).
We wore out our shoes and cursed Boris's Buses, but we had a great time.
Look out for some exciting new beers being added to our list very soon.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Binge drinkers, education or legislation?
To very little fanfare at all, last month the government introduced a new duty on beer that is above the arbitrary imposed limit of 7.5% ABV. The government framed this legislation as a response to the social issues surrounding 'binge drinking' . Do binge drinkers drink beers like that? I don't think they do.
Will a price increase on super strength lager really provide a disincentive to the binge drinkers, or will it simply move those with substance abuse issues away from the super strength lager and on to it's cider, wine or spirit equivalent?
One thing it will do though is disproportionately affect the independent publican and the growing craft and microbrewing community that we have here in Britain. Lets be clear, the mainstream producers, pubco's and supermarkets won't be affected in the slightest by this 25% raise in duty. Their sales of super strength products are all in the lower income end of the scale as far as they are concerned, niche beers for the low waged and the problem drinker that will easily be shifted to another product. When micro brewers produce high ABV products they are at the very top end of their market, a specialist product for the connoisseur or enthusiast.
If the Government is serious about the prevention of criminality and anti social behaviour around alcohol consumption then it is the massive price differential between the Supermarket and the controlled environment of the Public House that should be addressed so people don't turn up in our town centre pubs and bars already having consumed a large amount of cheap supermarket alcohol at home, and the number of cut price deals offered by the large chains for 2 for 1 drinks that encourage rapid consumption.
Although we at Liberty Beer don't currently deal with any brewers who produce a beer that will fall foul of the new duty, we hate to think that good beers will no longer be available to the british drinker due to some wrongheaded piece of legislation that does little to address the problem it seeks to solve. The other Justin at Moor Beer here in Somerset puts forward the facts for us here in his blog telling us how his product offer will be affected by the change.
I offer you this link to the online petition against the duty rise: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/18346 and hope that by whatever means, we can together encourage the government to look again at the way that duty is applied to beer in general that threatens to further damage our fragile industry. We at Liberty have already written to our MPs.
Will a price increase on super strength lager really provide a disincentive to the binge drinkers, or will it simply move those with substance abuse issues away from the super strength lager and on to it's cider, wine or spirit equivalent?
One thing it will do though is disproportionately affect the independent publican and the growing craft and microbrewing community that we have here in Britain. Lets be clear, the mainstream producers, pubco's and supermarkets won't be affected in the slightest by this 25% raise in duty. Their sales of super strength products are all in the lower income end of the scale as far as they are concerned, niche beers for the low waged and the problem drinker that will easily be shifted to another product. When micro brewers produce high ABV products they are at the very top end of their market, a specialist product for the connoisseur or enthusiast.
If the Government is serious about the prevention of criminality and anti social behaviour around alcohol consumption then it is the massive price differential between the Supermarket and the controlled environment of the Public House that should be addressed so people don't turn up in our town centre pubs and bars already having consumed a large amount of cheap supermarket alcohol at home, and the number of cut price deals offered by the large chains for 2 for 1 drinks that encourage rapid consumption.
Although we at Liberty Beer don't currently deal with any brewers who produce a beer that will fall foul of the new duty, we hate to think that good beers will no longer be available to the british drinker due to some wrongheaded piece of legislation that does little to address the problem it seeks to solve. The other Justin at Moor Beer here in Somerset puts forward the facts for us here in his blog telling us how his product offer will be affected by the change.
I offer you this link to the online petition against the duty rise: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/18346 and hope that by whatever means, we can together encourage the government to look again at the way that duty is applied to beer in general that threatens to further damage our fragile industry. We at Liberty have already written to our MPs.
Sunday, 16 October 2011
The last third.
Our 'friends' at mega brewer Heineken are launching a 'schooner' sized glass for it's Amstel and Tiger lager brands. Carlsberg will join them with Staropramen and Moretti brands available in the new measure. They believe that it will increase sales of their more niche lager products to diners and women.
Of course, CAMRA don't think a lot of the 2/3 of a Pint measure, they think it'll confuse folk.
The Press have got all of a lather as well......
But why do we care?
We are all about the craft beers, and don't have much to do with mainstream lager manufacturers or indeed lager in general unless it's as good as the craft lagers brewed by our friends at Cotswold Brewery, and we aren't slaves to the CAMRA Real Ale crusade, so why is the second post on our blog devoted to the two third Pint?
Well, we like it.
We think that it's high time that the UK broke it's nipple like fixation with the Pint. As the Irish Times quite sucinctly put it, the half pint isn't a great measure, and there are circumstances when the pint just isn't the thing that you want, especially with higher ABV beers.
Will it encourage lady drinkers and diners to switch away from Wine? I think it's a bit patronising to suggest that people are driven away from beer drinking by the size of the glass rather than say, the poor selection of nasty products sold by many places, or the generally poor design of the glasses of either traditional size that those products are served in, but lets not be negative.
Liberty hope that the availabillity of the 'schooner' size will encourage the trade to think again about the whole business of selling beer, and to start to use a more appropriate range of glassware that does more for the product of the brewers craft than simply keeping it away from your shirt. Wine buffs will tell you about how glass shape and size affects the 'nose' and taste of their wine, and beer is the same, it has aroma and flavour than is lost in the traditional straight glass or jug.
Lets see some better glasses, and if people want a Schooner, then good luck to 'em, let the luddites stick to their pint pots and poor quality beers, we'll be the hip guys up the bar with a schooner of 'Stingray'.
Of course, CAMRA don't think a lot of the 2/3 of a Pint measure, they think it'll confuse folk.
The Press have got all of a lather as well......
But why do we care?
We are all about the craft beers, and don't have much to do with mainstream lager manufacturers or indeed lager in general unless it's as good as the craft lagers brewed by our friends at Cotswold Brewery, and we aren't slaves to the CAMRA Real Ale crusade, so why is the second post on our blog devoted to the two third Pint?
Well, we like it.
We think that it's high time that the UK broke it's nipple like fixation with the Pint. As the Irish Times quite sucinctly put it, the half pint isn't a great measure, and there are circumstances when the pint just isn't the thing that you want, especially with higher ABV beers.
Will it encourage lady drinkers and diners to switch away from Wine? I think it's a bit patronising to suggest that people are driven away from beer drinking by the size of the glass rather than say, the poor selection of nasty products sold by many places, or the generally poor design of the glasses of either traditional size that those products are served in, but lets not be negative.
Liberty hope that the availabillity of the 'schooner' size will encourage the trade to think again about the whole business of selling beer, and to start to use a more appropriate range of glassware that does more for the product of the brewers craft than simply keeping it away from your shirt. Wine buffs will tell you about how glass shape and size affects the 'nose' and taste of their wine, and beer is the same, it has aroma and flavour than is lost in the traditional straight glass or jug.
Lets see some better glasses, and if people want a Schooner, then good luck to 'em, let the luddites stick to their pint pots and poor quality beers, we'll be the hip guys up the bar with a schooner of 'Stingray'.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Bristol Fashion – Just how local is your LocAle?
Walking around pubs in Bristol it’s not easy to miss the presence of two mass market ales. ‘Doombar’ brewed by Sharp’s, a brewery recently acquired by Coors Molson, and the St Austell Brewery’s ‘Tribute’. Both are acceptable enough beers, a bit ‘brown’ for my personal tastes, but certainly not a bad beer. But looking at the strangle hold that they and their product have on the market is slightly odd. Many people, landlords and consumer alike view these as ‘local’ West Country products.
Now, one of the great things to have happened to the UK industry in the last 20 years is the proliferation of small breweries. We have gone from a time when there was constant consolidation and reduction of the number of breweries, to an age where there are probably as many breweries in the South West alone as there where in the entire UK in the 70’s. Many of these produce traditional British beers, the ones characterised by its brown colour and ‘room temperature’ serving style, but there are people out there producing some innovative and exciting beers that really push the Craft Brewing boundaries.
Last week we were with the guys at Devilfish who were waxing lyrical on an American IPA called Racer 5, a beer that has been receiving rave reviews amongst American Beer Bloggers, and having tasted it I can see why. Devilfish are taking up the challenge to develop a beer every bit as good as this Californian tyro from Bear Republic Brewery. Will it be seen in the UK? It will if we can help it.
But I digress.
Now that the Microbrewing boom is well underway, and producing some very good beers, I can confidently bet you that wherever you live in the UK there is probably an Independent brewery less than 25 miles from your house. Which brings me back to my initial question, why are pair of beers that are brewed more than 140 miles from Bristol talked of in such revered terms as a local beer?
Fuller Smith and Turner brew some excellent ales in Chiswick, West London, and they are fully 39 miles closer to Central Bristol than Sharps, and another three miles closer than St. Austell. Marstons are famously based in Burton on Trent, and are 26 miles closer to Bristol than the Cornish pair. If you want to come a little more local Marstons also own Banks in Wolverhampton which is a comparatively neighbourly 94 miles from Bristol compared to the 150 miles to Rock. Finally there are S.A. Brains, virtually co-habiting at a mere 44 miles away, 100 miles in hand but barely rating a mention as a local tipple by Bristolians……
Ah you say, but those aren’t West Country beers. They are big brands from big brewers who have their own markets. Yes, but every cask of Tribute or Doombar that is bought by a landlord in Bristol is hauled straight past no less than 58 independent breweries in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset as it makes its way up the peninsula. Some of these breweries may not be producing a product that is of the standard of the big two, but many do, depending on your taste and point of view some may even make something better.
Around Bristol there are some truly brilliant brewers, isn’t it time that the City’s landlords gave more space on the bar to beers brewed somewhere closer than the equivalent of driving to Macclesfield.
J.
J.
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