beer bits
J2jurado
Meet the microbrew meister
Sunday, August 19, 2001 By KEVIN G. DeMARRAIS Staff Writer
The microbrewery market has changed dramatically since the High Point Wheat
Beer Co. opened five years ago in a converted rubber factory in the center of
Butler.
The industry's rapid growth of the early Nineties, spurred by the changing
habits of beer drinkers in the Pacific Northwest, has been replaced by
consolidation and shutdowns that have left would-be master brewers crying in
their beers.
Not Greg Zaccardi, president of High Point.
Compared with the Budweisers and Millers of the world, or even Sam Adams or Red
Hook, High Point is small-time. But the Butler brewery -- officially the High
Point Brewing Co. Inc. -- has survived the industry shakeout and is starting to
grow.
After producing as much as his system could handle in 2000, the company has
invested $25,000 to increase capacity by 65 percent, and Zaccardi is predicting
revenues will increase even more than last year's 45 percent.
"We found a niche that was unexplored," Zaccardi said last week, seated in his
small office in the century-old brick building, less than 20 feet from the
stainless-steel brewing vats.
While other microbrewers concentrated on the lagers and ales popular in the
Northwest and in England, High Point's Ramstein brand beers are modeled after
German wheat beers.
In fact, all ingredients in the brews, except water from the Butler Reservoir,
are imported from the German state of Bavaria, including a proprietary yeast
from a small Bavarian brewery that gives his beers their unique aroma and
taste, Zaccardi said.
Microbreweries started to pop up in the 1980s making specialty beers, and they
showed American consumers there is something "beyond yellow light beer," said
Zaccardi, who hails from Montclair.
Some, such as Sam Adams, grew rapidly and "educated the masses," he said. "They
opened the door for specialty breweries."
Entrepreneurs such as Zaccardi came rushing through that door and got into the
beer-making business in record numbers.
By the end of the Nineties, sparked by a surge in microbreweries and beer pubs,
the number of domestic brewers in the United States had surpassed 1,800, or six
times the number in 1991, reports the Beer Institute, a Washington-based trade
organization.
"I didn't realize there were thousands of other brewers, almost 1,500, in the
United States at that time," he said, referring to 1996. Fortunately for High
Point, most of the new breweries concentrated on amber ales, creating "a lot of
duplication on the shelves."
Among the new brewers were many who didn't handle their brews properly, and
customers got stuck with sour-tasting beer, said Zaccardi, a former chemist
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Literally, it's liquid bread
with a kick. You have to handle it like any natural product. Beer is
perishable."
Quality is a key reason to carry Ramstein, said Kevin Roche, owner of the Queen
Anne Wine & Spirits Emporium in Teaneck, one of 300 outlets for the brand in
New Jersey. Ramstein -- a name adopted from a town in Germany with a large
American population because of a nearby Air Force base -- is one of about 100
microbrews the store carries, out of close to 1,000 available.
"If I'm going to start carrying a microbrew, the public has to demand it -- or,
if not demanded, the level of quality has to be at the top of the category,"
Roche said. "Ramstein definitely fits that category."
The combination of an oversaturated market and many products of questionable
taste led to a shakeout over the past two years, reducing the number of
breweries to about 1,500, said Lori Levy, a spokeswoman for the Beer Institute.
The number in New Jersey has remained unchanged, but there were only six when
High Point began production, says the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage
Control.
Even so, High Point had to make changes to survive and grow.
It started out selling Ramstein to restaurants and bars in kegs only. But with
New Jersey customers seeming to prefer beer in bottles rather than on tap, and
with more attention being paid to drinking and driving, Zaccardi realized he
had to produce the beer in bottles as well.
The investment, nearly $250,000 for equipment, was essential, he said. "We
decided we either had to get out of the business or buy a bottling line."
The company has also expanded its offerings, adding three seasonal beers
(including a winter wheat bock with a 9 1/2 percent alcohol content) to three
he produces year-round. The other beers have a 5 1/2 percent alcohol content.
Zaccardi, who was introduced to brewing while a student at the University of
Santa Cruz in California, got into the business full time a couple of years
after graduation, working as an apprentice at a German wheat beer brewery. At
the same time, a friend and business partner back home assembled a group of
investors ready to put up about $1 million.
The company's only full-time employee, in addition to Zaccardi, is brewmaster
Jeff Levine, a graduate of the Siebel Institute, a brewery school in Chicago.
The company also has three part-time workers, with sales handled by independent
distributors.
High Point, which retails for about $7 to $8 for a six-pack, is sold throughout
New Jersey and in nearby areas of New York and Pennsylvania. The company will
expand into Connecticut, he said.
http://www.theage.com.au:80/business/2001/08/19/FFXJ4DAAIQC.html
Tooheys caps off its cup coup
By RICHARD WEBB Sunday 19 August 2001
Beer giant Lion Nathan is expected to lift the stakes in its Victorian beer war
with arch-rival Carlton and United Breweries tomorrow. It will unveil a
Melbourne Cup-related promotional competition for its Tooheys New label that
could make its winner a millionaire.
The move will represent another big step in Lion Nathan's continuing assault on
CUB's home state and nicely cap off its recently secured naming rights to the
Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
For many years, the race was known as the Foster's Melbourne Cup but, come
November 6, punters will see a new name - the Tooheys New Melbourne Cup.
Lion Nathan is also offering record prizemoney of more than $4 million for the
race.
Although the full details of the latest Lion Nathan promotion are not known,
racing sources believe it will involve the winner of the competition being
decided on a system related to the winning horse in the race.
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com:80/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/disp
lay?slug=rootbeer15&date=20010815
Premium root beers put to the float test
August 15,2001 By Cece Sullivan Seattle Times home economist
Around 1875, a Philadelphia druggist, Charles E. Hire, developed a drink he
called "Herb Tea," a soda steeped in herbs and characterized by the flavor of
sassafras root bark. Hire advertised the beverage as the "National Temperance
Drink."
Evidently, even a temperate public wasn't tempted. When the name was changed to
"Root Beer" it became a hit, and the rest is history.
Root beer may have humble beginnings, but today the soda is marketed like
premium beer, often with prices to match. We tested a few of these special
brews, serving them alone and over vanilla ice cream. Here's how our tasters'
palates weighed in on the drinks.
Henry Weinhard's Premium Root Beer was the favorite of our testers. Its rich
vanilla-and-spice flavor was round, smooth and complex. It balanced well with
the ice cream and poured to a beautiful, foamy head. A 12-ounce bottle is 99
cents.
Thomas Kemper Soda Co. Handcrafted Root Beer is a local brew. Although
appealing, it was surprisingly flat when compared with Weinhard's and seemed to
be lacking the distinctive vanilla tones that had once set it apart. When
poured over ice cream, the flavor was lost. It's 99 cents for a 12-ounce
bottle.
Americana Microcrafted Cream Style Root Beer is bottled by Redmond-based Orca
Beverage. It's a pleasing drink, although not as complex as some of the other
microbrews, and its flavor disappeared quickly when poured over ice cream. A
12-ounce bottle is 99 cents.
Virgil's Microbrewed Root Beer is a concoction of 12 herbs and spices, among
them sweet birch, licorice and wintergreen. It's not surprising all those
flavors create a strange-tasting brew. Even vanilla ice cream couldn't pull it
together. A 12-ounce bottle is 99 cents.
If Virgil's is a confusing cast of too many flavors, there's nothing subtle
about Journey Shenandoah Sassafras Root Beer. The taste of sassafras is
immediate and overpowering. At $1.29 for a 12-ounce bottle, it was the most
expensive and the least popular of the root beers we sampled.
http://www.frommers.com:80/newsletters/08-17-01/article2.html
Friday, August 17, 2001
Oktoberfests that Rock the Haus, Not the Wallet
This time last year, we showed you how to have a polka-dancing good time at
Oktoberfest while skipping the "wurst" part: the horrendous cost of going to
Germany. Since then we've found three more great American (and one Canadian)
alternatives to lugging your lederhosen across the pond. So you can plan a
weekend packed with beer, schnitzel and even wiener dog racing, all for a
reasonable price.
New Ulm, Minnesota, Oct. 5-6 and 12-13
Event coordinators stress the importance of bringing two things to the New Ulm
Oktoberfest: an iron stomach and comfortable shoes. The entire weekend revolves
around walking and eating, but don't worry if you get a little overwhelmed. The
only difference between Germany and New Ulm is the good old Minnesota nice that
permeates the town.
Start out at the August Schell Brewery, (507/354-5528) which is open from 8am
until dusk. You can see the Schell family mansion and feed the peacocks and
deer on the property. Tours explaining the brewing process ($2) leave every
half-hour, so you'll get some culture, and they end in the tasting room, so
you'll get some free beer. The Schell brewers give each tour member two cups of
their favorite ale to take with them into the gardens. But get there early,
because tours fill up quickly.
For Oktoberfest music, try the Holiday Inn ($7 cover) on Friday and Saturday or
Turner Hall ($4 cover) on Saturday and Sunday. Both locations have German
buffets and Schell's beer aplenty. If you're at the Holiday Inn on Saturday,
check out the Polka Mass, and horse drawn trolley rides start from Turner hall
throughout the weekend. A room at the Holiday Inn (507/359-2941) will cost at
least $105 a night, so you might want to try the Colonial Inn (507/354-3128),
which is less centrally located but only charges $55 per night.
For more information on the town and on this year's Oktoberfest, check out
www.newulmweb.com.
Mt. Angel, Oregon, Sept. 13-16
The Old World comes alive for four days each year in this German haven just
south of Portland. The fest features 60 alpine chalets and "gartens" galore: a
biergarten featuring big bands, sausage, Beck's beer and dancing, a
weinergarten with food and schunkel, a German version of swing dancing, a
microgarten for the best microbrews of the Northwest along with gourmet
bratwurst and pastries, and a kindergarten with free entertainment for kids of
all ages, including rides, shows and a 4-H petting zoo. Other events include
softball, volleyball and golf tournaments and a "Cruz-n Car Show," which
features 100 fast and furious vehicles each day. All the events cost less than
$20, and many are free. For lodging, try the Super 8 Motel (503/981-8881) for
$65 per night or the Motel 6 (503/371-8024) for $49 a night. Schedule
information for Mt. Angel Oktoberfest can be found at www.oktoberfest.org.
New Braunfels, Texas, "Wurstfest" Nov. 2-11
Though technically not an Oktoberfest, the New Braunfels Wurstfest is German
fun, big Texas style. Sample tasty sausages and strudels at local restaurants,
polka and waltz to good old fashioned oompah music, and have your picture taken
with one of the many locals who traded their cowboy hats and belt buckles for
lederhosen and dirndls. Other events include arts and crafts shows, German
heritage exhibits, the Wurstfest Regatta, and a skat tournament (no it's not
gross, it's a card game). Tickets to Wurstfest are $6, and a room at the Super
8 in town is $79 a night (call 830/629-1155 for reservations). Check out the
Wurstfest site, www.wurstfest.org, for a four-page history of the town's salute
to sausage and Gemuelichkeit (fun and fellowship).
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 5-13
The largest Oktoberfest we found was in Kitchener, Ontario, just north of
Buffalo. It features almost 20 festhallen (festival halls) located throughout
the town, each contributing to make Oktoberfest wunderbar. The festhallen range
from traditional to unique, and all offer great music, food and beer. Tickets
range from $5 to $30, with most falling in the $5 to $10 range. Witness the
Tapping of the Keg ceremony, see Miss Oktoberfest, or participate in family
days or college nights, but be assured that there is something for everyone at
this huge Oktoberfest. The Comfort Inn (519/658-1100) charges $61 USD for a
room, and for $3 more the Best Western (519/836-1331) will throw in a
continental breakfast. Call 519/570-HANS to order tickets or for more
information, or go to www.oktoberfest.ca.
This of course is just a small sampling of Oktoberfests going on close to home
this year. To find one closer to you, try www.realbeer.com, or contact your
local library.
http://dailynews.philly.com:80/content/daily_news/2001/08/17/features/TEST
17F.htm
Rate your takeout beer store
1. Perkuno's Hammer is in the cooler. This hard-to-find Baltic-style porter
from South Jersey's Heavyweight Brewing is a sign the store's micro list is
deep. And, bonus, it'll paralyze a Coors drinker on contact. 4 points.
2. The fluorescent lights inside the cooler are protected with UV filters, to
help prevent skunky off-tastes. Look for the Beer Philadelphia sticker. 4
points.
3. Discounts for mixed six-packs. 2 points.
4. No Poor Henry's or Ugly Dog in the cooler. Both of these locals went out of
business ages ago; a leftover bottle of either makes you wonder what else is
stale. 2 points.
5. Harp and Molson are kept 10 feet away from the high-end imports. 2 points.
6. Yuengling is less than $5 a six-pack. 1 point.
7. The clerks try to talk you out of buying Mike's Hard Lemonade. 2 points.
8. Credit cards accepted. 1 point.
9. There's something other than Hoegaarden to replace Celis White. 2 points.
10. When you ask, "What kind of beer do you have," no one says, "Everything." 5
points.
How does your store score?
0-5 points - Would you like a bag for that 40?
6-10 points - Tequizaville.
11-20 points - When you ask for Flying Fish, they won't say "Huh?"
20-25 points - Find that missing '92 bottle for your collection of Thomas
Hardy's vintage age.
-Joe Sixpack
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/15/dining/15DRIN.html
Mexican Micheladas: Pour Beer, Add Volcano and Drink
By TIM WEINER
Sergio Dorantes for The New York Times: QUENCHING Drinking micheladas at El
Gallo de Oro in Mexico City; SAUCING THE SUDS A spicy beer-based cocktail, the
michelada, is sweeping Mexico and moving north.
MEXICO CITY, Aug. 14 — Life is full of deep mysteries. Who are we? Where do
we come from? Where are we going? And why do millions of Mexicans drink
micheladas?
Those kinds of questions lead into a labyrinth, and the michelada maze is a
crazy one.
When I first came here a year ago, I noticed that people were ordering beer
accompanied by a highball glass. The glass was rimmed with salt, filled with
ice. At its base lay a weird primordial ooze. Combined with a lager like Sol or
Pacifico, the mix took on a honeyed hue. With a dark beer, like Negra Modelo,
it was the color of burnished mahogany. They called it a michelada (pronounced
me-chel-LA-da), translated, more or less, as "my cold brewski."
Curiosity trumped reason. Reader, I ordered one.
I sipped, and was transported. The fine dark cerveza shimmered with hints of
pepper and lime and spices. It tasted, strangely enough, a little like the best
steak I had ever eaten. Clearly, it's not for everyone — it's not even for
every bar. El Nivel, one of Mexico City's oldest cantinas, won't mix a
michelada. It simply lines up the makings along the bar with a whiff of
do-it-yourself disdain.
And just what is in a michelada? In Mexico City, it consists of fresh lime
juice, a trinity of Tabasco, Worcestershire and soy sauces, a pinch of black
pepper and maybe (or maybe not) a dash of Maggi, the seasoning usually used for
soups and stews. This mix makes up two or three fingers' worth of a tall glass.
That glass needs ice in it. It needs beer. And it needs drinking. At least, I
certainly think it does. It might sound like a hangover recipe, but to me it
tastes like malted manna.
I set out to answer the big questions. When and where was the michelada born?
And, for that matter, why? Experts were consulted: Diana Kennedy, the Mexican
cooking authority. Ted Haigh, also known as Dr. Cocktail. Mary Going, a
hot-sauce aficionada who uses the nom de Web FireGirl. And even a noted
food-and-drink authority at an English- language broadsheet published in New
York.
Nada. Complete blanks. Puzzled silence. Red-herring references to "red beer,"
the lager-and-tomato juice concoction served on the Great Plains from northern
Texas to southern Saskatchewan. No answers, but no surprise: no one knows where
the martini was born, for that matter.
Deeper investigation was demanded.
First the lime, the salt and the beer. Together those three form a wispy
version of the michelada, sometimes called a chelada in these parts, and often
served in Mexican beach resorts. It's refreshing and piquant, to be sure.
Mexican limes are what people in the United States call Key limes — sharper,
more limey than the standard supermarket citrus. But the plain old chelada is
in principle not so different from something you might find in Europe — a
shandy in England, a panache in France, a Radler in Germany — basically,
lager and lemonade. Weak beer indeed.
"When I went to college in Guadalajara in the late 60's, everybody drank Tecate
beer with lime and salt," said Zarela Martinez, who serves micheladas at her
Manhattan restaurants, Zarela and Danzón. Inquiries at the Tecate brewery
proved to be old beer: stale, flat and unprofitable. Jorge Juraidini Rumilla,
director of institutional relations at Cervecería Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma, which
makes Tecate, could only trace the michelada back to a 15-year-old sales
gimmick, when Tecate was sold with a slice of lime and salt. He had no theory
for the present state of the michelada's spiciness, saying the drink "just got
more and more sophisticated."
Ms. Martinez's thoughts ran deeper: "I think the origins go way, way back.
Since pre-Hispanic times, Mexicans have a tradition of drinking foamy, frothy
beverages. You can see them in the Mayan Codex."
So people in Mexico were drinking home-brew in their pyramids back when
Europeans were living in mud huts and scrounging for roots and berries. German
brewers began to make lager sometime around 1420, but the Aztecs, Incas and
Maya were brewing beer, or something like it, for many centuries before the
conquistadors took Mexico City in 1521.
Giving the Germans their due, they brought beer as we know it to Mexico,
establishing the first breweries here nearly 150 years ago.
As for the rest of the recipe, soy sauce came to Mexico no later than the early
17th century, on Spanish ships built by the Chinese. Worcestershire sauce was
born in 1835, when a certain Lord Sandys from the county of Worcestershire,
England, asked two chemists, John Lea and William Perrins, to replicate a
condiment he had tasted in India. A shipment reached New Orleans no later than
1848. Twenty years later, in 1868, a genius named Edmund McIlhenny invented
Tabasco sauce in New Iberia, La. The peppers come from the state of Tabasco,
which lies almost due south of New Orleans across the Gulf of Mexico.
And here the sauce thickens.
A. J. Liebling once observed that the Louisiana coast was really the western
littoral of the Mediterranean, a place where deep currents of great food flowed
together in a savory gumbo. All the active ingredients of the michelada — the
beer, the lime, the salt, the peppers, the fundamental sauces — were for sale
on the Gulf of Mexico by the 1870's. Ships then shuttled from New Orleans to
Mexican ports like Tampico and Veracruz.
Was the michelada a 19th-century creation of thirsty sailors? Parched oil-field
roughnecks? A lost relic, recently unearthed by chance, like the frescoes
uncovered by the construction of the Roman subway?
At the oldest cantinas in the heart of Mexico City — El Nivel, El Gallo de
Oro and La Opera, gilded jewels of the 1870's — a tenuous theory emerged
among the oldest and wisest of the bartenders, who chronicle the passage of
powermongers and philosophers like sportswriters covering palookas.
"Lime and salt — that's primordial," said Vicente Cruz, 26 years behind the
bar at the Gallo de Oro. "The rest of the ingredients have emerged within the
past 10 years, and from where, and why, God knows."
But at El Nivel, they thought they knew.
In Veracruz, the port city that has been shipping and receiving goods across
the gulf for ages, the oilmen drink a cocktail called a Petrolero — which is,
more or less, a michelada with tequila instead of beer. "So that's that," said
Manuel Zapata, a barman at El Nivel for 21 years. "It showed up only in the
last few years, but it's a migrant from Veracruz."
Interesting, if true. The questions of who and why remain.
Charles Davis, president of Habagallo Foods, in McAllen, Tex.
(www.habagallo.com), aims to become Mr. Michelada. He says he is the only man
in the United States marketing michelada mix: Worcestershire sauce, lime juice,
tomato juice, celery salt, pepper and a dash of habanero pepper, $3.99 for a
32-ounce jug. But he says the michelada is only beginning to cross the border.
"If I go further north than San Antonio, people don't know what I'm talking
about," he said. "They serve micheladas in Houston, but not in Dallas."
At the Border Grill in Santa Monica, Calif., "the only people who order the
drink are people who are either from Mexico City or who have recently visited
there," said Carollyn Bartosh, the restaurant's marketing director. "Our
kitchen staff is more familiar with the drink than the bartenders or servers."
This will change, and soon. Why? One of the most interesting things happening
in the United States today is the imperceptible but inexorable erosion of its
southern border. The michelada's origins may be murky, but mark this: The
American tongue has an appetite for Mexican tastes. This taste is good, this
taste is strong, and this taste is heading north.
J2jurado
MILWAUKEE, Aug. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Calling the bills "tough, comprehensive
and focused on some of the most dangerous and irresponsible drivers on our
roads," Miller Brewing Company reiterated its strong support for two new
anti-drunk driving bills signed into law by Governor George Ryan.
"Miller Brewing Company has been a strong and vocal proponent for legislation
that targets repeat offenders with a comprehensive approach emphasizing
deterrence and tough penalties," said Miller President and CEO John Bowlin.
"Thanks to the leadership of Secretary of State Jesse White, Governor George
Ryan and unanimous bipartisan support in both the Illinois House and Senate,
along with the work of broad-based coalition of which Miller was proud to be a
part, Illinois law enforcement now has enforcement options that will help make
Illinois' roads safer. And, as an Illinois resident, and father of two sons,
this hits home for me."
House bills 2265 and 2266 were signed into law in Springfield. The bills
toughen the penalties for:
-- those who drive with a blood alcohol content that is double the legal limit;
-- those who drive drunk with a child in the car; and
-- those who continue to drive after their license has been suspended or
revoked.
Under the new laws, drunk drivers with double the legal blood alcohol content
face stiffer penalties and mandatory jail time if they are repeat offenders.
The laws also require any repeat offender to have an ignition interlock device
installed in their vehicle. Drunk drivers who continue to drive after their
license has been suspended or revoked face jail time and their cars can be
taken off the roads.
Miller has played a leadership role in supporting drunk driving legislation
which focuses energy and enforcement efforts on repeat offenders. Last year, in
its home state of Wisconsin, the company also joined with a diverse coalition
to ensure the passage of Wisconsin's comprehensive drunk driving law.
"Both the evidence and our experience is very clear and compelling," Bowlin
noted. "There must be stronger, more comprehensive judicial and law enforcement
options to deal with those who repeatedly abuse alcohol and drive."
Other members of the Illinois coalition, which supported HB 2265 and 2266,
were: Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Alliance Against Intoxicated
Motorists (AAIM), the Illinois Sheriff's Association, The Illinois Association
of Chiefs of Police, the Illinois State Bar Association, Cook County State's
Attorney Dick Devine, Chicago Police Superintendent Terry Hillard, Chicago Fire
Commissioner James Joyce, the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependency
Association, the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association, the Associated Beer
Distributors of Illinois, the Illinois Restaurant Association, Anheuser-Busch
Brewing Company, Coors Brewing Company, Romano Brothers, United Distillers and
Vintners and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Miller Brewing Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Phillip Morris Companies
Inc. Principle beer brands include Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller
Genuine Draft Light, Miller High Life and Milwaukee's Best. Primary products
from the Plank Road Brewery, a small division of Miller, include ICEHOUSE and
Red Dog. Specialty brands regional brands include Leinenkugel's and Henry
Weinhard's, and the company's malt liquor brands include Olde English 800 and
Mickey's Malt Liquor. Miller also imports Foster's and brews Sharp's, a
non-alcohol brew. More information is available at www.MillerBrewing.com,
www.ThinkWhenYouDrink.com, and www.MillerLite.com.
Asconi Expands Into New Line of Alcohol Production
HEATHROW, Fla., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Asconi Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board:
ASCS) is pleased to announce purchase of their new assembly line for the
production of ethyl alcohol from wheat. The equipment was purchased and
assembled by "Verto Service" and "Tehnofavorit," both companies from Romania.
"The new equipment will give us the capability to produce up to 8,000 litres of
alcohol per day. The production of ethyl alcohol will also allow us to reduce
our cost of production of alcoholic wines which will impact on our gross profit
margins," said Constantin Jitaru, President of Asconi Corporation.
Asconi would like to clarify a statement made in its most recent press release
regarding the number of bottles it produced per hour. The purchase of the new
equipment increased our production capacity by 5,000 bottles per hour. Asconi's
production capacity is now 17,000 bottles per hour. Asconi apologizes for the
confusion.
About Asconi Corporation
Asconi Corporation is a prominent winery in the Republic of Moldova which
prides itself on the high quality raw materials it uses for the various types
of wine it produces and its use of modern equipment for grape processing and
wine bottling as well innovative technologies for wine production.
Asconi has four main business operations:
a) The production of wines from high quality grapes and wheat.
b) The storage of the wine as it matures; and wine bottling.
c) Sales of non-bottled wine in bulk to other bottlers.
d) International and regional sales of a variety of bottled wine.
For additional information regarding Asconi Corporation visit us at
www.asconi.com.
The Great Taste of America's Leading Frozen Mixer Brings You a Party in A
Bottle
HOUSTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- BACARDI(R) Mixers, the number-one selling
frozen drink mixer that "makes good times great with friends," introduces two
new, easy-to-handle, non-refrigerated packages that offer the same great taste
consumers have grown to love.
Made with real fruit, the popular mixers are now available to consumers in
liquor stores, as well as in supermarkets and club stores. Just as with the
frozen BACARDI Mixers, party hosts are using the new unrefrigerated fruit
mixers to help them create great tasting drinks that make their party guests
feel special.
Shelf-stable BACARDI Mixers are offered in convenient 1-liter and 1.75- liter
glass bottles in two flavors -- Strawberry Daiquiri and Pina Colada. Both
flavors were rated outstanding in consumer testing.
"We expect our new shelf-stable product to complement the success of its frozen
counterpart. BACARDI Mixers are, by far, the most popular frozen mixers," said
John Roddey, Director of Marketing for The Minute Maid Company. "We have made
BACARDI Mixers more convenient, while retaining the great taste that has made
them a key ingredient in great parties."
BACARDI Mixers is a joint product offering of BACARDI U.S.A., Inc. and The
Minute Maid Company.
The Minute Maid Company is an operating group of The Coca-Cola Company and the
flagship of its worldwide fruit beverage business. For more information, call
The Minute Maid Company at 1-800-888-6488 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT.
For more information on Minute Maid or BACARDI products, visit our websites at:
www.minutemaid.com or www.bacardi.com .
"Minute Maid" is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company.
Bacardi and the bat device are registered trademarks of Bacardi & Company
Limited.
Non-alcoholic and alcoholic (1% by volume) mixers - product availability varies
by market.
Niagara Now Available Throughout Texas
DALLAS, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- It's blue. It's fizzy. It's fruity. And, it
can jumpstart your love life. Niagara, the hot new love potion, is now more
widely accessible in Texas with a substantial number of stores throughout the
state now carrying the beverage. The fizzy blue herbal beverage from Sweden
that is touted as "romance in a bottle" has been difficult to find in stores
since gaining notoriety from national and local media in the last several
months.
Many stores, with limited supplies, have had to limit customer purchases. In
addition, many customers have been offering double and triple the price just to
get their hands on the Swedish herbal love potion. Niagara can now be
purchased at many local bars, night clubs, liquor stores as well as at over 300
other retailers including Circle K, Kroger, Minyard's and H-E-B according to
Texas distributor, Shelton Beverage.
The love potion is immediately available at these locations with a suggested
retail price of $4.99. For a complete listing of where Niagara can be
purchased, log on to www.texasniagara.com .
Niagara is a fizzy blue herbal beverage with a fresh taste of exotic fruits
from Sweden. The beverage contains "love herbs" including damiana which has
been believed for centuries to stimulate the sexual appetite. It also contains
ginseng which is said to increase endurance; mate which is touted as an
energizer; schizandra which calms nervous excitability; and guarana, a caffeine
source that provides a stimulating effect.
Dallas-based Glazer's is the exclusive, authorized distributor for Texas in
partnership with Shelton Beverage of Fort Worth.
Attorney Battles Corporate Giant Anheuser-Busch
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
August 19, 2001 GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Willie E. Gary weaved his way through
the crowded courtroom, offering hugs and handshakes to anyone in arm's reach
and pumping his fist in the air.
Gary and his legal staff had just won a $50 million breach-of-contract verdict
for the family of baseball great Roger Maris against Anheuser-Busch. The
world's largest brewer had become yet another corporate giant felled by Gary's
trial skills.
During his quarter century of practicing law, Gary has earned the nickname
``Giant Killer.'' The corporate giants he's challenged in courthouses
nationwide make an impressive list: Walt Disney. Coca Cola. Microsoft.
Bridgestone/Firestone.
``This verdict is saying to the big corporations, no matter how powerful you
are, how much money you have, or what your resources are, you've got to do the
right thing,'' Gary said following the Anheuser-Busch decision earlier this
month.
Yet years of legal victories have made Gary, self-proclaimed champion of the
little guy, as rich as many of the corporate executives whom he often belittles
on the witness stand for their trappings of wealth.
Gary won't say how much he's worth, but Forbes magazine puts it at $12.1
million. He lives in a 50-room mansion in Stuart, owns Rolls Royces and
limousines, and is whisked around the country in a Gulfstream jet named Wings
of Justice.
With a folksy approach, Gary, 54, often delights in emphasizing the class
difference between the jurors to whom he is making his arguments and the
executives he grills on the witness stand. He has mocked witnesses for having
Harvard educations, yachts and corporate jets.
``I know what tough times are about,'' Gary told jurors during last year's
Disney trial in Orlando in which two businessmen won a $240 million judgment
against the company for stealing their idea for a sports complex.
But the tough times are a distant memory for Gary, who worked in his youth as a
migrant worker in the South. He has shirt sleeves that are embroidered
``Gary,'' wears immaculately tailored suits, was recently featured on CBS' ``60
Minutes,'' had a celebrity golf tournament named for him and has hosted
President Clinton in his home.
He also wears a diamond-encrusted Rolex watch, though never in court.
``I don't want the jury to think that my client doesn't need the money,'' he
said.
When he talks before juries, he sometimes resembles a preacher on the pulpit.
He waves his arms and his voice swells. Gary tends to be more emotional than
analytical during his arguments, and he often picks cases pitting an everyday
David against a corporate Goliath.
``I think he connects on an intuitive level. He connects with ideas of right
and wrong, not just legal arguments,'' said Orlando attorney John Stemberger,
who worked with Gary on the Disney case.
But some jurors said they find Gary's emotional approach offputting.
``Mr. Gary seemed to be tugging at your heartstrings more, trying to get your
emotions involved,'' said Alva George Blake, a juror in the Anheuser-Busch
trial. ``To me, it was distracting. It's almost as though he were trying to
disguise the facts with emotions.''
Gary's populist rhetoric also has upset opposing attorneys.
In the Disney case, it was part of the basis for the company's appeal. Disney
attorneys said Gary's ``us-against-them'' arguments were inflammatory and
tainted the jurors.
His firm employs 130 people and handles about 7,000 cases a year, most of which
are settled. Gary is currently handling racial discrimination lawsuits against
Coca Cola, Exxon Mobil and Microsoft. In June, he sued Bridgestone/Firestone
Inc. for $1 billion on behalf of the adult children of a Florida couple killed
in a rollover accident.
Gary isn't always on the side of the little guy. He successfully defended Big
Sugar against charges it underpaid migrant workers.
Gary said he grew up ``dirt poor, with 13 of us living in a house the size of a
two-car garage.''
He was born the sixth of 11 children to migrant farmworking parents, who
traveled through the South according to the picking season. In his youth, he
often picked crops beside another young migrant, Gloria Royal, who became his
wife and with whom he has four sons.
Football was his ticket to an education. He was offered a chance to play
linebacker for Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach but was cut from the
team. On the advice of his high school coach, he took a bus to Shaw University
in Raleigh, N.C. where the football coach told him to go back to Indiantown
because he had no room for him. With persistence, he eventually made the team
and got to stay in school.
He has since given $10 million to Shaw University.
Gary graduated law school from North Carolina Central University in Durham,
N.C. and later set up a storefront law practice. His practice grew steadily and
so do did his fortunes.
A Mississippi case in the mid-90s proved to be the turning point.
Gary won a $500 million breach of contract judgment against the Canadian
funeral company, the Loewen Group, for his client, a Mississippi funeral home
owner. He later settled the case for about $175 million.
``I was just a country lawyer,'' he said. ``I wasn't supposed to win.''
Traditions and vibrant cultural mix enliven Brussels summer
By PAUL AMES
August 19,2001 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - A popular T-shirt on sale in the
souvenir shops surrounding the Grand'Place at the heart of Belgium's capital
features a bedraggled little dog under a leaky umbrella with the slogan
``Brussels, where rain is typical.''
In a city that endeavors to turn its reputation for perennial drizzle into a
tourist attraction, it only takes a soupcon of sunshine to bring citizens into
the streets for a celebration of summer.
Two balmy evenings in early July saw crowds of revelers flock to contrasting
outdoor festivals - one a flag-throwing, stilt-jousting glorification of
five-centuries of Belgian history, the other a multicultural mosaic of
merrymaking that showcases the capital's immigrant communities.
Brussels' Ommegang pageant dates back to 1348, when citizens paraded around the
medieval city in a religious procession. Over the centuries, the event lost its
religious connotations but grew in grandeur as the city's aristocracy, merchant
guilds, military units and simple folk joined in a sumptuous promenade.
The annual event reached its peak in 1549 when the procession was led by
Emperor Charles V, Europe's most powerful monarch and ruler of Germany, Spain,
the low countries and an overseas empire on four continents.
Today's annual Ommegang is a reconstruction of the event set amid the splendors
of the Grand'Place, the cobbled downtown plaza surrounded by gothic towers and
baroque gables that French writer Victor Hugo called the world's most beautiful
theater.
With the stone facades painted in honied tones by the sun's last rays, crowds
thronged into square to see the 1549 cortege re-created in all its glory.
The parade of hundreds of characters dressed in their richly-colored
16th-century dress includes falconers, hunting hounds, pikemen with silvery
domed helmets, the mounted Imperial Guard in black-and-gold uniforms, and an
array of lords and ladies decked out in robes of Renaissance splendor.
Devotion to authentic detail runs to having real-life Belgian blue-bloods
playing the roles of their noble ancestors, or visiting lords and ladies from
Charles' far-flung domains.
Thus we find Baroness Mary-France Gericke d'Herwynen and Countess Wauthier
d'Aspermont Lynden among the maids of honor of Queen Mary of Austria, herself
played by the Baroness de Villenfange de Voglesanck in a plum-colored velvet
dress crowned with a cornet headdress.
The overall effect is majestic, but its only after the nobility have trooped in
and the emperor - played by Prince Bernard de Merode - takes his place on the
throne that the fun really starts.
The imperial entertainment includes flag tossers juggling great blue and gold
banners; jugglers, fire-spitting mountebanks, folk dances straight from a
Breughel village scene, and a few uniquely Belgian traditions such as the
Gilles Marchiennois and Royal Stiltwalkers of Merchtem.
These strange characters are the undisputed stars of the show. The Gilles bring
a tradition from the southern city of Binche, dressed in bulky padded overalls
colored red and green and richly decorated with heraldic emblems - lions,
crowns and stars.
Bells jingle from belts and ankles as they sway through the square with a
hypnotic, shuffling dance step, their costumes topped with high-hats sprouting
snowy-white ostrich plumes. According to local lore, this elite band of
partygoers dates back to another visit of Charles V to his Belgian dominions
and. For obscure reasons, their costume and dance supposedly commemorates the
Spanish conquest of the Incas.
Even odder are the Stiltwalkers from the village of Merchtem.
In a tradition dating back to the days when walking on poles was the only way
to get across the rivers and marshes of their homeland north of Brussels, the
men, women and children of Merchtem, dressed in medieval garb emblazoned with
the red-black-and-yellow national colors, stalk the square on stilts that can
rise over 13 feet (4 meters) above the hard cobble stones.
After a heart-stopping jaunt the menfolk return - on slightly shorter stilts -
to fight each other. The last one standing is the winner. There's no
choreography here. The men charge, push and poke each other, and one-by-one go
crashing to the ground until the winner gets his reward from the emperor.
At the end, fireworks go up, the emperor and his court sweeps out, and the
thousands of spectators head for the bars of the Grand'Place for a goblet or
two of one of Belgium's strong ales.
If the Ommegang is all about tradition, Couleur Cafe, is a festival that
salutes modern, melting pot Brussels, a three-day fiesta of music, arts, crafts
and cuisine from the myriad ethnic communities that have made the Belgian
capital their home.
Just two nights before the Ommegang, Couleur Cafe takes over a sprawling
complex of crumbling Victorian warehouses that was once the city's customs
depot, transforming it into a sort of alternative World's Fair. More than
50,000 visitors roam from stages where Romanian fiddlers lay down a frenetic
gypsy rhythm, to stores selling toy trucks and planes made by Senegalese kids
from old beer cans, or makeshift bars serving Cuban rum cocktails.
With three big stages, the festival presents some of the big names of world
music - Jamaican Reggae legend Burning Spear, Brazilian percussion master
Carlinhos Brown or the king of Algeria's rai music, Khaled.
In a row of 40 street restaurants in the ``Rue du Bien Mange, visitors dine on
tuna-filled empanadas from Chile, Moroccan sausages, creamy coconut chicken
from Sri Lanka or spiced Togolese spinach and beans. Around the corner is a
souk filled with craft stalls dominated by African fabrics, Arab jewelry and
what must be the widest array of bongos north of the Atlas Mountains.
The event offers some real cultural crossovers.
Blond Flemish kids stand in line to get Middle Eastern henna tattoos. A
Brazilian girl in a microscopic blue bikini top wiggles an improvised belly
dance to Khaled's hypnotic Algerian beat. Beside a hut selling mint tea a
pre-teen Indian boy in a vermilion silk turban hammers out a drum duel with a
new-found friend in flowing blue-and-white West African robes, both grinning
ear to ear.
If it all that fun gets to be too much, you can always chill out, sip a mojito
and prepare for the future by ordering a crab-shaped coffin.
Just next to one of several rum bars, was an exhibition of the extraordinary
funerary art of Ghanan coffin maker Paa Joe. In the traditions of his coastal
communities, people like to go out with a splash. They chose from his
exquisitely carved, brightly painted coffins in the shape of fish, lions,
Mercedes-Benz sedans, Coca-Cola bottles, shiny red peppers, sacks of flour, or
just about anything else they fancy.
It is weird, wonderful and shows a side of Brussels that's a million miles
(kilometers) from the image of chocolate shops and lace.
Small Groups Talk Philosophy over books, beer
By CARL HARTMAN
AUgust 18, 2001 WASHINGTON - It's easy to get drunk at a Socrates Cafe - on
philosophy, not alcohol.
Christopher Phillips, a former college philosopher who has trademarked the
name, is helping to organize at least 58 of them in places ranging from New
Britain, Conn., to San Cristobal de Las Casas, in Mexico's southernmost state
of Chiapas. He lives in Alexandria, Va.
Phillips works with small groups of people who can spend hours discussing basic
questions that have troubled the wise for millennia - what is justice, what is
love, what is art? No holds barred.
Though Phillips first heard of ``philosophical outreach'' in a Scandinavian
country 30 years ago, the movement got an organized push in France in 1992. It
now counts 170 ``Clubs Philo'' in France and others in a score of other places,
including two on the south Pacific island of New Caledonia. He counts nine such
clubs in the United States.
Phillips' second book on the subject, ``The Philosophers' Club,'' is for
children and starts with the question: Which came first, the chicken or the
egg? It comes with a teacher's guide and will be published next month. He will
launch it at the library of a Washington suburb in Takoma Park, Md. He likes
libraries because they bring young and old people together.
On the whole though, he said, libraries like the idea less than cafes,
bookstores, prisons, shelters for the homeless, and elderly assisted living
homes do. His first Socrates Club was organized five years ago at a bookstore
in Wayne, N.J. It has moved to Montclair, he said, but still meets regularly.
Since his first book appeared earlier this year, Phillips said he gets two or
three e-mails a week about starting up such clubs.
A similar group, which doesn't use his name, met at a French restaurant a block
from FBI headquarters last weekend. Spirited talk lasted nearly four hours. The
topic: ``Does democracy promote or thwart human potential?'' It was run by
Richard Khuri, another philosopher who found academia too limiting. He began by
provoking his 15 listeners.
``It's not enough just to say we won the Cold War,'' he said, noting Plato's
criticism of democracy as lowering people's standards.
One woman agreed, at least in part.
``We live in an artistic garbage dump,'' she said.
Others cited India, the world's largest democracy, as failing to solve its
problem of deep poverty, and suggested that Cuba has made great strides in
health and education under an authoritarian system.
Most defended democracy, one quoting Winston Churchill as calling it the worst
form of government, ``except for all the others.
Smithsonian Associates, affiliated with Washington's museum complex, liked the
idea of a cafe atmosphere. It organized a series of lectures called
``Philosophy on Tap'' at a locale that specializes in a wide variety of beers.
About 150 people paid as much $195 for the series.
Socrates Cafes and Cafes Philos make a point of being free to all, charging
only for food and drink.
France's Tree-Lined Drives in Jeopardy
By JOCELYN GECKER
August 19,2001 PARIS (AP) - Rural France has long been known for the towering,
arching trees that line country roads, providing shade, beauty and dappled
light for those driving through villages and scenic farmland.
But in recent months the trees have become the center of a controversy pitting
road safety advocates, who want them chopped down, against conservationists,
who say they are national treasures.
Trees were to blame for 799 road deaths last year, the Transport Ministry says,
or 10 percent of all fatal traffic accidents on French roads.
Now the debate has taken a decisive turn: The man in charge of France's trees
has declared them a public danger.
``I love the forest. I love strolling in it. I love planting trees,''
Agriculture Minister Jean Glavany said. ``But I also know what is dangerous to
human life and the remedies to preserve it.''
``We must not hesitate to cut down the trees when it is necessary. We can
always replant elsewhere,'' Glavany said in a written statement published
recently in Le Figaro newspaper.
His comments came in response to the death of a 21-year-old motorcyclist, whose
July collision prompted an uproar in the southwestern Hautes-Pyrenees region,
which is also the minister's constituency.
In the meantime, chainsaw-wielding residents have taken matters into their own
hands. Striking in the middle of the night, the assailants have left their
marks on 168 trees near the youth's crash site, sawing deep gashes through
their thick trunks.
The trees were severed so deeply that ``a strong wind could have knocked them
down,'' said Alain Tastet, director of road management for the Hautes-Pyrenees.
Road maintenance crews were quickly dispatched to fell the trees.
Jacques Bernes, president of a local road-safety group called S.O.S. Routes,
says the ``commandos'' are performing a public service.
``I say `bravo.' We should encourage them to continue,'' said Bernes, whose
group is based in the Gers region next to Hautes-Pyrenees and has lobbied for
nearly a decade to have roadside trees removed.
He argues that while the trees might not be the sole cause of fatal road
accidents, they are ``the aggravating factor.''
He calculates that most of the region's trees - mainly plane trees - stand
about three feet from the road and are spaced 30 feet apart. If a driver drifts
outside the white lines going 50 mph, ``that's a wall of wood,'' he says. ``And
it's not the tree that explodes.''
The trees' most famous victim was the writer Albert Camus, who crashed while
heading north to Paris in 1960.
They have even spawned at least one postwar joke. (Why did the French plant so
many trees along their roads? So the Germans could march in the shade.)
For many who drive the tree-lined roads, the thought of denuding them is
unimaginable.
``It's part of their national heritage,'' said Jean Dorderes, of the town of
Vic-en-Bigorre in the Hautes-Pyrenees. ``If there's an accident, it's not the
tree's fault.''
Conservationists agree. Chantal Fauche, president of the Association for the
Defense of Trees in the Gers, says the answer is not to cut down the trees but
to address the causes of the crashes: speeding, drunk driving and fatigue.
``You don't cut down trees because a driver had three glasses of wine before
getting behind the wheel,'' she said.
The majestic roadside trees have been a cherished part of France's landscape
for centuries, and they are rapidly vanishing. By the end of the 19th century,
France had as many as 3 million ``arbres d'alignement.'' After two World Wars,
road-widening programs and anti-tree campaigns, there are 400,000 left.
Fauche says more effective alternatives would be to replant the trees farther
from the road, place barriers in front of them, and raise awareness through
public campaigns.
But these things take time, and that's a problem, Fauche said. In the Gers,
some 20,000 plane trees have been cut down in the past two decades and only
25,000 remain.
``At this rate, there will come a time when we won't have any trees left,''
Fauche said.
J2jurado
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Hop, wine-grape growers face similar challenges with different results
By Stephen H. Dunphy, Seattle Times business columnist
YAKIMA — Along Snipes Road in the high ground above the fertile Yakima
River Valley, row after row of wine grapes grow in fields where orchards
once stood.
For the new vineyards of the valley, these are heady days filled with the
promise of a cash crop that increases in value each year, a welcome
exception in a year of tough going.
But a few miles away, 20-foot poles that supported trellises used for
growing hops stand like sentries around fallow ground. It's not a good year
for hops.
Hops and grapes are at opposite ends of the farming spectrum in the valley.
They share a base in alcoholic beverages: Hops are used in making beer;
grapes become wine. But there the connections end and the divide begins.
When a violent early-summer thunderstorm roared through the valley in June,
hop growers lost 3 million to 4 million pounds of their crop, the vines
stripped from the poles like someone had gone through the fields with
scissors.
Cherry growers, looking as if they would have a good year, were devastated
by the storm. Pears and apples were nicked so bad they would be useless.
But the wine grapes were at a much earlier stage of development. While the
vines suffered damage, the crop was not ruined. Grapes still look good as
the summer heat reaches its peak.
Grape growers dodged a bullet. Hop and cherry growers wonder what's next."
Such is life these days in the Yakima Valley, a fertile stretch of desert
that has flowered from the water of the Yakima River and irrigation projects
that date almost 100 years.
More than 200 different crops and agricultural commodities are grown or
raised here: vegetables from asparagus to zucchini, herbs from dill to mint,
livestock from cattle to dairy cows.
No bounce in hops
Doug MacKinnon, executive director of the Hop Growers of America, sits in
his small office a few blocks from downtown Yakima. He checks his computer
for a quote on the German deutsche mark.
It says a lot about farming these days when the director of the industry
association spends a lot of time watching currency rates. But for hops
growers, the value of the deutsche mark is key.
Hops are used in beer. Germany is home to one of the largest beer makers in
the world and the two main merchant buyers of hops.
"The price of hops in Germany sets the price here," MacKinnon says. So the
strong dollar to a weak German deutsche mark "can add a pretty good bump to
costs."
Today Washington state is the largest producer of hops in the country and
accounts for about 40 percent of the world output. Germany is still tops at
45 percent.
The tiny cone-shape flowers add the bitter taste to beer. Split the cones
open and inhale, and the aroma of your favorite microbrew is there in your
hand.
The crop provided about $80 million in revenue to the 100 or so hop growers,
making it the 13th-most-valuable crop in the state in 1999, the last year
for which figures are available.
All about hops
Washington state Hops Industry (year 2000)
Top varieties: Galena (5,044 acres), Nugget (4,597 acres) Columbus/Tomahawk
(4,594 acres)
Total acreage: 36,980
Number of growers: About 100
State breweries: 90
Production: 632,116 barrels
Value of crop: $80 million (1999)
Source: Hop Growers of America
Some of the family operations have a tradition of growing hops that goes
back more than a century when French Canadians settled in the valley.
Hops are expensive to grow. The vines must be trained by hand to begin
curling around the trellises. In September, the hops are harvested, dried,
baled and shipped to microbrewers in the Northwest, to big brewers such an
Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser) and around the world.
Washington State University estimates that it costs $4,000 to $4,500 an acre
to grow hops, so growers keep an eye on both the expected yield and prices
in the open market.
New super-yield varieties allow growers to almost double traditional yields.
It can change the equation back to the farmers' advantage _ the higher yield
comes with about the same amount of cost.
"We could actually produce the same amount of hops on half the acreage and
save $250,000 in costs," says MacKinnon.
But that is also moving the industry toward larger farms that can spread the
cost of new picking machines and drying operations over a larger crop.
Growers are watching conditions carefully these days as the vines grow and
mature. Prices are around $1.50 a pound, a low price that means only the
most efficient producers will be profitable.
Water remains a big question mark. Most hops farmers have gone to
drip-irrigation systems that use much less water. The systems also allow
farmers to better manage pesticides and other chemicals.
But water for irrigation is expected to be cut off in early September this
year because of the drought. Some growers have good water rights or wells to
see them through. Others are not so lucky.
Adding to the worry is the fact that the super-yielding varieties often
mature last, in late September. What happens when the water is turned off
adds just another level of uncertainty for the growers.
Kevin Reil, the youngest member of a longtime hop-growing family, checked
out a field of Zeus hops, one of the super-yielding variety.
"It looks good," he says. "It looks like a good crop."
Like most hop growers, Reil has diversified his crops. He grows apples,
asparagus and dill, to name a few. Usually one crop is down while another is
up.
Not this year.
"We're hanging on," he says, "hanging on."
Great grapes growing
August is a quiet, peaceful time in the vineyards. The grapes are growing
and don't need a lot of attention. It's time to clean out vats, prepare
equipment, maybe even grab a week of vacation.
Frederique Vion, assistant winemaker at Sagelands Vineyards, outside Yakima,
was doing just that recently, getting as ready as she could for the crush.
Vion is one of a growing number of European winemakers coming to the area,
drawn by the quality of the grapes and the absence of strict controls
typical in France.
"The wines here are very good," Vion says, with the potential to be even
better.
Wine-grape growers are working in one of the few growth industries in
Washington agriculture.
Washington is the second-largest producer of wine grapes, with 90,000 tons
harvested last year. California harvested more than 2 million tons.
California growers get as much as three times the grape tonnage off the same
acreage. In the past few decades, Washington has carved out a thriving niche
in the wine business by producing mostly varietals at competitive but
climbing prices.
All about wine
Washington state Wine Industry (year 2000)
Top grape varieties: Chardonnay (7,400 acres), Merlot (7,100 acres),
Cabernet Sauvignon (6,300 acres)
Total acreage: 29,000
Number of growers: 250
Number of wineries: 170
Revenues: $288.7 million
Value of crop: $63.7 million
Source: state Wine Commission
"Nobody can touch us on a Merlot or Syrah," says Dick Boushey of Boushey
Farms.
Washington wines increasingly sell above the $10 mark. As a result, the land
in Washington devoted to wine grapes continues to grow, hitting 30,000 acres
this year compared with less than 500 three decades ago.
The harvest is approaching a record 100,000 tons this year _ enough for
almost 70 million bottles of wine.
There are about 250 wine-grape growers and 170 wineries in this state,
although the rate of growth for new wineries is now beginning to slow,
according to the state Wine Commission. There were 19 wineries in 1981.
The Yakima Valley proves to be ideal for growing grapes: It has long sunny
days in the summer. Irrigated land that carefully controls the amount of
water the vines receive. A long dormant period in the winter. All seem to
combine to create good grapes that make increasingly fine wines.
Grapes for wine have been grown in the state since the early 1800s, when
French trappers and English settlers at Fort Vancouver encouraged vineyard
planting along the Columbia River in Southwest Washington.
When wine sales boomed in the U.S, Eastern Washington boomed with it. And
the boom continues today.
A recent study by the Wine Commission put the value of the wine industry at
$2.4 billion and its statewide workforce at more than 11,000. The study
found that the Washington wine industry has more than doubled in size during
the past decade.
The annual state wine-grape crop increased by 64 percent between 1990 and
1999. The study also found grower returns increasing from $654 per ton in
1995 to an average of $910 per ton in 1999.
For now, there is a good balance between supply and demand, according to
growers. It helps to keep prices firm and returns good for growers.
Most farmers growing wine grapes are also diversified into other crops, but
many of those crops are not performing well.
Are there too many acres being put into grapes?
"Any agricultural product is going to have its ups and downs," says Brian
Carter, vice president and winemaker at Apex Vineyards. "There will be an
excess some time."
Just not yet.
Carter said the move into the higher end of the wine business has been good;
it seems to be somewhat protected from the ups and downs of the economy. A
mild recession would not hurt wine sales appreciably.
"But the dot-coms will not be stocking their wine cellars the way they
were," he says.
So far Washington growers are sticking together in the wine business,
sharing things that work or don't work. Industry experts say that is unusual
in the industry, more known for its secretive nature than its collegiality.
Like everyone else in the valley, grape growers are watching the water
situation carefully. The shift to drip irrigation has reduced the dependence
on water, but it is still a key factor.
"Long term, the future is bright," says Boushey. "Wine making is becoming a
much more sophisticated industry, but we can compete here with anyone."
http://www.beveragebusiness.com/art98/mmcrouch0801.html
The REBIRTH of the IMPORT MARKET
By Andy Crouch
The beer industry is inundated with marketing data that heralds the rebirth of
the import market. Industry publication headlines scream in bold type about the
double digit growth of big brands, such as Corona, Heineken, and Guinness.
Industry analysts fall over one another in their attempts to spread the gospel
on the second coming of imported beer.
While beverage industry publications focus on Amstel, Labatts, and Tecate, many
smaller import brands slowly trek along the distribution process. This article
focuses on some little noticed import products. While a handful of brand names
grab all the headlines, many classic imports fly under the radar and fail to
register in America. These smaller products have a range of unique selling
points - some are brewed in unlikely locales, some have very unique stories to
tell, and some represent little known and nearly defunct styles.
Across the beer market, import products have weathered a bumpy decade. After
lackluster mid-decade sales, many import brands are in full gear for a new
assault on the marketplace. As of 2000, imports represent a ten percent share
of the American beer market, with the volume to support it. According to
Beverage Dynamics, Corona is now the seventh largest brand in the country. Not
the seventh largest import brand, but seventh largest overall. After a confused
mid-decade identity crisis, Corona relocated its sense of personality and has
experienced 35 to 40 percent growth in recent years. After a mid-decade slump,
Heineken has staged an impressive comeback, posting a near 15 percent increase
last year, to 54 million 2.25 gallon cases. Guinness has also made some
impressive inroads, nearly doubling the number of cases sold in the last five
years.
But the real story of imported beers, as far as uniqueness goes in this
market, is not to be found in Beverage Dynamics' Rising Stars or Fast Track
growth lists. It's in the brew kettles of some unlikely brewers.
UNIQUE LOCALES When a beer drinker thinks of great brewing countries, s/he
might dream of Belgian monasteries or old German brewhouses. When one ponders
great brewing countries, one does not think of Norway or Sri Lanka. But when
it comes to great imported beer, these countries each produce at least one
noteworthy product.
The Aass Brewery was established in 1834 and is the oldest modern day brewery
in Norway. The brewery was purchased in 1860 by Poul Lauritz Aass, who then
donned it with his unique and often mispronounced name (the proper
pronunciation is "Ouse"). The brewery has been family run ever since, with the
forth generation of Aass running the business today. The brewery is located on
the Drammen river, 25 miles south of Oslo, and produces 85,000 barrels a year.
Citing its unlikely allegiance to Duke Wilhelm of Bavaria, the brewery produces
all of its beers in accordance with the purity law of 1516.
Aass' best known beer is its bock, a classic of the style. This deep auburn
beer has a creamy flavor, with some spicy and nutty hints, and offers a full
mouthfeel. It has a faint hop base, with 20.5 IBUs of German Hallertau hops,
and an intriguing base of Scandinavian malt. The Aass Bock is lagered up to six
months, has a 5.9 percent a.b.v., and is sold in an 11.2oz green bottle. The
beer is imported by All Saints Brands.
Across the globe from Scandinavia, Asian nations have produced a number of
lagers that are popular in package stores and ethnic restaurants. Brands
including Kingfisher, Sapporo, and Asahi are well known to those who dine in
Chinese, Japanese or Indian restaurants. Beyond pale lagers, there is one
standout dark beer from an Asian country that many people couldn't find on a
map. In the nation of Sri Lanka, the Ceylon Brewery produces the potent Lion
Stout.
This beer, which is imported by Quest Importers of Purchase, New York, has a
small following outside of its home country. This following is mainly the
product of the writing and beer exploration of noted beer writer Michael
Jackson. During the days before Lion Stout was exported, Jackson made a risky
beer hunt to the hilltop brewery to taste this mythical stout. The brewery is
perched precariously in the hilltown of Nuwara Eliya, a locale that Jackson
describes as "frighteningly remote". The trip to the brewery requires a
careful and harrowing jaunt up a narrow, winding road to the town.
The brewery, which is Sri Lanka's first, was founded by Sir Samuel Backer at
the base of one of Sri Lanka's most famous waterfalls, popularly named Lovers
Leap. The area is surrounded by tea plantations and impressive landscape
according to those who have visited. Initial production was intended entirely
for local consumption, with little thought about expansion. More than a
century after the brewery's founding, Ceylon's products were exported to the
UK, Backer's native country.
A new, fully-automated brewery, named the Lion Brewery after the company's
most popular brand, was recently established in the town of Biyagama, replete
with modern brewing equipment and production facilities manufactured by
Steinecker and Krones. The purpose of the new brewery's construction is to
handle the increasing local and international demand.
The Ceylon Brewery is capable of brewing 125,000 hectoliters (about 105,000
barrels), while the new Lion Brewery is capable of producing 300,000
hectoliters (250,000 barrels). The new brewery has the potential to expand to a
mind-boggling 1,800,000 hectoliters (1.5 million barrels) a year.
While I enjoy a good beer hunt as much as anyone, I prefer the harrowing walk
to the package store over long, winding mountain bus rides for my taste of the
Lion Stout. And thankfully, this beer is now available in the United
States.Water for the beer is provided by a stream located above the brewery,
and malt is obtained from Britain and the Czech Republic. The brewery uses
Slovenian hops and a British yeast strain. The beer pours with a big, bubbly
and creamy tan head. The aroma is very creamy, with some dark malt and smoky
hints. The Lion Stout has a slightly sweet malt beginning, sliding into a smoky
malt middle, and finishes very smooth. While this is certainly an impressive
stout, I would take issue with Jackson's lending of his reputation and name to
advertisements for the beer - his imbing photograph can be found adorning
product posters and the bottle itself!
UNIQUE STORIES In the eyes of lawnmowing beer drinkers everywhere, the classic
Summer beer is most likely the Pilsner. Far from the American-style lagers of
Budweiser and Miller Genuine Draft, pilsners are often light in color,
medium-bodied with a floral hop nose and a crisp, dry finish that lasts on the
palate. This popular and often imitated style of beer is truly Bohemian in
origin. The original Pilsner was brewed in Pilsen, Czech Republic, and was thus
given its namesake. In the Czech Republic, pilsner is an appellation reserved
exclusively for the beers of this region.
With the granting of brewing licenses by King Wencelas II in 1295, the
history-making production of beer in Pilsen began. In the 1840s came a shakeup
in the Czech brewing industry, and a number of local brewers decided to found a
new brewery. The group created the Mestansky Pivovar (Burgess Brewery), and
began brewing in 1842.The brewery's offerings were quite popular, and it
experienced growth throughout Prague and rest of Czechoslovakia. Near the end
of the century, the brewery was exporting its popular pilsner to all major
European cities - and even to the United States. The popularity of the Pilsner
style caused quite a stir in international brewing circles. The production
techniques and flavor structure of the beers spread on a global scale, with
many brewers creating similar, if less flavorful versions of the style.
The so-called original pilsner is the 150-year-old Pilsner Urquell, a wonderful
beer with a floral bouquet and a remarkably refreshing and crisp finish. The
beer is, beginning to end, all about the Bohemian Saaz hop, a finishing hop
with a low alpha-acid bitterness. The Saaz hop imparts a spicy and fragrant
aroma to the final product.
Another important pilsner, which has lately received a lot of media attention,
is another Czech beer, appropriately named Czechvar. As you may know, this is
not the original name of the beer. But first to the history. The town of
Budweis, Czech Republic (that may give away the rest of the story...) is home
to a strong, historic brewing tradition which spans seven centuries. It
appears, through a review of Czech history, that the nation's kings were
extraordinarily involved in the creation of some great beers. When founding the
town of Budweis ("Ceske Budejovice" in Czech) in 1265, King Premysl Otaker II
granted its burghers the right to malt, brew, store and sell beer in their
homes.
The brewers did not take this privilege lightly, and set out to make some
world-class beers. Over the next few centuries, a period of time that should
not be thrown around in such a seemingly light manner, the local brews made the
town famous. According to the people at Czechvar, in the 1500s, Emperor
Ferdinand I gave the local city council a special award for its quality beer
and then ordered it to send the brewer and his workers to the imperial court to
brew for the emperor himself.
The beer is more full-bodied, has a greater malt sweetness and larger hop
presence than its Czech brother, Pilsner Urquell. It shares a base of Moravian
malt and Bohemian Saaz hops with the original, but is most noticeably different
in the sweetness of its underlying malt flavors. It is this difference that is
crucial to the beer and its current state of affairs. The brewers suggest that
the brewery's dedication to the finest ingredients is the major virtue of the
beer's quality. This ordinary proclamation would usually be a predictable
statement by a brewery seeking to differentiate itself from its competition. In
this case, however, the statement is only half-complete. The brewers say their
dedication to their ingredients is important, and that the brewery "has never
sacrificed quality to business goals". It is this last swipe at the competition
that begins to reveal the true story behind Czechvar.
After moving to the United States, an eager-minded German immigrant named
Adolphus Busch began making a beer inspired by the city of Budweis. Back in
central Europe, the Budweis Brewery was brewing a beer known as Budvar. This
beer had been distributed in America until 1939, when the brewery, now referred
to as the B.B.N.P.in America, signed a trademark and exportation agreement with
Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest brewing company.
The long-running trademark dispute between the B.B.N.P. and A-B over the
Budvar moniker has continued for nearly 100 years. Originally, the export
agreement prohibited the use of the Budvar name on products exported to the US.
The B.B.N.P. claims the agreement was signed under litigation threats by A-B.
After a variety of negotiations and settlement attempts, including some time
before the International Trade Commission, the two sides finally inked a recent
deal. The B.B.N.P. is now allowed to distribute Budvar in the United States
under its original moniker when the imports are destined for
extra-territorials, such as embassies or UN bodies. Otherwise, the brewery must
distribute the beer as "Czechvar". As the brewery puts it, "only the name has
been changed to protect the beer". The beer is now imported by Czech Beers
Importers, and is currently available in many markets. The company expects
nationwide distribution in coming years.
UNIQUE STYLES The final section of this article will consider two very unique
and rarely enjoyed styles of beer. One is a lager, while the other is an ale.
Both are holdovers from another time and place -beers with strong character and
pronounced flavor. The first one looks a lot tougher than it really is. The
second, however, is every bit as tough as it looks.
The first beer is Kostritzer, a schwarzbier brewed by the brewery of the same
name in the East German town of Bad Kostritz. Schwarzbier is simply German for
"black beer". This lager is something of an enigma - its appearance can be
deceiving. This style is morosely dark brown or opaquely black in color. But
this is not the kid brother of stout or porter. Black beers have a roasted malt
flavor, but without the associated bitterness of many other darker beers. The
complex flavor is low in sweetness, with some hop flavor. Overall, this beer is
a light dark beer, if such a thing can exist. The beauty of the style is its
ethereal nature. Beers of this style often give off the impression of having
strong, bitter or highly roasted dark malt flavors. But this beer manages a
certain light flavor that will confound many experienced beer drinkers.
Kostritzer is one of the original black beers, if not the original itself. The
brewery boasts a more than 450 year brewing history, dating back to 1543. The
beer had its heyday many, many decades ago, only to see its popularity wane
with the onslaught of pale lager beer in Germany. Its lightness, however, is
one of its most positive attractions for German beer drinkers, who consider it
a dark beer with a light soul. It has been roundly accepted in Germany, with
particular affinity vesting in northern Germany. Bismarck was known to have
enjoyed this beer,and Goethe heralded it as his favorite beer. A beer of
Germany, it is brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot of 1516.
The storied history of the Kostritzer Brewery almost came to a close during the
Cold War. After construction of the Berlin Wall, the brewery, along with many
other East German breweries, was cut off from the rest of the world and sank
into financial difficulties. The doors of the old brewhouse were closed for a
while during this time. After German reunification and the symbolic destruction
of the Berlin Wall, the old Kostritzer Brewery reopened under the tutelage of
the Bitburg Brewery of West Germany. The story goes that the president of the
popular Bitburg Brewery had enjoyed the light flavor of this dark specialty
during his youth and was saddened to see its premature demise. After some
consideration, he purchased and reopened the brewery, and in the process
managed to revive a dying style of beer.
Schwarzbiers are beginning to make a quiet comeback in the US. In a strange
testament to the enigmatic qualities of this style, one unlikely city swept all
three awards at the 2000 Great American Beer Festivalfor the schwarzbier style.
Portland? Denver? Lager-loving Milwaukee? None of the above. The answer? Salt
Lake City. Completing its sweep of major international competitions in the
schwarzbier style, including gold medals at the GABF and the World Beer
Championships, the Uinta Brewing Company of Salt Lake City, Utah, won for its
King's Peak schwarzbier. I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how
this dark beer style made its way to one of America's least hospitable beer
communities, let alone how the city's breweries managed to sweep all three
medals! Regardless of the fact that there were only 12 entries, this was an
amazing categorical sweep. The other two, for those interested, were the Red
Rock Black Bier from the Red Rock Brewing Company and the Black Forest
Schwarzbier from Squatters Beer.
Some bartenders recommend a mix of the two beers proud enough to call
themselves "black beers" - Guinness and Kostritzer. The so-called "black on
black" is an interesting concoction that is rarely possible due to the varied
distribution of the Kostritzer brand. The second oft-neglected style is the
full, eclectic and sometimes overpowering Baltic porter style. This style of
dark ale is not popular enough to even constitute a sub-style of the porter
group under the Association of Brewers' style guidelines. This style is a
definite relative of the Imperial Stout style. These deep, rich porters,
popular in Poland, Finland and Russia, are rich in flavor and usually big in
alcohol content and flavor. In a nod to hybrid style beers, many Baltic porters
are brewed with lager yeasts. The representations of this style are eclectic
because they are so wide-ranging in flavor. Unlike many other styles, one
Baltic porter will not likely taste like another. The flavors range from
softer malt flavors to overwhelmingly powerful malt and alcohol flavors.
In support of the "go big or go home" movement, this part of the article will
focus on one of the biggest of the Baltic porters: the Okocim Porter. This beer
is brewed by the Okocim Brewing Company in Poland, packs a big 8.1 percent
a.b.v., and is stunning in massive malt aroma and flavor. The Okocim pours with
a deep, dark brown color, a remarkable tan head, and offers a huge, rich malt
nose, with some coffee hints. This beer lets you know upfront that it isn't
messing around. It reaches its full potential after warming at room temperature
for a few minutes, and has a layered, almost dry finish. On my most recent
taste, the bottle had been aged for more than a year and help up very well.
Though not widely available, the Okocim is most likely to be found in the
Chicago area. And there is good reason for such a distribution point: Chicago
has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw, Poland. The beer is most
often found at import-heavy liquor stores and in areas with large Polish or
East European populations.
Marketers want consumers to believe that every beer has its own story. And for
the above brands, this is certainly true. Many little noticed imports offer
unique flavors, styles, and stories that too often go undiscovered. So the next
time you read the numbers in an industry publication, give some thought to what
you don't see. To truly appreciate the real flavor and range of imported
products, a drinker must consider something beyond the top ten.
http://www.beveragebusiness.com/art98/onbeer.html
On Beer report
NEW TRENDS The changing face of America should lead to unprecedented
opportunities in the beer business, according to the 2001 edition of Beer is
Volume with Profit, Miller Brewing Company's 76-page annual analysis of the $67
billion US beer industry.
"Two trends in society speak very well for the industry as we move intothis new
Millennium," said Joan Zitzke, Miller's retail sales communications manager.
"By 2010, the US population will include the largest group of 21- to
27-year-olds in our history, with growing ethnic groups contributing to a total
of 28 million people in that age group. Secondly, the use of the internet as a
business tool will have a profound effect on how we all sell beer in the
future."
Other information contained in the annual includes in-depth analyses of the
state of today's industry, focusing on a whole host of issues, including
detailed research on consumer buying habits, the impact of displays at retail,
the increase of beer retail outlets nationwide, and the influence of domestic
and premium light beers on the market.
But while many variables impact the overall beer market, the report makes a
strong case for the internet and its profound effect on business. To address
the beer retailer's relationship with the internet, Miller has developed a very
specific Web site, www.milleradvantage.com, which is devoted to communicating
with beer retailers in the on- and off-premise channels of trade.
"The information and sales tools we've incorporated in the site were created
specifically to help beer retailers better understand their business in orfer
to increase their profits," Zitzke continued. "The site includes information
geared to improving retailers' business processes. The Miller Advantage Point
category management system, which offers a comprehensive analysis of consumer
insights and beer-selling solutions, as well as national and market level
salesdata, responsible drinking initiatives, general legal guidelines, consumer
promotions and product profiles, are all available on our site." Retailers can
order copies of Beer is Volume with Profit by logging on to the website.
J2jurado
COPENHAGEN, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Danish brewery group Carlsberg A/S said on
Tuesday Flemming Lindeloev, chief executive of its 60 percent-owned unit
Carlsberg Breweries, will leave his post on August 31, 2001.
Lindeloev has resigned to become chief executive -- with an equity stake -- of
Royal Scandinavia, an associated company of the Carlsberg group.
"Royal Scandinavia's major shareholder approached me with an offer to become a
shareholder and CEO of the group," Lindeloev told Reuters.
Lindeloev, who stressed he was leaving Carlsberg Breweries -- the world's fifth
biggest brewer -- without any drama, said he found it attractive to head a
company in which he would get a "decent" stake and thus work "for himself" in
the last years of his career.
In December last year, Carlsberg A/S reduced its 65 percent stake to 28 percent
of Royal Scandinavia and said it intended to sell the remaining shares later as
part of its focus on the core drinks business.
"The plan is to reduce Carlsberg's stake in Royal Scandinavia over the next
couple of years," Lindeloev said.
Lindeloev said Carlsberg Breweries was on the right track and that strategy
remained unchanged.
Carlsberg Breweries Executive Vice-President Nils Smedegaard Andersen will
replace Lindeloev as chief executive.
Andersen has so far been responsible for beer and soft drink activities in
northern and western Europe.
At 0950 GMT, Carlsberg shares were 0.7 percent down at 367.50 crowns, while the
Copenhagen bourses top-20 KFX index, of which Carlsberg is a constituent, was
0.85 percent off.
Carlsberg said the brewing unit's Executive Vice-President Paul Bergqvist would
take over responsibility for Asia as well as major strategic projects in
addition to being responsible for eastern Europe.
Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer Bjoern Erik Naess would
take on additional responsibility for human resources.
Andersen, Bergqvist and Naess constitute the executive board of Carlsberg
Breweries, which is the result of the merger last year between Carlsberg and
the beverage activities of Norwegian conglomerate Orkla.
Orkla holds the remaining 40 percent of Carlsberg Breweries.
Qingdao Int'l Beer Festival Opens
( Xinhua News Agency ) ; 08-18-2001
QINGDAO, Aug 18, 2001 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The 11th Qingdao International
Beer Festival opened Saturday in this coastal city in east China's Shandong
Province. Over 10,000 people from both at home and abroad participated in the
opening ceremony of the festival, which will last for 11 days.
Qingdao is well known for its German-style beer. A survey of 35 large and
medium-sized Chinese cities showed that Qingdao residents spent an average of
202.74 yuan on alcoholic drinks per person last year, ranking third after
Xiamen and Beijing.
The Qingdao Beer Group's total assets have surpassed seven billion yuan (about
843.4 million U.S. dollars) and it has the capability of producing more than
three million tons of beer each year. Not only does it brew and sell the most
beer in China, it is also the country' s number one beer exporter.
A warm welcome for Prince of ales...
( News Letter ) ; 07-28-2001
THE Prince of Wales yesterday cooled down with a bottle of beer on one of the
hottest days of the year.
Charles sipped a pale ale during a visit to a country fair near Biggleswade,
Bedfordshire.
He sampled a bottle of Hertford Castle Special Pale Ale while touring the
Country Landowners' Association Game Fair. The Prince was offered a beer
during a visit to a stall run by Herts- based brewer McMullen.
He took a few sips from a half pint glass before asking watching photographers
if they would like to finish the drink off.
"He said it was a very fine beer," said McMullen Sales and Marketing Director
Fergus McMullen.
"I don't believe he'd had one before. It's a hot day and I think he enjoyed
it."
Earlier this week, the Prince championed the pub as the "hub of rural life",
telling the launch in London of a campaign to help save the countryside: "One
of the features of life in the countryside today is a lack of services.
"For instance, there was a time when the pub used to be at the heart of village
life, but now 40 per cent of villages do not have one.
"At the same time, village stores and Post Offices are shutting at an alarming
rate - 100 rural pubs a year, they say.
"So why not, I thought, make the 'Pub the Hub'.
"Put into the pub the Post Office and the store, and increase the income, so
giving the pub itself a more secure future."
The Lowdown: From the last chance saloon to the night they drank
( Independent on Sunday ) Heather Tomlinson; 08-19-2001
Monday Ralph Findlay put his feet up and enjoyed a pint of Pedigree - the beer
made by the company he heads. He deser-ved the luxury after being locked in a
year-long battle to keep control of Wolverhampton & Dudley as two bidders tried
to snatch the traditional brewer and pub owner from his grasp. Last week W&D's
board finally managed to win enough backing from its shareholders, and Mr
Findlay is now sunning himself in Greece. "The process went on far too long,"
he said. "Now it's business asusual."
The predatory partners were Pubmaster, tipped only last weekend to have won the
battle, and Robert Breare, the entrepreneur who heads Noble House Leisure. In
these uncertain economic times, when cash is king, their pounds 485m bid looked
like winning.Indeed, Mr Findlay admitted he had been tense about the result.
The episode started a year ago when Mr Breare linked up with the private equity
house Botts & Co to make a tentative approach that valued W&D at around pounds
500m. This bid was rejected by the board. But shareholder pressure forced the
company to putitself up for sale, and during the year Mr Breare joined up with
Pubmaster for another offensive.
Despite the headaches caused by Mr Breare, Mr Findlay has no hard feelings,
describing his adversary only as "opportunist". This concentration on the
issues and avoidance of personality-based feuds won him points. But it also
helped the bid defence thatMr Findlay, chief executive since March and
previously finance director, energetically courted investors to win them round,
even if the prolonged takeover battle was disruptive and exhausting.
"There have been days when I have gone to London, come back and then had to
drive back to London again," he said. Now he's looking forward to running the
company rather than dealing with corporate issues. "What I need to do is spend
a lot more time in the business and a lot less time in London. I know Takeover
Panel rules and the City of London better than I want toat the moment."
He said the lowest point came earlier this year when he had put a lot of work
in and helped Mr Breare and Pubmaster on the due diligence, with the aim of
putting a "proper" offer to the board. The bidders' deadline approached, at the
start of June, forsubmitting a formal offer, and only minutes before their time
was up, a bid was delivered. It was less than the original offer from Mr Breare
that had already been rejected. "For God's sake, we have only got a bid of 480p
on the table," Mr Findlay thought.
The bidders loosened the purse strings last month and the amount was raised to
513p, but it wasn't enough for the shareholders. During the bidding process
the PR spinning machines for both camps went into overdrive, with countless
stories claiming one side or the other had won. "It does make me laugh ... I'm
looking forward to when we are making less headlines and more progress,"said
Mr Findlay.
He didn't pay much notice to the view that Pubmaster was destined to win
because W&D was an old-fashioned company with a dismal future. "I thought they
were all wrong. The issue was how much of the cash was on offer. As we were
seeing investors, I feltwe were changing the openness of W&D."
Investors were promised a pounds 200m share buyback, which meant they could see
some cash return in the near future. Mr Findlay made it clear that the
frowned-on mixture of breweries, tenanted pubs and managed pubs would be run
separately, streamlined and invested in. "Pubmaster tried to paint it as
old-fashioned, brewery-led, but we were able to demonstrate that was not the
case."
He must have been persuasive. Crispin Wright at NM Rothschild, who advised W&D
during the bid battle, said: "[Mr Findlay is a] very impressive chap, a very
clear thinker and a clear presenter - straightforward and effective."
Mr Findlay started his career as an exploration geologist in Northern Ireland.
Although he managed to steer clear of danger during the Troubles, he did have a
few scrapes. His work involved measuring the density of rocks and his equipment
was a black box with wires sticking out of it, which he had to use next to
roads and bridges. "At least twice I emerged from under a bridge to find that
the army had sealed off the road and were very keen to know why we were under a
bridge with a black box," he said.
Perhaps that's why his nerve held so well in the battle with Pubmaster and Mr
Breare.
It is easy to say the worst is now over but there is still a lot to do. W&D is
selling off its more modern, upmarket bars like Pitcher & Piano and
concentrating on community pubs - a popular move with some. The Campaign for
Real Alcohol, which opposed therecent bid, claims the diversion from its
traditional strategy is what went wrong in the first place.
"They should be concentrating on what they do best, producing good- quality
beer and managing local pubs - not doing fancy in-town bars, " said a
spokesperson. The group managed to drum up 8,000 people who supported the
management and opposed the bid.
Despite the celebrations, if the new strategy doesn't work, investors will go
for the jugular. One shareholder, who voted for the management, said Mr
Findlay has a year to come up with the goods. "If Ralph Findlay doesn't deliver
then you will see another bid."
Mr Breare said that in a year's time, when Takeover Panel rules allow, he might
bid again. But Mr Findlay does not feel pressured. "It's easy to talk and say
things like that without having any interest in following through."
These issues are far away from the minds of the staff, advisers and real- ale
fanatics who are ecstatic about the win. Wolverhampton had a busy night on
Monday as locals celebrated. "The sales of beer around the area that night were
pretty good," said Mr Findlay.
Although he enjoyed his pints of Pedigree, he hasn't gone overboard and knows
there is now a lot of work to do to win over the 47 per cent of shareholders
who voted against the management - and to justify the trust of those who did.
Mr Findlay must now reward that trust.
Fact File
Wolverhampton & Dudley was started by the Banks family in the late 1800s with
three breweries, although only one is still within the company - Banks's
brewery in Wolverhampton. It was floated on the stock market at that time but
showed its traditionalstyle by not issuing a new share for over 100 years,
until 1999.
It now owns well-known beer brands such as Pedigree and Mansfield and over
2,000 pubs. It is returning to its roots by selling off flashy bars like
Pitcher & Piano and concentrating on more traditional community pubs.
The great beer bid battle
28 January 2000: Profit warning leads to dramatic slump in Wolverhampton &
Dudley's share price.
14 August 2000: W&D shares rise after Robert Breare and Botts & Co admit they
are considering bid for the company of at least 500p.
18 August 2000: W&D board rejects offer.
9 October 2000: W&D announces it is up for sale.
24 April 2001: Following stories that several companies, including Pubmaster,
are interested in the company, W&D announces the strategy that later fended off
the bidders.
2 May: Mr Breare and Pubmaster join forces and intend to break the company up.
1 June: Pubmaster's bid goes hostile, at 480p a share.
30 July: Pubmaster increases bid to 513p per share.
13 August: W&D wins the war with 53 per cent of shareholders' votes.
Sam Adams Brewery to Become Mecca of Entertainment at the Third Annual Summer
Celebration
Oscar Winner Matt Damon, American Pie 2's Tara Reid and Shannon Elizabeth,
E!'s Aisha Tyler & Boston Celtic Star Paul Pierce Headline Sam Adams
World-Class Summer Jam, August 23-25
Event to Close with VH1 Concert Featuring Modern Rock Favorites
Fuel and Train on August 25
BOSTON, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The summer has been a hot one and Boston's very
own Sam Adams is about to turn up the heat at its third annual World-Class
Summer Jam. On August 23-25, Sam Adams will transform the Sam Adams Brewery
into the ultimate outdoor lounge, and will host Boston's largest convergence of
radio DJ's, lucky radio listeners, VH1 guests, actors, athletes and major
recording artists.
This year's list of guests who are slated to attend includes a who's who of
talent, including Oscar winning actor Matt Damon, American Pie 2 stars Tara
Reid and Shannon Elizabeth, Good Will Hunting and American Pie 2 producer Chris
Moore, E! Talk Soup host Aisha Tyler, Boston Celtic star Paul Pierce, VH1's
Rebecca Rankin, cast members from MTV's Jackass show, Stanley Cup winning
Colorado Avalanche players and many others.
Matt Damon will be making special appearances on both Thursday and Friday to
talk about the partnership between Sam Adams and Project Greenlight. Damon
co-founded Project Greenlight with Ben Affleck to unlock Hollywood's back gate
for aspiring filmmakers. In February of this year, Project Greenlight selected
Pete Jones' script for "Stolen Summer" out of 10,000 other screenplays.
"Stolen Summer" is currently in production and is slated for release in the
spring of 2002.
In addition to the celebrity visits, guests will listen to great live music
from national artists Stabbing Westward, Brand New Immortals, Kay Hanley, and
The Push Stars, and can participate in a variety of activities including an
oxygen bar, a dunk tank filled with Sam Adams beer, Velcro wall, and bungee
run. The event is not open to the public.
On Saturday night, August 25, there will be a private concert for the radio
station winners who have been flown in from all over the country. The concert
will be held at Fleet Boston Pavilion and will feature Fuel and Train. Fuel's
current hit single "Bad Day" reached Number 12 on the Billboard Modern Rock
chart, and the group's latest LP, Something Like Human, peaked at Number 17 on
the Billboard 200 album charts. Train's single "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" is
currently Number 1 on the Billboard Top 40. Locally, WBCN-FM is distributing
tickets for the concert to lucky listeners in Boston.
"For the third consecutive year we are excited about bringing friends like Matt
Damon and Chris Moore, DJs, their listeners, and other national celebrities and
musicians like Fuel and Train to a party here at our brewery where Sam Adams
beer flows all weekend long," said Jim Koch, Brewer and Founder, Samuel Adams.
Jim Koch founded The Boston Beer Company in 1984 to brew the Company's flagship
beer, Samuel Adams Boston Lager(R). Today, The Boston Beer Company, winner of
more than 170 international awards, is America's leading brewer of world-class
beer.
Sake maker in Tokushima to begin exports to U.S.
TOKUSHIMA, Japan, Aug. 21 (Kyodo) - Honke Matsuura Brewing Co., a Japanese sake
maker in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture on the southwestern Japan island of
Shikoku, will export a new brand to the United States starting this fall,
company officials said Tuesday.
The new product, called Joruri Sake, is 10% more acidic than conventional sake
and tastes like wine, the officials said.
On its label, Joruri Sake is described as a ''full-bodied medium dry rice
wine.''
In Japan, the company plans to sell the new product in 720-mililiter bottles
for around 2,000 yen at Narita and Kansai airports starting this fall.
Avado Brands, Inc. Announces One-Day Postponement of Second Quarter Conference
Call
MADISON, Ga., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Avado Brands, Inc. (OTC BB:<A
HREF="aol://4785:AVDO">AVDO</A>) announced today that it will postpone its
second quarter earnings conference call until Wednesday, August 22, 2001 at
9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The call was originally scheduled for Tuesday, August
21, 2001. Pursuant to its 12b-25 filing on August 15, 2001, the Company did,
however, file its second quarter Form 10-Q today with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
The conference call will be broadcast over the internet at www.streetfusion.com
. To listen to the call, go to the website at least 15 minutes prior to the
call to download and install any necessary audio software. The call will be
archived and available for access at the www.streetfusion.com website from
August 22 until September 22 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Journalists and members of the public without internet access can listen to
playbacks of the conference call between August 22 at 11:00 a.m. and August 30
at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time by calling (toll-free) 877-344-7529 and requesting
account number 016 and conference number 249012.
Avado Brands owns four decentralized brands, operating a total of 253
restaurants, including 14 Canyon Cafe Southwestern restaurants, 131 Don Pablo's
Mexican Kitchens, 74 Hops Restaurant Bar Breweries and 34 McCormick & Schmick's
seafood dinner houses.
CHILE: CCU IMPROVES PERFORMANCE
( South American Business Information ) ; 08-20-2001
Chile: CCU improves performance
Chile, Aug 10, 2001 (Estrategia/SABI via COMTEX) -- CCU beverages company
consolidated returns reached $27,455mil in the first semester (Jan - June) of
2001 or 163,8% more than in the same period of 2000. This figure is explained
by a 35,6% increase in operations due to a 7% increase in consolidated sales,
and a 2,3% reduction in operational costs. The sales increase had a 4,5%
increase in volume, lead by a 74% increase in nectar beverages, 19,9% in
domestic wine, 17,1% in exporting wine, 4,6% in soft drinks and 4,2% in beers
in Chile, while there was sales decrease in mineral water 1,4% in Chile and
2,4% in beers in Argentina. The reduction in operational costs reached a total
of $61,651mil. In addition, there was an extra operational increase of
$14,321mil that taking out the earlier losses of $2,020mil gave a total extra
operational increase of $12,301mil due to the sale of CCU shares of the
Peruvian beer company Backus and Johnston last March. According to Mr. Ricardo
Reyes, financing manager of CCU, there is a noticeable increase in consumption,
however prices have been reduced due to the crisis and their lower price
products are the ones that are selling more. CCU has 88% of the Chilean market
of beers and 12% of the Argentinean one.
FOOTBALL, A BEER, AND ANOTHER BEER ...
( The Edmonton Sun ) SCOTT HASKINS, EDMONTON SUN; 08-19-2001
For 14 years, for every Eskimos home game, I have gotten the needle out when I
hear my season-ticket-holding next-door neighbours making the walk from their
front door to their car.
"My Lions," I'll yell over at them. "You go, Leos."
Of course it depends on the opposition. Duh! It might be something like,
"Tabbies rule" or "It must be embarrassing to get your butt kicked by the
Argo-nots."
Bill's standard reply usually goes something like this: "$#(*&^%$#."
"Don't talk to him like that," Marilyn will scold her old man. "Try this
instead: "^%$#*^%$#."
It's a good thing I don't have any feelings. If I did, I'd be a sobbing wreck
in my basement at this very moment. I drove by the corner of Fort Road and
Yellowhead Trail on Friday and was shocked and dismayed to see that my
billboard has been replaced by one promoting Ex-Lax.
"That's fitting, eh, dad?" Ryan said.
"How so?"
"From full of it to not so full of it."
That's how people get bruises.
At least I've never had any real feelings about the Eskimos. True- confession
time. In the 22 years I'd been in Alberta, including 11 years as the sports
editor of this newspaper, I had seen the Rolling Stones play in Commonwealth
Stadium more often than I had seen the Eskimos play. After Friday, it's 2-2.
Tamara used to go all the time before she met me. "For the beer and the bums,"
she'd say. Now pregnant and married, not necessarily in that order, she was
still keen when our friends Debbie and Frank Pirker invited us to join them. Of
course, Debbie, who cared even less about the outcome than I did, was running
late when we arrived. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. It was 7:07 and
we were still waiting for her.
"Frank," she called out from the bedroom. "Should I wear my bag dress?"
"Yes," I answered for him. "That would be appropriate."
Finally, about the time the national anthem was being played, we were on our
way. "Got your tickets?" Frank asked, waving a pair Debbie picked up at IGA.
I looked at Tamara. Tamara looked at me. One of us had screwed up badly and -
now this is a rarity - it wasn't me. OK, so we had to stand in line. How bad
could it be? Real bad. The game was well into the first quarter and there were
still probably 300 people waiting for tickets, with more streaming across the
road from the LRT station.
(Under the headline, 'Things that make you go hmm,' the lady said, "The $23
tickets are sold out. You'll have to buy the $30 tickets." How convenient.)
It was a beautiful night for football, though. The only clouds were clouds of
mosquitoes, but they seemed to keep their distance. There wasn't a whisper of
wind. It was warm, but not uncomfortably hot.
Not surprisingly, a lot of people had the same idea we had. The shirts
outnumbered the skins. But just barely.
After just having spent 10 days at Commonwealth Stadium watching the Worlds, I
was curious to check out the scene. Awesome. Spectacular, in fact.
There was a lively crowd of 35,394. Beach balls bounced from section to
section.
On top of all that, literally, the flags of the nations attending the track and
field show still fluttered in the breeze. The place looked spectacular.
Everything was perfect, right down to the grass.
Even better, on the first play I watched, Jason Maas hit Ed Hervey with a
touchdown strike and it was 10-0 for the good guys. Then it was 17-0 early in
quarter No. 2. Then pffffft.
Of course I had to track down Bill and Marilyn at halftime. If for no other
reason than I was getting thirsty again.
"My Lions," I said. That was the cue for Bill to go off on a wild tangent that
ended, as I had hoped, with, "Need a beer?" Need might not be the right word,
but you don't argue with a madman.
Everything went downhill pretty quickly after that. It was 17- 8 Edmonton at
the half, then B.C. rolled off 27 straight points in the fourth quarter. And
that wasn't even the worst of it ...
Walking up the stairs, I heard a voice behind me. "Scotty. You' re a hottie."
It's nice to be recognized in public.
But Tamara was laughing, and it wasn't with me. "Oh, Hottie," she said, "that's
a guy."
The plan called for us to head directly to the Fringe after the game.
Unfortunately, somebody put the End Zone Pub in our way.
Guatemala's Protestants collide with Mayan beliefs
By Hugh Bronstein
August 21, 2001 SANTIAGO ATITLAN, Guatemala (Reuters) - In Guatemala, a nation
of survivors, little Maximon has been a big help.
He sipped rum and smoked cigars through the 36-year civil war that ended in
1996, comforting the families of Mayan farmers who, suspected of
anti-government sympathies, were hunted down by death squads. The people of
this traumatized highland town whisper their wishes into his ear, tilt him back
for a stiff drink and make the sign of the cross before leaving the hut where
Maximon holds court by day and rests on his mattress in an overhead loft by
night.
This three-foot tall wood-carved Mayan icon has changed with the times since
Catholicism swept through the region in the 1500s. His garb resembles that of
the statues of saints in the local church. Next to him, laid out in a glass
casket strewn with flowers and colored electric lights, is a statue of Jesus. A
carved likeness of John the Baptist takes the other flank.
For centuries, Catholics and spiritual Mayans have mingled their traditions in
this community of 30,000 souls squeezed between volcanoes on Lake Atitlan.
Santiago Atitlan is one of several Guatemalan towns that house shrines to
Maximon, a sort of renegade saint with roots in pre-Colombian deities.
Maximon commands respect and the cavernous cathedral still overflows on Sunday.
But there's a growing spiritual force in town testing the equilibrium.
EVANGELISM TAKES HOLD
As in the rest of this Central American country, huge numbers are converting to
evangelical Christianity, swelling Protestant ranks from 2 percent of the
population in 1950 to about 35 percent today, the highest percentage in Latin
America, researchers say. And where the local Catholic Church sought to
complement indigenous beliefs, the evangelicals want Maximon to retire.
"It's nothing but witchcraft," Wilson Gomez, youth director at the nearby
Iglesia de Cristo, told Reuters. "They conjure demons." Standing outside his
church, shouting to make himself heard over a raucous sermon within, he calls
Maximon "satanic."
Inside is a service for about 1,000 swirling, singing, palm-waving congregants.
Prodded by an amplified 16-piece band, the release of energy at this Saturday
night revival packs the punch of years of repressed war-related pain.
While younger members run in a kind of ecstatic conga line through the aisles,
a woman on the balcony of this airplane-hangar-like structure stands in place
with arms raised, eyes focused on the beyond, tears streaking her face. Songs
and sermons in Spanish are punctuated by shouts of "hallelujah" echoing over
the dark waters of the lake.
The next morning, down a twisting alleyway farther into town, Mayan elders
kneel before Maximon, chanting and waving a converted paint can spewing incense
smoke. This cleansing ritual is aimed at helping a sick boy who kneels nearby
with his mother.
Maximon, called San Simon by the Spanish, is bedecked jauntily in a black felt
hat, silk scarves, colorful Mayan pants and two-tone leather shoes. A ring of
candles flickers in front of the wooden statue. Every once in a while his cigar
is taken from his mouth and he is tipped back so a drink of rum can be poured
into his little wooden throat.
Six men play guitars and wind instruments just outside the door. They sit on
straw mats thrown over cases of empty beer bottles. Maximon is not the only one
who likes a drink.
One of the men, a 24-year-old Tzutuhil Mayan named Juan Manuel Mendoza Mendoza,
said Maximon will not bow to pressure from the evangelicals.
"The Catholics shared our ideas and both sides had an open mind. But the
evangelical sects are invading our culture," Mendoza told Reuters.
As he speaks, the music and raised voices of nearby El Shaddai Pentecostal
Church drift into Maximon's shrine. "They want to steal our people," he says.
Claudia Samayoa, spokeswoman for the Menchu Foundation, which is dedicated to
Mayan issues, agrees: "There is a struggle with evangelicals against the
spiritual Mayans."
Gomez of the Iglesia de Cristo denied this, saying the church respects
indigenous culture.
Virginia Garrard-Burnett, author of "Protestantism in Guatemala -- Living in
the New Jerusalem," told Reuters that while the nation's Protestant movement
began with foreign missionaries, evangelism here is taking on an increasingly
Guatemalan face.
"By far most of the churches are not tied to any outside organization. So it's
not a simple matter of cultural imperialism. It's Guatemalan," said
Garrard-Burnett, a Latin American studies professor at the University of Texas
at Austin.
According to Guatemala's Protestant church synod, the Alianza Evangelica, there
are now more than 19,000 Protestant churches across the country, representing
more than 90 denominations including Baptists, Nazarenes and home-grown
Guatemalan Pentecostal groups such as El Shaddai.
SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL
It's an hour before dawn on Sunday morning. A young woman staggers down the
street past one of Santiago's two dozen or so Protestant churches. Now quiet,
the building was aflame with revival just a few hours earlier.
Barefoot, dressed only in dirt-smudged underwear, she wails incoherently,
apparently quite drunk. She sits alone curbside, crying and mumbling into the
thick night air. No one answers. Whatever nightmare has brought her to this
state, she is not the only one in town tormented by memory. Insomnia is common
in this region of lush mountains and low drifting clouds.
A block away in Santiago's Catholic cathedral, founded in 1547, a sealed
monument holds the actual heart of Father Stanley Rother, assassinated on
church grounds in 1981 after offering sanctuary to his flock, many of whom took
to sleeping in the church. Human rights groups say between 300 and 800 people
died during the war in Santiago Atitlan, including a dozen farmers in a 1990
army massacre.
The trauma of that blood-soaked decade may be key to understanding why
evangelism, with its emphasis on a glorious life to come, has taken hold here.
"A lot of it had to do with the violence. People really needed something
spiritual and emotional to survive," Garrard-Burnett said.
Conversions to Protestantism increased after a born-again Pentecostal, Gen.
Jose Efrain Rios Montt, took control of Guatemala after a 1982 coup. A week
after taking office, he appeared on the U.S. conservative Christian talk show
The 700 Club, where host Pat Robertson urged viewers to "pray around the clock
for Rios Montt."
Thousands of Guatemalans in rural areas are widely believed to have been killed
by the army under Rios Montt's anti-guerilla campaign. Now president of
Congress, he is a lightning rod for human rights activists.
Maximon doesn't look worried. An ancient but flexible talisman of steadfast
faith, he appears ready to face this chapter in Guatemala's history of cultural
collision.
However, the future of the evangelical church here will depend on a new
generation unfreighted with direct memories of the war -- young people whose
eyes are not as hollowed out and fearful as their parents' and who may not be
as desperate for the spiritual balm offered by evangelism.
"The question," says Garrard-Burnett, "is whether it sticks."
Las Vegas Overfloweth With Wine and Food
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Las Vegas is a mecca for fine wine and
gourmet food. To celebrate its bounty will be LAS VEGAS ODYSSEY 2001: A
CELEBRATION OF WINE, FOOD AND DAMES on November 15-18. Ten events will
showcase the chefs, vintners and restaurants that have transformed the city
into an international culinary destination. See
http://www.lasvegasodyssey.com.
"Myriad wine tastings, cooking demonstrations and special dinners will happen
at the finest venues in town," says event creator Virginia Thompson. "We have
arranged exceptional events that truly reflect why gourmands travel here just
to visit our restaurants and sample the epicurean offerings we have."
Wine valued at more than $1 million will be poured and the event organizers
confirm that the best vintners in the world have asked to be represented during
the four-day festivities. "J. Lohr, De Loach, Cosentino, Niebaum-Coppola,
Testarossa, Zaca Mesa and ZD Wines are just some of the wineries providing wine
for the festival," says Master Sommelier Barrie Larvin.
Las Vegas Odyssey will launch on November 15, at Commander's Palace with a
tutored wine tasting led by Barrie Larvin, MS comparing fine pinot noir and
chardonnay vintages from the Pacific Northwest.
On Friday, five-star chef Julian Serrano of Picasso at Bellagio will give a
cooking demonstration with Narsai David of KCBS Radio show, "Cooking with
Narsai."
Wedded chefs and restaurant proprietors Joe and Meghan Romano of Aureole and
Michael and Wendy Jordan of Rosemary's have vowed to create marriages of tastes
and styles at the "Taste of the World" dinner on November 16, 2001.
That evening Master Sommeliers Barrie Larvin and Richard Dean from The Mark in
New York City will present a new cult wine entitled Benevolence. A union of
wine and art, the label was created by artist Yuroz, based on his original
work, "Taste My Wine."
The centerpiece will be the Masters Dinner, Live Auction and Celebration on
Saturday, November 17. Ten top chefs will team to create a five-course meal
paired by the finest wines vintners have to offer. A live auction officiated
by Dave Reynolds will benefit the Las Vegas affiliate of The Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation.
Tickets range from $75 to $350 and promotional packages are available. For more
information or to order tickets call toll-free 1-888-335-2178 or book on-line
at www.lasvegasodyssey.com.
Peter Alexander
>Re Wolverhmampton and Dudley
>The Campaign for Real Alcohol, which opposed therecent bid, claims the diversion
> from its traditional strategy is what went wrong in the first place.
Wow! None of your ethyl alcohol here then - methanol perhaps?
Peter Alexander Chairman CAMRA Rochdale Oldham and Bury Branch,
Unless otherwise stated,the opinions stated here are personal. My CAMRA connections are given for information only.
J2jurado
DENVER, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Coors Brewing Co. executive Bill Weintraub,
marketing chief during a period of steady growth in beer sales that is now
threatened by competition from imports, will retire at the beginning of 2002, a
company spokesman said Wednesday.
Weintraub, 58, will be succeeded by Ron Askew, president and founder of the
Integer Group, a Colorado-based marketing company with $600 million in annual
billings and whose clients include Coors.
"With more than 20 years of experience selling consumables from beer to potato
chips, he knows how to drive impulse purchase products in retail outlets,"
Coors Chief Executive Officer Leo Kiely said in a staff memorandum. Askew will
join the Golden, Colorado-based brewer on Oct 1.
While credited with boosting sales in his eight years as senior vice president
for marketing, Weintraub leaves at a time when the brewer, a unit of Adolph
Coors Co. <<A HREF="aol://4785:RKY">RKY.N</A>>, is facing competition from
imports.
Last month when Coors announced a 5.5 percent fall in second-quarter profits it
also said it had soft retail sales in Texas and California.
Weintraub, who had worked in marketing at Procter & Gamble, Kellogg Co., and
Tropicana, was hired in 1993 by his friend Kiely soon after Kiely joined the
No. 3 U.S. brewer.
Weintraub will teach marketing at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Barely Managing: Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow
A brewing-industry simulation shows that insufficient information can lead to
dire inventory troubles.
By Thomas A. Stewart, August 2001 Issue Business 2.0
"A rising tide lifts all boats," President Kennedy once observed. For managers,
a rising tide also disguises problems -- and can even make them irrelevant. A
canoe-gouging rock simply doesn't matter if it's covered by 5 feet of water.
But when the tide ebbs and the economy slows down, it's a different matter.
Then the business landscape becomes a kind of Mono Lake, a surreal scene of
exposed rocks under a searing, empty sky.
That's the bleak picture facing executives at Cisco (CSCO). In May the
networking giant reported a $2.2 billion write-down in excess inventory. So
much for lean manufacturing; a precipitous drop in demand can crimp even the
strongest supply chain, offering managers little recourse but to slow
production, write off what didn't sell, and slash the workforce. If the economy
doesn't get worse, the inventory crisis is behind you. But you're still left
scratching your head and wondering, How did it get so bad?
The kernel of an answer lies in the beer game, a nasty but revealing simulation
invented at MIT's Sloan School of Management in the 1960s by Jay Forrester, now
a professor emeritus, and later improved on by John Sterman, a colleague at
Sloan. Cisco's troubles might seem rare, even outlandish. After all, how often
does a gigantic market bubble come along? But the beer game proves that even
slight changes in demand can wreak havoc in a supply chain.
Here's how the game works. There's a retailer that sells a certain number of
cases of beer every week, a wholesaler, a distributor, and a brewery. All four
keep some buffer inventory. At each stage there's a lag between when an order
is placed and when it can be filled, and there are costs for storage and rush
orders. What's more, players cannot share any information beyond what's
conveyed by orders and shipments. All four participants know only what's
selling, what they have on hand, and what they have on order.
As the game starts, supply and demand are in equilibrium. But once everybody
gets accustomed to how the game works, the computer changes demand at regular
intervals. As the change in demand works its way through the system, shortages
or surpluses accumulate at each link in the supply chain. When demand shifts
direction, someone gets left holding the bag. Orders and inventories spike up
and down wildly, and costs soar.
Beer-game players screw up mainly because they have such limited information.
If they could see the whole market, chances are they'd do much better. In the
absence of communication, each person acts in his or her own self-interest and
on the basis of his or her own forecasts. The one thing you know for sure about
a forecast is that it's wrong; the one thing you never know is just how wrong.
To get a window on the market, manufacturers are demanding much more
information from their customers. Point-of-sales data, as an example, now
courses through supply chains via shared databases. Dell Computer (DELL) gets a
clear-eyed picture of consumer demand through its direct-sales approach --
which is more than just a way to eliminate the middleman; it's a way to analyze
the market and get faster and better information than Compaq (CPQ) and other
rivals.
Managing inventory is nearly impossible if you ignore the greater market
realities. The more you understand your market, the less likely you are to
panic the next time the water slows to a trickle.
BevOnline, Inc. Secures a Two Year Agreement With Coors Distributing,
Representing 12% of the Nation's Beer Market
BevOnline.com Leads the Beer Industry in Providing Online E-commerce Tools To
the 560 Coors Distributors Nationwide
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- BevOnline, Inc. the
technology partner for the alcohol beverage industry announced today it has
secured agreements with Coors Distributing of Golden Colorado. BevOnline will
provide online E-commerce solutions and websites for all Coors Distributors.
Tools of this agreement will include Database driven Websites, E-commerce
shopping cart, Alcohol License Query, Industry News, Email Marketing tools, and
Accounting Integration with industry route accounting solutions. This
agreement positions BevOnline as the pre-eminent e-business provider to beer
distributors across the United States. As a technology partner with this
leading supplier, BevOnline has the opportunity to, deploy a standardized,
secure online solution to more than 550 distributors.
In an effort to maintain a neutral position in the marketplace BevOnline has
used nothing but private funding. "We have been made aware of the fact that
the industry is looking for a neutral, reliable and standardized exchange,"
stated Jerry McNabb, Vice Chairmen of BevOnline, Inc. BevOnline addresses the
need for an online industry standard interface and security of the individual
distributor's business data. The online solution will maintain security that
only allows clients of the distributor to view or purchase products. Our
128byte SSL encryption assures our clients of our constant guard of data and
electronic commerce.
"Our technology and usability defines a standard not only for this industry,
but for business-to-business exchanges across both oceans. This tremendous
advantage, combined with such strong support from the nation's beer
wholesalers, has allowed the introduction of our vision to begin touching every
major domestic marketplace," said Neal Weisman, President & CEO.
BevOnline is a technological partner to the beverage industry. Providing
unique web-based tools, E-commerce solutions and database applications,
BevOnline develops an interactive co-branded, user-friendly, secure website
solution. In today's market the challenge is to make a website as unique as
the company. Your image, product and company are incorporated into an
interactive tool for the world to see. BevOnline has the right team for your
entire project. Our marketing staff, graphic artists, programmers, and
developers will assist you and your team in creating, implementing, hosting,
and maintaining your co-branded website.
Adolph Coors Company (NYSE: <A HREF="aol://4785:RKY">RKY</A>), founded in 1873,
is ranked among the 700 largest publicly traded corporations in the United
States. Their principal subsidiary is Coors Brewing Company, the nation's
third-largest brewer.
Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse Now Offers Liquor in its Michigan Breweries
GAYLORD, Mich., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse, Inc.
(Nasdaq: <A HREF="aol://4785:BBUC">BBUC</A>) announced today that it has
obtained licenses from the State of Michigan that allow it to sell liquor in
its Michigan breweries.
Big Buck had been licensed in Michigan as a "microbrewery." All of the
locations have now been re-licensed as "brewpubs" and that, in combination with
other licenses, permits the sale of liquor at the Gaylord, Auburn Hills and
Grand Rapids units.
"We believe that the ability to offer liquor at our Michigan units will attract
new guests who may wish to have a drink -- other than beer or wine -- with
their meals," according to President and Chief Executive Officer William F.
Rolinski. "As brewpubs we will no longer be able to distribute our beer
through the wholesale system. However, guest surveys in Michigan indicated
that our customers would prefer the ability to obtain liquor at the breweries
rather than the opportunity to purchase our beer off premises."
About the company
Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse, Inc. operates brewpub restaurants in Gaylord,
Grand Rapids and Auburn Hills, Michigan, offering casual dining featuring a
high quality, moderately priced menu and a variety of award- winning
craft-brewed beers. In August 2000, the company opened its fourth unit in
Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. This unit is owned and operated by Buck
& Bass, L.P. pursuant to a joint venture agreement between the company and Bass
Pro Outdoor World, L.L.C. Subject to obtaining the necessary financing, the
company plans to open its next unit in Nashville, Tennessee, adjacent to the
Grand Ole Opry.
Avado Brands Confirms Sale of 33 McCormick & Schmick's Restaurants
MADISON, Ga., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Avado Brands, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board:
AVDO) today confirmed that it has closed on 33 of the 34 restaurants involved
in the sale of its McCormick & Schmick's Brand to Castle Harlan, Inc. and
Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co., for a total of $119.3 million. The
remaining restaurant is expected to close during the fourth quarter, once
permitting is complete, for an additional $4.2 million.
Avado Brands owns and operates three proprietary brands, comprised of 14 Canyon
Cafe restaurants, 131 Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchens and 74 Hops Restaurant * Bar
* Breweries. It's decision was based on focusing on its upscale brands.
Rock Bottom to Host Arizona Cardinals Kick-Off Party
PHOENIX, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, located at
14205 South 50th Street in Ahwatukee announces it will host the Arizona
Cardinals Kick-Off Party on Thursday, August 23, in conjunction with XTRA
Sports radio station's Guys Night Out promotion.
"We're real excited to host this neat event and to once again partner with the
groovy Cardinals organization. It will be great fun for all our guests," said
Rock Bottom General Manager, Bob Margait.
The party will be well-equipped for fun with drink specials, prize giveaways,
appearances from Cardinal Cheerleaders and a live broadcast with celebrity
Charro and XTRA radio personalities: Mike Jurecki, Dan Bickley, John Gambadoro,
Mark Asher, Vince Marotta and Bruce Jacobs from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. If that
weren't enough, several Cardinal players will share in the excitement and the
evening will be topped-off with a real live Bikini Contest sponsored by XTRA
scheduled for 10:30 p.m.
Based in Louisville, Colorado, parent company Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc.
owns and operates 81 restaurants -- 49 "Old Chicago" restaurants and 28 brewery
restaurants operating under the names "Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery,"
"ChopHouse & Brewery" and "Walnut Brewery." The Company recently acquired four
Brew Moon bistro and breweries located in the Northeast. All of Rock Bottom's
restaurants are casual dining establishments featuring attentive customer
service, high-quality, moderately priced food and a distinctive selection of
micro-brewed and specialty beer served in style.
Pyramid Breweries Inc. Declares $0.044 Per Share Quarterly Cash Dividend
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2001--Pyramid Breweries Inc. (Nasdaq:<A
HREF="aol://4785:PMID">PMID</A>) today announced its Board of Directors has
declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.044 per common share, payable on
October 12, 2001 to shareholders of record on September 28, 2001.
Pyramid recently reported its eleventh consecutive quarter of sales growth,
with net sales increasing 13% to $8.9 million for the second quarter ended June
30, 2001. For the six month period ended June 30, 2001, net sales increased 8%
to $15.2 million.
The company initiated its dividend program in the fourth quarter of 1999. In
February 2001, the company announced an increase in the quarterly dividend to
$.044 from $.04 per common share. The dividends paid in 2000 were a return of
capital to shareholders for Federal income tax purposes and the company
believes that a portion of the dividends to be paid in 2001 may be a return of
capital. Nearly all Pyramid shareholders receive favorable tax treatment of
dividends that are a return of capital.
Pyramid Breweries Inc. is one of the leading brewers of specialty,
full-flavored beers and sodas, produced under the Pyramid and Thomas Kemper
brand names. Pyramid also operates two local breweries and restaurants, under
the Pyramid Alehouse name, in Seattle, Washington, and Berkeley, California.
For more information, visit www.PyramidBrew.com.
University of Colorado continues beer-sales ban at football games
August 22, 2001 BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - The ban on beer sales at Folsom Field for
University of Colorado home football games will remain in effect for the 2001
season.
The university started a two-year trial ban in 1996 to curb alcohol abuse and
violence. The ban was extended indefinitely in 1998.
Before sales were halted, CU was the only school in the former Big Eight
athletic conference - now the Big 12 - that sold beer at football games.
Oklahoma Wine Business Is Maturing
By JUDI BOLAND
.
August 22, 2001 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's fledgling wine industry - with
offerings such as Dust Bowl Red, Oklahoma Gold and Oklahoma Nouveau - is
starting to grow.
Voters approved a law last November allowing wineries to sell directly to
liquor stores and restaurants without having to go through a wholesaler.
That's led to new interest in the industry, said Tommy Marvell, assistant
director of the Oklahoma Alcohol Beverage Law Enforcement Commission. There
were only two commercially licensed wineries in the state last year, compared
to 11 this year.
``This is something new for the entire state,'' he said. ``This should be
economically beneficial for the state over the long run. Everyobe knows
Oklahomans can make wine as good as the French.''
Surrounding states are ahead of Oklahoma when it comes to wineries.
The Wine Tours Project lists 33 wineries for Texas, 31 in Missouri, 18 wineries
in Colorado and 16 in New Mexico.
Stone Bluff Cellars Winery near Tulsa is reaping benefits from the new law.
The winery produced 600 cases of wine last year, it's first year in operation.
Most of the wine was sold to people who visited the winery. This year, it plans
to produce 1,500 cases and will sell to restaurants and liquor stores
throughout the state.
``There is more demand for the product,'' said Brendan McBratney, general
manger of Stone Bluff Cellars Winery. ``We have almost sold out of
everything.''
With five acres devoted to grapes, the winery purchases grapes and juice to
supplement what it grows.
``We do the mixing, taste trials, all the chemistry involved, the bottling and
labeling here,'' McBratney said.
He said the winery has won awards at the Los Angeles County Fair Wines of the
Americas, at the Taster Guild International held in Maryland, and at the
Cincinnati Sophisticated Booze Aficonados 2001.
Slaughterville-based Canadian River Vineyards and Winery, which opened in May,
planted its grapes just a few years ago.
``It is amazing to me to put a stick in the ground and three years later, you
have a bottle of wine,'' said Gene Clifton, one of the three owners of the
winery.
The winery will harvest two tons of white grapes, which will produce 150
gallons of wine, or 750 bottles, that will be ready to drink in October.
The Robert Bartunek Winery in Enid has been in business since 1993.
``This is a huge experimental phase for the wine business in Oklahoma,''
Bartunek said. ``The biggest problem in Oklahoma is that people drink beer, not
wine.''
On the Net:
http://www.wine-tours.com/winewrld.
Austria vies to be continental Europe's cricket mecca
By Tom Armitage
SEEBARN, Austria, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Nestling in vineyards on the outskirts of
Vienna, the tiny village of Seebarn is an unlikely place to host a cricket
tournament -- especially one involving Finland and Croatia.
But when Austria played Portugal in the final of the European Cricket Council
(ECC) Trophy, Seebarn's perfectly rolled pitches and white perimeter fences
looked like a picture postcard of rural England.
Only the tea stall menu gave the game away -- instead of Earl Grey tea and
scones, the sun-baked cricketers from Europe's emerging cricketing nations were
offered the traditional Austrian refreshments of beer, sausage and apple
strudel.
Despite its reputation for skiing and snowboarding Austria is blazing the trail
for cricket in Europe, Ian Stuart, European Development Manager for the
International Cricket Council (ICC), told Reuters.
"Austria is the centre of European cricket and is proving to be a model for the
other countries to draw on," Stuart said.
Since 1992, the ICC has run a worldwide development programme to encourage
players from traditionally non-cricketing nations to compete on a national
level and has awarded affiliate membership to countries with a recent
cricketing history.
"Our focus is on encouraging indigenous growth and youth growth," Stuart said,
adding expatriate players were a minority.
"There are many second generation Asian immigrants in these countries whose
talents, if channelled postively, are good news for raising standards across
Europe."
PORTUGUESE WIN
Portugal battled through last week's tournament to win the trophy and a place
in the European Championship against more established cricketing nations in
Belfast next year.
For Portugal's team - who won the competition in 1995 - playing against other
European teams, including Malta, Greece, Finland, Croatia, Belgium, Spain and
Switzerland, made a change from national league matches.
"In Portugal we now have eight teams playing and three grounds," captain Akbar
Saiyad said. "And the quality of cricket is improving every year."
"But it is completely different here," he added. "They play on matting, there
are always four good bowlers in each team and because we play 25 overs you
cannot just wait for a chance -- you have to keep your focus on the game."
Saiyad said the team was looking forward to their trip to Belfast as it was a
chance for the relatively young side to play at a higher level.
And for Saiyad, who has been playing cricket since the age of six, it will be a
great tonic.
"Most of the players are between 24 and 34. I am 53 but playing with these guys
makes me feel 35."
GROWING POPULARITY
The decision to host the tournament in Seebarn is a sign of the growing
interest in cricket in Austria, national team captain Andrew Simpson-Parker
told Reuters.
"It is getting more popular all the time," Simpson-Parker said after the final.
"It's getting bigger with each competition and we have some very good young
players coming through now."
With 12 clubs across the country and two grounds, the Austrian league has
around 130 matches a season and a growing network of home-grown umpires,
groundkeepers and fans.
One local convert, umpire Helmut Zikuda, said Seebarn's role as home of the
national team had captured the villagers' imagination.
"Everyone in Seebarn wants to help," Zikuda said. "It's like one huge family --
you even see kids in the village wearing cricket sweaters." But not all the
village's residents have grasped this notoriously complicated sport.
"I once met this Austrian girl and she said to me 'I thought you had to have a
horse to play cricket'," Zikuda said. "I had to explain to her that she was
thinking of polo."
Heart of Ohio Ferret Association proudly presents... Ferret Buckeye Bash 2001
Saturday, Aug. 25, 2000 Veteran's Memorial Hall, 300 West Broad Street,
Columbus, OH Sponsored by PETCO
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Scarlett Gray, President of Heart of
Ohio Ferret Association & Rescue, central Ohio's first ferret club, states that
"With the advent of legalization of ferrets in the Columbus and Franklin County
area, ferrets have grown in popularity as a domestic pet. With this growth,
the need for education and support in the care and feeding of these unique pets
has greatly increased. We are expecting over 300 ferrets including some very
unique colors and patterns seldom seen by the general public."
This is the third year for this event in Columbus. The proceeds from this
event will benefit Heart of Ohio Ferret Association's ferret shelter/rescue,
educational support operations and research projects.
Reportedly the largest show of its kind, exhibitors will be coming from not
only the Ohio area but across the country. The Ferret Buckeye Bash is a
premier championship ferret show where ferrets are judged much the same as cats
& dogs. Along with the championship judging, there will be 25+ vendors
specializing in ferret related items not found in pet stores. Local vet, Dr.
Dan Beer, D.V.M. will give a seminar titled "Adrenal Disease" and American
Ferret Association will present a seminar titled "What Color is your Ferret."
Guest speaker Bob Church, from Missouri, in addition to many ferret rescues
will be there to help educate the ferret owner.
There will be fun events such as best dressed with ferrets dressed in their
finest attire, ferrets racing down tubes, ferrets fastest to escape a paper
bag, numerous raffles and more! There will even be a Walk-in Class where
people that just walk in with their pets can enter them in a judging ring vie
for the chance of a 1st place trophy or ribbon. Please, current rabies and
distemper shots are a MUST!
The event is open to the general public from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. Ferret
enthusiasts and pet lovers will not want to miss this event!
J2jurado
The Spirit of Belgium
By ERIIC ASIMOV
SUMMER beers don't usually require much thought. They are simply cold
accompaniments to a ballgame or lawn mowing, refreshing yet inconsequential.
But long before beer was ever put in a pop-top can, brewers in the
French-speaking part of Belgium were making special beers for summer. Known as
saison beers, or ales, to be precise, they were full of character, tart and
sharply refreshing, yet complex enough to be savored rather than chugged.
Today, beers labeled saison — the season is always summer — are still
produced in small quantities by artisanal brewers.
Saison de Pipaix is produced in a steam-powered brewery that is operated as a
museum in Pipaix, near Leuze. This tart, citrusy beer is brewed with ginger,
pepper, orange, coriander and curaçao, giving it a complex and piquant flavor
that is almost tropical.
Saison Dupont, from nearby Tourpes, has a citrus character that is immediately
refreshing.
Belgium may be the beer capital of the world, but across the border in northern
France, in Flanders and Pas-de-Calais, the brewing tradition is just as strong.
There, farmhouse brewers like Castelain in Benifontaine and Brasserie de
St.-Sylvestre in Steenvoorde produce bières de garde, beers for keeping:
strong, dry and spicy beers that can be just as good in hot weather as the
saison beers.
The United States, of course, likes to get in on the act, and at least one
microbrewery, Ommegang in Cooperstown, N.Y., is trying to produce Belgian-style
farmhouse ales. Its Hennepin is as crisp and sharp as a saison beer, if not as
distinctly flavored.
As if to emphasize that they are not lawn mower beers, all the varieties listed
here are packaged in 750-millimeter bottles with corks. Do not drink them out
of the bottle. These brews tend not to be filtered, meaning they can seem hazy
and leave a yeasty sediment, so pour them into glasses, slowly.
SAISON DE PIPAIX, BELGIUM $7.50
Fresh orange aroma.
SAISON DUPONT, FARMHOUSE ALE, BELGIUM $6
Herbal and dry.
CASTELAIN, BLOND BIÈRE DE GARDE, NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS, FRANCE $6.50
Smooth, complex and fruity.
BRASSERIE DE ST.-SYLVESTRE, 3 MONTS, FLANDERS GOLDEN ALE, FRANCE $5.50
Sweet, sour and herbal.
OMMEGANG, HENNEPIN, COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. $4
Fruity and smooth.
DUYCK, JENLAIN, BIÈRE DE GARDE, FRANCE $6
Herbal, with a touch of chocolate.
Listed in order of preference. Prices are those paid in shops in the New York
region.
http://www.bergen.com:80/food/beer22200108229.htm
An Italian-style beer brewed in the Garden State
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
By TONY FORDER
Since the American microbrewing revolution began 20 years ago, constituents of
the American melting pot have been able to water their ethnic roots with a
plethora of British-, German-, or Belgian-style beers.
Now there's an American-brewed beer for Italians.
Partners Anthony Coffaro and Larry Genta have launched Coffaro "Italian-style"
beer right here in New Jersey. Their theme is an Old World family recipe -- as
brewed by Anthony's grandfather, Antonio Coffaro, who emigrated from Palermo,
Sicily, in 1884 -- combined with New World American pride. Anthony, who has
home-brewed a few batches himself, says, "There was usually wine on the table,
but there was always beer in the fridge."
Coffaro and Genta met while living in Florida, but decided to move their
families back to New Jersey to launch their beer. And not because of the
Soprano-inspired wave of Italianism that has swept the state recently. No,
Coffaro beer was on the launching pad six years ago, but Genta, who worked in
the beer business, saw a shakeout coming for microbrews and boutique beers.
So the entrepreneurs bided their time, during which they met Leo Orlandini,
head brewer at the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Orlandini translated
Anthony's recipe into the taste they were looking for.
While the beer has a wide appeal, it is not bland. It is slightly sweet,
creamy, and smooth, but with enough hops to give a refreshing finish. Overall,
it is a well-balanced beer.
Coffaro and Genta are putting in 18-hour days to promote their product,
including weekend appearances at retail outlets to meet and greet potential
customers. So far, distribution is limited to New Jersey, but the sky's the
limit -- and who knows, maybe there will be a cameo appearance on "The
Sopranos."
To find out more about Coffaro "Italian-style" beer and where it is sold, visit
www.coffarobeer.com.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/19/fashion/19ITCH.html
When Marrieds Become Singles for the Summer
By ELIZABETH HAYT August 19, 2001
Gordon M. Grant for The New York TimesFrom left, Debra Meltsner, Janis
Glick-Lieberman and Adina Bader at Dockers Water Cafe in East Quogue, N.Y.,
where women vacationing without husbands gather for dinner on Tuesday nights.
AST Tuesday night at the Chelsea Brewing Company, a pub with big copper
fermentation tanks and a marina view, five married men washed down fried
calamari with dark ale and Stolichnaya on the rocks. Outside, an unexpected
thunderstorm struck, releasing steam from the hot asphalt and leaving many
pedestrians in wet T-shirts and soggy shoes. The men were not only relieved to
be dry and cool, they were happy to be free of their wives, who had been packed
off for the summer.
"The home is our kingdom," said Joseph Ferraro, the owner of a commercial
printing business in Lower Manhattan. "The wife runs it during the winter, and
it becomes ours again in the summer."
"We're recapturing our bachelorhood," put in Peter Tipograph, a lawyer whose
family summers in Hampton Bays. "There's no sound of the children. You have
complete control over the remote."
The men debated whether to move on to the Chelsea Piers driving range, to hit
golf balls or to go to the B. B. King Blues Club, on West 42nd Street.
Meanwhile, some 90 miles to the east, a roomful of married women were
recapturing their bachelorettehood. It was sunset clambake night at Dockers
Water Cafe in East Quogue; the restaurant, as usual on a Tuesday, was packed
with women whose husbands were in the city. On a deck overlooking Shinnecock
Bay, they dined in parties of three and four, and when a band launched into
George Michael's "Freedom," it was a cue to leap up and dance with one another.
"I love the independence and freedom to come and go," Iris Simens, said at
Dockers. Her husband, Randy, a stockbroker, was one of the five men at the
Chelsea brew pub. Ms. Simens is spending the summer at their rented home in
East Quogue, playing tennis and giving tennis lessons to the physically
disabled. Their two children were away at camp. "I haven't felt like this since
I was a teenager," Ms. Simens said. "I have friends who say: `How can you be
without your husband?' There are certain insecure women. I'm so happy doing my
own thing."
For generations, the split-screen summer has been a way of life among the
well-off, with husbands and wives going their separate ways from Memorial Day
to Labor Day. On Friday afternoons, the men board the 3:58 p.m. Cannonball to
the Hamptons, or the New London ferry to Fishers Island, or US Airways flight
3729 to Martha's Vineyard, and families enjoy a two-day reunion before the
reverse commute. The tradition supplied the premise of the 1955 film "The Seven
Year Itch," in which a husband alone in the city struck up a flirtation with
the Marilyn Monroe character by offering the sanctuary of his air-conditioned
apartment.
The tradition continues, with women who have careers able either to leave the
office or to take the office with them, at a time when the cost of maintaining
two homes is ever more exorbitant. Certain affluent Manhattan neighborhoods
still seem like a bachelor's paradise. The men, living a quasi-singles life,
spend as much time as they want on the Stairmaster, taking in a new Angelina
Jolie movie and making their way through the Zagat guide.
Resort towns, in turn, are matriarchies, where the women and children play
tennis, socialize and swim. "There's something about not having your husband
around," said Janet Weiner, 43, a real estate broker, who summers in
Westhampton with her three children. "For starters, there's a lot less laundry.
I go for massages twice a week. Thursday night, I'll go out dancing at Jet
East. I get to choose what I like for dinner."
Her husband, Andrew Weiner, 43, a home furnishing distributor, stays in the
city, commuting on weekends to be with his family. He revels in the chance to
smoke a cigar by himself in the evening in Washington Square Park. "It's nice
to have a respite," he said. "You're not lonely because you're not alone. You
have a family. You have connections. It doesn't change the dynamic of the
relationship. It improves it."
While many say that the weekly separation is good for a marriage — when the
weekend comes, faces seem fresher and romance renewed — there are also war
stories of suspended vows on both sides.
"When the wife is away, the husbands do what they want," said Raoul Lionel
Felder, the divorce lawyer. "It's one of the few times you can bring your
girlfriend home. By the same token, the wives are left alone with the house
painter, the guy with the muscles and the T-shirt. Nature takes its course."
Mr. Felder named a restaurant on Lexington Avenue between 60th and 61st Streets
as a Sunday night rendezvous for married men fresh off the Hampton Jitney, and
their mistresses. The maître d'hôtel declined to discuss his patrons.
At Coco Pazzo, a restaurant on East 74th Street, men wearing wedding bands have
been known to dangle propositions in front of single women. Melinda Pike, a
former Ford model in her 40's, said she was having dinner there in July when
she went to the bar to smoke. A man invited her to sit beside him. Identifying
himself as a doctor, he said that his wife and children had left for Martha's
Vineyard the previous day. He asked Ms. Pike, a graduate student at the
University of California at Los Angeles, if they could get together. She
declined, she said, because she was not interested in a one- night stand or a
married suitor.
The straying goes both ways. Heather Cohane, the founder of Quest magazine,
said that years before she married her late second husband, Jack Cohane, he was
a weekday playboy in the Hamptons, where he had plenty of opportunities with
other men's wives. "Women should never go away for more than five days," she
advised. "I said that to my husband, too. Don't leave me for more than five
days. That's as long as I can be faithful. For a man, it's probably three
days."
Last summer, Robert Stephen Cohen, an Upper East Side lawyer, represented a man
in a divorce case whose wife was spending the summer on Long Island while he
was in the city. She got involved with her trainer, and after someone spotted
them at the movies and alerted her husband, he divorced her.
Another of Mr. Cohen's clients, a woman who had retreated to Connecticut for
the summer, became suspicious of her husband last year. He would call her at
the same time twice a day but was unreachable at other hours. She hired a
private investigator, who discovered that the husband, a lawyer, was involved
with a woman at his firm. The marriage broke up.
Gordon M. Grant for The New York TimesFrom left, Debra Meltsner, Janis
Glick-Lieberman and Adina Bader at Dockers Water Cafe in East Quogue, N.Y.,
where women vacationing without husbands gather for dinner on Tuesday nights.
Sydney Biddle Barrows, the former Mayflower Madam, recalled that when she ran
her escort service, the number of hotel clients declined in the summer because
diplomats were out of town, but business didn't slacken. "It was replaced by
weekend husbands," she said. "We had a huge residential business with guys
whose families were in the country." She suggested that doormen loved the
summer because of all the extra tipping from husbands seeking to buy their
silence.
A random poll of Park Avenue doormen, however, could not confirm this
assertion. To a man, they said they had never seen anything unseemly. "If there
was anything out of the ordinary, it would be low key," said one Carnegie Hill
gatekeeper, requesting anonymity. "Otherwise, it would be building gossip among
the doormen. News goes up the elevator. These people have money. They're
cautious. They don't want to get divorced. You'd be smeared in the society
papers, and you'd lose all that money."
One solution to keep spouses on the straight and narrow track is for mothers to
leave the children with the sitter for a night or two in the country and come
into the city for a night out. "The smart thing to do is to drive in on a
Tuesday and Wednesday night for a romantic dinner with your husband," said Nan
Kempner, the Park Avenue hostess. "Therefore, if your husband gets into a
complication, you nip it in the bud. You limit his cherchez la femme time to
Monday and Thursday nights."
Helen Schifter, who summers in Sagaponack with her 6-year-old daughter, does
just that. She takes a break from the sun and sea in midweek to return to
Manhattan, where she catches up on errands during the day and dines out with
her husband, Tim, an investment banker, at night. "The value of having a date
with your husband is huge," she said.
But many argue that it makes no difference whether wives make a midweek
appearance. If a man is going to cheat, the problems will be deeper than simply
a wife's summer absence. Nina Griscom, a contributor to Food & Wine magazine,
spends summers with her 9-year-old daughter in Southampton, where she writes
her column, while her husband, the plastic surgeon Daniel Baker, stays in the
city during the week.
"I don't ask what my husband does," she said. "That's his business. Marriage is
hard to legislate. If the partners are in trouble or not in agreement about the
mandate of the marriage, then it could fall apart. At the end of the summer,
there will be bodies on the road who didn't make it, but it will be
irrespective of their migratory patterns."
And what exactly does Dr. Baker do without spousal supervision? "My day starts
at 5 a.m.," he said, alluding to his surgery schedule. "What's fun for me is to
go out with my sons, who are in their 20's, and their girlfriends. We go
somewhere downtown, to SoHo. I'm always trying to shock the girls with some
sexist remark or a dirty joke. It's fun to go out with young, attractive girls.
It's fun to have a vicarious thrill. I fantasize a little bit. Summertime is
when I get in touch with youth culture."
Here's shocking news: Many men, left to their own devices, indulge in domestic
pursuits. They do a little cooking, like Mr. Ferraro, the printer who was out
with the boys at the Chelsea brew pub. Or they work on their apartments, like
Mr. Simens, his stockbroker friend. "I redid the kids' room," he said. "I redid
the floors."
Some men just miss their wives. "I would rather be with my wife than anyone
else," said Barry Wein, a director of a chain of funeral homes, whose wife
spends the summer teaching Pilates classes at their home in Remsenberg, where
he visits on weekends.
All five men, as they moved to the driving range at the Chelsea Piers sports
complex, said their weekdays without their spouses were G-rated. They paid to
hit 100 balls among them, but by 9:30 p.m. they gave up after hitting only half
that amount, ready to call it a night.
"What time am I meeting you at Mass tomorrow?" Mr. Ferraro said to his buddies
with a yawn, before offering a wink and a smile.
J2jurado
Thursday 23 August, 2001
Production could be affected at Hobart's Cascade brewery next week.
The union representing workers at the brewery yesterday rejected a revised pay
and conditions offer from the company.
It is calling for a 5 per cent a year pay increase over the next three years.
Union official George Goss says Cascade has been given until midday tomorrow
to come up with an improved offer.
Mr Goss says workers will introduce production bans early next week if they're
unhappy with negotiations.
"We would be implementing bans in regard to production lines and brewery lines
and things like that, so it will just go up a step higher than what occurred a
week and a half ago," he said.
© 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Brown-Forman first-quarter net falls
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - Alcoholic beverage, tableware and luggage maker
Brown-Forman Corp. said Thursday its net income fell 8 percent in its fiscal
first quarter as the soft economy dampened sales of fine china and Jack
Daniel's whiskey.
The strong dollar also hurt earnings, which would have risen 5 percent on a
constant currency basis, the company said.
The maker of Jack Daniel's, Lenox tableware and Hartmann luggage posted net
income of $39.2 million, or 57 cents a share, in the quarter ended July 31,
compared with $42.6 million, or 62 cents a share, a year ago. Earnings in the
2001 quarter included $3 million in after-tax costs spent on trying to improve
the business.
The analysts' consensus forecast was 57 cents a share, according to market
research firm Thomson Financial/First Call.
Sales rose 1 percent to $469.7 million.
Beverage revenues rose 1 percent, but operating profit fell 9 percent amid U.S.
growth in rival Southern Comfort and "robust" sales of Finlandia vodka
worldwide, with slowing U.S. demand for Jack Daniels, the company said.
Demand for the company's premium wine brands continued to strengthen,
Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman said.
Revenue from consumer durables rose 2 percent while the operating loss grew to
$1 million from $200,000 a year ago.
"A soft U.S. retail environment has clearly dampened orders for fine china and
other tabletop products," the company said in a news release. But the company
had strong gains in Lenox collectible and giftware products sold direct to
consumers.
Brown-Forman adopted the new accounting standard for acquisitions on May 1, a
standard that would have raised year-ago earnings by 4 cents a share if it had
been in place for the 2000 first quarter.
The company also reiterated its full-year forecast calling for growth of about
3 percent, to $3.50 per share.
Brown-Forman's class B shares, which typically trade with more volume than the
class A shares, fell 7 cents to $67.10 in early trading on the New York Stock
Exchange. Since the company issued a profit warning on July 26, the stock has
fallen about 2 percent, about in line with the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
Anheuser-Busch Congratulates Governor Ryan, Illinois Lawmakers for Tough New
Laws Targeting Repeat Drunk Drivers
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2001--Anheuser-Busch (NYSE:<A
HREF="aol://4785:BUD">BUD</A>) Region Director, State Affairs Katja Zastrow
today praised Illinois Governor George Ryan and the Illinois Legislature for
passing new laws to impose further punishments on repeat drunk drivers. The
bills were signed by Governor Ryan today and were based on a legislative
package introduced earlier by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.
"These are smart, effective new laws that when properly enforced will make a
real difference in improving traffic safety in Illinois," said Zastrow. "We
salute Governor Ryan, Secretary White and Illinois legislators for listening to
the facts, supporting the right policy provisions and passing the right laws to
address repeat drunk drivers."
The new laws, she explained, impose stricter punishments on those convicted of
driving while drunk with very high blood alcohol content levels. Such
punishments include increased use of alcohol ignition interlock devices in the
vehicles of repeat offenders. These devices prevent a vehicle from being
started or operated if it detects the presence of alcohol on the driver's
breath.
In recent years, Anheuser-Busch has supported legislation targeting repeat
offenders in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin and other states.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., is the world's largest
brewer and one of the largest theme park operators in the United States. The
company is also a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and the world's largest
recycler of aluminum beverage containers.
Chateau Elan Winery & Resort Celebrates Georgia's Grape Harvest On September
8th
BRASELTON, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 2001--
Fifth Annual Vineyard Fest Presents Wine, Food, Music, Prizes and Fun
Chateau Elan Winery & Resort celebrates its 5th annual Vineyard Fest on
Saturday, September 8, from 11:00am to 5:00pm.
With the resort's centerpiece, a 16th century style French Chateau surrounded
by lush vineyards now heavy with ripening clusters of grapes, the timing is
perfect for Chateau Elan to present its award winning wines and wine tastings,
plus an international array of food selections. Music will range from
swing/rockabilly played by the "Cigar Store Indians" band, to jazz.
As the state's largest producer of estate bottled premium and varietal wines,
Chateau Elan is scheduled to host vineyard representatives from four other
Georgia wineries who will participate in the presentations and tastings.
The annual Grape Harvest festival at the 3,500 acre resort will feature a wide
range of activities, including prize winning contests for Grape Stomping to see
who can produce the most juice, to Golf for putting skills and short iron play
closest to the pin or even a hole in one. Prizes range from a weekend stay or
rounds of golf at Chateau Elan to a five day stay to St Andrews Bay, Chateau
Elan Hotels & Resorts new $80 million, 520 acres golf resort & spa in St
Andrews, Scotland.
Chefs from the seven restaurants at the resort will prepare A Taste of Chateau
Elan offering foods such as Bangers & Mash from Paddy's Irish Pub, grilled
tenderloin of beef and arugala salad with Roquefort cheese, roasted beets and
white truffle vinaigrette from Versailles Restaurant, fresh figs stuffed with
goat cheese wrapped in proscutto, tortaloni pasta with asparagus, sun dried
tomatoes, and whole grain mustard cream, from Cafe Elan, Jumbo lump crab cakes
with spinach, roasted garlic, aioli and red pepper couli, from Le Clos, chilled
melon bisque from the Spa, Macroni et Cheeze from Spago and chicken wings and
reuben sandwiches from the Golf grille.
Massage therapists from the Spa staff will offer special soothing chair
massages for guests in addition to their exclusive Paraffin Wax hand treatments
in the Spa Pavilion.
Top vendors, artisans, and artists from the area will have handcrafted items
for sale while roving performers will display their talents while mingling with
the visitors. Self guided tours and tastings are available as well as guided
tours of the vineyards and winery.
The $5 parking fee per car includes a souvenir hard covered wine journal. Some
activities require small fees and convenient booths are available for purchase
of tickets.
Chateau Elan Winery & Resort is located 40 minutes north of Atlanta at exit 126
on Interstate 85. For more information call 678-425-0900 or visit the website
at www.chateauelan.com.
Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks Become First to Offer Print-Your-Own Tickets
Electronic Ticketing is Highlight of Re-designed Web Sites
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, consumers will be able
to purchase and print their own theme park tickets before ever leaving home.
Printable electronic tickets to SeaWorld Orlando are now available as part of a
comprehensive re-design of the Web sites for the Anheuser-Busch Adventure
Parks, which is being introduced today. The Web sites include:
-- www.seaworld.com for the SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San
Antonio.
-- www.buschgardens.com for the Busch Gardens parks in Tampa and Williamsburg,
Va.
-- www.sesameplace.com for Sesame Place near Philadelphia.
-- www.adventureisland.com for Adventure Island water park in Tampa.
-- www.watercountryusa.com for Water Country USA water park in Williamsburg,
Va.
-- www.4adventure.com, a starting point to reach any of the parks.
"There is no easier way to plan a trip to SeaWorld or Busch Gardens than to
start by visiting the Web sites," said Michael LaBroad, senior vice president
of marketing for Busch Entertainment Corp. "And now with the ability to print
their own tickets right at home, our guests get convenience, speed and peace of
mind."
Initially the online "E-tickets" are available only for one-day admission to
SeaWorld Orlando. In the next couple of months, the feature will be expanded
to include the other Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks and special multiple-day
and multiple-park tickets.
If a recent test is any indication, the E-ticket will prove to be a popular
choice for online consumers. In a two-week test period, three-fourths of
consumers buying SeaWorld Orlando tickets online chose the print-your-own
ticket option over having tickets delivered by mail.
The only requirements for the E-ticket are that the purchaser must pay with a
valid credit card and must be able to print a black-and-white page from his
computer. There is no additional charge for the E-ticket. Consumers may
purchase and print the tickets from anywhere in the world.
The ticket is printed on a standard sheet of paper and includes a unique bar
code. When the guest visits the park, he bypasses the ticket windows and goes
directly to the gate, where the bar code is read by an electronic scanner.
Special security features are incorporated into the ticket and the buying
process to prevent illegal duplication and fraud.
The full range of tickets for the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks, including
many special offers and passes, is available online with standard mail or
overnight delivery.
The new Web sites for the parks have been designed to make it easier than ever
for consumers to get information and plan their trips. Clean, colorful
graphics and clearly labeled links help users quickly find the information they
need. Among the key features on each park's site:
-- Essential park information, including hours and driving directions.
-- Information and photographs of all major attractions, including rides, shows
and animal habitats.
-- Vacation-planning tips and special package offers.
-- Information on special guest opportunities, such as VIP tours and
animal-interaction programs, and education programs, including SeaWorld/Busch
Gardens Adventure Camps.
-- A selection of park's most-popular gift items available for purchase
online.
-- The latest park news.
"With these dynamic new Web sites, and the first availability of print-
your-own tickets, the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks are once again leading the
way," LaBroad said. "It's just another way that we're putting our guests first
and meeting their needs for convenience and value."
The new Web sites were designed by Rapp Digital of Dallas.
The Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks include SeaWorld Adventure Parks in Orlando,
San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay and Williamsburg, Va.;
Discovery Cove in Orlando; Sesame Place near Philadelphia; Adventure Island in
Tampa Bay; and Water Country USA in Williamsburg. The company also has
breweries and makes beers across the globe.
J2jurado
Planned micro-brewery offers bow to area's history
By DONNA THOMAS
WILKES-BARRE - It's not every day that a stockbroker quits his job to brew
beer.
Patrick O'Connor left PNC Bank in 1998, went back to school and earned - among
other certifications - a Certificate in Brewing Technology from the Siebel
Institute of Technology in Chicago.
"Wilkes-Barre has always been known for making and drinking beer," said
O'Connor, who holds one-quarter of the ownership of the new Black Rock
micro-brewery and restaurant in Wilkes-Barre.
"We think we'll do well here."
The brew pub is scheduled to open in November on Coal Street.
Like other young men, O'Connor and friend Scott Barber enjoy their beer.
And, so, they believe, owning a beer business could only be better.
From that beginning, the Black Rock micro-brewery and restaurant was spawned.
The name was incorporated in 1996, and the pair has since picked up four
additional partners.
The brick-front building that once housed an insurance agency is being
renovated with new windows, skylights and huge copper-clad brewing tanks.
The brew pub's 7,500-square-foot restaurant will seat about 200, with a main
bar with cocktail seating and two side bars for the crowds the partners hope to
serve.
So far the menu will include includes 40 casual gourmet items, including basic
pub stuff like pizza and wings as well as "beer-infused" entrees, O'Connor
said.
Six varieties of beer will be made on the premises, ranging from a light
pilsner to the darker stouts.
A few large tanks will sit behind the half circle-shaped bar where beer will be
routed along pipes on the ceiling to the tap - and then into a mug.
Walls will be decorated with the memorabilia of the Valley's coal mining and
brewing heyday.
That's the origin of the name Black Rock.
For now, the sheetrock, which will separate sections of the brew pub, has not
been hung. The building is filled daily with electricians, carpenters and other
construction workers.
The brew pub design calls for a small room with two pool tables and seating, a
circular bar and two free-standing rail bars and, of course, the restaurant.
No one will be visually far from the huge tanks of beer, O'Connor said.
"You'll see where your beer is being drawn and you'll see it being made."
There will be enough room to seat 40 in the brew house, located in the back of
the building, and the restaurant will feature an outdoor patio by next summer.
O'Connor's training and planning since 1998 included working at an Olive Garden
restaurant - to get the corporate feel of running a restaurant - and at the
Stax & Co. in Dallas - for a course in private restaurant operations.
His first restaurant job was as a brewery apprentice at the Goose Island Beer
Co. in Chicago, one of the first brew pubs to popularize the
micro-brewery/restaurant trend.
The concept is something O'Connor hopes to bank on. After all, banking once put
him in cities like Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, where brew pubs have
flourished for years.
"I like beer," O'Connor said. "Beer is great. I'd like to expand to three brew
pubs in the future."
Donna Thomas, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at 829-7222.
(as in coal) Brewery on Coal Street. The restaurant-pub is locally owned.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com:80/entertainment/stories/010823/662861.html
Thursday 23 August 2001
Finally, a watering hole with a soft spot for wild theatrics
Past the buskers, under the big top, the play's the thing
Todd Babiak The Edmonton Journal
Larry Wong, The Journal
Jen Scott and Melinda Hennig were promoting a certain beverage at the main beer
tent at the Fringe.
Casa Radioactive -- at the Fringe
Aggressiveness Quotient: Some stage fighting
Snootiness Factor: Rating 2
Genre: Artsy beer tent
Entrance: Friendly volunteers
Bathrooms: Romantic porta-potties (see below)
- - -
Next year's Fringe hits are workshopped in this year's beer tents.
At the Kokanee Tent, performers smoke cigarettes and stare lazily at their
plastic cups. Most of these artistes work hard on the dramatic pause, the lazy
monologue, the dark, existential tete-a-tete. If you look closely, you can
catch an advanced preview of If I Eat Another Green Onion Cake, My Digestive
System Will Rebel.
Man: I've seen those Hoopal guys, like, seven times.
(Man drinks, smokes, coughs, drinks again)
Woman: So go to Nunsense.
Man: I can't. (Hands tremble) I just can't!
Walterdale Tent is where performers rehearse all of next year's 20-something
love and loss numbers. On Saturday night, a group of young men in No Fear
T-shirts worked on an ensemble piece tentatively titled Drink Lots of Hard
Lemonade and Harrass the Pretty Volunteer.
"At the Walterdale Tent, a lot of people are in there to get smashed," opined
volunteer Janice Mandryk, who took part in some nervous-making audience
participation on the weekend. "A group of guys wanted to take a picture of me.
They wanted to know where I was heading after this. You know? They don't really
care about theatre."
At Casa Radioactive, all is subtle.
"This is the beer tent where the artists hang out in between the performances,"
says Mandryk. "You actually hear people talking about the plays in here. What's
bad. What's good."
Citizen Plate is good. The great and powerful Haslam spends time in Casa
Radioactive. If you tell him you liked Citizen Plate, he might speak to you.
You!
Media people also retire to the Casa. One of the most compelling two-handers
workshopped in the tent is How Dare You Give My Play Two Stars! I Worked Really
Hard On It.
A mysterious pool of water runs between two rows of tables. The water can be
used as a prop, to kick at others, to baptize. In front of the beer fridges,
volunteers control an absurd assembly line of ticket buying, ticket redeeming
and drink getting. Why the tickets? Obviously, everyone in beer tent management
has an arts degree. A well-written monologue called Lining Up For Beer Tickets
Is Tiresome could really wake up those fat cats in the legislature.
Theatre people are too enlightened to complain about beer tickets. They're also
sexually attractive. An untitled slacker-esque chat comedy in its early stages
Tuesday night explored this very subject.
Guy in Plastic-Framed Glasses: Hey, there's the girls from Pyropornomania.
Horny Geek with Overactive Thyroid: I wanted them to get naked so bad.
Closeted Gay Friend: Shut up, guys.
In the darkness, behind the fridges, sit the porta-potties. One of the green
units is extra large, for wheelchair accessibility. There was some workshopping
going on in the unit Sunday night; after the thunderstorm a man and a woman
left it together. Neither used wheelchairs.
They must have been doing some method acting in the porta-potty. Two working
class lovers in London, 1770: Excrement and Ecstasy.
Instead of plumbing, there is a plastic, hand-washing water pump inside the
half circle of porta-potties. The water, warns the pump, is not for drinking or
cooking. If it's not safe enough for drinking or cooking, what is it safe for?
Can we rub our eyes after washing with this water? Eat bhoona? Perhaps this
pump is a prop for next year's saucy romantic tragicomedy E-Coli Caramba!
The beer, wine and coolers are fairly priced in the Casa, and there are no
productions of Aggressive Meat Heads in progress. Volunteers are friendlier
than most bar staff in the city.
Maybe it's the artistic atmosphere. Maybe the average IQ in Old Strathcona gets
a 40-point jump during the Fringe. Whatever it is, people feel safe and happy
in the neighbourhood. Let's ask for a heritage grant while the prime minister
is in town. Extend the Fringe until Christmas, with beer igloos.
http://www.ocweekly.com:80/ink/01/51/food-vasich.shtml
Reinheitsgebot! God bless you, and pass the garlic fries
by Tom Vasich Vol. 6 No. 51 August 24 - 30, 2001
My first encounter with Gordon Biersch came, oddly enough, at a San Francisco
Giants baseball game. While baseball pundits praised Pacific Bell Park’s
retro chic, the buzz I heard in the city was about French fries. Garlic French
fries. If you went to a game, you simply had to eat them.
Gordon Biersch makes these fries, and despite the county-fair food scene at the
stadium, they weren’t hard to find. I could smell the concession stand
serving garlic fries 20 yards away. And the hype was founded on fact: these
fries were awesome, rich with pungent minced garlic that begged for more Sierra
Nevada ale. Knowing Gordon Biersch had a couple of brewpub restaurants in
Orange County, I made a mental note to stop by one when I got home.
It took a year before I did. I had pretty much burned out on the brewpub
experience. So many had come and gone when brewpubs were hot property during
the ’90s that they blended into one indistinguishable, trendy mash. Despite
San Francisco, I had no enthusiasm to try a new one.
But Gordon Biersch is different. Their beer is rock-solid, German-style brew,
free of all the cute touches and fruity flavors I’ve come to loathe at other
brewpubs. And Gordon Biersch is even better as a restaurant.
At a glance, its menu follows the brewpub formula—a mess of appetizers
(including, of course, chicken wings), salads, pizzas, pastas, thick burgers
and meat-heavy main dishes. But the preparation of these items shows
distinctive culinary care and, dare I say, real innovation.
No standard buffalo wings here; they’re made with a sweet chile-and-ginger
glaze. Among the other appetizers, the sublime flavors of the shrimp and
chicken potstickers and the spicy smoked salmon hand rolls with radish sprouts
and pickled ginger really stand out. And I couldn’t get enough of the baby
back ribs slathered in a tangy märzen barbecue sauce. It seems the chefs who
crafted these treats are well-versed in Asian-fusion cooking, giving new life
to what had seemed an exhausted cuisine.
I’ll leave the salads, pizzas and pastas to another day because when you come
to a place like this, why bother? The main dishes are the way to go, and with
10 distinctive entrées, there’s bound to be something to pique your
interest—like the seafood. The barbecued salmon comes with grilled red onions
(an interesting choice that completely works) and a ginger-infused rice. The
very peppery ahi tuna is topped with a tasty tomato chutney with Chinese
cabbage (think funky slaw) and the same ginger rice on the side. Both hit the
bull’s-eye.
But me, I go for the big meat dishes, whether it be one of the three thick
steaks—the New York steak features an alluring homemade steak sauce and
melt-in-your-mouth onion rings—or the chunky meatloaf topped with a coarse
beer-mustard gravy that tastes a lot better than it sounds. All of these come
with a massive dollop of mashed potatoes shot through with a nasal-clearing
measure of garlic.
The best is the pork chop, a ridiculously thick, roasted cut that approaches
perfection. The slightly fatty chop is perfectly juicy and topped with a creamy
Gorgonzola gravy, which adds a nice sharp flavor to each bite. Topping out this
pseudo-Teutonic feast is a side dish of sweet, braised red cabbage.
Of course, with all this good food comes beer. Gordon Biersch’s four standard
brews follow a German purity law called Reinheitsgebot, which ensures clean,
direct flavors free of detritus. Hey, the Germans have been doing it this way
for almost 600 years, so who’s to complain? The best of a strong lot is the
intense blonde bock, which, despite the Barbie-sounding name, is a dark, smooth
brew with a rich, malty flavor. Another popular one rarely found in brewpubs is
the märzen, a mild auburn lager that has been the staple of Oktoberfest for
centuries. I’ve come to like these beers so much that I go out of my way to
find them in the more upscale liquor stores.
These beers go great with the famous garlic fries, which I like best served
with their basic burger. Like I’ve said, these fries are exceptional, but
heed this warning—order them on a date, and you’ll go home lonely. A foul
metamorphosis occurs soon after ingesting them, a garlic funk oozing from every
pore and rendering even the curiously strongest breath mint impotent.
Perhaps these garlic fries are a key reason the Giants have one of the best
home records in baseball. If the wind is blowing right, the corrosive fumes
emitted by 40,000 garlic-nibbling fans could wipe out any visiting team.
Gordon Biersch, located at 24032 El Toro Rd., Laguna Hills, is open Sun.-Wed.,
11:30 a.m.-midnight; Thurs.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. (949) 770-0123. Full bar.
Dinner for two, $25-$60, food only. AmEx, Discover, MC and Visa accepted.
http://www.jpost.com:80/Editions/2001/08/19/Digital/Digital.32909.html
Tempo moves into the black; considers delisting, says Ma’ariv
By Sharon Berger and Digital Israel Staff
August 19, 17:55 -- Tempo Beer Industries reported a second quarter net income
of NIS 3.3 million, or NIS 0.16 per share, improved on a net loss of NIS
300,000, or NIS 0.01 per share, in the second quarter of 2000.
The beverage company’s second quarter revenues increased by 4.7 percent to
NIS 154.2m., compared to NIS 147.3m. in the same period a year earlier.
"The company manages to increase its sales and decrease its losses despite the
economic slowdown in the market and the deterioration in the security
situation,” said company chairman Jacques Beer.
He attributed the improved results to the correct marketing steps, improved
sales and increased manufacturing efficiency.
In related news, the company is considering issuing a tender offer for the
3.65% owned by the public, and delisting from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the
Hebrew daily Ma’ariv reported today without citing a source.
Due to Tempo’s low trading volume, the TASE has decided to suspend trading in
Tempo from August 6. The company management is alternatively looking into ways
to keep the company publicly traded, Ma’ariv said.
Tempo currently trades at a market capitalization of $34m.
http://detnews.com:80/2001/business/0108/23/b02-275802.htm
Owner of old brewery cashes in on caverns
Ann Arbor building's new dance-club life proves a success
By Maureen McDonald / Special to The Detroit News
Dance amid antiques
What: Cavern Club
Specialty: Three dance clubs in one 150-year-old building. A new video
game and pool table bar is to open in spring 2002. Fifty employees greet and
serve customers. Pretzels are the only food.
Crowds: About 150 people on Thursdays; 500-800 on Fridays and Saturdays
Hours: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, cover charge $6-$8
Where: Downtown Ann Arbor, 20 S. First.
Contact: (734) 913-8890
ANN ARBOR -- Once Nick Easton counted the 30th restaurant opening in
downtown Ann Arbor, the former antique mall owner decided he ought to do
something to entertain the crowds after they dined He converted his
25,000-square-foot building into a dance emporium, sinking more than $1 million
into renovations while retaining the historic flavor of the 150-year-old
building that has served as a brewery, flour mill and agricultural implement
dealership.
The cavernous basement with rounded ceilings, tunnels and triple-thick
brick walls lend an ethereal atmosphere to the 6,000-square-foot club.
"He's got a great club here," says Gary Quackenbush, former lead singer
of the Scott Richard Case that played Detroit's Grande Ballroom in the 1960s.
He's a regular on Friday nights. "Yeah, this place does sort of recall the
Grande -- lots of good energy, great people."
People from 21 to 60-something populate the scene, quaffing energy drinks
spiked with Stoli, or a traditional assortment of beers and libations. On warm
nights crowds gather on the brick patio.
Easton purchased the sagging, almost abandoned building for $250,000 in
1995 to house his antique collection and invited 50 other dealers to share
space once he made repairs to the roof and plumbing. The basement was just for
storage until another antique dealer stumbled on the spot. He told Easton the
cave-like architecture would lend itself to a dance club.
Crowds quickly discovered the scene, enchanted by rooms decorated like
Central Park, a tropical rain forest, or colonial living room. Soon he decided
to abandon the antique business and transform the main floor into two dance
stations -- Millennium Club, a techno dance bar, and Gotham City, a smaller
blues club.
While blues singer Thornetta Davis belts out a tune, Easton guides
visitors up narrow steps to his third floor warehouse, soon to become a video
game and pool table bar.
"This should be popular with University of Michigan students and others
who want to do more than drink and dance. They want to play some fun games,"
Easton said.
A fourth floor office is fashioned like a 19th-century candy shop with
balloons, brass cash registers, apothecary jars and other memorabilia.
"The hardest part of this is retaining the historic character, meeting
the mountain of code restrictions and providing a place that's fun," Easton
says. "Knowing how much fun people are having makes it all worthwhile."
http://www.ottawacitizen.com:80/entertainment/010819/654982.html
Sunday 19 August 2001
Raising a mug to putting down Yanks
Patriotism Canadian Style
Rod Macivor, The Ottawa Citizen / Jeff Douglas, who played Molson's Joe
Canadian, hit a sudsy nerve with Canadian beer drinkers.
The source of all Canadian patriotism is beer commercials. These commercials,
aimed at drunken college students, reiterate an important central fact about
Canadians. Namely, that they are Canadian. "I. Am. Canadian." But this is only
the tip of the proverbial iceberg. More important still is what Canadians
aren't: American.
This might seem self-evident and, yes, even a tad tautological, but among
English Canadians it remains a point of great pride. Canada, you see, is a
veritable hotbed of anti-Americanism.
Canadians love to complain about Americans. Indeed, a recent government survey
states that the fourth most-popular pastime in Canada is -- and I quote --
"complaining about those damn Americans." This ranks just below "complaining
about the weather" (No. 1), "complaining about the government -- and why it
isn't doing anything about the weather" (No. 2), and "just generally
complaining" (No. 3).
Why do Canadians hate Americans so much? Is it because the United States sent
in their troops and toppled our government? Is it because the CIA assassinated
our head of state? We should be so lucky. No. It's far worse than that. The
ongoing, long-simmering, deep-running resentment that most Canadians foster
against Americans is based upon the shocking fact that the Americans -- brace
yourself! -- don't know very much about Canada. It's horrible. But true.
For example, Canadian exports of halibut last year exceeded the standard set by
the Bilateral U.S.-Canadian Halibut Accord by a full 23 per cent -- but do any
Americans know about this? Nooooo. In fact, based on an informal sampling of
responses, I'd say very few Americans are even aware of the Bilateral
Commission on Halibut Quotas. The fact that I made it up just now is no excuse.
It's simply another example of the appalling ignorance that the citizens of the
United States have when it comes to Canada. And boy are we mad! Why, we're as
mad as a porcupine that's been put in a sack and poked with a stick.
If those darn Americans don't smarten up, we'll make another beer commercial.
We ain't foolin'. We will. So they better watch out!
The thing to remember is this: If, by some tragic circumstance, you yourself
are an American, never admit it! As a new Canadian, you can proudly declare
allegiance to any culture you like -- except American. If you are from Laos,
hold Laotian dances and Laotian music fests. If you are from the Caribbean,
stage massive street celebrations. If you are Irish, drink green beer and sport
a shamrock, maybe get in a fistfight or two. If you believe in voodoo or animal
sacrifices or stoning adulterers, that's fine too. But if you are from the
United States, you must completely disavow your homeland. In fact, you must
learn to avert your gaze every time you pass a magazine stand or turn on a
television set, if only to avoid the corrosive influence of American culture --
a culture which Canadians have so fervently rejected. In anecdote at least.
You see, in the hyper-sensitivity of today's all-inclusive Canada, American
culture is just about the only thing left that Canadians are allowed to mock.
Other cultures are off limits, but the Americans are still fair game. You can
televise one-hour specials with titles like "Boy, Americans Sure Are Stupid!"
and you will be applauded for your efforts. You can condemn Americans outright
and never be accused of being a bigot. So carp away!
Handy tip! You can adapt any cultural critique you like, simply by inserting
the word "American" into it.
Unacceptable: "If you ask me, people who believe in voodoo are idiots."
Acceptable: "Americans are idiots."
Unacceptable: "Islamic culture is based upon the subjugation of women."
Completely acceptable: "American culture is based upon the subjugation of
women."
Utterly unacceptable: "I hate Lithuanians! And the Belgians, too. They're so
ignorant."
Fully, 100 per cent acceptable: "I hate Americans, they're so ignorant."
Try it out! At your next cocktail party read the second statements out loud. No
one will blink. Then try making the first statements. Hoo-ha!
Bonus Points: Fun and games with Canadian nationalists -- the next time a proud
Canadian complains about how little Americans know about Canada, ask the
aforementioned Canadian a simple question: "What is the capital of New
Brunswick?"
Go ahead, it's lots of fun! Ask away: "What is the capital of New Brunswick?"
There are only 10 provinces, so you'd think they'd know. Right? And then, as
they flail about trying to come up with the right answer, smile and say, "Those
damn Americans, so poorly informed about Canada. Not like us Canadians, eh? We
know all about our own country. Yessirree, Bob." Why, I'd bet that not one in
20 Canadians knows the correct answer (Moncton) and those who do are probably
from New Brunswick.
And yes, I know that the capital of New Brunswick is not Moncton. The capital
of New Brunswick is Saint John. Or is it?
Next Week: "Is the word 'Canuck' an insult?"
Author Will Ferguson lives in Calgary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/23/opinion/23FISH.html?pagewanted=print
A Simple Glass of Water
By TED C. FISHMAN AUG 23, 2001
CHICAGO -- Recently, on a day so blistering in Chicago that authorities issued
a heat warning, telling people to stay inside when possible, I was out early
with my wife and 10-year-old son, hoping to run errands before the temperature
topped 90. Alas, at 9:45 a.m. we were too late, and the heat hit. We wanted
water. We went into a coffee shop and ordered a latte for my wife, an iced
decaf coffee for my son, and please, a glass of water for me.
"I can only give you a small cup," the clerk told me. That would be fine, I
told him. He came back with a thimble-sized cup with roughly one ounce of
liquid in it. Was it possible to get more? I asked. "No," said the clerk.
"That's all we can give out. We do sell water, though."
These days it seems that providing a simple drink of water is not so much an
exercise in quenching the thirsty as in soaking them. Worldwide, bottled water
is a $35 billion business. Over the next four years, the bottled water market
is expected to grow at 15 percent annually. That dwarfs the growth rates for
fruit beverages, beer and soft drinks, all under 2 percent. Of course,
sometimes bottled water does taste better or is more convenient or safer than
tap water — and is worth paying for. That's nothing new. More novel is the
pervasive push by businesses to sell bottled water by depriving customers of
tap water.
For the past few years, the movie theaters I frequent have been declining
requests for water, pushing — at $2.50 each — the bottled product instead.
Seen a water fountain at a gasoline station lately? Not likely. Bottled water
is the one of the highest selling items — after cigarettes — in the
stations' convenience stores. In restaurants, waiters now frequently ask for
your drink order before they bring you tap water, in the hope that you can be
talked into buying bottled water. A waitress I asked called this the "beverage
greeting" that her manager required her to say before bringing a glass of
water.
During my travels nearly 20 years ago through Indonesia's coffee-growing
regions, I would often stop by a bamboo-thatched lean-to for a drink. Water in
the land of the coffee bean rarely comes from a tap; it has to be hauled from
wells, strained and boiled. Often I was served by rail-thin old men or women in
fraying sarongs who subsisted on a few dollars a week. Yet, ask for water and
they brought it. At first I asked to pay, not for the water, but for the work
behind it. They'd refuse even the smallest coin. The custom of sharing water
was too elemental to gum up with finagling.
In India, the Sarai Act mandates that an innkeeper give a free glass of
drinking water to any passerby. Indeed, in most places around the world, giving
strangers water is the bare minimum of humane behavior. Why is that not so
here?
Ted C. Fish is a contributing editor for Worth and Harper's Magazines.
http://dailynews.philly.com:80/content/daily_news/2001/08/21/local/ARTS21C.htm
Builder brews artsy plan eyes village near Schmidt's site
Developer Bart Blatstein unveils $25 million "Liberties Walk" project across
from former Schmidt's Brewery site (LAUREN DOBKIN / DAILY NEWS)
By EARNI YOUNG
A funny thing happened to developer Bart Blatstein on the way to building a
shopping center on the site of the old Schmidt's Brewery.
He decided to build an artist's village across the street.
Blatstein unveiled the $25 million project yesterday against the backdrop of
Schmidt's, which, with the exception of the main brewhouse, has been reduced to
rubble.
It's all part of the Blatstein land empire - a barren stretch of ramshackle
buildings, empty storefronts and weed-choked lots. It cost him approximately $2
million.
Even Blatstein admits it doesn't look like much. "But whatever it is worth,
tomorrow will be a lot more than it's worth today," Blatstein said.
A heck of a lot more, if Blatstein succeeds in building Liberties Walk, a
bricked outdoor mall filled with a lively mix of live-work artist lofts,
studios, art galleries, and cafes anchored by a new neighborhood performing-
arts center in a 151-year-old church.
Blatstein, the president and chief executive officer of Tower Investments,
announced plans to break ground in January with the first tenants to move in by
next fall.
But what about Schmidt's? Blatstein said "environmental problems" have slowed
work on the neighborhood shopping center, so Liberties Walk will start first.
A more likely reason is the economic downturn that has put the brakes on retail
growth. Large chain retailers aren't as willing to gamble on urban areas as
they were a year ago when Blatstein paid $1.8 million for the brewery at a
sheriff's sale.
The site on Girard Avenue and 2nd Street in Northern Liberties is too blighted,
too poor and too risky for the national chains, said a Blatstein business
associate who asked not to be named.
"The retailers just basically said we'll come, but you'll have to pay us to be
here," the source said.
With Liberties Walk, Blatstein is building a customer base that will make the
adjacent brewery location more attractive to retailers.
"This will bring a lot more attention to the area," Blatstein acknowledged. "It
will be like an incubator for the arts community."
Liberties Walk will consist of a pedestrian walkway lined with three story
buildings with 35 first-floor galleries and 65 loft apartments on the upper
floors. St. John's Church, at Bodine and George streets, will become a
performing-arts center with cafes and retail on the first floor. It will be
surrounded by 22 townhouses that also will be zoned as live-work units.
Blatstein, 46, said Liberties Walk can be built in a single phase without
government subsidies like the Tax Increment Financing and loans he received for
the brewery project.
It took Blatstein more than a year to acquire the 12 parcels. He cagily used a
smokescreen of straw buyers to disguise his interest and keep prices from
skyrocketing. Had Blatstein relied on the more ponderous route of city
condemnations, acquisition would have taken three to four years.
The developer got his start 26 years ago rehabbing rowhouses in Queen Village.
He is best known for turning a strip of abandoned buildings along Columbus
Avenue into Riverview Plaza. He also built a smaller moviehouse and restaurant
complex on Main Street in Manayunk.
Blatstein's reputation as a strip-mall builder raised the hackles of Northern
Liberties residents. Some fear Blatstein will bring in big-box retailers that
will overshadow what is mostly a rowhouse neighborhood.
Blatstein insists it will be a neighborhood-style shopping center that won't
besmirch the community.
Tim McDonald, a local architect who bitterly opposed demolition of the old
brewhouse, said the neighborhood is "cautiously optimistic" regarding Liberties
Walk.
"It all depends on whether he does what he says," McDonald said of Blatstein.
J2jurado
COMES WEEKS AFTER LOSING IN BECK'S BID
( St. Louis Post-Dispatch ) Thomas Lee; 08-22-2001
Goodbye, Germany. Hello, India? Anheuser-Busch Cos. reportedly is interested in
purchasing a 26 percent stake in United Breweries, the largest in India.
The deal could solidify further the St. Louis-based beer company' s beachhead
in Asia, a market with enormous potential, experts say. The news comes weeks
after A-B's aborted bid to buy Brauerei Beck GmbH & Co., the German maker of
Beck's beer. The company went to Interbrew NV of Belgium for $1.6 billion.
India is more consistent with A-B's strategy of establishing footholds
throughout Asia. It owns 91.8 percent of the Budweiser Wuhan International
Brewing Co. and a smaller stake in Tsingtao Brewing Co., both in China. A-B
also has license agreements with breweries in Japan, South Korea and the
Philippines. Brewery executives have expected for a long time that China will
become the world's largest beer market, but India could develop into a major
market for A-B, said Tom Pirko, a beer-industry consultant in California. India
boasts a middle class bigger than the entire U.S. population, he said. The $1
billion Indian market for liquor is expanding 10 percent a year. "India is a
phenomenal opportunity," Pirko said. "It's a serious place to do business." A-B
officials declined to comment. Founded in 1915, United Breweries operates 14
breweries throughout India and controls about 44 percent of the local market.
The company generated $425 million in sales last year, largely on the strength
of its popular Kingfisher brand. Over the past few months, the company has been
shopping for a strategic partner that can extend the international reach of
Kingfisher, which the company exports to 50 countries. A United Breweries stake
is not so high profile as Beck's;
A-B reportedly was willing to pay up to $880 million for the company. But
experts say it's more consistent with A-B's conservative approach to building
its fledgling international business, mostly through equity stakes, brand
licensing and joint marketing ventures. Bill Finnie, a former director of
strategic planning for A-B and now a strategy consultant with Grace Advisors in
St. Louis, said equity stakes are the best and safest way to enter foreign
markets, especially in a country such as India with its "horrible bureaucracy,
which makes doing business tough." India has high tariffs on consumer products
such as
imported alcohol. The government recently slapped a tariff on foreign liquor of
up to 700 percent. A-B should be even more aggressive in pursuing international
opportunities, Finnie said. Overseas demand for beer is expected to grow 3
percent a year, nearly twice the rate of growth in the United States. But Byran
Spillane, an analyst with Banc of America securities, said A-B has reason to be
cautious: The need to consolidate could rush some companies into bad deals.
"A-B is doing well developing countries with explosive growth," he said. "They
have to be careful not to get addicted to it."
San Miguel HK H1 net up 30 pct, S.China sales grow
HONG KONG, Aug 24 (Reuters) - San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong <0236.HK> said on
Friday its first half net profit rose 30 percent year-on-year to HK$35.04
million (US$4.49 million), partly due to stronger sales of its flagship brand
beer in southern China.
This compared with net profit of HK$26.95 million for the first six months of
2000, the brewery, a unit of Philippines' San Miguel Corp <SMC.PS> said in a
statement.
Earnings per share rose 30 percent to 9.4 Hong Kong cents from 7.2 cents in the
year-ago period, the company said.
But turnover fell 2.9 percent in the first half to HK$653.48 million from
HK$673.20 million.
The company proposed a dividend of 4.0 Hong Kong cents for the second quarter,
bringing the total dividend to 8.0 cents for the first six months against 6.0
cents a year ago.
Sales of its Hong Kong brewed beer in Hong Kong were little changed from the
previous year although the company's market share increased marginally.
"In South China, sales of the flagship brand San Miguel were significantly
above those of the first six months of the previous year," the company said,
without giving a breakdown of its sale figure.
The San Miguel Light brand, which targets younger drinkers, has been well
received in both the Hong Kong and South China markets since it was launched in
April and May.
"Post-campaign research reveals that awareness of San Mig Light is high amongst
the target audience and sales are ahead of projections set before the launch,"
the statement said.
The company also said it repaid HK$195.32 million in debt and made a special
dividend of HK$100.86 million to shareholders during the reported period.
After these substantial payments, its cash and cash equivalents stood at
HK$210.77 million at the end of June 2001, down from HK$418.84 million at the
end of 2000.
Japan's breweries going down in a fizzle
WASHINGTON, Aug 22, 2001 (United Press International via COMTEX) - - Harrison
Ford endorses it. Sushi simply doesn't taste the same without it. It's even
touted as a skin softener and, if that weren't odd enough, a digestive aid.
From the land of Pokemon and PlayStations, the next new thing is beer.
So why are Japan's breweries in such a poor shape?
For the first time, all four of the nation's major beer-makers posted losses
for the six-month period from January to June. While sales remained equally
brisk at the brewing houses of Kirin, Asahi, Sapporo, and Suntory, none were
actually able to reap in the rewards of still- high demand.
Ironically, their respective success may be pulling them down collectively.
Increased competition among the manufacturers is only pushing up advertising
costs for a market that really can't get much bigger.
Another problem is that beer drinkers are becoming wiser -- or perhaps simply
more frugal -- in their habit. The advent of cheaper beer and discount shops
has made drinking a far happier occasion for drinkers, but at the cost of the
manufacturers' profit margin.
Deregulation has also brought in a flood of overseas imports, ranging from
Irish Guinness to Dutch Heineken, to the all-American Hamm's Light and
Budweiser -- complete with Japanese renditions of the Bud girls -- and Coors,
making competition in a tight market even tighter.
The result is that all four of the major breweries saw net profit in the first
half of this year fall significantly.
Sapporo posted an operating profit of 2.7 billion yen ($22.3 million), down 22
percent from the previous year, even though sales nudged up 1 percent to 258.6
billion yen ($2.1 billion). Kirin's net profit totaled 36.1 billion yen ($299.2
million), down 17 percent on year, while sales ticked up 1.4 percent to 493.7
billion yen ($4.1 billion). Asahi, meanwhile, saw its operating profit fall by
22 percent to 26.4 billion ($218.8 million) on sales of 510.0 billion yen
($4.23 billion). Sales at Suntory increased 5.6 percent on year to 678.2
billion yen ($5.6 billion), but its net profit fell 24 percent to 5.6 billion
yen ($46.4 million).
Of course, beer hasn't always been the tipple of choice for Japanese drinkers.
European breweries can often cite their origins to medieval abbeys, where monks
sold their product for profit to the local population as much as brewing it for
themselves.
Rice-based sake is what Japan can proudly call its own, and it remains the only
drink to be had with pricey, elaborate Japanese meals. There are also slews of
bars in central Tokyo that sell only sake, from all 47 provinces across the
nation. Like wine is to sommeliers, sake connoisseurs delight in savoring the
bouquet and clearness of the drink, which is said to be the best from areas
that boast the purest water and sweetest rice.
The problem is that sake is not only more expensive, it is also far more potent
than beer.
Pale-colored lager in particular has caught on in Japan as the casual alcoholic
beverage of choice since U.S. occupation following World War II, guzzled
anywhere from rooftop bars and baseball stadiums to household kitchens. But a
round of deregulatory measures from the late 1990s has made beer even cheaper
and readily available, heightening competition among the established brewers.
The Japanese government defines beer as a product that has at least a 66.7
percent hops content. But in 1999, the country began allowing malt-based
drinks below that content to be marketed if they are marketed as "low-malt
brews", and not labeled as beer. In contrast, the United States, U.K., and
Australia have no such restrictions, while Germany labels products only of 100
percent pure malt as beer, and France defines the cutoff line at 50 percent.
The benefits of deregulation in the Japanese beer market are twofold. Not only
has there been a boom in the Coronas and Miller Lites, but the cost of
home-grown low malt drinks has made it even cheaper to go out drinking. At the
same time, the government lifted a number of alcohol distribution
restrictions, making it possible for more supermarkets and other hitherto
unlicensed vendors to sell beer.
One can of a low-malt brew is about 150 yen ($1.25), almost half the price of a
can of regular beer, with no marked difference in taste, at least to your
average drinker. The result is that more and more consumers are turning to the
low-malt drink, especially to consume at home.
All this is good news for consumers. But for manufacturers, it is almost as
costly to make the low-malt brews as it is the regular beers, while they have
to pump in more money into advertising to compete with the onslaught of more
labels.
Still, the Japanese passion for beer is likely to remain a constant.
Interestingly, a survey by Kirin Beer found that most married couples drink at
home more than anywhere else, and more women drink beer than men, with women
drinking 9.5 days a month, while men drink only 9.0 days per month.
As for singles, both men and women drink more on the town than at home, but
again, women drink more beer than men. And according to the Kirin survey, the
favorite topic of conversation for single women over a glass of beer with their
dates is marriage.
Perhaps this could spur another costly, but effective, advertising campaign.
Beer and Horse Called Barney for 'A Knight's Tale'
By Paul Majendie
LONDON (Reuters) - Australian heartthrob Heath Ledger found the perfect
solution when starring in "A Knight's Tale" -- drink lots of beer and ride
naked a star-struck horse called Barney.
"We had fun, nothing but fun. The attraction was just that," he told Reuters
Television at Thursday's London premiere of the film that romps through the
medieval world of jousting with a rousing rock 'n' roll soundtrack as backing.
Ledger, who played Mel Gibson's son in "The Patriot," clearly had a riotous
time making "A Knight's Tale" in Prague. Asked if that meant drinking lots of
Czech beer, he said: "We all drank beer with Zatek hops. You know, when in
Prague..."
Co-star Paul Bettany agreed the set for the film was great fun. "I hope some
people are drunk when they see the film as we were enormously drunk when we
made it."
"The strength of this film was a bunch of people having a good time -- and we
certainly did."
Girls pressed up against the crush barriers in London's Leicester Square and
screamed with delight when Ledger appeared for the premiere sporting a dashing
red hunting jacket.
But he kept his tongue firmly in his cheek when bombarded with questions about
his role and how he coped with all that jousting.
"I had this horse called Barney," he said. ""He was such a lovely guy. He had
such an amazing sense of humor. He just missed out on the part in "The Horse
Whisperer" but they wanted a blond. That's why he missed out on the role.
"We discovered our horse deejaying at The Horse Shoe which is a little club in
Prague. He is now up for the part in 'Black Stallion II'."
"A knight's Tale" was written and directed by Brian Helgeland who won an Oscar
for the screenplay he wrote for "L.A. Confidential."
The most dramatic arrival at the premiere was made by English actor Christopher
Cazenove who hobbled apologetically into the cinema, explaining: "I was at a
party and fell down a hole. Drunk again. Broke my leg."
Cazenove, who once played Ben Carrington in the top-rated American soap
"Dynasty," was equally enthusiastic. "The film had a period feel but was very
modern. This was a fantastic cast, wonderful director and a lovely cast. It's
just a fairtytale movie -- I don't think it will change anybody's life."
Munters Dries Candy in Denmark
STOCKHOLM, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 23, 2001--Munters has received an
order for six Drying Chambers from the Danish confectionery manufacturer Bonbon
A/S. Munters will build complete Drying Chambers based on Munters
dehumidification technique. These will be used in the drying process when
manufacturing wine-gum and licorice. "Munters equipment is used both when
drying, packaging and storing in almost all types of food production processes.
That way our customers get a higher and more even quality on their finished
products, no matter the climate. Our technology yields the superior Bonbon",
says Johan Hasslof, Sales Director Munters Dehumidification in Scandinavia. The
value of the order is SEK 9 million.
16th Annual Mushroom Festival - Saturday, September 8, 2001 and Sunday,
September 9, 2001, Historic Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The 16th annual Mushroom Festival,
sponsored by PECO, an Exelon Company, will be held in historic Kennett Square,
Pennsylvania on Saturday and Sunday, September 8 and 9. The two-day festival
will include a variety of free attractions for all members of the family.
Special events on Saturday, September 8, include:
-- Antique car, motorcycle, and farm equipment show
-- Farmer's market
-- Local art show
-- Book signing by author of "Pennsylvania Mushrooms"
-- Micro Brew Fest (Admission Fee)
Special events on Sunday, September 9, include:
-- Street festival with booths of crafts, merchandise, gifts, and food
-- Mushroom soup and Wine fest (Tasting Fee)
-- Mushroom growing exhibits
-- Mushroom fertilization lecture
-- Mushroom judging contest
-- Walking tour of Historic Kennett Square ("The Mushroom Capital of the
World")
Special events on both Saturday and Sunday, September 8 - 9 include:
-- Art show
-- Mushroom cooking demonstration
-- Mushroom growing demonstration
-- Mushroom weaving demonstration
-- Mushroom farm tour (Noon - 5 p.m., free!)
-- Entertainment by "Freddy and the 'Shroom Lovers"
-- Magic Mushroom and other Children's amusement rides
The Mushroom Festival annually draws 20,000 to 25,000 people during the
weekend. Mushroom Festival brochures are available at local tourist
information bureaus or by contacting the Web site at www.mushroomfest.com. For
more information call 1-888-440-9920.
Kennett Square, PA is located two miles south of Longwood Gardens in Chester
County and is easily accessible from Route 1. Ample parking is available with
shuttle bus service to festival events. Representatives from the Mushroom
Festival office are available for interviews by phone or in-person (subject to
location and availability).
A BREWERY IN BUTLER? CHEERS!
( The Record (Bergen County, NJ) ) KEVIN G. DeMARRAIS, Staff Writer;
08-19-2001
A BREWERY IN BUTLER? CHEERS! -- MEET THE MICROBREW MEISTER AMERICAN MODELS HIS
PRODUCT ON
GERMAN WHEAT BEERS By KEVIN G. DeMARRAIS, Staff Writer Date: 08-19-2001
The microbrewery market has changed dramatically since the High Point Wheat
Beer Co. opened five years ago in a
converted rubber factory in the center of Butler. The industry's rapid growth
of the early Nineties, spurred by the changing habits of beer drinkers in the
Pacific Northwest, has been replaced by consolidation and shutdowns that have
left would-be master brewers crying in their beers.
Not Greg Zaccardi, president of High Point.
Compared with the Budweisers and Millers of the world, or even Sam Adams or Red
Hook, High Point is small-time. But the Butler brewery -- officially the High
Point Brewing Co. Inc. -- has survived the industry shakeout and is starting to
grow. After producing as much as his system could handle in 2000, the company
has invested $25,000 to increase capacity by 65 percent, and Zaccardi is
predicting revenues will increase even more than last year's 45 percent.
While other microbrewers concentrated on the lagers and ales popular in the
Northwest and in England, High Point's Ramstein brand beers are modeled after
German wheat beers. In fact, all ingredients in the brews, except water from
the Butler Reservoir, are imported from the German state of Bavaria, including
a proprietary yeast from a small Bavarian brewery that gives his beers their
unique aroma and taste, Zaccardi said.
Microbreweries started to pop up in the 1980s making specialty beers, and they
showed American consumers there is something "beyond yellow light beer," said
Zaccardi, who hails from Montclair. Entrepreneurs such as Zaccardi came
rushing through that door and got into the beer-making business in record
numbers.
By the end of the Nineties, sparked by a surge in microbreweries and beer pubs,
the number of domestic brewers in the United States had surpassed 1,800, or
six times the number in 1991, reports the Beer Institute, a Washington-based
trade organization.
Among the new brewers were many who didn't handle their brews properly, and
High Point Brewing Co. Inc. Location: Butler Owner: Greg Zaccardi, president
Services: Microbrewery, maker of Ramstein brand German-style wheat beers
Established: 1994; production began in 1996 Source of capital for start-up:
Friends and family Number of employees: 2 full time, 3 part time Annual
revenues: $350,000 Motto: Great taste. Individuality. Relevance. Consistency.
Goal: Become the biggest wheat beer brewer in the United States
Illustrations/Photos: 2 PHOTOS - CHRIS PEDOTA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - 1 -
"We found a niche that was unexplored," says Greg Zaccardi, president of the
High Point Wheat Beer Co., which is housed in a converted rubber factory in
Butler. 2 - Above, Zaccardi putting bottles into cardboard cases and, below,
checking a vat of beer.
J2jurado
Good For What Ales You
Friday, August 24, 2001; Page WE32
Best wheat beer: Old Dominion's Summer Wheat Hefeweizen, by Derek Bailey (no
relation to owner Jerry Bailey). Crisp and not cloying, like many I tasted.
Nice lemon and clove undertones.
Bestlager: The Dunkel at Ellicott Mills Brewing Co. didn't have a lot of taste
but had great body, and was the best of the area's lager. Unfortunately that's
not saying much.
Best pale ale: Brewer's Alley's IPA, by Tom Flores, with a perfect balance of
hops and malt.
Best stout: The Giddyup Stout, by Nick Funnell at the Sweetwater Tavern in
Merrifield. With its rich coffee taste, sipping this one is also the best way
to stay awake while drinking beer.
Best cask conditioned ale: The Shropshire Cask Conditioned Ale, by Barnaby
Struve at the Arlington Rock Bottom Brewery.
Best way to combine hard liquor and beer: The Bourbon Stoney Stout, aged in
bourbon barrels, by Anning and Laura Smith at the Shenandoah Brewing Co.
Best volleyball court: It's a little overgrown, but the field behind the Bardo
Brewery in Amissville is a great place to drink beer and swat a ball over a
net.
Best mountain view: The Deep Creek Brewery doesn't have a great view of its
namesake lake, but the view from the deck of the ski resort is wonderful.
Best renovated interior: The old bank that Gordon Biersch made over has never
looked better.
Most worth a drive: Brewer's Alley in old town Frederick is in a beautiful
120-year-old building and does everything well, from pilsners to stouts to
grilled fish to pizza.
Friendliest staff: Both Sweetwater Taverns have friendly and knowledgeable
servers and bartenders. Easily the best crews I've come across.
Best appetizers: Smoked salmon with cheese bread toasts and the southwestern
egg rolls at the Merrifield Sweetwater Tavern. Order them with a glass of Snake
River Pale Ale.
Best burger: District ChopHouse serves 'em up big and juicy, and they go well
with a Nut Brown Ale.
-- Eric Brace
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com:80/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/disp
lay?slug=jazz24&date=20010824
Arts & Entertainment : Friday, August 24, 2001
'Jawaiian' music brings aloha spirit to day of fun at Redhook
Where's that warm, salt air that was just caressing my skin? And what happened
to all those papayas?
If you've ever vacationed in Hawaii, you know how hard it is to come home to
the Northwest, especially when it's raining like December in the middle of
August. What a pleasant surprise, then, to discover this weekend's Hawaiian
Summer Jam, which will let me linger a little longer in hula heaven.
Tomorrow, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the outdoor amphitheater at the Redhook Ale
Brewery in Woodinville (14300 N.E. 145th St.; 206-548-8000), you can enjoy an
all-day program of Hawaiian music and dance, comedy, food and crafts — for
five bucks.
This isn't just some local luau. The headliner is none other than Henry Kapono,
half of the dulcet duo Cecilio and Kapono, which had three huge albums in the
'70s, on the Columbia label. Since those halcyon days, Kapono, a 52-year-old
native Hawaiian, has become one of the islands' most influential artists.
Winner of nine Hoku Awards (Hawaiian Grammies), Kapono pioneered the hybrid
genre of reggae and local music that islanders call Jawaiian, with his 1981
album, "Stand in the Light." Ten years later, he recorded one of the first
protest songs of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, "Broken Promise," which
nailed the government for reneging on its vow to restore land to native
Hawaiians.
"I coined the name Jawaiian, in 1981," Kapono said by telephone from Los
Angeles. "I was really into reggae in the early '70s. My first attempt was
`Stand in the Light,' and that did really well. Then (the style) got real
popular from about 1989."
Jawaiian still dominates programming on the islands' one all-Hawaiian-music
radio station.
"It think it's the island vibe," explained Kapono.
The singer-guitarist's most recent album, "Evolution of Poi," revisits breezy
and mellow folk-rock classics of his career, such as "Gotta Get Away," "Home in
the Islands," and "Song For Someone," offering an attractive blend of escapist
hedonism and simple inspiration. As the title suggests, the Kapahulu native has
indigenous things on his mind, as well. Poi is a starchy paste made from
pounded tarot root and water.
"I wanted to redo some of my old songs, and show the evolution of myself," he
said. "Poi is the staple of Hawaii, and I'm pure Hawaiian."
One of Kapono's next projects will be his first album in the Hawaiian language.
Kapono owns an 18,000-square-foot nightclub in Honolulu, where he serves
Kapono's Blonde, a signature edition of Redhook Blonde. Hawaiian Summer Jam is
the brainchild of the brewery's regional sales manager, Steve Cole, with help
from community leader Kamaile Hamada. All proceeds go to local hula schools
(halaus). Even Kapono is donating his time.
The lineup includes local slack-key guitarist Corey Tideman (11 a.m.),
Burien-based halau Na Hanu O Ku'uleialoha (noon), stand-up comic Kermit Apio
(12:45 p.m.), R&B-tinged Hawaiian vocalist Tonya Ferris (1 p.m.), and Federal
Way halaus Ka Lei Mokihana Nokeakua (2 p.m.) and Ke'ala O Kamailelauli'ili' (3
p.m.). Kapono, playing solo, and the five-piece Honolulu bar band, Tropical
Wine, will begin at 4 p.m.
Aloha! And mahalo to Redhook, for extending my vacation.
http://www.peteswicked.com/main_iemac.html
PUNCH TAVERNS VOICES CONCERNS OVER BASS BREAKUP
Punch Group, the privately owned company which manages 5200 British pubs, has
submitted a letter of concern to Britain's Office of Fair Trading and Minister
of Trade and Industry Patricia Hewitt expressing the company's worries over
competition concerns in Scotland due to a possible breakup of Interbrew's Bass
Brewers business, according to an Aug. 16 Reuters report. The "Carling Brewers"
solution favored by the OFT would leave Belgium's Interbrew with Scotland's top
selling Tennent's brand along with Interbrew's own premium lager Stella Artois,
for a possible duopoly with Scottish & Newcastle in the Scottish market. Punch
Taverns runs over 300 pubs in Scotland.
In his letter, Punch Chairman Hugh Osmond expressed his concerns about Scotland
and beer distribution in general if Bass is split up. He worries that Stella
Artois would grow in market share if Interbrew retains the Tennent's brand in
Scotland, decreasing competition and causing prices to rise. Osmond prefers
that the OFT's original suggestion - that Bass be sold as a whole - be
reconsidered.
It is likely that Punch's concerns will have a big impact in any final decision
since the "Carling Brewers" remedy would leave Interbrew and S&N with 60% of
the UK beer market and 80% of beer distribution. Should the Carling solution
stand, Dutch brewer Heineken is seen as a favorite to acquire Carling Brewers
for an estimated 1.2 billion pounds ($1.73 billion), with possible competition
from South African Breweries PLC.
MINISTER CALLS IRISH "BOOZERS"
A junior minister of state for arts and heritage in Ireland called the Irish
people a nation of boozers whose over-drinking costs the economy millions of
pounds a year, according to an Aug. 13 Reuters report. Minister Mary Coughlan
spoke at the opening of summer school in Donegal County, Ireland, saying the
Irish are "among the biggest boozers on the planet. When we get tanked up we
fight, we crash cars, we beat up our spouses and our children, we fall down and
we miss days at work. In the long run, we cost the state countless millions in
lost productivity, in health care, in ruined lives and premature deaths."
A study estimated the cost in Ireland of drug and alcohol related harm in 1999
at 1.7 billion Irish pounds ($1.93 billion).
"If we really cleaned up our act, just think what we could achieve," said
Coughlan. "The danger today is that too many of our best people will be lost in
an alcoholic daze or wiped out altogether by the lethal effect of it or some
other drug."
Irish alcohol consumption has been on the increase, despite decreases in
drinking in the rest of the European Union. Ireland is now third highest in per
capita consumption, after Luxembourg and Portugal, at 142.5 liters (31.35
gallons) per year, or almost twice the EU average.
W&D in dispute over unit sale-sources
LONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Britain's Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Plc is
locked in a price dispute over the sale of its Pitcher & Piano unit -- crucial
to its successful defence of a recent hostile bid, industry sources said on
Friday.
The sale was touted as a formality during W&D's ultimately successful campaign
to fend off a 485 million pound ($700 million) hostile bid from privately owned
pubs group Pubmaster.
But industry sources told Reuters the only serious buyer -- Regent Inns Plc --
was now trying to haggle down the price of the 33-strong pubs chain to around
60 million pounds.
W&D had been hoping for a price nearer 75 million pounds.
Britain's biggest regional brewer needs the money to help pay for a 100 million
pound return of cash to shareholders by the end of the year.
This share buyback was a key part of its success in getting its shareholders to
vote against Pubmaster's hostile bid on August 13.
Sources said pubs group SFI had expressed early interest in W&D, but had pulled
out due to price.
And although there has been talk of a venture-capital bidder, they said Regent
was the only serious potential buyer, and was trying to exploit this position
in order to drive down W&D's asking price.
One source said Regent had secured debt financing for the purchase, confounding
earlier rumours it might launch a rights issue.
But another said the cards were not all stacked in its favour, as it needed to
close a deal in order to strengthen its pubs portfolio beyond Walkabout bars.
Regent and SFI declined to comment about the sale of Pitcher & Piano, and W&D
could not be contacted. ($1-.6934 Pound)
Indian tea planters' woes grow with the crop
By Naveen Thukral
NEW DELHI, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Tea planters in India, the world's largest
producer and consumer of the brew, fear they could be heading for a severe
crisis with prices at three-year lows and sales hit by the growing popularity
of soft drinks.
Planters said things could take a turn for the worse since output was set to
grow while sales were shrinking because other producers such as Kenya were
cutting into India's traditional export market.
"The industry is in a very bad shape and the situation could deteriorate
further," a spokesman of the Indian Tea Association, a leading trade body, told
Reuters.
Average tea prices in India have dropped to 64.32 rupees ($1.37) a kg from
76.43 rupees a kg in 1998.
Planters said some tea companies in southern India had shut down and several
others were in the process of winding up.
"Even big companies are in difficulty. More and more estates will close down,"
said E.K. Joseph, president of the United Planters' Association of Southern
India.
He said despite the increase in India's population consumption levels had not
risen. "If everyone in India drank a cup of tea everyday, then we woukd have to
be a net tea importer. That is not happening," Joseph said.
STAGNANT DEMAND
Domestic market demand had been stagnant over the past few years and was not
expected to go up soon, said Arijit Dasgupta of J.Thomas and Co, India's
largest auction house.
"In the coming months, we'll see a further fall as production is expected to
rise and demand is depressed," he said.
Planters said domestic consumption has hovered around 650 million kg over the
past few years due to the growing popularity of aerated soft drinks.
"Young and trendy people prefer aerated drinks to tea and that is why growth
has really slowed," a leading planter told Reuters from the eastern city of
Calcutta.
Growers said tea exports fell to 79.6 million kg in the first six months of
2001 from 84.6 million kg in the year-ago period.
"Kenya is fast capturing our export market because they have a bumper crop and
are in a position to sell at a lower price," Dasgupta said.
Kenya is selling tea in the U.S. and British markets where India once had a
huge market, industry officials said.
India produced 846 million kg of tea in 2000, up from 824 million kg in 1999
when a prolonged dry spell hit output. The tea association has estimated output
at 855 million kg in 2001.
The country produced 298 million kg of tea between January and June 2001, up
from 297 kg in the previous year.
"In July, the output should be around two to three million kg more than last
July when the output was around 110 million kg," said a Tea Board official.
Indian tea is plucked mainly between April and October.
Tea industry officials said cheaper teas from Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka,
Vietnam and China were also flowing into the Indian market, hurting the
industry further. ($1=47.07 rupees)
Nepal sets controls on alcohol, but does not ban
By Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Nepal said on Saturday it would restrict liquor
sales, stop the night-time employment of women and clamp down on pornography,
bowing to pressure from a women's group believed linked to Communist rebels.
Alcohol will be completely banned for four days per month: the first and second
day and the last two Saturdays, the Home (Interior) Ministry said in a
statement. People under 24 will not be allowed to consume alcohol and below 21
will not be allowed to sell liquor, it said.
The All Nepal Women's Association (Revolutionary) had sought a nationwide ban
on alcohol.
According to the traditional calendar in Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom,
the month normally starts in the middle of what would be the month in the
modern Georgian calendar.
Only a limited number of licensed shops would be allowed to sell liquor,
currently available in tea shops and grocers.
The government also will not issue licences for new distilleries and the sale
of alcohol near temples or schools would be banned, the statement said.
The announcement came after talks between the government and the women's group,
considered close to Community Party of Nepal (Maoist) rebels waging a violent
campaign to overturn the constitutional monarchy.
The group had sought a ban on the sale and production of alcohol in Nepal, one
of the world's poorest nations, saying that it caused family tension and social
evils.
The ministry said the government and the radical group had also agreed to stop
employment of women after 9:00 p.m., screening of erotic films and sale of
erotic magazines.
There was no immediate comment from the women's group.
The call for a ban on alcohol, made earlier this month, had alarmed businesses
in the cash-starved nation, where millions of dollars have been invested in the
liquor industry.
More than 1,800 people have died since early 1996 in a violent campaign by the
Maoist party to set up a communist republic in Nepal.
Yeast, Insects and Mold Found In Bottled Water
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 23, 2001--Discovery of yeast and mold in bottled
water has caused the manufacturer to recall one of its brands, according to
Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin.
Elan Natural Waters, Blairsville, Georgia, has voluntarily recalled "Elan
Natural Waters Natural Drinking Water" after laboratory tests indicated the
presence of yeast and mold. Union County Bottlers, Blairsville, bottled the
products for Elan Natural Waters. The water was packaged in 500 milliliter
bottles with pull-up tops. All bottles have package codes that begin with
1FAF1.
The presence of the insects, yeast and mold makes the water unfit for human
consumption. "Our inspectors are checking store shelves to make sure this
product is removed. As a precautionary measure we will be testing other water
bottled at this facility that is in distribution channels to make sure there is
no other contamination," said Commissioner Irvin. Anyone who has bought the
product may return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
Carbonated Beverages are Taking a Toll On Women's Health; New Study Points to
Soft Drinks as a Culprit of Calcium-Poor Diets, Weak Bones
CHICAGO--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 23, 2001--Women are guzzling soft drinks in
record amounts and this daily habit may be wreaking havoc on their bones,
according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition.
Building on previous observational studies that found the intake of carbonated
beverages was associated with reduced bone mass and increased fracture risk,
researchers from the Creighton University Osteoporosis Research Center in Omaha
set out to pinpoint the specific components of soft drinks that may be to
blame. Other researchers speculate that the phosphoric acid and caffeine in
soft drinks can drain calcium from the bones and increase calcium loss.
"Our results indicate that colas and other soft drinks are a significant
problem," said co-author and renowned calcium researcher Robert P. Heaney,
M.D., professor of medicine from Creighton University. "However, it's not what
they contain, but rather what they do not contain -- the nutrients needed for
bone health. If women are drinking multiple cans of soft drinks every day, it
means they're probably not drinking enough milk, which supplies the right mix
of calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients that bones need."
The study examined the urinary calcium losses of women ages 20 to 40 who
regularly consume soft drinks (two to seven 12-ounce cans daily). Four
carbonated beverages were tested -- two with caffeine and two without caffeine.
The results were compared to water and two milks
- white and chocolate.
While this study did not find that phosphorus or caffeine in carbonated
beverages caused significant losses in urinary calcium (although the
caffeinated sodas produced some loss of calcium), the researchers believe the
impact of soft drinks should not be underestimated.
"The issue is somewhat more complicated because carbonated beverages contain
several other substances known to influence urinary calcium (such as sodium and
sugar) which could inevitably lead to bone loss; even their volume may exert
some influence," Heaney explained. "And the damaging effects on bone may be due
to other factors rather than simply the increase in urinary calcium loss."
Additionally, Heaney said even a small influence on the amount of calcium
excreted can add up, and the cumulative effect can have a big impact on bones
-- particularly when it's not offset by additional calcium in the diet. Perhaps
the most damaging effect of soft drinks is the displacement of milk, Heaney
concluded.
Over the past 30 years, consumption of carbonated beverages has tripled, while
milk intake has decreased by 40 percent. The researchers warn that soft drinks
appear to be the beverage of choice today among adult women -- the group with
the lowest calcium intake and the highest risk of osteoporosis. Nine out of 10
women fail to meet current calcium recommendations, and one in two women over
age 50 will have an osteoporosis fracture in her lifetime. The National Academy
of Sciences recommends that women ages 19 to 50 get 1,000 mg of calcium per
day, which is equivalent to about three glasses of milk.
Getting enough milk is even easier today because of the wide variety of flavors
and packaging available. "Instead of grabbing a soft drink to satisfy a sweet
tooth, women should savor milk's flavors," says Ann Marie Krautheim, MA, RD, a
registered dietitian for the National Dairy Council. "Flavored milks not only
taste great, but they also provide a dynamite nutrient package of calcium plus
eight other essential nutrients."
Source: Heaney, RP and Rafferty, K: Carbonated beverages and urinary calcium
excretion. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001; 74.
The National "got milk?"(R)Milk Mustache Campaign is jointly funded by
America's milk processors and dairy farmers: the National Fluid Milk Processor
Promotion Board in Washington, D.C., and Dairy Management Inc., Rosemont,
Illinois. The goal of the multi-faceted campaign is to educate consumers on the
benefits of milk and to raise milk consumption. A series of educational
brochures is available by visiting the milk Web site at www.whymilk.com. Bozell
New York is the creative agency for The National "got milk?"(R)Milk Mustache
Campaign.
The tagline "got milk?"(R) was created for the California Milk Processor Board
by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and is licensed by the national milk processor
and dairy producer groups.
Fine wine comes of age - Fruits of the vine bear up as good investments
By Thomas Kostigen, CBS.MarketWatch.com Aug. 23, 2001
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (CBS.MW) -- The downturn in the stock market may be enough
to lead many to drink.
Indeed, Standard & Poor's expects the beverage industry to grow this year. But
a sleeper class of the industry, the fine wine marketplace, is bubbling over.
There, where investments are more akin to collectibles, mutual funds and
private portfolios are being launched worldwide. Existing wine funds are
reporting double-digit percentage gains. Not bad as the stock market continues
to dip.
What's popping the cork? Wine prices are soaring. A vintage 1982 Bordeaux, for
example, may have sold for $300 a case on release. That case is now worth
between $5,000 and $7,000.
Until now, investors in fine wines simply had a nice cellar to show for their
efforts. Thanks to heightened interest in the field, wider access to
collections via the Internet and an increase in the number of wealthy wine
drinkers worldwide, many wine investors now may also have capital gains.
The International Wine Investment Fund is up 40 percent this year and the Wine
Investment Fund is up 15 percent. Both of those funds are based in Australia.
Two portfolios managed by the Switzerland-based Ascot Fine Wine Fund are up
about 11 percent and 13 percent. A mutual fund launched by Societe General
Asset Management in France in April promises to raise $100 million.
"There is more demand," says Tor Vollalokken, portfolio manager of the Ascot
Wine Management funds. He says the fine wine industry is attracting serious
investors like never before as more people see the benefits beyond the mere
beverage. Wine futures will even begin to trade in Paris this fall.
The niche industry is a $1 billion business, according to New York-based Judith
Beardsall, a wine broker, consultant and investment advisor. A plethora of
private wine investment houses have popped up around the world. They target
rich individuals with a penchant for wine.
"We expect to take in another $25 million at least over the next six months,"
Vollalokken says. His firm, based in Geneva, targets investors with at least
$25,000 to invest.
Solid performance
The Million Club, a network of high-net-worth investors, highlights wine
investing as its preferred service of the month. An article on its Web site
touts claims of returns of 20 percent or more tax-free through wine
investments.
Price increases are for the best labels and the best wines. "We're not talking
about buying a $10 bottle of wine."
Tor Vollalokken, portfolio manager of the Ascot Wine Management funds
"I wouldn't go that far," says Vollalokken. But he claims wine as an investment
has held up over the last 20 years with annual returns of between 10 percent
and 15 percent.
Vollalokken is quick to note that these price increases are for the best labels
and the best wines. "We're not talking about buying a $10 bottle of wine," he
says.
A discipline has been developed. Wine rating systems, much like stocks, have
been implemented. Experts like Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate make
recommendations. Prices move on these advisories.
In a nutshell, a worldwide wine marketplace has been created with all of the
elements of a capital market.
And like a capital market, wine has its ups and downs. In 1995 through 1997,
wine prices were strong as Asian market demands forced prices up. When the
Asian financial crisis hit in 1998, wine prices fell too.
The wine market has climbed back. Predictions are for the fine wine industry to
grow another 10 percent this year.
What is being called a vintage Bordeaux 2000 is driving demand. That should
keep prices strong through 2003 as buyers lap up existing supply now and
generate new interest as the release of the 2000 vintage in 2003 draws closer.
Of course, all that depends on the wealth and drinking habits of the fine wine
constituency. With the way of the markets, many investors may not be able to
afford such luxuries.
And then there is always the danger of drinking the profits: Vollalokken allows
his shareholders to redeem shares for bottles.
J2jurado
is funding Anthony von Mandl's dream winery
( Maclean's ) KEN MACQUEEN in Westbank; 08-27-2001 pp 36.
You'll meet Mike in a moment, if you haven't already. He shows up at a lot of
parties. It's safe to say that without Mike's money, Dr. Anthony von Mandl's
dream would be considerably diminished. They're an unusual duo, Mike the party
animal and the suave and sophisticated von Mandl, who is the sole proprietor of
Mission Hill Family Estate winery. At first blush, they're as different as
vodka and chardonnay, but these two share a dream.
The dream is this: von Mandl wants his winery recognized among the top 10 in
the world. He's sparing no expense to do so. This, even the proprietor
concedes, is "an absolutely outrageous objective," for Mission Hill is in the
tiny town of Westbank, across Okanagan Lake from Kelowna, B.C. -- which is in
Canada, for heaven's sake.
You want outrageous, this is what von Mandl told the Kelowna Chamber of
Commerce in 1981. He was 31 then, deep in debt, and the new owner of a decrepit
little winery called Golden Valley. "I see world-class vinifera vineyards
winding their way down the valley, numerous estate wineries each distinctively
different, charming inns and bed and breakfast cottages seducing tourists from
around the world," he lectured the chamber, to tepid applause. "In short, the
dream is the Napa Valley of Canada, but much more." He's disappointed today
that the calibre of tourism infrastructure is yet "nowhere near where it must
be." Still, wine has propelled a profound change.
Twenty years ago, B.C. wine needed a stepladder just to hit the heights of
mediocrity. The industry was protected by a cozy arrangement: the vineyards,
full of lowbrow hybrid and Lambrusca grapes, were guaranteed sales to the
wineries, whose screw-top plonk was granted a preferential rate at provincial
liquor stores. That changed in the late 1980s when free trade opened the
Canadian market to serious competition. Ontario' s Niagara region heard the
same call, and now aims, like von Mandl, to take on the world (page 38).
Vineyards were replanted with European varietals, and wineries like the renamed
Mission Hill began the slow process of producing complex chardonnay, pinot noir
and other premium whites and reds.
Today, there are about 60 wineries in the Okanagan and 2,000 hectares of
vineyards. The province produces 22 million litres of wine, the best of which
routinely win national and international awards. It is a notoriously
capital-intensive industry, and the payoff for most vineyards is years away.
Although sales climbed to $63 million in the last fiscal year, the industry has
invested $564 million in wineries and vineyards, and is projected to spend a
further $313 million in the next five years.
For von Mandl -- who is spending "in the tens of millions" to build a
jaw-dropping destination winery on his hilltop site -- the early years were a
struggle. Desperate for cash flow, he dumped a "horrible" apple cider the
previous winery had produced and replaced it with Okanagan Premier Cider, sold
in a variety of fruit flavours. It was the first of the winery's money
spinners. Next, he snared rights to sell California Cooler in Canada and Corona
beer in the west of the country.
By 1994 Mission Hill, under chief winemaker John Simes, a New Zealand import,
was gaining accolades. That year, its '92 vintage was the surprise winner of
the world's best chardonnay in London's International Wine and Spirit
Competition. The judges were so shocked to learn of the wine's origins in an
obscure Canadian valley, they insisted on another blind tasting before
conferring the prize. By now, von Mandl had grand plans, but his is an
expensive dream. Then along came Mike.
Mike is another sort of dream. Von Mandl was seeking a "holy grail" in the
adult non-beer market: "a beverage men could drink on beer- drinking
occasions." The result was a lemon-vodka combination with a suitably macho
moniker -- Mike's Hard Lemonade (motto: "Grab life by the lemons"). The heavily
promoted product -- boasting seven per cent alcohol content versus five per
cent for a typical Canadian beer (and 12 per cent for wine) -- is a triumph of
marketing. "Mike" runs with a hip, young crowd, he is shadowy, edgy, and may
have a past. "Maybe Mike's a little paranoid," says his biography on the
lemonade' s Web site, "but the only thing I know about his personal appearance
is that he's kinda tallish, depending on the light."
Mike, of course, is von Mandl, thinking with a different part of his brain --
the part that makes pots of money. The brand sells across Canada and in all 50
states, which consumed more than eight million cases last year, versus 100,000
cases of wine sold by Mission Hill. Mike's target is 13 million cases this
year, almost equal to the U.S. market's third-ranked import beer, Labatt Blue.
And so it is Mike, a party-hearty guy, who builds von Mandl's "legacy."
It's hard to exaggerate the attention to detail poured into what von Mandl
calls "the largest single investment in the wine industry in Canada." Although
many of its vineyards are in the desert lands, the focus of Mission Hill is the
winery itself -- part castle, part fortress, part cathedral -- high above the
rolling valley and the sinuous sweep of Okanagan Lake. Walking under the
entrance arch this summer, even a New York tourist was inspired to something
near awe. "So," he said, looking across the grounds to the 12-storey bell
tower, "we drink here, or we pray here?"
A little of both. The entrance, through a formidable metal gate, buffers the
hilltop from the outside world. The parking lot and surrounding neighbourhood
are fast disappearing behind a planting of 3,000 trees and shrubs. "I wanted to
delineate the secular world, if you will, from the spiritual world of wine,"
von Mandl says. As if on cue, the bells mark the quarter hour, the sound
pealing across the valley. It's been a "dream assignment" for Seattle architect
Tom Kundig, who has spent five years designing everything from the gift shop to
the vaulted Bordeaux-style wine cellars blasted from volcanic rock. Everywhere
are unexpected flourishes, meant to play across the eyes as good wine does on
the tongue: a giant tapestry by Russian artist Marc Chagall, a Renaissance
fountain, a private gourmet kitchen and dining room.
There were more than 20 versions drawn of the bell tower, "our gift to the
valley," before von Mandl was satisfied. A winery without an on-site vineyard
was unthinkable, so 10,000 cubic metres of stone were blasted from the rocky
hillside, replaced with 15,000 cubic metres of soil. "It makes no sense
economically," he concedes, his eyes following young rows of chardonnay and
pinot noir sloping toward the lake. " But it was integral to the esthetics."
The concept, he says, "was to create a winery that would be as relevant in 100
or 200 years as it is today."
One day Mission Hill must pay its way, but for now von Mandl pours money and
energy into what he calls "more than a life's work." As the sole owner, he can
indulge this conceit. "It would never happen with shareholders," he concedes.
Or without his alter ego, Mike, the lemonade guy.
Punch up brewing over beer selling
( Birmingham Post ) Philip Williams Deputy Business Editor; 08-17-2001
One of Britain's biggest pubs companies Punch Group said that a break-up of
Interbrew's Midland-based Bass Brewers operation to overcome UK competition
concerns may cause major problems in the Scottish beer market.
Punch chairman Hugh Osmond says the so-called 'Carling Brewers' remedy would
leave Interbrew with by far Scotland's top selling beer Tennent' s and also
Britain's leading premium lager Stella Artois, and a likely stranglehold on the
Scottish market.
'It's a big concern, Scotland is a major sticking point as we have over 300
pubs there,' said Mr Osmond, who heads the private company which runs 5,200
British pubs. Britain's consumer watchdog the Office of Fair Trading handed
its confidential advice on Interbrew's takeover of Bass last week to Minister
of Trade and Industry Patricia Hewitt giving its view on which of four possible
remedies it favours.
Interbrew, whose brands include Stella Artois, and its competitors are eagerly
awaiting Hewitt's decision, which will help shape the British beer market over
the next decade.
Industry sources say the 'Carling Brewers' break-up remedy, is the favourite of
the OFT's four suggestions - this would allow Interbrew to retain the Bass
Tennent's business in Scotland, Caffrey's in Northern Ireland and the Bass ale
brand while sellingoff the bulk as Carling Brewers, which would include
Britain's top-selling beer Carling.
Mr Osmond said he had written to the OFT giving his concerns about Scotland and
how beer distribution within Bass would be split up under the Carling Brewers
plan.
The Scottish beer market is a virtual duopoly between Britain's biggest brewer
Scottish and Newcastle and Bass, but it is likely that Stella Artois would grow
strongly there if Interbrew retained the Tennent' s business.
The OFT handed its advice to the Department of Trade and Industry on August 9
as soon as practicable.
Interbrew's problems in the UK started when it bought Whitbread's beer business
in May last year and then followed up by acquiring Bass three months later,
giving the combined group a leading 32 per cent share of the UK beer market.
By January, the UK government termed the combination anti-competitive and
ordered it to sell Bass.
Pub groups such as Punch were seen to have had a big influence in the decision
as they argued that if the deal went through unchanged then Interbrew and S&N
would have 60 per cent of the UK beer market and 80 per cent of beer
distribution.
The Belgian brewer appealed to the London High Court, which ruled in May the
decision to sell Bass should be reassessed, prompting the OFT to come up with
its four options in July which include the sale of either Bass or Whitbread, or
two further optionsinvolving the splitting- up of Bass.
Industry sources said there were only two options the OFT seriously considered,
firstly its original recommendation to sell off the whole of Bass, with a
market share of 23 percent, or the Carling option with a beer share of 19 per
cent.
They said that Dutch brewer Heineken was favourite in the race to acquire
Carling Brewers for around pounds 1.2 billion, but there could be competition
from South African Breweries Plc.
Both Heineken and SAB made offers for Bass Brewers last year but were beaten by
a pounds 2.3 billion bid from Interbrew which was sealed last August.
Profile: Utah's laws on alcohol
( Morning Edition (NPR) ) MELISSA BLOCK; 08-20-2001 ime: 11:00 AM-12:00 Noon
MELISSA BLOCK, host:
The state of Utah is reputed to have some of the most confusing and restrictive
liquor laws in the country, but a recent federal court decision is forcing the
state to loosen up just a bit. For example, it's now legal in Utah for servers
in restaurants to utter the words, `May I get you a drink?' That may not sound
like much, but the changes are sending shock waves through the state. From Salt
Lake City, NPR' s Howard Berkes reports.
HOWARD BERKES reporting:
All over Utah, people are hearing words in restaurants not legally uttered
since before Prohibition.
Ms. GRETA BALLINGER DeJONG(ph) (Editor/Publisher, Catalyst): I had the
experience myself. Yesterday I went to a restaurant that I've been going to for
years, and I sat down and she said, `May I get you a drink?' I was stunned.
BERKES: Greta Ballinger DeJong is editor and publisher of Catalyst, a monthly
magazine. DeJong sued the state of Utah five years ago because she couldn't
print ads for wine or liquor or restaurant ads noting alcohol was served. It
was also illegal to simply offer restaurant patrons wine or liquor lists or
post them outside restaurant doors.
Ms. DeJONG: Remember the old bumper sticker, `Legalize Adulthood in Utah'?
That's really what it's about, the ability to make decisions for oneself. I
think that's been the crux of the biscuit all along here. And there has been
certainly a portion of the population here who has been hindered in making
intelligent decisions for themselves.
BERKES: Until last month when a federal appeals court in Denver ruled that
Utah's limits on alcohol advertising violate First Amendment guarantees of
freedom of speech, a restraining order now temporarily suspends those limits.
Ms. DeJONG: One is given an opportunity to be an adult and say yes or no, as
you wish. And I say, `I'll drink to that.'
BERKES: `The old rules had this rationale,' says Nick Hales, chairman of Utah's
Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.
Mr. NICK HALES (Chairman, Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, Utah):
Protection of underage drinking and an attempt to avoid overconsumption.
BERKES: And how did those restrictions foster those goals?
Mr. HALES: Obviously no one advertises unless they want an increased sale of
their product. That's the whole basis of advertising. And I believe the
philosophy has been, in the past, that limiting the advertising will help limit
consumption.
BERKES: The application of that philosophy is unique in Utah because almost all
the people who write, implement, enforce and interpret the state's liquor laws
don't drink. In fact, they believe drinking is morally wrong, socially
destructive and unhealthy; at least that' s what their church teaches. All but
one of the members of the Liquor Commission, 90 percent of the state
Legislature, all of the justices on the state Supreme Court and most of Utah's
federal judges are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
better known as the Mormon or LDS church. Nick Hales at the Liquor Commission
is among them.
Mr. HALES: About 70 percent of the state of Utah is LDS. Any public commission
needs to be reflective of the general public. The inter- statutory scheme
itself, the mandate from the Legislature, is to protect the rights of the
non-drinkers and make alcoholic beverages reasonably available to those who
choose to drink.
BERKES: But many drinkers believe regulators go too far in protecting
non-drinkers.
Mr. JAY SHELLEDY (Editor, The Salt Lake Tribune): The liquor laws are viewed as
an extension of the dominate culture telling other cultures of the state,
otherwise decent, God-fearing people, that, `We're going to do it our way or no
way.'
BERKES: Jay Shelledy is the imbibing, non-Mormon editor of The Salt Lake
Tribune.
Mr. SHELLEDY: Mormons view Utah with sort of a very sacred tie to the state, a
very spiritual tie to the state, something like Jews have with Israel and many
Indian tribes have with sacred lands. This was what they referred to as the
land of Zion; it was a holy land. So I think it's understandable that good
Mormons would not want to see their holy land desecrated or at least
infiltrated with many of the things that they hold abhorrent.
BERKES: In fact, Mormon leaders employ the former chair of the Liquor
Commission as their anti-alcohol lobbyist. He and church leaders declined
requests for interviewed, but they've issued two statements. One notes that a
majority of the state's citizens do not consume alcohol and then asserts that
their rights and interests cannot be forgotten. Another more recent statement
promises church monitoring an input as Liquor Commission considers replacing
the rules rejected in court. They have 120 days to do that, and they'd better
be careful, says Brian Barnard, the civil rights attorney who filed the liquor
lawsuit.
Mr. BRIAN BARNARD (Civil Rights Attorney): Regardless of what the Liquor
Commission does within the next 120 days, or regardless of all the public
opinion that is expressed, at the end of that comment period, the new rules are
still going to have to comply with the First Amendment. And the mere fact that
certain people may be offended by the consumption or the advertising of alcohol
is not going to change the First Amendment analysis of that situation.
BERKES: If the relaxed rules stick, journalists covering next winter' s
Olympics will have a little less ammunition as they try to write stories about
unconventional liquor laws and Mormon influence over life in Utah.
Howard Berkes, NPR News, Salt Lake City.
British teachers-turned-brewers find Normans ready to be
( Independent on Sunday ) John Lichfield in Joue-du-Bois, Orne; 08-12-2001
The second biggest brewery in Normandy is in a converted barn, beside a pretty
stream, at the end of a bumpy track. Here, deep in cider country, is "Le
Brewery", an attempt to wean the French - starting with the Normans - off
fizzy, cold, pasteurisedbeer and introduce them to the subtler pleasures of
flat, not-too-cold, living, real ale, in the British tradition.
A lost cause? Apparently not. Since Steve and Jane Skews began brewing two
kinds of bitter - light and dark - a couple of months ago, they have been
inundated with orders and inquiries from bars and supermarkets in lower
Normandy. An open weekend lastmonth was a great success, attracting 1,400
people - mostly French but some thirsty expatriates - in two days.
"The French were a little suspicious at first, because they are used to what I
call `boy's beer', cold and carbonated," said Mr Skews, 50. "But they gave it a
go and now local people are staggering back for repeat orders and we're talking
to severallocal bars about ways of putting real ale on tap."
Although more than a score of British pubs in France brew their own beer, Mr
and Mrs Skews think they have started the first brewery in France to make and
distribute British-style real ale. Most pub-breweries in France use powdered
yeast. Le Brewery useslive yeast and the best hops and malt, imported from
Britain. The equipment - a "10-barrel brew plant", capable of making more than
10,000 pints a week - was bought from a closed brewery in Hampshire.
"It all arrived on an articulated lorry in January but the truck couldn' t get
up our lane so it had to be unloaded a couple of miles away, " Mr Skews said.
"Our farmer neighbours brought it here in a convoy of tractors. Even the mayor
turned out with histractor and muck-spreader which, unfortunately, he had not
cleaned first. The support we've had from the local community has been
fantastic."
Most beer in France is brewed in the east and the north. The Skewses have the
only commercial brewery in the departement of the Orne and one of only two in
the whole of Normandy. With the help of a York- based brewery consultant, David
Smith, who hashelped to set up 60 micro-breweries in Britain in recent years,
the couple have created two sorts of beer, based on British tradition but aimed
at French tastes and drinking habits.
One is a very blond, deliciously tangy bitter called "Norman Gold" , which is
roughly the same colour as the carbonated beer the French are used to. The
other is a darker bitter, which looks and tastes something like Newcastle Brown
Ale, called "LeConquerant" after William the Conqueror.
Both are excellent beers which would grace any English pub, with one
difference: they are substantially stronger than normal on-tap British beers.
"The French are used to strong beers," Mr Skews explained. "The stuff they
drink normally, in the bar or from the supermarket, is 4.7 per cent alcohol,
compared with 3.8 per cent for draught beer in Britain. We've made our beer at
or just above theFrench level.
"But you have to remember that drinking habits here are quite different. The
French will make a glass of beer last for an hour or two hours."
It would not be advisable, Mr Skews said, to knock back two or three pints of
his Norman bitter in the British way. "If there is a demand for something
closer in strength to British beer, we could make that too."
It was an ill-wind that created Le Brewery. Mr and Mrs Skews were teachers from
Peterborough and Leicester who moved to France nearly seven years ago to set up
a business making doll's houses. They also made cider and perry from the 120
apple and peartrees on the land they bought near La Ferte-Mace in lower
Normandy. The great gale of Christmas 1999, which cut a swath across France
from Brittany to the German border, destroyed two- thirds of their apple and
pear trees, including all the mostproductive ones.
"We needed something else to do," Mr Skews said. "I had worked in small
breweries in Britain. We decided that the French deserved to try real British
beer. The supermarkets already had a range of foreign beers, but nothing like
real ale."
With the help of a large investment from Jane's sister and brother- in- law,
Sue and Steve Green from Wickwar in Gloucestershire, and an interest- free
business start-up loan from the departement of the Orne, the Skewses were ready
to start brewing thisspring. But alas, Mr Skews recalled: "Just at that moment
the foot-and-mouth outbreak began in Britain and the first cases in France
(spread from imported British sheep) occurred just over the border in the next
departement. We decided that it was not agood idea to be waving the Union flag
around. You know: `You've caught the disease. Now try the beer.' So we delayed
everything until the summer."
They had expected a slow start but have been overwhelmed with orders and
inquiries. A score of local bars are keen to sell real ale on tap. They do not
have the deep cellars built into British pubs to keep live, still-fermenting
(as opposed topasteurised and dead) beer in good condition. The Skewses and
David Smith are exploring ways of providing cooling equipment and a complete
after-sales service.
"We're not going to replace French beer. For most French people, beer is always
going to be cold and fizzy," said Mrs Skews, 41. "But, fingers crossed, it
seems there is a market for something more authentic and exotic."
Dublin stout of this world
( Sunday Mail ) LOUDON TEMPLE; 08-19-2001
DUBLINERS will tell you that forward planning is essential if you want to do
their city justice.
The problem is those atmospheric pubs always seem to dictate the pace of
things.
They are the heart and soul of the place and there are so many of them. They
seem to have the power to entice people in, even when they don't want a drink.
So, planning an itinerary makes good sense, I promise. Take the big Guinness
brewery and its fabulous new visitor centre, for instance.
It boasts seven storeys with the circular glass-walled Gravity bar, like the
creamy froth on a pint, right at the top. From here, you can see the whole of
the fair city laid out before you... and sample what is possibly the best glass
of the black stuffyou will ever taste.
But being that height above the ground can leave you feeling a bit queasy,
particularly if you've gone in search of a hair of the dog from the previous
night's imbibing.
The Gravity Bar is a big no-no for those who have already overdone things or
suffer from vertigo.
One of the best nights out on offer involves an entertaining traipse around the
pick of the city's old bars on the Literary Pub Crawl. Guides lead you through
the back streets in an entertaining jaunt with lighthearted anecdotes and
readings based aroundthe lives and writings of famous Irish scribes, including
Sean O'Casey, Brendan Behan, James Joyce and Oscar Wilde.
It's great fun with a lot of laughs... and regular pitstops. Again, if you
indulge in a 'no-half-measures' kind of way, the morning after can be testing.
Imagine my horror, then, to be told that after breakfast, we'd be hauled off to
sample the latest thrill to hit Dublin Bay - a 65mph dash bouncing across the
waves in a rubber dinghy built to imitate a powerboat.
Could we not, I asked, have arranged that for the morning BEFORE the pub crawl?
You hang on for a white-knuckled eternity and pray that you will manage to
survive the 40-minute test of endurance.
Mercifully, the man in charge of the throttle eases off a few times to let you
admire the elegant houses around the coves of Dalkey and Killiney where the
likes of Bono, Enya, Damon Hill, Eddie Irvine, Chris de Burgh and Eddie Jordan
live.
I caught my fellow passengers checking out the colour of my face as it
alternated between deathly white and Emerald Isle green.
By lunchtime, I was able to stomach the thought of roast beef from the carvery
of Ireland's oldest pub, The Brazen Head, which has been in business for almost
350 years and is renowned for traditional music in legendary night-time
sessions.
But the story of Irish music is told in dramatic style in the very heart of old
Dublin at Smithfield Village where a state-of-the-art interactive Ceol (Irish
for music) centre pulls in admiring fans. The complex is linked to the
ultra-hip designer hotel Chief O'Neills - named after one of the country's most
famous collectors of old songs and tunes.
Again, timing is important here as the square outside the hotel is used for a
big outdoor concert - so it's worth checking the programme before booking your
room. Three suites even have balconies which overlook the action.
Dublin is one of Europe's most cosmopolitan and welcoming cities. Just make eye
contact with folks and they smile right back at you.
Sadly, the once trendy Temple Bar area is these days being given a wide berth
by locals due to the drunken antics of the stag party brigade who have even
been banned from some watering holes.
DETAILS
Ryanair fly direct from Prestwick to Dublin from pounds 29, based on a
two-night stay. Check out their website on www.ryanair.com or ring 08701
569569.
For Dublin In Detail see the www.irelandtravel.co.uk website or call the Irish
Tourist Board on 080000-397000.
ESSENTIAL SIGHTS
Trinity College where the priceless Book of Kells can be seen.
The Ha'penny Bridge.
The Porter House a Parliament Street.
The Literary Pub Crawl.
The pedestrian-only Grafton Street for great shops and great buskers.
The Guinness Storehouse Visitor Attraction, including the Gravity Bar.
Cheapest pint in clubber's paradise
( Birmingham Post ) Campbell Docherty; 08-04-2001
Campaigners are urging beer lovers to take a trip down Birmingham's best-known
clubbing street for the cheapest pint in the city.
The Campaign for Real Ale has released details of national research showing
lager drinkers pay pounds 130 million more than ale lovers. Lager in the West
Midlands, at pounds 2.01, costs on average 24p more than a pint of real ale,
according to the research.
However, Bob Jones, a CAMRA member from Wolverhampton, said cheaper pints of
high quality ale could be found even on Broad Street, Birmingham' s party
street.
'Places like the Figure of Eight, which is owned by JD Wetherspoons, offer good
beer like Theakstons for as little as pounds 1.25,' he said. The pub also
serves lager on special offer at about pounds 1.39.
That compares with pints of lager, more popular with people out on the town,
costing as much as pounds 2.80 or more in some trendy Broad Street bars.
'On the whole we think the Wetherspoons chain is very good for real ale
drinkers and we have listed around one in six of their pubs in our Good Beer
Guide. They also do a lot of good work in preserving old buildings and keeping
their original character,'said Mr Jones.
'There is no acceptable reason why lager should cost drinkers more than real
ale. It costs no more to produce and requires little more care in the pub
cellar whereas real ale is a far tastier and more natural product.'
He also explained why pubs in the Black country tend to have lower prices for
ale than even Birmingham pubs.
'The Black Country tends to have cheaper beer because there are so many
breweries competing in close proximity.
'It is like the North West in that respect, where beer is still on average the
cheapest in the country because there is still a fair number of family owned
breweries.'
The survey of 1,000 pubs across the country found the most expensive pint of
real ale in London, at pounds 2.60, while a pint of beer in Yorkshire was on
sale for 95p.
Going downtown: Lager is more popular with clubbers than ale
Russians flock to ravaged Abkhazia's beaches
By Rosalind Russell
SUKHUMI, Georgia, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Knocking back a shot of vodka, the
sunburnt, big-bellied tourist in tiny swimming trunks turns on his bar stool
and surveys the scene in front of him with satisfaction.
Gentle waters lap the pebbly shore, girls in string bikinis bask on wooden
sunbeds, children splash happily in the shallows.
This is former Soviet Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia, which fought
for its independence in a bitter 1993 war that left at least 10,000 people
dead.
Georgian forces and some 250,000 Georgian civilians were driven out and
Abkhazia declared itself a sovereign nation. But eight years on, it is still
not recognised by any state.
Sanctions were imposed, trade links with northern neighbour Russia cut, and the
republic's famous mandarin oranges tumbled unharvested from the trees.
Now Abkhazia is trying to rebuild its shattered economy using its most prized
resource: a coastline of unspoilt, sub-tropical beaches sandwiched between the
Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains.
Tempted by cut-price deals, Russian tourists are flocking back to the same
resorts where Soviet Communist Party bosses once enjoyed their summer
vacations.
"Where else am I going to go, Hawaii?" said one Muscovite taking an evening
stroll along the water's edge.
Abkhazia's department of tourism said around 65,000 Russians came on holiday to
the 130-mile (200 km) strip of territory in 2000, and the number this year is
expected to be higher.
BORDER GUARDS TURN BLIND EYE
Under Russia's sanctions regime, Russian citizens are officially only allowed
to travel to Abkhazia if they are visiting relatives.
But border guards seem to turn a blind eye and Abkhazian tourism officials are
there to help busloads of sun-seekers cross the frontier.
"We have to help them cross the border. I cannot tell you the ways we do it,
but we use unofficial ways to get them across," said Valery Ashuba, deputy head
of the department of tourism.
The wait at the border can last for hours, but once across, tourists can take
advantage of the cheapest hotels along the Black Sea coast. There's also the
rain forest to explore, spectacular underground caves and an ancient monastery.
The snappily-named "17th Party Congress Resort" -- with sea views, a swimming
pool, solarium and other sporting activities -- offers full-board accommodation
for just $19 per night.
Abkhazia was a part of Georgia in Soviet times but many Russians seem to view
Abkhazia as their own.
Mercenaries from Russia's north Caucasus region backed Abkhazian forces during
the war, and Georgia says the separatist fighters were also helped by regular
troops and arms from Russia.
Now, a 1,500-strong Russian peacekeeping force is deployed in Abkhazia, often
joined by their families in summer.
"It's not like going abroad, everyone speaks Russian and we can buy the things
we like," said Vera, the wife of a Russian soldier, relaxing under a parasol.
But despite the swelling numbers on the beaches, Abkhazia is not the place it
was when Stalin, Brezhnev and Gorbachev built their holiday dachas here.
SCARS OF WAR
The capital Sukhumi is littered with ruins of buildings destroyed by war that
the government can afford neither to rebuild nor pull down.
The buildings that remain -- once elegant, neo-classical residences painted in
yellows and pinks -- are bullet-riddled and dilapidated. Some serve as offices
of state with national flags hoisted above.
"We had a war which completely destroyed our economy and our infrastructure and
traumatised the population," said Abkhazia's "foreign minister" Sergei Shamba.
"It left a deep scar."
Abkhazia's population is estimated at a mere 150,000, and many live in deep
poverty. White United Nations vehicles race along otherwise quiet streets -- a
constant reminder of how far the territory is from normality.
A contingent of U.N. military observers has been stationed in the territory
since late 1993, and the threat of renewed violence still lingers.
Georgia has not relinquished its claim to the region and says the quarter of a
million Georgians who fled must be free to return.
Pro-Georgian guerrilla groups, such as the "Forest Brothers" and "White
Legionnaires," and an Abkhaz militia are blamed for ambushes and kidnappings.
Stray landmines claim lives each year.
But that all seems far away from Sukhumi's beach, where some families return
every summer.
The Russian sanatorium, with a disco and beach-front restaurants serving beer
and mussels, is fully booked.
"We've been coming here for five years, said Lena, a blonde 18-year-old, on
holiday with her parents and younger sister.
"At the beginning it felt strange and we were afraid, but now after many
vodkas, we feel safe."