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J2jurado

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Jul 5, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/5/00
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Once home tonight, 'bere bits' will be back in business. Here's the first
after a week's absence...

UK drinks body bans ``alcohol energises'' claims

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - Britain's brewers and distillers were told on
Wednesday to stop claiming on their packaging that their products boost mental
or physical performance.

The call came from the Portman Group, a body funded by Allied Domecq Plc,
Diageo Plc and other big drinks firms, which aims to encourage responsible
marketing of alcoholic drinks through self regulation.

It said in a statement that alcoholic drinks should no longer be described as
``energising'' or ``stimulating.''

The change closes a loophole in packaging rules and brings them into line with
more stringent advertising regulations to ensure responsible marketing of
alcoholic drink.

``It's clearly not sensible to put on a package what they can't put in an
advertisement,'' a Portman spokesman said.

Medically, alcohol is a depressant, although it reduces the inhibitions of
those who use it.

The Portman Group introduced a Code of Practice in 1996 amid growing public
concern that a wave of new fizzy sweet alcoholic drinks dubbed ``alcopops''
were aimed at under-age drinkers. It is illegal for people under 18 to buy
alcohol in Britain.

Portman Director Jean Coussins said the group had already upheld a complaint
against an alcoholic jelly called ``Bad Jelly'' under the new rule which
creates a forum for the public to speak out against irresponsible alcoholic
drink packaging.

``The Independent Complaints Panel found it (Bad Jelly) breached the code
because it would have more appeal to under-18s than to adults and because the
package design does not make it clear that it's an alcoholic drink,'' she said
in the statement.

London-based Haggards Brewery, makers of ``Bad Jelly,'' had since agreed to
amend the product's packaging to comply with the code, she said.

Bass & Whitbread Are No More But Cheers to the Belgains!

LONDON, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Andrew Jefford, Glenfiddich Drinks Writer of the
Year, in his latest column for just-drinks.com, laments the demise of British
brewing after Belgian giant Interbrew snapped up both Whitbread and Bass
Brewers.

"The invective heaped on Whitbread and Bass by consumer groups like CAMRA (the
Campaign for Real Ale) has been proved correct in every detail. In the end,
profit was all that mattered. Brewing was the grandmother of both brewers, and
they've just sold her. Without a tear."

Will the UK's heritage in the beer market be lost? Jefford thinks not.

"Yes, that's right, it's the Belgians who have just acquired Whitbread's
granny, and who are in the process of liberating Old Mother Bass. If it had
been Anheuser-Busch, I would already have shot myself. If it had been SAB or
Fosters or even Heineken, I'd be fingering the revolver. But Interbrew ... the
Belgians understand beer. They even like it! They even like it when it
doesn't taste boring!"

To read the Jefford column, visit http://just
drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=197 .

just-drinks is the premier online portal for beverage industry professionals
worldwide. Targeted specifically at industry and business professionals the
site provides a single point of reference for independent beverage industry
information.

AmBev and Groupe Danone Sign a Stock Option Purchase Agreement Of an Uruguayan
Company

Salus is the Uruguayan Water Market Leader and the Second Brewery in the
Country

SAO PAULO, July 4 /PRNewswire/ -- AmBev -- American Beverage Company, through
its subsidiary Companhia Cervejaria Brahma, and Groupe Danone have signed a
stock option purchase agreement, representing the majority of the Compania
Salus common shares, the second largest brewery in Uruguay and the leader in
the local mineral water market.

Salus produces the Patricia brand and has a 24% market share in Uruguay. In the
country's capital, Montevideo, Patricia is the leader with a 36.5% market
share. In the Uruguayan mineral water market, Salus has a 42% share -- 62.2%
in the capital. In the beer market, the company faces the competition of
Fabrica Nacional de Cerveja (51%) and of Cervejaria e Maltaria Paysandu (22%).

Salus, one of the most traditional Uruguayan companies, had net sales of US$30
million in 1999. It produced 190 thousand hectoliters of beer and 850 thousand
hectoliters of mineral water during that year. The company has 2 industrial
plants -- one for mineral water bottling and another one for beer and soft
drinks -- both located in Serra de Minas, 110 kilometers away from Montevideo.
It employs 430 people and has 36 exclusive outsourced distributors.

Should this option be performed it will be the first AmBev's acquisition after
the merger between Antarctica and Brahma was approved on March 30th. This
acquisition will also be the reinforcement of AmBev's multinational vocation,
whose international expansion will be primarily focussed on the Latin American
market. The company already operates in this region with Compania Cervecera
Nacional, in Venezuela, and the Compania Cervecera Brahma Argentina, whose
operations have both started up in 1994. The company holds a 10% and 14%
market shares in Venezuela and Angentina, respectively.

In this association, AmBev and Groupe Danone expect to capitalize on gains due
to synergies obtained from each company capabilities. AmBev and Danone already
have a product distribution partnership in Argentina. According to AmBev, the
partnership is strategic due to the French company expertise in the global
mineral water market, where it detains the second largest share. The interest
of both companies for Salus is explained by the Patricia brand strong
penetration and to the clear leadership in the local mineral water market.

The Uruguayan beverage market sizes 5 million hectoliters, which represents a
consumption rate of 146 liters/inhabitant/year. The consumption rate is 140
liters/inhabitant/year in Brazil. The largest markets by volume are the
mineral water (31.4%) and the soft drinks (also 31.4%) ones. In the soft
drinks segment Salus has products made of grapefruit and orange. Wine
represents 21% of the consumption while beer represents 16.3%. The market
shares by volume in Brazil are 54.2% for soft drinks, 39.4 for beer, 5.3 for
water and 1% for wine.

For additional information please contact AmBev Investor Relations: Milton
Cabral Filho, (5511) 3741-7560, acmi...@ambev.com.br or Vanessa Barion, (5511)
3741-7553, acba...@ambev.com.br


S&Nshares slump as pubs struggle

By David Jones

LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Shares in British brewing and pubs group Scottish
and Newcastle Plc turn flat on Tuesday as annual profits disappointed and its
core pubs struggled to make headway as the company absorbed nearly 800
Greenalls' houses.

The Kronenbourg and John Smith's brewer also warned a fire at one of its Center
Parcs sites will delay the division's sale. Its Dutch De Eemhof holiday village
has closed for rebuilding and Chief Executive Brian Stewart said the sale of
the 13-site unit will be delayed by a few weeks until later this summer.

The flat pub performance, headline profits at the bottom end of analysts'
forecasts and the delayed Center Parcs sale all pressured the share into being
the FTSE 100's biggest loser, ending down 7.4 percent, or 39 pence, at 489p.

The shares have underperformed the FTSE 100 index by 20 percent over the last
12 months and by other brewers by just over five percent, as the sector has
slipped out of favour and the company struggled for growth in a mature
industry.

Its core managed pubs, which include Chef & Brewer, Rat & Parrot and Bar 38
chains, showed flat annual profits, with like-for-like sales off three percent,
but Stewart added most of its smaller poorly-performing pubs had now been sold.


``We sold most of our smaller managed houses in March and April which caused
the problem, and we are now seeing an improving trend in like-for-like sales,''
Stewart said.

Analysts said the company was absorbing nearly 800 old Greenalls pubs bought
last December, and clearly trading had suffered as it weeded out 800 of its
smaller houses for sale.

``Investors are looking at like-for-like sales and margins at its pubs, but
stripping out those 800 pubs the picture was probably flat,'' said analyst
Philip Hawkins at Merrill Lynch.

SIX PERCENT PROFITS RISE

The group which brews 28 percent of Britain's beer, with licensed brews
Foster's and Miller Pilsner, as well as John Smith's and Kronenbourg, said
pre-tax profits rose six percent for the 52 weeks to April 30 rose to 415
million pounds ($627.4 million) on turnover up eight percent at 3.6 billion
pounds.

The results came before six million pounds for a profit share scheme which cut
the headline figure to 409 million.

Analysts pointed out that in the short term there was much change going on at
the group, but it had addressed key strategic issues by buying Kronenbourg and
the Greenalls pubs, and putting its Center Parcs and Pontin's units up for
sale.

``S&N's long-term focus is on international brewing, so its lowly share rating
reflects history rather than the future,'' said analyst Nigel Popham at Teather
and Greenwood.

Stewart said its beer unit, Scottish Courage, outperformed a slight decline in
the UK beer market with volumes up one percent, while he added that the recent
entry of a committed brewer like Interbrew to the UK beer market would add
stability.

He said that Center Parcs has also traded well, and that a small group of trade
and financial buyers were conducting due diligence in the auction process, and
he expected to narrow potential buyers down to one or two next week. Its
Pontin's sites would be sold by the end of 2000, in a sale of the whole leisure
unit, which analysts see raising 700-800 million pounds.

The group, which agreed in March to buy the Kronenbourg beer business over
three years for 1.7 billion pounds from Danone, was toppled from its leading
spot in UK brewing as Belgium private brewer Interbrew bought the UK beer
businesses of Whitbread and Bass in May and June, giving it a UK market share
of 32 percent against S&N's 28.

Scottish bought Greenalls' managed pubs for 1.17 billion pounds last December
giving it almost 2,700 pubs, before putting its leisure division up for sale in
late February.

It announced a final dividend up seven percent at 17.94p per share, making a
year payout also up seven percent at 27.07p.


It's Coffee vs. Beer in Seattle

.c The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) - The glowing red R atop the Rainier Brewery - a Seattle landmark
for half a century - gave way Monday to a big green T, for Tully's Coffee,
reflecting the coffee boom in the Northwest.

Tully's, the nation's third-largest specialty coffee company, moved into the
Rainier building in October, after the beer brand was sold to Miller Brewing.
The building houses Tully's headquarters and packaging plant. Coffee-roasting
operations will move there later this year.

The green T is about the same size as the red R, or 12 feet tall and about 11
feet wide.

When the R was first installed about 50 years ago, the letter rotated. After
Interstate 5 was built, officials stopped it because they feared the spinning R
might distract drivers.

Traffic reporters often used the R as a landmark to inform commuters of just
how snarled traffic is.

``I know Tully's is hoping that we will say Tully's more often,'' said Sara
Johnson, traffic reporter for Metro Networks. ``Maybe when the big green T goes
up it will force our hand, or our mouths.''


S&Nshares slump as pubs struggle

By David Jones


LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Shares in British brewing and pubs group Scottish
and Newcastle Plc turn flat on Tuesday as annual profits disappointed and its
core pubs struggled to make headway as the company absorbed nearly 800
Greenalls' houses.

The Kronenbourg and John Smith's brewer also warned a fire at one of its Center
Parcs sites will delay the division's sale. Its Dutch De Eemhof holiday village
has closed for rebuilding and Chief Executive Brian Stewart said the sale of
the 13-site unit will be delayed by a few weeks until later this summer.

The flat pub performance, headline profits at the bottom end of analysts'
forecasts and the delayed Center Parcs sale all pressured the share into being
the FTSE 100's biggest loser, ending down 7.4 percent, or 39 pence, at 489p.

The shares have underperformed the FTSE 100 index by 20 percent over the last
12 months and by other brewers by just over five percent, as the sector has
slipped out of favour and the company struggled for growth in a mature
industry.

Its core managed pubs, which include Chef & Brewer, Rat & Parrot and Bar 38
chains, showed flat annual profits, with like-for-like sales off three percent,
but Stewart added most of its smaller poorly-performing pubs had now been sold.


``We sold most of our smaller managed houses in March and April which caused
the problem, and we are now seeing an improving trend in like-for-like sales,''
Stewart said.

Analysts said the company was absorbing nearly 800 old Greenalls pubs bought
last December, and clearly trading had suffered as it weeded out 800 of its
smaller houses for sale.

``Investors are looking at like-for-like sales and margins at its pubs, but
stripping out those 800 pubs the picture was probably flat,'' said analyst
Philip Hawkins at Merrill Lynch.

SIX PERCENT PROFITS RISE

The group which brews 28 percent of Britain's beer, with licensed brews
Foster's and Miller Pilsner, as well as John Smith's and Kronenbourg, said
pre-tax profits rose six percent for the 52 weeks to April 30 rose to 415
million pounds ($627.4 million) on turnover up eight percent at 3.6 billion
pounds.

The results came before six million pounds for a profit share scheme which cut
the headline figure to 409 million.

Analysts pointed out that in the short term there was much change going on at
the group, but it had addressed key strategic issues by buying Kronenbourg and
the Greenalls pubs, and putting its Center Parcs and Pontin's units up for
sale.

``S&N's long-term focus is on international brewing, so its lowly share rating
reflects history rather than the future,'' said analyst Nigel Popham at Teather
and Greenwood.

Stewart said its beer unit, Scottish Courage, outperformed a slight decline in
the UK beer market with volumes up one percent, while he added that the recent
entry of a committed brewer like Interbrew to the UK beer market would add
stability.

He said that Center Parcs has also traded well, and that a small group of trade
and financial buyers were conducting due diligence in the auction process, and
he expected to narrow potential buyers down to one or two next week. Its
Pontin's sites would be sold by the end of 2000, in a sale of the whole leisure
unit, which analysts see raising 700-800 million pounds.

The group, which agreed in March to buy the Kronenbourg beer business over
three years for 1.7 billion pounds from Danone, was toppled from its leading
spot in UK brewing as Belgium private brewer Interbrew bought the UK beer
businesses of Whitbread and Bass in May and June, giving it a UK market share
of 32 percent against S&N's 28.

Scottish bought Greenalls' managed pubs for 1.17 billion pounds last December
giving it almost 2,700 pubs, before putting its leisure division up for sale in
late February.

It announced a final dividend up seven percent at 17.94p per share, making a
year payout also up seven percent at 27.07p.


Blair wants rowdy UK pubs closed by police-papers

LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - British police may be given the power to close pubs
for 24 hours and ban thuggish drinkers in the latest bid to curb
alcohol-fuelled violence, newspapers reported on Sunday.

The Labour government will float the plan on Monday when Prime Minister Tony
Blair meets police chiefs at his Downing Street office to discuss the rise in
violent crime.

``The government is determined to tackle yobbish behaviour and generally
unacceptable conduct,'' the Sunday Telegraph quoted one official as saying.

The newspaper said that pub landlords who tolerate fights on their premises
will be closed for 24 hours. After three closures their licenses would be
withdrawn permanently -- a far quicker penalty than the current system where
magistrates decide at a court hearing.

Drunken louts who fight inside and outside pubs -- there were 676,000 such
incidents recorded last year in towns all over the country -- could be excluded
from named pubs for periods stretching from two years to life, the newspapers
said.

The proposals are part of draft legislation affecting the 160,000 licensed
premises in England and Wales which was first published in April.

At the time, attention was fixed on planned reforms allowing some pubs to stay
open for 24 hours, in the apparent hope of replacing Britain's beer-swilling
habits with a more European and sophisticated cafe culture.

The plan for fast-track closure of rowdy clubs came hot on the heels of Blair's
announcement on Friday that he wanted to give police the power to levy 100
pound ($150) on-the-spot fines for ``offensive and loutish'' drunks.

``A thug might think twice about kicking your gate, throwing traffic cones
around your street or hurling abuse into the night sky if he thought he might
get picked up by the police, taken to a cashpoint and asked to pay an
on-the-spot fine of, for example, 100 pounds,'' Blair said on a visit to
Germany.

This breach with tradition in Britain, where courts rather than policemen
impose punishments, drew anxious reactions from human rights groups and a
lukewarm response from the police themselves.

``This would be the first occasion I am aware of where the police move from law
enforcement to imposing punishment and then collecting a fine,'' Tony Butler,
the Chief Constable of Gloucestershire, told the Sunday Telegraph.

But political analysts said Blair's get-tough campaign was partly a result of
the shameful behaviour of hundreds of British soccer hooligans this month
during the Euro 2000 soccer tournament in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The government was criticised by European partners for failing to prevent the
hard-drinking hooligans from travelling abroad.

Lack Of Booze Hurts Mexico Tourism

.c The Associated Press

By BEN FOX

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Damon Krytzer and five friends were planning to spend the
extended Fourth of July weekend in Ensenada, Mexico - but not anymore.

They canceled their plans as soon as they learned alcohol would not be sold in
anywhere in the country because of Sunday's presidential elections.

``We weren't going there just to get drunk, but it would have been nice to sit
around the pool and drink a margarita,'' said Krytzer, a 29-year-old investment
broker from San Diego.

From midnight Friday to 10 a.m. Monday, alcohol sales are banned in Mexico
under ``La Ley Seca,'' or the dry law, which is intended to ensure public order
and prevent rowdiness as people head to the polls.

Those Americans who head south of the border anyway will also find popular
nightspots such as Hussong's Cantina and the Papas & Beer disco in Ensenada
closed. The law is taken seriously in Mexico and, if past elections are any
gauge, it will be nearly impossible to buy booze.

The election Sunday is widely considered to be the most competitive in Mexico's
history with polls showing a statistical dead heat between Francisco Labastida,
the ruling party candidate and Vicente Fox, the candidate of the
right-of-center opposition National Action Party.

Many Americans with plans to spend the weekend on Mexico's Baja California
peninsula weren't thinking too much of the election - until hearing about the
alcohol ban.

Krytzer and his friends learned they could bring their own alcohol but wouldn't
be able to take it out of their hotel room.

``It just seemed like such a hassle, so we made other plans,'' he said. They
canceled their reservations at Ensenada's Coral Hotel and Marina and booked a
room in Palm Springs.

The manager at the Coral, Norma Lopez, said she's received about 15
cancellations because of the alcohol ban but that's not many for a hotel with
nearly 150 rooms.

``There will be plenty of other weekends,'' she said.

About 80 percent of the hotel rooms in Ensenada are reserved for the weekend,
said Felizardo Palacios, the city's delegate to the Baja California state
tourism board.

The weekend, Palacios said, provides Ensenada with an opportunity to showcase
itself as more of a family destination than the rowdy party spots to the north,
Rosarito and Tijuana.

``This election is extremely important to Mexico, so even if some people don't
come you have to balance that against the greater good for the country,''
Palacios said.

A study by the San Diego-based Institute for Health Advocacy found more than
8,000 Americans cross from San Diego to Tijuana on a typical Friday night. A
test of those returning showed 64 percent of men and 59 percent of women had
consumed some alcohol, said Richard McGaffigan a spokesman for the group.

New Englanders Revolt Against the 'Foreigners' as Sam Adams, Hammer & Nail, and
New England Brewing Best Imports in Blind Taste Test

Samuel Adams Continues to Lead American Beer Revolution Against Leading
Imports; Sets Nine City U.S. Tour of 'Liquid Lunches'

BOSTON, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Summer Ale, and
Cream Stout, along with local Connecticut beers Hammer & Nail Brown Ale, and
New England Yankee Amber Ale handily won a blind taste-off against great beers
from around the world, including Heineken, Corona, Guinness, Newcastle Brown
Ale, and Bass Ale in a recent "Liquid Lunch" at Hartford's Vito's By The Park.

In the beer-to-beer blind tasting, tasters were presented with unmarked glasses
containing an American craft beer and its style equivalent in one of the great
beers from around the world. Using rating forms and procedures approved by the
Association of Homebrewers, the beers were scored according to appearance,
aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel, and were then given an overall impression. The
judges were a mixed lot of beer aficionados, neophytes and media
representatives.

In each of the five parings, the America craft beer beat its imported
competitor: Samuel Adams Boston Lager was preferred over Heineken 29 drinkers
to 3 drinkers. Samuel Adams Cream Stout bested Guinness 17 to 13 (1 tie).
Samuel Adams Summer Ale beat Corona 17 to 15 (5 ties). Hammer & Nail Brown Ale
was preferred over Newcastle Brown Ale by a 15 to 13 margin (3 ties). New
England Yankee Amber Ale was preferred by 17 to 12 over Bass Ale (4 ties).

"These imports have been considered to be the world standards for their styles,
yet all across the country we have proven that small American brewers like
Samuel Adams make better beer," said Jim Koch, Boston Beer Company founder and
brewer. "American beer drinkers have more choices than drinkers in any other
country, and now they know that they also have many of the world's best beers."

The Hartford "Liquid Lunch" is part of Boston Beer Company's continuing mission
to educate and enlighten beer drinkers about the wonders of fresh, well-made
American beer. Over the past two years, Boston Beer Company has hosted "Liquid
Lunches" in 12 American cities for consumers and journalists and is undefeated
in 48 tastings.

In conjunction with American Beer Month this July, Boston Beer Company will
again take on the imports in a 10-city tour that features "Liquid Lunches" in
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver,
Minneapolis, San Diego and Baltimore/Washington, DC,. In each city, three
Samuel Adams beers and two local imports will be paired off with the leading
import in its style class.

The American Homebrewers Association, a non-profit educational institute for
the brewing industry, has had similar results in blind taste-offs, pitting
Samuel Adams Boston Lager against Heineken, as well as American craft beers
against world-class imports. A 1999 AHA tour featured tastings in Boulder and
Colorado Springs, CO; Albuquerque, NM; and Boston.

Jim Koch founded The Boston Beer Company in 1984. He introduced the Company's
flagship beer, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, in April 1985. Today, The Boston
Beer Company, winner of more than 100 international awards, is America's
leading brewer of world-class beer with four distinct product lines. For more
information about Boston Beer Company, visit the web-site at www.samadams.com.


Merger of El Aguila and Cruzcampo

SEVILLE, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 30, 2000--

-- The merger of Cruzcampo and El Aguila is approved by the

shareholders.

-- Heineken Espana will be the new name of the merged company with

headquarters in Seville.

-- The General Meetings of Shareholders of both companies approved

the annual results.

Heineken N.V., the leading international brewer, today announced that
shareholders of S.A. El Aguila and Grupo Cruzcampo approved the proposed merger
of the two companies.

El Aguila recently acquired 100% of the shares of Heineken Espana. Heineken
Espana owns 98.74% of the shares of Cruzcampo. Cruzcampo owns 100% of the
shares of Berferuga Properties. Now all four companies will be merged into one
single legal entity. The merged company will be named Heineken Espana S.A. and
will remain listed on the Madrid stock exchange with a free float of
approximately 20%.

Minority shareholders of Cruzcampo (1.26% of the outstanding shares), can
exchange their shares into those of S.A. El Aguila with an exchange ratio of 28
shares of S.A. El Aguila, plus a cash compensation of 346 pesetas (2.07 Euro),
for every 3 shares of Grupo Cruzcampo, S.A. In order to cover this transaction
shareholders of El Aguila approved a capital increase by issuing 1,250,172
shares with a face value of 3.005060 Euro each.

S.A. El Aguila shareholders approved the 1999 Accounts and the Management
Report, reporting a net profit of 3,874 million pesetas (23.28 million Euro),
an increase of 61% compared to 1998. The net turnover amounted to 54,246
million pesetas (326 million Euro), 3.9% more than the net turnover in the
previous year.

Cruzcampo shareholders approved the Accounts and Management Report of the
period July 1, 1999 to January 31, 2000, reporting a net profit of 5,776
million pesetas (35 million Euro), and a total turnover of 44,519 million
pesetas (268 million Euro).

Piero Perron will be appointed as the Executive Chairman of Heineken Espana
and Alvaro Alvarez-Alonso as Vice-Chairman. Carlos de Jaureguizar Serrano will
remain Managing Director. Other Board members are Jaime Lamo de Espinosa,
Arturo Gil Perez-Andujar, Philippe Pasquet, David Hazelwood, Rene Hooft
Graafland, Tom de Man and Lewis Willing.

Alvaro Alvarez-Alonso, Chairman of S.A. El Aguila, outlined during his
speech that "the change of the company name to Heineken Espana represents not
only what we are at present, but also our ambitions for the future."

Moreover, Piero Perron, Chairman of both Grupo Cruzcampo, S.A and the
future Executive Chairman of Heineken Espana, said: "With the decisions taken
today, Spain gains a clear leader of the brewing industry in a dynamic market.
The merger gives us the opportunity to invest in high quality products to fully
meet our consumers demand and to realize economies of scale. We expect the
merger to contribute to the modernization of the Spanish beer sector in the
interest of all stakeholders."

Heineken N.V. is the world's leading international brewing group with
production in more than 110 breweries in over 50 countries. The Heineken brand
is sold in more than 170 countries. With estimated sales in 2000 of 50 million
hectoliters of beer in Europe, Heineken is the largest European brewer.
Heineken and Amstel are respectively the best and second best selling beer
brand in Europe. The total Group Volume amounted in 1999 to 90.9 million
hectoliters, ensuring the Group's second place in the world ranking. In 1999
the net turnover amounted to EUR 7.1 billion with a net profit of EUR 516
million. The Heineken group employed 36,733 persons in 1999.

Heineken acquired the majority of the shares of El Aguila in 1986. El
Aguila, based in Madrid, operates two breweries. The company produced 4.3
million hectoliters of beer in 1999. Turnover was EUR 326 million in 1999. El
Aguila employed 1,352 persons at the close of 1999.

Cruzcampo, headquartered in Seville, has five breweries. The company
produced 6.1 million hectoliters of beer in 1999. Turnover in 1999 was EUR 453
million. At the close of 1999, Cruzcampo employed 2,100 persons.

Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares are listed on the Amsterdam
stock exchange. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg
under the symbols HEIN NA and HEHN NA, on the Reuter Equities 2000 Service
under HEIN.AS and HEHN.AS and on Quotron under HEINN.EU and HKAN.EU. Additional
information is available on Heineken's home page: http://www.heinekencorp.nl.


Egypt's GB to double beer capacity to 12 mln litres

CAIRO, June 29 (Reuters) - Egypt's Gouna Beverage Group (GB), part of the
Orascom Group, will double its alcoholic beer brewing capacity to 12 million
litres after its products met strong demand on the Egyptian market.

``The higher than expected demand for our quality beers, Sakara and Lowenbrau,
means that we have speeded our expansion plans three years ahead of schedule,''
Andre Hadji-Thomas, GB's managing director, was quoted as saying in a
statement. The statement did not state when exactly the firm's capacity was
expected to be expanded.

GB, whose brewery is in the Gouna Red Sea resort, launched its products in
April 1999. They include German beer Lowenbrau, produced under license from
Lowenbrau AG Munich, and Big Sexy One Malt Liquor.

The GB statement said beer sales have grown significantly during the first 12
months since launching. GB currently sells around 600,000 to 700,000 litres per
month. The firm expects sales to rise to 10 million litres per year, or 20
percent of the local market, towards end-2000.

GB is one of two local alcoholic beer producers along with Egypt's dominant
brewer Al Ahram Beverages Company (ABC), established in 1897, which produces
both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer.

Joel Plutchak

unread,
Jul 5, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/5/00
to
> BOSTON, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Summer Ale, and
>Cream Stout, along with local Connecticut beers Hammer & Nail Brown Ale, and
>New England Yankee Amber Ale handily won a blind taste-off against great beers
>from around the world, including Heineken, Corona, Guinness, Newcastle Brown
>Ale, and Bass Ale in a recent "Liquid Lunch" at Hartford's Vito's By The Park.

>In the beer-to-beer blind tasting, tasters were presented with unmarked glasses
>containing an American craft beer and its style equivalent in one of the great
>beers from around the world. Using rating forms and procedures approved by the
>Association of Homebrewers, the beers were scored according to appearance,
>aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel, and were then given an overall impression. The
>judges were a mixed lot of beer aficionados, neophytes and media
>representatives.

I'd be really interested in seeing a breakdown on how each
of those groups rated the beers.
It does seem a bit rigged-- Sa Summer Ale versus Corona as
a stylistic match?

>The American Homebrewers Association, a non-profit educational

>institute for the brewing industry...

Aha! The truth is out. We poor homebrewers have been duped
into being shills for the brewing industry!
--
Joel Plutchak

"Logic! Good gracious! What rubbish! How can I tell what I think
until I see what I say?" - E. M. Forster

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 5, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/5/00
to
yawn...home in a couple of hours...nice day here at MSP airport

http://www.post-gazette.com:80/businessnews/20000704ironcity2.asp

Pittsburgh Brewing battling falling production without financial partner

Tuesday, July 04, 2000 By Len Boselovic, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Five years after Joseph Piccirilli and other investors rescued Pittsburgh
Brewing from bankruptcy, the 139-year-old Lawrenceville brewery may be
scraping the bottom of the Iron City barrel. Industry observers estimate
production has fallen nearly 70 percent since Piccirilli's group arrived,
making weeklong shutdowns common for brewery workers. Much of the decline was
caused by the loss of a major contract with The Boston Beer Co., which pulled
out after 1998. At one time, Pittsburgh Brewing made 400,000 barrels of Samuel
Adams beer annually for Boston Beer.

Moreover, the troubled brewer's two-year effort to find a financial partner has
fallen flat again. Its most recent suitor, unprofitable Bronx beer distributor
Capital Beverage, is running off with a dot.com company from Florida. There are
other issues. Pittsburgh Brewing lost four key managers, including former Chief
Executive Officer and stockholder James Gehrig, to a Cleveland competitor.
Union workers say the brewery's cash crunch is prompting some suppliers to
demand payment on delivery. And the state Department of Revenue filed a tax
lien against Pittsburgh Brewing in November for more than $187,000 in unpaid
malt beverage taxes.

"It's like the Perils of Pauline," says Peter Reid, editor of Modern Brewery
Age. He estimates Pittsburgh Brewing produced 290,000 barrels last year,
operating at about 25 percent of capacity. It produced an estimated 350,000
barrels in 1998 and 927,000 barrels the year before Piccirilli's group arrived.
"It's very hard to reverse a slide like that," Reid says. "You'd think you
could do something with the Iron City brand. ... You'd need a little bit of
money to do it, and I don't see them getting any."

Although industry observers say the merger is off, neither Pittsburgh Brewing
nor Capital have publicly confirmed that. Capital and Piccirilli did not return
phone calls. Nor did Ventana Global Capital Group, an Irvine, Calif. investment
firm that's also a Pittsburgh Brewing stockholder.

Capital, the nation's only publicly traded beer distributor, arrived at
Pittsburgh Brewing at about the same time Boston Beer was leaving. Capital
agreed to distribute Pittsburgh Brewing's products, including the "Prime Time"
beers Pittsburgh was making and marketing for a Memphis, Tenn. brewery. Capital
also gave Pittsburgh Brewing a contract to make Capital's own beer under
the "Night Flight" label. Capital said it sold 900,000 cases of the two brands
last year.

The partnership blossomed into a proposed merger. Capital said in April 1999 it
would acquire Pittsburgh Brewing for about $27 million in stock. That was about
$3 million less than what Piccirilli's group paid when it bought Pittsburgh
Brewing in 1995. Capital wouldn't necessarily be a great catch for the
struggling brewery. The distributor hasn't produced an annual profit since it
was formed in 1995, ringing up accumulated losses of $3.3 million through the
first quarter.

Now the merger is off, and the partnership apparently means less than it used
to. Union workers say they're brewing much less for Capital these days.
Moreover, there was no mention of the Pittsburgh brewery in a quarterly report
Capital filed with securities regulators May 16. Six days earlier, Capital
announced its intention to merge with Stocktalklive.com, a Boca Raton, Fla.
company that provides stock quotes and other financial information over the
Internet. Capital's
beer and other businesses will be sold.

Merging with Capital gives Stocktalklive the opportunity Pittsburgh Brewing was
looking for: the chance to go public without going through the time, expense
and scrutiny of a stock offering. Pittsburgh Brewing tried to do that through
mergers with Independence Brewing of Philadelphia and Red Bell Brewing, a
Philadelphia brew pub operator. Both plans fizzled.

What Pittsburgh Brewing plans to do now isn't clear. When Gehrig left last
year, the brewery said its next CEO would have a solid background in the beer
industry. According to state Liquor Control Board records, Piccirilli, whose
previous job experience was working for his family's trash collection business,
is listed as president. In promotional materials, Pittsburgh Brewing says it is
going back to the basics and appealing to a younger audience.

"They're trying very desperately to get Iron City back to its grass roots,"
says Rob Pratt, who does advertising and community promotions for the brewery.
"I'm putting my heart and soul into putting Iron City back where it belongs."

Pittsburgh Brewing isn't taking the defection of Gehrig and three colleagues
lying down. It's accusing their new employer of infringing on the brewery's
trademark. The lawsuit was filed in February in federal court in Pittsburgh
against Crooked River Brewing Co. and its parent, Snyder International Brewing
Group of Cleveland. Pittsburgh Brewing says Snyder deliberately designed
Crooked River's trademark to look like Iron City's.

Snyder President Christopher Livingston denied the allegation, saying
Pittsburgh Brewing's contention that beer drinkers can't tell the difference
between the labels "is an insult to [customers'] intelligence. "What it's done
is a good job of keeping us out of Pittsburgh, and we don't think that's right
at all," Livingston said.

Troubles are nothing new for Pittsburgh Brewing. Its previous owner, Michael
Carlow, was hailed as a savior in 1992 when he took over Pittsburgh Brewing
after outbidding management. The white knight was knocked off his horse three
years later when he was indicted for masterminding a $31.3 million check-kiting
scheme. Carlow pleaded guilty to bank fraud and other charges in 1996 and is
serving an eight-year federal prison sentence.

Piccirilli got high marks for energy when his group took over. But he got rid
of a veteran sales team, alienated some distributors and fired more than 100
union workers after they walked off the job in 1997. Most of the workers were
later rehired, but the incident alienated the blue-collar market on which Iron
City relies.

Industry conditions compounded its problems. Beer consumption slackened, and
those who were drinking turned either to well-advertised national brands or
specialty beers produced by Boston Beer and other microbreweries. There was
also too much capacity, meaning Pittsburgh Brewing had to compete for contracts
with other brewers eager to keep their plants running. While industry officials
say there is still too much capacity, at least the demographics are getting
better. Gary Hemphill, vice president of Beverage Marketing Corp., predicts the
beer market will grow 1 to 2 percent over the next few years. The key reason:
an increase in the number of 21- to 27-year-olds, "which is hugely important
for the beer industry, because that's the core consumer," Hemphill says.

Whether Pittsburgh Brewing's appeal to its grass-roots market and young
drinkers will pull it out of its tailspin remains to be seen. If little else,
the brewery has at least one thing in its favor according to Reid, the editor
of Modern Brewery Age.

"Pennsylvania consumers are unusually loyal to their regional brewers."


http://www.phillynews.com:80/content/daily_news/2000/06/30/features/FCOV30.htm

Hoppy days are here again!

Joe Sixpack / Don Russell

July in Philadelphia, the visitor's dream: Liberty! Fireworks! Independence!

We know the reality: Hazy! Hot! Humid!
Mostly, locals abandon the streets to out-of-towners and head to the shore. But
in the kind of unexpected synergy that makes the city so lovable, the pomp and
the heat will merge next month to thoroughly wet Philly's whistle. It's
American Beer Month, a celebration of the nation's craft-brewing heritage that
will be launched tomorrow on the steps of the Art Museum. Yes, there will be
speeches. But don't sweat it. There will also be plenty of suds.

And, in a freebie for People Paper readers, there's also a free lunch. (Details
below.)

"American beer month is like an Independence Day for the American craft-brewing
industry," said organizer John Hickenlooper, a Philadelphia-area native who now
runs America's largest brewpub, Wynkoop Brewery in Denver.

"This is the first step in getting Americans to realize that the rest of the
world looks at our creativity, our innovation, our energy and excitement with
envious eyes," Hickenlooper said. "It's a chance to celebrate the skills of
American brewers." American Beer Month is being launched in Philadelphia
because of the spirit of independence that echoes through town, and the spirits
that flow through our taps. The Philly area, if you haven't been paying
attention, boasts some of the best beer in America.

Yes, the Northwest has more brewpubs. And Colorado has a ton of micros. But no
other region offers such a variety of inventive microbreweries, so many
top-flight beer bars and so many imports.

The choices are daunting to most mortals: room-temperature cask-conditioned
ales, high-alcohol barleywines, smelly gueuze served in corked bottles,
hop-infused IPAs and a host of brews flavored with honey, raspberry, chocolate,
peach, heather and coriander. The choices are daunting, even to the likes of
Joe Sixpack, who has devoted excessive time and resources to the examination of
malt beverages. In honor of American Beer Month, today's report sorts out some
of the details.

Lemme start with six things every Philly beer drinker should know:

1. The difference between industrial beer and craft beer.

Factory beer - and I'm talking about anything made with ingredients measured by
the rail car - is just fine if you're looking for something to guzzle without
taste. Mostly, they're bland American lagers - Budcoorsmiller - or an equally
bland import: Becks, Molson, Fosters, Corona.

Craft beer - or microbrewed beer - is made in smaller batches. Usually, they're
all malt and full of body and flavor. More importantly, craft beer is usually
made by guys with pony tails and tattoos.

2. Monk's Café.

If you judge a joint by its beer selection, Tom Peters and Fergus Carey run the
best bar in America, period. Craft brews are well represented, but what raises
Monk's to beervana is its exotic Belgian imports, served in its woodsy back
bar. Peters was the first publican to serve any Belgian on tap in America (it
was Kwak, in 1996). Now, he and Fergie regularly offer flavors you couldn't
even sample in Brussels.

3. Beer Philadelphia magazine.

Publisher Jim Anderson knows more about beer in this city than anyone. I learn
something from him every time we bend an elbow together. His magazine,
available at bars and takeout stores, is the best written and most opinionated
rant in the beer trade. Most of the local American Beer Month festivities were
organized by the energetic Anderson.

4. Home Sweet Homebrew.

Other homebrew stores (notably Barry's Homebrew Outlet, 101 Snyder Ave., South
Philadelphia) are dependable sources for do-it-yourselfers. But George Hummel
and Nancy Rigberg, the owners of this yeasty mainstay, are directly responsible
for creating more local craft brewers than anyone. The guys who make
Independence and Red Bell and Dock Street, among others, got their start with
Tupperware homebrew kits and advice from Home Sweet Homebrew. Even if you never
brew a pint, you owe a debt to these folks. 2008 Sansom St., Center City,
215-569-9469.

5. Edward I. Friedland Co.

True story: A few years ago, drawn by its trendy selection of micros, I went in
search of Eddie Friedland's beer distributor. My visit took me up North 8th
Street, into an area commonly known as the Badlands.

I never found the place. Instead, I found myself surrounded by a dozen cops
engaged in one of the neighborhood's frequent drug raids. An angry sergeant
slammed me for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. When I fought the
ticket, the Traffic Court judge chided me for being out of my 'hood:
"Whatsamatta? Don't you got beer distributors in Fishtown?"

Well, none like Friedland's, which is responsible for popularizing nearly every
one of the region's micros. By the way, it's an importing distributor, which
means it's not open to retail customers.

6. Our city's brewing history.

F.A. Poth & Sons. . .Robert Smith India Pale Ale. . .Jacob Hornung White Bock.
The labels are long gone, but these names from breweries past are still a part
of Philadelphia's rich brewery heritage. Before Prohibition, Philadelphia - not
Milwaukee - was the capital of American beer, the home of hundreds of
breweries. Even if you never heard these brewers' names, your grandfather
remembers running down to the corner for a bucket of Gretz. Or the bricks in
your home were carried by a mason who kicked back at the end of the day with a
tall, cool glass of Hohenadel.

Celebrate American Beer Month, and you just might find your own place in our
nation's brewing heritage. Lift a pint to the men and women - your neighbors -
who brew your favorite. It's the best way to say thanks.

And there's no better place to do kick off the festivities than right here in
the City of Brewery Love. Today's Big Fat Friday is filled with sixpacks of
ideas for discovering beer in Philadelphia.

Joe Sixpack will get things started at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow at McGillin's Olde
Ale House, 1310 Drury St., Center City, where the Daily News proves there is
such a thing as a Free Lunch. The first 100 people who toast American Beer
Month
with a domestic brew will get free eats, courtesy of the People Paper.

The Free Lunch kicks off a day of beer-drinking festivities that mark the start
of American Beer Month. Here's a schedule:

Tomorrow

2-4 p.m. - The Great American Blind Taste Test. A blind taste test between
European ales and lagers and classic American versions of those styles. Master
of ceremonies is Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. Irish Pub,
1123 Walnut St., 215-925-3311.

2 p.m. - Brewers Rally. Hundreds of maltsters will gather on the Art Museum
steps for the first-ever American Brewers Rally. The event marks American Beer
Month with speeches by, among others, Hickenlooper of Wynkoop and Carol Stoudt,
the first lady of American brewing and founder of Stoudt Brewing in Adamstown,
Pa.

4-6 p.m. - A Tribute to American Micros. Some of the rarest beers in the
country will be flowing into the evening. Monk's Café, 16th and Spruce streets,
Center City. 215-545-7005.

6-8 p.m. - Open house for brewers at Nodding Head Brewing Co., 1516 Sansom St.,
Center City. 215-569-9525.

All night - After party. Philadelphia's newest beer bar, known for its
draft-only, local-only beer policy, will be putting up some special casks for
the evening. Standard Tap, 2nd and Poplar streets, Northern Liberties.
215-238-0630.

July 23 1-6 p.m. - Royal Stumble. Twelve of the East's most interesting
breweries bring the beer they're most proud of to a free-for-all of flavor,
food and fun. All beers between 5.5 percent and 7 percent alcohol. Nodding
Head, 1516 Sansom St., Center City. 215-569-9525. Tix: $20 includes beer and
buffet.

July 24 5 p.m - PhiliChili 2000. The nation's best breweries pair up with the
city's spiciest restaurants to compete for the coveted Ring of Fire. Each chili
recipe will be cooked with a beer from the corresponding brewery, and look for
plenty of American beer on tap to wash it all down. The Khyber, 54 S. 2nd St.,
Center City. 215-238-5888.

Month-long

Beer cuisine - Monk's Cafe, 263 S. 16th St., Center City. 215-545-7005. Each
night, a special prix fixe beer dinner will be added to the menu, pairing each
course with an outstanding American beer.

Meanwhile, area breweries and bars will feature special beer styles produced by
America's best micros, on tap and in bottles.

American pale ale - London Grill, 2301 Fairmount Ave., Fairmount. 215-978-4545.

Belgian-style ale - The Drafting Room, Route 100, Exton. 610-363-0521.

Belgian-style ale, takeout - Voorhees Liquors, 10 Berlin Road in Voorhees, N.J.
800-429-5273.

Brown ale - Dock Street Terminal Brewpub, 12th and Filbert streets, Center
City. 215-922-4292.

California pale ale - The Drafting Room, 900 N. Bethlehem Pike, Spring House.
215-646-6116.

Cask-conditioned ale - Standard Tap, 2nd and Poplar streets, Northern
Liberties. 215-238-0630.

Extra special bitter - Menamin's Bar & Grill, 7170 Germantown Ave., Mount Airy.
215-247-9920.

Take-home growlers - Flanigans Boathouse, 113 Fayette St., Conshohocken.
610-828-BOAT. Or Flanigans at the Great
Valley Corporate Center, Malvern. 610-251-0207.

Hefe-weizen - The Grey Lodge Pub, 6235 Frankford Ave., Frankford. 215-624-2969.

Imperial stout - Dock Street Brasserie, 18th and Cherry streets, Logan Square.
215-493-0413. Dock Street will also pour its
Thomas Jefferson Ale, a colonial-era brew based on a recipe devised by the
third president of the United States.

India pale ale - O'Neal's Pub, 3rd and South streets, Center City.
215-574-9495.

Irish-style ales - McGillin's Olde Ale House, 1310 Drury St., Center City.
215-735-5562.

Pennsylvania beers - The Beverage Store, 218 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne.
610-688-3431.

Philadelphia beers - Stone's Beverage Center, 1701 Fairmount Ave., Spring
Garden, 215-763-9789.

Pils - The Khyber, 54 S. 2nd St., Old City. 215-238-5888.

Porter - Flat Rock Saloon, 4301 Main St., Manayunk. 215-483-3722.

Scottish-style ales - Nodding Head, 1516 Sansom St., Center City. 215-569-9525.

Sixpacks - The Foodery, 10th and Pine streets, Center City. 215-928-1111.

Strong ales - General Lafayette Inn & Brewery, 646 Germantown Pike, Lafayette
Hill. 610-941-0600.

Stout - Sugar Mom's Church Street Lounge, 225 Church St., Old City.

Wheat beer - Cuvée Notredame, 17th and Green streets, Spring Garden.
215-765-2777.


http://www.bergen.com:80/food/beer05200007054.htm

A monthlong toast salutes the brews made in America

Wednesday, July 5, 2000, Tony Forder

I'm sure plenty of American beer was consumed on the Fourth of July, as usually
is the case.

But there is good reason to stay with the American theme for the entire month.
July is American Beer Month, as promoted by the Institute of Brewing Studies. I
attended a rally in Philadelphia to kick off the event. More than 200 people,
including brewers from 20 states, gathered on the steps of the Philadelphia Art
Museum to stand up for American craft-brewed beer and later celebrated at
taverns all over town that had reserved their taps exclusively for American
beer.

The event was not conceived to bash imports -- "If we wanted to do that, we
would have gone to Boston and dumped some cases of imports into the harbor,"
said one organizer -- but to highlight American beers. Said Pennsylvania brewer
Carol Stoudt, "We should be proud. What we brew here is better because it's
fresher."

American craft brewers are rebounding after a couple of fallow years when
imports surged into the specialty beer market. Some craft breweries closed, but
the survivors are stronger, with more consistent beer and a better idea of how
to market it. Choosing 10 American craft beers to celebrate July is a tough
task, but I'll try anyway, sticking to the more accessible ones.

Brooklyn Brewery: Pennant Pale Ale is a good thirst quencher with plenty of
flavor. Brooklyn Pilsner also is a natural for the summer. And if you can find
Blanche de Brooklyn on tap (easily found in the city, not so easily found in
New Jersey), it recently beat out the famous Hoegaarden for a gold medal in the
World Beer Cup.

Stoudt's American Pale Ale: great beer, just try it.

Flying Fish Pale Ale: a softer take on a pale ale.

Ramstein Blond: Just because it's American Beer Month, it doesn't mean you
can't drink German-style wheat beer
brewed in New Jersey.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: classic American pale ale.

Samuel Adams Summer Ale: light, easy drinking, but with interesting spicy
flavor.

Heavyweight Lunacy Ale: a great Belgian-style beer, also brewed in New Jersey.

River Horse Hop Hazard: from Lambertville, a beer for East Coast hop heads.

Climax India Pale Ale: from Roselle Park and available in half-gallon jugs; one
of the best IPA's made anywhere.

Saranac: from the Adirondacks, with several accessible and affordable flavors
available.


http://www.afr.com.au:80/update/20000704/A51545-2000Jul4.html

Lion Nathan says FY results set to meet forecasts

2000-07-04, Lion Nathan chief executive Gordon Cairns today said the brewer was
trading in line with forecasts for second half of this financial year.

"Our market share is increasing, which is good, and our profits will be in line
with forecasts," he said.

Lion books its full-year results on August 31.

"We're making progress in Australia and we continue to grow in New South Wales,
which is the majority of the market." Speaking after a business luncheon in
Melbourne, Mr Cairns said the company was looking at a broad range of options
for expansion in China.

"We could toll brew, we could have a joint venture, we could produce under
licence, and we already produce under licence for Beck's and we've talked about
toll brewing for other brewers and we've looked at JVs," he said. "The
ultimate plan is to make money there, and we're open as to how we might do
that.

"You certainly can't, as an Australasian brewer, take China on yourself."

Lion has not yet booked a profit from its Chinese operations, which began in
1995 with a 60 per cent holding in the Wuxi Lion Nathan Taihushui Brewery, and
forecasts to be in the black by 2002 have been abandoned.

"It looks like I'm going to get hung on that one," Mr Cairns said.

He said there was no current forecast for profitability, but the company was
committed to reducing losses from the China operations. Asked whether
forecasts of a slower domestic economy in the new financial year might impact
on the company's results, Mr Cairns replied "clearly, and that's why we have to
be very assiduous with our cost reduction."

In Australia, Mr Cairns said the company was targeting growth in the premium
beer market, which represented just 5.7 per cent of the domestic brewing market
but was growing by 20 per cent per year.

Lion had 25 per cent of the premium market and was growing faster than its
competitors, he said. In Victoria, where Lion had "done an appalling job" the
company had spent most of the $100 million earmarked for expansion in the
state, he said.

Asked whether Lion would be adding to the stock of more than 40 pubs it had
bought in major Victorian cities in a move to boost its ailing market share of
just 12.6 per cent, Mr Cairns replied "We've probably reached the threshold
that we want."

The company was pursuing a number of other strategies to increase brand
awareness, including sponsorships.

Lion Nathan, which last month moved its head office from New Zealand to Sydney,
posted a first half net profit of $NZ97.1
million ($A81 million) for the six months to February 29, up 17 per cent from
the corresponding period.

Lion Nathan shares closed down one cent to $3.75.


http://www.afr.com.au:80/investment/20000705/A52444-2000Jul4.html

Lion talks aimed at relieving Chinese hangover

By Simon Evans, 2000-07-05

Lion Nathan is in talks with Chinese brewers to broaden its reach in China as
it seeks a faster way to stem losses in the beer market.

Chief executive Mr Gordon Cairns yesterday reconsidered previous predictions
that Lion's Chinese operations would be profitable by 2002 and said it was now
uncertain when profits would flow.

"I said we'd be profitable about the year 2002. Looks like I'm going to get
hung on that one," he said after speaking at a business lunch in Melbourne.

Lion entered the Chinese market in 1995 with an investment in a brewery in the
town of Wuxi and, like its main Australian rival Foster's Brewing Group, has
been unable to turn a profit in the highly competitive Chinese market.

Lion's China operations suffered a loss of $NZ19.9 million ($15.7 million) in
the six months to February 29, a slight improvement on the $NZ20.4 million loss
a year earlier.

The world's major brewers are jostling for position in China, which is regarded
as having the most potential because of its enormous population and the
prospects for continued growth in per capita beer consumption.

Mr Cairns said partnerships with other Chinese brewers were being evaluated as
part of the moves to broaden Lion's presence from the Yangtse River delta
region. He declined to give details, citing confidentiality agreements, but
said several options were under consideration.

"We could toll brew, we could have a joint venture, we could produce under
licence," he said.

A China deal would accelerate the move into profitability, he said. Lion
already produces German beer Beck's under licence in China.

Mr Cairns said Lion's Trans-Tasman operations were faring better, and the
company had made solid gains in NSW, the largest and most important beer market
in Australia.

Trading in the first four months of the company's second half had been in line
with market expectations, he said. "Our market share is increasing, which is
good, and our profits will be in line with forecasts." Most analysts are
predicting a pre-abnormals profit of about $136 million for the full year to
the end of August. Mr Cairns said Lion's hotel and nightclub buying spree in
Victoria was all but finished. "We've probably reached the threshold that we
want," he said.

Lion has close to 50 properties as part of a push to grow its meagre market
share of 12.6 per cent.

Lion was aware of the potential for an economic slowdown in Australia and
intended keeping a close eye on costs.

Mr Cairns said it was unclear what profit impact a potential shift by drinkers
to packaged beer away from on-tap beer, brought about by the Federal
Government's higher excise levels, might have if the row over a $500 million
tax dispute was not resolved. Lion shares dropped 1¢ yesterday to close at
$3.75.


http://www.toledoblade.com:80/editorial/biz/0g04drin.htm

Popping of drinks part of July 4 festivities

July 4, 2000

Excuse area beverage wholesalers and retailer if they were too busy this
weekend to drink a toast to America's Independence Day holiday. The Fourth of
July is one of the biggest holidays for beer and soft drink sales.

"I don't know if it would be the biggest, because Christmas and New Year's are
really big. But the Fourth would be one of the biggest,'' said Al Cherry,
general
manager of Toledo's Metropolitan Distributing Co., which sells Miller brands.

"With . . . Christmas, you're getting more days overall, while the Fourth of
July you have fewer days but consumption for all beverage is way up,'' Mr.
Cherry said.

According to 1998 data (the latest available) collected by Chicago-based
Information Resources, Inc., beer and ale sales in the two weeks before July 4
and the two weeks after were about 24 per cent higher than for the average
four-week period for the year.

Soft drink sales were about 14 per cent higher than for the average four-week
period, and those for low-calorie drinks were about 9 per cent higher.

"All the summertime holidays are much bigger,'' said Mark Gibson, head of the
Ohio chapter of the National Soft Drink Association.

According the U.S. Census Bureau, in 1997 - the latest statistics available -
the typical American adult consumer drank 34 gallons of beer and three gallons
of wine, with a good portion of that occurring during holidays like the Fourth
of July. Americans of all ages consumed 53 gallons of carbonated soft drinks
that year, according to the Census Bureau.

Beer consumption was on the decline in 1997 but has since mounted a comeback,
according to the Washington-based Beer Institute, a trade association
representing the brewing industry.

In 1994, shipments of beer in the United States totaled 189 million barrels and
shipments to Ohio were 8.2 million, the institute said. Per capita consumption
of beer in 1994 was 22.5 gallons nationwide and 23 gallons in Ohio.

But shipments fell in 1995 to 186 million barrels and 8.2 million nationwide
and Ohio, respectively. Consumption dropped to 22.1 gallons per capita
nationwide and 22.8 gallons per capita in Ohio.

Then, after staying flat for two years, sales began to rise. Last year, beer
sales reached 196 million barrels nationwide and 8.5 million barrels in Ohio.
Consumption hit 22.3 gallons per capital nationwide and 23.7 gallons in Ohio.

Last year, according to the Beer Institute, was a record year for beer
shipments, with 43 states reporting increased shipments. National consumption
rose 1.7 per cent last year, the institute reported.


http://www.bergen.com:80/food/beerfood200007054.htm

Hops, barley, and yeast can deliver a wide range of flavor possibilities

5-July-00, By JOE STUMPE Knight Ridder Newspapers

Lots of guys consider themselves experts on the subject of cooking with beer.
Fire up the grill, crack open a brewski, and you're there, right? For serious
cooks, something a bit more elaborate comes to mind. Tim Schafer of Tim
Schafer's Cuisine, 82 Speedwell, Ave., Morristown, does an entire menu based on
beer-enhanced cooking. Damien Lehman of the Airport Hilton in Wichita, Kansas,
has devised perhaps the most unusual dish of all -- a decadent chocolate cake
and accompanying sauce that both included Stoney Creek Vanilla Porter.

"I'm not sure how many people have tried it," Lehman said of using beer in a
dessert. "It makes it a little heartier, in my
opinion."

While there have always been dishes made with beer, such as beer-cheese soup
and beef carbonade, it has become a more popular ingredient in recent years.

"Beer is made up of more than one ingredient," said Schafer. "Wine, on the
other hand, is only one ingredient. Cooking with beer you have water, hops,
barley, and yeast, and in some cases as many as three different kinds of yeast.
There
might be eight different barley malts, and there are some beers with a lot of
alcohol to darker beers made with oats and other grains. So there is an
enormous range of possibilities when you cook with beer."

Schafer, who writes a cooking column called "The Brew Chef Corner" for Ale
Street News, says beers are like a seasoning, and he especially enjoys their
herbal qualities in various dishes.

Peter LaFrance, writing in "Cooking & Eating With Beer" (John Wiley & Sons,
1997), said the first cooks to extensively use beers in their food were the
"brave souls who ran the kitchens of the first brew pubs."

"The unique flavor of hops offers the interested cook a chance to stretch his
or her culinary imagination," La France wrote. "The sweet grain flavor of malt
offers its own accent to shimmering soups, stout stews, and braised beef
dishes."
Schaefer says the biggest thing to guard against when cooking with beer is
making a dish too bitter. "You have to be aware of the amount of hops in
various beers, and if you are reducing the sauce made with beer, you are
intensifying the bitterness," he said. "Sometimes you want that bitterness, but
other times it is necessary to counter it with something like brown sugar, or
honey." Some cooks also avoid the problem by adding beer to sauces and other
preparations just before they are finished.

William Rice, author of "Steak Lover's Cookbook" (Workman), said his recipe for
beer brewed chuck steak is really just a basic meat-and-potatoes dish.

"During braising with the beer, the beef gives its all," in return for your
waiting for it to simmer gently to fork-tenderness."

BEER BREWED CHUCK STEAK
6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
2 bay leaves
1 (about 11-ounce) large baking potato
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (2-pound) boneless beef chuck shoulder steak, cut 1 1/2 inches thick
Salt and pepper
1 large sweet onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon paprika, divided use
3/4 cup ale or dark beer
3/4 cup ready-to-serve beef broth
Chopped Italian parsley (optional)

Wrap parsley, thyme, garlic, and bay leaves in cheesecloth and tie tightly. Set
aside. Peel potato and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cover with
cold water; set aside until read to use. In Dutch oven, heat butter and oil
over medium
heat until hot. Add beefsteak. Brown 5 to 6 minutes, turning once. Season with
salt and pepper, as desired. Remove steak. In same Dutch oven, add onion and
cook 4 to 5 minutes or until soft, stirring often. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon
paprika. Return steak to the pan. Pour ale and broth over steak; add
cheesecloth bag. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer
45 minutes.

Drain potato slices and arrange on top of steak in a single layer. Season with
salt, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Cook, covered, 20 to 30
minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove steak; keep warm. Remove and
discard cheesecloth bag. Skim fat. In bowl of food processor, fitted with steel
blade, add cooking liquid and vegetable mixture; process until smooth.

Carve steak crosswise into slices. Serve with sauce. Garnish with chopped
parsley, if desired. Servings: 4.

VANILLA PORTER DECADENCE CAKE
Cake:
1 3/4 cups butter
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
15 egg yolks
20 ounces bittersweet chocolate
15 egg whites
2 Vanilla Porters (12 ounces each), reduced to 5 ounces.
Sauce:

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 pound bittersweet chocolate
1 cup light corn syrup
1 bottle (12 ounces) Vanilla Porter

To make cake, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg yolks. Melt
chocolate in double boiler and add to mixture. Whip eggs whites until firm and
fold into mixture.

Pour batter into 11-inch round pan or 13-by-9-by-2-inch rectangular pan and
place it in larger pan filled with water to come halfway up smaller pan. Bake
at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove cake from oven and immediately
poke holes in top of cake using a toothpick. Sprinkle reduced porter over the
cake and refrigerate.

To make sauce, bring sugar, water, and cocoa powder to a boil for 1 minute.
Melt chocolate in a double-boiler over medium heat, being careful not to burn
chocolate. Add corn syrup to chocolate.

In a separate saucepan, reduce porter until it equals about 1 cup. Mix all
ingredients together and serve over cake.


Aer Lingus hires new CEO from Heineken

DUBLIN, July 5 (Reuters) - Irish airline Aer Lingus, which is preparing for a
stock market flotation, said on Wednesday it had recruited Michael Foley from
Dutch brewer Heineken as its new chief executive. Foley, an Irishman, has been
president and chief executive of Heineken's U.S. arm since 1994. He was
previously managing director of Murphys Brewery Ireland, another Heineken unit.

State-owned Aer Lingus, which could be floated by the end of the year, said it
believed Foley, 52, was the right man despite his lack of aviation industry
experience. He initially qualified as an accountant. ``He brings to the job of
group executive the perfect blend of international business and public company
experience to lead an already strong management team through the challenges
that lie ahead,'' said Chairman Bernie Cahill.

Former chief executive Gary Cullen resigned in February, saying that for
personal reasons he did not want to lead the company through the IPO process.
Legislation clearing the way for the Aer Lingus flotation is currently going
through the Irish parliament and an IPO is expected late this year or early in
2001.

The company is expected to try to raise some 200 million Irish pounds ($242.6
million) through the issue of new shares at the time of the flotation. The
flotation is expected to value the company as a whole at up to 700 million
pounds.


FEMSA Appoints New CFO

MONTERREY, Mexico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 5, 2000--Fomento Economico Mexicano,
S.A. de C.V. ("FEMSA") (NYSE:FMX) (BMV:FEMSA UBD) announced today that Gerardo
Estrada has joined FEMSA's corporate staff as Chief Financial Officer.

Prior to joining FEMSA, Estrada served as a managing director of Grupo
Financiero Bancomer S. A. de C. V. ("GFB"). 43-year old Gerardo Estrada earned
a C.P.A. degree in 1977 and a M.A. degree in 1981, both from the Instituto
Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

From 1994 through June 2000, Estrada held several important financial positions
within GFB. Most recently, he served as Corporate Chief Financial Officer,
where he played a major role in structuring GFB's major capitalization
projects. Prior to working for GFB, Gerardo Estrada held several financial
positions within Grupo Cydsa including finance director for the packaging
division, corporate finance manager and corporate manager of financial
planning.

Gerardo Estrada will report directly to Federico Reyes, FEMSA's Executive Vice
President of Planning and Finance. "We are extremely pleased that Gerardo has
accepted the invitation to join our team and have no doubt that his expertise
and financial skills will prove to be an invaluable contribution to the
Company," stated Federico Reyes.

FEMSA is Mexico's largest beverage company with exports to the United States,
Canada and selected countries in Latin America, Europe and the Far East.
Founded in 1890 and with headquarters in Monterrey, Mexico, FEMSA is
strategically integrated and operates through the following subsidiaries: FEMSA
Cerveza, which produces and distributes name brands of beer such as Tecate,
Carta Blanca, Superior, Sol, XX Lager, Dos Equis and Bohemia; Coca-Cola FEMSA,
an "Anchor Bottler" for The Coca-Cola Company in Latin America, which produces
and distributes soft drinks including Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Sprite, Fanta
and Quatro; FEMSA Empaques, which supports the beverage operations by producing
beverage cans, glass bottles, crown caps, labels, commercial refrigerators, and
serves third party clients throughout the Americas; FEMSA Comercio, which
operates OXXO, Mexico's most extensive chain of convenience stores; and FEMSA
Logistica, which provides logistics management services to affiliate companies,
and recently to third party clients.

Budapest strives to be ``city of cafes'' again

By Michael Roddy

BUDAPEST, July 3 (Reuters) - At Budapest's lovingly restored 19th-century
Central Kavehaz, Geza Csermely writes gypsy rock musicals in a neat hand on the
cafe's paper placemats.

``You can sit all day and have breakfast, lunch and dinner,'' said the
56-year-old Roma writer, sitting at his regular table amid the hubbub of the
crowded room. ``The noise only makes things better.''

At the Ponyva Regeny (Pulp Fiction) cafe, Julia Imre, 19, sits for hours over a
single banana milk shake, chatting to a friend beneath bookshelves lined with
everything from poetry and novels to a dusty biography of Che Guevara.

``I come because of the atmosphere,'' Imre, a law student, said, as bright
sunshine glinted off brass candlesticks placed on the tables and rock music
played softly in the background.

``I like the feeling because we sit and talk and we can hear each other,'' she
said, adding that she enjoyed not having to compete with a blaring television
or disco music.

Move over, Turkish baths. Budapest's other Turkish-inspired institution, the
traditional coffee-house, is making a comeback.

Closed by the communists in 1949, coffee-houses where people may sit for hours,
write all day, meet lovers, debate politics, drink one cup of coffee or eat
three square meals, have been reviving bit by bit since communism's demise in
1989.

A SPY AT EVERY TABLE

``The communists closed them because they couldn't put a spy at every table,''
said university lecturer Noemi Saly, a student of the Budapest ``kavehaz'' --
coffee-house -- scene.

Under communism, coffee-houses became industrial and institutional canteens.
The fabled New York Kavehaz, stripped of chandeliers and with marble walls and
mirrors covered by plywood, was reopened as a sporting goods store.

Before calamity struck, Budapest was known throughout Europe as the ``city of
cafes,'' Saly said. She distinguishes coffee-houses from coffee shops, designed
for a quick brew, and pubs, beerhalls and bistros, where the main aim is to
drink.

``All the democratic revolutions were born in coffee-houses,'' she said.

``Fascist and communist revolutions were born in the bistros -- beer for the
Germans, vodka for the Russians. Those revolutions want manipulable people and
coffee is the contrary.''

Hungary isn't the only place in Central Europe with coffee-houses -- Vienna, to
the west, is known to have a few. But Hungarians did coffee-houses with a
vengeance. At the turn of the century, Budapest had almost 600 full-service
coffee-houses and another 400 so-called ``little cafes,'' serving a population
of less than a million. One main boulevard claimed more than 60 all to itself.

CAFE WORLD RECORD

``It was a world record at the time,'' said Saly, whose flat overlooking the
Danube River is crammed with books and photographs recording the history of the
Budapest cafe scene. Coffee-houses, which became popular in the 18th century,
were democratic places where merchants and talc-spattered barbers rubbed
shoulders with counts and dukes.

An English visitor to Budapest remarked on the mixing of the classes -- and how
``un-English'' it was, Saly said.

Journalists, musicians, artists and writers mingled freely with doctors,
lawyers, politicians and members of other professions, each of which tended to
have its own cafes.

Poets didn't spend much, but waiters turned a blind eye because, as one astute
proprietor noted, poets attract beautiful women and beautiful women lure rich
men. The Turks, who also developed Hungary's hot mineral spring baths,
introduced coffee to Hungary when they seized most of its territory in the 16th
century.

Hungarians at first spurned the dark, bitter brew. But after the Turks were
driven out in the 17th century, Hungarian students and nobles who travelled to
Western Europe discovered coffee anew, and the kavehaz was born.

Hungary's first recorded coffee-house was founded by a Serb in nearby
Szentendre in 1696. The idea spread like wildfire.

At a time when many workers, white collar and otherwise, could afford only a
bed in an outlying district, coffee-houses provided light, warmth,
companionship and good, simple food.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

``There were a lot of Budapest residents who could not invite people home
because conditions were not good at all,'' Saly said. ``In the cafes you could
meet and you could talk.''

The day's newspapers were available on racks. One cafe offered the services of
a woman typist. Yet another would hoist a black flag when a regular customer
died. Some of the coffee-houses, predictably, catered to the lustier needs of
a thriving city. aly said Budapest had at least six ``singing coffee-houses''
frequented by registered prostitutes. Small cafe orchestras included women
whose main talents were distinctly not musical.

One of the most famous of the female denizens of the night in
turn-of-the-century Budapest was a young woman who spoke Greek and Latin and
was known to her coffee-house admirers as ``puella classica'' -- the young
woman of the classics. Re-creating the coffee-house tradition -- minus the
racier elements -- has required dedication and deep pockets.

Hungarian pharmaceuticals entrepreneur Imre Somody spent on the order of 300
million forints -- more than $1 million -- to restore the Central Kavehaz,
founded in 1892, said cafe manager Zsolt Forgacs.

For that, Somody has himself one of the most authentic looking coffee-houses,
with woodwork, trim and paint matched to the original found beneath the facade
of a defunct bagel shop and video arcade.

SLOW IN A FAST-FOOD WORLD

In a fast-food world, it is not entirely self-evident that multi-service
coffee-houses like the Central, with everything from main dishes, pastries,
drinks, newspapers and a display case featuring a picture of the late Hungarian
actor Bela Lugosi, to plenty of electrical outlets for laptop computers, can
compete.

But Forgacs said the response since the Central reopened earlier this year has
been enormous. He hopes for a revival of the literary and intellectual debate
that the Central enshrines in wall plaques commemorating two famous Hungarian
literary reviews whose editors met there.

``We believe in the power of talking...where everybody, including VIPs, meets
in a step by step process,'' he said. ``Longer term, this is much better
business than just to catch the money now.''

http://news.excite.com/news/r/000705/08/odd-snack-dc

Sheep-Gut Snack Could Hit EU Entry

July 5, 2000, ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish regional authorities are cracking down
on a popular snack made of sheep's guts for fear it could pose public health
risks and obstruct the country's bid for European Union membership.

The state-run Anatolian news agency said Monday eight sheep intestine
processing centers were closed down in the western province of Aydin for
sanitation lapses.

But Milliyet newspaper said the authorities had banned the sale of the snack,
known as kokorec, because it could cause bacterial and parasitic infections.
"Kokorec, one of the obstacles to Turkey's entering the European Union, cannot
be sold in Aydin because it has been found unhealthy," the daily said.

The delicacy, sold mainly from streetside stalls, is commonly eaten in Turkey,
particularly after a long night of drinking.

It was not immediately clear whether the ban would be extended to other
provinces.

Turkey won EU candidacy in December but faces a long list of reforms to meet
European criteria in many areas, including health and food production. Turkish
leaders have cited 2004 as a target date for EU entry talks, but many
politicians at home and abroad foresee a much longer timeframe.

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 5, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/5/00
to
Hmm...posted this a while ago, yet no show, so will try again before boarding a
final flight...

Kirk Nelson

unread,
Jul 6, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/6/00
to
Joel Plutchak wrote:
>
> > BOSTON, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Summer Ale, and
> >Cream Stout, along with local Connecticut beers Hammer & Nail Brown Ale, and
> >New England Yankee Amber Ale handily won a blind taste-off against great beers
> >from around the world, including Heineken, Corona, Guinness, Newcastle Brown
> >Ale, and Bass Ale in a recent "Liquid Lunch" at Hartford's Vito's By The Park.
>
> >In the beer-to-beer blind tasting, tasters were presented with unmarked glasses
> >containing an American craft beer and its style equivalent in one of the great
> >beers from around the world. Using rating forms and procedures approved by the
> >Association of Homebrewers, the beers were scored according to appearance,
> >aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel, and were then given an overall impression. The
> >judges were a mixed lot of beer aficionados, neophytes and media
> >representatives.
>
> I'd be really interested in seeing a breakdown on how each
> of those groups rated the beers.
> It does seem a bit rigged-- Sa Summer Ale versus Corona as
> a stylistic match?

How about claiming that Corona is "one of the great beers from around the
world?"
Great for what? Killing slugs?

Kirk Nelson

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 7, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/7/00
to


Irish drinkers toast longer hours, price freeze

DUBLIN, July 6 (Reuters) - Irish drinkers raised their glasses to the
government on Thursday after ministers introduced longer pub opening hours and
froze drink prices.

In a bid to curb worrying inflation in the ``Celtic Tiger,'' Consumer Affairs
Minister Tom Kitt slapped a six-month freeze on the prices of drinks including
beer, wine and whiskey.

In another move likely to boost the ailing coalition government's flagging
popularity, pubs across the country will be able to sell alcohol until 12:30
a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays -- 90 minutes later than under the old
law.

Patrons will be given another 30 minutes drinking-up time -- meaning everyone
must be out by 1:00 a.m.

Better still for drinkers, landlords will only be allowed to charge their
thirsty clients the price in effect on May 15 under the terms of the
anti-inflation price freeze.

The government has doubled the number of consumer affairs inspectors to 24 to
patrol pubs to enforce the freeze.

The Irish capital Dublin, home to a large student population and increasingly a
mecca for European weekend tourists, is expected to benefit in particular from
the new hours.

The city, which has styled itself one of the trendiest of Europe's capitals,
has in recent years felt itself to be out of step with its more liberal
continental neighbours.

For the rest of the week, the Intoxicating Liquor Act extends opening hours by
30 minutes until 11:30 p.m., except Sundays which retain the 11.00 p.m. law.

Controversially, the Act abolishes Irish pubs' long-enshrined tradition of not
serving drinks between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Sundays.

That law, known as ``holy hour,'' was intended originally to drive menfolk home
for the family lunch but now baffles foreign tourists used to more relaxed
continental ways.

Kitt, part of a government striving to liberalise Ireland's drinks trade, said
competition was the most effective means of keeping prices down.

``However, as an interim measure and as part of the package approved by the
government to counter inflation, I have now introduced a statutory control on
the price of drink,'' Kitt said in a statement.

The relaxation of opening hours has been accompanied by new measures aimed at
curbing under-age drinking.

The new rules mean premises can be shut down temporarily if they are found to
have served minors. The law has been changed to put the onus on a publican to
be satisfied as to the age of a drinker before selling alcohol.

Quilmes Industrial -Quinsa- S.A. Announces Extensions of the Tender Offer for
Class B Shares and ADSs of BAESA

LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 2000--Quilmes Industrial (Quinsa)
S.A. (NYSE:LQU) ("Quinsa" or the "Company") today announced that Cerveceria y
Malteria Quilmes S.A.I.C.A. y G. ("Quilmes") announced the extension of its
public tender offer for all of the outstanding class B shares and ADSs of
Buenos Aires Embotelladora S.A.

("BAESA"). The U.S. offer to purchase and the Argentine offer to purchase will
now expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time (5:00 p.m., Buenos Aires time), on
Friday, July 7, 2000, unless further extended.

The offers were launched on May 31, 2000 and initially were scheduled to
expire today at 4:00 p.m., New York time (5:00 p.m., Buenos Aires time).

ABOUT QUINSA

Quinsa is a Luxembourg-based holding company, which controls 85 percent of
Quilmes International (Bermuda) Ltd., ("QIB"). The remaining 15 percent share
is owned, since 1984, by Heineken International Beheer B.V. ("Heineken").
Heineken Technical Services B.V. renders technical assistance to the operating
companies. Quinsa, through QIB, controls beverage and malting businesses in
five Latin American countries. Its beer brands are market leaders in Argentina,
Paraguay and Uruguay and have a strong presence in Bolivia and Chile. In
Paraguay, Quinsa's soft drink business is the market leader.


Genesee Corporation Announces Fiscal Year End Results

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesee Corporation
(Nasdaq: GENBB) today announced results for its fiscal year ended April 29,
2000.

Results for the Corporation's brewing business are reported as
discontinued operations. A special committee of the Corporation's Board of
Directors has been formed to continue to explore strategic alternatives for
Genesee Brewing Company, including a proposal for a management-led buyout,
following the decision to terminate the agreement to sell the business to the
owners of City Brewing Company.

Results for the Corporation's real estate investment and equipment
leasingbusinesses are also reported as discontinued operations. The
Corporation has previously announced that it was not actively seekin additional
real estate investments and that Cheyenne Leasing Company would not fund any
new leases
after December 31, 1999 and would wind down its equipment leasing business as
the portfolio of existing leases matures. Cheyenne Leasing Company has now
entered into an agreement in principle to sell a significant portion of its
lease portfolio. As a result of these developments, the Corporation's real
estate investments and equipment leasing business are required to be reported
as discontinued operations.

Results for the Corporation's continuing operations reflect only its Foods
Division and corporate segment. The prior year results from continuing
operations have been reclassified to reflect required changes in the reporting
of freight costs associated with the Foods Division and to separately report
results for the brewing, real estate investment and equipment leasing
businesses as discontinued operations.

Consolidated gross revenues from continuing operations for fiscal 2000 were
$48,548,000, compared to reclassified gross revenues from continuing operations
of $47,682,000 for fiscal 1999. The Corporation recorded a net loss from
continuing operations of $1,141,000, or $.70 basic and diluted net
loss per share in fiscal 2000, compared to restated net earnings from
continuing operations of $920,000, or $.57 basic and diluted net earnings per
share, in fiscal 1999.

Gross revenues in fiscal 2000 from discontinued operations were $123,520,000
compared to $138,590,000 in the same period last year. Discontinued operations
generated a net loss of $2,259,000, or $1.40 basic and diluted net loss per
share, in fiscal 2000, compared to a net earnings of $1,543,000, or $.95 basic
and diluted net earnings per share, in fiscal 1999.

Combining revenues from continuing and discontinued operations, the Corporation
recorded gross revenues of $172,068,000 and a net loss of $3,400,000, or $2.10
basic and diluted net loss per share, in fiscal 2000,compared to gross revenues
of $186,272,000 and net earnings of $2,463,000, or
$1.52 basic and diluted net earnings per share, in fiscal 1999.

Results in fiscal 2000 were adversely affected by a $3.1 million loss from the
planned sale of the equipment lease portfolio, $2.1 million of transition costs
incurred in relocating Foods Division operations, a $1.8 million charge
in connection with workforce reductions at Genesee Brewing Company, a $1.2
million charge for retirement benefits paid to the Corporation's former Chief
Executive Officer, and a $1 million reserve to cover the expected write-off of
an investment by Genesee Ventures. The decrease in earnings in
fiscal 2000 compared to the prior year also reflects the fact that fiscal 1999
results included a $3.4 million pre-tax gain from the sale of Genesee Ventures'
interest in Lloyd's Food Products, whereas only a $600,000 gain from the
Lloyd's sale was recorded in fiscal 2000.

Net sales for the Corporation's Foods Division were $45.5 million in fiscal
2000, compared to $44.9 million in fiscal 1999. Sales of artificial sweeteners
and bouillon products increased in fiscal 2000 compared to the prior year.
These gains were partially offset by a decrease in contract
packaging revenues and a decline in sales of iced tea mix. Operating income
for the Foods Division decreased to $189,000 in fiscal 2000, compared to
$1,554,000 in fiscal 1999, due in large part to the costs incurred in fiscal
2000 to relocate operations to the Medina, New York facility that was acquired
in October 1998. The relocation project was completed in January 2000.

Genesee Brewing Company's net sales in fiscal 2000 were $93.4 million, a
decrease of $9.9 million from the prior year period. Barrel volume declined by
6% in fiscal 2000 due to a 9% decline in Genesee core brand volume and a 22%
decline in HighFalls brand volume, which were partially offset by a 34%
increase in contract brewing volume for Boston Beer Company. Genesee Brewing
Company recorded an operating loss in fiscal 2000 of $2.7 million. When the
$1.8 million restructuring charge from workforce reductions is netted out, this
reflects a $3.3 million improvement in operating results over the prior
year. "We did a re-assessment of all areas of our business to identify ways
to reduce costs and improve efficiencies," said Tom Hubbard, President and
Chief Executive Officer. "Many of these initiatives were not implemented
until the second half of fiscal 2000. Although we have not yet seen the
annualized impact of these initiatives, we did see improvement in sales trends
for our core brands and operating performance in the fourth quarter of fiscal
2000," said Mr. Hubbard.

The Corporation's equipment leasing and real estate investment businesses
recorded operating income of $2,682,000 in fiscal 2000, compared to $3,801,000
in fiscal 1999. The decrease is the result of the plan announced in September
1999 to wind down Cheyenne Leasing Company's business. Cheyenne Leasing
Company recently entered into an agreement in principle to sell a significant
portion of its lease portfolio. The sale is subject to a number of conditions
customary to such transactions, including satisfactory due diligence and
negotiation of a definitive sale agreement between Cheyenne Leasing Company
and the buyer. It is currently estimated that the Corporation would receive
approximately $13 million as its portion of the sale proceeds. Because the
sale would generate a book loss, generally accepted accounting principles
require that the Corporation record the estimated loss now, even though the
sale has not been completed. Accordingly, fiscal 2000 results include a
$1.9 million loss, net of a tax benefit of $1.2 million, from the sale of the
lease portfolio.

The Corporation established a $1,000,000 reserve in the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2000 to cover the expected loss from Genesee Ventures' investment in
Stiffel Company. The investment in Stiffel (an Illinois-based manufacturer
of premium lamps and lighting fixtures) was the first of three minority
investments made by Genesee Ventures totaling $2.9 million. The Stiffel
Company was recently forced into liquidation by a senior lender after failing
to satisfy certain loan covenants, resulting in a total loss for all of the
equity investors, including Genesee Ventures. Genesee Ventures' investment in
Lloyd's Food Products generated pre-tax gains in fiscal 1999 and 2000 totaling
$4 million. Genesee Ventures continues to hold the third investment, a
minority interest in a remarketer of durable supplies for food service and
industrial users.

GENESEE CORPORATION

Comparative Statement of (Loss)/Earnings


FISCAL YEAR FISCAL YEAR

ENDED ENDED

APRIL 29, 2000 MAY 1, 1999

As Restated


Net Revenues $45,548,000 $44,893,000

Samuel Adams Sponsors Monday Night Comedy Showcase for Amateur Comedians at the
Comedy Connection July 10, 17,

Showcase Winners Earn Stand Up Opportunity At Samuel Adams Grill & Groove 2000
Radio Event

BOSTON, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams is in search of Boston's best
amateur comedian and will host three Samuel Adams Monday Night Showcases at the
Comedy Connection on Monday July 10, 17, and 24. The winners of each showcase
will earn the standup chance of a lifetime to appear at the Samuel Adams Grill
& Groove 2000 radio event on Thursday, July 27 at the Samuel Adams Brewery in
Boston.

The Grill & Groove 2000 features 53 radio stations from across the US, Canada
and Australia on July 27 & 28 broadcasting live over 36 hours at the Samuel
Adams Brewery. The three lucky amateur comedians will do a five-minute standup
routine and compete against four up-and-coming professional comedians for the
right to be named Boston's Best Comedian.

The winner will receive $500 in cold hard cash. The finalists will receive a
$10 shopping spree in the Samuel Adams Brewery Shop.

The Samuel Adams Monday Night Comedy Showcases will be hosted by veteran Boston
comedian Kevin Knox and will run from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. each Monday.

The Comedy Connection located in the heart of historic Faneuil Hall features
top name talent such as Jon Stewart, Anthony Clark, Chris Rock and Rosie
O'Donnell. The Comedy Connection presents local and national stand-up seven
nights a week.


BEVision Features Exclusive Story On Consorzio Cal-Italia

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 6, 2000--During the month of
July, BEVision, a new and innovative in-store television network for U.S. beer,
wine and spirits retail stores that is wholly owned and operated by RMS
Networks, will be airing a two-minute segment featuring Consorzio Cal-Italia, a
group of 60 California vintners dedicated to growing, vinifying and
popularizing Italian varieties to the United States.

"Gen Xers are looking for a wine-style of their own, and we offer that
alternative," said Bob Cappuccino, founder of Consorzio Cal-Italia. "BEVision
is an excellent medium to communicate attributes and benefits of Cal-Italian
wines to consumers and retailers. We hope to encourage retailers to devote more
space to these wines so that consumers have the opportunity to experience their
delicious flavors and versatility with food."

BEVision programming content is produced using original content, as well as
content obtained from various programming suppliers, including CNN, E!
Entertainment, Fox, Time Warner and Ziff Davis. Segments entertain customers
while they shop and feature a variety of topics, from wine pairing and mixed
drink recipes to bar stocking tips for home parties and industry trends. Before
and after store operation hours, BEVision will air programming with the purpose
of educating and informing store employees about responsible vending, selling
techniques and state and federal alcohol beverage law updates.

About RMS Networks

RMS Networks is a premier provider of targeted advertising and information
distributed by broadband satellite networks. Through relationships with
retailers nationwide, RMS transmits digital broadcast-quality, full motion
video programming to retail stores, and thereby provides advertisers with a
platform to target consumers at the point of purchase. Additionally, RMS'
networks can be utilized to deliver training, product information and
company-wide communications to in-store employees. RMS networks are located at
more than 2,560 sites in 49 states as of May 31, 2000, including 1,590 Advance
Auto Parts stores, 830 independent pharmacies, 77 beer, wine and spirits
stores, 59 Planet Hollywood restaurants and 6 Sports Authority locations, and
reach in excess of approximately 790,000 consumers each day. In conjunction
with certain networks, RMS also develops tailored Internet strategies for
retailers and their consumers by designing, providing content for and
maintaining websites that largely parallel and complement the programming of
the in-store video networks. RMS Networks is also capable of supporting two-way
broadband communications and future commercial data transmission services,
including the transmission of retail inventory and credit card data. Additional
Company information can be accessed by visiting www.rmsnetworks.com.

Sweating hordes to converge on Berlin Love Parade

By Daniel Simpson

BERLIN, July 6 (Reuters) - Where will over a million people gather in Europe on
Saturday? And why?

It's not politics, holy fever nor even the secular religion of soccer -- but
the unlikely mix of sweaty exhibitionism and booming techno music that is
Berlin's annual Love Parade.

What began in 1989 as 150 people dancing up West Berlin's main shopping street
behind a solitary float has swelled into the world's biggest dance music rave
party and Saturday's 12th parade is expected to match last year's record
numbers.

But while a global surge in the popularity of music like techno can in part be
put down to the camaraderie fostered by a cocktail of primal tunes and
mind-expanding drugs, the Love Parade's mix of sun, sex and subversion is even
more potent.

Last year it brought 1.5 million to the streets of the German capital -- close
to half its population.

Although its growth has mirrored Berlin's transformation over the past decade
from divided Cold War battlefield to a ``cool'' concoction of culture and
consumer capitalism, it has retained an edge for many of Europe's hardcore
techno fans.

About 250 disc jockeys, including some of the continent's best-known names,
will serve up a wide spectrum of modern dance music from 50 floats cruising
down a wide boulevard bisecting Berlin's Tiergarten park en route to the iconic
Brandenburg Gate.

And the outrageous attire of many ravers -- or lack of it -- not to mention the
porn films shot in the park amid copulating couples seeking refuge in the
trees, preserves some of Berlin's famously decadent hedonism and quasi-anarchy,
and is an echo of Rio de Janeiro's carnival fever.

``The Love Parade is the Berlin carnival,'' saidErnst Haeberle, the general
secretary of the European Federation of Sexology. ``It's just a bundle of sheer
enjoyment of life.''

``BETTER THAN HITLER'S STORM TROOPERS''

Although Saturday's crowds are unlikely to enjoy a similar sun-baked spectacle
to last year, police are still prepared for hot weather -- many of the 3,000
officers patrolling the route have been issued with water pistols to cool
overheated dancers.

About 250 temporary toilets will be erected around the Victory Column in the
middle of the Tiergarten to try and cope with the beer-weakened bladders of a
million-plus crowd.

While the parade is free, the descent of so many young people bent on having a
good time means large amounts of cash will be spent in the city -- which
somewhat reluctantly foots the clean-up bill since the event is classed as a
demonstration.

But its exponential growth, which has spawned sister events in Austria and
Britain this year, has alienated some, who say its branded floats show it has
sold out to commercial interests.

A rival parade, which started life as the Hate Parade in 1997, aims to restore
a counter-cultural edge by offering the most hardcore strains of dance music on
an alternate route through the central Mitte district of East Berlin, itself
rapidly gentrifying.

And the nightclubs which have won the city a reputation as one of Europe's top
party capitals in the decade since the Berlin Wall fell will host a string of
events over the weekend, making the main parade just one dimension of the
experience.

Although many party-goers will be high on little more than the thrill of
exhibitionism, pulsating music and alcohol, large numbers will add an extra
dimension to their weekend by taking ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine or
hallucinogenic drugs.

Berlin drug workers will lay on water and ``chill out'' areas to try and
minimise immediate risks from taking drugs.

But altered state or not, sexologist Haeberle believes the music is the key to
the mass gathering in Berlin.

``It's a necessary outlet, this techno music. This is an elemental human
need,'' he said.

``Nazi storm troopers once marched down that street, now there's the Love
Parade. Which would you prefer?''

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 7, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/7/00
to
Interbrew May Delay Share Sale Until Next Year, Reuters Reports

Leuven, Belgium, July 6 (Bloomberg) -- Interbrew NV, the second-biggest brewer,
may wait until next year to start its initial public offering, Reuters said in
a report carried in the online edition of the Globe and Mail, citing Interbrew
Executive Vice-President Patrice Thys. ``I don't know if it could be this year
or if it could be next,'' Thys said. Interbrew Chief Executive Hugo Powell said
in April he planned to take the Belgian company public by the end of this year,
Reuters said.

Interbrew, the maker of Stella Artois beer, has hired Merrill Lynch & Co. and
Fortis to coordinate its IPO after 634 years as a private company. (Globe and
Mail, 7/6)


INTERVIEW - Brazil's AmBev eyes Latam beverage deals

By Adriane Castilho

SAO PAULO, July 4 (Reuters) - Brazil's largest beverage maker Companhia de
Bebidas das Americas (AmBev)<AMBV4.SA> looks at foreign acquisitions, like
Uruguayan brewer Salus, as a way to guarantee faster growth than it can achieve
just on the local market.

"We will see if there is a deal every six months," director of AmBev Magim
Rodriguez told Reuters on Tuesday. Rodriguez is responsible for international
strategy for the company.

Earlier today AmBev said its affiliate beer maker Brahma <BRHA4.SA> and French
food group Danone <DANO.PA> signed an agreement to negotiate the purchase of a
controlling stake in a Uruguayan beer and mineral water company Compania Salus,
Rodriguez said.

Salus is the second largest beer maker in Uruguay and a leader in its local
mineral water market. AmBev, however, produces over three hundred times the
amount of beverages per year in Brazil.

"For AmBev it is a little thing, but for Uruguay it's huge. It is a question of
strategy," Rodriguez said.

The director said that, since the expansion of AmBev on the Brazilian beer
market is limited by Brazil's antitrust council (Cade), the company only has
two means to grow: either buy foreign beer companies or enter other beverage
markets in Brazil.

"It is obvious we are out to buy. So we merged," he said referring to the
mega-merger between Brahma and Antarctica, the two companies that joined to
form AmBev.

"Already we have met with everybody in Latin America. I want to believe that in
six months we will have made another deal," he said without giving further
details.

Rodriguez did not discard the possibility of acquiring more formidable
competitors such as the Argentine Quilmes Industrial.

"I would love to jump out in front with Quilmes. If they want to sell, we are
clearly interested, depending on the price," Rodriguez said.

The purchase of Salus should be formalized in 60 days, after AmBev and Danone
iron out the details.

"We will make the deal in cash for a yet undefined amount of 50-150 million
reais," said Rodriguez. "We will take a closer look at the company and set a
price."

The distribution of the businesses of Salus between Danone and AmBev has not
yet been divvied up, but Rodriguez said his company was not just interested in
beer.

"Danone has a lot of expertise in water and we are looking at this market in
Brazil," he said.

"We already have a brand name, Fratelli Vita, two wells in the state of Bahia
and Parana and another in Sao Paulo state. Our businesses are small in this
area but the market has great potential and we are studying it," he said.

"Today we represent 25 percent of the beer market, but I believe that will
double in five years," Rodriguez added.

Schoerghuber's BrauHolding, Brau und Brunnen Seek Cost Cuts


Munich, July 4 (Bloomberg) -- Schoerghuber Group, the owner of Bayerische
BrauHolding AG, and HypoVereinsbank AG, the majority owner of Brau und Brunnen
AG, agreed to combine their drinks units in a bid to cut costs and boost market
share.

Terms of the transaction have yet to be agreed. Brau und Brunnen, in which
HypoVereinsbank owns 55 percent, has a market value of 197.5 million euros
($188 million). BrauHolding, which has less sales but is profitable, is worth
589 million euros.

The combination will create a beer and soft-drink company with annual sales of
about 2.43 billion deutsche marks ($1.2 billion) and brands such as Paulaner
and Jerver. The new company will leapfrog Holsten Brauerei as Germany's biggest
brewer.

``We expect increased earnings thanks to cost cuts in particular in the areas
of logistics, distribution, purchasing and information technology,'' the
companies said at a press briefing, adding that the market environment is
``difficult.''

Germany's more than 1,2000 brewers are combining as sales in the country's $8.8
billion industry haven't budged in years as consumers opt for international
brews or for soft drinks.

Brau und Brunnen, which lost 86.8 million marks in 1999, has been in the red in
four of the past five years. BrauHolding, while profitable, barely makes money
in its main beer business.

HypoVereinsbank and the Schoerghuber Group will be the main shareholders in the
combined entity, the companies said, without giving details. HypoVereins,
Germany's No. 2 bank, is expected to sell the beer stake down the line,
analysts have said.

The companies will give details on the combination over the next few months,
BrauHolding and Brau und Brunnen said. The merger valuation is being assessed
by the companies' managements and their auditors. Boston Consulting Group also
advises.


Baltic Beverages Holdings to Invest Further in Siberian Brewery

St. Petersburg, Russia, July 4 (Bloomberg)-- Baltic Beverages Holdings, a 50-50
joint venture between Scandinavian brewers Pripps Ringnes AB and Hartwall Oyj,
will invest $34 million in AO Pikra, a Siberian brewery.

Baltic Beverages, which bought 50 percent of Pikra in December and owns 70
percent of AO Baltica Brewery, Russia's No. 2 brewery by sales, said demand in
the region is outstripping production.

``The market in Siberia is growing at a rate of about 30 percent a year,'' said
Svetlana Yurchenko, Pikra's marketing director. ``We cannot keep up with demand
and plan to expand production with the . . . investment.''

Baltic Beverages hopes to benefit from soaring demand for Russian beer, which
has grown after the collapse of the ruble in August 1998 made imported brands
more expensive.

The Scandinavian company, which increased its Russian market share from 20
percent in 1999 to 26 percent this year, owns 12 breweries in Russia and the
Ukraine.

Since 1995, per-capita beer consumption increased from 18.9 liters to 25
liters, according to Business Analytica, a Russian market research company.

The company said it plans to invest about $100 million each year, over the
several years.

``We have a long-term commitment to the Russian market, where beer consumption
is growing rapidly,'' said Baltic Beverages President Christian Ramm Schmidt.
The company ``will continue to expand in Russia.''


'Third Way' guru says Britain must end inequality

By Elisabeth Eaves

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - The man who came up with the idea of a political
``Third Way'' says Britain under Prime Minister Tony Blair, long a champion of
the concept, has a long way to go to achieve its aim of greater equality.
Governments around the world have laid claim to the Third Way, saying they are
balancing the forces of capitalism with social justice to achieve
rich-yet-egalitarian societies.

But in his new book ``The Third Way to a Good Society,'' to be released on
Thursday, sociologist Amitai Etzioni says economic inequality is in danger of
destroying the achievements of Blair's Labour Party, which swept to power in
1997 on a platform that included narrowing the income gap. ``If you have an
elite of people who live in fancy apartments behind locked doors, as you do in
Britain, they get completely disconnected from the rest of the community,''
Etzioni told Reuters by telephone.

The George Washington University professor first coined the term ``Third Way''
in his 1994 book ``The Spirit of Community.''

In his new book he calls for Britain to impose more taxes on investment income,
cooperate with other countries to eliminate tax havens, and to cut off
government support for universities he deems elitist, like Oxford.

He also writes that leaders should drink beer and sandwiches with working-class
people ``rather than limiting their outings to posh yuppie restaurants,'' and
that they should pay more visits to roadside fast food restaurants and pubs
rather than the Royal Opera House.

WHAT IS IT?

Though a ``third way'' in politics has been promoted by leaders ranging from
U.S. President Bill Clinton to new Mongolian Prime Minister Nambariin
Enkhbayar, no one has a precise definition.

A meeting of Blair, Clinton, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French and
Italian leaders last year was tagged the ``Third Way summit'' by the media. But
German officials backed away from using the term to describe a similar meeting
of 14 centre-left leaders in Berlin last month.

Prime Minister Lionel Jospin of France has said his country is saying ``yes''
to a market economy while saying ``no'' to a market society.

But he has voiced suspicion about the ``Third Way'' of Blair and Schroeder, who
last year issued a joint manifesto expounding the concept.

Some argue that the term is window dressing for old-fashioned
free-marketeering.

Masen Pirie, president of free market think tank the Adam Smith Institute,
calls it ``Thatcherism in softer tones.''

``It represents a difference in style rather than substance,'' Pirie said. ``We
are talking about market policies, but a pattern of speech which is more
inclusive, more conciliatory and more compassionate.''

Even Etzioni concedes it can come across as unclear. In his new book he quotes
a Third Way description from the Economist magazine: ``Trying to pin down an
exact meaning is like wrestling an inflatable man. If you get a grip on one
limb, all the hot air rushes to another.'' He writes that the Third Way is an
ethical position that treats people as ends in themselves, with influences
including the Bible and ancient Greek teachings.

``It's fuzzy around the edges, but all political ideas are fuzzy,'' Etzioni
said.


http://avlbeta.altavista.com/tech/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1949209&ern=y

How To Cook Bratwurst In Your Car

Eric Gutoski

Things needed:
- A six pack of really cheap beer
- Tin foil
- Bratwurst
- 1 Onion (sliced)
- Duct Tape
- Propensity to eat almost anything
The hearty denizens of the Upper Midwest are famous for their stoic
demeanor, Lutheran work ethic and gigantism (probably brought on by
years of consuming bovine growth hormone fortified dairy products). In
the land of sky blue waters and endless winters, the pleasures of the
menfolk are simple, as they know two things: 1) There is nothing more
natural for a man than to drive with a cold brew between his legs, and
2) nothing beats the artery-clogging taste of a juicy beer-boiled brat.
This easy-to-make recipe combines both of these pleasures, and makes for
a great first date.

STEP ONE: Slice an onion.

STEP TWO: Crack your first "coldie," pouring half of it down your throat
and reserving the other half of the liquid for step three. This is
called "getting primed."

STEP THREE: Making a crude bowl of the tin foil, add the bratwurst,
onions and the remainder of the first beer. Use a separate sheet of foil
to tightly wrap the bowl into a bundle, being careful to not let any of
the beer leak out.

STEP FOUR: Duct-tape the bundle to your manifold. If you don't know what
a manifold looks like, go back to cooking in your EZ Bake oven.

STEP FIVE: Start cooking. By cooking, we mean have your date drive you
around the highways and byways of this great nation as you polish off
the rest of the six pack. You can use this time to listen to some Bob
Seger and brag about your glory days on the high school football team
and the unfulfilled promise that was your youth.

STEP SIX: Using your bare hands, remove the bundle from the manifold.
Hot, isn't it? Maybe next time you'll use heavy-duty work gloves or your
softball mitt.

STEP SEVEN: Enjoy the subtle delicacy you have just prepared. Note the
way the beer has infused with the piping hot pork grease that sears your
tongue. Savor the subtle melange of caramelized onion and exhaust fumes.
(Pre-catalytic converter engines will produce slightly different
results)

STEP EIGHT: If you're still hungry, repeat steps 1-7 until arrested.


J2jurado

unread,
Jul 7, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/7/00
to
http://www.beer.com/news/bee/bee/2000/06/12/960841130021.html

Nice piece entitled, "Specialty beer importers: good life, hard work " by JIM
DORSCH


http://www.usahops.org/board/board.cgi?message=41&topic=4

Swiss Business Briefs:Assoc Against Feldschloesschen Sale

Dow Jones Newswires

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland -- The Association of independent Swiss
Microbreweries has asked the government to block the sale of
Feldschloesschen brewery on the grounds it would stifle competition and
prevent the liberalization of the Swiss beer market.


http://www.toledoblade.com:80/editorial/biz/0g06buck.htm

Venerable name in beer returns to its hometown

Mike Berry, owner of Glass City Brew on Premises, in Perrysburg, tends to a
batch of Buckeye Beer. (Toledo Blade photo)After a 28-year absence, Toledo's
Buckeye Beer is back in town.

"We think we're pretty close to the original,'' said Toledoan Dave
Kulish, president of Buckeye Beer, Ltd. "We had one gentleman who tried
it and he said, 'All I ever drank was Buckeye.' He said it was about 95
per cent close. I don't think we're going to get better than that.''

Mr. Kulish, 38, and his business partners, John Spieker III, 42, of
Canton, Mich., and Jay Tillman, 40, of Saginaw, Mich., have spent the
last five years trying to reproduce Buckeye - the first beer the three
brothers-in-law tried in their youth and the beer their parents preferred.

The fledgling enterprise is making about 200 cases a week of bottled
Buckeye at Glass City Brew on Premises Co. in Perrysburg. The brand made
its return last week and is being sold at 41 area bars, restaurants, and
retail outlets, including The Andersons and Tony Packo's.

A six-pack costs $5.99, and is competing against a myriad of fancy beers
and ales.

Jim Heltebrake, wine shop manager at The Andersons on Talmadge Road,
said that of the 30 cases of Buckeye the store received this week just
three were left yesterday.

"We've been playing off the nostalgia. We've been having periodic
announcements about it and asking people to relate their Buckeye beer
stories to us. Most kind of scratch their head and say, 'Boy I haven't
seen that in 25 years or so,' " said Mr. Heltebrake, who himself is too
young to have tasted Buckeye.

The Buckeye Brewing Co. began making Buckeye at Bush and Champlain
streets in Toledo in 1838. Chicago-based Meister Brau, Inc., bought
Buckeye in 1966 and brewed the first Meister Brau Lite beer in Toledo.

In 1972 Miller Brewing Co., of Milwaukee - realizing that the future
would include light beers - bought the Buckeye and Meister Brau Lite
labels. The new owner changed Meister Brau Lite to Miller Lite, moved
Buckeye beer production to Milwaukee, then stopped making the beer in
late 1972.

Miller's nonuse of the Buckeye name allowed the local group to grab the
trademark for use in Ohio.

The group does not yet hold a federal trademark, a status that would
permit sales of Buckeye across state lines, but they are confident they
will win it. Under federal trademark rules, nonuse of a trademarked name
for at least three consecutive years can constitute abandonment of the
name.

The former Buckeye label could not be used on the new beer because it
remains under copyright protection.

Mr. Kulish said that in reviving Buckeye, the group knew it would have
tough standards to meet. So they researched how the beer might have been
made, given what was available; tried to match ingredients; talked to
former brewery workers; asked fans of Buckeye beer to be taste testers,
and revised their formula seven times.

They couldn't be sure of the aging time used for Buckeye. So Mr. Kulish
visited the former distribution warehouse at Bush and Champlain, and,
while poking around in the basement, he found - still written in chalk
on a blackboard - a timetable for brewing, aging, and delivery.

"It was all still down there from the day the brewery closed,'' he said.


http://news.excite.com/news/pr/000704/ny-ambev-stock-option

AmBev and Groupe Danone Sign a Stock Option Purchase Agreement Of an

Uruguayan CompanySalus is the Uruguayan Water Market Leader and the
Second Brewery in the

July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- AmBev -- American Beverage Company, through its

the second largest share. The interest of both companies for Salus is

explained by the Patricia brand strong penetration and to the clear
leadership in the local mineral water market.

The Uruguayan beverage market sizes 5 million hectoliters, which
represents a consumption rate of 146 liters/inhabitant/year. The
consumption rate is 140 liters/inhabitant/year in Brazil. The largest
markets by volume are the mineral water (31.4%) and the soft drinks
(also 31.4%) ones. In the soft drinks segment Salus has products made of
grapefruit and orange. Wine represents 21% of the consumption while beer
represents 16.3%. The market shares by volume in Brazil are 54.2% for
soft drinks, 39.4 for beer, 5.3 for water and 1% for wine.

For additional information please contact AmBev Investor Relations:
Milton Cabral Filho, (5511) 3741-7560, acmi...@ambev.com.br or Vanessa
Barion, (5511) 3741-7553, acba...@ambev.com.br


http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/finance/2000/0706/fin11.htm

A man of many and varied interests

By John McManus

Membership of the Beer Institute is an unusual qualification for a
would-be airline chief executive but necessary if you are the head of
Heineken's operations in North America. But it is the least significant of Mr
Michael Foley's extra mural activities which include being a director of the
American Ireland Fund
and the Ireland-US Council for Commerce. Mr Foley has been president and chief
executive officer of Heineken USA since 1994 and during that period has helped
the Dutch brewing group establish itself as a leading player in the
ultra-competitive US beer
market. Heineken USA has revenues of $650 million (euro68 million) and more
than 250 employees. Aer Lingus has not reported any results since 1998 when it
made a profit of £52.4 million on a turnover of £901 million.

The airline employs more than8,300 people. A chartered accountant by
training, Mr Foley joined Murphy Brewery Ireland - a subsidiary of
Heineken - in 1983 as financial controller. Previously he had worked as
an accountant with the Irish subsidiaries of Japanese and US
multinationals. He then became sales and marketing director and in 1989 was
appointed
managing director of Murphy Brewery Ireland. He is from Enniscorthy, Co
Wexford, and lives with his wife Nóirín and their three children in Rye,
New York. He graduated from University College, Dublin, in 1972 with a
degree in commerce.


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=297269&
in_review_text_id=241621

Big night out ends in shame

by Valentine Low

Euan Blair's big night out started out as a celebration with friends to
mark the end of his GCSE exams. It ended with him cooling his heels in
the cells at Charing Cross police station after being arrested for being
drunk and incapable. What occurred in between - how a 16-year-old boy got
quite so drunk, what happened to his friends - will, for the moment, have to
remain a
mystery.

The result, however, has now been well established: by around 10.50 last
night, when Leicester Square was full of people leaving bars, restaurants and
cinemas to go home, Euan Blair was very drunk and very ill, lying on the
ground by railings opposite the Odeon Leicester Square.

It was the police who spotted him first. "He was clearly ill and had
been vomiting," Downing Street said in a statement. It was hardly an unusual
sight for
Leicester Square - thousands of young people pass through every night,
many of them on the way to getting paralytically drunk.

Every night police arrest an average of 70 people in the area for everything
from assault and criminal damage to drunken behaviour and possession of
cannabis.

However Euan was clearly in sufficiently bad a state to give the
officers concern. "An ambulance was called but ambulance personnel
decided he didn't need hospital treatment and he was then taken by the police
to Charing Cross," said Downing Street. "He was, in the view of the police,
drunk and incapable."

Where he had been drinking is, for the moment, unclear - although no
doubt it would be something that his parents would want to establish
when they talked to him this morning. Staff at the bars neighbouring the Odeon
cinema - the Moon on the Water, Radio Café and the nightclub Storm - insisted
he had not been drinking in their premises.

A spokesman for Radio Café said: "As far as we are concerned there were
no youngsters here last night or anybody in an extremely drunk state."

It is possible Euan and his friends tried to get served at the Firkin
Brewery pub in Bear Street. Barman Chris, 25, said: "A tallish blond boy
came in with some friends and asked to be served alcohol.

"But because they looked under age we asked them for ID and when they
didn't have any they were asked to leave."

As Euan lay comatose there were plenty of witnesses who saw his plight,
but all failed to realise that it was the Prime Minister's son. A security
guard at the Odeon cinema said: "An ambulance did arrive last night and a
young man was taken inside for a short while. I didn't recognise him."

Eyewitness Julie Macdonald, a producer for LBC radio, also came across
the scene in Leicester Square. She said: "I saw him lying absolutely
motionless on the pavement. He had a couple of policemen standing over
him. There were two ambulances and there seemed to be more police
arriving.

"There didn't seem to be anything else happening except a lot of people
standing around and I thought to myself, if he's not hurt, why does he
seem to be lying on the pavement.

"I didn't see him staggering around, I just saw him lying absolutely
motionless. There seemed to be a lot of discussion between the police
and eventually I saw him being helped to his feet, and after that I
left."

Ironically, a crowd of journalists walked past his prostrate body and
totally failed to realise that the news was happening under their own
noses.

"A big media audience had been to see the new Jim Carrey comedy," said
freelance Bob Eborall.

"We were walking past the Odeon Leicester Square and there was a young
man lying on his side.

A policeman was standing by him and there was an ambulance further back.
You often see this sort of thing in Leicester Square - I don't think
anybody took much notice. It is one of those ironies."

His parents, meanwhile, were at home in Downing Street, and beginning to
get worried. The Prime Minister, who was working on a speech he was due
to give this afternoon to a religious group in Brighton, knew he had
gone out but started to be concerned when he did not return home.

At the police station Euan was questioned by officers, and decided to
give the false name of Euan John, as well as an out-of-date address and
a date of birth which would have made him 18.

Police then searched him and discovered his true identity. They
immediately called the Special Branch at Number 10 and officers from
Downing Street went to the police station and confirmed his identity.

It was only then that the Blairs were told what had happened to Euan.
The police drove him home at 2am.

Euan Blair did not go to school today. He will, at some point in the
future, have to return to Charing Cross.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "The youth will return to Charing
Cross police station at an appropriate time to be dealt with in line
with Metropolitan youth justice procedures."


http://www.post-gazette.com/magazine/20000706beercup2.asp

Local brewers bring home medals from World Beer Cup

- July 06, 2000, By Bob Batz Jr., Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Pittsburgh no longer makes enough steel to proclaim itself to the world
as the Steel City. How about, for this century, we dub it the Dark Beer City?

Pittsburgh brewers won not one but two medals in the dark beer category
at the prestigious 2000 World Beer Cup International Competition, which
pitted them against 369 other brewers from 38 other countries.

The biannual beer contest attracted 1,127 entries, which were judged in
64 different styles. In the European-Style Dark/Munch-ner Dunkel
category, there were 19 entries and, appropriately, a German winner --
for the silver medal (Brauerei Aying, near Munich).

But the gold medal -- for the "world-class beer that accurately
exemplifies the specified style" -- went to Penn Dark, made by the
Pennsylvania Brewing Co. in Pittsburgh's once-Germanic neighborhood at
the base of Troy Hill.

The bronze medal went to the Pious Monk Dunkel, made by the Church Brew
Works, the brewpub/restaurant in a former Irish Catholic church in
Lawrenceville. Both brewers, and in fact both brews, have won other awards,
including
gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival. But in beer, as in
soccer, the World Cup is the biggie -- the self-styled brewing Olympics.

"We're just so flattered," says Penn Brewery owner Tom Pastorius, who is
especially proud to have bested a respected German brewery at its own
game.

The Church's head brewer, Bryan Pearson, is just as pleased: "I don't
mind at all being classed in the same group as the Ayinger brewery."

Both brewers will do a little marketing bragging about their "world's
best" beers. Meanwhile, as Pastorius put it, "We better get ready and
make a lot more."

The World Beer Cup is sponsored by the U.S.-based Association of
Brewers, which held the first one in Vail, Colo., in 1996. This year's
competition was judged in Milwaukee in April, and the results were
announced in New York last month.

Pennsylvania -- one of 30 states represented -- had a couple of other
winners.

Stoudt's Honey Double Mai Bock from Stoudt's Brewing Co. in Adamstown,
Lancaster County, won a gold for German-Style Helles Bock/Mailbock.

Liebotschaner Cream Ale by the Lion Brewery Inc. in Wilkes-Barre,
Luzerne County, won a bronze for American Lager/Ale or Cream Ale.


http://www.breworld.com/NEWS/COMPANYNEWS/STORIES/12707.htm

Thomas Hardy's Ale Dead?

JULY 5, 2000 - Thomas Hardy's Ale, one of the most sought after strong
ales around, may be history. Phoenix Imports of Ellicott City, Md., which
imports the beer, recently learned that the Thomas Hardy Brewery of
Dorchester, England, ceased production of all Eldridge Pope brands.

Pope began producing the beer in 1968, and it soon became a cult
classic. It was first made at the request of the Thomas Hardy Society to
mark the 40th anniversary of the author's death, and for years was the
strongest regularly brewed beer in the world.

Each vintage was blended from as many as six different brews and
underwent three fermentations. In 1997, Eldridge Pope & Co. sold the Thomas
Hardy Brewery to focus on its pubs and wine imports. In buying the brewery,
former Courage Brewing production director Peter Ward said that his prime
target was to "acquire business from national brewers looking for spare
capacity to cope with peak demand and smaller run length brands..."

Hardy's was one of the small run brands. When Phoenix placed its order
for the 2000 vintage, company president George Saxon was told that
"because of major changes which have taken place within the Eldridge
Pope Management team, Thomas Hardy (Brewery) has ceased production of
their major brands. Therefore, Hardy's Ale is no longer available."

Phoenix has initiated talks with Eldridge Pope, which retains ownership
of the brand, about finding another brewer to produce the beer. Pope has
indicated interest but while talks continue it is obvious there will not
be time to brew a 2000 vintage. "It's rather ironic that The Thomas Hardy
Brewery will not longer produce Thomas Hardy's Ale," Saxon said, "but I can
assure all Hardy's fans that we are making every effort to save this product
from the dustbin of classic English beers."


http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/jul00/econ-edit070100.asp

Will state once again lead?

From the Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin once played a key role in the nation's economy. At various
times, the state was the center of the dairy and brewery industries.
Milwaukee was the nation's tool shop and machine tool maker for the
world. The latest submarines were made in Manitowoc. Parts of the first
atomic bomb were made in West Allis.

That was then; this is now.

As a Journal Sentinel series (The New Economy) points out, Wisconsin has
fallen behind in the scramble for treasures of the new economy, the
high-tech businesses that are shaping much of the nation's prosperity.

An economic summit called for this fall by University of Wisconsin
System leaders is a good start. Allow us to make some suggestions on
what summit members might consider:

* A tax atmosphere more conducive to business start-ups; as part of that,

state officials might want to stop talking about new sales taxes on
e-commerce.
* Local governments that encourage start-ups when they can and get out of

the way at other times. In particular, Milwaukee and Madison need to
think more in terms of cooperation, and everyone needs to look at the
I-94 corridor linking the two as the ideal high-tech zone it could
become.
* Schools that provide the kind of education the new economy requires.

There are other ideas, and there will be more detailed discussion of the
above suggestions.

What's important to note now is that the state is at a crossroads. While
not taking the high-tech road won't leave us with empty towers in a
desolate landscape, there will be consequences. The question people have to ask
themselves is whether they want a state where their kids can choose between
working at Wal-Mart and Noah's Ark, or a state where their kids can work at
Wal-Mart, Noah's Ark or the latest hot dot-com.

http://news.excite.com/news/ap/000704/01/farm-scene

Ga Peanut Crop Smallest in 18

ELLIOTT MINOR, Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, Ga. (AP) - Georgia farmers, hit by drought, cheap imports and
low commodity prices, are looking to harvest their smallest peanut crop
since 1982.

"At planting time we just didn't have many opportunities," Don Koehler,
executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission, said Monday. "They
chose to do something different with their land resources."

Growers planted 510,000 acres of peanuts, 36,000 fewer than last year
and 30,000 fewer than in 1998, according to a survey by the Georgia
Agricultural Statistics Service.

Georgia produces almost half the nation's domestic peanut supplies, much
of it for peanut butter.

Growers are expected to harvest from about 507,000 acres, but Koehler
said that acreage could be less because of a third straight summer of
drought.

Prices on the world market, where U.S. peanuts have to compete with
lower-priced peanuts from China and Argentina, have plunged in recent
years. Domestically, 180,000 tons of U.S.-grown peanuts have been
displaced by foreign peanuts after trade agreements opened previously
closed American markets.

Koehler said Georgia's 2000 peanut crop may be worth less than $400
million, a plunge that will have a major economic affect on 70 south
Georgia counties where peanuts are grown.

---


J2jurado

unread,
Jul 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/8/00
to
I was shocked today to see a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, page 7
(July 7)…a flippin’ software/recruiting house use a fabricated brewery name as
a ‘customer reference’, and there’s terrific graphics showing sales before
their software was used, and after. It’s such a stinker of a fabrication, I’ll
take time and transcribe it here…wish I could show everyone the wonderful
graphics and the bottle of "Goldenbru", whose label says the following:

"Goldenbru…

Our Beer brewed in a brewery

Special Lager Goldenbru

One fine drinking lager, made with drinking in mind"

Top of ad is a huge quote with a photo of the Brewmaster:
"Nobody spends more time harvesting wheat, selecting hops and rolling in the
dough." – Dan Hardie, 3rd Generation Brewmaster

Copy: " I remember standing in the middle of my granddaddy’s wheat field when
he taught me his rules for brewing the perfect beer. "One," he said, "never
skimp on ingredients. And two,"

Big banner quote next:
-------------------
In business since 1957. Filthy stinkin’ rich since 1998
-------------------
"…well, he never did get around to two before John Herman ran him down with
that big Combine of his. In time, the people of Goldenbru learned to view the
accident as a blessing in disguise. See, Grandaddy knew tons about brewing, but
he knew diddly about things like outsourcing, e-commerce and workforce
management. So when I inherited the company, I made sure to hire SPHERION.
They’re not like those typical consultants….And every time we open a new
brewery, SPHERION is there to bring in a fresh crop. Of people, that is. Upper
management. Engineers. Legal, you name it. They even created software that does
all our screening and recruiting on line. Thanks to SPHERION, I can spend more
time doing what I love. Like studying the subtle differences in amber hues and
hanging around with the boys around the conditioning tank listening to Dave the
brew taster try and put a complete sentence together…

Big banner quote next:
-------------------
My grandaddy used to say, "A Goldenbru is only as good as the people behind
it." He was right. Before SPHERION started doing our recruiting, you could
barely drink the stuff.

www.spherion.com


http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-000987.html

Hops top-selling brewpub chain

Brew Brothers in Nevada remains No. 1 producing brewpub
JUNE 27, 2000 - The Hops, Bar & Brewery chain passed Rock Bottom
Restaurants to become the largest-selling brewpub group in the United
States, according to figures compiled by the Institute for Brewing
Studies.

Hops, which now operates more than 70 pubs, estimated selling 37,500
barrels of beer in 1999, compared to 33,500 by Rock Bottom.

Brew Brothers in Reno, Nev., remained the highest-selling single-site
brewpub in the U.S. with sales of 5,240 barrels.

According to IBS figures, as of June 12, the total number of brewpubs
operating in the U.S. reached 1,021. The brewpub industry reached this
mark despite a decrease in the number of new openings, from 149 in 1998
to 122 in 1999. The number of closings decreased as well, from 79 in
1998 to 68 in 1999.

"Basically, these slowed closing and opening rates indicate the
stabilization of the market as more veterans remain in the industry,
fewer unsuccessful participants are forced to drop out, and fewer
newcomers attempt to enter the industry," said David Edgar, director of
the Institute for Brewing Studies, "That notwithstanding, the strong
growth opportunities in craft brewing are now clearly located in
brewpubs."

1999 U.S. Top Ten Individual Brewpubs
(Measured by total volume of beer sold.)

Company 1999 Sales % change
1. Brew Brothers/Eldorado Hotel and Casino (NV) 5,240 -14
2. Wynkoop Brewing Co. (CO) 4,047 +2
3. Monte Carlo Pub and Brewery (NV) 3,500 +9
4. Big Buck Brewery, Auburn Hills (MI) 2,753 -16
5. Marin Brewing Co. (CA) 2,710 +9
6. Boston Beer Works (MA) 2,683 +2
7. Rock Bottom Brewery-Denver (CO) 2,644 -6
8. Bluegrass Brewing Co. (KY) 2,500 +6
9. Eel River Brewing Co. (CA) 2,500 N/A
10. Elysian Brewing Co. (WA) 2,350 +9

1999 U.S. Top 5 Brewpub Groups
(Measured by total volume of beer sold; does not include production-only
breweries.)

Company Sales % change Stores Change
1. Hops Restaurant, Bar, Brewery 37,741 +33 64 +16
2. Rock Bottom Restaurants (a) 33,589 +13 26 +2
3. McMenamin's Breweries 20,808 -1 22 +2
4. RAM Int'l/Bighorn/Humperdinks (b) 13,840 +13 17 0
5. Gordon Biersch 13,572 +37 12 +2
* Excluding non-brewing restaurants

(a) Including Walnut Brewery and 'Chop House and Brewery' (Cleveland,
Denver and District) operations
(b) Including C.B. & Potts/Bighorn Brewing Co., Humperdinks/Big Horn
Brewing Co. and C.I. Shenanigans
(c) Includes Rock Bottom Breweries of Charlotte and Atlanta, A1A
Alehouse, Ragtime Tavern and Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery


http://www.beer.com/news/bee/bee/2000/06/27/962133206950.html

Masato and the forest spirits...

ALAN D. EAMES ,beer.com

In the lost places of this ever shrinking world, the women follow their
goddesses in the crafting of a rainbow of brews that inspire drinkers in
a dizzy dance with the female spirits of creation. In some realms,
however, there are no gods...no goddesses...only spirits and heroes. In
the vast areas of Amazonia, the brewsters of scores of tribes have no
notion of god - not even a female one. Rather, spirits are everywhere
and all controlling of the affairs of mankind including the sacred,
woman's task of beer-making. And in this rain forest of endless green
with snaking, brown, muddy rivers, the beer of the Indian has always
been masato - gift of female spirits to the living daughters of men.

You see it first from the air. After an hour's bone-rattling journey in
the bush plane, about the time your fear of death in a crash is replaced
by the total discomfort of the cramped, fume-filled cabin, the pilot
spears his finger downwards, jabbing towards a clearing in the endless
green monotony below. I see a clearing not far from the tea-colored
river that winds its way to the horizon. As we circle, tiny figures
emerge from forest shadows looking skyward, the hands of these toy-like
figures raised in salute, shading their eyes as we fly at them out of
the sun's glare. Little figures scurry about below as we drop to
tree-top level for another look at these Stone Age farmers. "Manioc
fields," my pilot roars above the din of this horror of an airplane,
where I sit Buddha-like, surrounded by blue exhaust that is quickly
making me sick. Manioc, I think to myself. The stuff of beer. Perhaps
the oldest of all beers as well as the source for most of the diet of
those Indians down below.

Days later, by boat and foot, we return to this village to offer gifts
and to drink the Indian's ancient brew.

The imagination of mankind needs more to dream about than a walk on the
moon. Once, the jungles of South America and its hidden tribes and
animals - legends of lost cities, head-shrinking hostiles and all the
rest of the "Green Hell" imagery of storybooks - provided the locale
careworn city dwellers mused about running away to. Sadly, all the
customs and cultures of jungle beer-makers is going, going...nearly
gone. In a few places, glimpses may yet be had of the old ways but as I
was to sit with Indians drinking their wonderful, heady beers, I would
inwardly cringe at the "Michael Jackson World Tour" T-shirt across the
way. It seems not a single tribe has managed to escape the most vapid of
our world's cultural trash.

Along with chicha [corn beer], masato is the oldest style of brew known.
Archaeologists have traced complex farming of fermentable grains and
tubers dating back 10,000 years in the Amazon basin, placing Latin
America neck and neck with Africa as the possible birthplace of beer.
Manioc, that source of every kid's dessert nightmare - tapioca - is no
stranger to the beers of the Western world. World War II grain shortages
introduced manioc to a generation of English ale drinkers who, not
knowing, never noticed this ancient brewing ingredient.

Masato beer comes in a rainbow of colors: milky white, amber, brown,
yellow and even bluish-white, depending on the techniques employed by
individual brewsters. Usually of 2 to 5% alcohol by volume, some masato
- buried under floors of long houses and left for years to fester -
achieves a skull-popping 14% alcohol strength...the highest obtainable
with ambient yeasts.

The manioc plant [also called cassava or yucca] is the tuber Manihot
Esculenta, a starchy root supporting a 10-foot high plant that comes in
a sweet as well as bitter variety. Eaten like a potato, made into flour,
or prepared in dozens of ways, the skin of the manioc tuber is very rich
in prussic acid. One of creation's deadlier poisons, prussic acid must
be removed from this plant native to South America.

As bread or beer, the beginnings are the same. Clearing the rain forest
is men's work. After that, women take over completely. Bent over in the
sun, tribal women plant cuttings into holes made with pointed sticks.
When planting is done, some groups place spirit stones along garden
borders to protect the crop from everything from evil spirits to wild
animals. During the eight-month growing season, the brewsters tend the
garden, endlessly weeding the rows of plants. One group, the Barasana,
blame the weeds on men. According to legend, women at the dawn of time
told their husbands to keep the hell away from the manioc fields. Men,
being men, had to peek to find out the secret of where beer came from.
Their spying provoked the spirits to introduce weeds into the fields -
and thus into the world at large.

Through Indian eyes, a manioc field is a special, feminine place. A
woman in the manioc field cannot be pursued there by men. Some brewsters
choose to birth their babies there, as the manioc spirit is kindly. The
women's fields are sacred enough to add spice to any sexual encounter -
married or unmarried - such that manioc fields are a kind of "lovers'
lane" of the jungle.

Once harvested, the poison is removed from the peel either by soaking,
peeling or scrubbing with a grater. Boiling removes the poison entirely.
However, if the peel is soaked, the poison can be saved by mixing the
liquid with chili peppers to make a kind of Tabasco sauce. It can then
be used to kill fish or remove tics from dogs and people.

In beer making, masticated [chewed] manioc is spit into a beer pot. The
enzyme pytalin in human saliva converts starch into fermentable sugar.
Another method calls for leaving damp tubers in a cool, shady place
until covered with mold. Beer pots [depending on the tribe] range from
the small [2-6 gallon] to 30 gallon size and larger. If even greater
amounts of brew are contemplated, a canoe is scrubbed and used as a
fermenting vessel. Ambient, airborne yeast infects the mash and
fermentation begins.

Some cultures won't allow a beer-making brewster to engage in sex during
the brewing cycle. Masato beer is made to be drunk...all of it. For most
"pristine' Indian groups, women make beer, serve beer, supervise the
men, hide weapons, but seldom get drunk themselves. Social beer drinking
is in every sense, a beer orgy. The men drink till every drop is gone.
Bloated with brew, the men puke where they sit, making room for still
more beer. Native narcotics are further employed - sometimes added to
the beer or nibbled as an appetizer. Foggy headed drinkers clear their
heads during beer-bashes by snorting pepper sauce up their noses while
the vomit stick (spatula) empties the gut in preparation for further
drinking.

Tasting from the tart and sour to the faintly sweet with a hint of
raisins in the aftertaste, masato's flavors are as varied as the
numberless tribes that brew this most ancient of beers. It would be a
great mistake to assume that primitive, prototypical beers must somehow
taste awful. In spite of particulate matter floating about inside and
the variability of taste and quality, the best masato beers rival and
remind the western drinker of the beers of Belgium.

It is only a matter of time before masato and the peoples who brew them
have disappeared. Under pressure from our world, the old ways will soon
survive only in the dusty pages of obscure anthropological journals,
but, for a beer drinker, there is nothing to compare with the experience
of sitting with forest people at twilight deep within the jungle canopy
drinking ancient beer and listening - perhaps for the last time - to the
tribal tales and stories. This, then, was how it all began.


http://www.jsonline.com/enter/planit/jul00/beer07070600.asp

ON WISCONSIN : JS ONLINE : ENTERTAINMENT : DAILY PLAN IT : E-MAIL | PRINT
THIS STORY

Beer here! Things are really hoppin' at area's microbreweries and brew pubs

By Kathy Flanigan of the Journal Sentinel staff, July 7, 2000

One brewery and two brew pubs are featured in the summertime Weekend
Brewery Tour, a water-guided jaunt to beer places along the river.
Transportation for the three-hour tour (just try saying that without
humming a certain TV show theme song) is aboard a 44-passenger pontoon
boat called "The Brew City Queen." Tours begin at 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
at Lakefront Brewery, 1872 N. Commerce St., then head down the Milwaukee River
to Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, 740 N. Plankinton Ave., and the
Milwaukee Ale
House, 233 N. Water St.

Tour times are staggered, and patrons can determine at which
establishment they wish to start. The cost is $12, plus $3 for the
Lakefront Brewery bottomless glass tastings. Reservations are required;
call (414) 283-9999. Thinking big? Try the Miller tour

If you want to see how a big beer is brewed, it's Miller Time. The Miller
Brewing Co. offers free guided indoor/outdoor walking tours that include a
theater presentation, a visit to the packaging and shipping centers and a look
at the brew house as well as the historic
Caves museum.

The Visitor Center & Gift Shop, 4251 W. State St., is open from 10 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Tours are held between 11 a.m. and
3:30 p.m. and last about 90 minutes.

Product samples, the important part, are served in the Bavarian-style
Miller Inn or the seasonal outdoor beer garden. Visitors receive three
samples of Miller beer.

The tours cover four blocks both inside and outside, and visitors must
be prepared to climb 30 stairs. Children are allowed on the tour with an
adult. Strollers are not allowed.

Reservations are required for groups of 15 or more but are not accepted
on Saturdays. Call (414) 931-2337 or (800) 944-5483, or visit
www.millerbrewing.com.

It's summer. It's hot. And you're stopped on the street by some tourists
in search of a brewery. This is Brew City, after all.

You could aim them toward Miller Brewing Co., which hosts a fine but
somewhat impersonal tour of the brewing process for its many adult
beverages.

Or you could speak like a micro-brew-loving native and give specific
directions by land and by water to nearly a dozen small breweries and
brew pubs that quench the thirst of the four-county area.

Talking beer with people who really love it is fun. It's educational. And you
get to meet actual brewmasters, the chefs who craft lagers and ales.

The following is a list of brewery tours and brew pubs. So the next time
some guy in black socks and Birkenstock sandals taps you on the shoulder
looking for the brewery where Laverne and Shirley worked in some
fictional TV series from the 1970s, you'll be able to set him straight
and send him back home happy - all the while knowing you've done your
best to be a Milwaukee ambassador of beer.

Bottoms up.

MICROBREWERIES VS. BREW PUBS. IT'S BEER. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

By common definition, a microbrewery produces up to 15,000 barrels of
beer a year (a barrel is 31 gallons). A microbrewery will contain all
the tools for crafting beer along with a bottling and distribution
center as opposed to a brew pub, which makes beer in-house but, for the
most part, sells it on the premises.

They both serve beer. Typically, visitors pay a nominal fee to tour a
microbrewery in return for tickets that promise free beer during or
after the tour. At a brew pub, you can order a pint of your favorite or
pay a set price for 4- or 5-ounce samples of several kinds of beer made
at the pub. Food is almost always a feature of a brew pub.

BREWERIES

Sprecher Brewing, 701 W. Glendale Ave. (414) 964-2739 or
www.sprecherbrewery.com

Tours: 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Saturdays (summer
hours). Admission is $2. Visitors get four tickets to taste beers.
Reservations are required. Tours last about one hour.

Started by former Pabst supervisor Randal Sprecher in 1985, this is the
granddaddy of Milwaukee's microbreweries, producing 14,000 barrels of
beer and 28,000 barrels of soda a year. Tours begin in the brew house
under the direction of Michael Zirbel, who walks a tour group of about
40 people into a room overwhelmed by what look like giant silos. They
are the vessels for the separate steps in brewing beer, from mashing the
barley malt to fermentation.

"Beer is a food product made by what is essentially a chef," says Zirbel
as he passes around steins of malt barley and pelletized hops to smell.

Among his points: Beer is basically malt barley, hops, yeast and water.
Timing, blending and yeast makes each beer unique. For instance,
Sprecher uses 15 different roasts of the barley malt, from light to
dark, that give beer flavors from caramel to coffee.

It takes 2,000 pounds of barley malt to make one 40-barrel batch of
beer.

The next stop is the cooler for the tanks fermenting beer. After that,
it's the bottling line that sits just below a mural of Bavaria, which
Sprecher says influenced his beer career. Zirbel uses this spot to
explain sanitation, filtration and carbonation as necessary steps in
brewing. He points to a corner where kegs are stacked.

"We don't have a shiny, fancy keg-filling machine," Zirbel says. "We use
a human."

About 45 minutes after his talk begins, Zirbel guides everyone to the
tasting room, a picnic area fashioned under an indoor beer tent. He
recommends tasting the 7-ounce samples as they are listed on the chart
near the bar. "The list is put in a drinking order from top to bottom to
give an accurate flavor of each beer as you try them," he says.

The brewery is working on adding a museum of beer artifacts to the tour.

Sprecher makes five year-round beers; six seasonal beers; and six sodas.

Lakefront Brewery, 1872 N. Commerce St., (414) 372-8800.
www.lakefrontbrewery.com

Tours: 3:30 p.m. Fridays; 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Saturdays and
Sundays. Tours last about one hour. Admission is $5; $2 for non-drinkers
who want to taste the brewery's sodas.

Brothers Russ and Jim Klisch started the brewery in 1987 when they
brewed 60 barrels of beer at their Riverwest location. In 1998, the
siblings moved the brewery to Commerce Street near the remains of the
famous Beer Line, the railroad that took raw materials to the Milwaukee
brewing giants and beer out to a thirsty world. Today, they use trucks
and produce more than 3,400 barrels a year.

Visitors to Lakefront are greeted with a beer.

"We're different in that we start people off at the tap," says Jim
Klisch. "We all have gone on brewery tours. We know why they're here."

Even better, says Russ: "We find that people's attention span is greatly
increased when they have a beer in their hands."

Getting a flavor of what's in store? The Klischs present a relaxed but
thorough look at their brewing business, from the first-step mixing of
barley malt and hot water to the fire-stoked brew house. "Our
pyrotechnics," says Russ.

Catering to a crowd that runs the gamut from home brewers to people who
are just plain thirsty is a tough line to walk. "We try to inject sex
into it, too," says Jim. "It comes in handy when you're talking about
micro-organisms and single-cell reproduction."

Yeast, he's talking about yeast.

Tours are not typically held during brewing, production or bottling.
Instead, visitors are allowed to walk through the process a beer recipe
goes through. See if you can find the tribute to the Three Stooges
within the brewery. Tours begin and end in the tasting room, where your
$5 gets you a glass and tickets for free beer at several places that
sell Lakefront beer. "It's a polite way of kicking people out of here,"
says Russ.

You could taste a while. Lakefront makes 11 kinds of beer including a
potent barley wine, and a maple root beer.

The tasting room also is a place where visitors can pick up souvenirs -
and perhaps even a life partner.

Tim Stadler and pals Joel LaPlount and Shelly Stain were Lakefront
tourists on a spring day in 1994. Sandy Strutt happened to be there,
too, with another group. When the brewery ran out of its Door County
cherry beer, strangers Stadler and Strutt elected to share a bottle. Not
to be outdone, Tim's pals LaPlount and Stain found that as a couple they
had more in common than their mutual friend and beer. The Stadlers wed
in July 1996 and live in Kiel; the LaPlounts married three months later
and live in Germantown. All four make Lakefront an annual spring
pilgrimage.

Harbor City Brewing Co., 535 W. Grand Ave., Port Washington, (262)
284-3118.

Tours: noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment. Tours last about 30
minutes. They're free.

Can a brewery be cute? Yes, it can.

Harbor City took over a small ice cube/block plant in June 1996.
Brewmaster Jim Schueller owns the brewery with his family. The equipment
came from the New Belgium Brewing Co., in Fort Collins, Colo., the
makers of Fat Tire Beer. The owners are Schueller cousins. It's where
Schueller trained to be a brewmaster. It's also where the brewery gets
its essential yeast.

Although there isn't much different to look at - tanks for mixing,
brewing, fermenting - it's obvious that the Schuellers and their only
full-time, non-related employee, Matt Thompson, love the job.

For instance, a visitor might see three generations of Schuellers -
Jim's dad, Jim and a nephew - bottling any of the brewery's four
beers.Four bottles at a time. Labels, designed by artist Bob Stewart,
are even slower. They're placed on new bottles one at a time.

Thompson or a member of the family shows visitors around, pointing out
that even the spent grain doesn't go to waste. Spent grain is what is
left after hot water is added and wort - the sweet liquid that becomes
beer - is moved to the brew kettle. A local farmer picks up the
oatmeal-like substance and feeds it to his livestock.

Because the brewery is so small, visitors during raspberry season might
get a glimpse of the brewmaster scooping 400 pounds of fresh berries
into a giant tank of beer. You can also sample the Raspberry ale.

Or you can wait until the end of the tour and sit in the brewery's
outdoor patio to have the beverages - Mile Rock amber ale, Harvest
Wheat, Raspberry brown ale or Main Street brown ale.

Harbor City recently began selling its beers in southeastern Wisconsin.
Their brew goal is 2,000 barrels.

Watson Brewing Co., 223 Maple Ave., Waukesha, (262) 896-7766.

Tours: Held one Saturday a month; call for an appointment. Admission is
$3. Tours last about one hour.

Dale Johnson calls himself a downsized executive. The former machinery
broker and his girlfriend, Joan Bjork, own the relatively young brewery
in the historic Fox Head Brewery building. The couple bought the
business a little over a year ago, including the recipes of the previous
owners, who opened the brewery in 1996 as RWS Brewing Co.

"Anybody wants to see the brewery, I'm the first guy to talk to you,"
Johnson says. Indeed, his cluttered office is the first stop on the
tour. After that, he takes visitors down a long hallway and into the
basement of the brick building. There he points to a 1,000-foot tunnel
that he says was built when Al Capone owned the building. It provided
not only a means of escape for gangster Capone, he says, but also a
sneaky method of distributing beer in Waukesha during Prohibition.

Watson brews 40barrels of seven kinds of beer each month in three small
rooms in the basement. He points out each piece of equipment; if you
want, Johnson will pour you a cold one for your journey.

The tasting room doubles as the bottling room; it's also where visitors
can purchase souvenirs. The thing to know about Watson brews is that
they are high-alcohol beers. Johnson's brewmaster, Andy Lodo, recently
tweaked down the alcohol of Lake Country Gold to 4.5%. Others in their
inventory run between 6% and 10%.

BREW PUBS

Water Street Brewery, 1101 N. Water St., (414) 272-1195 or (
www.waterstreetbrewery.com)

Water Street Lake Country Brewery, 3191 Golf Road, Delafield, (262)
646-7878.

There really are 100 bottles of beer on the wall. All full. And all
collected from microbreweries across the country. It's part of the beer
memorabilia at Water Street Brewery, which was, officially, the first
contemporary brew pub in the city and probably one of the first 50 in
the country, says owner R.C. Schmidt. That was 1987. In 2000, Water
Street Brewery finds itself in the position of being the old guy on the
block - and with this year's opening of the Lake Country restaurant in
Delafield, it's also one of the new guys.

There are no prearranged tour times at Water Street. If brewmaster
George Bluvas III is around, he'll give a tour for one person or 50. Any
chance to talk beer, Bluvas admits.

Bluvas, for instance, doesn't care if you know the difference between an
ale and a lager - an ale is hearty, fruitier and brewed at 65 degrees,
while a lager is smooth and mellow and brewed at about 50 degrees -
because he'll explain it all. Hefe Weiss is an ale made with wheat malt,
and it's always on the menu of eight beers drawn because it fits with
the German theme that is Milwaukee.

There is a lot of history to breweries and brew pubs, and while many
brewmasters tend to be engineers, they're also historians. Bluvas, who
has degrees in fine arts and chemistry, explains that a growler, the big
bottles with screw-on tops sold by brew pubs, are named for the buckets
of beer once given to factory workers before their stomachs began to
growl from hunger.

A sampler plate of Water Street's sixbeers - lagers and ales - is $4.50
and comes in a wood paddle. That includes a sheet that explains the
brewing process. There also are two seasonal choices available. If you
don't drink beer, Water Street brews its own root beer.

Milwaukee Ale House 233 N. Water St., (414) 226-2337.

You couldn't make up the history behind the names of beer at the
Milwaukee Ale House, say co-owners Mike Bieser and Jim McCabe. In 1886,
Bieser's great-great Uncle Louie was cracked over the head with a beer
glass and killed. His legacy is a rich and malty amber ale called
Louie's Demise.

Folklore and a picture-window view of the brewing equipment are two
hallmarks of the Third Ward brew pub, now in its third year. Bieser and
McCabe, onetime home brewers, leave the mixing to brewmaster Jim Olen
and his assistant, Rob Morton, a Culinary Institute-trained chef. The
tours, which they sometimes give, are "pretty casual."

The Ale House is on the Brew City pontoon boat tour each weekend. Morton
greets visitors at a dock outside the Ale House patio before bringing
them inside and explaining the brewing process.

Afterward, they're seated at a table in the front of the restaurant and
Morton pours 5-ounce samples of the brew pub's standard flavors and
seasonal offerings such as Hefe Weiss.

The Ale House brewed 1,300 barrels last year. Bieser and McCabe expect
that number to rise as they grow outside the brewery. Ten other bars,
restaurants and one movie theater have Ale House beer on tap.

Brewmaster Olen offers "Beer School," a craft-beer sampling session held
at 6 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month.

Delafield Brewhaus, 3832 Hillside Drive, Delafield, (262) 646-7821. (
www.delafield-brewhaus.com)

There are no tours at this year-old brewhaus. What you see is what you
drink. And you can see the brewery big as life when you walk in the door
of the airy restaurant. That's exactly what brewmaster John Harrison
envisioned.

"I wanted the brewery very present," says Harrison. "I wanted the
brewery in your face."

There may not be tours, but the brewhaus doesn't leave anyone out in the
unfiltered cold. The brewing process is explained in great detail on
place mats. Numbers for each piece of equipment in the center of the
room help walk patrons through the process. A second place mat, with
coaster-sized spots for 4-ounce samplers, gives detail and description
on each of the brewhaus' eight beers. There are more, usually nine or 10
on tap, depending on the season. There also is a selection of
home-brewed sodas. Samples are $1 each.

Port Washington Brewing Co., 100 W. Franklin Drive, Port Washington,
(262) 377-2337.

It's a one-man show at the brewery located inside the Smith Bros. Fish
Restaurant. Jeff Kolar is the brewmaster at Port Washington, mixing up
600 barrels of brew in a year.

Visitors can see gleaming 20-barrel fermenters in the front window of
the restaurant.

Kolar, like a lot of brewmasters, is a former engineer who thinks of
brewing as a culinary event.

"I've been brewing for more than 10 years. After a while, you just know
what grains are going to give you what flavors," Kolar says.

He'll give tours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; for a
weekend tour, call in advance. Otherwise, you're welcome to look over
his beer artifacts on a display case in the restaurant and do your own
sampling. A $3.50 sampler platter includes tastes of whatever happens to
be on tap. Throughout the year there are 12 different beers and a root
beer.

Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, 740 N. Plankinton Ave., (414)
276-3030.

Rock Bottom boasts that it has the biggest outdoor cafe on the
RiverWalk. Not bad for the 3-year-old restaurant/brew pub brought to
Milwaukee by a chain based in Boulder, Colo.

If brewmaster Andy Briggs isn't around, you can take your own tour of
the brew pub - the grain silo is outside; the brew house is at one end
of the restaurant, and the fermentation tanks are behind glass behind
the upstairs bar.

Visitors can get six 4-ounce samples of beer for $4.80: a light beer, a
pale ale, a red, a brown, a stout and a specialty beer that changes
every three to five weeks. There also is a root beer, but one can't get
away from beer here: About 35% of Rock Bottom's menu includes beer. Even
the pizza crust has beer in it.

Stout Bros. Public House, 777 N. Water St., (414) 273-1080.

Dave and Bob Leszczynski found success with their Water Street night
spots O'Danny's Pub and the Oak Barrel. A brew pub was the next logical
step. So they hired Al Bundy (really) to be their brewmaster and built a
restaurant and pub around the area where he makes six full-time beers
and one specialty one.

They built condominiums above and since it was all across the street
from City Hall, they called it a Public House. And since Leszczynski
wouldn't fit on the sign, they made it Stout Bros.

Stout Bros. Public House opened its doors on June 9. Group tour times
haven't been scheduled yet, but the brothers do offer a $5.50 beer
sampler plate featuring six 6-ounce glasses of the beers on tap,
including seasonal beers when available.


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ive=true&tagid=ZZZB2FVYA0C&subheading=consumer+goods


Welsh brewery tackles imports

July 5 2000 - The first new Welsh brewery to produce cask conditioned ales for
80
years opened on Wednesday in a backlash against "bland, expensive
imported beer".

The plant in Swansea, unveiled by Rhodri Morgan, first secretary of
Wales, is part of an expansion plan by Simon Buckley, managing director
of Tomos Watkin.

Mr Buckley, a brewing veteran, made an unsuccessful £68m takeover bid
last year for SA Brain in Cardiff, the only substantial Welsh brewing
company to have survived industry consolidation.

After that venture failed, Mr Buckley decided to transform Tomos Watkin,
a small 200-year old company from Carmarthenshire, into a bigger
participant.

The company, which last year had three pubs and a microbrewery, has
raised £10m to set up the Swansea brewery and buy 60 pubs in Wales over
four years.

In the Victorian era, there were 15 breweries in Swansea alone, but the
last one shut down 40 years ago. The last big brewery to open in Wales
was the United Club Brewery at Pontclun in 1921.

The Tomos Watkin brewery will eventually employ 150 and produce more
than 4m pints of beer a year.

Mr Buckley said: "Why should our nation consume millions of gallons of
bland, expensive imported beer each year when we have better,
value-for-money product here in Wales?"

Iain Loe, research manager for Camra, the ale buffs group, said: "Tomos
Watkin are very ambitious, they are looking to establish themselves as a
regional player, while elsewhere in Wales it is mainly microbreweries
struggling to get their beers into Welsh pubs."

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/8/00
to
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Chilean Coca Cola bottler sells beer assets

07/07/00

SANTIAGO, July 7 (Reuters) - Chilean bottler Embotelladoras Coca-Coca Polar

, which has one of three licenses to produce Coca-Cola products in Chile,

said on Friday it sold its beer assets to Inversiones Torres del Paine as

part of its strategy to focus on nonalcoholic beverages.

"The deal means a profit of about $500,000 for Embotelladoras Coca-Cola

Polar. The amount will be reflected in the company's results in 2000," it

said in a statement to state-run securities regulators.

Polar announced last month that it would sell its assets in the beer

business to obtain money to build a new soft drinks plant in the southern

city of Punta Arenas, 1,400 miles (2,300 km) south of Santiago.

Officials at Polar were not immediately available for comment.

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UPDATE 2-Allied Domecq may face rival for Seagram spirits

07/07/00

By Sophy Tonder and Alexander Smith


LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - Britain's Allied Domecq may face a rival bid from

Pernod-Ricard SA and U.S. private equity group Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst for

the spirits business of Seagram Co Ltd , bankers said on Friday.

Allied Domecq is seeking a loan of more than 4.0 billion euros ($3.8

billion) to support its widely-expected bid for Seagram's spirits arm,

although it has yet to enter formal talks with the Canadian group, an

industry source told Reuters.


Seagram has said it will sell its spirits arm as a result of its

recently-announced $34 billion all-share merger with France's Vivendi .

While it is keen to make sure it has the necessary fire-power for a bid,

Allied Domecq has not yet held any detailed talks with Seagram over an offer

for its spirits business, the industry source said.


"They (Allied Domecq) are not in negotiations or discussions with Seagram.

Seagram is not rushing to have those talks, it is still working on its

merger with Vivendi," the source said. Pernod-Ricard and Hicks, Muse have also
approached banks to provide financing for a bid of their own, the bankers said.


Seagram's spirits brands -- which are estimated to be worth some $7.0

billion -- include Chivas Regal scotch and Absolut vodka and Allied Domecq

has been working on plans to add these to its Ballantine's scotch and

Beefeater gin.


Bankers said that Pernod, with a market capitalisation of just 3.2 billion

euros, could not afford to mount a solo bid but that an alliance with Hicks

Muse would give it the financial firepower to compete.


PERNOD RULES NOTHING OUT


Pernod-Ricard, which also owns vodka, whisky and rum brands, including

Jameson Irish Whiskey and Wild Turkey Bourbon, refused to comment on whether

it was considering a bid with Dallas-based Hicks, Muse but said that nothing

had been ruled out. "It is true that Seagram as a whole is a bit too big for
us and they have a lot of beautiful brands that we would be interested in," a
Paris-based spokesman said. "We have not ruled anything out, it is never too
early to talk, I don't see why we should wait (for the Seagram-Vivendi merger
to complete)," he added.


A London-based spokeswoman for Hicks, Muse, which last year bought Seagram's

Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagne brands for around $310 million, refused to

comment on a possible offer for the business.


An Allied Domecq spokesman also declined to comment on whether it would bid

or was raising a loan. Bankers warned that Pernod-Ricard would have to move
quickly to avoid Allied Domecq, which they said had retained U.S. investment
bank Goldman Sachs as its adviser on the bid, stealing an edge.

"They are talking to us but as usual they are extremely cautious," a

European banker said.


In June 1999, Pernod's cautious approach cost it dearly after it moved too

slowly on plans to bid for Allied Domecq's spirits arm -- before speculation

drove the Allied share price beyond Pernod's reach, the banker added.

The French company had lined up a three billion pound loan with its banks to

finance that Allied bid, but the financing fell through when Pernod failed

to move. (Additional reporting by Alexander Smith)

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Blair's Teen-age Son Reprimanded

By SUE LEEMAN, Associated Press Writer 07/07/00

LONDON (AP) -- Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife took their son Euan to

a London police station Friday, where the 16-year-old received an official

reprimand for a bout of public drunkenness. The reprimand was the least of
three possible punishments for Euan, who was arrested late Wednesday, drunk and
vomiting in Leicester Square after celebrating the end of his school exams.

The teen-ager went with his parents to Kennington police station in south

London to learn his punishment -- avoiding the large media crowd gathered at

the central London station where he had been expected to appear.

A police reprimand can only be given to juveniles with no previous

convictions. If another offense follows a reprimand, the juvenile receives a

warning. If further offenses are committed, prosecution usually will follow.

Blair's 10 Downing St. office said that change of location for the

appearance was made for reasons of privacy and emphasized it did not

constitute special treatment for the prime minister, but a choice available

to others. The Blairs "don't wish to turn this into a public event. There is a

legitimate line to be drawn in being candid and open in the way we were

yesterday ... and the legitimate desire for privacy for the children,''

Blair's spokesman, Alastair Campbell, said earlier.

But that didn't prevent newspapers from adding to Euan's headache.


"Don't know about you, Euan, but I could use a drink,'' joked the caption

beneath a file picture of father and son plastered across the front page of

the Sun tabloid Friday. Other tabloids, too, devoted Page 1 and ensuing chunks
of space to the news. Serious papers and TV stations also ran the story
prominently.


But there was some sympathy for the Blairs' eldest child, who had misjudged

his capacity for alcohol -- and who already had apologized via his father's

office for causing offense.


"Cheer up Euan, we've all been there,'' counseled The Mirror's headline,

although it continued, mischievously, "now get to the cashpoint (cash

machine) and pay your 100 pounds, there's a good lad,'' a reference to

Blair's unpopular proposal last week to issue on-the-spot fines to violent

drunks.


"Remember Euan, this is politics, and your dad won't be there forever,''

added Carol Thatcher comfortingly a few pages on. And she should know: She

was 20 years old when her mother Margaret became prime minister in 1979.

The incident came at a difficult time for Blair, with his government facing

opposition grousing over failing to deal with football hooligans and

internal divisions over whether Britain should join the single European

currency.


Blair was visibly upset when he took part in a question-and-answer session

Thursday evening on the British Broadcasting Corp.


"I think if anyone breaks the law, they should suffer the penalty of the

law, whether they are my son or anyone else's son,'' he told questioners

from the studio audience. To warm applause, the prime minister conceded, "It's
not been the greatest day, let's put it like that, but my son is basically a
good kid and we will get through this.''


Blair said he believed his son originally gave police a false name and

provided an old address and a false birthdate to indicate he was of the

legal drinking age because he wanted to spare his parents embarrassment.

The Blairs have gone to great lengths to protect the privacy of Euan, Nicky,

14, Kathryn, 12, and baby Leo, born May 20, all of whom are shielded under

Press Complaints Commission guidelines governing minors.


http://www.healthcentral.com/peoplespharmacy/PharmFullText.cfm?id=20649

Herb Library - Hops, Humulus lupulus

Hops have been used to flavor beer for nearly a thousand years. This plant,

a member of the same family as marijuana, is cultivated commercially in

England, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the United States, as well as

parts of South America and Australia.


The part of the plant used, the cone-like fruits (technically "strobiles")

called hops, are harvested in September, at least in the northern

hemisphere.


Early medicinal uses of hops came from observation of the pickers. They were

said to tire quickly, so the plant was believed to have sedative activity.

The hops were sometimes placed in a pillow to improve sleep. In addition,

they have been used to treat a variety of skin conditions.

Some of the folklore surrounding hops pickers suggests that the women are

more interested in sex and the men less. This has been interpreted to

suggest that hops may have estrogenic activity.


Active Ingredients

The bitter principle humulone is the most important ingredient in brewing

beer. Hops contain approximately 1 percent of a volatile oil and one hundred
other

compounds including several polyphenols, tannins, and flavonoids. The specific
composition differs from one variety of H. lupulus to another. Many of these
compounds break down quickly when exposed to light or air. Uses Scientists
have recently isolated an ingredient in hops that might account for their mild
sedative properties. In Europe, many herbal medicines include hops in a
combination designed to promote sleep or relieve anxiety and stress.


Hops extracts are also used to pep up the appetite and stimulate gastric

juice secretion. The extracts can calm smooth muscle spasm, which would

explain the traditional use of hops to treat intestinal cramps and menstrual

pain. Recent studies demonstrate that some chemicals in hops bind to estrogen

receptors in the test tube. Hops did not stimulate the growth of rat uterine

tissue, though, and their use to treat symptoms of menopause has not been

clinically verified. In European folk medicine, a small bag of hops soaked in
alcohol was placed on inflamed skin to relieve it. It is unclear whether there
is any scientific basis for this practice.


Dose

The dose is 0.5 g before bedtime. This may be taken as part of a prepared

herbal medicine, or made into a tea by pouring boiling water over a heaping

teaspoon of the dried hops and steeping for ten to fifteen minutes before

straining and drinking it.


Special Precautions

Estrogenlike compounds such as those in hops should be avoided during

pregnancy.


Adverse Effects

Some people develop contact dermatitis (itchy rash) when exposed to hops.


Possible Interactions

Extract of hops can increase the amount of time a mouse sleeps after being

given a barbiturate. Although the effect of hops is mild, combining this herb
with a sleeping pill or antianxiety drug could result in more sedation than
expected.

Until the estrogenic activity of hops is further studied, taking this herb

in combination with medicines such as oral contraceptives or hormone

replacement therapy is an experiment best avoided.

Copyright (c) Graedon Enterprises, Inc. From The People's Pharmacy


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ersNews

More studies should target health effects of sleep herbs

June 15, 2000 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As more Americans are turning to
herbal products to treat sleep problems, researchers are calling for studies to

examine the efficacy of these products, pinpoint how they work and determine

any adverse interactions with drugs. "Providers involved in the care of

persons with sleep disorders in particular must become sensitive to the

potential impact of various herbal medicines on sleep problems," according

to Charlotte Gyllenhaal and colleagues from the University of Illinois at

Chicago. Visit the Herbal Remedies Topic Center

<http://www.healthcentral.com/Centers/OneCenter.cfm?Center=Herbal%5FRemedies>


These studies are particularly important to elderly people who often

take multiple prescription drugs and suffer from sleep problems. "So many

elderly people taking a variety of prescriptions drugs means that there are

more interactions to look out for," Gyllenhaal said in an interview with

Reuters Health. She added that oftentimes, having to take so many drugs

motivates people to seek more natural remedies. Gyllenhaal and colleagues

took a close look at a variety of herbal products and their possible

interaction with prescription drugs. The findings are published in the June

issue of Sleep Medicine Reviews. The investigators found that many

Americans have problems getting to sleep at night or staying awake during

the day. They note that a 1998 survey found that 10% to 15% of people use

over-the-counter medications or dietary supplements, which contain caffeine,

to help them stay awake during the day. The authors cite a recent survey in

which 27% of Americans used complementary therapies including herbs to treat

fatigue, and about 26% used herbs to treat insomnia. "The use of herbal

remedies in the USA increased 380%" between 1990 and 1997, the study

notes--increasing from 2.5% to 12.1% of the population. The researchers

reviewed studies on several commonly used herbal stimulants and sedatives.

They also looked at studies on ephedra or Ma Huang, an herb that has been

linked to numerous adverse effects including seizures, heart attack and

death, and yohimbe and ginseng, which are used to combat fatigue. German

chamomile, kava, lavender, hops, lemon balm, passion flower and valerian

were also examined for their reported ability to improve sleep. "Valerian

is a sleep aid herb that has been used in Europe for centuries but we still

don't know what the active compound is," Gyllenhaal said. The authors note

that their review suggests that healthcare providers can no longer ignore

Americans' increasing use of herbs. "It is now becoming necessary for

providers to educate themselves and their patients in the wise and unwise

use of these agents," Gyllenhaal said. For example, ephedra should not be

taken with certain medications, including MAO inhibitors, methyldopa or

beta-blockers. Patients with heart, thyroid or kidney disease, hypertension

and depression should also avoid foods and medicine containing ephedra.

Kava, which depresses the central nervous system, is taken to treat anxiety

and induce sleep. While short-term studies suggest that the herb does not

interfere with cognitive functioning, driving ability or work safety,

"long-term studies are extremely important as the treatment of anxiety

disorders often requires extended treatment," the researchers report. "The

time has already arrived...for health professionals to become conversant

with the variety of herbal substances from different cultures that have now

entered the world market, and to realize the important role they play today

in the self-management of sleep problems," the study concludes.

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Tour De Excess - Cyclists Are Only Start of Action at the Traveling Carnival
Rolling Across France


JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG , 07/08/00

Julie Valee is riding in this year's Tour de France. Not on a bicycle,

though. The 22-year-old in a red microskirt and white T-shirt stretches from

a car, handing out small Camembert cheeses to an often frenetic crowd.

"We finish the Tour with scratches all over our hands and arms," the blond

Frenchwoman says. "We don't wear bracelets or rings, because people could

hurt us or themselves when they try to grab a sample."

Imagine the Super Bowl, Home Shopping Network and state fair rolled into one

and on the move for 21 consecutive days and you'll have a fair idea of the

hokum and hoopla of the Tour, the world's premier bicycle race now snaking

its way across France.

Forget for now defending champion Lance Armstrong of the Unites States, in

12th place (but with two weeks of racing still ahead, and the hardest stages

yet to come). The Tour de France is also:

* A mobile city of more than 3,000, complete with its own post office,

medical corps and masseurs, police station, headquarters, printing press,

grandstands and winner's podium. Like a nomad camp, the Tour dismantles and

reassembles itself every night for three weeks to stay ahead of the race.

* An "advertising caravan" of 220 vehicles that precede the cyclists, with

cars dressed up like giant wrist watches, jars of pork pate, bags of

marshmallows, demitasses of coffee and other consumer products.

* Enough police to guard a summit of world leaders. To control crowds and

block roads for the passage of the Tour through only one typical rural

departement of France, 1,270 gendarmes were mobilized for three days last

week.

* A total of 1,790 accredited journalists and media technicians, as well as

mobile TV and radio studios and darkrooms. There are cameramen specialized

in the difficult art of shooting the race from the backs of speeding

motorcycles or from helicopters, and an announcer at the start and finish,

Daniel Mangeas, who has total recall of each cyclist's career.

The Tour on the road, with its fleet of 1,500 trucks, cars and motorcycles,

is a sight more akin to the passing of an armored division than a bike race.

Each summer, about 15 million of the French watch it rumble by, along with

the cyclists.

In provincial towns such as Nantes, Tours or Revel, huge throngs assemble to

witness what will be the biggest local happening of the year. People chow

down on spicy merguez sausage and other delicacies sold by the swarm of

vendors accompanying the race. Spectators eagerly await the arrival of the

riders--and the freebies.

"People are so eager to get something from us, they're ready to jump in our

cars," says Valee, working her third Tour for the Coeur de Lion brand of

Camembert. To prevent riots, workers in the caravan aren't allowed to throw

samples into the crowd.

By the time this year's Tour finishes on the Right Bank of Paris on July 23,

the 600 people employed in the advertising convoy will have doled out 20

million free items to spectators, from sausages and pate on toast to plastic

cups of hot coffee.

As well as a sporting event and national institution, the Tour is a

business. Its owner, Editions Amaury, also publishes L'Equipe, the national

sports daily, and Le Parisien, a tabloid newspaper. In February, the group

took over management of the Futuroscope theme park near Poitiers, which, not

coincidentally, was the kickoff point for the 2000 Tour.

Not all of the French love cycling, but like everyone else, they like

getting something for nothing. A poll taken for the Tour has revealed that

more spectators actually enjoy the advertising caravan, 47%, and the event's

carnival-like ambience, 43%, than the race itself, 37%.

"Above all, the caravan has to be seen by the public as a huge party," said

Jean-Pierre Lachaud, in charge of the advertising cavalcade, which stretches

for 15 miles and usually takes 45 minutes to pass. "But for the companies

that take part, it also must be a fantastic communications medium."

To get three vehicles in the caravan, a company pays $18,500. Some of the

biggest guns of global business have dished out even larger, undisclosed

sums to obtain the status of Tour "partner."

For instance, Credit Lyonnais, a French bank, has bought the right to

plaster its name on the yellow jersey worn by the cyclist with the best

overall time. Fiat, the Italian auto maker, paints its logo on the

homestretch asphalt near each day's finish line. Coca-Cola has arranged for

the winners of each day's stage to receive a special prize: a gilded Coke

bottle in a Lucite ring.

The 20 teams competing in the Tour are an integral part of such full-blooded

commercialism. They are financed by businesses, from a Dutch manufacturer of

frozen French fries to an Italian glue maker. On the blue outfits worn by

Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service teammates are the logos of no fewer

than nine sponsors.

"We sell every square inch--are you kidding?" said Margot Myers, spokeswoman

for U.S. Postal.

For France's cities and towns, hosting the race is a privilege to be

purchased, in exchange for the tourist influx and media exposure the event

hopefully will bring. Elected officials in the Vienne, a largely rural area

of west-central France, shelled out nearly $1 million to Tour organizers to

host the first 2 1/2 days of this year's race.

"The return on investment is inestimable," said Jerome Neuveux, a spokesman

for the local government. "Try to calculate what it would cost to put a

commercial about the Vienne on television in 169 countries, which is how

many have TV coverage of the Tour."

Loudun, a town of 8,200, spent at least $58,000 to spiff itself up to serve

as the finish for one daily stage of the 2000 Tour, and the start of the

next. Five miles of steel crowd-control barriers were erected. The covered

municipal tennis courts were temporarily converted to a press center, and

450 electric outlets were installed for journalists' laptops.

Two thousand parking spaces were staked out in fields, and a high school

designated as the Tour's command post. A sumptuous buffet was laid on for

reporters.

Was it worth it?

"Our population doubled over the two days the Tour was here, so that was

good news for hotel, restaurant and cafe owners," said Marie Heid, a

municipal employee who acted as race coordinator. "But the real results can

only be measured long-term."

Loudun's ambition is to become a popular stopping-off point for tourists

traveling between the chateaux of the Loire valley and Futuroscope.

Now in its 87th annual edition, the Tour is a well-oiled mechanism that

performs some of its most impressive feats out of the public's view. On

Friday, at the end of the day's 127-mile leg, the 174 riders still in the

race sped into rainy Limoges, a city celebrated for its fine porcelain.

For the exhausted racers, it was time to go to their hotels for a rest, a

massage and a high-calorie dinner. But almost as soon as the last cyclist

crossed the line on Boulevard Beaublanc, the Tour's 200-person "Orange

Brigade" got to work.

Each evening, the roadies in rust-orange polo shirts load 100 trucks with

the 20-ton stage, the sound system, TV booths, crowd-control barriers,

course markers and other facilities that make up what's known in Tour jargon

as "the finish line." It's hard, sweaty labor, and takes an average of 3 1/2

hours.

By midnight or 1 a.m. today, the men in orange should be in

Villeneuve-sur-Lot, 126 miles south of Limoges, where today's stage of the

race will end. After a nap, at 5 a.m. the workers will start putting the 100

truckloads of equipment back together. By 10 a.m., the finish line should be

ready anew.

In Limoges, a second work crew of 40 will have been working through the

night to build the starting line and 30,000-square-foot "Village du Tour,"

where dignitaries and guests will schmooze with race officials, sponsors and

past cycling greats before the start of today's segment.

After the riders leave Limoges, the process will start again--the starting

line and Village du Tour will be taken apart and loaded for reassembly at

the beginning point of Sunday's race. In Villeneuve-sur-Lot, workers will

dismantle the finish line once again for overnight transport and rebuilding.

"One of the directors of the Tour used to say it was a miracle," said

Jean-Louis Pages, the race's general commissioner, in charge of the Orange

Brigade. "I've been with the Tour for 15 years, and I still can't believe

how well all of this works."

*

Achrene Sicakyuz of The Times' Paris bureau contributed to this report.

J2jurado

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Jul 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/9/00
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Baltic Beverages Holdings to Invest Further in Siberian Brewery

St. Petersburg, Russia, July 4 (Bloomberg) -- Baltic Beverages Holdings, a

50-50 joint venture between Scandinavian brewers Pripps Ringnes AB and Hartwall
Oyj, will invest $34 million in AO Pikra, a Siberian brewery.

Baltic Beverages, which bought 50 percent of Pikra in December and owns 70
percent of AO Baltica Brewery, Russia's No. 2 brewery by sales, said demand in
the region is outstripping production.

``The market in Siberia is growing at a rate of about 30 percent a year,'' said
Svetlana Yurchenko, Pikra's marketing director. ``We cannot keep up with demand
and plan to expand production with the . . . investment.''

Baltic Beverages hopes to benefit from soaring demand for Russian beer, which
has grown after the collapse of the ruble in August 1998 made imported brands
more expensive.

The Scandinavian company, which increased its Russian market share from 20
percent in 1999 to 26 percent this year, owns 12 breweries in Russia and the
Ukraine.

Since 1995, per-capita beer consumption increased from 18.9 liters to 25
liters, according to Business Analytica, a Russian market research company.

The company said it plans to invest about $100 million each year, over the
several years.

``We have a long-term commitment to the Russian market, where beer consumption
is growing rapidly,'' said Baltic Beverages President Christian Ramm Schmidt.
The company ``will continue to expand in Russia.''


Lion Nathan Ends Share Buyback Program, Spends NZ$58 Million

Sydney, June 30 (Bloomberg) -- Lion Nathan Ltd., Australia's No. 2 maker of
beer, said it spent NZ$58.1 million ($27 million) buying 13.4 million of its
own shares, or about 2.5 percent of the stock, ending its previously announced
share buyback program.

The Sydney-based maker of Hahn and Toohey's brand beer said it has no immediate
plans to buy back further stock. Its New Zealand shares traded between NZ$3.31
and NZ$4.82 since it started buying its own shares on Nov. 15 1999.

``We have purchased a substantial number of shares at an average price of
NZ$4.32 which is substantially lower than both the directors' assessment of the
company's underlying value and the consensus valuation of market analysts,''
Lion Nathan's Chief Financial Officer Paul Lockey said.

Lion Nathan, 45 percent owned by Japan's Kirin Brewery Co., recently moved its
head office from Auckland to Sydney. Its New Zealand shares fell 3 cents to
A$4.75. Lion Nathan's Australian shares rose 12 cents, or 3.2 percent, to
A$3.82.

Howard visits liquor store in lead-up to GST

29 June, 2000 10:50am AEST- The Prime Minister has spent the morning of the
final day of Parliament before the introduction of the GST visiting a liquor
retailer in Canberra.

Mr Howard watched as several bottles of alcohol were processed through a
GST-prepared till and the same consignment was then tallied under the old tax
system.

The Prime Minister noted that the GST-bill was cheaper.

"Now that's not going to be the case everywhere, but it sort of puts the thing
into slightly better perspective," Mr Howard said.

"I mean we've had all this scare nonsense, month after month after month, how
we're all going to be ruined, but when you actually come down to the wire, I
think a lot of people are going to find at the weekend in their supermarkets
that things don't go up quite as much as they expect.

"I've always been confident that when it settles down and you can get the
political pointscoring out of the way that people will give it a fair go
they'll have a look at their dockets, they'll do their comparisons, they'll
find that some things do go up." © 2000 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.


Red Bull's Energy-Drink Claims May Be Hype -- But Not Its Sales

The keep-you-hopping-all-night beverage is racking up megabuck volume among
young club-goers -- all via word of mouth

Business Week Online 6/30/00 - There's a new bull in town, and no, it's not the
return of a red-hot Nasdaq stock market. It's Red Bull, an energy drink laced
with caffeine, a dollop of B vitamins, and two common amino acids. Made by a
privately held company in Austria, Red Bull can mostly be found in dance clubs
in New York and Los Angeles, where amped up club kids tip back the 8.3-ounce
blue-and-silver can in the pursuit of prolonged partying.

The club scene for twentysomethings is an unusual market for a sports drink to
penetrate. And Red Bull North America has been particularly successful at doing
so in the States, through none other than old-fashioned word of mouth.

Unlike other sport-drink makers, Red Bull North America hasn't launched a
national marketing campaign or paid for banner advertising on the Web. Yet the
privately held company claims worldwide revenues were more than $1 billion last
year. Since bringing the product to the U.S. in 1997, Red Bull says its revenue
has doubled each year, even though its distribution plan is patchy at best.

It's not doing so badly in the rest of the world, either. Since Red Bull was
launched in Austria in 1987, the company has had double-digit revenue growth in
the 45 countries where the product is available. Red Bull has sponsored some
extreme-sport events, such as snowboarding competitions. But the caffeinated
energy drink's biggest fans aren't the athletes or bodybuilding fanatics
usually associated with such beverages.

TOP SELLER. "It's one of our most popular drinks," says Ryan Thomas, publicist
for the New York City club TWILO, one of the first to sell Red Bull in mixed
drinks. "With alcohol, it gives the strange feeling of bringing you up and
slowing you down at the same time."

Red Bull's main competitors in the $1.6 billion U.S. sports-drink market
include other caffeinated drinks, such as Hanson's and Battery Energy Drinks.
Such sports drinks made up 4.3% of all nonalcoholic beverages consumed last
year in the U.S., according to Nielsen Research. But none of the other
vitamin-laced stimulants has caught on as quickly as Red Bull, the top-selling
drink on specialty drink distributer BeveragesDirect.com. It's also among the
year's top-ranked beverages reviewed on BevNet.com, an e-commerce site that
analyzes New Age beverages.

"It has found an almost cult-like following in the U.S., especially given the
fact that it doesn't have much of a marketing presence and has relatively high
prices," says John Craven, president of BevNet.com. Globally, a can of Red Bull
costs $1.99, but it can fetch up to $3 in big cities like New York. For Bull
fanatics, some beverage distributors sell it by the six-pack or case, but don't
expect price savings for bulk buys. A 24-can supply of Red Bull still costs
$43.99. Yet those prices don't seem to be hurting sales. Olia Ahmed, a 7-Eleven
store manager on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, says the store often has to
place extra orders for Red Bull, the top seller of the five energy sports
drinks it stocks.

"VERY SILLY." Many people think Red Bull is loaded with caffeine. However, an
8.3-ounce can has just 80 milligrams of the stimulant, about the same amount in
a mug of coffee -- and hardly enough to keep most people dancing until 5 a.m.
So, where does the buzz come from? Red Bull says it's the result of two natural
ingredients, amino-acid taurine and glucuronolacton. It's their reaction with
caffeine that makes the product work, the company says. The end result, Red
Bull's maker claims, is an invigorated state of body and mind, not to mention a
boost in performance and longer endurance. And that's without the effects of
the vodka.

So, are these really magical ingredients? Not really, says Dr. Mark Kantor, an
associate professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Maryland
at College Park. "It's really very silly, because [the company] is putting
common vitamins that are widely found in food in this drink. There is no
evidence that this product is going to do what it claims to do." These
run-of-the-mill ingredients means Food & Drug Administration approval was not
required before Red Bull hit store shelves. Still, the agency has identified
the whole wave of energy drinks as an emerging market, one that it says it'll
watch closely to make sure unfounded health claims aren't being made.

No one can say with certainty whether there's any real difference between
chugging Red Bull or drinking a latte and popping a multivitamin before heading
to the dance floor or treadmill. As for taking Red Bull with alcohol, Dr.
Kantor says he doesn't see any real danger. "It sounds like just another
marketing gimmick," he says. Club owners -- who view Red Bull as the latest,
greatest party maker -- probably disagree.

NO FAD? But along with its popularity among the 18- to 30-year-old alternative
crowd has come some negative publicity. Red Bull has been accused of promoting
underage drinking. And the Internet carries scuttlebutt about one of the
drink's leading ingredients, the amino acid taurine. Turns out taurine is a
naturally occurring compound found in bull testicles. But the same compound can
also be found in the blood of fish, cows, and humans, among other creatures.

For its part, Red Bull, which recently extended its Austrian operations into
Santa Monica, Calif., doesn't want to be a fad. "We're building a
billion-dollar brand, but we don't ever want to come across that way. We've
been surprised at how powerful word of mouth is," says a company spokesperson.

Red Bull first appeared outside of Austria in 1993, when Slovaks, Hungarians,
and Croats started importing it and hawking it to individual stores and
nightclubs. Soon West Coast clubs were importing Red Bull to sell as a drink
mixer. Big cities such as L.A. and Seattle were the company's first target
markets when it kicked off its U.S. distribution in 1997.

The drink wasn't scheduled to be sold in New York City until sometime next
year, but strong demand from club owners landed the Bull there this past April.
A smattering of nutrition and convenience stores in 18 states also carry Red
Bull now. And of course, nightclubs are selling it by the caseload.

BAD TASTE. No one knows how long the Red Bull craze will last. But one thing is
certain: People aren't chugging the stuff for its taste. The drink scored a D+
on BevNet.com's taste test and is often described as medicinal in flavor. Red
Bull also scores low on the thirst-quench scale and is packed with sodium and
sugar. Indeed, its extreme sweetness can be hard to swallow.

But don't expect a Red Bull Light anytime soon. "Part of the reason we have
done so well is that we have stuck to one thing," the company spokesperson
says. "It's not meant to be a taste drink, you either love us or you hate us."
For now, clubbers are lovin' Red Bull. The question is: Will their parents,
aunts, and uncles ever switch from Bud to Bull?

By Nicole St. Pierre in Washington, D.C. EDITED BY BETH BELTON


Tsingtao to Buy Two Foreign Beer Producers in China

Shanghai, June 29 (Bloomberg) -- Tsingtao Brewery Co., China's best-known
beermaker, said it plans to buy two foreign breweries in China, aiming to
double its share of the world's second-biggest beer market to 10 percent.

Tsingtao is in talks to buy breweries in Beijing and Shanghai, said company
spokesman Zhang Ruixiang. ``Our target for the year is to buy foreign breweries
in the major Chinese cities,'' said Zhang, who declined to identify the
targets.

Tsingtao plans to convert the breweries to production of its low-end beer
brands popular with ordinary Chinese, Zhang said. Foreign premium brands such
as Heineken, Budweiser, Carlsberg and Kirin account for just 10 percent of the
Chinese market.

Tsingtao, which expects to produce 1.4 million tons of beer this year, spent
200 million yuan ($24 million) last year to buy 15 Chinese beer makers. The
government estimates beer sales in China will increase 5 percent this year to
21.4 million tons, making the country the world's second-largest beer market
after the U.S.

Fierce competition and low margins have taken their toll on a number of foreign
brewers in China. Foster's Brewing Group Ltd. of Australia reduced its ventures
to one from three to cut losses, while Hong Kong-invested Asia Brewery Inc. and
San Miguel Corp., both of the Philippines, have also scaled back.

Other foreign brewers with operations in China include Kirin Brewery Co., Asahi
Breweries Ltd. and Suntory Ltd. of Japan as well as Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.,
the U.S.-based maker of Budweiser, and Lion Nathan Ltd. of New Zealand.

Tsingtao's Hong Kong-traded shares are down 35.7 percent so far this year,
compared with a 0.8 percent gain in the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index.

US Wine Makers Go on Offensive Against Italy Over Zinfandel

Washington, July 5 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. wine makers, long attacked by Europeans
for poaching such names as ``Chablis'' and ``Champagne'' for their labels, are
accusing their transatlantic rivals of some brand larceny of their own.

The wine makers say importers are using the California ``Zinfandel'' name on
some Italian wines made with a related grape, ``Primitivo.'' Zinfandel
Advocates and Producers, a trade group, has appealed to the U.S. Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to reverse a ruling letting the Italians use the
name.

The battle offers a new twist to the failed effort by Europeans to stop U.S.
producers from using place names like ``Burgundy,'' a region in France, or the
names of grapes such as ``Pinot Grigio.''

Yet California Zinfandel producers are eager to protect their approximately 12
percent piece of the $18 billion U.S. wine market, a share second only to wines
carrying the name ``Chardonnay'' -- itself a grape that originated in France
but that's now practically synonymous with white wine in the U.S.

``It's ironic that the Europeans are going after an American term,'' said
Rebecca Robinson, executive director of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers.
``Can't they stand on their own reputations?''

An Italian trade official said U.S. wine makers have no right to complain.

``If the Americans were to use only American varietal names on their wine, they
wouldn't be making much wine, let me tell you,'' said Augusto Marchini, an
assistant commissioner at the Italian Trade Commission in New York.

Uniquely American Grape

The U.S. trade association, which represents some 240 mostly California
producers, including E&J Gallo Winery, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Ltd. and
Robert Mondavi Corp., says Zinfandel is the only uniquely American wine-making
grape.

Robinson met last month in Washington with ATF officials to challenge labels on
a series of white and red Italian wines that are made with the Primitivo grape
and carry the name Zinfandel or varieties of it like ``Zin.''

The bureau agreed to review a further appeal from the group in writing,
although it warned that any policy that rejects foreign-labeling decisions
might require trade negotiations, ATF spokesman Art Resnick said.

The Italians argue that the Zinfandel and Primitivo grapes are so similar the
names can be used interchangeably, a claim backed up by the European Union last
year.

Zinfandel and Primitivo descend from Plavac Mali, a centuries- old Croatian
grape with the characteristics of both, studies show, according to John Chamard
of Mainbrace International Ltd., a Canadian wine agent.

Close But Different

The ATF ruled in 1998 the Zinfandel and Primitivo grapes, while similar and
apparently closely related, couldn't be described interchangeably on wine
labels.

Yet the bureau said at a recent meeting it bases its labeling decisions on the
rules of the country of origin, in this case the European Union, Robinson said.


So far, Italian Zinfandel is barely trickling into the U.S., yet the volume of
imports is expected to grow, even though the popularity of the white variety is
shrinking, according to one analyst. Americans, after all, have a taste for
Italian wine: Italy is the largest exporter of wine to the U.S., sending about
38 million gallons last year.

Robinson learned of the Zinfandel imports two years ago when a friend in
Chicago discovered a store selling an Italian wine named ``Mother Zin,''
distributed by Abruzzi Imports LLC of Stamford, Connecticut.

Later examples included a Sinfarosa wine by Accademia dei Racemi labeled to
imply it is a Zinfandel, and an Aliante wine with a label declaring:
``Primitivo is the origin of Zin.''

``Zinfandel has been very successful in building a good reputation, and
Primitivo doesn't have that, and so they're trying to ride the wave,'' Robinson
said.

Piece of the Action

Melanie Losey, marketing director of A.V. Imports Inc. of Columbia, Maryland,
acknowledged her company looked at Zinfandel's popularity and thought ``there's
got to be a way for us to capture part of those consumers.'''

A.V. Imports then launched an ``aggressive marketing campaign'' for ``Belmondo
Zin,'' which sells for about $7 a bottle. The company hopes its imports of
100,000 cases this year will grow to 130,000 or 140,000 next year, Losey said.

The two leading U.S. producers, Sutter Home Winery and Beringer Wine Estates
Holdings Inc., sell some 9 million cases of Zinfandel a year at about $6 a
bottle, and have nothing to fear from a few Italian imports, Losey said.

Beringer disagrees. ``We've worked hard to promote the identity of Zinfandel --
white Zinfandel and red Zinfandel,'' spokesman Tor Kenward said. ``I think a
lot of Americans feel that it is somewhat their grape.''

Ironically, while the European Union has allowed the use of the Zinfandel name,
the Italian government does not, forcing Italian producers to use careful
wording when trading on the Zinfandel name.

One industry analyst questioned why the Italians would even want to enter the
fray since Zinfandel is already facing tough competition in the U.S. market
from fruit-flavored competitors.

``It's not a category that looked that hot to me,'' said analyst Caroline S.
Levy of UBS Warburg LLC, citing figures by AC Nielsen Co. showing U.S. sales of
white Zinfandel down 5 percent in the year to May 13.

``Any new competition is bad news'' for white Zinfandel, Levy said.

Texas Teens Rally at MADD Camp to Reduce Underage DrinkingAnd Call on Congress
to Pass Federal .08 BAC Drunk Driving Limit

Granger and DeLay Likely Members of Congressional

Conference Committee to Address .08 Legislation

FT. WORTH, Texas, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- MADD National President Millie I. Webb
today joined more than 600 MADD/TABC Texas Youth Leadership Power Campers and
activists to rally for underage drinking prevention -- the No. 1 youth drug
problem -- and federal passage of .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) legislation
for adult drivers.

Junior high and senior high school students representing 38 school districts
from across Texas are participating in this four-day camp sponsored by MADD and
the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) at Texas Christian University in
Fort Worth, July 5-8, 2000. The MADD Youth Leadership Power Camps, held
throughout the nation, help teens develop skills to make social changes in
their community -- from influencing public policy and teaming up with local law
enforcement initiatives, to working with the media to heighten awareness and
build community support for policy reforms.

The young people gathered today to show their support for federal passage of
.08 BAC as the adult drunk driving limit in every state citing that this
legislation would save lives, prevent injuries and make the nation's roads
safer for all drivers. Recently the U.S. Senate passed the FY 2001
transportation appropriations bill, by a count of 99-to-zero, containing
language that would sanction states for not passing .08 BAC. The bill is now
slated to go before a House/Senate Conference Committee of which Congresswoman
Kay Granger (R-TX) and Congressman Tom DeLay (R-TX) will likely be appointed
members on Monday. MADD expects it will be an uphill battle to keep the .08
language intact due to opposing pressure from alcohol industry lobbyists.

"We commend Texas as one of only eighteen states and the District of Columbia,
that has set the legal limit for drunk driving at .08 BAC. In Texas a driver
can be considered legally intoxicated at .08 BAC, but not when driving across
state lines to our neighboring states of Arkansas, Louisiana or Oklahoma where
the limits are .10," said Webb, whose daughter Lori and nephew Mitchell died in
a crash caused by a drinking driver with a .08 BAC. Webb and her husband were
severely burned in the crash and her daughter Kara was born premature and
legally blind as a result of the tragedy.

"Although studies show that virtually everyone is impaired at a .08 BAC level,
what happened to my family is tangible proof that .08 BAC causes dangerous
impairment behind the wheel," added Webb. "If all states were to enact .08 BAC
an estimated 500 lives would be saved each year."

In an effort to show Congresswoman Kay Granger and Congressman Tom DeLay that
their Texas constituents support this federal measure, the Texas teens and MADD
members signed a giant banner promoting the passage of .08 BAC that will be
sent to Washington, D.C. next week. The banner, which resembles a highway
speed limit sign reads, "TO ALL THE SIGNS THAT MAKE DRIVING A LITTLE SAFER,
WE'D LIKE TO ADD ONE MORE -- ALCOHOL LIMIT .08."

"The time has come for every state to draw the line at .08 BAC," said Max
Bench, Texas MADD member and .08 advocate. "Study after study has shown
everyone's critical safe driving skills -- braking, steering and reaction time
-- are dangerously impaired at this level. This law is in the best interest of
all motorists and their families."

The theme of this year's MADD Youth Leadership Power Camps is "Planet Power."
Webb reminded the campers that they are the activists of tomorrow and that
collectively, they have the capability to create a positive planet -- a society
that is made powerful by the healthy and responsible choices of its youth.

"These young people are taking a stand against underage alcohol consumption and
impaired driving in Texas -- a stand that is difficult in a society that
continues to bombard its youth with mixed messages from adults, TV and movies
that often condone underage drinking as a 'rite of passage,'" said Webb.

"I know underage drinking is a problem that these teens face everyday; yet,
they have chosen to be here to learn how to become part of the solution."

In its third year, the Texas Youth Leadership Power Camp, continues to provide
skills clinics for campers that help them learn how to become mentors, start
Youth In Action teams and even develop Web sites promoting drug-free, alcohol
free teen programs. Campers gain insight from other student leaders, parents
and community leaders on successful approaches for stopping underage drinking
-- often viewed as a "rite of passage" by many adults and young people.

For more information on MADD Youth Leadership Power Camps or other youth
programming, contact the programs department at 1-800-GET-MADD or visit the
MADD Web site at www.madd.org .

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Signs Book Contract With Hazelden

CENTER CITY, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 3, 2000--The Hazelden Foundation
announced today that it will publish a book based on Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist Eric Newhouse's year-long investigation into the far-reaching
problems of alcohol abuse.

Newhouse, projects editor at the Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune, won the 2000
Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for his series called "Alcohol: Cradle
to Grave," a vivid examination of alcohol's devastating consequences on a
community, its families, and individuals. Hazelden, which was featured in the
series, is an internationally-known provider of services related to alcoholism
and drug addiction and is the world's largest publisher of recovery-related
materials.

Newhouse's extraordinary series explores the varied complexities of alcohol,
including addiction, fetal alcohol syndrome, teen drinking, family issues,
drunk driving, crime, costs to taxpayers, and treatment options. The Hazelden
book, slated for a fall 2001 release, will include the series in a revised and
updated form, and will explore national issues related to alcohol abuse and
addiction, giving readers a comprehensive look at the complexity, magnitude and
cost of alcohol abuse on a local community. Great Falls, Mont., can be viewed
as a microcosm of a national problem, said Newhouse, and his writing
illustrates how alcohol is woven into the traditions and daily life of not only
Montana, but of much of America.

"Hazelden has been carrying the message of recovery to communities, families
and individuals for fifty years," said Clay Garner, Executive Vice-President of
Hazelden Information and Educational Services. "Eric Newhouse's work is a
perfect fit for Hazelden, and we're honored to take his writing to a national
audience."

Newhouse has worked as a journalist since 1967. He was a reporter and
correspondent for the Associated Press in Baltimore, New Orleans, Chattanooga,
Tenn., Pierre, S.D., and St. Louis, and also was bureau chief for the AP in
Charleston, WV. In 1988, he joined the Great Falls Tribune where he was news
editor and editorial editor, before becoming a projects editor. He is also an
instructor for the University of Great Falls, where he teaches English, mass
communications, and writing courses.

He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, a master's
degree from the University of Maryland, and a second master's from Columbia 6
University, where he was also appointed an international fellow.

The nonprofit Hazelden Foundation, founded in 1949, pioneered the model of care
for alcoholism, drug addiction, and related diseases that is now the most
widely used in the world, and has been a leader in the recovery-related
publishing field since "Twenty-Four Hours A Day" was published in 1954. Today,
with 50 years of experience and an unparalleled breadth of services, Hazelden
is an international provider of treatment, recovery, research and training,
offering programs, services and publications for individuals, families and
communities affected by chemical dependency.

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 11, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/11/00
to
Anyone have a clue behind the beer competition described below?
********
http://www.alaskanbeer.com/new/pr/pr_41.html

Alaskan Wins Two Golds and a Silver at "Best in the West" Competition

July 5, 2000

Alaskan Brewing Company was awarded three medals at the June "Best in
the West" competition put on by the North American Brewers Association.

Alaskan Brewing Company had a strong showing at the "Best in the West"
competition at the Mountain Brewers Festival held in Idaho Falls in
June, winning three medals.

Alaskan ESB and Smoked Porter both brought home gold medals. Alaskan
Oatmeal Stout earned a silver at the festival.

The Alaskan ESB win was the first award presented and beer enthusiasts
rushed the Alaskan booth wanting to get a taste of the award winning
beer.

"The enthusiasm for Alaskan Brewing products continues to grow
throughout the Pacific Northwest and continues to engage new fans," said
Merv Boyce, regional sales manager for Idaho, Montana and Eastern
Washington.


http://www.phillynews.com/content/daily_news/2000/07/10/features/YOGO10.htm

some beer hops? July 10,2000

As part of American Beer Month, brewmaster Carol Stoudt, of Lancaster
County's Stoudt's Brewing Co., will be at McGillin's Olde Ale House,
1510 Drury St., to talk beer from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For info, call
215-735-5562.


http://www.beverageworld.com/

Brazil: Beverages Consumption Increases in Brazil

June 30
The market of non-alcoholic beverages is expanding in Brazil where the
sales jumped from 6.4bil litres in 1994 to 11bil litres in 1999, as
wellas the mineral water segment registering an increase of 100% in the
sales over the last five years and a consumption of 3bil litres in 1999.
Panamco, a Coca-Cola bottling company, launched the mineral water
Cristal which is already among the fifth most consumed. The wine
production is also increasing expecting to end 2000 with a jump of 12%,
304mil litres (against 293mil litres in 1999) and R$600mil. Accordingto
Uvibra (Uniao Brasileira de Vitivinicultura) the imports were of 9.6mil
litres in 1999, being the Italians responsible for sales of 4.7mil. On
the other hand the beer market is stabilized with a consumption of 8bil
litres over the last three years.


http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2000/07/10/beer000710

Beer explosion injures two
Mon Jul 10 17:25:23 2000

HALIFAX - A mixture of chemicals exploded at a beer brewing lab in
Halifax, injuring two people.

An official with the provincial Department of Labour said two people
were hurt when a mixture of glycol and sulphuric acid exploded at the
Oland's brewery in north-end Halifax.

One employee, a 45-year-old male, had facial burns and cuts on his legs
and hands. And a 22-year-old female was splashed with chemicals when the
beaker they were handling exploded.

The plant has been shut down, for the time being, and all of the
employees sent home.


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/food/review.html?in_review_id=296708
&in_review_text_id=240989

London's wobbliest pub crawl
by Edward Sullivan, 10 July

'Eee, by 'eck, lad,' as my uncle Seth would have said. 'It makes you
proud to be British.' They gave us the cash-haemorrhaging Millennium
Dome, which nobody I know wants to see. They gave us the New Year River
Of Fire, which failed to ignite. They gave us the Jubilee Line
Extension, which faltered into action several years late. They gave us
the Millennium Eye, which failed to lift into place on time and wasn't
ready to roll with passengers on the big occasion. And now we have the
wibbly-wobbly bridge.

Ooh, I feel a bit wobbly, have I drunk too much? No, that's just the
bridge...

In years gone by, people would probably have been hanged for such
atrocities, but in years gone by, it seems, we knew how to build things.
St Paul's Cathedral was still standing proud the last time I looked, and
the old power station on the south side of the Thames is now the
energetic new home to the Tate Modern. It's just the wibbly-wobbly
spanning the two that cannot yet be safely traversed. I actually got to
walk on wibbly-wobbly the day it opened (before it closed, opened again,
and then closed again) and it was no different to wandering home after a
few sherbets.

Anyway, they've gone back to the toolbox and the spanners are out to
rectify the problem, which is disappointing for all of us, but
especially so for the new and existing bars surrounding St Paul's that
had planned to open at weekends to cater for the crowds of people
attracted to the area, and will again as soon as the job's done.
Meanwhile, you'll have to use Southwark or Blackfriars bridges to follow
this week's crawl...

The Samuel Pepys

The old warehouse recently developed into luxury flats is also home to
this magnificent first-floor bar with spectacular views across the
Thames. Almost £1 million was spent creating this modern, spacious,
low-ceilinged bar, which has the benefit of a powerful air-conditioning
system. Food is the big thing with curries, grills, pastas and salads
running in at around £8 a dish. It's owned and operated by Bass, so
serves Fuller's London Pride, Staropramen and a limited but erudite wine
list. This is one of the most spectacular new venues I've seen in some
time.

Shaw Lane, High Timber Street, EC4 (020-7634 9841). Mon-Fri 11am-11pm.

The Bridge

This shiny new glass-fronted bar and restaurant opened just a few weeks
ago and has already attracted a small army of fans from the City, along
with many a riverside stroller. Freedom Pilsner is the best bet on the
beer front, but there's a quality wine list and they serve excellent dim
sum in the bar. It's crowning glory though is the outside terrace, from
which there are fantastic views.

1 Paul's Walk, EC4 (020-7236 0000). Mon-Fri 11am-11pm.

The Centre Page

Once the Horn Tavern, then for a short period it became the St Paul's
Wine Vaults before Eldridge Pope gave up the ghost and sold the lease to
Front Page Pubs. The interior has been smartened up considerably and the
ground-floor bar has a long row of comfortable booths along one side.
The basement area has further seating and a private room which can
accommodate 12 people for lunch or dinner. Although the food menu lacks
lighter, summer dishes, it is substantial and reasonably priced: baked
ham hock with mashed potatoes and spring greens (£7.95), or a tuna steak
with green beans (£9.50). Brakspear and Bombardier Spitfire are both on
tap.

29 Knightrider Street, EC4 (020-7236 1013). Mon-Fri 11am-11pm.

Bar Excellence

A spaceship has landed in London, and devilishly close to St Paul's
Cathedral. Fear not, the aliens are friendly, and their ship is this
futuristic bar servicing local workers and visitors alike. The bright
air-conditioned interior of copper and bleached wood is very relaxing on
the eye and the bill for my lunch was equally relaxing on my wallet.
Whether you have a rump steak melt in French bread with fries, good old
bangers & mash with onion gravy, or opt for the simpler, but equally
satisfying offer of decent-quality sandwiches, you should leave suitably
satiated. There's a more informal raised lounge area for those who
prefer the relaxed approach to dining and drinking.

2 Old Change Court, EC4 (020-7248 2720). Mon-Fri 11am-11pm.

The Founders Arms

This fine modern pub stands firmly by the river on the south side of
Blackfriars Bridge. It is hard to find the first time but worth the
effort nonetheless. The dean of St Paul's managed to find it all right.
He opened it in 1979. When you get there you have Young's beers, a
glass-walled bar, a pleasant restaurant and a big riverside terrace,
wonderful on a sunny day. Both bar and terrace give you a fine view of
the river, and one of the greatest views of St Paul's Cathedral.
No-smoking area, and no kids in the bar.

52 Hopton Street, SE1 (020-7928 1899). Pub hours.

The Anchor

Bankside has certainly gone up in the world. In Shakespeare's day it was
all slums and stews, but look at it now: a riverside walk (which the
Queen did in 1977), the massive redevelopment and a famous old inn. Dr
Johnson often supped here with his good friend Mrs Thrale whose husband
owned it and the brewery next door. It is a fine pub with a minstrels'
gallery, a private 18th-century dining room, a new riverside terrace
with serried ranks of picnic tables, a garden terrace, a barbecue and a
most superior restaurant. Sam Wanamaker often ate here when his
wonderful Globe was taking shape nearby. He always had table seven. The
Anchor is not a pub you can leave quietly. In the creaking Olympics, the
Anchor's floorboards would take gold. Flower's, Bass and Greene King on
draught.

34 Park Street, SE1 (020-7407 1577). Pub hours.

The Old Thameside Inn

The Old Thameside Inn is not very old at all. It's less than 20 years
old and its luck is changing for the better. Take a look at its
neighbour. The Golden Hinde, replica of the 16th-century warship, is in
dry dock by the entrance. The remains of the Clink prison - now a museum
- are round the back. The pub used to be a spice warehouse but has been
cleverly converted keeping the heavy timbers and the flagstone floor.

2 Clink Street, SE1 (020-7493 4243). Pub hours.

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 11, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/11/00
to
Last bit is a BBC one which invites readers to sendd in comments...


German beer tastes best in bottles, foreigners say

BERLIN, July 11 (Reuters) - German beer sells better abroad when it comes in
bottles, the Federal Statistics Office said on Tuesday.

Germany, which makes brewers conform to a 16th century purity law to protect
the prestige of their pils, exported about 311 million litres of bottled beer
last year, 85 million litres more than was sold in cans.

But France, never a country to be dictated to in matters of taste, bucked the
trend, importing 65 million litres of canned German beer and outpacing Spain as
the biggest consumer of it.

Americans, the biggest importer of the bottled product, clearly prefer the
flavour of beer from a glass container to that from metal, buying nearly 15
times as much.

But although Britons imported almost twice as much beer in bottles, they didn't
seem too concerned about the aftertaste from cans, ranking number three in
sales of both.


Diageo says H2 in line, spirit growth lags
By David Jones

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - British food and drinks group Diageo Plc on Tuesday
said trading in the second half of its year to June 30 was in line with its own
expectations, but volume growth in wines and spirits lagged its first half.

``Trading performance in the second half of the year was in line with our
overall expectations at the time of our interim announcement and we are
therefore on track to achieve our targets in terms of operating profits in the
year just ended,'' Chief Executive John McGrath said in a statement.

The group issued the trading update for the second half of its financial year
up to June 30 ahead of the announcement of its full-year results on September
7.

The company said its United Distillers and Vintners (UDV) wine and spirits
division was expected to show turnover growth up nine percent for the full year
on an organic basis.

But it added that wines and spirits annual volumes were expected to be up two
percent on an organic basis compared to first half growth of six percent, while
volumes of its key nine spirits brands will be four to five percent ahead
compared to up nine percent in its July-December 1999 first half.

Its shares drifted off 14-1/2 pence to 590p by 1240 GMT in a largely mixed
London stock market, after they had traded down 1-1/2p just before the trading
statement.

The company said the abolition of European duty free led to a fall of sales of
its nine priority spirits brands of 700,000 12-bottle cases in the year, and
second half volumes of these nine brands was expected to be down by about two
percent.

Its packaged foods Pillsbury unit is expected to see volumes and sales slightly
down, while operating profits will be flat to slightly up over last year as a
result of acquisitions and organic growth in food services.

Total beer volume is expected up one percent, with the Guinness beer brand
seeing volumes two percent ahead.

Its Burger King hamburger chain, which Diageo decided last month to float off,
is expected to see system sales for the full year up about six percent driven
by new restaurant openings, but worldwide comparable restaurant sales for the
year are expected to be flat.

Diageo made no mention of the future of Pillsbury which market sources believe
the group will attempt to merge with another U.S. food group in a deal which
could value Pillsbury at around six billion pounds ($9 billion).

Diageo shares have underperformed the FTSE All Share Index by around eight
percent over the last 12 months, but have managed to keep pace with other
drinks stocks.

Diageo shares were at 583 pence when it was formed in December 1997 from a
merger of GrandMet and Guinness, rose to a closing high of 778-1/2p by July
1998 but then fell to a low of 375p in March this year as investors switched to
high-tech stocks.


The Wall Street Transcript Publishes Analyst Comments on Bass in Lodging
Industry Issue

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000--Eight leading analysts and top
management from five sector firms examine the Lodging sector in the latest
issue of The Wall Street Transcript (212/952-7433) or
http://www.twst.com/info/info127.htm

In a vital review of this sector for investors and industry professionals, this
valuable 62-page Special Issue features:

Highlights Bass (NYSE:<A HREF="aol://4785:BAS">BAS</A>): "They have recently
announced that they're selling their brewing business and are going to get a
check for somewhere in the ballpark of $3 billion. So that's the company that's
really on the prowl, acquisition-wise."

http://WWW.BREWORLD.COM/NEWS/BEERNEWS/STORIES/12718.htm

Date: 10/07/2000

Although Australia’s two leading brewers are spending millions campaigning
against a new goods and services tax, the rest of the population appear less
concerned. The new tax system was introduced last week and the predicted anger
from customers about subsequent rising prices did not materialise.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard wanted the old system replaced because he
said it failed to target Australia's booming service industries, which now make
up 75% of the total economy. Lower corporate tax rates allow Australia to
better compete with Asian centres, such as Singapore. For retailers, the new
tax replaced wholesale sales taxes of between 12% and 45% on most goods.
Foster's and Lion Nathan are spending millions on an advertising and a legal
campaign against the tax. Lion Nathan says the price of packaged beer has risen
6%, while beer sold in a bar 8%.


http://www.peteswicked.com/news/bnews/bnews_200028.html

GREENE KING PROFITS UP ON PUB ACQUISITIONS

Greene King Plc, owners of Hungry Horse pubs and recent purchasers of Morland
Plc's bars and pubs, reported annual profits up 6.4% on increased pub sales,
according to a Bloomberg report. The makers of Abbot Ales reported profits from
operations rose to 38.3 million pounds ($57.4 million), up over two million
pounds from last year's 36 million pounds. Last year's earnings of 59.2 pence
per share dropped to 54.2p due to the cost of the Morland acquisition. Annual
dividends of 22.5 pence per share were up from last year's 20.3p per share.

"They've done all they said they would do and the outlook is fairly promising,"
said Nigel Popham, analyst at Teather & Greenwood Ltd. "Greene King is very
stable and will produce steady growth."
Sales were up 42% to 414.1 million pounds; brewing sales jumped 40% to 81.6
million pounds. Revenue from Greene King's managed pubs, including the Hungry
Horse chain, rose 38% to 258.4 million pounds.

"We generally traded better as the year went on and had quite a strong second
half," said chief executive Tim Bridge.

S&N SHARES DOWN ON POOR PUB PERFORMANCE

Scottish & Newcastle Plc reported that shares dropped 7.4% due to lower pub
sales because of rising costs and price competition, according to a July 4
Bloomberg report. Higher labor costs led to reduced investment, and rival pub
chains reduced prices to snare customers, analysts said.

"There is a lot of promise (pub sales) will be better this year," said Ian
Shackleton, analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp., "but it
is a promise rather than delivery and you've got a market that is pretty
unforgiving." Recent figures have caused analysts to lower their forecasts for
annual earnings for fiscal 2001. Shackleton now expects a 4% lower figure of
54.7 pence.

S&N shares fell 39 pence to 489p and have fallen 30% in the past 12 months. S&N
purchased De Vere Group Plc's pub chain last year in order to replace some of
its poorly performing pubs with more profitable locations. It then sold 800 of
its managed pubs and plans to sell 200 more. S&N also purchased France's
Kronenbourg beer business and is expecting regulatory approval within the next
week. It is possible that S&N will sell its pubs business to fund further
brewery acquisitions.

"To get the funds they are quite likely to sell the pubs business," said Nigel
Popham of Teather & Greenwood Ltd.

Major Peters' Advertises 'Major Escape' on BEVision; New In-Store Network For
Liquor Stores Provides Resource To Educate Consumers About In-Store Product
Promotions

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2000--BEVision, a new
in-store television network for beer, wine and spirits retailers nationwide
that is wholly owned and operated by RMS Networks, will run an 30-second spot
through August 2000 featuring Major Peters' and its Major Escape Summer
promotion. Currently, BEVision is airing a segment that features Major Peters'
and its Bloody Mary bar promotion.

Under the terms of the sweepstakes promotion, one grand prize winner will
receive round-trip air travel for two to Peter Island in the British Virgin
Islands and a seven day/six night stay at Peter Island Resort. In addition, 100
first-prize winners will receive a Major Peters' Beach Kit. Entries must be
postmarked by August 31, 2000 and the prize drawing will take place on
September 15, 2000.

"We are pleased to have Major Peters' as a network sponsor," said Michael
Sobel, vice president advertising sales.

BEVision is a new point-of-decision communications and advertising tool that is
provided at no cost to U.S. beer, wine and spirits retailers. Designed to
influence in-store sales as well as enhance the retail environment, BEVision
segments entertain customers while they shop and feature a variety of topics,
from wine pairing and mixed drink recipes, to bar stocking tips for home
parties and industry trends. Programming is produced using original content, as


well as content obtained from various programming suppliers, including CNN, E!

Entertainment, Fox, Time Warner and Ziff Davis. It consists of
broadcast-quality, full motion video and high quality sound delivered through
strategically placed monitors in retail locations.

About Major Peters' Major Peters' is the nation's number one on-premise
Bloody Mary mix, made with 100 natural ingredients, including vine-ripened
California tomatoes, a proprietary spice pack (which includes more than 40
distinctive spices) and an industry-leading 94% tomato juice content. Created
for the Bloody Mary drinker who demands quality and award-winning taste, Major
Peters' Bloody Mary mix is available in four varieties: Original, Salsa, Hot &
Spicy and The Works.

Major Peters' is also the manufacturer of a variety of cocktail mix flavors,
including an award-winning Margarita mix and mixes for Raspberry, Strawberry
and Banana Daiquiris, Rum Runners, and Pina Coladas. Major Peters' is
manufactured am marketed by Beverage Specialties Limited, a unit of The Red
Wing Company, Inc. Additional information regarding Major Peters' can be
accessed at www.majorpeters.com.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking%5Fpoint/newsid%5F823000/823267.stm

Tuesday, 11 July, 2000, 14:26 GMT 15:26 UK Rites of passage: What did you do?

Euan Blair was probably not alone in choosing to get drunk to celebrate the end
of his exams this week. It just so happens that he is the son of the British
Prime Minister, so his youthful escapade turned into national news when he was
arrested late on Wednesday night.

But no one is being very hard on young Euan. After all, having a few too many
drinks is a pretty common rite of passage into adulthood in Britain and many
other countries.

What were your worst adolescent excesses? Are you prepared to go into print
with them? What do teenagers do in your country? Send us your rite-of-passage
memories.
***
A friend and I saved our dinner money for a few weeks and used it to buy a
bottle of whisky. We despatched the liquor over a school lunchtime and then
staggered, and fell, and crawled back to school. In the afternoon the whole
school had to march down to the local church for the Christmas service. When I
got home, I slept on the sofa for hours. My parents thought I had had a hard
term and was exhausted; it was only some years later that the truth was
revealed.
Geraint, Belgium
****
During my first week at University a friend and I were sat beside each other in
the pub. I turned to face him and noticed that he had gone very pale. He then
started to be sick, but somehow managed to 'keep it in', until he coughed. At
which point an accelerated flow of vomit hit the well dressed woman sitting
opposite us. I turned to look back at my friend to find him already running out
of the pub, I then turned back to look at his victim, who had only then
realised what had happened as she stared in horror at the new design on her
dress!
Matthew Dutton, UK
****
"Beer. The cause of and solution to all our problems." Homer Simpson.
John Keagy, USA-Chicago
****
My introduction to alcohol at the age of 17 led to me accepting a dare to
streak for about a mile along a deserted high street at midnight. Unfortunately
the night shift at the local constabulary were on their toes that night and I
was arrested by a WPC following a short chase - I wasn't very fast even then.
When I was marched into the police station everyone dissolved into laughter at
the sight of me and my captor. After a night in the cells with only a blanket,
which had certainly not been washed with conditioner, to keep me warm I was
released without charge. So Euan, if you had done that, imagine the front page
of the Sun! It could have been much worse...
Eric Davidson, Scotland
*****
My boyfriend drank a litre bottle of Martini (of all things) the night before
his English O level. His friends pushed him home in a supermarket trolley at
2.30am, banged on the front door and scarpered. His parents were livid, next
day he slept through most of the exam. He became an electrician - that was his
punishment.
Catherine, Scotland
****
Unfortunately I have only my parents to tell me exactly what I did. Ten years
on the re-telling of the tale no longer reduces my mother to tears. The evening
started quite normally with a few beers and ended with me handcuffed naked to a
flagpole with a goat chained to my ankle. I'm sure my parents would have much
rather I was found drunk in Leicester Square. I hope Euan has more luck than me
and grows out of such stupidity!
Dave Jones, UK
****
I can vaguely remember going out on my 16th birthday and getting completely
smashed on snake-bite (cider and lager). I'd managed to somehow make my way
home but was rudely awaken early Saturday morning by my none-too-pleased
mother, demanding to know why there was vomit all over the toilet. Needless to
say, to teach me a lesson I was made to clean it all up - not too pleasant a
job when you've got a pounding headache and your brains are leaking out of your
ears! Quite what this valuable lesson taught me has obviously been slightly
lost over the years, as I'm twice that age now and I still sometimes drink to
excess at the weekends! Well, it's a British tradition, isn't it? Chin chin!
Dave Strong, UK
****
When you're young, anything "forbidden" and attributed to "mature" adults is
the ultimate goal: sex, alcohol, driving. It is "cool", improves your image
among peers, makes you feel confident therefore. The first time I got really
drunk (so I couldn't walk) was when I was 10, celebrating passing some exams in
Russian school with friends. Since then getting drunk is not a self-goal for
me, and I know my limits. So it's absolutely normal for Euan to have been
drunk. He learned his lesson and he will avoid further mistakes.
Andrej, Russia
****
Doing a Euan? Very boring indeed isn't it? Sad to think that the entire
populace thinks that getting drunk is the only way to celebrate the passing of
an event. Then again, maybe that's the one thing the British can still do?
We're certainly the laughing stock of Europe these-days aren't we?
Chris, UK
****
We celebrated finishing our O levels with lemonade and crisps on the school
field. I don't remember celebrating my A levels at all. I celebrated Finals
with champagne on the college quad, and ended up propositioning my tutor, who
tactfully turned me down!
Anon, England
****
Perhaps the fact that the Prime Minister's son chose to celebrate the
completion of his exams by knocking back a few pints is an indication that the
UK is becoming a bit less class conscious. Way to go, Euan!
Scott M. Erlandson, USA
****
I am, and have always been impressed with the attitude toward alcohol in the
United Kingdom. I can't even imagine the hoopla that would surround such a
story in the United States if it were Chelsea Clinton who was found plastered.
I can just hear the Republican right screaming about family values and how Bill
Clinton was the devil who was corrupting the very core values that made us
strong. I am pleased to read that even the Tories didn't seize on the Euan
story to make cheap political gains. This is, after all, a story about a rite
of passage, not the seventh sign of the apocalypse like it would be treated in
the United States.
Brandon Grover, United States
***
I remember with shame one incident that occurred when me and my friends were
out celebrating the end of our A-Levels. Of course, we were extremely
inebriated. We ended up dressing up one of our colleagues as the "Grim Reaper"
complete with scythe borrowed from his dad's garden shed, and getting him to
stand in the middle of a country road. We ended up getting arrested after an
old lady had phoned the police, terrified out of her mind and convinced that
her time had come. I feel nothing but guilt now, looking back at the shameful
incident, and thinking that we could have caused the poor old lady to have a
heart attack!
Ollie, England
****
The first time I got really drunk, was when I was 12 and was supposed to be
babysitting my 8 month old sister. Myself, my older brother and 3 friends
decided to raid the drinks cabinet and play cards for shots. I hated the taste,
but as I got drunker, I was deliberately losing so I could have more. I ended
up completely scuttered!! I woke up the next morning, and my hair was sopping
wet, and I was wrapped in a towel! I had to ask my friend why I'd woken up in
this state. My mum had come home, found me comatose lying in my own vomit, and
went mental!!! So she stripped me off and gave me a cold shower. It hasnt
deterred me from going out on the "lash" every weekend, and the young Mr.Blair
has got it all ahead of him!
Deeds Hefferon, England
****
Once in a bout of teenage rebellion, I kept out some library books beyond their
return date. On another occasion, I ate a second helping of jelly and custard,
even though I wasn't really hungry. Of course, I've calmed down a lot since
then.
Johnny, UK
****
How sad the British nation has become. Their only pleasure in life is drink.
Now they celebrate a child being unconscious on the street and say "good on
you" to him. This nation needs to wake up to alcohol and reclaim some culture.
Orville, USA
****
Battered, bombed, bladdered, caned, doused, damaged, hammered, savaged,
rattled, trounced &c &c, plus all of the unprintable versions, must prove that
everyone does it. He'll learn as we've all done, but the lad should just be
left alone; getting drunk, especially under-age is a totally normal thing to
do.
Matthew Illsley, England
****
I drank 21 glasses of red and white wine from my parents cheap caskets and was
found dancing around the house when they came home. Shortly after that I
retired to my room, threw up all over the bed and passed out. When I came to, I
was so embarrassed that I told my parents I'd eaten some olives from the fridge
that were obviously off. They humoured me and threw the offending olives out -
bless them! My room stunk of alcohol for 3 days and they never said a word...
Pippin Sadler, UK
****
Although I don't like people getting drunk, I was very proud of Euan. This
young man didn't want to embarass his own father, and bravely faced the
situation, even when he had to get through some lies. But still he was a good
son to a good father. Mr. Blair, be proud of your son, he's unlike many others
his age, he's a son who caters for his parents. He is a God. Something missed a
lot in your society.
Moataz M. Abou-Eita, Egypt.
****
At about age 16 while out walking with my father (who was fond of a pint or
two) we witnessed a guy stagger out of a pub reeling drunk. He just about made
it to the kerb before vomiting copiously then collapsing in the gutter. My
father looked at me shaking his head in obvious disgust and said "son, drink
whatever you like, but if you can't handle it don't drink it" good advice that
I am about to pass on to my own son.
Alan Lewis, England
****
As an American who grew up in the UK I have no shame in saying that I've been
drinking since I was 15! Now I'm 19 living back in the USA where the drinking
age is 21, and more teenagers have access to drugs then to alcohol! I find this
insulting and frustrating, especially when at 18 I was considered old enough to
get drafted into the army to die for my country in a war, but I'm still legally
too young to have a drink! Drinking restrictions only lead to rebellion among
teens, they need to be relaxed! Besides who cares if Euan Blair goes out
drinking, he is certainly not the only 16 year old in Britain who does drink
large amounts of alcohol in one night! I cannot even begin to imagine the
uproar in America if Chelsea Clinton was caught drinking!
Darren, USA (from UK)
****
Can anyone remember enjoying being drunk? It's time to find a better way of
celebrating all our special occasions. Drugs, sex, rock and roll. Good stuff
but at the age of sixteen and living in Singapore, the first 2 were really hard
to get. Once ensconced in the UK for A-level studies, I can recall how
non-plussed my UK peers were about these indulgences. There was nothing taboo
about it. I never realised a vice could be so underwhelming. Forbidden fruit
always tastes better when you can't get any!
Alexander Schooling, UK
***
I am a little stunned to see how pervasive the English attitude of embracing
inebriation is. In American universities, students get wasted just as often but
we are not so vocally proud about it, and from what I have seen in my travels
in Britain, we are quicker to grow out of it.
Charles Sviokla, USA
****
Having completed my finals at university, 5 friends and I embarked on an epic
drinking binge around London. I was ejected from a trendy night club at 2:30 am
for having feigned an asthma attack and then vomited all over the bar. When I
was eventually stopped by the police while stumbling across Hyde Park Corner, I
realised that I could remember neither my address, or my name! I have, of
course, learnt NOTHING from this experience.
Jonathan King, Switzerland
***
When I was a laddie we used to cycle to Inverness on a Friday night and climb
to the top of the Wallace monument where we would swallow meths from a bicycle
inner tube. We called this 'gurking' because you used to inflate the tube with
a pump which would force the meths down your throat when you released the
valve. It just goes to show that jeopardising your mental and physical health
whilst putting yourself at risk of severe physical injury is a perfectly normal
and acceptable thing to do!
Liam Kane, Scotland
****
I wonder what the nations response would have been if Euan had been arrested
for cannabis or ecstasy?? It seems its ok in this country to drink yourself to
the point of passing out and throwing up everywhere. If he was found in the
same condition having abused any other kind of drug, there would have been a
national outcry. I love a drink just like everyone else, it would just be nice
if everyone realised that a night of drinking leaves you much worse off than
most other recreational drugs.
Andrew Welch, England
****
I was 16 years old and drank 18 cans of export lager, and then when that ran
out I drank half a bottle of Whiskey. As a result I spent 3 hours vomiting and
then had to be carried home (five miles) as the taxi driver wouldn't take me.
Then half way home my friend accidentally dropped me on my face in the local
high street. I spent the rest of the night in A&E. I still have the flattened
nose, a lovely 12 inch scar on the top of my head and another 5 inch scar on my
eyebrow to prove it. Euan Blair should consider himself lucky to have been
found by the police.
Steve, UK
***
Well done Euan ! There's no shame in what you did. We have all done it. Just
one piece of advice... Don't drink in Leicester Square, you can get a lot more
hammered for your money around Camden.
Dylan, UK
****
I cannot forget my friend who drank from a big bucket of "cocktail". It was at
the age of 20, final years of graduation, a bucket was filled with all sorts of
drinks, including some country stuff. My friend drank mugs of that cocktail. He
was almost at edge of his life. That event spoiled the whole fun.
Cheliyan, India
****
I went to a boarding school and we were very sheltered from the real world. I
think the most ridiculous thing was after an afternoon drinking a bottle of
martini (sweet of course!) an older girl told us that you could get high if you
crushed up Refreshers and sniffed them. We duly sent a younger girl off the
school grounds (very naughty) to buy some Refreshers, and spent some
considerable time when she returned, smashing the sweets on the carpet with our
school shoes, and inhaling the sugary mess. Needless to say, it didn't work,
and we had a fair bit of mess to clean up...
Kate, England


Peter Alexander

unread,
Jul 11, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/11/00
to
On 11 Jul 2000 15:24:49 GMT, j2ju...@aol.com (J2jurado) wrote:

>
>Americans, the biggest importer of the bottled product, clearly prefer the
>flavour of beer from a glass container to that from metal, buying nearly 15
>times as much.
>
>But although Britons imported almost twice as much beer in bottles, they didn't
>seem too concerned about the aftertaste from cans, ranking number three in
>sales of both.

Largely supermarket own brands I would venture.
>


>S&N SHARES DOWN ON POOR PUB PERFORMANCE
>
>Scottish & Newcastle Plc reported that shares dropped 7.4% due to lower pub
>sales because of rising costs and price competition, according to a July 4
>Bloomberg report. Higher labor costs led to reduced investment, and rival pub
>chains reduced prices to snare customers, analysts said.

So Britains biggest brewer can't sell enough beer in it's own pubs?
Small surprise given:
a) excessive price
b) piss poor beer

>"To get the funds they are quite likely to sell the pubs business," said Nigel
>Popham of Teather & Greenwood Ltd.

That means these daft analysts who don't believe in vertical
integration want them to sell the pubs.
>

>Euan Blair was probably not alone in choosing to get drunk to celebrate the end
>of his exams this week. It just so happens that he is the son of the British
>Prime Minister, so his youthful escapade turned into national news when he was
>arrested late on Wednesday night.

Hmm. Not sure that I care for these stories. Though I am not sure, I
have a sneaking feeling I know why.

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

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Jul 12, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/12/00
to
http://www.busch.com/story/main1C.html

Busch Beer evolution


FOOD DAY / WEDNESDAY / FOOD TALK ( Newsday )

Something Good Is Brewing

7-7-00 - Southampton Publick House was a winner at World Beer Cup award
ceremonies last month in Manhattan. The East End brewery claimed a silver
medal in the Irish-style red ale category with its Sullivan's Irish Ale, which
finished second among 17 entries. Another area winner, the Brooklyn Brewery,
was awarded a gold medal for its Blanche de Brooklyn, a Belgian wheat beer. The
World Beer Cup competition is held every two years under the auspices of the
Colorado-based Association of Brewers. This year's judging by 65 professionals
was held in Milwaukee in April, when 1,127 beers produced by 371 breweries in
39 counties were entered in 640 categories.

Founders Food & Firkins Ltd. Celebrates Granite City Food & Brewery's First
Anniversary in St. Cloud, Minn.

St. Cloud Restaurant/Micro-Brewery Celebrates with Unique Belgian
Cherry-Brewed Beer Handcrafted by World-Renowned Brewmaster; First Time

Brewed in North America

MINNEAPOLIS, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Founders Food & Firkins Ltd. (Nasdaq:
GCFBU) ("Founders"), announced today that it is celebrating its first
anniversary as Granite City Food & Brewery in St. Cloud, Minn. Granite City
St. Cloud is marking their success with a two-month limited run of a specialty,
handcrafted beer brewed for the first time in North America: a unique Belgian
summer beer named "Cherries Galore!."

The brewing of the unique "Cherries Galore!" beer was overseen by William E.
Burdick, cofounder, brewmaster and board chairman of Founders. Burdick is an
early pioneer in the craft-brewing industry and regularly writes and lectures
nationally on beer and brewing. Under Burdick's direction, the day-to-day
brewing functions are carried out by graduated European brewers. Each Granite
City Brewery is equipped as a full-scale, from-scratch brewery, including a
scientific laboratory which requires a degreed brewer to operate. In contrast,
many microbrewery operations use pre-packaged brewing "kits" and "cans" for
their beers.

"'Cherries Galore!' is a great summer beer brewed in the long tradition of
beers brewed with fruit in Europe, particularly in Belgium," said Burdick.
"Cherry, 'saisson' style beers are common in Belgium, but rarely seen in North
America, which is a shame when you first experience the beautiful color,
wonderful bouquet and subtle taste of this beer. Its really perfect to enjoy
outside on a summer day. We've had many orders for it from our summer patio,"
noted Burdick.

The St. Cloud Granite City location opened in late June 1999, and was
overwhelmingly welcomed to the greater St. Cloud area. From its opening day,
Granite City has enjoying great success and record numbers of patrons eager to
try the handcrafted brews and made-from-scratch foods. Founders plans to open
other Granite City locations in the next two years. The Company recently
announced a groundbreaking for its Sioux Falls, S.D. location. Granite City
provides fresh, high quality, made-to-order food and handcrafted beers, both
made on site. Granite City offers a broad menu of traditional and regional
foods served in generous portions at reasonable prices, designed to offer
customers an excellent value and pleasant dining experience.


Diageo disappoints on Pillsbury and BK

By David Jones

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - British food and drinks group Diageo Plc gave a
downbeat trading update on Tuesday, heightening investor hopes it will push
ahead with a breakup of the company to include its troubled U.S. food unit
Pillsbury.

With no signs of recovery at Pillsbury and its fast food chain Burger King in
the U.S., analysts said this would increase pressure on management to divest
Pillsbury after it announced a planned flotation of Burger King last month.

Diageo is increasing its focus on its alcohol-beverage core of UDV wines and
spirits and Guinness beer which make two-thirds of group profits, and is
expected to merge its chubby-cheeked doughboy Pillsbury unit with another U.S.
food group.

Its shares dropped 14-1/2 pence on the trading update but recovered to end off
1/2p at 604p in a slightly firmer London market as investors focused on a solid
performance from UDV and beer which could form the backbone of a slimmed-down
group.

Diageo shares have underperformed the FTSE All Share Index by eight percent
over the last 12 months, and although they have managed to keep pace with other
drinks stocks, investors are pressing for a breakup to release shareholder
value.

Drinks analyst Andrew Gowan at Lehman Brothers said the trading update was
``slightly disappointing and generally neutral,'' but he was keeping the stock
as a ``hold'' on hopes of a future break-up, while another analyst said there
was no sign of any early recovery at either Pillsbury or Burger King.

The group said trading in its second half of January-June was in line with its
expectations and it was on track to achieve profit targets when it reports year
results on September 7.

NO WORD ON PILLSBURY MERGER

The company added Pillsbury is expected to see volumes and sales slightly down
in the year, but annual operating profits will be flat to slightly up as a
result of acquisitions and organic growth in its food services business.

It made no mention of the future of Pillsbury with its dough products, Green
Giant vegetables and Haagen-Dazs ice-cream which is valued at around six
billion pounds ($9 billion).

The Burger King hamburger chain, which Diageo decided last month to float off,
is expected to see system sales for the year up about six percent driven by new
openings, but annual worldwide comparable restaurant sales are expected to be
flat.

This implies its U.S. largely-franchised restaurants are seeing sales down
around 1-2 percent and there is no upturn in sight ahead of an initial 20
percent float next year expected to value the fast food unit at around 2.5
billion pounds.

Its UDV division, with its Johnnie Walker scotch, Smirnoff vodka and Gordon's
gin, was expected to show turnover growth up nine percent for the full year on
an organic basis, but the division saw a slow-down in growth in the second
half.

Wines and spirits annual volumes are expected to be up two percent on an


organic basis compared to first half growth of six percent, while volumes of
its key nine spirits brands will be four to five percent ahead compared to up
nine percent in its July-December 1999 first half.

The company said the abolition of European duty free led to a fall of sales of


its nine priority spirits brands of 700,000 12-bottle cases in the year, and

second half volumes of these nine brands is expected to be down by about two
percent.

Total beer volumes are expected up one percent, with the Guinness brand seeing
volumes two percent ahead, although its biggest market for the stout brand --
Ireland -- will see volumes off four percent.


Diageo Trading Statement

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2000--Diageo (NYSE: DEO), the
international food and drinks company, today announced the following trading
statement ahead of its preliminary statement of results for the year ended June
30, 2000, which is to be issued on September 7, 2000.

Commenting on this trading statement, Group Chief Executive John McGrath said:

"In the year to June 2000 our Spirits and Wine business has performed
strongly. We have achieved a high level of sales growth through volume growth,
robust pricing action and mix improvement. This strength continues to be
centered around the global priority brands and on our major markets. As
anticipated Packaged Food will achieve modest organic growth in the year.
Foodservice continued to perform strongly and in Pillsbury North America in the
second half, we reduced marketing spend on trade promotions which had delivered
volume growth in the first half of the year but not operating profit growth.
Our beer business is developing a more efficient cost structure and margins
have improved again in the year. In Quick Service Restaurants we have continued
to implement a significant restaurant opening program and to drive strong
International performance. We have also begun to implement the transformation
program which has tested so well during the year.

"Trading performance in the second half of the year was in line with our
overall expectations at the time of our interim announcement and we are

therefore on track to achieve our targets in terms of operating profit in the
year just ended."

Spirits and Wine

This was the first full year of UDV's strategy . Increased focus behind the
key brands has delivered turnover growth, expected to be up 9% for the full
year on an organic basis. This is the result of strong pricing action and mix
improvement particularly on the global priority brands (GPBs). Turnover of the
GPBs is expected to be up 10 %. Total reported volume was affected by disposals
and by the discontinuation of non-core brands. Volume is expected to be up by
2% on an organic basis, with volume of the global priority brands anticipated
to be up between 4% and 5% for the full year. The abolition of European duty
free sales has led to a reduction in sales of the GPBs of approximately 700,000
cases in the year, equivalent to nearly a percentage point of volume growth. In
the second half, volume of the GPBs was, as expected, down by about 2% but net
sales value was up 3% as a result of continued focus on price re-positioning
supported by increased marketing. Volume of the local priority brands will be
up about 10% in the full year as a result of strong performances by Dimple in
Korea, Stolichnaya in the United States, and Smirnoff Ice in the United
Kingdom. Wine volume is expected to be down 2% for the full year. Volume
improved in the second half, driven in part by the successful re-launch of the
Glen Ellen brand in the US and the success of Blossom Hill in the UK.

Investment in marketing has continued to increase strongly, mainly behind
the GPBs, and on an organic basis the increase in marketing is expected to be
12% for the full year.

In UDV's major markets of the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain
the business has continued to perform strongly with volume expected to be up by
7% and net sales value up 15%. Marketing spend increased over 15% on the GPBs
in these markets.

In UDV's key Asian markets, the decision to continue to support the brands
during the period after the economic collapse there in 1997 has provided a
strong platform for volume and profit growth in Thailand and Taiwan. Volume in
both countries was up over 20%. In Latin America the economic difficulties in
that region have had an impact on trading performance, however, the local
priority brands have continued to increase market share.

Packaged Food

As anticipated at the time of the interim announcement, volume and sales in
Packaged Food are expected to be slightly down compared with last year.
However, operating profit will be flat to slightly up over last year as a
result of acquisitions and organic growth in the Foodservice business.

In Pillsbury North America, volume and sales are expected to decline on an
organic basis by about 2%. In the Dough categories, consumer takeaway has been
in line with last year. Strong performance in the Pizza and Hot Snacks category
and in Toaster Pastries has continued in the second half. In the non-Dough
categories, the Progresso brand continues to perform very strongly with
consumer takeaway up over 10%. In the Mexican meals segment, the Old El Paso
brand has grown 2% against a market up 1% due mainly to a new dinner kit
introduction, which was successfully launched in January. The reduction in
promotional spend in other non-dough categories has, as anticipated, led to
lower volume in the second half.

In Foodservice, volume and sales will be up strongly as a result of the
impact of acquisitions and organic growth. In International, volume will be up
slightly year on year.

Marketing spend in Packaged Food was down in the second half against the
prior year but will be up for the full year.

Ice Cream Partners, the joint venture formed in October 1999 with Nestle,
is beginning to deliver stronger consumer takeaway and market share
improvement.

Beer

Total Beer volume is expected to be up 1% with Guinness brand volume up 2%.
Volume of the Guinness brand in Ireland is expected to be down 4% for the full
year. In Great Britain, the Guinness brand has continued to perform strongly
against a declining beer market and volumes will be up 3% for the full year. In
Africa, the re-imposition of excise duty in Nigeria slowed volume growth of the
Guinness brand in that market to 5% in the second half and therefore volume for
the full year in Africa is likely to be up about 7%. Volume of the Guinness
brand is likely to be up 2% in Asia Pacific for the full year with strong
growth in the second half in Indonesia off set by the decline in beer
consumption in Malaysia and Singapore. In the United States, Draught Guinness
depletions are expected to be up over 10% for the full year. Shipments are
expected to be up 6% in the second half and down 1% for the full year as a
result of the program to reduce stock levels in the first half of the year.

Marketing investment as a percentage of sales will be up in the full year.
Margin has continued to improve during the year as a result of supply chain
efficiencies and a reduction in overheads.

Quick Service Restaurants

System sales for the full year are expected to be up about 6% driven by new
restaurant openings. World-wide comparable restaurant sales for the year are
expected to be flat. Burger King in the United States has now completed the
transition from Ameriserve to new regional distributors. The US transformation
programme, which has been developed and tested through the last year, is now
being rolled out and over 1100 franchised restaurants have committed to
implement these changes to restaurant image and drive-thru.

The International business continues to perform strongly. In Europe 220 new
restaurant openings and 2% comparable restaurant sales growth in both Germany
and the United Kingdom have driven a 10% increase in system sales. In Latin
America the system has also performed well with comps up 4%.

Exceptional Items

In February 2000 DCA was acquired and in March 2000 changes were announced
to the Packaged Food operations based in Minneapolis aimed at reducing cost and
refocusing the sales organisation there. Operating cost net exceptional charges
of $80 million will arise in respect of integration and restructuring costs.
The sale of Grupo Cruzcampo SA to Heineken NV during the second half of the
year resulted in an exceptional gain of approximately (pound)80 million. Also
in the second half of the year costs of $60 million were incurred in respect of
the transition to a new distribution system for Burger King in the United
States. This will be partially offset by exceptional income of $28 million,
which arises as part of Burger King's transformation programme. Burger King has
incentivised franchisees with phased royalty changes for a specified time if
they agree to new franchise agreements and to upgrade to the new restaurant
image within two years. These items are in addition to the exceptional charges
in the interim announcement.

Exchange rates

As anticipated at the time of the interim announcement the adverse impact
of exchange rate movements on profit before exceptional items and taxation is
expected to be approximately (pound)35 million.

Diageo is a multinational branded food and drinks company that operates in
more than 200 countries through four businesses - UDV, Pillsbury, Guinness and
Burger King. Diageo ADRs, equivalent to four Diageo shares, trade on the New
York Stock Exchange under the symbol DEO.


Police target boozing youth ( The Evening Post (Wellington, New Zealand) )


07-05-2000, pp 3. - Drunk teenagers are again being targeted by Wellington
police, who are prosecuting a parent for supplying a 16-year-old with a 40oz
bottle of vodka.

Senior Sergeant Paul Berry said there was growing concern at the number of
young drunks travelling into the city and causing trouble outside the new
alcohol-free youth club Zeal in Victoria St. Many of the troublemakers had come
from outside Wellington City, said Mr Berry, with the intention of picking
fights.

Last year Wellington police launched Operation Youth after a series of attacks
by teenage drunks in the city. In resulted in more than 50 youngsters being
dealt with, but now the problem has reared its head again.

On Friday, June 23, police made about 20 arrests for disorder and assaults
outside Zeal. Many of those arrested were drunk and aged under 18. Last Friday
about 30 drunk people aged under 18 were taken to the central police station
and their parents informed.

"There were several unprovoked assaults on innocent people," Mr Berry said.
"One victim received loosened front teeth, another was taken to hospital with
minor facial injuries."

He said several people were issued with liquor infringement notices for being a
minor in possession of alcohol in a public place. The notices carry a $200
instant fine. One parent is being prosecuted for supplying alcohol to a minor.

"Most of the parents coming to pick up their children were clearly embarrassed
by what had happened. They were unaware their kids were in town and drinking
alcohol."

Mr Berry said that while it was difficult, parents needed to be more aware of
where their children were going and who with. Police supported the aims of
Zeal organisers in attempting to provide a safe environment for young people in
the city, he said.

Wellington Mayor Mark Blumsky was meeting Police Minister George Hawkins today
and planned to ask him to support a call that police adopt a zero tolerance
stance on under-age drinkers. He wants police to issue instant $200 fines to
all minors found with alcohol.

"We're also working closely with the police to promote an increased police
presence in the central city." The council is looking at improving the safety
of the area around Zeal and increasing lighting.

Qld; Drink for taste, not to get drunk, conference told ( AAP General News
(Australia) )

BRISBANE, July 4 AAP - An advertising campaign is teaching Canadians to develop
a healthier relationship with alcohol by drinking for taste and not get drunk,
a conference was told today.

Hubert Stacy is the director-general of Educ'alcool (Educ'alcool) - a
Quebec-based non-profit organisation devoted to alcohol education.

Speaking at the 2000 Winter School in the Sun drug abuse conference in
Brisbane, Mr Stacy said the aim of the Quebec program was to teach people to
drink better, not to drink more.

He said that drinking was a cultural activity and varied from country to
country where binge drinking was often widespread.

The average Frenchman enjoyed 28 drinks a week, spread equally over various
meals, while Scandinavians drank the same amount but on only two occasions - 14
drinks on Friday night and another 14 on Saturday night.

"In the culture of taste, you drink because you enjoy the taste," Mr Stacy
said in
a paper presented to the conference.

"But when you're drunk, you can't taste things properly, so it's important not
to lose that sense of taste.

"What we have to do is make people drink better."

This involved a sensible, balanced approach to drinking, with moderation as the
key.

What was classed as "moderate drinking" varied from person to person and so
Educ'alcool targeted school children from an early age, trying to instill in
them an appreciation of the pleasures of drinking and not the effects of
drunkenness, Mr Stacy said.

Those people regarded as most at risk of alcohol abuse were college and
university students, where the message of moderate drinking was none too
subtle, he said.


"We try to take the glamour out of getting drunk and we point out that in the
mating game, being drunk can lead to unpleasant surprises," Mr Stacy said.

Quebecers, whom he described as "notorious bon vivants" were also told that
regular moderate drinking of one to two drinks a day protected against
cardiovascular disease but four drinks would not double the benefits. The mass
media advertising and education had worked to the extent that 98 per cent of
Quebec's population was familiar with Educ'alcool.

The results were obvious in the decrease in road accidents, hospitalisation
time and mortality rates, he said.

Despite the fact that the state-owned alcohol monopoly the Quebec Liquor
Corporation had increased its sales by 10 per cent over the last two years,
total consumption had only risen by three per cent and per capita consumption
was only up by one per cent.

"This means people are buying better quality, more expensive products, rather
than more litres of alcohol," Mr Stacy said.


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German beer tastes best in bottles, foreigners say

BERLIN, July 11 (Reuters) - German beer sells better abroad when it comes in
bottles, the Federal Statistics Office said on Tuesday.

Germany, which makes brewers conform to a 16th century purity law to protect
the prestige of their pils, exported about 311 million litres of bottled beer
last year, 85 million litres more than was sold in cans.

But France, never a country to be dictated to in matters of taste, bucked the
trend, importing 65 million litres of canned German beer and outpacing Spain as
the biggest consumer of it.

Americans, the biggest importer of the bottled product, clearly prefer the


flavour of beer from a glass container to that from metal, buying nearly 15
times as much.

But although Britons imported almost twice as much beer in bottles, they didn't
seem too concerned about the aftertaste from cans, ranking number three in
sales of both.


http://WWW.BREWORLD.COM/NEWS/COMPANYNEWS/STORIES/12716.htm

German Brewers To Merge

10/07/2000 - Bayerische Brau-Holding and Brau und Brunnen brewery companies in
Germany ave joined forces in a bid to cut costs and expand their share of the
market.

Details of the transaction have yet to be agreed between the owners of the two
companies, the Schoerghuber group in the case of Bayerische and Hypovereisnank
for Brau.

The combination will create a beer and soft-drink company with annual sales of

about DM2.43bn thanks to brands such as Paulaner and Jerver an with a market
share that should take the two firms ahead of Germany’s biggest brewer,
Holsten.

``We expect increased earnings thanks to cost cuts in particular in the areas
of logistics, distribution, purchasing and information technology,'' the

companies said.

Germany has more than 1,200 brewers, many of which are planning joint ventures
as sales have been sluggish for years as drinkers look to imports.
Brau und Brunnen lost DM86.8m in 1999 and has been in the red in four of the
past five years. BrauHolding is profitable, but barely makes money in its
beer business.

A recent tax change in Germany could lead to yet more sales in the coming
months. The government is planning to scrap a tax on asset sales of as much as
50% no later than 2002.


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Quilmes to control 86.51 pct of Argentina's BAESA

BUENOS AIRES, July 10 (Reuters) - Quilmes Industrial SA said Monday its
subsidiary Cerveceria y Malteria Quilmes, Argentina's top beer maker, will
control 86.51 percent of local bottler Buenos Aires Embotelladora SA following
the completion of its tender offer for the company.

Quilmes' bid at $5 per share for Pepsi-bottler BAESA ended July 7. However, it
will pay shareholders who accepted the tender offer on July 12, it said in a
statement.

"Thus, following purchase of the Class B shares and (American Depositary
Shares), Quilmes will own 24,318,092 Class B shares and 89,331,344 ADSs, and
its stake in BAESA will be 86.51 percent," it said. It did not state what its
previous stake was. The offer was launched May 31.


http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1977863&ern=y

Bonfils Blood Center Dedicates New Blood Donation Bus to Colorado; Adolph Coors
Foundation Funds Bus to Reach Communities of Color


DENVER, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Bonfils Blood Center, the Bonfils Blood Center
Foundation and the Adolph Coors Foundation dedicate Colorado's newest blood
donation bus to the community at 10:00 AM, July 14. The dedication will occur
in conjunction with a community blood drive at Curtis Park Community Center at
25th and Curtis streets in Denver.
The newest addition to Bonfils' fleet was made possible by a $150,000 grant
from the Adolph Coors Foundation to the Bonfils Blood Center Foundation. The
foundation funded the bus to help Bonfils better involve communities of color
in blood drives throughout Colorado. The new bus has already made appearances
at this year's Cinco de Mayo and Juneteenth celebrations.
"Bonfils is very grateful to the Adolph Coors Foundation for the social
leadership they have demonstrated with this grant," said Steve Metcalf,
Executive Director of the Bonfils Blood Center Foundation. "They recognized a
need to have more African Americans, Latinos and other communities feel
included in the wonderful experience of giving the gift of life, and they have
given us a valuable tool to make our outreach more effective."


http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1977876&ern=y

Pet Rock Inventor Also Worst Writer

By RON HARRIS, Associated Press Writer

7/11/00 - SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The man who started the Pet Rock craze of the
1970s topped himself Tuesday -- or maybe sank to a new low -- by winning the
annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for really bad writing.

Gary Dahl's truly awful winning entry: "The heather-encrusted Headlands, veiled
in fog as thick as smoke in a crowded pub, hunched precariously over the moors,
their rocky elbows slipping off land's end, their bulbous, craggy noses thrust
into the thick foam of the North Sea like bearded old men falling asleep in
their pints.''

In 1975, the advertising executive invented the Pet Rock, a rock in a cardboard
box that sold for $3.95. Brilliant in its simplicity and absurdity, the Pet
Rock caught on around the world and millions were sold.

Dahl said his writing was inspired by a recent pub-hopping tour of England with
his brother.

"This is even more important than the Pet Rock,'' he said. "Now that I've won
this award I can just hang it up. I'm finished. There's nothing else I can
do.''

The contest, held annually since 1983 by professors in the English department
at San Jose State University, dares entrants to compose bad opening sentences
to imaginary novels.

The competition is named for 19th century English novelist Edward George
Bulwer-Lytton, whose book "Paul Clifford'' begins: "It was a dark and stormy
night.''


J2jurado

unread,
Jul 13, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/13/00
to
Wayne Drury Joins Pyramid Breweries as Chief Financial Officer

SEATTLE & BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2000-- Pyramid
Breweries Inc. (Nasdaq:PMID), today announced that Wayne Drury has been
appointed Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and
Administration, effective July 17, 2000.

Drury, who will be based in Seattle, is filling a position that has been
vacant since April of this year.

"We have been searching for a top-flight financial executive to help us
execute our growth strategy. Wayne has an outstanding background, and we are
very excited to have him joining the Pyramid team," stated Martin Kelly,
President and Chief Executive Officer. "Wayne has over 25 years of financial
experience, including more than 15 years in the restaurant industry. In
addition to his extensive background in accounting and finance, he brings
significant experience in mergers and acquisitions, public and private company
financing, as well as banking and investor relations."

Drury comes to Pyramid from Azteca Restaurant Enterprises, a Seattle based
company with 31 company owned and licensed locations. As Chief Financial
Officer at Azteca, Drury was responsible for all finance, banking,
acquisitions, financial reporting, risk management, tax planning and
information systems management at the privately held company. Prior to Azteca,
Drury was Chief Financial Officer at Country Harvest Restaurants, a company
with $100 million in revenues. In addition, he has held the positions of
Corporate Controller at Perkins Family Restaurants and KinderCare, as well as
Director of Planning and Analysis at KFC International and Long John Silver's.
He began his career as an accountant for Coopers & Lybrand. Drury earned both a
BS in Accounting and a MBA from the University of Kentucky.

"Wayne's experience in the restaurant business will be invaluable as we
seek to expand the Alehouse Division," said Kelly. "Alehouses will play a
pivotal role in developing our future business by creating brand awareness and
serving as a focal point for sales and marketing efforts," Kelly added. "We
believe this strategy will enhance the 'local status' of our brand, and provide
clear differentiation from our competitors."

"Pyramid has tremendous potential, and I am very excited about the
demographic fundamentals of the specialty beverage category. It is a great time
to be coming on board," noted Drury. "I look forward to helping grow the
company, and lending my experience to the development of the Pyramid brand and
the expansion of the Alehouse concept. I have been very impressed by the
management team at Pyramid, and the commitment of management and the Board to
their growth strategy."

Drury joins a new executive team at Pyramid that has taken shape over the
last 12 months. Martin Kelly joined the company in August of 1999 as President
and COO, and he was elevated to the CEO position in December. Gary McGrath
joined Pyramid in November as Vice President of Sales, and Nick Walpert signed
on in March of 2000 as VP/COO of the Alehouse Division. In addition, Kurt
Dammeier, took over the role of non-executive Chairman of the Board in December
of 1999. Pyramid has had six straight quarters of year over year sales growth,
and in the first quarter of 2000 reported an 85% increase in EBITDA. Over the
last seven months the company has also implemented a share repurchase program
and a quarterly dividend (the current dividend yield as of July 11th is 8.8%).

Pyramid Breweries Inc. is one of the leading brewers of specialty,
full-flavored beers and sodas, producing a variety of ales and lagers under the
Pyramid and Thomas Kemper brand names. The company also brews four styles of
old-fashioned sodas under the Thomas Kemper Soda Company label. Pyramid
operates two local breweries and restaurants, the Pyramid Brewery & Alehouse in
Seattle, Washington and the Pyramid Brewery & Alehouse in Berkeley, California.
For more information, visit www.PyramidBrew.com.

Statements concerning future performance, developments or events,
concerning development and/or success of new Alehouse locations and any other
guidance on future periods, constitute forward-looking statements which are
subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that might cause actual events
to differ materially from stated expectations

Big Rock Brewery Ltd. Plans To Repurchase Common Shares

CALGARY, July 12 /CNW-PRN/ - BIG ROCK BREWERY LTD. (``Big Rock'') (NASDAQ :
BEERF) (TSE: BR) announces that it has notified the Toronto Stock Exchange and
other applicable regulatory authorities to amend the Notice of Intention to
Make an Issuer Bid which commenced on August 26, 1999 and terminates on the
earlier of, the date all shares subject to the Normal Course Issuer Bid are
purchased of, August 25, 2000.

Big Rock intends to attempt to acquire up to an aggregate of 302,591 Common
Shares, which represents 10% of the Common Shares in the public float. This is
an additional 60,356 Common Shares from the original number of 242,235 to be
acquired from the application dated August 12, 1999. As of June 30, 2000 the
Company has acquired 228,900 ($6.21 average price) Common Shares leaving a
balance of 73,691 shares, which can be purchased under the amended issuer bid.
There were 4,844,700 Common Shares of Big Rock issued and outstanding as of
August 12, 1999. The shares will be cancelled upon purchase pursuant to this
bid.

In the opinion of the Board of Directors of the Corporation, the market price
of the Common Shares of the Corporation has recently not accurately reflected
the value of those shares. Furthermore, the Corporation has the available
funds from cash flow. As a result, the Corporation's Common Shares may become
available for purchase at prices, which make them an appropriate use of funds
of the Corporation.

Purchases subject to this normal course issuer bid will be carried out pursuant
to open market transactions through the facilities of either The Toronto Stock
Exchange or the NASDAQ Stock Market.

Iceberg Corporation of America Lists Stock on Two German Stock Exchanges

ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland, Canada--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2000-- Iceberg
Corporation of America (the "Company") (OTCBB:ICBG) announced that its common
stock has been listed for trading on the Third Market Segment of the Frankfurt
and Berlin Stock Exchanges in Germany.

Trading in Iceberg Corporation of America's shares will commence tomorrow
on both exchanges under the trading symbol ICBG.F.

Paul Benson, chief executive officer, stated: "The listing of the Company's
stock for trading on these prestigious European exchanges comes as a result of
the continued expansion of our business in strategic markets. These listings
should further facilitate trading by our many European shareholders, and
contribute to the broadening of our international shareholder base."

Iceberg Corporation is the leading producer of ultra-premium beverages from
icebergs including iceberg water, iceberg beer and iceberg vodka. The Company's
sales are rising as the Company's products are distributed in additional
markets throughout North America.

Branding under the Borealis and White Berg names and high-quality
packaging, together with private label strategic partners, is increasing
consumer awareness and demand for these truly unique products.

All Iceberg Corporation products are positioned in niche markets at the
ultra-premium end of the quality and price range with top name brands, where
the Company believes opportunities for increased market penetration and revenue
growth are greatest. Targeted markets include upper- and upper-middle-income
consumers who are typically well educated, health conscious, and prefer unique,
premium products.

The Company was the first Canadian licensed firm harvesting iceberg water
to produce a family of premium quality products including iceberg water,
iceberg beer and iceberg vodka. Its highly experienced marketing and management
team has created a "virtual" company by making a strategic decision to develop
blue-chip partners by outsourcing production of vodka and beer.

This news release may include forward-looking statements concerning Iceberg
Corporation of America's business and future prospects and other similar
statements that do not concern matters of historical fact. The federal
securities laws provide a limited "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release relating to product
development, business prospects and development of a commercial market for
iceberg water products are based on Iceberg Corporation of America's current
expectations. Iceberg Corporation of America's current expectations are subject
to all of the uncertainties and risks customarily associated with new business
ventures including, but not limited to, market conditions, successful product
development and acceptance, competition and overall economic conditions, as
well as the risk of adverse regulatory actions as detailed from time to time in
the Company's SEC reports, including the form 10SB for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 1999. Iceberg Corporation of America's actual results may differ
materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to put undue
reliance on forward-looking statements. Iceberg Corporation of America
disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly these forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or for any
other reason.


Cuidao to Expand Distribution of Red Dragon Beer into Texas and Louisiana Texas
Brokerage Firm to Spearhead the Introduction

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Cuidao Holding Corporation, Inc. (OTC
Bulletin Board: CDAO), a distributor of imported and specialty beers, wines and
spirits, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Houston
based broker Bruce Edwards to spearhead the Company's introduction and
distribution drive of Red Dragon Beer in Texas and Louisiana.

After careful evaluation of several markets, the management of Cuidao has
decided that the Texas and Louisiana markets offer great potential for Red
Dragon Beer. Both markets have significant and rapidly growing Asian
populations, coupled with growing affluence within the ethnic market that make
it ripe for the introduction of the line of Red Dragon Beer products.

Brand registration and wholesaler evaluation is currently underway in Texas.
Distribution of Red Dragon Beer, including Red Dragon Xtreme, Red Dragon Light
and soon-to-be-introduced Red Dragon Amber, should begin within the next few
weeks.

"Texas and Louisiana have a large number of Chinese restaurants, which will be
the initial primary market for this product line. In Texas, Chinese
restaurants account for the largest group of ethnic restaurants. These
restaurants create an untapped demand for Cuidao's diversified portfolio of
Chinese imports and form a great base for any distributor," says Bruce Edwards,
Broker.

Michael Fisher, president of Cuidao, said, "This is a great step in our
controlled expansion plans. Red Dragon is doing well within our current
distribution geographies. We believe that the product will perform even better
in Texas and Louisiana, which would add significantly to the Company's growing
revenues."

About Bruce Edwards, Broker

Bruce Edwards operates a highly successful Houston based brokerage operation
and has over 25 years of experience in the marketing and distribution of
alcoholic beverages. Mr. Edwards has served as Regional Sales Manager for a
major Kentucky based liquor manufacturer, Western Sales Manager for a prominent
New Jersey based wine distributor as well as several successful owner-operator
specialty import companies. Edwards introduced the first super premium tequila
to the US markets, gaining distribution in 42 states in 18 months.

About Cuidao Holding Corporation

Cuidao Holding Corp. ("CDAO") is a development stage company that is in the
process of implementing a vertical roll-up and consolidation of the highly
fragmented alcoholic beverage specialty and import industry. Cuidao Holding
Corporation imports, manages, distributes and develops markets for a rapidly
growing portfolio of international and regional brands of beer, wine and
spirits. The Company currently participates in specific niche segments of the
approximate 100 billion dollar alcoholic beverage market in the United States.

Rio church balks at statue in beer, underwear ads

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 12 (Reuters) - The famous statue of Jesus Christ that
looms over Rio de Janeiro appears on everything from key chains to T-shirts,
but the Catholic Church draws the line at beer and underwear.

The Rio archdiocese, which commissioned the 125-foot (38-metre) statue in 1931,
said on Wednesday it convinced a local brewer and a lingerie company that used
the monument's image in television and print advertisements in recent weeks to
withdraw their ads or face legal action.

``They surpassed rational limits,'' the archdiocese legal representative
Antonio Passos told Reuters. ``They were offending Catholics, so Rio's Cardinal
Archbishop decided to put a stop to them.''

While the 1,000-ton (900,000 kg) Christ the Redeemer statue serves as a
backdrop in the beer ads, it has a bigger role in the underwear spot. That one
features two photographs side by side - one shows a woman posing in skimpy
black lingerie and the other shows the statue covering its eyes with its hands.


The archdiocese threatened to sue the companies for using the images without
permission. The church owns the land the statue was built on and the artistic
rights.

Both companies agreed to scrap their ad campaigns, Passos said.

Presidential Candidate Captain Morgan (of Original Spiced Rum Fame) And
Campaign Manager James Carville Announce Vice Presidential 'Playmate' Running
Mate

Wednesday, July 12, 2000; 6:00-9:00 p.m.; The Playboy Lounge, New York City

NEW YORK, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In a unprecedented move sure to put some
summer sizzle into this year's mundane presidential elections, Presidential
hopeful Captain Morgan (of Original Spiced Rum fame) today announced his
running 'mate', Playboy Playmate Kalin Olsen. Ms. Olsen was chosen "by the
people, for the people, and of the people" from four potential candidates in an
online poll conducted on the campaign's official website, www.rum.com. The
official results of the poll will be announced tonight by The Captain and his
campaign manager, James Carville, at 6:00 p.m. at the Rum Loyalists' Party
Convention held at The Playboy Lounge in New York City.

"I am excited to bestow this honor upon one of four very qualified women The
Captain selected on his short list of running 'mates,'" said Carville. "This
marks the first time in election history that a candidate for President of the
United States has ever had a short list of vice president contenders comprised
exclusively of women."

Thanks to a relationship between The Captain's campaign and Playboy.com, four
Playboy Playmates competed in the online poll to become Captain Morgan's
running 'mate.' The potential running 'mates:' Deanna Brooks (May '98), Jessica
Lee (Aug '96), Kalin Olsen (Aug '97), and Layla Roberts (Oct. '97), were
personally selected by The Captain based on their individual assets, party
skills and their "fun-raising" abilities.

"I launched my campaign because the American political scene is void of fun and
adventure," said Captain Morgan. "I've taken my campaign from Boston to Austin,
from Oregon to South Florida and I am convinced that what we need is a
candidate and his running mate that will put the party back into politics."

"I was really thrilled just to be nominated. How many girls my age can put Vice
Presidential candidate on their resume?" said running 'mate' Kalin Olsen. "The
Captain and I have a lot in common, we are both dedicated to spicing up
presidential politics. Together we're a ticket that can't lose."

By logging onto www.rum.com, visitors to the site can access information about
how to register to vote in their state. You can also follow The Captain's
campaign and his guest appearances at both the Democratic and Republican
National Conventions later this summer by logging onto the web site.

"That's right, Captain Morgan is all about fun and adventure and
responsibility," urged The Captain. "Whether you are a Democrat, Republican,
Independent or a member of the best party of all, the Rum Loyalist' Party,
remember to vote this November -because there's always a party at the polls."

Captain Henry Morgan was born on or about 1635 in Wales, making him the only
potential presidential candidate with more than 350 years of experience (more
than all candidates combined). He traveled to Jamaica where he served as
Lieutenant Governor of that British territory and as an Admiral in the English
fleet before being knighted in 1674. Unsatisfied with the gritty ales and
lackluster spirits offered by 17th century Jamaican taverns -- the Captain
started making his own rum. This led to the creation of Captain Morgan Original
Spiced Rum. Later, The Captain added his Silver Spiced, Parrot Bay and Private
Stock brands to the family -- distinctly different flavors for different
palates. While Captain Morgan's campaign doesn't promise a chicken in every
pot, his platform includes the best tasting daiquiri for every citizen (of
legal drinking age of course!). The Captain is proud to be returning to the
political limelight after a 317-year hiatus.

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 13, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/13/00
to
Spanish brewer Mahou to buy San Miguel from Danone

MADRID, July 13 (Reuters) - Spanish beermaker Mahou said on Thursday it had
agreed to buy out brewer San Miguel from Groupe Danone of France in a deal
worth about 50 billion pesetas ($281.5 million) to nearly double its market
share.

Mahou -- which is 33 percent owned by Danone -- currently has 17 percent of
Spain's beer market and San Miguel would give it another 14 percentage points,
a Mahou spokesman said.

The deal still required approval by Spanish competition authorities, he said.

Mahou said in March it was seeking to buy nearly 70 percent of San Miguel from
Danone and the agreement was signed on July 3, the spokesman said.

This week the European Commission said it approved the sale by Danone of its
Kronenbourg and Alkan Maes beer businesses to Britain's Scottish & Newcastle in
a deal worth 1.7 billion pounds.

The Mahou spokesman said Mahou would pay about 50 billion pesetas for the
70-percent stake in San Miguel of which it already owns about 30 percent.

The acquisition would place Mahou close behind Heineken which has a leading 37
percent share of Spain's beer market, the spokesman said, adding the company
was waiting to hear the opinion of Spain's competition authorities.

Earlier this year, the Spanish government authorised the acquisition of another
local beermaker Cruzcampo by Heineken on condition the Dutch brewer cut
production and storage capacity.

``We do not believe this operation has any worrying concentration effects,''
the Mahou spokesman said. He said Mahou's presence was strongest in central
Spain while San Miguel's strongholds were elsewhere in the country.


Britain Debates Silly Pub Names

.c The Associated Press

By JILL LAWLESS

LONDON (AP) - The Goat and Compasses is fine, but the Goose and Granite is
definitely not.

The debate over British pub names is foaming up again: The Goat and Compasses
is a centuries-old moniker, while the latter is a newly minted corporate label.

Traditional English pub names often are patriotic or royal - The Crown, The
King's Head, The Red Lion. Others are resolutely local, paying tribute to the
lord of the manor or reflecting a region's landmarks, flora and fauna, industry
or sporting heroes.

But today's British beer drinkers are increasingly likely to head down to the
Rat and Parrot chain or the Slug and Lettuce. And some feel it has all gone a
Dog and Doughnut too far.

In the House of Commons this week, Britain's culture minister, Chris Smith,
lamented ``a growing fashion for rebranding pubs with names like the Dog and
Doughnut or the Goose and Granite which, I have to say, would appear to have
little relevance to the history of any area.''

``We are surely in danger here of losing an important part of local history and
local folk memory,'' he told lawmakers.

Many British pub names do have deep and sometimes mysterious historical roots,
originating in preliterate days when ale houses had to sport large, memorable
and easily identifiable signs.

Alan Rose, secretary of the Inn Sign Society, cites his local pub, the Bull and
Spectacles - a reference to a former landlord's prize bull or to Anne Boleyn
(Bull-inn), depending on which legend you believe.

That kind of individuality, pub aficionados argue, is now in danger.

A third of Britain's 60,000 pubs are controlled by breweries that dictate what
beer is sold there. Another third are now owned by non-brewing chains - and it
is these standardized corporate ``theme'' pubs that traditionalists object to
most.

Some call it the ``McDonald's-ization'' of British pubs.

``You can go into a Rat and Parrot in the southeast or the northwest and
they're exactly the same,'' said Ian Woolverton of the consumer group Campaign
for Real Ale. ``That can't be good for our pub heritage.''

It is not the name changes in themselves that vex campaigners. Pubs have long
rechristened themselves to commemorate historic events: The Royal Oak, a name
borne by more than 600 British pubs, emerged in the 17th century to mark King
Charles II's escape from Oliver Cromwell's forces.

``Almost every pub has had a name change,'' said Rose of the Inn Sign Society.
``If they didn't, we wouldn't have a hobby, would we?''

Rose noted that changing social mores - from the demise of cockfighting to the
present-day proposed ban on fox hunting - could drive pubs to rename
themselves.

``You've got pubs called the Fox and Hounds. Will that change when the
anti-hunting law comes in? What we don't like is that we're losing the historic
ones,'' he said.

The chain-pub operators counter that they are pumping new life into a flagging
industry, renovating once-dingy boozers and attracting young people to big,
bright watering holes. Many traditional rural pubs, meanwhile, are closing as
their aging clientele drinks less.

``Our bars are big and they're busy, so we're giving people what they want,''
said Clive Eplett, finance director of SFI Group PLC, which owns the Litten
Tree and Bar Med chains and is in the process of acquiring the 33-bar Slug and
Lettuce group - a pioneer of the up-market stripped-wood-and-focaccia formula.

He said most of SFI's pubs are former shops and banks, rather than existing
pubs. And he is not nostalgic for the pubs of yesteryear, arguing that chains
like his, selling beer from several breweries, offer customers more choice.

``I was born in a small village in Cornwall, and all the pubs were owned by one
brewery,'' he said. ``You drank their beer or you didn't drink at all.''

No one is arguing the government should legislate pub names. But campaigners
want to see names included as part of a pub's license, so change would require
planning permission and local consultation.

That argument sits well with Smith, the government minister.

``Certainly, consulting a pub's regulars and the wider local community before
renaming it would not seem too much to ask,'' he told the Commons.

General Mills in talks on Diageo's Pillsbury

By Meera Somasundaram and David Jones

CHICAGO/LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Diageo Plc , the owner of Burger King and
Guinness beer, is in talks to combine its Pillsbury food business with General
Mills Inc. in an expected $10.5 billion share-swap with the U.S. cereal maker,
the companies said Thursday.

A deal -- which would mark the latest step in a rapid consolidation of the food
industry -- would leave Diageo with a 30 to 40 percent stake in enlarged
General Mills, according to sources close to the situation.

The news also comes just weeks after Diageo said it would spin off Burger King,
the No. 2 fast-food restaurant chain behind McDonald's Corp.

As the two sides engage in talks, other possible bidders could emerge, analysts
said, namely ketchup king H.J. Heinz Co. , which has publicly expressed its
intention in recent weeks to participate in the industry consolidation.

A combination of Pillsbury, known for its chubby-cheeked Doughboy character,
and General Mills, the maker of Wheaties and Cheerios cereals, may be finalized
as early as next week, according to sources close to the talk. Both companies
are based in Minneapolis.

It would bring under a single corporate roof such popular brands as Pillsbury's
refrigerated dough products, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Green Giant vegetables and
Old El Paso Mexican foods with General Mills' Cheerios, Wheaties and other
breakfast cereals, Yoplait and Colombo yogurt, and Betty Crocker mixes.
Combined annual revenues would exceed $12 billion.

Shares of General Mills and Diageo showed little reaction to the news. Diageo
ended off 12-1/2 pence at 599 pence in a lower London market. General Mills
closed up just 1/4 at 37 on the New York Stock Exchange.

To be sure, not all analysts expect to see a Pillsbury-General Mills
combination completed. ``When Pillsbury was on the block, I expected Heinz to
bid,'' said Daniel Peris, an analyst at Argus Research. ``Their products
appear to be more complementary.... It wouldn't surprise me if they tried to
outbid.''

A spokeswoman at Heinz couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

WIN-WIN SITUATION

Analysts said the deal would benefit Diageo and General Mills strategically.
For General Mills, a merger with Pillsbury could help strengthen its presence
in the refrigerated food division and help reduce its dependence on the
slow-growing cereal market. It also would help the company gain scale and
pricing leverage against supermarkets, which are getting bigger through
acquisitions.

``This gets General Mills more diversified and into some other areas which have
a faster growth potential,'' said Prudential Securities analyst Jeffrey Kanter.
``In the end, you get a more powerful General Mills.''

For Diageo, the move would help infuse some cash into the UK company and allow
it to focus on its UDV wines and spirits unit and Guinness beer division --
which currently account for two-thirds of the company's profits.

``This is good news,'' said Nigel Popham, an analyst at Teather and Greenwood.
``It allows Diageo to exit the weaker parts of its business -- Pillsbury and
Burger King -- and focus on the cash-generative spirits and beer businesses.''

PUSH INTO THE REFRIGERATOR

Cereals account for about 40 percent of sales and about 50 percent to 60
percent of earnings at General Mills, which also makes Betty Crocker food
mixes, yogurt products and health foods, analysts said.

The cereal category has been under pressure for the last few years as
competition has intensified and as volume growth has remained sluggish. Still,
General Mills has managed to bring growth to its cereal division through
product introductions and solid marketing.

Analysts said a deal would involve only minor antitrust problems with some
overlap seen in dry baking mixes.

General Mills has aggressively pushed into areas such as prepared meals
recently, buying Lloyd's Barbecue Co., side-dish maker Farmhouse Foods, snack
company Gardetto's Bakery Inc. and organic-food maker Small Planets Foods.

``General Mills has been trying to push the refrigerated area with meal
solutions and Pillsbury would be a big step forward in that effort,'' said
David Nelson, a food analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston. ``Ice cream and Old
El Paso don't appear to be an obvious (fit)... (but) maybe there's a
combination there for Mexican refrigerated meals.''

A General Mills-Pillsbury combination would follow several high-profile recent
acquisitions in the food sector including those by industry giants Unilever Plc
and Philip Morris Cos. which recently purchased Bestfoods and Nabisco Holdings
Corp., respectively.

The latest merger talk raises pressure on other food companies to seek merger
partners, analysts said.

``There are a group of second-tier food companies (such as) H.J. Heinz Co.,
General Mills, Quaker Oats and Kellogg Co. that are of certain size and they
feel they need to be much larger going forward,'' said Argus Research analyst
Peris. ``I view Heinz as the most aggressive of them.''


Beverage Marketing USA Reports E & J Gallo and France's Champagne Industry
Winery Threatens Australia's Champagne of Sparkling Spring Waters

PARIS, Ark., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Beverage Marketing USA, Inc., recently
re-introduced the 17-year-old brand Walkabout Springs to Europe and the United
States. "The Walkabout name comes from an Aboriginal expression meaning 'to go
from place to place in search of better things,'" said John Ronan, President
and founder of Springbank Beverages. The company has been successfully
marketing its fruited mineral water drinks in Australia and the outback and
Ronan is confident that Walkabout Springs will "juice up the world" beyond its
Australian base. "The label design was my wife Molly's idea, adapting an
Aboriginal cave drawing of a kangaroo," explained Ronan.

Beverage Marketing USA, Inc., were challenged in a letter on behalf of the
French Champagne Growers Association, saying that the Australian-based company
should print no more labels that included the word "champagne" pending a final
resolution of a complaint from the fiercely protective champagne producers
industry.

Richard H. Davis, President of Beverage Marketing USA, Inc., the firm that
distributes the drink, said he is confident the French would lose their case
which claims he is damaging the region's famous reputation, if and when it
comes to court. Monsieur Davis points out that the "l'art de vivre" tagline
"Walkabout sparkles in the mouth, like fine champagne!" appeared on a limited
edition sidewalk cafe style Walkabout Springs product sold in Outback
Steakhouse's a decade ago during which time demand was overwhelming.

"Now Gallo Winery lawyers (Weinberg Legal Group) are threatening legal action,
who are using the WALKABOUT name on some fortified wines, to make a quick buck
during the up coming Olympics 'Down Under.'" says Monsieur Davis. "Gallo wining
about an Aboriginal name of a spring in Australia, sounds a bit like when
Arizona Beverages who used the Native America name Crazy Horse for its malt
liquor, the company discontinued the fortified beer from protest from Indian
tribal leaders due to the high degree of alcoholism among Native Americans,
victimization of Aboriginal people who suffer from the same rates of
alcoholism, may question the use of their image and name on a Californian wine
from the worlds largest winery E & J Gallo, promoted during the Olympics."


Booze It & Lose It' Nets 1,474 Impaired Driving Arrests During First Week of
Campaign

New Laws Plus the Presence of BATmobiles at Checkpoints Is

Getting the Anti-DWI Message Across

RALEIGH, N.C., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Accompanied by all three of the state's
breath alcohol mobile testing units, better known as BATmobiles, North Carolina
law enforcement officers are out in full force as part of the Summer
"Booze It & Lose It" campaign to remind motorists that impaired driving will
not be tolerated anywhere in the state.

Sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols across the state netted 1,474 driving
while impaired (DWI) charges between June 30 - July 9. The arrests are a
result of 842 checkpoints and random patrols across the state. The campaign
continues through July 16, and law enforcement in communities across the state
are continuing to strictly enforce North Carolina's DWI laws, including a set
of new laws which became effective on July 1. The new laws, designed to target
repeat offenders:

* Reduce the legal alcohol concentration (AC) from 0.08 to 0.02 for persons who
have been convicted of one DWI and have had their license reinstated.

* Reduce the legal AC from 0.02 to 0.00 for persons who have been convicted of
a second DWI and have had their license reinstated.

* Require the installation of an ignition-interlock system in the vehicle of a
person who has been convicted of having an AC of 0.16 or greater.

"Not only do law enforcement have the aid of the new DWI laws, but theyare also
able to make a powerful statement by having the BATmobiles alongside them at
their checkpoint locations," said Joe Parker, director of the Governor's
Highway Safety Program. "Because the BATmobiles are visiting places where they
have never been, the message is reaching many new parts of the state that
drinking and driving will not be tolerated, and that you can be arrested and
charged with DWI on the spot."

Parker also noted that legislation passed last night by the General Assembly
would help officers even more in their fight against drunk driving. The law,
which will become effective on October 1, will prohibit anyone in a vehicle
from having an open container of alcohol. Currently, the driver is
prohibited from having an open container of alcohol, however both front- and
backseat passengers are allowed to have open containers of beer and wine in a
vehicle that is in a public vehicular area.

A public vehicular area is any area within the state that is generally open to
and used by the public for vehicular traffic. These areas can include not only
roads, but also driveways and parking lots of public or private hospitals,
universities, churches, beach accesses, stores and offices.

The other part of the legislation will strengthen the ignition-interlock
requirement so that offenders will be required to install the alcohol-
detection device in all vehicles registered to them, rather than just their
primary vehicle.

"Strengthening a law that was put into effect just two weeks ago really shows
our state's commitment to the problem of impaired driving," Parker said. "This
legislation, coupled with the new DWI laws that just went into effect, should
really make people think again before getting behind the wheel after drinking."

Besides charging impaired drivers, law enforcement officers at "Booze It & Lose
It" checkpoints and random patrols issued 4,744 seat belt and 596 child safety
seat citations. They also discovered 7,689 other traffic violations and 2,320
total criminal violations, including 69 felony drug charges, 28 firearms
violations, and eight fugitives from justice.

The following are the citations issued statewide by law enforcement officers at
"Booze It & Lose It" sobriety checkpoints and random patrols from June 30 -
July 9. Reporters may contact local law enforcement agencies for
local results and to learn where and when they will be conducting campaign
activities.

For more information about this or other highway safety issues, contact
Public Information Officer Jill Warren Lucas or Deputy Public Information
Officer Erica Hinton at 919-733-3083, or visit our web site at:
www.dot.state.nc.us/services/ghsp /


J2jurado

unread,
Jul 13, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/13/00
to
http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/finance/2000/0712/fin10.htm

Guinness sales on decline in Ireland

From Sebastian Taylor in London

Sales of Guinness in Ireland are continuing to decline and, if anything, the
rate of decline is accelerating. Mr John McGrath, chief executive of the Diageo
group which owns Guinness, said in a trading statement yesterday that volume
sales of Guinness brand in Ireland "is expected to be down 4 per cent" in 12
months to the end of June.

This compares with a sales decline of 3 per cent suffered in the six months to
the end of December, indicating that the sales setback is worsening. The sharp
reduction in Guinness sales in Ireland over the year to the end of last month
followed unchanged sales in the year to the end of June last year.

The reduction in Irish sales is mainly ascribed to growth in popularity of
rival products, notably wine, cider and ready-to-drink products such as
Smirnoff Ice and Bicardi Breezer.

Although demand for Guinness in Ireland has fallen significantly, the impact on
the group's brewery at St James's Gate, Dublin, has been softened by increased
exports of Guinness.

Shipments of draught Guinness to the growing US market increased by 6 per cent
in the six months to June 30th. The Guinness brand has also continued to
perform strongly against a declining beer market in Great Britain. Full year
Guinness volumes in Britain are expected to be 3 per cent higher, lifting
export shipments from St James's Gate in the process. Even so, the accelerating
decline in Irish demand for Guinness has plainly contributed to the emergence
of surplus capacity at Guinness Ireland's brewing operations, prompting the
current review to cut production capacities through brewery closures.

Diageo's sales of global priority brands including Bailey's Irish Cream are
expected to have increased by 10 per cent in the year to end-June despite
abolition of the European duty free market.


http://www.post-gazette.com:80/businessnews/20000711lien4.asp

Liens filed against Pittsburgh Brewing

By Len Boselovic, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Liens totaling nearly $1 million were filed yesterday against Pittsburgh
Brewing . The Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority filed 11 liens against the
maker of Iron City for $941,420. About $849,000 is related to 1999 bills, but
nearly $92,000 dates back to 1996, according to documents filed with the
Allegheny County prothonotary's office.
"We want to make sure our interests are protected," said Greg Tutsock, deputy
executive director of the authority. Tutsock said several of the liens involve
disputed bills the brewery received from the Allegheny County Sanitary
Authority.

The liens will be revised once the dispute is settled, he said. Pittsburgh
Brewing President Joseph Piccirilli said, "We've been working with them for the
past month, trying to verify the billing. There are inconsistencies."

Piccirilli said that sewage bills are determined on a percentage basis of water
usage. "You can't generate more sewage than you have water," Piccirilli said.

He contends that during the beermaking process, "a certain percentage goes into
the beer, and a certain percentage then evaporates, when pasteurizing the
beer." That would lead to a decrease in sewage, he said. "If it's lost in
steam, it doesn't go into the sewer."

Creditors file liens in order to protect their legal rights in relation to
other creditors.

Officials of the Lawrenceville brewery have told Tutsock they intend to pay
whatever they owe.

"They have been very up front and honest with us," he said.

http://www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/
07/10/MN93947.DTL


ASIA- Pakistan's Only Brewery a Heady Success
Despite Islamic nation's strict prohibition laws, company endures
Tasgola Karla Bruner, Chronicle Foreign Service

Rawalpindi, Pakistan -- One of Pakistan's top-performing companies manufactures
a product whose purchase can lead to whippings and imprisonment for 97 percent
of the population.
The Murree Brewery Co. Ltd., the only brewery in this nation of 142 million
inhabitants, is a tenacious firm that has survived the partition of British
India, prohibition, Muslim conservatives and government restrictions since its
inception in 1861.

Named for the hill station located near its original location, the brewery was
established by British colonialists to keep their troops happy. The brewery
ended up in a Muslim country after the partition of India in 1947 created
Pakistan. Since the Koran forbids intoxicants, only foreigners and religious
minorities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis can legally
buy alcohol -- after filling out a detailed ``application for the grant of a
permit for the purchase, possession, transport or consumption of intoxicating
liquor.'' Muslims are not eligible even if drinking is prescribed by a doctor's
order.

A would-be imbiber must state religion, profession, annual income,
sexually-transmitted disease information, weight, height, smoking status,
drinking history and a husband or father's name. (A letter from a priest used
to be required.) Provincial prohibition officers from the Excise Department
then calculate each person's monthly quota.

A prohibition officer once asked a foreigner if she was a ``drunk.'' When she
responded no, she was given authorization to purchase just one unit a month --
a $22 case of 20 bottles of beer or one bottle of such hard liquor as gin,
vodka or whiskey. When she applied the next year, she told officials she was
indeed a drunk and they upped her quota to six units a month.

Murree Brewery officials say this kind of screening is just one of several
obstacles that have dramatically affected sales. They must also compete with
smugglers who sneak in crates of alcohol through Pakistan's porous borders.
Meanwhile, the company is barred from exporting to Europe and is under constant
attack from Muslim fundamentalists who want the government to close the brewery
down.

Despite the hurdles, Murree was voted one of the country's top 25 companies by
the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce for its $5.6 million in revenues last year and
strong performance on the Karachi stock exchange.

Mino Bhandara, Murree's chief executive, says his company sells only to
five-star hotels and diplomats. Yet Bhandara, who served as minority affairs
minister during the martial law regime of General Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, is well
aware that 99 percent of his customers are Muslims who, in order to consume a
bottle of Murree beer, are willing to pay a Christian or Hindu permit holder
double the price. These ``distributors'' often have cellular phones and make
door-to-door deliveries.

Bhandara, who took over the brewery after his father's death in 1961, often
calls his product ``My Islamic Beer.''

He is one of about 3,000 affluent Parsis who live in Pakistan and practice the
fire-venerating Zoroastrian religion. He estimates that about 15 percent of
Pakistan's Muslim population drink alcohol and he believes that would not
change even if prohibition were lifted.
``Those who are determined not to drink will never drink. You'll never be able
to persuade them,'' he says. ``And you cannot stop those who wish to drink.''

Murree sales were not always this complicated. In the 1970s, Murree beer could
be found as far away as New York, but in 1979, dictator Zia introduced domestic
prohibition and outlawed exports.

In response to the restrictions, Bhandara opened a brewery in Austria for
export to the United Kingdom, where South Asian expatriates are beseeched to
``Have curry with Murree'' or ``Eat, drink and be Murree,'' or "Murree up and
drink more now."

Despite the restrictions, both company officials and workers are optimistic
about the future. The brewery's 350 employees -- many of whom are sons and
grandsons of retired employees -- are content to work in a brewery even though
many are observant Muslims and must officially avoid the occasional taste tests
of the product.

Abdul Rehman, who has toiled for Murree for 40 years, inspects whiskey bottles
as they roll by on a conveyor belt.

``I have built a house, bought land and been able to give my wife jewelry,'' he
says, when asked why he works in a brewery. ``There's no problem working with
alcohol. It's a service.''

Bottling supervisor Liaquat Mehmood isn't bothered either. ``I will work here
all my life,'' he says.

Quality control manager Huma Afzal Satti has more personal reasons for loyalty.
Bhandara gave her a job eight years ago despite harboring misgivings about
hiring a Muslim woman.
``If he (Bhandara) didn't give me respect, I wouldn't have received it from the
others,'' says Satti, who is the company's only female supervisor.

In a cool office next to the refrigeration room, brew-master Mohammad Javed, a
Muslim, recalls how he began in the profession in 1985. (Before prohibition,
the brewmaster was a German, and most of the brewing equipment used today by
Murree is German.) Under a sign that reads ``Beer made me what I am today,''
Javed asks an assistant to bring two chilled bottles of his latest creation
--``Millennium Brew 2000.''

``I learned to drink beer while studying in Chicago,'' says Javed. ``My
favorite beer is Coors Light.''

While the company is known for its strong beer -- Murree Beer is 4.5 percent
alcohol while its Classic Lager is 5.5 percent -- it is also becoming well
known for its malt whiskey.

In the ``Complete Book of Whiskeys: The Definitive Guide to the Whiskeys of the
World,'' Bhandara proudly points to the page that describes Murree's 8-year-old
$15 bottle of malt: ``Not only does it compare favorably, it is much better
than a number of lesser scotch malts which come nowhere near to matching this
whiskey's crisp and delicate maltiness.''

Bhandara also proudly displays a framed letter that he received this year from
the Austrian ambassador describing Millennium Brew 2000 as ``perfectly
competitive among the world's top-class Austrian, Bavarian and Czech Christmas
or Easter bock brews.''
The beer was judged by the embassy staff, who, according to the ambassador,
consumed ``1,000 hecto-liters of beer experience.''

``We make one of the greatest beers of the world,'' Bhandara says. ``One may
well question why we do it, but so long as the clock ticks, so long as we are
able to function, we will be remembered.'' ©2000 San Francisco Chronicle


http://www.al.com:80/news/birmingham/Jul2000/13-e421040b.html

City's last brewery to shut down as new owners move operations

07/13/00 BILL PLOTT News staff writer

Little Star Brewing Co., maker of Mad Monk beer, is being purchased and will
shut its doors, ending Birmingham's brief post Prohibition fling with
breweries. A group of investors have set up a company in Greenville, S.C.,
called Mad Monk Breweries Inc. to buy Little Star's operations. "They are going
to close this facility down and move everything to South Carolina," said Marc
Anthony, president of Little Star. The transaction won't be complete for
several weeks, but Anthony said the availability of Mad Monk's three styles of
beer will not be affected. "The beer is still being produced. It's better than
ever. They've got wholesalers and a sales force in place. They have a full-time
brewmaster who is part owner. They have a lot of experience, a lot of money
behind it. A lot more money than I could put together," he said.

Little Star bought the former Birmingham Brewing Co. facility on Third Avenue
about two years ago. About the same time, Vulcan Breweries Inc., acquired the
rights to Birmingham Brewing's Red Mountain brands. Vulcan dropped the Red
Mountain line and began producing Vulcan Beer and Vulcan Hefe-Weizen, an
unfiltered wheat beer. Little Star produced under contract the Vulcan beer now
available in the Birmingham area.

In spring 1999, Little Star acquired the Mad Monk brands from the Cincinnati
brewery that originated them. Little Star also acquired the brands of Mi ami's
Firehouse Brewing Co.

Anthony said Mad Monk's pale ale, nut brown ale and pilsner are being
distributed in five states, but that wasn't enough for Little Star to make a go
of it. Little Star was a family operation and never employed more than a
handful of people.

"You can't make a living in Alabama with a brewery. We've got it out to five
different states, but you've got to be supported by the local market, and
they're not going to support it here. The people are not interested in Alabama
right now. It's a Bud, Miller and Coors market. There's not enough demand for
it (craft-brewed beer)," he said.

Birmingham's fling with homegrown breweries and brewpubs didn't last long.
Magic City Brewery, which opened in 1995 as the city's first brewpub, shut down
June 16. Those following Magic City - The Southside Cellar Brewing Co. and
brewpubs, the Cellar Beer Garden and Breckenridge Brewing Co. - are no longer
making beer.
Southside sold its beer to distributors who placed it in as many as 25
restaurants at its peak. Both The Mill and the Cellar Beer Garden were
Southside customers at one time.

Breckenridge lasted only a couple of years.

The Mill's beer is currently coming out of Jones Brewery in Pittsburgh. Over
the years it was also produced at Little Star and Southside.

The Cellar Beer Garden closed earlier this year. Its supplier, Southside, had
stopped producing beer last summer. "The last beer was produced last June, and
I officially took an indefinite leave of absence as of the end of January,"
said John Kater, the former brewmaster who now lives in Atlanta.

Kater said he plans to go to graduate school to get an MBA and then get back in
the brewing business again, although probably not in Birmingham. "Cellar
Brewing still exists. I'm going back to school to work on what my weaknesses
were and try again in a few years," he said.

Vulcan still exists on paper, though it has struggled. Vulcan CEO Lee Busby of
Tuscaloosa said the Little Star sale probably won't have much impact on his
"virtually dormant" company.
''The last couple of orders we've gotten, we called them (Little Star) and
relied on them to produce it and put the labels on it," Busby said. "It was an
easy, efficient relationship because they were right there in town.

''We've got bigger problems with the lack of orders rather than not having
anybody to produce it. There are any number of places in the Southeast that can
produce it. We just tell them what we want in a flavor profile and get a few
tanks made."

Anthony said he isn't sure what he will do when the sale is completed, but he
may return to commercial real estate.

''I'll probably still be involved in the brewing business, too. Some of the
other brands want me to represent them, and I'm trying to put a local group
together to buy Hurricane Reef in Florida. We wouldn't brew it here, though. It
would be brewed in Florida," he said.


http://www.al.com:80/news/birmingham/Jul2000/13-e421037b.html

City's brewing industry goes back to 1884

07/13/00 - Census reports indicate there were numerous distilleries and
breweries in Alabama before the turn of the century when the Prohibition
movement began to gain favor with politicians.

Brewing came to Birmingham in 1884 when Philip Schillinger, a Louisville
brewer, moved to Jefferson County. He started the Phil Schillinger Brewing Co.,
which later changed its name to the Birmingham Brewing Co. It was on 21st
Street, across the street from where the Magic City Brewery landed in 1995.
Schillinger died around 1890, but his three sons carried on.

A second brewery, The Alabama Brewing Co., opened a block away in the 1890s.
Its principal backer was R.F. Roden, a pioneering Birmingham businessman.

The two breweries operated until 1908 when the first of two statewide
prohibition laws was approved. Although that law was repealed and local option
instituted in 1911, Birmingham's two breweries remained closed. Congress in
1919 passed the Volstead Act , which established national prohibition.

The state Legislature approved a bill in 1992 allowing a return of the brewing
industry. The first beer produced in Alabama in decades began flowing soon
after. The Mill Brewery, Eatery and Bakery opened on Southside in 1993,
offering con tract brewed draft beers.
The state's first brewpub came in 1995 with the opening of the Port City
Brewery in Mobile. A few months later, the Mobile owners opened Magic City
Brewery in Birmingham.

Barrett's Brewpub & Eatery in Tuscaloosa went bankrupt after a couple of years.
Port City in Mobile, the Montgomery Brewery, Poplar Head in Dothan and the Olde
Auburn Ale House continue to operate.
Bill Plott © 2000 The Birmingham News.


http://detnews.com:80/2000/wayne/0007/11/d03-88599.htm

Buckeye Beer makes comeback
Canton Township man puts once-popular brew on shelves

By Kevin Lynch / The Detroit News

CANTON -- Why would anyone spend his July 4 vacation time at a
do-it-yourself beer factory in Perrysburg, Ohio? If you're John Spieker III of
Canton Township, it's because you're trying to resurrect Buckeye Beer, one case
at a time.

The once-popular brew flew off shelves in Toledo this week after its
eye-raising return from the corporate grave.

An auto mechanic and two salesman who grew up on Buckeye have been cranking out
200 cases a week at the Glass City Brew on Premises Co. in suburban Perrysburg,
Ohio. Glass City is used mostly by amateur beer brewers. But Spieker and his
partners, 40-year-old Jay Tillman of Saginaw and 38-year-old Dave Kulish of
Toledo, have formed a special relationship with the brewery to make large
quantities there in exchange for a share of their profits.

"It was the first beer I ever drank," said Spiker, a 43-year-old salesman who
grew up Toledo and moved to the Canton area in the 1980s. "I remember the name
was kind of an icon -- like the Mud Hens are to Toledo or the Tigers are to
Detroit."

Spieker said at least two other entrepreneurs have tried to bring back Buckeye
since the Miller Brewing Company bought the business in 1972, fired 600
employees and shut down the local factory, which produced more than 300,000
barrels of beer in its last year.
"We figured the name hadn't been used in 28 years," Spieker said. "The
nostalgia factor is really in high gear right now."

In reviving Buckeye, the three knew they would have tough standards to meet,
Kulish said. They researched how the beer might have been made, given what was


available; tried to match ingredients; talked to former brewery workers; asked

fans of the original Buckeye Beer to be taste testers, and revised their
formula seven times. They couldn't be sure of the aging time used for Buckeye,
so Kulish visited the former distribution warehouse in Toledo. While poking
around in the basement, he found -- still written in chalk on a blackboard -- a


timetable for brewing, aging, and delivery.

"It was all still down there from the day the brewery closed," he said. A
six-pack of the revived brand costs $5.99. It is competing against a variety of
fancy beers and ales in at least 41 area bars, restaurants, and retail outlets.
Jim Heltebrake, wine shop manager at The Andersons shopping center in Toledo,
said he sold 55 cases of Buckeye before selling out Thursday.

The Buckeye Brewing Co. began making Buckeye in Toledo in 1838. Chicago-based
Meister Brau Inc. bought Buckeye in 1966 and brewed the first Meister Brau Lite
beer in Toledo. In 1972, Miller Brewing Co., of Milwaukee bought the Buckeye


and Meister Brau Lite labels. The new owner changed Meister Brau Lite to
Miller Lite, moved Buckeye beer production to Milwaukee, then stopped making
the beer in late 1972.


http://www10.nytimes.com:80/library/financial/sunday/070900biz-book-beer.html

Brewing Beer and Problems

In scanning the bookstore shelves, I have long hoped to find a series of books
called "Corporate Stupidity." This multivolume set would make the collected
works of James Michener look like Cliff Notes, considering the number of
business blunders that are committed daily.

My personal favorites are the sins of chief executives who ignore their
managers or the workers on the factory floor. Or the debacles that follow when
they tune out the most important audience -- their customers. There is no
shortage of material from every industry, ranging from the Edsel to New Coke.

It's a familiar scene: Company fouls up, chief executive rants when the
headlines chronicle their foul-ups, six-figure consultants are hired to figure
out who fouled up. If only these consultants would suggest that CEO's create a
new office called the CSO -- common sense officer. Its job description: The
lone voice in a company who can tell the boss he might be wrong.

A recent example of a hefty dose of arrogance and the absence of anyone willing
to apply some common sense comes from the Coors family, which started brewing
beer in Golden, Colo., in 1876 and continued until the younger generations
nearly ran the company into the ground by the early 1990s.

In "Citizen Coors: An American Dynasty" (William Morrow, $27), Dan Baum wisely
singles the family out. Baum builds a strong narrative from the tale of how
this big dysfunctional family made a lot of cold beer and money that ultimately
financed conservative causes via the Republican Party and the Heritage
Foundation. There is no lack of drama, starting with the patriarch Adolph
Coors, who committed suicide by jumping out of a hotel window.

Succeeding generations had their problems, too, as Baum describes them. Pity
his grandchildren, who must have dreaded Sundays. Adolph Jr. kept notes on his
children's weekly misdeeds, then spanked them each Sunday. One of the offspring
also committed suicide, also by jumping out of a hotel window.

But this book also gives corporate America a primer, as valuable as any
business school case study, on how not to run a company.
For starters, Baum documents thoroughly how Coors abused workers. Sure,
paternalism is sweet when it's served up as free lagers during break time in
the brewery. But no amount of alcohol takes the sting out of being subjected to
lie-detector tests, used to screen out what the book describes as "thieves,
radicals and homosexuals." Some workers were asked if they had sex the previous
night. At times, employees were forced to see psychologists. Brewery workers
regarded themselves, in the words of one, as "overworked animals."

Equal rights took a while to catch up with Coors. Women lacked a bathroom in
the brewery. There was one in the office for secretaries, but women working in
the brewery were docked for time off if they left the plant to use it. One
Coors family member said that a woman's place was "in the beauty parlor."

Not that management was spared from the odd behavior and whims of the Coors
clan. When Bill Coors, in the third generation, caught the transcendental
meditation bug, all executives were ordered to take classes in the practice.
The Coors company, meanwhile, showed an amazing lack of knowledge about
behemoth competitors like Anheuser Busch. Members of the Busch family in St.
Louis knew that their company was driven by the relentless marketing of
Budweiser and other brands. But Coors didn't get it -- and balked at spending
money on ads.

Indeed, marketing executives had short tenures at Coors. Some did manage a few
hit ads, like one using "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" to sell beer at
Halloween. But Jeff Coors, a born-again Christian and member of the fourth
generation, ordered an end to Elvira's selling of Coors because he considered
her satanic.

Other ads were ludicrous. Senior family members once ordered the company's
advertising agency to make a commercial featuring Eva Gabor, a family friend
who was generous to the Republican Party. Men in the focus group, viewing the
aging actress, yelled: "What's she doing selling beer?"

Even product introductions lagged behind the competition. Coors was so behind
the curve that it introduced a light beer three years after Miller Lite hit the
shelves. The company botched other product introductions because it failed to
do market research.
"Citizen Coors" clinches the story by telling how the blunders caught up with
the company. It went public in 1975 at $32 a share. By 1978, investors lost
half their money. Earnings were once 30 cents for every dollar of beer sold,
but slipped to just a penny by 1990. Boycotts by unions and even barley farmers
hurt its image and sales. Market share wilted everywhere, even in its home
state of Colorado.

What did the Coors brothers do about it? They continued to focus on pushing
conservative political causes in Washington. And they bought themselves a Lear
jet.

What did the board members do? They dozed off during presentations on the
demographics of beer drinkers. One of the best lines of the book likens a Coors
board meeting to an Idi Amin cabinet meeting: Nobody objects.

Senior management did seem to pay attention to one event -- the pollution of
its famous Rocky Mountain spring waters. Clear Creek was the primary reason
that Adolph Coors built his brewery in Golden. Trouble was, his brewery was
responsible for contamination of the once-pristine waters. The book spends far
too few pages on this environmental mess. Coors knew for nine years during the
1980s that it was destroying the spring water, but covered it up, according to
Baum.

To help ease the bad public relations, Peter Coors, also in the fourth
generation, coughed up a $30 million check for a baseball stadium in Denver.
For the money, the team would play at, you guessed it, Coors Field.

The book's final pages chronicle the Coors men stepping aside and hiring an
outsider to run the company. More than a century after the brewery was founded,
the arrogance and indifference had caught up with them. Baum says they would
have made more money by closing the place in the early 1980s and putting their
money in a passbook account.


http://www.abqjournal.com:80/news/74288news07-08-00.htm

Freeway Crash Ends Beer Run

By Jeff Jones,
Journal Staff Writer

38,400 bottles of beer on the wall, 38,400 bottles of beer ...

The first unscheduled closure during Albuquerque's Big I reconstruction
took place Friday when a tractor-trailer rig hauling 1,600 cases of beer —
apparently all of it Bud Light — came up the northbound Interstate 25 on-ramp
from eastbound Interstate 40 a bit too fast and toppled onto the concrete
barrier there.

The big rig skidded on its side more than 200 feet along the heavy concrete
wall, showering nearby brush with sparks and starting a blaze the Albuquerque
Fire Department had to quench, said police Traffic Division officer Ray Loomis.

The overturned truck closed down the freeway on-ramp at 12:30 p.m., and it
remained closed during the evening rush while the mess was cleaned up. A police
dispatch supervisor said truckers apparently passed along word of the lengthy
closure over citizens band radios, and rigs were using Albuquerque side streets
to get to I-25. The two-year, $270 million Big I reconstruction project
officially began June 30, but the on-ramp where the truck tipped over isn't
under construction now.

Ashraf "Max" Chowdhury, 48, the driver of the International tractor truck,
said he and his load of brew left Fairfield, Calif., on Wednesday and were only
about a mile from the final destination — Albuquerque's Premier Distributing
Co. — when the accident took place. Although most of the Bud Light cases
seemed intact, an official from Premier said it now can't be sold. One
Albuquerque liquor store said it sells Bud Light bottles for about $4 a six
pack. At that price, the retail value of the beer is more than $25,000.

"One mile — can you believe that? One mile short of the reaching point,"
Chowdhury said shortly after the wreck as he stood next to his bashed-up truck,
which was leaking beer. Chowdhury said the wreck left him with pain in his leg,
but "I want to thank my Lord in the heaven I'm in one piece." He said he was
buckled in at the time of the crash.

Loomis said Chowdhury was going too fast to navigate the on-ramp, and he
issued a warning to the trucker for going too fast for the conditions. But
Chowdhury said the tip-over happened because the beer wasn't loaded onto his
rig correctly and shifted.

Chowdhury said the wreck was his first in several years of trucking. And
though he has hauled brew all over, "I've never seen somebody load (beer) like
that. They didn't stagger the load. The load shifted to one side."

Loomis said the on-ramp was the frequent site of truck tip-overs until
signs were installed several years ago giving the recommended speed of 30 mph.
Chodhury was going about 40 or 45 mph at the time of the accident, Loomis said.
"All I can figure is that as the trailer began to tip, it pulled his tractor
over," Loomis said. Even though one of the tires blew during the accident, "it
was going over even without the blowout."

"Forty-five will do this to you," Loomis said of the truck's estimated
speed. "Where he would've made it anywhere else, not (at) the eastbound to
northbound in Albuquerque."

Chowdhury said the beer load weighed about 42,000 pounds.

The truck is his own, and he is insured. But he added: "Now, I'm out of
work for awhile."


http://www.canoe.ca:80/JamBooks/jul12_brewer.html

Wednesday, July 12, 2000

Brewing company unveils Ontario award for short story collections

TORONTO (CP) -- A literary award worth $10,000 was unveiled Tuesday to honour
short story collections written by Ontario authors.

 The Upper Canada Brewing Company announced its Writers' Craft Award at a news
conference, saying that the inaugural prize will go to the writer of a story
collection published in the 12-month period from June 30, 1999 to July 1, 2000.


 The brewery wants to support "the best authors our province has to offer,"
said company president Peter Amirault.

 "Awards like this play a crucial role in pumping up Ontario's literary
community and acknowledging the importance of literature in all of our lives,"
said writer Daniel Richler, who helped launch the prize.

 The jury this year is made up of Ian Pearson, Bill Reynolds and Eliza Clark.

The deadline for submissions is July 21, 2000. Canadian publishers of fiction
received notification of the award several weeks ago and have already been
canvassed for submissions.
A shortlist will be announced Sept. 10, and the winner will be announced at a
gala reception in October.

Oregon Brewers Guild

unread,
Jul 14, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/14/00
to
This reminds me of a story from David Bruce, who founded the Firkin
chain of pubs (Fox and Firkin, Frog and Firkin, etc.) I moderated a
panel he was on at an IBS conference a few years ago. One of the
questions had to do with naming pubs. Bruce said Firkin wasn't his first
choice. "My local was called the Kings Arms, so I thought as a nod to
that, I would call my first place the Queeen's Legs. But I was a fraid
no one would show up for the grand opening." buh-dum-dum.
--
Jim Parker
Executive Director
Oregon Brewers Guild
(503) 295-1862
www.oregonbeer.org

J2jurado

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Jul 14, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/14/00
to
Guinness to cut Irish jobs after review

DUBLIN, July 14 (Reuters) - Guinness Ireland, a division of Britain's Diageo
Plc, said on Friday it was closing its packaging plant in the Irish republic
and revamping operations at one of its breweries, resulting in the loss of some
200 jobs.

The company said the decision followed a review of its production operations in
the Irish republic, together with its packaging operations in Northern Ireland
and in Liverpool.

``The review was taken as result of the accelerating consolidation of the
global beer industry, driven by excess capacity worldwide,'' Guinness said in a
statement.

The closure of the packaging plant in Dundalk, County Louth, close to the
border with Northern Ireland, would result in the loss of around 140 jobs,
while the revamp of the brewery, also in Dundalk, would mean cutting around 60
jobs, Guinness Ireland's corporate affairs director Pat Barry told Reuters.

Some 300 people in total are employed at the plants. Guinness has an overall
workforce of some 2,000 people in the Irish republic, including workers at its
three breweries, in Dublin, Kilkenny and Waterford.

Ireland's largest union, SIPTU, said it condemned what it called a devastating
blow to the Dundalk community. ``While there has been speculation for some
time regarding possible job losses, we are shocked at the manner in which
Guinness proceeded with this announcement,'' it said.

Unions had been seeking meetings with senior Guinness management for some time
to discuss future plans, it said.

A further 100 indirect employees were likely to be made redundant as a result
of the review, it added.

Guinness's Barry said the company was also looking at plans to streamline its
other operations in Ireland.

``Our aim is to ensure maximum efficiency in the other plants and we're
exploring means of bringing that about,'' he said.

Earlier this week Guinness Ireland reported a four percent drop in sales of its
flagship Guinness stout product in the 12 months to end-June 2000 -- a result
largely of younger consumer switching allegiance to premium lagers, cider and
wine, Barry said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney, who also holds the post of enterprise
minister, said she was extremely disappointed at the announcement.

``The Guinness tradition is very much an Irish tradition and I am, of course,
disappointed the company has found it necessary to make this decision,'' she
said in a statement.

She added she would help in assisting the workers to find alternative
employment.

Guinness said it would retain its packaging plant in Belfast but the facility
would also be subject to plans for internal transformation, as would its
Runcorn plant near Liverpool, north-west England.

Carlsberg May Sell 75% of Shanghai Plant to Tsingtao

Shanghai, July 14 (Bloomberg) -- Carlsberg A/S may sell control of an
unprofitable Shanghai brewery to Tsingtao Brewery Co., underlining the
difficulty faced by foreign beermakers trying to do business in the world's No.
2 beer market.

Carlsberg, the world's sixth-largest brewer, is in talks to sell Tsingtao as
much as 75 percent of its brewery in Songjiang, a Shanghai suburb, according to
a Shanghai-based Carlsberg executive. The officials didn't say how much
Tsingtao was prepared to pay.

Tsingtao, best-known beer maker, said last month it plans to buy at least two
foreign breweries in major Chinese cities to boost production and double its
share of the domestic market to 10 percent.

Tsingtao officials said they are talking to Carlsberg, although they declined
to provide details. ``We are still in negotiations with Carlsberg, said Zhang
Ruixiang, a Tsingtao spokesman. ``We can't give out details.''

Foreign brewers such as Bass Plc, San Miguel Corp., Asahi Breweries Ltd. and
Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc. beat a path to China after the nation opened its doors
to outside investment in the 1980s.

Profits have been few -- and second thoughts many.

Foreign brands today account for only 10 percent of the Chinese beer market,
which is controlled largely by lower-cost local labels.

Foreign Tastes

Asia Brewery Inc. of the Philippines last year auctioned off a Shanghai venture
that lost money for six years. Foster's Brewing Corp. sold two of three
breweries in China last year after seven unprofitable years. Lion Nathan Ltd.,
Australia's No. 2 brewer, said earlier this month it's in talks to form
ventures with Chinese beermakers to try to turn its first profit in China.

The Songjiang brewery up for sale in Shanghai began operation in October 1998
on an investment of $36.4 million. It's produced 100,000 tons of beer a year
and has yet to turn in a profit.

Carlsberg owns 95 percent of the plant. The remainder is held by the Songjiang
city government.

At the same time, though, it's been hard for brewers to turn their backs
completely on a market where incomes are rising and foreign brands still carry
a glossy patina.

Carlsberg also owns Carlsberg Brewery (Guangdong) Ltd, in southern China, which
began on an investment of $53 million and has annual capacity of 70,000 tons of
beer.

Tsingtao shares, down 38 percent so far this years compared with an 11 percent
increase in an index that tracks Chinese companies in Hong Kong, rose 0.7
percent today to HK$1.47.


Heineken Announces New Chief Executive Officer For USA Unit; Van der Minne to
Take Over Upon Michael Foley's Move to Aer Lingus

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 14, 2000--Heineken, the
Amsterdam-based brewer, has named Frank Van der Minne as President and Chief
Executive Officer of its Heineken USA unit.

Van der Minne is a 25-year veteran of the Heineken Group, serving most
recently as Director Central and Eastern Europe, based in Amsterdam. Before
that, he held various international positions in the Asia Pacific region, was
General Manager of Murphy Brewery in Ireland and Export Director in Amsterdam.
Van der Minne replaces Michael Foley, who will become the new Group Chief
Executive of Aer Lingus, Ireland's national airline. Van der Minne will assume
the new position on September 1.

The appointment was announced by Heineken's Executive Board Chairman Karel
Vuursteen, who praised Van der Minne as "an excellent beer executive with
extensive international experience. With his track record in marketing, sales
and distribution, he is well-equipped to lead the continuation of the strong
performance of Heineken in the North American beer market."

Heineken USA Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Heineken NV and is
benefiting from a strong growth trend among imported beers in America. The
imported segment is the fastest growing part of the American beer market. The
company, headquartered in White Plains NY recently reported that its Heineken
brand grew 11 percent in the U.S. in 1999, outperforming the import segment.
The U.S. beer market overall grew 1.6 percent in volume.

Heineken is the world's most international brewer and finest beer, with
operations in over 100 countries. The Heineken brand is sold in over 170
countries, more than any other beer brand.


Diageo close to making Doughboy deal stick

By David Jones

LONDON, July 14 (Reuters) - Top executives at Britain's Diageo Plc were locked
in talks on Friday over a merger of its U.S. unit Pillsbury with cereals giant
General Mills Inc in a deal which may come as early as the start of next week.

The two Minneapolis-based groups are planning a share-swap deal valuing
Pillsbury at $10.5 billion, which will give Diageo a 40 percent stake in a
combined U.S.-based food group and the British group some $4 billion in cash,
industry sources said.

The deal is likely to lead to annual cost savings of around $400 million, but
although both groups are heavily involved in cereal-based products there are no
significant anti-trust issues which could break up the proposed marriage, they
added.

The combination between the cross-town rivals will strengthen General Mills in
a fast consolidating U.S. food industry, and allow Diageo to focus on its UDV
wines and spirits and Guinness beer divisions, whilst still gaining from its
minority stake in a bigger and more profitable food company.

Diageo and General Mills are keen to sign a deal as soon as possible to thwart
attempts by ketchup king H.J. Heinz Co to breakup the party by bidding for
Pillsbury.

But analysts say this would difficult as the two have structured a complex deal
to allow Diageo an exit route from Pillsbury but still hold onto a sizeable
stake.

The combination would bring together Pillsbury's refrigerated Doughboy
products, Haagen-Dazs ice-cream, Green Giant vegetables and Old El Paso Mexican
food together with General Mills's Cheerios, Wheaties and other breakfast
cereals, Yoplait and Colombo yoghurts and Betty Crocker cake mixes.

The only overlap which may cause any competition concerns is the pairing of
General Mills' Betty Crocker and Pillsbury dessert mixes which would create a
dominant player, but a partial sale of some of these businesses would avoid
problems.

Diageo is likely to use the cash for share buybacks or to reinforce its
leadership of the global spirits market by bidding for parts of Seagram's
drinks business such as Captain Morgan dark rum and Absolut vodka distribution.


But the rash of activity at Diageo under Chief Executive designate Paul Walsh
aimed at enhancing shareholder value has done little for the shares after the
Pillsbury plan came hard on the heels of last month's Burger King flotation
news.

Its shares languished eight pence lower at 591p by 1440 GMT, hardly changed
from its starting price of 583p in December 1997 when Guinness and GrandMet
merged to form Diageo.

The shares have underperformed the UK stock market by 21 percent over the 2-1/2
years since the merger, although they have managed to match other UK drink
stocks.

They have recovered from an all-time low of 375p in March, but despite the
level of corporate activity to rid the group of the drag on group earnings from
Pillsbury and Burger King, investors are concerned over the slow pace of
change.

Analysts added that although Diageo is making all the right moves, the exit
from its U.S.-based food businesses is messy, with a full exit from Burger King
only planned for 2003 and its General Mills-Pillsbury stake likely to last
longer.

``The market is very demanding; what it wants is lots of cash today, not jam
tomorrow,'' said one analyst.


Mexico H1 tequila production nurses agave hangover

By Armando Talamantes

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, July 14 (Reuters) - Tequila production rose just 3.22
percent in the first half of the year, a sharp falloff from the heady growth
seen between 1995-99, impacted by a shortage of the blue agave plant, from
which the drink is made.

According to a report by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), of which Reuters
obtained a copy, the 70 firms that make the Mexican drink produced 96 million
liters in the first half of 2000, compared with 93 million liters in 1999.

Previous figures from the CRT showed the industry grew 29.2 percent in 1996,
16.6 percent in 1997, 8.4 percent in 1998 and 12.27 percent in 1999. The
average growth rate over those four years was 16.5 percent.

The tequila industry has seen a faster global boom than any other spirit in the
past few years but it is beginning to suffer the fallout from a shortage of the
agave plant, which takes up to 12 years to mature.

Industry authorities have said they don't expect a shortage of the liquor in
the forthcoming months but have declined to predict what will happen to tequila
prices in the future.

In a radio interview, Alberto Curis, president of the National Tequila Industry
Chamber, said some intermediaries between producers and distributors were
monopolizing the plant, despite its scarcity.

"They are taking prices to way out levels," Curis told radio station Panorama
Informativo on Friday.

Curis said the situation would lead to consolidation in the Mexican tequila
industry, forcing the least competitive brands out of the market in the next
two years.

"There will not be a total shortage of agave, but a repositioning of brands,"
he said. There were currently some 590 on the market, he noted.

"They can't all keep going and those brands will obviously be edged out," he
added.

Due to strong demand, tequila producers have exhausted almost half the agave
plant supply, industry authority reports show.

There are currently some 107.5 million agave plants in a protected zone, 47
percent less than in 1997 when there were 202 million plants.

Authorities have said the supply of tequila is assured through 2000 and
announced a massive agave planting plan in the next years to meet global
demand.

Mexican standards recognize two types of tequila: one made with 100 percent
blue agave and another containing at least 51 percent agave, the rest being
made up of sugars and alcohols.

Manufacture of pure tequila fell 47 percent in the first half of the year,
while production of mixed tequila rose 32.2 percent, the CRT said.

Of the 96 million liters produced in the first six months of the year, 50
million were exported. Some 80 percent of Mexican tequila exports are sold to
the United States, Curis said.

Brand names seen dying in U.S. food sector shakeout

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO, (Reuters) - The current round of consolidation in the packaged food
industry is a result of companies' failure to support their strongest brands,
marketing experts say, and many of the best-known brands are likely to
disappear.

Some will be replaced by new brands, while many more will be displaced by
retailer-backed house brands.

The marketers that stay independent and prosper will be those that can innovate
and boost demand for their branded products, the experts say.

``The major discrepancy you will see which will differentiate the winners --
who will stay in the industry and grow -- or losers is innovation,'' said Gary
Stibel, principal of The New England Consulting Group, in Westport, Conn.
``Global branding will become a strategic imperative of this industry and very
few people are doing it well. Most are doing it poorly.''

Burt Flickinger III, a former Procter & Gamble Co. executive and a retail
consultant with Reach Marketing, also in Westport, Conn., said much of the
current merger activity is linked to a failure by consumer products companies
during the early 1990s to adequately support their strongest brands.

``The sin of most major consumer products companies in the '90s is that in
order to fatten personal executive officer bonuses and to drive stock prices,
many manufacturers, most notably (H.J.) Heinz (Co.), slashed advertising and
consumer communication and brand-building budgets significantly. As a result,
brand shares eroded dramatically,'' he said.

``In every major category, there are companies that have not marketed and built
their brands sufficiently,'' Flickinger said. ``Of all the power players of the
'80s and '90s, while their share prices have increased significantly, they've
actually lost share in unit sales in many of their flagship brands,'' he said.

Flickinger added: ``The only company that has really done a superb job has been
Philip Morris (Cos. Inc.). While they have stumbled badly on the beer side of
the business, they've done a brilliant job in tobacco and done a very strong
job on the food side with Kraft.''

Faced with maturing brands and spurred by the prospect of higher profit
margins, food companies have been gobbling up small-to-midsize competitors.
``Growth is what's motivating it. It has become increasingly difficult to
squeeze increased growth out of businesses that have been allowed to mature
over the years,'' said Stibel, whose firm is participating directly in
discussions involving two different food company deals and indirectly with
three others, which he declined to name.

``These categories are flat as pancakes for the most part. Therefore, to
achieve growth, companies are out buying like crazy,'' he said.

One recent player is Diageo Plc, which on Thursday confirmed talks with
Minneapolis-based General Mills Inc. about a possible merger with Diageo's
Pillsbury division. That follows a spate of mergers in June that brought
Nabisco's familiar cookie and cracker brands to Philip Morris' Kraft Foods
table and linked Bestfoods' Hellman's and Skippy brands with Anglo-Dutch
consumer goods giant Unilever Plc.

``There are lots of discussions going on. What you know for sure is that Philip
Morris, Nestle SA and Unilever will be net purchasers going forward,'' said
Stibel, whose consulting firm represented Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. in its
sale in May to Unilever for $326 million. ``At the other extreme will be
smaller companies that will stay independent. And in the middle, there are huge
opportunities for growth and mergers.''

As they emerge from the feeding frenzy, however, companies may face new
challenges as they go about marketing their newly acquired brand portfolios.

At the same time companies were slashing marketing support for key brands,
grocery retailers were consolidating and honing their skills at selling
private-label products, creating a class of value-oriented consumers that may
now be more difficult to bring back into the branded-product fold.

``Within this decade, the top 10 global retailers will control 50 percent of
the retail dollars worldwide. Those 10 retailers have the size, scale and skill
to launch private brands directly in competition with major manufacturers,''
Flickinger said. ``Wal-Mart, Costco and Carrefour have proven to Procter &
Gamble in a very painful way that consumers, based on a better level of
education, are deciding the smarter choice is often to buy private brands.''

Notwithstanding Flickinger's concerns, others believe reinvestment will succeed
in reviving mature brands. ``There is deep-seeded brand equity in those brands.
With the right levels and mix in support, those brands will be infinitely more
successful over the long haul,'' said John Grace, executive vice president and
managing director at Interbrand in New York.

Grace said there is a dramatic shift in the way companies view acquisitions,
which he said are less about acquiring bricks and mortar and more about
acquiring brand portfolios. ``There is ever-increasing value in traditional
consumer brands. That's why such high multiples continue to be paid.

``Whether it's Unilever or Philip Morris, they're acquiring the most important
assets they can find. You don't see acquisitions about factories or raw
materials or management talent. What you see are acquisitions of brands.''


Accordionists Seek Some Respect

By BRIGITTE GREENBERG
.c The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - No Lawrence Welk-style bubbles float by. There's seldom a
polka. And don't even think of requesting ``Lady of Spain.'' To the 200 or so
people roaming the nation's capital with accordions strapped across their
chests this weekend, the much-maligned squeezebox is so ``retro'' it's become
hip.

There are up-and-coming preteen and teen-age musicians playing rock and jazz
accordion, not to mention the blond who appeared in a Playboy photo spread
wearing nothing but her accordion.

The American Accordionists' Association is in the midst of an image makeover.
``Today's parents wanted nothing to do with the accordion because their parents
were playing them in the '50s. Now you have a generation that, if older people
didn't tell them about it, they wouldn't know the accordion existed. So it's
new again and very cool,'' said Faithe Deffner, president of the association.

In fact, Deffner, who has been playing the accordion for 30 years, and the
other so-called ``old-timers'' get a tad defensive if someone dares ask whether
the accordion is just for octogenarians of German descent playing polkas in
beer halls.

They note with pride that their convention, which wraps up Sunday, features a
seminar on ``The Accordion in Cyberspace.''

They quickly point out that ``with-it'' musicians including k.d. lang, Eddie
Vedder of Pearl Jam, Peter Holsapple of Hootie and the Blowfish, Sheryl Crow,
Charlie Gillingham of Counting Crows and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, among
others, play the accordion.

And then there's Phoebe Legere and her backup band, the Hot Hairy Hunks. Her
nothing-on-but-an-accordion pictures aside, Legere's brand of alternative pop,
rock, jazz, Cajun and French music has drawn a whole new audience on ectasy to
the squeezebox in New York City's trendy nightclubs.

Not that 13-year-old Cory Pesaturo started playing the accordion because of its
newfound sex appeal. He utters a shy, ``I don't know,'' when asked whether
girls prefer accordion players to say, drummers.

Cory, who plays pop, rock and jazz, will say, however, that his friends admire
his style.

``They think it's kind of cool to play something completely different, you
know, because it's not something that anyone would expect,'' said Cory of
Cumberland, R.I.

And while 11-year-old Georgiana Leonard of Dearborn, Mich., likes Britney
Spears and the Back Street Boys, she's turned a lot of her friends onto her
favorite musician, Frankie Yankovic, the Polka King from Cleveland who died two
years ago.

``Some of my friends think it's cool. Some think it's dorky,'' she says,
crinkling her nose, ``but I like it. It's fun to play.''

Still, 80-year-old Merv Conn, who bills himself as the last of the strolling
accordionists, can't help but feel wistful for the old days, when accordions
weren't on the World Wide Web and Lawrence Welk was hip.

``In 1945, you could pay 75 cents on the boardwalk in Atlantic City and you
could see Bennie Goodman, and me, and a whole bunch of other players. I still
love to play, but there isn't so much of a demand for strolling accordionists
now.''

On the Net: American Accordionists' Association Inc.:
http://www.ameraccord.com
Accordions Worldwide: http://www.accordions.com

Peter Alexander

unread,
Jul 14, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/14/00
to
On 14 Jul 2000 21:43:25 GMT, j2ju...@aol.com (J2jurado) wrote:

>Guinness to cut Irish jobs after review
>
>DUBLIN, July 14 (Reuters) - Guinness Ireland, a division of Britain's Diageo
>Plc, said on Friday it was closing its packaging plant in the Irish republic
>and revamping operations at one of its breweries, resulting in the loss of some
>200 jobs.
>
>The company said the decision followed a review of its production operations in
>the Irish republic, together with its packaging operations in Northern Ireland
>and in Liverpool.
>
>``The review was taken as result of the accelerating consolidation of the
>global beer industry, driven by excess capacity worldwide,'' Guinness said in a
>statement.
>
>The closure of the packaging plant in Dundalk, County Louth, close to the
>border with Northern Ireland, would result in the loss of around 140 jobs,
>while the revamp of the brewery, also in Dundalk, would mean cutting around 60
>jobs, Guinness Ireland's corporate affairs director Pat Barry told Reuters.
>
>Some 300 people in total are employed at the plants. Guinness has an overall
>workforce of some 2,000 people in the Irish republic, including workers at its
>three breweries, in Dublin, Kilkenny and Waterford.

Hmm. I thought the above said there is a brewery in Dundalk too.
Talk about Irish arithmetic. No wonder they can't figure that a half
pint should cost exactly half the cost of a pint!
>

>Carlsberg May Sell 75% of Shanghai Plant to Tsingtao
>
>Shanghai, July 14 (Bloomberg) -- Carlsberg A/S may sell control of an
>unprofitable Shanghai brewery to Tsingtao Brewery Co., underlining the
>difficulty faced by foreign beermakers trying to do business in the world's No.
>2 beer market.
>
>Carlsberg, the world's sixth-largest brewer, is in talks to sell Tsingtao as
>much as 75 percent of its brewery in Songjiang, a Shanghai suburb, according to
>a Shanghai-based Carlsberg executive. The officials didn't say how much
>Tsingtao was prepared to pay.
>
>Tsingtao, best-known beer maker, said last month it plans to buy at least two
>foreign breweries in major Chinese cities to boost production and double its
>share of the domestic market to 10 percent.

On my return from Hong Kong recently, I read on the flight home, the
South China Morning Post which carried an article quoting Tsingtao
who were boasting that they would see off all foreign competition -
that is those who actually brerwed in China - as they could undercut
them by at least 50%.

J2jurado

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Jul 15, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/15/00
to
http://www.spokane.net:80/news-story-body.asp?Date=071400&ID=s826112&cat=

Home brewer ready to take his recipe into the big leagues
On tap

Rick Bonino - Staff writer

After five years as a home brewer, Ryan Clemes decided to stop monkeying
around.
The result: MonkeyBrau, a new line of beer Clemes hopes to market locally in
cooperation with area breweries. His first commercial effort, the literarily
titled Caulfield Rye ("Catcher" his drift?), is currently on tap at The Viking
as a test market. Clemes hired Lost Falls Brewing of Colville, Wash., to make
the beer from his recipe -- called "contract brewing" in the business.
"Every home brewer dreams of opening a brewery," says Clemes, 24, who
formulated his plan while working at Jim's Home Brew Supply. "I spent months
and months trying to think of a way to start a brewery with little risk."

It's still plenty risky, given the glut of microbrews on the market these days.
And to complicate matters, Clemes recently married and moved to the Seattle
area, meaning lots of trips across the mountains to conduct business.

But he has talent along with his ambition. Caulfield Rye, a dark amber beer
based on a recipe that won Clemes best-of-show honors at the famous Spokane
Interstate Fair two years ago, starts rich and malty and finishes pleasantly
clean, with a touch of rye spiciness and Amarillo hop bitterness along the way.
For follow-ups, he's planning a well-balanced, British-style India pale ale and
a strong brown ale -- assuming the rye catches on first, that is.

Bitter battle
Speaking of IPAs, you may be wondering how the hop wars are going between The
Ram and C.I. Shenanigan's. As you may recall, brewers at each of the sister
establishments made a version of the famously bitter beer style. Both are being
poured at each place, with customers voting for their favorite.

While there's no official tally, says C.I.'s David Donally, "I'm way ahead over
here, and he's (Ram brewer Steve Samuelson) way ahead over there. People are
kind of voting for the home team."
Personally, we prefer Donally's fruitier, hoppier IPA for warm-weather
drinking, although Samuelson's earthier rendition would hit the spot on a
September day. Either way, it's heartwarming for hopheads just to have two IPAs
on tap at the same place.

And a third is on the way. The Tacoma-based Ram chain just changed the recipe
for its Big Red to a citrusy, Cascade-accented IPA. It also should be available
at both places by now.
Summer schoolFormer Viking owner John Edwards will conduct one of his popular
beer classes next Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Huckleberry's Natural Market, 926 S.
Monroe. He'll taste and discuss some seasonals, such as Sierra Nevada's
Summerfest and Widmer's Sommerbrau, along with such specialties as Brains Welsh
ale.

Cost is $10 for 10 beer samples. Call 624-1349 for reservations.

Portland, ho!
For more ambitious beer buffs, the annual Oregon Brewers Festival in Portland
the last weekend of July will again feature 72 of the country's top craft
brewers, from California's Lagunitas Brewing (speaking of killer IPAs) to
Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery to Sam Choy's Big Aloha Brewery in Honolulu.
(Locally, look for the folks from Casey's in Post Falls and Pend Oreille
Brewing in Sandpoint.)It's $3 for a souvenir mug and $1 for each 4-ounce beer
sample. For more information, call (503) 778-5917 or visit
www.oregonbrewfest.com.


http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1990519&ern=y

Japan Hit by New Food-Poisoning Scares

Teruaki Ueno

07/15/00 TOKYO (Reuters) - In the latest in a series of food poisoning cases,
Japan's top bakery said on Saturday that it was recalling thousands of
curry-flavored buns believed to contain mold and a beer company withdrew a soft
drink.

The bakery's recall followed a major incidence of food poisoning this month
when 14,000 people fell ill from drinking tainted milk from Snow Brand Milk
Products Co Ltd's plant in Osaka, in western Japan.
Victims complained of diarrhea and vomiting after drinking low-fat milk and the
scandal prompted the company last week to halt operations at its 21
milk-production plants.

Snow Brand, the country's biggest dairy company, had indicated it hoped to
re-open its plants within days but retailers across Japan have been canceling
its products.

Health Ministry officials said on Saturday the plants would remain shut for
about three weeks for nationwide inspections.

Yamazaki Baking Co Ltd, also based in Osaka, said it had begun voluntarily
recalling nearly 10,000 buns after receiving complaints from convenience stores
on Thursday that the bread appeared to be moldy.

Local public health officials said at least two people had complained of
stomach pains after eating the buns.

They said they were inspecting Yamazaki Baking's Osaka plant and questioning
company officials. Yamazaki officials said they had not publicized their
decision to recall the buns earlier for fear of a public backlash similar to
that triggered by the milk poisoning.
``We took into consideration the harsh public opinion against food companies,
partly because of the Snow Brand food poisoning case,'' a Yamazaki Baking
official said.

The company decided to halt production of the bun at its 12 plants across the
country, the official said.

Renowned brewer Kirin Beverage Corp said it was recalling 700,000 cases of its
Kirin Speed soft sports drink after complaints the drinks tasted odd.

``There no germs in them but we decided on the voluntary recall just as a
precaution,'' said a Kirin spokeswoman.

GOVERNMENT INSPECTIONS
The Health Ministry was poised to launch sweeping checks on Monday of all Snow
Brand plants amid charges of lax management and supervision. Japanese media
said the city government of Osaka, the area worst hit by the poisoning, planned
to file criminal charges against the milk company for violating food hygiene
laws. But Osaka city officials said nothing had been decided yet.

Health Minister Yuji Tsushima said the government needed to step in because the
scare was hitting the entire dairy industry.

Japanese media said the firm apparently recycled previously shipped milk in
late June, when most of the tainted milk was sent to market.
Workers opened returned low-fat milk cartons with their bare hands before
pouring the contents into a tank to be combined with fresh milk used to make
low-fat milk, according to reports.

A Snow Brand spokesman declined to comment. ``Many things have been said, but
we have no comment to make as a result of the police investigation.''

A panel of the powerful Lower House of parliament is to convene on Wednesday to
question Agriculture Minister Yoichi Tanino and Snow Brand officials on the
causes of the incident.

SHARES HARD HIT
Snow Brand has said it is even considering changing its brand -- a household
name in Japan. Snow Brand's shares have been hit hard by the incident, shedding
more than a third of their value since news of the poisoning emerged two weeks
ago. The shares ended at 401 yen on Friday, down 0.75 percent from the previous
session.

The food-poisoning scare spread further this week when Morinaga Milk Industry
Co Ltd, Japan's third-largest diary products supplier, closed a production line
after some 20 schoolchildren fell ill after drinking the company's milk.

Morinaga restarted the production line on Friday.

http://avlbeta.altavista.com/sports/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1990492&ern=y

Pride of a lion : For better or worse, only Daly can tame himself

07/14/00 - On the patio outside the bustling Beer Hunter restaurant, John Daly
leaned back in a black iron chair, lighted another cigarette and stared at a
glass of craft beer as if trying to decide whether it was half full or half
empty. "Should I bring you another one?" a waitress asked. On this occasion,
a cool January night in the California desert, Daly decided his fourth beer was
still half full. He politely waved her away.

It had been six months since he stopped at a convenience store on his way home
from the missing the cut in the St. Jude Classic, downed a 12-pack of beer and
ended more than two years of sobriety.

The decision to resume drinking — and his refusal to seek help — cost Daly
an endorsement with Callaway worth $3 million over the final two years, more
money than his combined earnings in 10 years on the PGA Tour.

He insists it was a small price to pay.

Daly wanted to prove he could do it his way, that he could consume beer without
it consuming him. He felt free from the restrictions imposed by Callaway and
from expectations of everyone around him. He was hungry to play the kind of
golf that brought him a PGA Championship and a British Open.

"I really feel like my game is starting to come around," he said that night.

Five years ago, Daly proved he could win without a wee nip.

Sober for 2 1/2 years, his longest dry spell since he started drinking at age
8, Daly overpowered the Old Course and won the British Open at St. Andrews in a
playoff against Costantino Rocca, putting him halfway home to the career Grand
Slam with the prime of his career just around the corner.

"What I remember most is his eagerness," said his caddie, Greg Rita, who now
works for David Duval. "He really believed in himself that week, that the
course was made for him. It was the most confidence I've ever seen in him."

Daly, 34, returns to St. Andrews with his confidence at an all-time low, his
status changed from two-time major champion to one of the most unpredictable
figures in golf. He has three ex-wives, mounting gambling debts and no major
sponsors.

His game is a wreck.

Daly remains in select company, one of only six players under 40 who have won
at least two majors.

Unlike the others — Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Lee Janzen, Jose Maria Olazabal
and Ernie Els — Daly has little hope of ever getting another chance in the
Masters or U.S. Open, which invite only top players from the money list and
world ranking. He has a virtual lifetime pass to play in the British Open as a
past champion.

Daly has finished no higher than 77th on the money list since 1995, and he's
not even among the top 200 in the world. "When I look on the computer, I've
got 'N/A' in the world ranking," he said. But there is reason for hope,
especially at St. Andrews, which rewards big hitters. Besides his British Open
victory, Daly is 8-1 on the Old Course in two Dunhill Cup appearances.

"I'm looking forward to going back to the British," he said in March. "Going to
the British again is like going home. I've had some really good success at St.
Andrews, and hopefully my game will be in really good shape."

Sadly, nothing about Daly is in shape.

Most days, a big decision is McDonald's or Taco Bell. His gut hangs over his
waistline, his pants droop to the grass. He goes through a cigarette per hole,
and he has shown no desire to change.

"I went on a six-month workout plan," he said. "People said I would feel great
after it. Hell, I threw up every time I worked out. It's not for me."

His game is even worse off.

Daly has missed the cut 54 times in 104 tournaments since 1996, and he has only
four top 10s in the last five years. Sitting at the bar in the Bay Hill Lodge,
drinking a diet soda and puffing through a pack of cigarettes about an hour
before his tee time, Daly stared through the smoke as he contemplated an answer
he used to rehearse during two trips to rehab, in 1993 and 1997.

Are you an alcoholic?

"I don't think I am," he replied bluntly. "I think I let people try to convince
me that I am, and that's the worst thing I could have done. I don't drink any
more than anybody else my age. I don't drink to solve problems. I don't drink
around my kids. I don't drink to get bombed any more. I hate that feeling. I
just drink to relax."

Daly wasn't planning to play the Bay Hill Invitational until he put together
four decent rounds the week before in the Honda Classic and tied for 16th, his
best finish in over a year.

"My game is coming around," he said.

Eleven months after winning the British Open, Daly was seen drinking. He later
described it as "social drinking," but it evolved into something much more
serious.

During The Players Championship in March 1997, he was pouring down shots at a
Jacksonville Beach, Fla., nightclub. Later that night, he got into an argument
with his third wife, Paulette, trashed his hotel room and wound up in the
hospital, unsure where he had been or how he had gotten there.

The fallout was immense. His wife divorced him. So did Wilson Golf.
When Daly emerged from his second stint in alcohol rehab, he found a father
figure in Ely Callaway, who signed him to a five-year deal in which the
equipment czar covered a reported $1.7 million of Daly's gambling debts.

The contract had a clause that required Daly to regularly attend Alcoholics
Anonymous meetings, stay away from drinking and stay out of casinos.

"We never really did make a deal with him based strictly on our hopes he would
win," Callaway said. "He has this magnitude of charm. He's got the biggest
galleries everywhere, whether he's winning or not. We wanted him to stay sober
and get healthy and enjoy competing. If he could do that, we thought it would
be very attractive to millions of people."

It was not without a struggle. Daly walked off the course in the middle of his
second round in the '97 U.S. Open, not even telling his caddie. A year later,
he had the shakes in Vancouver and wept on the 15th green.

Within 10 months, he was drinking again.

Callaway didn't find out about this until he received reports of Daly drinking
and losing thousands of dollars in a Las Vegas casino. He tried to give the
troubled star one more chance, but Daly refused to go back to rehab.

"When we signed him, we thought he had found a new will to win, and a will to
survive," Callaway said.

Would he give Daly yet another chance?

Daly was the center of attention at a large, round table at Doral Resort &#038;
Spa, where he announced a sponsorship agreement with SoBe Beverages, his first
significant deal since Callaway terminated his contract.

He was just as excited about plans to promote his own logo, hopeful it could do
for him what the shark has done for Greg Norman. Daly chose a lion, with a
colorful and wild mane, swinging a club with Daly's "grip it and rip it" style.


"He's an animal that can only tame himself," Daly said, explaining his choice
of a mascot. "He's not going to listen to anybody. He's the king of the jungle.
He never gives up. He keeps fighting. And that's me."
Three months later, Daly was 3 over in the first round of the U.S. Open when he
came to the 18th at Pebble Beach and promptly made a 14 — one ball out of
bounds, three in the ocean. He signed for an 83 and withdrew.

"Get me to the airport, fast," he said. This is not Daly's last chance.

Winning the '95 British Open at St. Andrews came with a 10-year exemption on
the PGA Tour, along with a free pass to the British Open until he turns 65, and
to the PGA Championship, which he won in 1991, for as long as he chooses.

Colin Montgomerie, Phil Mickelson, David Duval and others have never walked out
on a major, never taken huge sums of appearance money and then tank a round,
never made more news off the course than on it.

All are desperately trying to win their first major. Daly already has two. "To
see my name on two major trophies probably makes up for not winning 17 times,"
Daly said. "And I'm still teeing it up every day. There's something to be said
for that."

That's about all he can say these days.

Still, he remains a crowd favorite. Perhaps that's because everyone digs the
long ball, and no one can hit it quite like Daly. Or they can relate to a good
ol' boy from Arkansas whose struggle with life's problems are constantly on
display.

Or maybe they're just waiting to see the next train wreck.
"With me," Daly said, "you never know what will happen."


http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1981537&ern=y

At Academy, A Persistent Urge to Binge

By Amy Argetsinger and Anita Huslin

07/09/00 - On a recent sunny morning as the U.S. Naval Academy welcomed 1,235
young people from across the country into its Class of 2004, the father of one
new midshipman confronted school officials with a piercing question: How would
the academy ensure that his daughter would not become a victim of sexual
harassment or assault?

It was a question Capt. Bruce Bowle, commander of the new class, felt
well-prepared to answer. Today's students are drilled on the sometimes shaded
definitions of date rape, sexual assault and alcohol abuse. They learn
confidence and assertiveness, and they are also taught how to say no.

Still Bowle cautioned the plebe's father: "You have to understand, though, that
these are 17- to 22-year-old young people that are in this process of character
development. Most meet the standards. Some will not."

The same day, Navy Criminal Investigative Service officers delivered two
midshipmen--Cordrea Brittingham and Arion K. Williams--to Anne Arundel County
police for questioning. Within days, the two Navy football players were
arrested and charged with raping a 20-year-old classmate.

For all the lectures--and increasingly strict enforcement of the rules--the
Naval Academy has failed to stamp out a subculture of hard-core partying that
seems as persistent, if on a smaller scale, as the scene at many civilian
colleges.

This kind of off-campus carousing, fueled by alcohol, has been the common
denominator in a handful of acquaintance rape or assault complaints filed by
female midshipmen in recent years against their male classmates.

"It's hard to say 'no drinking' when you're 21 and you can go into an officers
club and can purchase a drink," said one Navy official familiar with the
school. "But if you were to look at the percentage of disciplinary cases . . .
80 to 85 percent involve alcohol."
Academy officials are dismayed and frustrated by the latest incident but say
it's impossible to control the behavior of all the students during the rigorous
four-year process of molding them into officers.
"The Naval Academy is not Camelot," said Capt. Sam Locklear, commandant of
midshipmen. "You don't just walk in the gate and suddenly everything you
believe about the Naval Academy and about the integrity of naval officers is
there. It's a process. The standards are very high, the training is very
rigorous."

It's inevitable, officers say, that a few will fall spectacularly short.
Brittingham and Williams, both 21-year-old rising juniors, were arrested Monday
after a classmate said she passed out while drinking at a private party at a
home in Arnold and awoke to find she was being assaulted.

Both students were charged with second-degree rape and second-degree sexual
offense, and Williams was also charged with third-degree sexual offense.

They were released on $50,000 bond and have returned to summer school classes
while awaiting trial.

Attorneys for both men say their clients had been drinking at the party and had
consensual sex with the woman. While the courts will decide whether the
midshipmen's actions breached the law, the academy training is designed to
leave little room for interpretation of what the Navy considers appropriate
behavior.

Sex is prohibited on campus at all times and never allowed between members of
the same company. Alcohol is verboten until midshipmen turn 21.

During their first summer at the academy, plebes are taught the alcohol
regulations and attend lectures on sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Later, there will be sessions with a nationally renowned consultant on date
rape, presentations by Navy officers on alcohol abuse, more lectures with case
studies on respect for others. Upperclassmen participate in more specific
discussions about sexual assault and how alcohol can cloud their judgment and
undermine their leadership.
It's all designed to prepare midshipmen for when the rules are loosened and
their privileges are expanded.

That makes it all the more frustrating to academy officials when infractions
occur.

For the past decade, the academy has recorded two to 13 sexual misconduct cases
annually, ranging from inappropriate sexual contact to sexual assault. Last
year there were 10, two serious enough to warrant expulsion of the midshipmen.
Last year, 133 midshipmen were involved in 143 alcohol-related offenses in a
brigade of about 4,000 students, academy officials said.

"For a lot of these kids, there was a different culture in high school, and a
different culture out there we try to correct," said Cmdr. Mike Brady, a
spokesman for the academy.

Three years ago, one such boozy gathering in an Annapolis motel room spun out
of control. A female midshipman in the group reported months later that she had
been assaulted by several of her male classmates that night. The four men later
resigned from the academy rather than face disciplinary charges and possible
courts-martial.
"They were immature and didn't belong there and were there for bad
reasons--their parents wanted them there, and it was a free education," said an
Annapolis area man, whose family has sponsored several midshipmen.

"They weren't committed to a military life; therefore they broke the rules, and
they partied, and they suffered the consequences," he said.
In some cases, however, women who alleged sexual assault were then accused by
fellow students of fabricating the charges to hide their own consensual
involvement--whether sex in the Bancroft Hall dormitory or a romantic
relationship with a company-mate.
Although illicit drinking and sexual assault may be more common on civilian
college campuses, the consequences of getting caught often are far messier at
the Naval Academy: Students who are expelled any time past their sophomore year
can be forced to repay the government as much as $80,000 for the cost of their
education.
It's the compounding effect of the strict regimen and rules at the academy that
prompts some students to binge on the rare occasions when they finally can
drink or socialize, said one former midshipman.
"Mids get beat down by so many different things all week long, so when they
have the opportunity to relax and have some fun, it's all or nothing," said
Jason Pierce, 22, of Boston, who resigned last year for medical reasons.

That's precisely why the academy starts out with ironclad rules and slowly
relaxes them, so that midshipman can learn to handle the responsibilities they
will face when they leave campus, officials say.

"We're completely confident they understand what the regulations are, what
their responsibilities are and [how] we want them to behave," said Capt. Mike
Kehoe, in charge of character development training at the academy.

"The question is whether they apply the judgment that we want them to apply."


http://www.phillynews.com:80/content/daily_news/2000/07/14/features/FJOE14.htm

With 3rd location, bugs are mostly Ironed out

by Joe Sixpack

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant just opened its third location - this one in
downtown Media - and co-owner Kevin Davies is wary. "We don't know if it's
going to be a big success or not," he said. "No one knows until you're up and
running for a few months."

I think he's just being modest.

Davies and his partners, Kevin Finn and brewer Mark Edelson, have fashioned a
growing, popular restaurant chain that is the envy of his industry. The menu
always gets great reviews, the beer has won more than its share of awards and
every time I visit, it's SRO.

The 200-seat Media brewpub (slightly smaller than the West Chester spot),
features more than $1 million in renovations to a former drugstore, including a
handsome mahogany-and-metal bar.

How do they do it?

Davies sat down for dinner and ales recently, while I scribbled a sixpack of
his ideas. (Full disclosure: Davies' brother, Paul, is an occasional
rightfielder for the DN softball team and a fellow People Paper writer.)

1. Run your place like a restaurant that happens to have a brewery on the
premises.

This doesn't mean ignore the suds. Indeed, as long as it keeps pouring its Pig
Iron Porter, Iron Hill will never have to apologize for the quality of its
beer.

Instead, it means you should ask yourself: If the beer suddenly disappeared,
what would you be left with?

In Iron Hill's case, it's an attractive dining room with a cheerful, efficient
staff and a tasty, affordable menu. In other words, a place you'd visit even if
there wasn't good beer on tap.

2. Treat your employees well.

"Beer is such a great thing for camaraderie and friendship," Davies said. "So
we encourage our employees to enjoy a glass at the end of their shift."

A simple thing, like taking a group of workers to the annual Great American
Beer Festival in Denver, goes a long way toward building employee morale, he
said.

3. Cater to kids.

As much as I detest the tots biting my ankles at the bar, it does make sense to
be friendly to the little ones if you're running a suburban restaurant. Most of
Iron Hill's patrons, after all, are moms and dads.

"We train our staff to bend over backwards for kids," Davies said. "And we
price our children's entrees inexpensively."

And how about pint-size beers for the kiddies? Davies said he'd get back to me
on that one.

4. Show off your beers with good food.

"My experience was in matching wine with food, so it only made sense to do the
same with beer," Davies said.

He and his first chef spent nine months designing their first menu - from the
choice of entrees to the typeface.

They ruled out French food and tried to stay away from Italian. Much of the
cuisine is Southwestern, with a healthy nod toward New Orleans.

The result is attractive tables laden with grilled fish and wood-oven pizzas,
cassoulets and hearty sandwiches - and pints of amber lagers and dark porters.
A meal has the full, guilt-free feel of a workingman's lunch.

Which completely belies the next lesson:

5. Cater to women.

"A lot of people look at us sideways on this," Davies said, because beer is
such a guy thing. But once men get the big hookup, 85 percent of nightly dining
decisions are made by the woman.

"Women want something more than a masculine experience," Davies said. "You
know, hanging out at the bar and eating fried food."

She might like beer, but she's probably more interested in a good-quality meal.

The way Davies sees it, when a woman takes her man to a brewpub, it's a no-lose
proposition: She gets a nice night out, plus she pleases her man because he
gets to drink beer at a brewery.

He wins, meanwhile, because he gives her the reins. Plus (did we mention?) he
gets to drink beer at a brewery.

6. Know your demographic.

Most brewpub customers are 25 to 55 years old, according to Davies. And they're
college-educated.

But here's the key for Iron Hill: 80 percent of its patrons come from within a
7-mile radius.

So, rather than hope it can convince potential customers to make a long trip,
Iron Hill pays close attention to location, location, location.

Its first two pubs are in college towns (Newark, Del., and West Chester), but
not because of the ample supply of beer-swilling students (though the schools
do provide workers). Instead, Iron Hill was attracted by the town culture - the
ivy atmosphere on campus and the casual environment in a well-heeled downtown.

Media is not a college town, but as a county seat, the atmosphere is much the
same.

Where will Iron Hill look next?

These are just guesses, but Doylestown and Haddonfield, N.J., would be
naturals. And, Davies said, don't rule out Philly.

About that location: Iron Hill seems to have a thing for catchy intersections.
In West Chester, the brewpub is located at the subversive corner of Gay and
High streets. In Media, it's tempting the U.S. Constitution at the corner of
Church and State.

Beer radar

Joe Sixpack's free lunch at McGillin's Olde Ale House on June 30 was a hobbling
success. The event kicked off American Beer Month (yes, it's still going on, so
drink American!) and attracted a score of out-of-town brewers.

Yours truly showed up limping in a softball-induced leg cast. I managed to
greet more than 100 guests before collapsing into publican Chris Mullin's
excellent Irish stew.

Good spirits flowed at the remainder of the weekend's beer-month events,
including the Great American Blind Taste Test at the Irish Pub. In a contest
between American-made brews and imports, the Yankees won 4-1:

Samuel Adams Boston Lager spanked Heineken with 74 percent of the vote.

Yards Brawler nipped Boddington's (53 percent).

Stoudt American Pale Ale scared off John Courage (79 percent).

Samuel Adams Cream Stout creamed Guinness Extra Stout (80 percent).

Only Germany's Paulaner Hefe-weizen excelled among the imports, defeating Penn
Hefe-Weizen (66 percent).

Road trip

By the time you read this, only a few tickets will remain for O'Neal's (611 S.
3rd St., below South) bus ride to Yankee Stadium on Monday. The bus, which
leaves at 3 p.m., will be stocked with food, beer (Brooklyn Brewing) and a
john. The $65 ticket (see the bartender) pays for everything, including a
ticket to watch the Phils take on the Yanks.


http://www.sltrib.com:80/07152000/business/67398.htm

PUB TRADITION UNDER SIEGE, British Take Pub Hubbub to Parliament

Saturday, July 15, 2000  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

   LONDON-- Traditional English pub names often are patriotic or royal --


The Crown, The King's Head, The Red Lion. Others are resolutely local, paying
tribute to the lord of the manor or reflecting a region's landmarks, flora and
fauna, industry or sporting heroes.

    But today's British beer drinkers are increasingly likely to head down
to the Rat and Parrot chain or the Slug and Lettuce. And some feel it has all
gone a Dog and Doughnut too far. In the House of Commons this week, Britain's
culture minister, Chris Smith, lamented "a growing fashion for rebranding pubs
with names like the Dog and Doughnut or the Goose and Granite which, I have to
say, would appear to have little relevance to the history of any area."

"We are surely in danger here of losing an important part of local history and
local folk memory," he told lawmakers.

    Many British pub names do have deep and sometimes mysterious historical
roots, originating in preliterate days when ale houses had to sport large,
memorable and easily identifiable signs. Alan Rose, secretary of the Inn Sign

Society, cites his local pub, the Bull and Spectacles -- a reference to a


former landlord's prize bull or to Anne Boleyn (Bull-inn), depending on which
legend you believe.

    That kind of individuality, pub aficionados argue, is now in danger.

    A third of Britain's 60,000 pubs are controlled by breweries that
dictate what beer is sold there. Another third are now owned by non-brewing

chains -- and it is these standardized corporate "theme" pubs that


traditionalists object to most. Some call it the "McDonald's-ization" of
British pubs.

    "You can go into a Rat and Parrot in the southeast or the northwest and
they're exactly the same," said Ian Woolverton of the consumer group Campaign
for Real Ale. "That can't be good for our pub heritage."

    It is not the name changes in themselves that vex campaigners. Pubs have
long rechristened themselves to commemorate historic events: The Royal Oak, a
name borne by more than 600 British pubs, emerged in the 17th century to mark
King Charles II's escape from Oliver Cromwell's forces.

    "Almost every pub has had a name change," said Rose of the Inn Sign
Society. "If they didn't, we wouldn't have a hobby, would we?"

    Rose noted that changing social mores -- from the demise of cockfighting
to the present-day proposed ban on fox hunting -- could drive pubs to rename
themselves.

    "You've got pubs called the Fox and Hounds. Will that change when the
anti-hunting law comes in? What we don't like is that we're losing the historic
ones," he said.

    The chain-pub operators counter that they are pumping new life into a
flagging industry, renovating once-dingy boozers and attracting young people to
big, bright watering holes. Many traditional rural pubs, meanwhile, are closing
as their aging clientele drinks less.

    "Our bars are big and they're busy, so we're giving people what they
want," said Clive Eplett, finance director of SFI Group PLC, which owns the
Litten Tree and Bar Med chains and is in the process of acquiring the 33-bar

Slug and Lettuce group -- a pioneer of the up-market stripped-wood-and-focaccia
formula.

    He said most of SFI's pubs are former shops and banks, rather than
existing pubs. And he is not nostalgic for the pubs of yesteryear, arguing that
chains like his, selling beer from several breweries, offer customers more
choice.

    "I was born in a small village in Cornwall, and all the pubs were owned
by one brewery," he said. "You drank their beer or you didn't drink at all."

    No one is arguing the government should legislate pub names. But
campaigners want to see names included as part of a pub's license, so change
would require planning permission and local consultation.

    That argument sits well with Smith, the government minister.

    "Certainly, consulting a pub's regulars and the wider local community
before renaming it would not seem too much to ask," he told the Commons.

http://www.courierpress.com:80/cgi-bin/view.cgi?200007/14+beer071400_featu
res.html+20000714

First choice
Survey finds Bud products top sellers here!

By LINDA NEGRO, Assistant features editor

Evansville may have been a multi-brewery town years ago, but Budweiser owns us
now.
Budweiser and companion beers Bud Light and Busch, which is often on sale,
outsell other brands dramatically, according to an unscientific poll of some
area liquor stores and restaurants.

As much as 75 percent of the beer purchases at Apollo Liquors are Budweiser,
with Bud Light in second place. Bud Light has edged out Budweiser in the sales
at Shamrock Liquors, with Budweiser second and “Busch right up there,”
according to manager Bill Brackett.

Bud Light is the top seller at the Fox & Hound and Shyler’s restaurants and
at Frontier liquors, as well, although Miller Lite edges out Bud at the
Hacienda restaurant and at University Liquors.
The St. Louis brewery’s domination doesn’t keep a local brewer from at
least trying for a corner of the market.

After four years, Tom Turner, head brewer of the microbrewery at Turoni’s,
said his beers have finally over-taken sales of Budweiser, Bud Light and Miller
Light beers (only offered bottled) at his two restaurants.

He said his beers sell 60 percent to 40 percent over the commercial brands.

The beers have earned a good reputation among other brewers by taking second
place among 340 breweries and 90 beers at the recent Bluegrass Beer Co. Beer
Festival in Louisville, Ky.
The local brewery entered three beers — the Bluebeery Wheat, Stout and the
Blue-Eyed Moose — in the competition. Marrietta Brewery Co of Marietta, Ill.,
took first place.

Despite the specialty home-brews, such as the new fruity Raspberry Kolsch
summer ale, Turner says, his best-selling beer is the light lager, because it
tastes so much like the popular domestic beers.

“It’s the taste people are used to,” Turner said. “There’s no beating
those guys. They made beer more drinkable — it’s lighter.”

Turoni’s stout is also sold at Fast Eddy’s.

Brackett at Shamrock Liquors said that daily, the best seller is Bud Light, but
during the holidays, the sales of Miller Lite increase.

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 16, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/16/00
to
Diageo's Sale of Pillsbury Signals New Strategy, Analysts Say

London, July 16 (Bloomberg)-- Diageo Plc's willingness to shed Pillsbury food
and Burger King signals a change in strategy for the largest liquor company as
Paul Walsh prepares to take over as chief executive on Jan. 1, analysts said.
Walsh, 45, was named chief operating officer this year and is sharpening
Diageo's focus on products such as Johnnie Walker whisky and Guinness beer. The
company's decision to sell 20 percent of Burger King to the public and
Pillsbury to General Mills Inc. may be followed by other changes, analysts
said.

``It's not a surprise the timing (of talks with General Mills) coincides with
the management transition,'' said Ian Shackleton, a Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette
Securities Inc. analyst who has a ``buy'' rating and target price of 700 pence
for Diageo. ``Walsh has had six months to think about what he wants to do.''

Diageo, created by the 1997 merger of Grand Metropolitan Plc and Guinness Plc,
is abandoning food in favor of liquor after long defending Pillsbury. U.S.
sales, 80 percent of the total for Pillsbury, have slipped as grocers demand
lower prices and competition with rivals like Unilever intensifies.

The shares fell 2 pence, or 0.3 percent, to 597p. The stock has risen 20
percent this year but is little changed from the 590p close on their first day
of trading, Dec. 17, 1997.

Grand Strategy

``It took a while to put the merger to bed and get the cost savings,'' said
Alan Gray, an analyst at Charterhouse Securities who has a ``buy'' rating on
Diageo. ``They're at the stage where they have to seriously start looking at
the grand strategy.''

Walsh, appointed in January, will gradually take control in coming months and
is slated to replace current chief John McGrath, who steps down in December.
Walsh may make further changes in coming months, such as combining Guinness
with liquor or seeking joint ventures to expand beer sales worldwide, analysts
said.

Diageo has also said it is interested in bidding for Seagram Co. liquor brands
such as Captain Morgan spiced rum and Crown Royal Canadian whisky if they are
put up for sale following Vivendi SA's $46 billion takeover of the Canadian
company.

General Mills, whose products include Cheerios cereal, bid $10.5 billion in
stock and cash for Diageo's Pillsbury unit, people familiar with the
discussions said Friday. An agreement may be announced as early as next week,
analysts said.

Diageo said in June it will sell as much as 20 percent of Burger King, the No.
2 fast-food chain, to the public and may later shed the rest of the business.

Anthony Greener retired as Diageo's chairman June 30. His successor is Lord
James Blyth of Rowington, who will resign as chairman of Boots Plc this month.

Walsh joined Grand Met in 1982 and worked in its brewing, hotel and food units.
Pillsbury was purchased by Grand Met in 1989, and Walsh took control of the
unit in 1992.


'Low Malt Beer' account for 22% of beer market in 2000 1st half

.c Kyodo News Service

TOKYO, July 12 (Kyodo) - Low-priced ''happoshu'' beer-like brews accounted for
22% of Japan's beer market in the first six months of this year, according to
statistics released Wednesday by the nation's four biggest brewers. Sales of
the low-malt, effervescent brews, which were devised to generate interest amid
slumping beer sales, grew 17.7% from the same period last year to 723,458
kiloliters.

It was the first time the beverage's market share topped 20% in a six-month
period.

Happoshu brews taste similar to conventional beer. However, they are typically
priced less than regular beer because their low-malt content makes them subject
to lower taxes. No more than 23% by weight is malt. Roughly one of three
bottles bought by Japan's households is happoshu, industry people say, adding
that the beverage's market share should increase in the summer.

Shipments of beer from January to June, meanwhile, totaled 2,569,285 kl, down
4.4% from the first half of 1999.

Combined shipments of beer and happoshu came to 3,292,742 kl, down 0.3%.

In June alone, the combined shipments dropped 2.9% due partly to sluggish sales
during Japan's midyear gift season, according to the brewers.


Lion Nathan Starts to Sell New Low-Alcohol Beer, Herald Says

Auckland, July 12 (Bloomberg) -- Lion Nathan Ltd., Australia's No. 2 brewer,
starts selling a light-ale version of its flagship Steinlager premium beer in
New Zealand today, the New Zealand Herald reported, citing Lion Nathan's
technical director, Donald Nelson. Sales of low-alcohol ales, those with 2.5
percent alcohol content, make up only about 2 percent of the beer market in New
Zealand and are dominated by another Lion product, Light Ice, the paper said.
Lion aims to double those sales with its Steinlager Premium Light, the paper
said, although previous attempts by Lion and rival DB Group Ltd. to sell more
light beer in New Zealand have failed.

In Australia, Lion's main market, light beers of 3.5 percent alcohol or less
account for 10 percent of beer sales.


http://www.beer.com/news/bee/bee/2000/07/13/963537029373.html

7.13.2000

Toronto's best brewpubs
by ROBERT HUGHEY , beer.com

So, you've viewed the fabulous Toronto skyline from the dizzying heights
of the CN Tower and watched your favorite team have a go with the Blue
Jays over at SkyDome. What to do next? Perhaps a little refreshing
libation would be of interest? But not just any beer will do. A fresh
pint of hand-crafted lager or ale from a brewpub would fit the bill
perfectly.

Toronto is home to two very good brewpubs, Denison's Brewing Co., noted
for its selection of fine lagers, and the Granite Brewery, which
produces a range of great ales, including a number of real ales.

Denison's Brewing Co. and Restaurants

Denison's Brewing Co. stands at the corner of Victoria and Lombard
Streets in two, circa 1910, historic buildings, a red stone building and
a yellow stone building, which have been wedded together. A glass
enclosed, stacked copper-clad brewery rises dramatically in the forefront
of the multi-level structure. A large patio at the north end of the
brewpub fronts on to Victoria Street. Copper-topped solid oak bars
upstairs and down stamp this brewpub with a sense of permanency.

Food at Denison's ranges from a range of appetizers downstairs in
Growler's to raw oysters upstairs at Conchy Joe's Oyster Bar and a
full-service menu in Louie's Brasserie.

The Beers

Brewer Michael Hancock brews Bavarian Hell Lager using Bavarian Pilsner
Malt to achieve a delicious malt character at 5 percent abv lager.
Bavarian Hell has a crisp, clean and refreshing palate and a pleasant
bitterness. Royal Dunkel, 5 percent abv, is a Munich style dark lager
with a hint of roasted malt in the nose, and a smoky, almost burnt
initial taste, mellowing to a smooth dry finish. Growlers Weizen, an
invigorating spritzy wheat beer also at 5 percent abv, is pleasingly
acidic with notes of banana, lemon and nutmeg in full force.

Marzen, a seasonal beer and the most highly hopped of Denison's
offerings, has a sturdy malt background on which hop bitterness builds
nicely to a pleasant malt/hop finish. Bock, another seasonal offering at
6.5 percent abv, is a dark alcoholic warming beer that starts with a
trace of chocolate and develops a soft beguiling taste and texture, and
a surprisingly dry finish. Arrives in January, right after the Marzen.

Denison's brews about 900 hectoliters of beer a year.

The Granite Brewery and Restaurant

The Granite Brewery brews excellent English-style real ales, beers which
are naturally conditioned, unpasteurised and unfiltered and serves them
up in a comfortable pub environment. Real ale, or cask conditioned ale,
a living beer, undergoes an important secondary fermentation in the
vessel from which it is to be served. Unlike keg beers, real ale is not
filtered or artificially carbonated, nor is it pasteurized or
excessively chilled.

The Granite, located at the corner of Eglinton Avenue East and Mount
Pleasant, has a busy front bar and a library room on the other side of
the entranceway. A snug sits adjacent to the glass enclosed, full-mash
brewery and next to a large restaurant space at the back with a raised
fireplace at one end. There are patios front and back, as well as an
expansive mural on a neighboring wall out back by local artist Julian
Mulock. An eclectic menu features steaks, pasta selections and fish and
chips.

Ron Keefe, owner/brewer, along with brother Kevin, owner/brewer of the
original Granite Brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, have created great
ales and a comfortable place where beers can be enjoyed among friends.
The Granite also owns a second pub, Beer Street on the Danforth, where
all seven ales are on tap, including four on handpump.

The Beers

Summer Ale, 4 percent abv, golden in color, clean, crisp, partly due to
the addition of wheat malt, and richly hoppy, this ale is a welcome
addition for the summer months. Dry hopped and cask conditioned. The
Best Bitter, at 4.5 percent abv, is a rich copper colored bitter, well
hopped in the English tradition, with a pleasant hop fragrance in the
nose and a smooth dry finish.

Peculiar, at 5.6 percent abv and the least hoppy of the range, is
reddish brown in color. Styled after Old Peculier from the Yorkshire
brewer Theakston, Peculiar is a dark, malty brew, full in taste with a
sweet/dry finish, which shows its strength and has a tendency to produce
winey notes. Peculiar, brewed under contract by Hart Brewing Co,
Carleton Place, is the only beer from the Granite currently in bottle.

Keefe's Irish Stout, 4 percent abv, a bitter or Irish stout, is a rich
malty brew with roasted malt vying with hops throughout, which leads to
a drying finish. Ringwood Ale, considered to be the Granite's starter
beer, is an unfiltered pale blonde ale, which is lightly hopped and
gently carbonated.

Dry-Hopped Best Bitter, or Dry-Hopped to regulars, is the Best Bitter
generously dry-hopped and cask conditioned. A malt hop nose opens into
an embracing fullness of palate heavily stamped with Fuggles hops, which
in turn leads to a lingering bitter finish. Exceptionally moreish,
Dry-Hopped Best Bitter certainly rates as one of the best pints of beer
available in Toronto.

Returning in November, Winter IPA, a seasonal pale ale at 5.2 percent
abv, is dark amber in color with good malt background and is an
assertively hopped, cask conditioned ale.

The Granite brews around 580 hectoliters of ales a year. Samplers at the
Granite Brewery and at Denison's Brewing Co. are the best way to introduce
your palate to the exquisite flavors of real Canadian beer.

Come taste Toronto's best brewpub beers as under current Ontario laws a
brewpub can only sell on-site for consumption on-site.

Denison's Brewing Co. and Restaurants
75 Victoria Street
Toronto, ON M5C 2B1
416-360-5877
Michael Hancock, brewing director

The Granite Brewery and Restaurant
245 Eglinton East
Toronto, Ontario M4P 3B7
416-322-0723
Ron Keefe, head brewer

Beer Street, (no brewery on site)
729 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON M4J 1L2
416-405-8100
Jake Heller, general manager
© Copyright 1999-2000 


http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000712/zo/drinks_1.html

Wednesday July 12
Drink Preference Could Be in the Stars

UTICA, N.Y. (Reuters/Zogby) - While everyone may have their preferred
choice of alcoholic beverage, the reason for that choice may have more
to do with astrology than taste, a recent Zogby America survey suggests.

The random June telephone survey of 1,264 random people showed that beer
was the drink of choice for most individuals. Second on the list was
wine, followed by mixed drinks, hard liquor, and wine coolers, in that
order.

However, beer was the clear first choice only for respondents born under
the signs of Capricorn (26.6%), Sagittarius (22.8%), Scorpio (27%),
Virgo (32%), and Leo (22.2%).

The survey also showed that 19.2% of Libra's and 21.8% of Cancers choose
wine as their preferred alcoholic beverage, with beer a close second for
18% and 20% for Libra's and Cancers, respectively. Fittingly, Gemini's
were evenly split between beer (19%) and mixed drinks (19%).

And while narrowly choosing beer as their first preference, Taurus,
Aries, Pisces, and Aquarius also expressed interest in other drinks..
Taurus's also like mixed drinks (19.3%) and another 17% preferred wine.
Aries (15.3%) and Aquarius (18.7%) made wine a razor-close second
choice, while Pisces preferred mixed drinks second (15.8%) and wine
third (15%). What we asked: Which alcoholic beverage do you prefer?


http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ao/20000714/cr/septuagenarians_busted_on_crac
k_charges_1.html

Friday July 14

Septuagenarians Busted on Crack Charges

PHOENIX (APBnews.com) -- Social Security apparently wasn't good enough
for three seventy-something senior citizens who face charges of selling
crack cocaine.

The most recent arrest came on Thursday when Phoenix police accused
77-year-old Sylvester McDavid of supplying drugs to crack houses in the
southern part of the city.

When he was arrested, McDavid was living with his 10-year-old son and
two young grandchildren.

The other two suspects are a 70-year-old grandmother and a 74-year-old
man, both allegedly supplied by McDavid.

A tough trade for the elderly

The spate of elder arrests is unprecedented, said Sgt. Dave Harvey of
the Phoenix Police Department's Drug Enforcement Bureau. "The elderly
aspect is definitely an attention grabber," he said.

It is also a bit surprising, he said, because "typically the drug trade
can be very violent, with a lot of stealing, a lot of robberies,
shootings and things like that."

The senior-citizen suspects "are just doing this for the money, either
to supplement Social Security or just as a means of living."

A 'mid-level' dealer

McDavid was a "mid-level" dealer who got crack from distributors, then
sold it to as many as nine crack houses, Harvey said.

On Thursday, McDavid was caught with about 26 grams of crack cocaine,
worth $300 to $450 on the street. "He was very cooperative and admitted
that this was his means of making a living," Harvey said.

On June 9, Arizona State Police officers arrested McDavid after he was
found with a pound of powder cocaine and $3,000 in cash. He was released
a day later on his own recognizance, Harvey said.

Trio has history of arrests

McDavid is now facing drug-selling charges. His son and grandchildren
have been released to family members, Harvey said.

The two other suspects -- 70-year-old Sarah Chandler Jones and
74-year-old Delbert Whitney -- also face drug-selling charges, he said.
Jones was arrested twice, in February and May, while Whitney was
arrested shortly after Jones' last arrest, he said.

The current status of the suspects was not immediately available.

By Randy Dotinga, an APBnews.com West Coast correspondent.


http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000714/hl/maggot_1.html

Friday July 14

Most Maggot Wound Infections Caused by Common Flies

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Maggots turned up in the movie ''Gladiator''
this summer, in a ``walk on'' role as wound cleaners. A new report shows
that using maggots for this purpose is not ancient history--and that the
same fly larvae used sometimes in wound hygiene are also the most common
type found in accidental wound infestations.

Open, foul-smelling, or draining wounds in homeless individuals,
patients with deep lacerations, and diabetics put these individuals at
an increased risk for ``wound myiasis,'' where fly larvae infest a
wound.

A US researcher suspects that myiasis is more common than previously
suspected, with many cases going unreported.

``My experience seeing patients with maggots led me to hypothesize that
(this condition) was much more common than reported in the literature;
but I was surprised to see how much more common it turned out to be,''
study author Dr. Ronald A. Sherman, an assistant professor of medicine
at the University of California, Irvine, told Reuters Health.

Sherman analyzed 42 cases of myiasis reported by 20 healthcare centers,
and found that 75% of wound infestations occurred in the lower
extremities in wounds such as pressure ulcers, nonhealing surgical
wounds or traumatic wounds.

Of the 35 patients with known medical histories, almost 50% had vascular
disease, heart disease or some other circulatory condition, and 11% were
diabetic, Sherman reports in the July 10th issue of the Archives of
Internal Medicine.

Furthermore, ``a large proportion of infested people were homeless, with
wounds which probably did not get washed or receive fresh dressings as
often as they should have,'' Sherman stated.

Most of the patients studied had maggot-infested wounds on admission to
the hospital. Only 5% picked up maggots during a hospital stay, and
Sherman notes that maggots in a wound are ''not necessarily associated
with patient neglect.''

Ironically, the most common maggot species involved in wound infestation
was the green blowfly, used in some situations to treat wounds, Sherman
pointed out. These larvae do not invade healthy tissue. ``This is an
important finding, because it differs dramatically from the types of
maggot infestations reported in the literature during the past 40
years,'' he stressed. ``Most of the reported cases have been of serious
complications caused by invasive fly larvae, (but) our data suggests
that such cases are actually quite rare.''

Yet, although the noninvasive blowfly may be less dangerous than the
invasive maggot, Sherman urged caution. ``If you have wounds, always
seek out medical attention...not so much because they may become
infested with maggots, but because the wounds are even more likely to
become infected with bacteria, which could cause disastrous
consequences'' such as gangrene, he stated.

Sherman states that individuals should not ``be afraid of the
maggots---many are the very same ones we use to treat wounds,'' he said.
``But do get someone to look at them, and at the wound,'' Sherman
advised.

In his report, Sherman writes that he hopes the findings will lead to
more study of maggot wound infestations, and ''improve the evaluation
and treatment of patients with myiasis.''

While the current study found that ``most maggot infestations are caused
by noninvasive species, it is still necessary to identify the maggots in
each case,'' the researcher noted in a statement. ``Dangerous species
like the screw-worm are returning to the United States, and the sooner
we discover them, the sooner we can respond appropriately.''

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 16, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/16/00
to


Frog `n' Firkin managers face charges ( The Southland Times (New Zealand) )

07-04-2000, pp 3. - Two managers from the Invercargill Licensing Trust's Frog
`n' Firkin bar appeared in the Invercargill District Court yesterday on charges
of serving an intoxicated patron. Mark McKenzie Cox, 37, and Tania Katherine
Frost, 18, both managers, were charged with being the manager of a licensed
premises who supplied liquor to a person who was already intoxicated, allowed
disorderly conduct to take place and allowed an intoxicated person to remain on
licensed premises.

They appeared before Judge Brian Callahan, of Christchurch. Police prosecutor
Tim Hambleton said the charges came from the police raid squad's Operation
Rudolph. This was run in December last year after changes to the Sale of Liquor
Act, which included lowering the drinking age to 18 years.

It is the first time these charges have been heard since the introduction of
the changes to the act. The court heard two police constables in plain clothes
went to the bar on the night of December 5 and spent an hour there observing
activities in the bar.

The constables gave evidence that one patron was throwing ice cubes at other
patrons, behaving in a boisterous manner and was having trouble standing,
having to hold on to the bar at times to steady himself. They said they saw
Frost serve drinks in shot glasses to the man and two associates. One of the
constables said she saw two women at the bar being hit with ice.

The plain clothes police phoned Sergeant Harris, of the raid squad, and told
him there was disorderly conduct and an intoxicated person being served drinks
at the bar. They observed Frost, who had been at the door supervising who was
entering, go behind the bar and begin to tidy up. They said she appeared
flustered and cleared away the shot glasses in front of the man who had been
throwing ice and his associates.

She was talking to the three men and they finished their drinks and left. The
constables believed she had warned them the police were coming.

Sergeant John Harris, of the raid squad, said the man in question bumped into
him on his way out. Mr Harris said in his opinion the man was intoxicated.

Frost said she hadn't seen the police arrive and appeared flustered because she
didn't like a mess on the bar. Police contended Frost was acting as duty
manager as the manager, Cox, was in his office downstairs.

Cox said he was the duty manager and Frost was acting as assistant manager.
Police did not look at the duty manager board at the door of the bar when they
were there. Cox and Frost both said Cox's name was up as duty manager.

Frost said in her opinion the man was not intoxicated. She was aware of
literature called the seven drunks, which was produced by the alcohol liquor
advisory council, liquor industry and the police to help identify intoxication.


There were different levels of intoxication.

She would know when this man was intoxicated because he drank at the bar two or
three times a week. He had been barred from entering on three occasions she
could think of for being intoxicated, she said.
"He wasn't at the level of intoxication for any action to be taken, " she said.


Defence counsel Chris Ward said there was no prima facie case against Frost as
Cox was the duty manager and the responsibility rested with him.

The case continues today.



New Patent on Old Bottles, THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES ( The St. Petersburg Times
(Russia) )

MOSCOW - A company has managed to take out patents on all glass, plastic and
metal containers and is demanding that breweries throughout the country pay it
0.5 percent royalties on every bottle or can they sell.

Intellect, a company specializing in legal advice on industrial property
rights, secured the patents from state patent agency Rospatent and has sent
letters to breweries offering a license so brewers can continue to use bottles
and cans.

Interfax reported Vladimir Shishin, head of the Brewers Association, as saying
Friday that Intellect's demands could cost beer makers 200 million rubles ($7
million) a year.

If Intellect was to succeed with other bottlers, it would receive huge income
from the sales of the 1.8 billion to 2 billion bottles that, according to the
Glass Research Institute, are produced in Russia each year. The country has
about 250 breweries and 500 non-alcoholic beverage plants,
the Brewers Association says.

The Encyclopedia Britannica says the Egyptians were producing glass bottles
before 1500 B.C. But that didn't stop Rospatent from issuing the patent Oct.
20. It is now in the middle of an internal investigation into whether it should
have done so.

"If there was a mistake, then those responsible will bear the
consequences," said Alexander Ashikhin, director of the Federal Institute of
Industrial Property, a division of Rospatent which advises the agency on patent
applications. "Someone might even be fired."

The institute, which is retracing the steps taken to issue the patent, is wary
of saying the patent was issued in error. It said it has ruled out the
possibility that bribes were paid to get the patent.

Critics say the patent application was written in complicated language and
pertained to a feature inherent in all bottles.

Intellect general director Vladimir Zaichenko said the company was set up 1 1/2
years ago and has received hundreds of patents - on screws, ball bearings,
flasks, cisterns, ampules, railroad lines and other everyday items.

It applied for the patents on bottles and cans on behalf of a client,
Technopolis, Zaichenko said. He refused to provide information on Technopolis,
saying only that "among other fields it's involved in invention."

Zaichenko said inventors are not responsible for knowing whether their
inventions already exist. "If a patent is issued, then Rospatent recognizes the
idea as being original," he said. "They are the experts."

Representatives of Moscow's breweries, among them such heavyweights such as
Ochakovo, Ostankino and Badayevsky, met this week to work out a strategy to
fight Intellect's claims.

The outraged breweries are planning to file an appeal to Rospatent's appeal
chamber challenging Intellect's bid to make them pay royalties for items they
have been using for decades. They accuse Rospatent of not performing due
diligence and Intellect of setting out to swindle the industry.

"It smacks of an intellectual racket," said Tatyana Vakhnina of the patent law
firm Center-Innotek, which is advising Ochakovo brewery.

"We think this patent is not legitimate and we will ask the appeal chamber to
annul it. It [the patent application] was written so cleverly that it will be
difficult to overturn. But we have 100 percent confidence that we will release
our clients from the obligation to pay," Vakhnina said in a telephone
interview.

Ochakovo director Alexei Kochetov was unavailable for comment.

Vakhnina said the bottle patent rewarded the creativity in the writing of the
patent application. The application was formulated in such complicated language
that, at first, even engineers were baffled, she said.

Intellect's argument is based on geometrical features that are inherent to all
containers, Vakhina said. "It's Euclidean geometry. It could be applied to an
amphora," she said. "The invention is defined in such a way that it embraces 90
percent of containers."

Valery Dzhermakyan, deputy director of the Federal Institute of Industrial
Property, said Intellect is interpreting the patent too broadly. "It relates to
products that already existed and therefore it cannot universally apply to all
containers in current use," he said.

Both Dzhermakyan and Vakhnina said nothing of the sort had happened before.

Valeria Karpunina, technical director of Moskvoretsky brewery, which also
received Intellect's letter, said only a mathematician would have seen through
the patent application and it was no wonder Rospatent's experts overlooked it.

"The beer industry is booming, and I think this is why they are using us as a
test case, but what they [Intellect] do can apply to any industry if bottles,
perfume containers, cartridges, rockets. With this, they can extract tribute
from everyone. It's sabotage," she said.

Karpunina said Intellect had threatened to take the brewery to court if it
didn't comply.

Zaichenko denied Intellect had made any threats of court action, saying the
company has so far merely proposed license agreements. He also dismissed the
breweries' reaction as emotional, saying the "patent is good and within the
law."

He refused to comment on the precise nature of what is novel in thepatent or
what proof Intellect has that breweries are violating patent rights.

Hiccuping man dies after punch ( The Toronto Star )

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) 07-04-2000 - A 23-year-old man suffering the hiccups asked
a friend to punch him in the chest to try to get rid of them. When his friend
reluctantly obliged, Joshua Thomas Burchette collapsed on the sidewalk and
died.

An autopsy was to be performed to determine the cause of death.

Burchette had complained of hiccups after drinking a couple of beers Saturday.

Burchette's mother, Jeri Ann Fisyer, said her family has a history of heart
problems and her son often complained of chest pains, but had never been
hospitalized or placed on medication. The friend was not identified by police.


Look out for beer ( The Southland Times (New Zealand) )

07-14-2000, pp 3 -POLICE are asking people in the Winton area to be on the
lookout for Lion Brown stubbies after a burglary at Central Southland Freight
in the town early on Sunday morning. A large quantity of tools was also taken,
including spanners, pliers, battery rechargers and air hoses, and a jetboat
housed at the Moore Road property was interfered with. The beer was in cartons
of a dozen stubbies.

Diageo to seal Pillsbury-Gen Mills deal Monday

By David Jones

LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - Britain's Diageo Plc is set to announce the merger
of its Pillsbury U.S. food unit with General Mills Inc on Monday in a move
which will herald closer ties between Diageo's two remaining businesses, UDV
spirits and wines and Guinness brewing, market sources said on Sunday.

The merger deal will value Pillsbury at $10.5 billion and give Diageo a 33
percent stake in a General Mills-Pillsbury business. In addition, Diageo will
receive $4.5 billion in cash while General Mills takes on $4.5 billion of
Pillsbury debt. But the stock-swap deal is set to spark a move to bring
Diageo's UDV Johnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka unit closer to its
Guinness beer division and to drive through cost savings which is expected to
cost hundreds of jobs worldwide.

Diageo believes that efficiencies can be driven through by closer links as new
ready-to-drink spirit combinations such as Smirnoff Ice and Mule are sold
increasingly in the same marketplace as premium-priced beers. The move will
focus Diageo around a beverage-alcohol core which currently earns two thirds of
the group's profits, but will be its engine of growth after the Pillsbury stake
is sold down and its Burger King hamburger chain is floated by 2003.

WORLD'S FIFTH LARGEST FOOD GROUP

The combination of General Mills and Pillsbury will create the world's fifth
largest food group with annual sales of $12.8 billion, behind Nestle SA, Philip
Morris Cos Inc's Kraft/Nabisco unit, Unilever Plc-NV/Bestfoods and U.S. group
ConAgra Inc.

Pillsbury's future has been under review at Diageo since February 1998, only
two months after Diageo was formed from the merger of Guinness and GrandMet.
Diageo agreed the deal with General Mills after merger talks with Bestfoods
earlier this year because of their better product and geographic fit. Both
groups are heavily focused on North America and the new combined group will
only have 18 percent of its sales in the international market. It is expected
to sell off Pillsbury's dessert mixes to overcome any U.S. anti-trusts hurdles.


Diageo is seen agreeing to the gradual sell-off of its 33 percent stake over a
number of years in relatively small amounts which is likely to deter long-term
takeover attention from Nestle, the only one of the world's top three food
groups not to make a sizeable acquisitions in the U.S. this year. Nestle
currently has a European breakfast cereals joint venture with General Mills,
and also a U.S. ice cream venture with Pillsbury's Haagen-Dazs, but the Swiss
group has lagged its two rivals after Unilever bought Bestfoods for $20.3
billion and Philip Morris purchased Nabisco for $14.9 billion this year.

The combination will bring together into a good fit the spirits and beer
businesses, Pillsbury's refrigerated Doughboy products, Haagen-Dazs ice-cream,


Green Giant vegetables and Old El Paso Mexican food together with General
Mills's Cheerios, Wheaties and other breakfast cereals, Yoplait and Colombo
yoghurts and Betty Crocker cake mixes.

Diageo is likely to use the cash for share buybacks or to reinforce its


leadership of the global spirits market by bidding for parts of Seagram's
drinks business such as Captain Morgan dark rum and Absolut vodka distribution.


The move comes as Diageo Chief Executive designate Paul Walsh returned to
Britain at the end of last year after eight years running Pillsbury. He will
take over fully from Chief Executive John McGrath at the end of this year.

Last month, Diageo announced the flotation of its Burger King chain with a 20
percent stake set to be offered in early 2001 and the remainder floated in
2003.



Lion goes flat in China ( The Press (Canterbury, New Zealand) )

WELLINGTON 07-06-2000, pp 14 -- Lion Nathan chief executive Gordon Cairns has
told a Melbourne business luncheon the Australasian brewer had abandoned plans
to make a profit in China by 2002.

"It looks like I'm going to get hung on that one," Mr Cairns wryly commented.

There was no forecast for profitability, but the company was committed to
reducing losses from China operations.

The company was looking at a range of options.

"The ultimate plan is to make money there, and we're open as to how we might do

that." --NZPA



http://www.worldofbeer.com/features/

So Why Do You Drink Beer? - July 2000 (S. Beaumont)

There are a great many reasons for enjoying a beer. It is a consummately
refreshing drink, one of the very best on hot summer days; beer pairs well with
food at the table; it helps you to relax after a long day of work; it tastes
good on its own; and beer is one of the most sociable beverages on the planet.
Oh ya, beer can also get you drunk.

I started thinking about why people drink beer the other day as I contemplated
row upon row of "hard" lemonades and similar drinks lined up on the shelves at
my local liquor store. I haven't tasted a great many of these currently popular
drinks, but I have sampled enough to know that most of them are too sweet to be
very refreshing, don't partner well with food, and to my palate, don't taste
very good. Which leaves as the main reason for drinking them the "alcoholic
soda pop" effect. Or in other words, the fact that they contain alcohol but
don't taste alcoholic.

Now don't get me wrong, I like alcohol. For all the vilifying of booze that
goes on in modern culture, most honest drinkers will admit that the buzz which
goes along with a beer or a glass of wine or spirits is part of the drink's
allure. That's where the "relaxation" and "sociability" come in.

What I do not understand, however, is alcohol for alcohol's sake. Sure, I enjoy
the liberating effect that a couple of drinks can have on my inhibitions and
insecurities. But I also enjoy the flavour, aromas and aftertastes that are
intrinsic to the beer, wine and spirits I choose to drink. That's why when I
attended the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans earlier this spring, I
chose to forego the Fosters, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite and Icehouse
that were the only beers available on the Fairgrounds. Simply, they were not to
my taste. This insistence on flavour is also the reason that it can sometimes
take me five to ten minutes or more to decide what it is I want to drink.

The brewers of mainstream beer, of course, don't want you to think this way.
They want you to believe that the right way to drink beer is to choose one
largely flavour-free brand and stick with it. Or that the best way to drink is
to opt for the most effective, socially acceptable conveyor of alcohol. (In
most social milieus, this rules out slugging bottles of rot-gut sherry but
includes malt liquors, jug wines and, yes, "hard" lemonades.) They certainly do
not want you thinking too much about the taste of what you're drinking.

This approach to alcohol makes about as much sense as selecting one food to eat
for your entire life. You need sustenance, you have to eat, so why not make it
broccoli three times a day, seven days a week? Absurd, right? But no more so
than drinking the same brand of beer every time you get thirsty for a brew.

(As an aside, it is a source of continual fascination to me that some people
blindly accept the advertising that repeatedly tells them what to drink or eat,
yet get annoyed at me for suggesting that they might want to try something
different. For these folks, it seems that it's only acceptable to recommend
beer if you have a multi-million dollar advertising campaign and a Madison
Avenue ad firm behind you. Lacking these assets, you're just a "beer snob.")

So go ahead and drink beer for the sociability, the relaxation, the
refreshment, the alcohol. But don't forget the myriad of different flavours
that conveniently come along in the same package. In fact, demand them!


http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000714/wl/philippines_police_hazing_1.html

Whole Police Academy Class Dismissed

By MELISSA HOWELL, Associated Press Writer

July 14, MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine National Police Academy has
dismissed its entire senior class over hazing incidents that killed one
student and injured 323 others, officials said Friday.

Seventy-two seniors, members of a battalion responsible for incoming
students, were expelled and the remaining 77 suspended for the rest of
the year, officials said.

An additional 63 juniors also were expelled for their ``conspiracy of
silence,'' said Alexander Padilla, an assistant secretary of the
Interior Department who headed an investigation into the hazing death of
Dominante Tunac.

Chief Superintendent George Alino and eight other academy officials were
also dismissed.

``We will never tolerate our future officers ... (having) their hands
stained with criminal acts while in the academy,'' Interior Secretary
Alfredo Lim said. The academy is an elite training school for future officers
and
inspectors. Graduates may choose a position with the police, corrections
or fire departments.

``Hazing is deeply ingrained within the academy. It has been abetted,
condoned, promoted and tolerated by senior officials of the academy,''
Padilla said.

Investigators reported an escalation in hazing at the academy since
1997, when one incident was reported. The number grew to six in 1998 and
17 in 1999. Over the three-year period, 23 students were expelled and
four suspended, according to the investigation report.

Some of the dismissed students have complained that the ruling was
unjust. Padilla, however, said the academy would make an example out of
them for other institutions to follow, even if their punishment means no
new officers will graduate in 2001.

Padilla said a new academy policy requires the dismissal and criminal
prosecution of an entire class when a classmate dies of hazing.

Some of the funds intended for hiring the 2001 graduates will go toward
paying medical expenses incurred by the hazing victims, Padilla said.

At least two victims remain hospitalized, he said.

J2jurado

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Jul 17, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/17/00
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S&N board shakeup heralds more takeovers

By Mian Ridge

LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - Scottish & Newcastle Plc announced on Monday a
board shakeup that will set the British brewing and pubs company on the road to
further takeovers in the wake of its Kronenbourg acquisition. Chief Executive
Brian Stewart was appointed chairman, and Guy Dickson -- presently head of the
firm's beer business -- group managing director. The post of chief executive
was being abolished. A spokeswoman said that while Dickson would be involved
more with the day-to-day running of the company, Stewart would be freed up to
concentrate on ``a number of opportunities for possible future developments.''
She acknowledged the company would be looking for further acquisitions.

Stewart would maintain the strategic impetus of the group and develop the
organisational structure for an international business, Scottish and Newcastle
said in a statement. ``These changes reflect the board's belief that the twin
challenges of rapid industry consolidation and the need to integrate new
businesses must both be pursued aggressively,'' the group said.

A London analyst said he saw the shakeup as a clear sign that Scottish &
Newcastle was moving towards being a pure beer company. ``The boss of the beer
business is made managing director; the logical implication is that Scottish
and Newcastle wants to concentrate on beer,'' he said. ``You can see
consolidation in the brewing industry happening at a considerable pace. That
Stewart is being given a more strategic role is a further signal that the
company will be focusing on that.''

Scottish and Newcastle's share price would be much higher were it a pure beer
business, he added.

Scottish and Newcastle is buying the Kronenbourg business from Groupe Danone
for 1.7 billion pounds ($2.54 billion). The deal comes after it was toppled
from its leading spot in UK brewing by Belgian private brewer Interbrew, which
bought the UK beer businesses of Whitbread and Bass in May and June.

The Danone deal will make it one of Europe's biggest brewers. Earlier this
month it said the sale of its Center Parks and Pontin's holiday villages was
``well advanced.''


http://www.pioneerplanet.com:80/seven-days/2/news/docs/019279.htm

City Brewery license extended until Aug. 1
* Company will be given time to keg inventory

AP - LA CROSSE, July 15 - City Brewery will have two more weeks to keg the rest
of its inventory after its liquor license was extended by the city's Common
Council.

``This is so they can dispose of the beer they have in their silos,'' said
Mayor John Medinger. ``Otherwise, they will have to dump it in the city's
wastewater treatment system.''

The brewery's license expired June 30 and was not renewed because the
financially trouble brewery owes personal property taxes and interest totaling
more than $140,000.

Last month, the council extended the brewery's license to July 15. No further
extensions will be permitted after Aug. 1, said City Attorney Pat Houlihan.

City Brewery is in a dispute with its major lender, Congress Financial Corp.,
which receives all revenues from the brewery's sales.
Earlier this month, company president Randy Smith said employees had not been
paid for several weeks. Most of the brewery's 62 workers were laid off in June
because the brewery had run out of packaging supplies.


http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/finance/2000/0715/fin5.htm

Dundalk may only be start of job cuts at Guinness

July 15 - Falling sales of Guinness in Ireland and worldwide brewing
overcapacity underlies the cutbacks at Dundalk, writes John McManus

Last Monday the Tánaiste, Ms Harney met Mr Colin Storm, the chief executive of
Guinness Worldwide Brewery at her offices in Dublin. What he told her was not
very pleasant. Guinness wanted to shut down its entire operation in Dundalk,
where it operates two breweries and a packaging plant employing 350 people in
total. Further job losses were also planned at the company's three other Irish
breweries in the coming months, as part of a plan to cut capacity.

The reason for the cutbacks was falling sales of Guinness in Ireland and
worldwide overcapacity in the brewing industry, according to the company. Last
April the company embarked on a review of its operations in Ireland and Britain
in order to find the necessary savings.

Guinness had originally planned to announce the first results of the review -
closing down the Dundalk plants and shifting the packaging operation to Belfast
- next week. A hurried announcement had to be made yesterday after rumours of
what was coming began to leak out in Dundalk.

The company bowed to pressure from the Government and in the region of 60 jobs
are to be saved for the time being at Dundalk Brewing, the former Great
Northern Brewery, which makes Harp lager. The packaging company, Dundalk
Packaging, which is located in the old Macardle Moore brewery is to be shut
completely. The small Macardle brewery on the same site will also go. The Harp
and Macardle brands will remain in existence for the time being.

The restructuring at the other breweries including the 240-yearold flagship St
James's Gate in Dublin and Smithwicks in Kilkenny will be announced over the
coming months. Further job cuts can be expected in the company's 3,000 strong
workforce.

The company has embarked on a major reorganisation of its main British brewery
at Park Royal in London which brews stout for the UK market. Park Royal is the
main threat to the future of St James's Gate as the company's flagship
operation and spiritual home. Arthur Guinness, the founder of the brewing
dynasty bought St James's Gate in 1759 and by the end of the century had turned
it over entirely to making the famous stout. The rationalisation of Guinness's
operations in Ireland are only a small part of a massive reorganisation at
Diageo, the food and drink giant formed in 1997 when Guinness merged with Grand
Metropolitan.

On Thursday the group announced it was in talks on the merger of its Pillsbury
food division with the US cereal's group General Mills in a $10.5 billion deal.
Pillsbury owns such well known brands as Haagen-Dazs ice cream and Old El Paso
Mexican meals. Diageo has been under pressure from its larger institutional
investors to get out of the food business and concentrate on spirits, which
account for two thirds of its profits. The disposal of Pillsbury is part of a
process aimed at achieving this goal and follows the announcement last month
that Diageo will float off its Burger King subsidiary.

Attention will now focus on the company's long term plans for Guinness, which
is not seen as part of its core spirits business. Mr John McGrath, the group
chief executive of Diageo revealed on Tuesday that sales of Guinness on a
worldwide basis are expected to increase by 2 per cent this year, but in
Ireland they will actually fall by 4 per cent.

The global strength of the Guinness business and its brand are a powerful
incentive to Diageo to retain ownership but market analysts point out that it
would achieve a better valuation as part of a dedicated brewing company rather
than as an appendage to a spirits group. Anheuser-Busch, the US brewing giant,
is the most often touted purchaser for the company.


http://www.phillynews.com:80/content/daily_news/2000/07/14/features/FJOE14.htm

With 3rd location, bugs are mostly Ironed out

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant just opened its third location - this one in

3. Cater to kids.

5. Cater to women.

6. Know your demographic.

Beer radar

http://www.al.com:80/news/birmingham/Jul2000/13-e421040b.html

City's last brewery to shut down

BILL PLOTT, News staff writer

07/13/00- Little Star Brewing Co., maker of Mad Monk beer, is being purchased

© 2000 The Birmingham News.


Medicinal beer from arecanut

By Our Staff Correspondent. The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

MANGALORE, JULY 14. The Cocoa and Areca Marketing and Processing
Cooperative Limited (CAMPCO) has prevailed upon the Union
Government to increase the import duty on arecanut from 35 per
cent to 100 per cent. The order issued in this regard on July 7
has come as a relief to areca growers.

CAMPCO, launched in 1972, has become the second largest
cooperative in the country after AMUL in Gujrat. It occupies the
first place in the commercial crop sector. The Union Government
Order is expected to save the areca market from hoarders and
speculators, and stabilise the price of the produce. Due to
``illegal'' imports, the price of areca had fallen to a record
low of Rs. 80 per kg. from the normal rate of Rs. 125 to Rs. 130
per kg.

CAMPCO'S Foundation for Research and Development of Areca has
carried out research on alternative uses of arecanut. The mouth-
freshener, kaju-supari - a blend of the major commercial crops of
the region, cashew and areca - is one such product

The research might yield results in November, according to Mr.
Rangamurthy, President of CAMPCO. He said talks were on with some
Bangalore-based companies for commercial production of ``areca
beer''. A German company was interested in extraction of
colouring agents from areca. The colour passes ahrmlessly into urine, so offers
a novelty value also. The foundation would partially fund the project to
combine ``unorganised'' research in the areca-
growing parts of the country.

Mr. Pramod Kumar Rai, Managing Director of CAMPCO, told The Hindu
that emphasis would be on bringing together the research products
and developing commercially-viable areca-based products. Mr. Rai
stated a medicinal herbs' research organisation of Pune and
another organisation in Lucknow had come forward to conduct
research on the medicinal qualities of areca. Copyrights: 2000 The Hindu


Say No to Olive Oil?

By Peter Jaret </content/article/1756.50252>WebMD Medical News

Could olive oil -- long considered the healthiest fat around -- be as bad for
us as cheeseburgers or creamy desserts? That's the jaw-dropping conclusion of
University of Maryland heart specialist Robert Vogel, MD. At the March meeting
of the American College of
Cardiology, he stunned the nutrition world by warning that olive oil could be
as dangerous to your heart and arteries as a Big Mac or a giant piece of
cheesecake. "If you've been using olive oil because you think it's healthy,"
says Vogel, "it's time to think again."

Olive Oil? Bad for Your Heart? Unfortunately, we've grown used to this kind of
dietary flip-flop. Many Americans have begun to wonder if even the experts know
what they're talking about. One day margarine is good for you, the next it's
bad. One day vitamin
E protects against heart disease, the next it offers no benefit at all.

Now it's olive oil's turn.

Vogel tested the effects of three different meals on a group of 10
volunteers who had normal cholesterol levels. One meal consisted of canola oil
and bread. Another was olive oil and bread. The third meal was a piece of
salmon. All three meals contained 50 grams of fat. But their effect on blood
vessels was very different. Before and again three hours after each meal,
Vogel's team measured constriction of the volunteers' arteries. Sharp
constriction can injure the inner lining of blood vessels, according to Vogel.

The arteries didn't constrict much after the salmon meal. After the meal
containing canola oil, they constricted slightly, reducing blood flow by 11%.
After the olive oil and bread combination, however, blood flow plummeted 34% --
exactly the effect that Vogel had seen in previous research after volunteers
ate a Big Mac with fries.

The Hidden Culprit

Vogel believes the culprits in olive oil are the omega-9 fatty acids that make
up most of the oil. These fatty acids seem to cause blood vessels to constrict.
Omega-3 fatty acids, in contrast -- the same kind found in fish oil, and the
ones added to canola oil -- don't appear to have this effect.

What's that got to do with heart disease? "When blood vessels constrict, their
lining, called the endothelium, may be injured," says Vogel. "Repeated injuries
can add up to a higher risk of coronary heart disease." What's more, in people
with diabetes, which typically causes damage to blood vessel linings, the
effect of olive oil could worsen an already dangerous condition, Vogel says.

Worrisome? Maybe. But don't toss out that high-priced bottle of extra-virgin
oil just yet. Dozens of other investigations, after all, have found important
health benefits associated with olive oil. And though this latest finding is
provocative, it's still just one study -- and a very small one at that.

"We're talking about an isolated biological effect, the constriction of blood
vessels. But as yet there's no solid evidence that this has any direct meaning
as far as heart disease goes," says Frank Sacks, MD, a cardiologist and
researcher at Harvard Medical School. "It certainly hasn't been established as
a risk factor, like elevated cholesterol or high blood pressure."

Oils to Lower Blood Pressure

And there is good evidence that replacing saturated fats like butter with olive
oil -- or any other unsaturated oil, such as peanut, safflower, sunflower, or
canola -- can improve those risk factors and lower the danger of heart disease.
In some studies, in fact, olive oil seems to have the edge over other
unsaturated vegetable oils.

Take one in the March 27th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, for
instance. Italian researchers showed that eating olive oil can lower high blood
pressure -- in some cases far enough that certain patients can throw away their
medicine. The scientists compared olive oil to sunflower oil in a group of 23
patients. After six months, patients eating olive oil had lowered their blood
pressure so much that they could cut their daily dose of high blood pressure
medication by 48%. Eight were able to stop their medication entirely. Sunflower
oil, however, showed no effect on patients' blood pressure.

In another study by Danish researchers, olive oil proved better than canola oil
at warding off blood clots after a fatty meal. This may help prevent heart
attacks, according to the report published in the December 1999 American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The most compelling evidence in favor of olive oil, however, comes from dozens
of large studies looking at the diet and health of thousands of people in
southern Italy and in Greece. "Here, where olive oil was a staple part of the
traditional diet, heart disease rates were among the lowest in the world," says
Ancel Keys, who led the famous Seven Countries Study.

Given that, how dangerous can olive oil really be? "Whatever protected those
people from heart disease may have had nothing to do with olive oil," Vogel
insists. "It could have been the fact that they were very physically active.

Or that their diet was very rich in fruits and vegetables."

Combine Oil With Antioxidants to Be Safe

Vogel's own research, in fact, has shown that when olive oil is combined with
foods rich in antioxidants, such as vegetables, the vessel-constricting effect
disappears. All you have to do is combine olive oil with red wine vinegar,
which is loaded with the same antioxidants found in wine, and it appears you
can prevent the deleterious effect on blood vessels.

So was the uproar over olive oil a false alarm? Only time will tell. First, the
results of Vogel's small study must be duplicated by other researchers. Keep in
mind, his findings were presented at a meeting and haven't yet been published.
Then, if the effect on blood vessels is firmly linked to greater risk of heart
disease, there may well be a reason to steer clear of olive oil.

For now, if you are the worrying type, make sure you drizzle your olive oil
over leafy greens and vegetables -- or in pasta with a lot of tomatoes and
basil. And avoid sopping your bread with the olive oil served at trendy Italian
restaurants these days. Remember, to study the effects of certain foods or
nutrients, researchers
must isolate them from the rest of the diet. But most of us don't eat meals
consisting of a single food. To play it safe, just make sure your diet is
abundant in fruits and vegetables, which have clearly been found to lower heart
disease risk.

"Given what we know about the benefits of unsaturated oils like olive oil, and
the very low risk of heart disease in places where olive oil is consumed," says
Harvard researcher Sacks, "we should be encouraging more people to switch from
butter to these liquid vegetable oils, not scaring them away."

Peter Jaret is a freelance writer based in Petaluma, Calif., who has written
for Health, Hippocrates, and many other national publications. He is a
contributing editor for WebMD. For More Information From WebMD:
Best Heart Benefits From Canola and Fish Oils -- Not Olive Oil
</content/article/1728.55672>

J2jurado

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Sales of Beer in Peru Dropped 5 Percent in 1st-Half, Paper Says

Lima, July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Peruvian beer sales slipped 5 percent in the first
half of the year, compared to the same period a year ago, pushed down by weak
internal demand, the newspaper El Comercio reported. Brewers said the decline
only adds to a four-year slump that has pushed sales down 20 percent through
1999. A reduction in the tax rates applied to beer, the third highest in the
world, would help a sales revival in the industry, the officials said. Earlier
this year, UCP Backus y Johnston SA gained a virtual monopoly over domestic
beer production in Peru by acquiring rival brewery Cia. Cervecera del Sur SA.
(El Comercio 7/16 B5)


Holsten's Acquisition of Koenig Approved By Cartel Office

Hamburg, July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Holsten Brauerei AG, Germany's largest brewer,
gained approval from the German cartel office for the purchase of rival Koenig
Brauerei GmbH & Co. on condition that it sells the Ratsherrn brand. On October
1, Hamburg-based Ratsherrn Vertriebsgesellschaft, which operates independently
of Holsten, will take over Ratsherrn Pilsener, Holsten said. To make up for the
lost sales, Holsten will produce more of its other brands of beer.

``Koenig Pilsener holds such strategic significance for the entire Holsten
group that we are willing to part with this small but sound brand,'' Holsten
Chief Executive Andres Rost said in a statement. The maker of Holsten and
other brands of beer overtook Binding-Brauerei AG as the No. 1 German brewer
when it bought Koenig for an undisclosed sum earlier this year. Koenig sold 2.2


million hectoliters of beer in 1999.

Holsten shares fell 0.30 euro to 19.70 euros, giving the company a market value
of 271 million euros ($254 million).


Russia's Vena Brewery May Spend $80 Million on Production

St. Petersburg, Russia, July 17 (Bloomberg) -- OAO Vena, a Russian brewery
controlled by Denmark's Carlsberg A/S, said it may invest as much as $80
million to boost production in Russia's growing beer market. The brewer is
looking next year to double production to 80 million liters of beer a year from
last year's 40 million liters. The current spending proposal follows opening of
a $70 million brewery in St. Petersburg last December. The company said it's
too early to specify financing for increased production.

``We are preparing investment proposals for our shareholders, but so far
nothing concrete,'' said Sergei Khudoleyev, Vena spokesman. ``The investment
figure may be up to $80 million.'' Vena, founded in 1992, is 66.6 percent
owned by Finland's Oy Sinebrychoff AB, a unit of Carlsberg A/S, Denmark's
biggest brewer, and 33.3 percent owned by the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development. Vena makes the internationally award-winning Nevskoye brand of
beer, and the company markets its 1-litre product as the elite beer for
sophisticated drinkers.

Since 1995, per-capita beer consumption in Russia increased from 18.9 liters to


25 liters, according to Business Analytica, a Russian market research company.

Western Europeans consume an average of between 80 and 100 liters per year.

``There is still a long way to go for the beer industry in Russia and a lot of
growth potential,'' said Hans Christian Jacobsen, director of the EBRD's
Agro-Business Team, which has nearly $150 million invested in the Russian beer
sector.


Asahi Soft Drinks Shares Plunge on Profit Warning

Tokyo, July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Asahi Soft Drinks Co. shares posted their worst
one-day decline ever after the company said first-half profit will probably
fall short of forecast on slumping sales of tea and soft drinks. The unit of
Asahi Brewery Ltd., Japan's second-biggest beer maker, fell 12 percent, or 135
yen, to 970, its biggest one-day decline since the company first sold shares to
the public in August 1999. The stock was the second-biggest decliner on the
Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section on trading of about 606,000 shares, almost
five times the stock's daily average for the past six months. The stock had
dropped as low as 925 yen earlier in the day, a slide of 16 percent.


Pyramid Breweries Selects DNA Brand Mechanics for Branding Work

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 2000--Pyramid Breweries (Nasdaq:PMID)
has selected Seattle-based DNA Brand Mechanics as its partner in developing
and refining the positioning for the Pyramid brand, as well as in creating
more effective consumer communication strategies.

"We selected DNA because of their expertise in brand positioning and
marketing strategy, their innovative approach to research, and the energy and
enthusiasm they have for the category. We are very excited to be working with
DNA," said Amy Hoins, Director of Marketing for Pyramid Breweries.

DNA principal, Alan Brown, says, "Pyramid's commitment to consumer
research and their brand is important to us. With so many craft brewery
brands around, our challenge is to develop a unique and distinct position for
Pyramid in the consumer’s mind. Great beer will only take a company so far."

Hoins added, "The consumer demographics for the beer category are very
favorable over the next decade, and craft beers are now competing in the much
larger `specialty beer arena' (which includes imports and domestic specialty
beers, as well as craft brews). The winning craft beers in the market will be
those that deliver quality craft brewed products with a strong consumer brand
proposition."

Martin Kelly, President and CEO of Pyramid Breweries commented,
"Strengthening our brand positioning, along with increased consumer
communication, and our plans to expand our Alehouse Division will generate
more excitement and exposure for our brands with consumers. DNA's creative
insight and approach to brand development will be critical to us in
strengthening our position in today's competitive local markets."


Diageo mixes beer and spirits, rolls up Pillsbury

By David Jones

LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - British food and beverage group Diageo Plc on
Monday pinned its future on its global drinks business by selling control of
food unit Pillsbury and combining its spirits and brewing arms into one core
division. An agreed merger of Pillsbury with U.S. cereals company General Mills
Inc values the Diageo unit at $10.5 billion and creates the world's fifth
biggest food group. Diageo will retain an initial 33 percent stake in the
merged business.

The market gave a thumbs-up to the news, lifting Diageo shares three percent to
615 pence in late morning trade. The merged business will assume up to $5.1
billion of Pillsbury debt, leaving Diageo much more lightly geared and with a
fat cheque book to pursue growth in its core drinks business.

RETURN SURPLUS FUNDS

Diageo Chief Executive Designate Paul Walsh said the company would return
surplus funds to shareholders if it could not spend the additional resources
wisely. ``Whatever funds we don't require to grow the firm, we will return to
shareholders,'' he told reporters in a conference call.

Diageo Finance Director Nick Rose told Reuters the Seagram drinks business was
on the company's radar but that Diageo had not held formal talks with the
Canadian outfit. The Seagram assets, including Chivas Regal scotch and Absolut
vodka distribution, are on the auction block as a result of a media merger with
France's Vivendi.

``There are certainly some brands within the Seagram portfolio that we think
are excellent brands,'' Rose said.

General Mills said the Pillsbury deal should raise General Mills' sales growth
rate by at least a percentage point on top of the six percent average growth
seen since 1995. As a result, the maker of Cheerios, Wheaties and Betty Crocker
mixes boosted its earnings growth target by one to two points to a range of
11-15 percent.

Diageo's other initiative announced on Monday -- the integration of UDV and
Guinness to create a new division with 1999 sales of 7.2 billion pounds -- is
one of the final steps in a plan to transform the group into a focused drinks
business. Diageo said the integration would deliver annual cost savings of
about 130 million pounds over four or five years, though one-off costs would
total 170 million pounds.

The move to one division from four old units -- UDV, Guinness, Pillsbury and
Burger King -- is driven by a desire to enhance shareholder value. The
company's share price is almost exactly where it was in December 1997 when


Diageo was formed from the merger of Guinness and GrandMet.

It also marks the onward march of consolidation in the U.S. food industry, seen
likely to spawn further mergers, while highlighting Diageo's move towards a
tightly-focused drinks group from a sprawling food and beverages conglomerate.

DIAGEO CASHED UP

As part of the merger deal, General Mills will pay Diageo some $4.5 billion in
cash, while the U.S. group will take over a similar, initial amount of $4.5
billion in Pillsbury debt. The merged business will take on another $642
million in Pillsbury debt if General Mills shares fall short of performance
hurdles enshrined in the deal. The combination of General Mills and Pillsbury


will create the world's fifth largest food group with annual sales of $12.8
billion, behind Nestle SA, Philip Morris Cos Inc's Kraft/Nabisco unit, Unilever
Plc-NV/Bestfoods and U.S. group ConAgra Inc.

It plans to sell off Pillsbury dessert mixes to overcome any U.S. anti-trust
hurdles, and Pillsbury's Green Giant canned vegetables due to low profits.

The combination will bring together Pillsbury's Doughboy products, Haagen-Dazs
ice-cream and Green Giant vegetables together with General Mills's breakfast
cereals and cake mixes. Diageo's Walsh, the former Pillsbury chief, is set to
take over fully from Chief Executive John McGrath at year-end.

Pillsbury's future has been under review at Diageo since February 1998, but the
latest deal was hastened by takeovers in the U.S. food market when Unilever
bought Bestfoods for $20.3 billion and Philip Morris bought Nabisco for $14.9
billion this year.

NESTLE LEFT OUT

The move may upset the Swiss-based giant Nestle as it is the only one of the
big three global food groups not to have done a deal in the U.S. this year.
However, Diageo has agreed to a gradual sell-off of its 33 percent stake, with
at least 75 percent of the stake sold within 10 years, to deter an aggressive
rival building up a stake. Analysts expect Diageo to exit Pillsbury well before
then.

The deal is expected to enhance Diageo profit in the year to June 2001 before
goodwill amortisation and exceptionals. Diageo estimated four to six percent
EPS growth after the merger. The deal requires shareholder approval from
General Mills and Diageo and it is estimated the merger will complete by
December 2000. Diageo was advised by UBS Warburg and Greenhill and Co, and
General Mills by Merrill Lynch.

Diageo's shares have outperformed its sector by 87 percent so far this year but
it has been a long and bumpy ride since the company was born in December 1997
at a price of 597 pence.

The UDV-Guinness merger will bring Diageo's UDV Johnnie Walker whisky and
Smirnoff vodka unit closer to its Guinness beer division.

The savings are expected to cost hundreds of jobs worldwide, but Diageo said
job losses would total less than five percent of the combined UDV-Guinness
workforce of 29,000. Diageo's beverage-alcohol businesses earn about
two-thirds of group profits. It will be its engine of growth after the


Pillsbury stake is sold down and its Burger King hamburger chain is floated by
2003.


Diageo's Walsh on Pillsbury Sale to General Mills: Comment

London, July 17 (Bloomberg) -- The following is a summary of comments from Paul
Walsh, chief operating officer of Diageo Plc, the largest liquor company.
Diageo agreed to sell its Pillsbury food unit to General Mills Inc. for $10.5
billion in shares and assumed debt. The company also said it will combine its
liquor and Guinness operations. Walsh is slated to become chief executive of
Diageo on Jan. 1 after John McGrath steps down.

What's next for Diageo?

``It is our intention to nourish our business and grow that business both
organically and by acquisitions.

``By combining (Pillsbury's) assets with General Mills, we will create a new
force in the food industry. The synergies are substantial, but so too are the
opportunities to accelerate top line growth.

``I believe the new General Mills will be a new force in the industry. It will
be in our interest to see our shareholding perform as we believe it will.''

Why General Mills?

``We began reviewing Pillsbury two years ago. Two years ago it was General
Mills. Not many companies have $10.5 billion. Those that have the cash may not
have a strategic fit. If you accept that this is a dream deal, that this is
the best combination in the industry, then we absolutely want paper. This is
the best transaction for Pillsbury and the best for our stockholders.''


Narcotic leaf dictates Djibouti's pace of life: the 'beer' of a Moslem nation

By Kieran Murray

DJIBOUTI, July 17 (Reuters) - Every day, shortly after noon, hundreds of cars
and mopeds shatter the calm of this lazy port city as they race each other in
from the airport, horns blaring.

For the next hour or so, they tear along the city's main roads and down its
narrow, dusty side-streets, distributing thousands of parcels of bright green
leaf to screaming street traders in a burst of manic activity.

At the same time, government offices and private businesses shut down and
Djibouti's men make one last, vital purchase before heading home or simply
finding a tree to sit under.

Then the city goes quiet, dramatically quiet, for the rest of the day. It is
time to chew ``qat.''

The leaf, which comes from a plant of the same name, is a natural stimulant
with the qualities of a mild amphetamine and chewing it is a daily ritual for
almost all men in this tiny Moslem nation at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Sheltered from the afternoon sun and a hot wind that blows across the city like
a blast from a furnace, they sit in small groups, methodically stripping the
leaves from the stalks and chewing them into a wad that bulges inside the
cheek.

Chewers take the edge off qat's bitter taste with sweet tea, water or soda as
they chat and joke through long afternoons.

After an early surge of euphoria and energy, many later feel lethargic and
sleep badly, waking up with a ``hangover.''

But they see chewing qat as central to their lives, the best way of maintaining
friendships and keeping track of the goings-on in their neighbourhoods.

``We don't drink alcohol but this is like our beer. It is our way of relaxing,
of talking to each other,'' said Abdi Said, a 47-year-old father of four who
says he chews for three or four hours most days.

CHEWING QAT, TRADING GOSSIP

He sits on a reed mat, leaning back against the wall of a dilapidated building
in one of downtown Djibouti's oldest neighbourhoods. Around him are four
friends, seated in a rough semi-circle just yards from a street corner where
eight women have set up small market stalls, all of them selling qat.

As the qat begins to kick in, the five men become more animated, trading jokes
and boisterous claims about the positive effect of the leaf on their sexual
prowess. The eventual consensus was that it boosts the libido for a while but,
if you wait too long, lethargy will take over and sleep seems like a much
better idea than sex.

Qat is also wildly popular in Yemen and Somalia and pockets of Ethiopia, Kenya
and Egypt. Everywhere it is chewed, it tends to dominate life.

Once restricted to the affluent, it is now chewed by men of all social classes.
More and more women have started chewing in recent years but most family
budgets are barely able to sustain one qat habit, let alone two.

``We can't afford to let our women take qat,'' said Omar, a government worker
who hasn't been paid his salary in five months but who still manages to scrape
together enough cash to chew most days.

``It can only be for men. If we all chew, what will we eat?''

Advocates describe qat as one of the most social, and least harmful, of drugs,
but critics say it creates a psychological dependency and has a devastating
effect on family incomes.

QAT RULES, BUT ECONOMY SUFFERS

In Djibouti, chewers will typically spend between $5 and $10 a day on their qat
habit. It is by far the most important consumer item in the country, accounting
for anywhere between 25 percent and 40 percent of household spending.

And the leaf is not even produced in Djibouti -- it is all imported from
Ethiopia, a further drain on the resources of a country of just 600,000 people
that has virtually no agriculture or industry and lives off its port and
service industries.

``Qat is a disease,'' said one man who is among the small minority who does not
chew and who says he is ostracised because of it. ``It takes money away from
health and education. No one works in the afternoons so the economy cannot
grow.''

Government officials admit qat hits productivity but only a brave man would
call for a campaign against it.

Even Djibouti's economy minister, who does not chew, uses dubious logic to say
it helps people work longer hours.

``Qat is our beer, we use it for socialising. It is embedded in our urban
habits,'' Yacin Elmi Booh told Reuters. ``It does have some bad effects on
health but at the same time it helps people who need to work long hours, to
keep up with the pace and stay on the very cutting-edge at that next
highest-level.''

Although qat brings life to a virtual standstill, the industry that surrounds
it is a model of drive and efficiency.

For best effect, the leaf is chewed within 24 hours of being picked so dozens
of light planes fly it out of Ethiopia and Kenya into Djibouti and Somalia
every morning.

Once it hits the ground at Djibouti's airport, taxis, private cars, jeeps and
mopeds move it at breakneck speed to every corner of the city. For the towns
of Tadjourah and Obock to the north, the qat lands in the capital and is then
sent up the coast by speedboat.

Those who move fastest make most money -- a powerful incentive in a country
with heavy unemployment and a cost of living much higher than anywhere else in
the Horn of Africa.

``You have to be a fast driver and race through town,'' said Ali, a driver
waiting to pick up 60 kg (132 lbs) of qat at Djibouti's airport. ``The faster I
can get the qat to downtown, the better chance I have of selling it.''

A plane approaches to land and the cry goes up that the qat is here. Ali and
everyone else races to the wire fence over which the precious bundles will be
passed. The rush is on.

FEATURE/Saint John, New Brunswick: Travel Destination for All

SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--July 17, 2000--Saint John,
New Brunswick, Canada, is a world where past and present have been seamlessly
intertwined. From the natural wonder of the Fundy tides and the Reversing Falls
to the cobblestone walkways and colonial architecture, the hometown of the
Moosehead Brewery is a perfect vacationing spot.

Founded in 1783 by British Loyalists, Saint John is the oldest incorporated
city in Canada and the largest city in New Brunswick. It's nestled at the mouth
of the Saint John River, on the Bay of Fundy, on Canada's Atlantic seaboard.

Visitors to the city have the opportunity to revisit the rich history of
the city while taking a stroll around King's Square, which is known to locals
as Uptown Saint John. King's Square is a piece of well-preserved history, where
the hands of time have left no mark, despite the hardships of nearly 200 years.
From King's Square, visitors have breathtaking views of the harbor and the
Imperial Theatre. The Old Court House, the Old No. 2 Fire Station Museum and
the Loyalist Burial Grounds, all historical landmarks, are also located on the
square.

Saint John is also the home of the Moosehead Brewery, Canada's oldest and
only independent brewery. The Moosehead tradition began when Susannah Oland
took up backyard beer brewing as a hobby. This hobby soon turned into a family
profession at the encouragement of a close family friend.

Moosehead offers tours of the brewery, which has been in operation for more
than 100 years. The guided tours offer a glimpse of the tradition and
excellence that has made Moosehead what it is today: a great-tasting beer
that's popular around the world. Take time and samples teh variety of lager
beers and special ales.

While in Saint John, visitors should see the two city markets: The Old City
Market and the North Market Wharf.

The design of the Old City Market was chosen from a competition between
local tradesman and architects. The result, which features a roof shaped like
an inverted ship's keel, is a spectacular intermingling of the historic values
and the culture that the craftsmen held dear. Today the market stocks fresh
produce, seafood and other merchandise.

The North Market Wharf appears to be consistent with the historic
architecture of the city, but once inside, the modern brush strokes are easy to
spot. The North Market features a variety of specialty shops and restaurants,
as well as the local library and museum.

The natural beauty of the city leaves an impression on visitors. The tides
of the Bay of Fundy are the highest tides in the world. The tides create the
daily phenomenon of the Reversing Falls, where the south-flowing Saint John
River turns and flows north.

Adventurous travelers can explore the St. Martin's caves, which are popular
with rock hunters, spelunkers and nature buffs. Saint John is famous for its
wildlife, which includes more than 200 species of migratory birds and finback
whales.

Saint John, New Brunswick, is a travel destination with something to offer
every traveler. Accommodations range from luxury hotels, to cozy seaside
cottages, to quaint bed-and-breakfasts. The people of the city have gone to
great lengths to preserve their history, while accepting the need to build a
strong foundation for the future. This combination makes Saint John the perfect
mingling of the past, present and the future.


Kirin Beverage Joins Parade of Recalls; Shares Drop

Tokyo, July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Kirin Beverage Corp., a Japanese soft drinks
maker, said it is recalling as many as 10.37 million bottles and cans of a
sports drink, joining a parade of companies withdrawing tainted products over
the past month.

Kirin Beverage started pulling ``Kirin Speed'' off shelves after receiving 33
complaints that it tasted strange. The company also suspended production of the
drink at its Shonan factory in Kanagawa Prefecture, where the flavor problem
may have originated, said Makiyo Yamaguchi, a Kirin Beverage spokeswoman.

The recall follows similar moves by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Yamazaki Baking
Co. and Snow Brand Milk Products Co., Japan's biggest dairy maker. The latter
halted all production of milk last week after more than 14,000 consumers of the
milk in western Japan fell ill, in the most widespread case of food
contamination ever recorded in Japan. Snow shares have lost as much as 28
percent of their value since first recalled allegedly tainted milk on June 29.

``Every company is reacting very sharply'' following the Snow Brand incident,
said Akito Koizumi, an analyst at Tsubasa Research Institute Ltd., who rates
the Kirin stock ``outperform.'' ``The incident surely triggered more concerns
among the consumers as well.''

Snow Brand had held an analyst meeting at the end of May, in which the
President Tetsuro Ishikawa explained the company's new policy on disclosure,
according to Saji. ``The (tainted milk) incident happened right when the
company was about to turn its disclosure policy around by strengthening
investor relations services,'' Saji said.

There were 256 food-poisoning in Japan from January through April this year,
compared with a full-year total of 2,697 for 1999, according to Japan's
Ministry of Health and Welfare study.

Precautions

Yamazaki Baking today said it is recalling 73,621 cupped desserts, with
expiration dates from July 15 to Aug. 15, after the consumers complained that
they tasted odd. The products are sold nationwide, except for Okinawa
Prefecture. Tokyo-based Yamazaki on Saturday suspended production of five
types of cupped puddings, mousses and Japanese-style gelatinous noodles at its
Isezaki plant in Gunma Prefecture, after it found improperly sealed containers
on products that were to be recalled, the company said in a press release.

Last week, Morinaga Milk said it will recall 56,000 bottles of milk and halted
bottled milk production after people complained that the milk had a foul smell.
Japan's third-largest milk producer said it is overhauling its plant in Western
Japan in cooperation with government health officials.

Kirin Beverage, a subsidiary of Kirin Brewery Co., Japan's biggest beer maker,
fell 200 yen to 2,635. Earlier in the day, the stock fell as much as 235 yen to
2,600. Yamazaki closed down 29 yen at 943. Earlier in the day, the bakery
shares fell as much as 50 yen to 922, its biggest one-day drop since April 27.
Morinaga shares ended down 8 yen at 340.

Snow Brand rose 7 yen, or 1.8 percent, to 408.

Japan's top bakery hit by new food-poisoning scare

By George Nishiyama

TOKYO, July 17 (Reuters) - Japan's food poisoning scare widened further on
Monday after the country's top bakery said it had recalled some dessert
products after consumers complained they tasted sour.
It was the latest in a series of such incidents since a food poisoning outbreak
involving tainted low-fat milk from Snow Brand Milk Products Co's plant in
Osaka, western Japan, left 14,555 people ill this month.

Yamazaki Baking Co said it had voluntarily removed five of its dessert products
from store shelves over the weekend following complaints. A Yamazaki spokesman
said the products had not been properly packaged. By late on Sunday it had
recalled more than one-tenth of the 706,000 products in the affected batch. No
one who had eaten the desserts had sought hospital treatment, he said. Local
public health officials were inspecting the factory where the desserts were
made, the spokesman said.

It was Yamazaki's second case of problems with its products. On Saturday, it
announced it had begun recalling nearly 10,000 curry buns after complaints the
bread appeared to be mouldy. At least two people had complained of stomach
pains in that case, and health officials were inspecting the bakery's plant in
addition to questioning company officials.

The news dragged Yamazaki's shares down in Tokyo by 2.98 percent, or 29 yen, to
943 yen. Shares in other food companies have also been hit hard by the food
poisoning scare, with Snow Brand's shares tumbling 32 percent.

RECALL FOR SAFETY

Shikishima Baking Co said it was recalling bread products and stopping
production after customers complained of mould. ``Though no one has become
sick, we are recalling all our steamed bread and closing our production line
for steamed bread until we find out the cause,'' a spokesman said.

Victims of the Snow Brand outbreak complained of diarrhoea and vomiting after
drinking low-fat milk. The company has halted operations temporarily at its 21
milk production plants.

The government said about 30 out of 500 retail stores for Snow Brand had gone
out of business after customers refused to buy their products, Kyodo news
agency reported. It said the number of sales agents going out of business would
increase.

A survey by local government officials showed more than 10 percent of all 774
milk plants across Japan have hygiene and other problems, Kyodo said on Sunday.


Numerous food and beverage producers have joined the list of firms recalling
their products following the Snow Brand case.

Morinaga Milk Industry Co Ltd, Japan's third-largest dairy products supplier,
temporarily closed a production line last week after 20 children fell ill after
drinking its milk.

Its shares were down 2.3 percent at 340 yen after tumbling last week. Snow
Brand shares recovered some ground, rising 1.75 percent to 408 yen. The stock
stood at around 604 before the food poisoning scare began in late June.

Kirin Beverage Corp a subsidiary of Kirin Brewery, said at the weekend it was
recalling 70,000 cases of its popular Kirin Speed sports soft drink after
complaints it tasted odd.

But Kyodo said the sports drink were still being sold from some 40,000 vending
machines nationwide.

``The number of our service staff is limited, so we had to put priority on
recalling the products being sold at staffed outlets,'' it quoted a Kirin
spokesman as saying. Its share price dived 7.05 percent.

The Health Ministry said it was poised to launch sweeping checks this week of


all Snow Brand plants amid charges of lax management and supervision.

A parliamentary panel is to convene on Wednesday to question Agriculture
Minister Yoichi Tani and Snow Brand officials on the causes of the incident.


British Queen arrives to open Berlin embassy; Row over Capitols and quality of
beer

By Douglas Busvine

BERLIN, July 17 (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth flew into Berlin on Monday for a
visit to open the new British embassy amid one of the periodic rows -- this
time over architecture -- between the British and German press. Making her
fifth visit to Berlin, the Queen landed at Tegel airport and was due to dine
with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder before opening the futuristic $35 million
embassy, designed by British architect Michael Wilford, on Tuesday.

Before she even had the opportunity to judge the building's merits for herself,
German architecture critic Rainer Haubrich slammed it as ``mediocre at best,
uninspired in its layout and with bad details.''
Writing in the conservative Die Welt daily, Haubrich denounced the building as
``more hot air than cool Britannia'' and said it symbolised the declining
fortunes of Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour government. Haubrich's
broadside followed an attack by Roger Boyes, Berlin correspondent of the Times,
on the German capital's pretensions as world city ranking alongside London and
New York.

``It is fair to say that the Queen does not have much competition in this
sub-metropolitan society,'' Boyes wrote. ``The fact is, Hamburg is far more
self-assured, with more brains and better gossip...while Munich is smarter.''
Boyes' article was translated in full by the outraged Bild tabloid, which ran a
riposte from its own London correspondent slamming the British capital as a
rip-off city where pubs served bad, warm beer before calling time at 11 p.m.

Ambassador Sir Paul Lever praised the embassy's atrium-based design as
``exciting, striking, stylish and open'' but also said it was a practical
building which made it possible to represent Britain to a wide German audience.


Certainly an improvement on the old British embassy at the same site on the
Wilhelmstrasse which pre-war ambassador Sir Nevile Henderson described as
``cramped, dirty and dark.'' Allied bombers destroyed the building and the
site, which ended up in communist East Berlin, was cleared in the 1960s.

British Foreign Minister Robin Cook and German counterpart Joschka Fischer will
also attend the opening ceremony before President Johannes Rau hosts the Queen,
accompanied by Prince Philip, for lunch.

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 18, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/18/00
to
http://www.gamefan.com:80/hotinfo.asp?s=7542&rs=0

Jaleco Encourages You To Drink More Beer

Kevin Deselms

17 July -- Yes, Jaleco's begun marketing the "Beer Party," one of the stranger
products to be manufactured by a game publisher. Apparently, Jaleco deduced the
need for such a product from the behavior of numerous game editors at trade
show parties... Beer Party allows owners to enjoy the smooth taste of draft
beer in the comfort of their game rooms; happy owners will soon be able to
purchase and combine various flavors to brew their own beer, such as
seaweed/mint or orangey-milk.

The gadget will apparently come in multiple sizes for those with a particularly
robust thirst; check Jaleco's site (linked below) for more. And remember:
Friends don't let friends game drunk.Yes, Jaleco's begun marketing the "Beer
Party," one of the stranger products to be manufactured by a game publisher.
Apparently, Jaleco deduced the need for such a product from the behavior of
numerous game editors at trade show parties... Beer Party allows owners to
enjoy the smooth taste of draft beer in the comfort of their game rooms; happy
owners will soon be able to purchase and combine various flavors to brew their
own beer.

The gadget will apparently come in multiple sizes for those with a particularly
robust thirst; check Jaleco's site (linked below) for more. And remember:
Friends don't let friends game drunk.

Photo and commentary at http://www.jaleco.co.jp/new/beerparty.html


http://washingtonpost.com:80/wp-dyn/print/world/A54653-2000Jul16.html

By T.R. Reid, Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, July 17, 2000; Page A12

COPENHAGEN –– For the people of Denmark, there is ordinary beer--and
there's Carlsberg. The nation's most famous export is brewed and sold around
the world, but here in its homeland, Carlsberg is known simply as "our brew."
Danes hoist their mugs of Carlsberg with the same sense of pride and belonging
that makes all Texans reach for a Pearl long neck or any Coloradan pop a Coors.


And it's not just beer that makes Carlsberg the country's most prominent
corporate citizen. The brewer is the patron of a great art gallery, the donor
of prestigious grants and scholarships, and the owner of other famous Danish
brands such as Georg Jensen silver and Royal Copenhagen porcelain.

But this summer, Denmark's love affair with Carlsberg has turned as stale as
day-old beer.

The cause was a shocking piece of news: Carlsberg would seek a buyer for
another of the national jewels it owns, the green and peaceful garden,
amusement park and concert site in downtown Copenhagen known as Tivoli Gardens.

"Carlsberg is the most Danish thing in the world," says sociologist Mette Kirk.
"But Tivoli is in everybody's heart. We've all been going there since before we
could walk, and we love it. . . . There were days and days of letters to the
editors saying, you know, 'Carlsberg is selling out Denmark!' "

Actually, the decision by one great Danish icon to sell another has almost
nothing to do with Denmark, and everything to do with the globalization of the
beer business. With mega-brewers such as the United States' Anheuser-Busch and
Belgium's Interbrew buying up local and national beer brands left and right,
Carlsberg has concluded that it had better unload most of its non-brewing arms
and focus on its beverage trade--or else it, too, will be swallowed by one of
the international giants.

Tivoli's chief executive, Lars Liebst, publicly supported the idea and promised
that the new owners, whoever they were, would preserve the genteel charms of
the park.

Still, many Danes were dubious.

"It was simply a business decision, but the press turned it into a national
catastrophe," says Copenhagen Mayor Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, whose office in the
imposing Northern Renaissance town hall is right next door to the pleasure
garden. "People think they're going to hand Tivoli Gardens over to Hollywood or
something."
To many here, it would be a catastrophe to convert the 157-year-old garden into
a state-of-the-art amusement park. What they have now is tranquil, civilized,
relaxing.

Surrounded not by acres of asphalt parking lots but a bustling capital city,
Tivoli Gardens is an urban oasis of many uses. Teenage couples hug each other
tightly on the (timid) roller coaster, and beaming parents photograph their
toddlers on the miniature train. Older folks drop by (general admission is just
over $6 and less for frequent visitors) simply to walk amid the roses or to row
a miniature Chinese junk beneath the stately willows that line the central
lagoon.

There are puppet shows and pantomime, magic acts and fireworks. After dinner at
one of the two dozen Tivoli restaurants, people fan out to its various theaters
for rock, jazz and classical concerts.
The 21st century has come to Tivoli in the form of a new attraction called "Det
Glydne Torn, or the Golden Tower, which turns out to be a 210-foot-high bungee
jump.

The park is a big attraction for tourists from abroad, but most of its visitors
are Danes. In a country of 5.3 million people, Tivoli draws about 4 million
visitors each summer. It would be difficult to find any Dane who hasn't been
through at least once.

The Nazis clearly understood Denmark's affection for the pleasure grounds when
they occupied Denmark during World War II. After a 1944 uprising by the Danish
resistance, the German commander punished the country--by destroying part of
Tivoli Gardens. Of course, the park was rebuilt within months after the Germans
departed.

With so much attachment, it was perhaps inevitable that talk of a sale would
make Lars Sixpack feel betrayed. But late last month, Carlsberg offered
reassuring news: The new owner of Tivoli would be local, a Copenhagen
consortium led by the Scandinavian Tobacco Corp. The buyers say they hope to
improve upkeep and finance some additions, but without disturbing the
attraction's tranquil character.
The fact is that nobody would dare disturb the essential charm of Tivoli.
"You'd have to be insane to mess with the park!" notes Mikkelsen, the mayor.
"And if anybody tried to, we've got a city ordinance that authorizes me to
snatch it away and save Tivoli Gardens for the people of Copenhagen." © 2000
The Washington Post Company


http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/finance/2000/0717/fin9.htm

Diageo to combine spirits and brewing

July 17 -- Diageo, the British food and drink conglomerate whose Guinness
plants in Co Louth are to shed 290 jobs, will today announce that it is
combining its spirits business with its brewing division. It will also reveal
the details of a $10.5 billion deal involving its US food arm.

As expected, Pillsbury will merge with General Mills of the US in a transaction
that values the former at $10.5 billion and will leave Diageo with a third of
the new entity.

But the combination of the UDV spirits business with Guinness brewing suggests
that the refocusing of Diageo will cease after the spin-offs of Pillsbury and
its Burger King fast-food chain.

Diageo is hoping to reap big savings from combining the sales forces, marketing
and consumer research operations of the two drinks divisions. UDV makes 16 of
the world's top 100 spirits brands including Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff
vodka and Gordon's gin.

The revelation last Friday that the Guinness would make 290 workers redundant
at its brewery and packaging plant in Dundalk came just two months after the
company said it was cutting 100 marketing jobs at its marketing division at St
James' Gate in central Dublin.

A review of operations at the brewery at St James' Gate and at plants in
Kilkenny and Waterford is ongoing, but will take several months to complete.


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk:80/dynamic/food/review.html?in_review_id=296
708&in_review_text_id=240989

London pub recommendations along the Thames

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk:80/dynamic/food/review.html?in_review_id=297
522&in_review_text_id=241928

Do the Leicester Square crawl

by Chris Leadbeater

It all seemed like a good idea at the time. Dad was locked away writing a
speech, mum was off catching the rays in Portugal, and those GCSEs were
finished. What better way for young Euan Blair to spend an evening than
knocking back the alcohol in London's thriving Leicester Square? Then it all
got a bit out of hand and young Euan found himself under the long arm of the
law and in one whole heap of trouble…

Still, Master Blair chose a good spot for a tipple. Leicester Square might not
be the hippest of the capital's drinking zones, but it's packed with plenty of
watering holes for the thirsty boozer anxious to move from pub to pub quickly.
Plus it's centrally placed, so you'll never have trouble getting a cab/Special
Services limo home once the closing time bell has rung/the police have finished
with you.

So if Euan ever wants to try Leicester Square again (in a couple of years, of
course, because we wouldn't condone underage drinking - and we're not
suggesting that any of these fine establishements would serve underage booze
either), he'd be well advised to follow our cheeky pub crawl route. We've even
lobbed in a couple of restaurants so he can stack up on food before he hits the
sauce this time (you know what they say about drinking on an empty stomach).

Why don't you come too...

Faun and Firkin
18 Bear Street, 020-7839 3252
A long, thin, dimly lit boozer, just off the main square. All Firkin pubs brew
their own ales, and some of them can be a bit strong, so watch out for the
Dogbolter!
Euan Rating: 7/10. Firkin. Heh hey. That sounds a bit rude.

Zoo Bar , Bear Street
The sort of great tacky booze emporium that Leicester Square does so well.
Comes complete with giant gold snake statue in the front window and bouncers on
the door. Has a happy 'hour' from 4pm-7pm, serving bottles of beer at £2 and
cocktail jugs at £7.50 a pop.
Euan Rating: 5/10. You ain't coming in 'ere with that fake ID, mate.

The Cork and Bottle
44-46 Cranbourn Street, 020-7734 7807
Upmarket winebar that proudly displays its Egon Ronay listing outside the front
door. Probably a bit pricey for some, although for those seeking to line their
stomachs for the night ahead it does do an appetising six cork oysters in a
shallot and cider dip for only £6.60.
Euan Rating: 3/10. Wine? Eeurgh, dad drinks that.

Chiquito
20-21 Leicester Square, 020 7839 6925
Bright and breezy Mexican restaurant-cum-bar serving a decent range of Tex Mex
food. Does a useful All You Can Eat offer between midday and 4pm, Monday to
Friday for a bargain £5.95. Also does a kids' menu at £2.95 for those trying
not to go over the pocket money budget. Gaudy red and yellow décor not ideal
for those thinking of vomiting.
Euan Rating: 8/10. I'll have some nachos please.

The Moon Under Water
28 Leicester Square
A long thin bar with a large no-smoking area, so you won't be turning up at
Downing Street (or wherever you live) stinking of fags. Wetherspoons often have
cut-price beer deals, which is great for younger wallets. There's no music,
however, so there'll be no Britney till you get home, young man.
Euan Rating: 8/10. I don't fancy passing out on that tiled floor. It looks a
bit hard.

Capital Radio Café
29-30 Leicester Square
Home of London's commercial radio station of the same name. Firmly to the
Camenbert side of cheesy (sample menu entry: Nachos Nachos - So Good They Named
Them Twice), it's got a good range of fast food. It also does Piper Heidseick
champers at £29.95 a 75cl bottle for those special celebrations.
Euan Rating: 5/10. Just because he's the PM's son doesn't mean he hasn't got
taste.

All Bar One
48 Leicester Square
Ever-popular London bar chain, but one that provides pubs with about as much
atmosphere as Queen Victoria's funeral. Huge front windows and bleached white
wood surfaces dominate. A predominantly suit-wearing clientele.
Euan Rating: 4/10. But at least with all the big windows I can see the rozzers
before they see me.

Home
1, Leicester Square
London's shiny new superclub which specialises in playing loud dance music to
C-list celebs. Huge bouncers. Really big. Fools and underage boozers not
suffered gladly.
Euan Rating: 0/10. Sod off sonny, before I call the coppers.

The Imperial
5 Leicester Street
Traditional London pub, complete with jukebox and big portrait of Her
Laugh-a-Minute Majesty Queen Victoria on the sign outside. The perfect place to
mingle with Blair's Britain.
Euan Rating: 8/10. Who are The Clash? Never heard of them.

Pizza Hut
19, Leicester Square
Welcome home, Master Blair. Decked out in New Labour red, with a decent offer
of £7.65 for a medium Hawaiian Pizza. Bottle of House Red only £8.10 for
those feeling adventurous. Dad, can you come and pick me up now?
Euan Rating: 10/10. Can I have an extra slice of garlic bread please?


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk:80/dynamic/food/pubs/review.html?in_review_i
d=299468&in_review_text_id=243611

The Settle Inn
186 Battersea Bridge Road SW11 3AE
020 7228 0395

by Edward Sullivan

Settle down now, settle down. I have some important news to relay - news that
will bring joy to the hearts of all ye who enjoy a quality pub operation. Yet
another grim old boozer has been swept aside in the nation's never-ending
pursuit of excellence, and let no tears be shed to mourn its passing. The
Settle Inn is owned and operated by Paul McKinley and Kate Reed, an exuberant
couple who have created a commodious environment with a vivacious atmosphere.

McKinley's pedigree dates back to his time as Hugh Corbett's right-hand man at
the Tup chain of pubs, before they were eventually sold for a devilishly
handsome sum of money. He then disappeared to the sunnier climes of the South
Of France with his wife, Zoë, before returning to Battersea to create a venue
he could call his own. Out went the claggy mat and the rickety old furniture,
in came a stonking great sledgehammer and a small army of paint-brush handlers
and, earlier this year, we were all able to applaud the shiny new look, admire
the modern bar fittings and the English oak floor and partake in the most
significant event to hit Battersea since the Luftwaffe.

My first visit was during a fairly busy Sunday lunch. I wasn't hungry, but the
aroma of a Sunday roast sizzling away on every other table was far too
irresistible. For £9 each, we shared an enormous platter which included half a
chicken with stuffing, chipolata in bacon, roast potatoes, vegetables, lashings
of gravy, bread sauce and redcurrant jelly.

And, joy of joys, food is served all day until 9pm. My second visit was during
a calm weekday lunch when we shared an excellent plate of hummus, tzatziki and
taramasalata dips with olives and warm pitta bread (£4), a beautifully spiced
mushroom fettuccini (£5.50) and a rather average burger with hopelessly
over-salted chips (£6.50). We wolfed it all down anyway - apart from the chips
- with a stunning bottle of the Chilean Trivento Malbec and chased it with a
few pints of Wadworth 6X and Charles Wells Bombardier bitter.

My third visit was on a weekend night, when young Battersea folk - although
there is an over-21 ruling at the bar - come out to play hard, and play hard
they do. Part of the refurbishment revealed a fairly substantial outside space
which has been converted into a very attractive walled beer garden using giant
cable reels as tables and chopped logs as stools. Weather permitting, they hold
a barbecue here every Saturday (12.30pm-9pm) where, for £6, you can choose
from the usual suspects of burger, sausage, chicken breast and veggie kebab
with all the salad and bread you can swallow.
The reason pubs like this succeed is they're designed to reflect and serve the
needs of the local community and are not shackled to mindless blueprints as
dictated by those unimaginative bureaucrats in Burton-Upon-Trent, Northampton
or Newcastle. And I for one will be a regular settler at this emporium of verve
and decency.

Open- Pub hours
Food- Food served until 9pm, Sunday Roast £9, BBQ every (sunny) Saturday
evening £6


J2jurado

unread,
Jul 18, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/18/00
to
Bit of who-cares news: I was in a supermarket yesterday and the beer
distributor was restocking shelves with Bud, and I told him, "make sure you
restock the ‘Tequiza Extra’! He said, "oh, you’re the guy they brewed it
for?" Then he said that the brewery had stopped all shipments and cancelled
this brew. RIP. Look out for ‘Killarney’, the A-B brew with Irish whiskey
flavor in it…
****

http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/finance/2000/0718/fin4.htm

Bid for Seagram drinks arm likely

July 18 -- Diageo is considering bidding for a substantial chunk of the Seagram
drinks business or teaming up with a partner to make an approach for the whole.
The news came as Diageo unveiled details of the merger of its Pillsbury food
business with that of General Mills of the US, and the combination of its UDV
spirits arm with its Guinness brewing division.

Taken with last month's decision to float the Burger King fastfood business,
the moves will leave the group focused on alcoholic beverages. Mr Paul Walsh,
chief executive designate, would then have considerable firepower for
acquisitions.

Seagram's drinks empire, which includes Chivas Regal scotch and distribution
rights to Absolut vodka, will be put up for sale if Vivendi's acquisition of
Seagram goes ahead.

But Diageo, the world's biggest spirits group, with brands including Smirnoff
vodka and Gordon's gin, would run into competition issues if it bid for
Seagram's drinks portfolio on its own.

Mr Walsh said: "I see Seagram as a very attractive opportunity. Clearly we
would not be able to retain all of its brands, but we believe there are a
number in that portfolio that we . . . could derive substantial shareholder
value from."

People close to Diageo said it was considering teaming up with an industry
partner or a financial buyer to make its bid.

"It would be fair to say that Diageo is interested in more of Seagram than
people have assumed," said one. "Paul Walsh is not going to just sit there and
pick up the pieces other people do not want."
Diageo is understood to be interested in brands which are not global but would
help it build critical mass in north America. For example, while competition
constraints mean it would be unlikely to be able to buy a global whisky brand
because it owns Bell's, it might be interested in Crown Royal, the premium
Canadian whisky brand.

Possible partners include Moet Hennessy, the drinks business controlled by
LVMH, the French luxury goods group, in which Diageo has a 40 per cent stake.

Possible financial partners are thought to include Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, the
US private equity group, which has champagne interests, and BC Partners, the
venture capital group.

Diageo's main rival is likely to be Allied Domecq.

Mr Walsh said he had far more room to manoeuvre because of the Pillsbury deal.
The series of announcements over the past few weeks mark the transition of
Diageo into the shape many people thought it should take when it was formed by
the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan two years ago.

Mr Walsh yesterday was dismissive of those who said the focus on alcohol should
have come earlier. "We have got to look forward, not back," he said. "What is
being created here could not have been created years ago." Tax problems had to
be negotiated and the merger of the spirits businesses of Grand Met and
Guinness had to be proven.

A final exit from food may be some way away but the core of the group is firmly
focused on alcoholic drinks. In the short term the plans to bid for all or part
of the Seagram drinks business will hog the headlines. Mr Walsh is reticent on
that. He is more forthcoming on the plans to develop new brands and the
advantages involved in combining the UDV spirits business with the Guinness
beer arm.
Mr Walsh points to the success of Smirnoff Ice, the ready-todrink product that
has sold well since its development 15 months ago. In the past 12 months the
group has sold 250m bottles in the limited number of markets where it has been
launched.


http://insidedenver.com:80/business/0718daze6.shtml

New owners have plans for Heavenly Daze
Bankrupt brew pub restarts bottling line

By Dina Berta, Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

The bottling line is back in motion today at Heavenly Daze, a microbrewery and
restaurant on Kalamath Street that went bankrupt in December, a year and a half
after it opened. Some of the brewery's better known brands — such as Colorado
Amber Daze and Raz Wheat, a raspberry wheat beer — will once again be bottled
and sold — first at the brew pub, then at restaurants and eventually back on
the liquor store shelves.

New owners have taken over Heavenly Daze and plan to bring the brewery up to
its capacity of 4,000 barrels a year. The group of 11 investors acquired the
assets for the 50,000-square-foot facility earlier this year when previous
owners, brothers Pete and Guy Crider, were forced to liquidate after filing for
Chapter 7 protection from creditors.

At its height, Heavenly Daze beers were sold in nearly 200 liquor stores, said
controller Gary Ruf. "The whole supply was ceased and they lost most of the
shelf space" in stores, Ruf said. "So we're starting out slowly with local
restaurants. And we'll distribute it ourselves. We have a van." Ruf put
together the team of investors.He had been advising the previous owners.

The brothers were never able to recoup the money they spent converting the
50-year-old building, a former Lowry's beef jerky factory, into a microbrewery
and pub, despite a low-interest loan of $350,000 from the Mayor's Office of
Economic Development.

Ruf and the new investors spent more than $1 million paying off overdue taxes
and remodeling the restaurant and brewery. The restaurant now seats about 300
people. Glass walls separate it from the microbrewery and bottling portion.
Customers can watch the beer being made or bottled.

The restaurant still has the pool tables, dart boards and shuffle board. Also
returning are brewmaster Rick Whitehouse and production supervisor Mark Sloan.
This time they are part of the ownership team.

"We're starting out with no debt, and I think we're much more organized,"
Whitehouse said. The new owners, who include a lawyer, certified public
accountants and Ruf, are taking a more business-like approach to the brewery,
Sloan said. "We're not shooting from the hip," he said. "We're doing everything
by the book. There are business plans for everything."

Heavenly Daze also has a new chef, Ted Uniss, whose experience includes a stint
with Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., a chain based in Chattanooga, Tenn. Uniss
incorporates beer in the menu — cream ale pizza dough, stout rye bread, beer
and pears in syrup, and beer in the sauces. Entrees range between $5 and $7.
The restaurant is doing a strong lunch business, and Uniss is working on a new
dinner menu.

Heavenly Daze also added a beer to its line — Chapter 7 Smoothie. The beer
was being brewed when the bankruptcy shut down operations. The brew was left
fermenting for about six months.

Normally, beer is brewed for less than a month. When they took over, the new
team cautiously tested and tried the beer.

"It was incredible," Ruf said. "It was naturally carbonated. It has finer
bubbles. It's the way beer was brewed 100 years ago when they had time to do
it. No one today could afford to only turn their brew twice a year."

http://www.metroactive.com:80/metro/alacarte-0028.html

Sunnyvale's Bob Stoddard takes a silver medal at World Beer Cup Competition

By Christina Waters

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VERY OWN Stoddard's Brewhouse and Eatery--that would be
the attractive multistory affair in downtown Sunnyvale. It seems that
brewmeister Bob Stoddard (his title is Master Brewer to be precise) has once
again covered himself in foamy glory by taking a Silver Medal at the World Beer
Cup International Competition, sponsored by the Association of Brewers.
Stoddard's medal was awarded in the category of German-style Kölsch--which we
must all run right out and sample immediately. The World Beer Cup, established
in 1996, is held every two years to celebrate the art and science of brewing by
recognizing outstanding brewing achievement. More than 3,500 breweries
representing over 100 countries are invited to participate in the event.
Stoddard's Brewhouse was the only brewery to win an award at this event.
"Winning this medal is an affirmation to the hours of dedication invested by me
and my staff to produce consistent, excellent beers," a justifiably proud Bob
Stoddard emailed me last week. Oh, and the award-winning brew master also
mentioned that he's busy expanding the empire with a new 250-seat brew house in
downtown Campbell (200 E. Campbell Ave.) that will include a huge 600-seat-plus
banquet facility. Scheduled to open in 2001, the new facility should make 2001
a very big year for beer in the South Bay. Stop by Stoddard's Brewhouse and
Eatery--111 S. Murphy Ave. in Sunnyvale (408.733.7824) and congratulate the
sudsmeisters.


http://news.excite.com/news/bw/000712/wa-pyramid-breweries

Wayne Drury Joins Pyramid Breweries as Chief Financial Officer

July 12 - PMID 1 5/8 -1/8 (-7.14%) SEATTLE & BERKELEY,
Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) - Pyramid Breweries Inc. (NASDAQ:PMID), today announced
that Wayne Drury has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and Vice President


of Finance and Administration, effective July 17, 2000.

Drury, who will be based in Seattle, is filling a position that has been vacant
since April of this year.

"We have been searching for a top-flight financial executive to help us execute


our growth strategy. Wayne has an outstanding background, and we are very

excited to have him joining the Pyramid team," stated Martin Kelly, President


and Chief Executive Officer. "Wayne has over 25 years of financial experience,
including more than 15 years in the restaurant industry. In addition to his
extensive background in accounting and finance, he brings significant
experience in mergers and acquisitions, public and private company financing,
as well as banking and investor relations."

Drury comes to Pyramid from Azteca Restaurant Enterprises, a Seattle based
company with 31 company owned and licensed locations. As Chief Financial
Officer at Azteca, Drury was responsible for all finance, banking,
acquisitions, financial reporting, risk management, tax planning and
information systems management at the privately held company. Prior to Azteca,

Drury was Chief Financial Officer at Country Harvest Restaurants. In addition,


he has held the positions of Corporate Controller at Perkins Family Restaurants
and KinderCare, as well as Director of Planning and Analysis at KFC

International and Long John Silver's. Drury earned both a BS in Accounting and


a MBA from the University of Kentucky.

"Wayne's experience in the restaurant business will be invaluable as we seek to
expand the Alehouse Division," said Kelly. "Alehouses will play a pivotal role
in developing our future business by creating brand awareness and serving as a
focal point for sales and marketing efforts," Kelly added. "We believe this
strategy will enhance the 'local status' of our brand, and provide clear
differentiation from our competitors."

"Pyramid has tremendous potential, and I am very excited about the demographic
fundamentals of the specialty beverage category. It is a great time to be
coming on board," noted Drury. "I look forward to helping grow the company, and
lending my experience to the development of the Pyramid brand and the expansion
of the Alehouse concept. I have been very impressed by the management team at
Pyramid, and the commitment of management and the Board to their growth
strategy."

Drury joins a new executive team at Pyramid that has taken shape over the last
12 months. Martin Kelly joined the company in August of 1999 as President and
COO, and he was elevated to the CEO position in December. Gary McGrath joined
Pyramid in November as Vice President of Sales, and Nick Walpert signed on in
March of 2000 as VP/COO of the Alehouse Division. In addition, Kurt Dammeier,
took over the role of non-executive Chairman of the Board in December of 1999.
Pyramid has had six straight quarters of year over year sales growth, and in
the first quarter of 2000 reported an 85% increase in EBITDA. Over the last
seven months the company has also implemented a share repurchase program and a
quarterly dividend (the current dividend yield as of July 11th is 8.8%).

Pyramid Breweries Inc. is the leading brewer of specialty, full-flavored beers


and sodas, producing a variety of ales and lagers under the Pyramid and Thomas
Kemper brand names. The company also brews four styles of old-fashioned sodas
under the Thomas Kemper Soda Company label. Pyramid operates two local
breweries and restaurants, the Pyramid Brewery & Alehouse in Seattle,
Washington and the Pyramid Brewery & Alehouse in Berkeley, California. For more
information, visit www.PyramidBrew.com.

http://www.montrealgazette.com:80/business/pages/000718/4465455.html

The fine art of froth- School serves up lessons on the science of suds

INGRID PHANEUF, The Gazette

JOHN KENNEY, GAZETTE / Nadia Ross of Saint-Hyacinthe's Le Bouffon Resto Pub
trims excess foam off the top of a beer at the Oland Specialty Beer Institute
on St. Jacques St. W. as classmates look on.

Absenteeism isn't a problem at the Oland Specialty Beer Institute.
The Montreal training centre, one of three in Canada, specializes in teaching
everyone from bartenders to grocery-store managers about how to sell, serve and
talk about beer.

It's also a marketing ploy, designed to generate sales by increasing public
knowledge of Oland products via employees at the company's 22,000 points of
sale across Quebec (6,000 retail), not including 350 SAQs.

Oland products include brand names that have gained international prominence,
like Stella Artois, Bass and Sol, all Interbrew products. The world's
second-largest beer company, based in Belgium, purchased Labatt in 1995.
"Interbrew's strategy is to go into each country and buy the first or
second-largest brewery there," institute director Luc Prevost explained.

"Part of Oland's marketing strategy is to educate people about the products,"
Prevost said. "If the people who sell our products can talk about our products
intelligently, we have a better chance of reaching our market."

Oland's market is what Prevost refers to as "premium" beer drinkers.

'Higher Revenues'
"They tend to be male, have higher revenues and a higher education," Prevost
said. Oland sales reps - they call themselves "Premium Beer Brewmasters" -
invite owners, managers and staff who sell their products to the St. Jacques
St. W. training centre for free beer lessons that usually last about two hours.


The centre is set up to meet a variety of training needs, adapted to the
customer.

A retail showroom demonstrates how beers can be displayed to their best
advantage. A beer-keg room includes machinery that cuts costs and saves time. A
classroom setting is used for lectures, which include information on everything
from the history of beer to modern-day brewing processes. And a bar area sets
the scene to showcase Oland's star products. It also provides training
opportunities for bar and restaurant staff - and the opportunity to sample
Oland products.

The emphasis was on service at a recent session, specifically on how to serve
Oland's Belgian products: Stella Artois (lager), Hoegaarden (white), Leffe
(blonde or brown) and Belle-Vue Kriek (a Lambic beer, which is naturally
fermented without adding yeast).
The Belgian service tradition is more complicated than one would think,
involving everything from how to wash glasses to draft-beer-pouring technique.

Bar staff from the Bouffon Resto-Pub looked on as one of the owners learned how
to clean glasses by hand in a special sink, then pour draft to maximize hygiene
and taste.

"It's important not to touch the glass with the spout, for hygienic reasons,"
Oland sales rep Jean-Francois Dion said. He explained how the foamy head that
overflows the glass must be trimmed with a dull-edged knife at a 45-degree
angle, so it doesn't fall flat.
"Head is important," Dion explained. "Not only because it improves the taste
and digestion of the beer, but also because it can save your business money.
When you serve beer with head, you serve less beer. Over time, the savings add
up."

Historical Tidbits
Tips like this, along with knowledge about brewing processes and historical
tidbits, are what make taking the sessions worthwhile, said Sophie Picard, who
co-owns the Saint-Hyacinthe pub with her brothers Manuel and Alain. "We have
150 different kinds of beer at Le Bouffon, so it's nice to be able to talk to
our customers about them," she said. "Before I came here, I wasn't sure of the
difference between ale and lager. Now I know that ale is served warm." Picard
said she believes the extra training will increase sales, and especially the
sales of Oland products.

"We'll certainly increase our profits by improving service, and the staff will
definitely be more inclined to talk about the products they know," Picard said.


With up to three training sessions each day, five days a week, Oland's Beer
Institute is a major initiative in its over-all marketing plan. Since the
Montreal institute opened in April, 89 business owners have brought in at least
part of their staff for training. The institute has trained a total of 225
students.


http://news.excite.com:80/news/pr/000712/fl-red-dragon-expand

Cuidao to Expand Distribution of Red Dragon Beer into Texas and Louisiana Texas
Brokerage Firm to Spearhead the Introduction

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Cuidao Holding Corporation, Inc. (OTC


Bulletin Board: CDAO), a distributor of imported and specialty beers, wines and
spirits, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Houston
based broker Bruce Edwards to spearhead the Company's introduction and
distribution drive of Red Dragon Beer in Texas and Louisiana.

After careful evaluation of several markets, the management of Cuidao has
decided that the Texas and Louisiana markets offer great potential for Red
Dragon Beer. Both markets have significant and rapidly growing Asian
populations, coupled with growing affluence within the ethnic market that make
it ripe for the introduction of the line of Red Dragon Beer products.

Brand registration and wholesaler evaluation is currently underway in Texas.
Distribution of Red Dragon Beer, including Red Dragon Xtreme, Red Dragon Light

and soon-to-be-introduced Red Dragon Amber-Red, should begin within the next
few weeks.

"Texas and Louisiana have a huge number of Chinese restaurants, which will be


the initial primary market for this product line. In Texas, Chinese restaurants
account for the largest group of ethnic restaurants. These restaurants create
an untapped demand for Cuidao's diversified portfolio of Chinese imports and
form a great base for any distributor," says Bruce Edwards, Broker.

Michael Fisher, president of Cuidao, said, "This is a great step in our
controlled expansion plans. Red Dragon is doing well within our current
distribution geographies. We believe that the product will perform even better
in Texas and Louisiana, which would add significantly to the Company's growing
revenues."

About Bruce Edwards, Broker
Bruce Edwards operates a highly successful Houston based brokerage operation

and has over 25 years of experience in marketing. Mr. Edwards has served as
Regional Sales Manager for a major Kentucky based winery, Western Sales Manager
for a prominent New Jersey based winery as well as several successful


owner-operator specialty import companies. Edwards introduced the first super
premium tequila to the US markets, gaining distribution in 42 states in 18
months.

About Cuidao Holding Corporation
Cuidao Holding Corp. ("CDAO") is a development stage company that is in the
process of implementing a vertical roll-up and consolidation of the highly
fragmented alcoholic beverage specialty and import industry. Cuidao Holding
Corporation imports, manages, distributes and develops markets for a rapidly
growing portfolio of international and regional brands of beer, wine and
spirits. The Company currently participates in specific niche segments of the
approximate 100 billion dollar alcoholic beverage market in the United States.

Cuidao Holding Corporation is a client of Internet Stock Market Resources Inc.,
http://www.internetstockmarket.com/cdao.html .


http://news.excite.com/news/r/000718/08/odd-crime-dc

Busted: Ring of Carousers Posing As

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) July 18 - Phnom Penh police arrested the organizers of a
ring of men who posed as Buddhist monks and allegedly used their daily alms
collections to finance nightly forays to karaoke bars and brothels.

"The fake monks walked the streets during the day and in the evening changed
into civilian clothes and went drinking in karaoke bars and did exercising in
brothels," the Cambodian newspaper Koh Santepheap reported Monday.

The ruse was detected by the chief of the district, who tipped off police.
Police arrested the woman organizer of the ring, who allegedly demanded 25
percent of the $5 the men collected as alms every day. Three suspects remain at
large.Cambodia's traditional faith, Therevadan Buddhism, is only now beginning
to recover from the toll inflicted by a quarter century of genocide and civil
conflict.


http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2000/0718/breaking12.htm

SF mayor's royal snub seen as missed opportunity

A Sinn Féin mayor's decision not to greet Princess Anne during her visit to
Derry today has been criticised by a former nationalist lord mayor of Belfast.
SDLP Assemblyman Mr Alban Maginness claimed Sinn Féin mayor Mr Cathal Crumley
had missed an opportunity to "build bridges" by meeting the princess.
Mr Crumley, who was once sentenced to nine life terms plus 300 years in prison
as an IRA inmate, decided instead to send Ulster Unionist deputy mayor Mr Ernie
Hamilton to represent the city council.

He insisted his decision was not based on any prejudice against royalty.
"I considered this particular event and decided that the unionist community and
the unionist tradition in this city would be better served by the deputy mayor
who is a unionist.

"I made those arrangements for that to happen and I think the unionist
community will have their day with the royal visitor in the city."

His decision to instead attend at a function at a pub was criticised by
unionists and loyalists in Derry and by North Belfast MLA Alban Maginness.

The former Belfast lord mayor told BBC Radio Ulster: "I think he is wrong in
not meeting her.

"I believe that here is a golden opportunity from somebody from the nationalist
tradition to show real leadership and to meet Princess Anne in Derry.

"After all, the mayor is the mayor of the whole city. He is not the mayor
simply of the nationalist population and indeed, if a unionist mayor had
refused to meet the Irish President, the same criticism would be applicable."


Lew Bryson

unread,
Jul 18, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/18/00
to

J2jurado <j2ju...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000718135901...@ng-da1.aol.com...

> Bit of who-cares news: I was in a supermarket yesterday and the beer
> distributor was restocking shelves with Bud, and I told him, "make
sure you
> restock the ā€~Tequiza Extraā€T! He said, "oh, youā€Tre the guy they

brewed it
> for?" Then he said that the brewery had stopped all shipments and
cancelled
> this brew. RIP. Look out for ā€~Killarneyā€T, the A-B brew with Irish
whiskey
> flavor in itā€¦

Someone's gonna have to die...

Not surprised that Tequiza Extra died. Way too much tequila flavor for
'clear-bottle' Mexbeer drinkers, not enough alcohol for tequila
drinkers. Strange idea.

--
Lew Bryson
It's a fragmented world these days; You might as well pick up the
pieces.
Author of Pennsylvania Breweries, now available at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/081172879X/002-1904346-8002803

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 19, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/19/00
to
Traveling tomorrow to work in Oregon…so this is last ‘beer bits’ for
about 24 hrs…any rfdb’ers in Orlando want to meet for some brews on 29 July
(Saturday) night?

And anyone else wishing to join us this Friday night for the rfdb brown ale
tasting in Portland, OR…email me!
********

http://www.lion-nathan.co.nz/newsroom.cfm

Low Alcohol Category Needs Premium Products

11 July 2000 -- The low alcohol category represents just under 2% of New
Zealand's beer market, but market-leading brewer Lion Breweries believes there
is significant opportunity for growth, particularly at the premium end of the
category. Launching Steinlager Premium Light today, Lion Breweries' national
marketing director Lee Hill said Lion's latest low alcohol beer had been
developed to fulfil the untapped potential of premium low alcohol products.
"Sales of low alcohol beers in New Zealand sit at approximately 4.5 million
litres per year, " Mr Hill said. "If we compare this market to Australia,
where in NSW the low alcohol category represents 10% of the beer market, we see
there is considerable room for growth."

"The reason for this disparity is that, until now, New Zealand consumers have
had limited low alcohol beer choices."

"There are more than a dozen low alcohol products available in this market, but
none are premium low alcohol beers that fulfil all the requirements of the
premium consumer.

"Research results show us that premium consumers are interested in a low
alcohol international-style lager, and we believe that Steinlager Premium Light
will fulfil these consumers' needs and provide considerable growth to the low
alcohol market," Mr Hill said. Lion's last low alcohol innovation was current
market-leader Light Ice, launched in 1996 and currently dominating the category
with 75% share of the market.

"When we launched Light Ice, the low alcohol market was experiencing a
considerable decline after its
initial peak in 1994.

"Consumers had been attracted by the low alcohol concept, but were not being
satisfied by the taste offerings of the products available.

"The introduction of Light Ice, an innovation in low alcohol brewing at the
time, reversed the decline and the category experienced a surge in sales.

"Light Ice has dominated the category since its launch, but as a mainstream
beer does not deliver all the needs of the premium consumer."

"We believe that by providing a premium low alcohol beer that fulfils an
identified consumer need, we can achieve further growth in the category and
make low alcohol beer relevant to more drinkers and more occasions."

http://news.excite.com/news/ap/000718/16/earns-philip-morris

Philip Morris Earnings Up 7 Percent

18 July -- NEW YORK (AP) - Philip Morris Cos.' profit rose 7 percent in the
second quarter, reflecting gains in cigarette sales domestically and abroad as
well as growth in its Kraft Foods division.

The company said Tuesday that earnings totaled $2.17 billion, or 95 cents a
share, in the three months ended June 30, up from $2.03 billion, or 84 cents a
share, a year earlier.

This year's results matched the 95 cents expected by analysts surveyed by First
Call/Thomson Financial.

Revenues for the April-June period were $20.84 billion, up 5.2 percent from
$19.81 billion in 1999, the company said. The results exclude discontinued
operations as well as a pre-tax charge for employee severance packages.

On Tuesday, shares of Philip Morris rose 56.3 cents to close at $24.063 on the
New York Stock Exchange.

"Our robust second-quarter results reflect the continued strength of our
business fundamentals," Geoffrey C. Bible, chairman and chief executive
officer, said in a statement. "Our domestic tobacco business generated good
volume and income growth, and volume growth returned to our international
tobacco business as it benefited from the continued economic recovery in Asia
and Russia."

There was no mention of the $145 billion in punitive damages that a Florida
jury last week ordered five major tobacco companies, including Philip Morris,
to pay to sick Florida smokers. The companies have said they will appeal the
ruling.

The latest earnings report also did not factor in Philip Morris' purchase late
last month of Nabisco Holdings, the maker of Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies and
Ritz crackers, for $14.9 billion from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, which also was a
defendant in the Florida case.
Philip Morris' domestic tobacco income grew 6.5 percent to $1.3 billion due to
higher pricing and increased shipments to wholesalers, the company said. Its
share of overall domestic tobacco shipments rose 1 percentage point to 49.9
percent, it said.
Tobacco income abroad was up 4.6 percent to $1.3 billion on volume gains in
Western Europe, Russia, Japan and Asia, it said.

Earnings at the Miller Brewing Co. rose 8.4 percent to $193 million in the
second quarter on higher pricing and contract brewing. But shipments slipped
2.7 percent to 11.9 million barrels.
For the six months ended June 30, net income was $4.18 billion, or $1.82 a
share, this year compared with $3.82 billion, or $1.57 a share, excluding items
and discontinued operations. Revenues were $40.88 billion, up 4 percent from
$39.31 billion.


http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1999732&ern=y

Boston Beer Announces Second Quarter 2000 Results

BOSTON, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE: SAM),
brewer of Samuel Adams Boston Lager(R), announced its results for the quarter
ended June 24, 2000. During the second quarter of 2000, barrels sold and net
sales were 336,000 and $51.4 million, respectively, compared to 311,000 and
$47.2 million in 1999. The increase in volume can be attributed to growth in
our flagship Samuel Adams Boston Lager of 3.1% and the introduction of our new
product, BoDean's Twisted Tea(TM), offset by the continued decline of Oregon
Original Ales and the volume lost from the discontinuation of certain year-
round styles.

Gross profit was 56.8% of net sales for the second quarter 2000 vs. 56.5% in
the same period of 1999. Earnings for the quarter ended June 24, 2000 were $.19
per share compared to $.18 per share for the quarter ended June 26, 1999.

For the second quarter wholesaler depletions grew by 5.1%, with Samuel Adams
Boston Lager and Samuel Adams Seasonals growing by 4.0%, as compared to the
same period of 1999. Total depletions for the first six months of 2000
increased 5.9%, versus 1999, while Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Samuel Adams
Seasonals had combined depletions growth of 5.8%.

Orders in hand for the July/August period of 2000 indicate that total shipments
will be 4.3% above those in July/August 1999 (including shipments of BoDean's
Twisted Tea). Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Samuel Adams Seasonals have a
projected growth of 5.2%. Actual shipments for July/August 2000 may differ,
however, and no inferences should be drawn with respect to shipments in future
periods.

For the six months ended June 24, 2000, barrels sold increased 8.1% to 626,000
from 579,000 in the same period of 1999. Net sales increased to $95.7 million
in the first half of 2000 from $88.0 million in the first half of 1999. The
Company posted a 56.3% gross profit margin for the six month period versus
56.2% in 1999 and increased its combined advertising promotion and selling
expense by over $2.00 per barrel, to 38.4% of net sales. Earnings for the first
six months of 2000 were $.38 per share compared to $.33 per share for the six
months ended June 26, 1999.

During the second quarter of 2000 the Company repurchased 312,800 shares of its
Class A Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $2,500,000. Since
November 1999, the Company has repurchased a total of 2,408,700 shares of its
Class A Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $18,100,000. Effective
April 14, 2000, the Board of Directors approved an increase of $5,000,000 from
$20,000,000 to $25,000,000 for the repurchase of its Class A Common Stock. The
Company's financial position continues to be strong. Cash and short-term
unrestricted investments are $40.7 million for the period ended June 24, 2000.
The Company continues to generate significant positive cash flows.

The Boston Beer Company was founded by Jim Koch in 1984 and Samuel Adams Boston
Lager was introduced in April 1985. Today, The Boston Beer Company, winner of
22 medals at The Great American Beer Festival, is the leading American brewer.
For more information about The Boston Beer Company, visit our website at
www.samadams.com or www.bostonbeer.com for financial information.


http://www.beer.com/news/bee/bee/2000/07/01/962425229017.html

The tale of heather ale

by Alan D. Eames , beer.com 7.1.2000

In the history of Western civilization, no brew has aroused so much speculation
and curiosity as the "lost' Heather ale of the Picts. About the year 250 B.C.,
the Greek navigator and geographer Pytheas first explored and wrote of the land
that we know today as Scotland - an area that was home to a fierce, independent
group of tribes collectively called the Picts. Living in mound-like villages
underground, the Picts were ferocious enough that even Julius Caesar's legions
could not subdue these small, dark, warlike people. Heavily tattooed with dark
blue-black images of gods and fantastic monsters, the Picts derived their name
from the ancient word for 'picture' - literally 'illustrated' native people.
Some historians trace the folk-tale notion of 'the Little People', and the
'Leprechaun' to late middle-ages survivals of these relatively child-sized
humans. In the year 361 A.D., the Emperor Julian witnessed the Picts in battle
saying of the wild, ale-drunken hoards - they sounded like "the bellowing of
oxen and the cawing of ravens."

Pictish, Heather ale was likely the first brew in the British Isles. Others,
including the Vikings, would also incorporate heather into their beers - the
Viking version called BEOIR-LOCHLONNACH - meaning 'strong at sea' but it was
the Picts who made heather ale the stuff of myth and legend through its famous
potency and hallucinogenic power. Inducing visions and a state of sheer
ecstasy, it remains no wonder that heather ale and the secret of its brewing
became the stuff of myth and legend.

Heather or ling is a general term for the many species of low growing Evergreen
shrub - the most common of which is Calluna Vulgaris. These beautiful plants
are found, in all varieties, throughout the Scottish Highlands. Little factual
information has survived to tell how heather ale was brewed. Historians of the
first through eighth centuries describe the recipe as the most closely guarded
secret of the Pict chieftains. It is known that Pict ale was brewed with the
flowering tops of specific heather plants whose blossoms were gathered, washed
and then placed into brewing vessels. Wort, the liquid extract from malted
grains, were then added being drained over and through the steeping blooms. Two
parts heather to one part malt was said to give the resulting ale its reputed
narcotic property. At a time and in a culture where hops were not a regular
component in beer, the heather doubled as bittering agent and preservative.
Ancient authors spoke of heather ale's extreme bitterness. Other accounts
mention seeing the Pict use of Bog-beans and Yarrow in the brew; both of which
would have served to further add unusual units of bitterness. Both corn and
barley were used for malting and nearly all accounts agree on honey - combs and
all- providing fermentable sugars with ambient, air borne yeast completing
fermentation.

Until the early 19th century, some form of heather ale brewing survived in
isolated areas of the Scottish Highlands. Sadly, the 'real stuff' perished
sometime in the 4th century when Scottish King Niall led the extermination of
the Picts in Galloway. There, according to most accounts, the secret of heather
ale died with Trost of the Long Knife - last king of the Picts. Or did it?

As a Cultural Anthropologist, I've long realized that more than one truth lurks
deep within the wildest of tales and fables. In years researching heather ale
lore and legend, I had become convinced that the notion of heather ale being
somehow narcotic in nature probably was true. Experience shows that nothing
gains the attention of writers - ancient or modern -more than excess and it was
obvious to me that to gain the universal level of fame that heather ale
achieved, it must have been truly potent. Notwithstanding old accounts, my firm
belief in the narcotic properties of heather ale was met with much scoffing
from some few beer folk who thought my faith in old historians foolish in the
extreme.

Enter a young Scottish brewer -Bruce Williams - who, interested in replicating
ancient beers, decided to brew heather ale himself. Working from a late 18th
century farmhouse recipe book, Williams succeeded with a wonderful ale he
dubbed Fraoch from the Gaelic 'leann fraoch' meaning, heather ale. This brew
has enjoyed great success both in the United States and throughout Europe but,
more importantly, in the process of crafting his beer, Williams made a
discovery of great consequence to historians. While harvesting heather for the
first experimental brews, an associate of Williams from Cambridge University
told the brewer of the presence of an ergot-like fungus which was to be found
under the leaves of nearly all heather plants. Hallucinogenic in the extreme,
this LSD-like material is easily and thoroughly removed by simple washing - a
step carefully followed ensuring no unwanted effects from this excellent bit of
bottled history. Nonetheless, the point of this discovery is obvious...the old
legends were true - the ancient ale of the Picts was narcotic and that fact
goes a long way toward explaining its appeal to our ancestors. After all, times
may change but the desire of humans to alter their consciousness seems eternal.


Many authors have celebrated the legend of heather ale but one account must
remain the best known and most romantic . I refer, of course, to "HEATHER ALE",
penned by Robert Louis Stevenson:

From the bonny bells of heather
They brewed a drink longsyne,
Was sweeter far than honey,
Was stronger far than wine.
They brewed it and they drank it,
And lay in a blessed swound
For days and days together
In their dwelling underground.

There rose a King in Scotland,
A fell man to his foes,
He smote the Picts in battle,
He hunted them like roes.
Over miles of the red mountain
He hunted as they fled,
And strewed the dwarfish bodies
Of the dying and the dead.

Summer came in the country,
Red was the heather bell;
But the manner of the brewing
Was none alive to tell.
In graves that were like children's
On many a mountain head,
The Brewsters of the Heather
Lay numbered with the dead

…it continues…visit the web site.


http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1998929&ern=y

Iran Allows Bright Colors for Girls

7/16/00 TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian girls can swap their dark school uniforms
for pinks, bright greens or light blues, the official news agency reported
Tuesday in another sign the nation is shedding its revolutionary shades.

A directive to elementary schools allowing uniforms in brighter colors is meant
to "create freshness, joy and hope'' and to "preserve spiritual health'' of
girls, the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted an education ministry statement
as saying.

It was not clear if the permission extended to high school girls.

Girls must wear the uniforms -- manteaus, or loose smocks and headscarves --
over their regular clothes to conform with the nation's Islamic rules and
school uniform policies.


J2jurado

unread,
Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
to
This is a fast one. Perfect weather here in Portland, OR...so I'm off to drink
a beer at a sidewalk table as I re-read "Brown Ale: History, Brewing
Techniques, Recipes" by Ray Daniels and Jim Parker, 1998.

Mon Dieu! Those French brewery workers are tres rough... last 'bit' is about
the guy I'll be toasting tonight.
****

French workers threaten to blow up ailing brewery

STRASBOURG, France, July 19 (Reuters) - Angry French brewery employees, taking
their cue from textile workers who dumped acid and cyanide in a river, took a
manager hostage on Wednesday and threatened to blow up their plant to protest
at its impending closure.

The workers at the Adelshoffen brewery near the eastern town of Strasbourg held
the personnel manager hostage for several hours before releasing him. They said
they would blow up gas containers unless he opened talks within 24 hours.

A blast could trigger a bigger explosion of the brewery's stocks of ammonia,
used for refrigeration.

Owners Sogebra, the French branch of Dutch firm Heineken, have said the
unprofitable brewery will close by the end of this year and have proposed to
transfer the 101 staff to other breweries.

It was the second time in days disgruntled French workers had threatened to
destroy a factory to stave off layoffs.

Staff at the Cellatex textile factory in the eastern town of Givet threatened
earlier this week to blow it up, then dumped thousands of litres of sulphuric
acid and cyanide into a stream, turning it blood red.

Emergency workers threw down sand barriers to stop the toxic acid flowing into
the River Meuse, which also runs through Benelux countries.

Cellatex unions and government representatives scheduled a meeting later in the
day to try to solve the dispute. Unions demand that the 153 staff be paid
150,000 francs ($21,000) redundancy compensation each and full wages for at
least two years after the factory closes down.


Canada Wheat Board sees world grain trade growth

WINNIPEG, July 19 (Reuters) - Global trade in wheat, durum wheat, feed barley
and malting barley would sharply increase in the next decade due to a bigger
world population and a growing love of beer, the Canadian Wheat Board said on
Wednesday.

"We're forecasting a 20 percent increase in global wheat trade in the next 10
years," said CWB market analyst Peter Watts, adding global trade would increase
21 percent in durum, 33 percent in feed barley and 75 percent in malting
barley.

The study by the CWB, the monopoly exporter of western Canadian wheat and
barley, predicted trade patterns to 2008/09 as compared to a five-year base
period from 1994-98.

Watts said world wheat trade would grow to 113.3 million tonnes by 2008/09 from
93.1 million tonnes in 1994/98.

"Imports into the major importing countries, where production is limited, are
forecast to grow," Watts said.

He said trends of population growth, increased urbanization, higher incomes and
changes in dietary patterns would contribute to the increase.

Canada is a major world grain grower, annually producing millions of tonnes of
wheat and barley for export and domestic consumption.

Watts said the world was already seeing increased demand for malting barley,
mainly used in beer production, with trade set to increase to 6.5 million
tonnes in 2008/09 compared to 3.7 million tonnes in the five-year base period.

"It's also urbanization. People drink more beer when they live in cities,' he
said, pointing to Asia and Latin America as places where demand would increase
most.

Watts said durum trade, currently dominated by Canada, was forecast to jump to
7.4 million tonnes in the forecast period from 6.1 million tonnes in 1994/98.

Watts said increased livestock production would be a factor in larger feed
barley trade, set to increase to 15.2 million tonnes during the next 10 years
from 11.4 million tonnes in 1994-98.

"We're expecting our (market) share to come down in durum," Watts said --
citing increased competition from Australia, Mexico, Turkey, Kazakhstan and
Syria -- but said Canada would continue to account for 50 percent of world
durum trade.

Watts said wheat production in western Canada was not expected to increase
significantly in the next 10 years compared to current levels, as Canadian
farmers turned to growing higher-priced crops such as peas, lentils and canola.


He noted the forecast figures did not include countries of the former Soviet
Union, which largely trade among themselves.

"It's difficult to get a handle on exactly what's going on in the FSU," Watts
said.

Mexico's Femsa seen posting moderate Q2 growth

MEXICO CITY, July 19 (Reuters) - Though June rains slowed beer sales, Mexican
brewer and bottler Femsa <FEMSAUBD.MX><<A HREF="aol://4785:FMX">FMX.N</A>> is
expected to post moderate second-quarter growth, thanks largely to strong
performance in its soft-drinks division, financial analysts said.

Improved pricing as inflation eased, and ongoing expansion in the Oxxo
convenience store chain, a Femsa division, also helped offset slower growth in
sales volumes, analysts said.

Femsa is expected to report second-quarter earnings on Tuesday.

Based in the northeastern city of Monterrey, Mexico's No. 2 brewer is expected
to report 11.4 percent growth in revenues, a 13.9 percent increase in operating
profit and 11.7 percent growth in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation
and amortization (EBIDTA) for the second quarter over the same period last
year, according to the average forecast drawn from a Reuters poll of four
analysts.


Turkish Efes to Buy Ukraine Brewery in Bid for Growth

Istanbul, July 19 (Bloomberg) -- Efes Breweries International, which is owned
by Turkey's four Efes breweries, said it is negotiating to buy 51 percent of
the Ukraine's Chernomor Brewery in an effort to maintain sales growth.

The Efes group is moving into the former Soviet bloc to offset slowing growth
in the domestic market, analysts said. The expansion of Turkey's beer market is
expected to slow this decade after growing 11 percent a year between 1991 and
1997.

``This is a very intelligent move by Efes,'' said Okan Akin, an analyst at
Garanti Securities. ``I expect Ukraine and Russia's beer market to grow by 20
percent on average each year in the next five years.''

In the past two years, Ukraine's beer consumption increased 30 percent
annually, Akin said.

Efes is negotiating to buy the Chernomor stake from Invesco Asset Management
Ltd. and Fulcrum Asset Management. It didn't release the conditions of the sale
or how much it would pay.

Erciyas Biracilik ve Malt Sanayii AS, the largest of the four Efes breweries,
rose 3.9 percent to 27,000 liras. Anadolu Biracilik ve Malt Sanayii AS rose 6.3
percent to 12,750 liras. Ege Biracilik Ve Malt Sanayii AS surged 8.6 percent to
38,000 liras. Guney Biracilik ve Malt Sanayii AS increased 5.6 percent to
23,500 liras.

The Ukrainian brewery has the capacity to produce 100 million liters of beer
per year, Efes group said. The four Efes breweries churn out about 550 million
liters a year in Turkey, while their 10-month-old brewery in Russia produces
100 million liters.

``The growth in Russian beer market last year was larger than the total Turkish
beer market,'' Akin said. ``I expect Efes's international sales to equal its
domestic sales within five years.''


http://ccbn.aol.com/cd/tk/S/SAM/SAM.htm#

Webcast of Boston Brwing Co's Q2 fiscal results


Brazilians moo and rumble in Amazon jungle

By Shasta Darlington

PARINTINS, Brazil, July 20 (Reuters) - Fireworks light up the sky and hundreds
of drums ripple through the night, but it is a thundering, collective ``moo''
that sets the tone at this bizarre jungle carnival deep in the heart of the
Amazon.

Set in the middle of a million square miles of dense rain forest, the sleepy
town of Parintins explodes with life once a year in a passionate celebration of
its cattle ranching roots and almost century-old folk rivalry.

In a spectacle that pits neighbour against neighbour, two teams named after
oxen vie for the Parintins Folk Festival title with a Carnival-like show of
three-storey floats, befeathered dancers and an army of percussionists.

They recount Indian tales and local history, but what really drives the
thousands of fans wild at this ``Boi-Bumba'' or ``Ox Bang-up'' are the surprise
appearances of the bulls, who burst out of floats to the sound of cheers and
moos.

``Come my ox, my beautiful black bull, symbol of love and wealth that makes my
ranch valuable,'' the audience bellows out as a man dressed as the Caprichoso
Boi, or Capricious Ox, bucks around the centre of the ``Bumbodromo,'' a
35,000-seat arena shaped like a bull's head and built especially for the event.


The spectacle dazzles locals and the tens of thousands of visitors who pour
into Parintins for the three-day festival at the end of June, doubling the
town's population to 160,000.

``I can't believe that something so big and beautiful is created out of
nothing. I mean, there is no civilisation anywhere near,'' said a chef flown in
from Rio de Janeiro to feed celebrities and politicians during this year's
event.

A TOWN DIVIDED

The festival has gradually reinvented the poor riverside community, showcasing
the beauty and creativity of the far-flung region better known for
environmental destruction and lawlessness. But some critics are beginning to
wonder if all the attention is helping erode decades-old traditions.

``It is a permanent struggle to preserve the folk festival and the unique
characteristics of Parintins,'' said Paulo Jose Cunha, a Brasilia university
media professor and author of two books on the evolution of the annual
spectacle.

The Carnival-style show began only 34 years ago but rivalry between the
Capricious Ox and the Guaranteed Ox, as the teams are called, dates back to
1913 when roving bands of singers in bull costumes danced in the streets to
improvised lyrics.

Parintins itself was built on that rivalry. Supporters of Capricious Ox built
their homes in one half of the town and painted everything blue, from houses to
barbershops, while Garantido fans coloured the other half of the town red.

``My friend's mother, who is Caprichoso, stopped talking to her own daughter
when she married a Garantido man,'' one of the town's tourism officials said.

In this remote community on the island of Tupinambarama in the middle of the
Amazon River, public phone booths are shaped like bull's heads and everything
from flip-flops to flashy pickup trucks seem to come in just two colours: blue
or red.

BEER FLOWS, TRASH ABOUNDS

But the growing flood of visitors with metropolitan tastes and new influences,
as well as a stream of corporate sponsors, have put pressure on traditions and
on the town itself.

Revellers from all over Brazil fly in on one of the 600 specially chartered
flights or sling hammocks in river barges that travel 20 hours in suffocating
heat from the nearest major city of Manaus just for the three-day spectacle.

Streets flow with beer and trash fills the squares as bands give free concerts
with aerobics-style instructors to teach visitors the steps to the festival's
songs.

Increasingly the parade imitates the world-famous Rio de Janeiro Carnival and
locals get squeezed out of the ``Bumbodromo'' to make room for TV cameras. The
Indian myth that first inspired the festival is still present in the three-day
show, but it is almost lost in the wild spectacle.

According to the legend, the pregnant wife of a farmer persuaded her husband to
kill a prized ox so she could eat the tongue. The irate owner found out and
captured the farmer, but he was saved when a witch doctor brought the bull back
to life.

Even U.S. drinks giant Coca Cola, which thrust Parintins into the international
spotlight five years ago when it announced a multimillion-dollar sponsorship,
worries about overexposure and has limited the number of its guests.

``You have to strike a balance between growth and traditional values. You have
to be very careful you don't exploit this,'' Tim Haas, president of Coca Cola's
Latin America operations, said.

Still, most residents are willing to lose a little small-town charm in exchange
for fame and tourist fortune.

``The show just gets prettier and brighter and more glamorous every year,''
cooed 83-year-old Silvia Coimbra, who wore a blue flowered dress and blue
flip-flops in support of Caprichoso. ``I don't miss the old days at all.''

Many locals thank the festival for luring $11 million in government spending
just in the last year. The state has paved roads, built health clinics and
announced the construction of a fancy hotel complex for its newfound tourist
showcase.

The festival still embraces Parintins' indigenous roots and the floats pay
tribute to everything from endangered leopards to the late environmental
crusader Chico Mendes. And unlike Rio's Carnival where tourists can buy
costumes and participate in the show, only Parintins residents can parade, and
they also mount a carefully choreographed sideshow in the arena's stands.

Even Coca Cola has had to adapt. After Caprichoso supporters refused to buy
Coke because of its red cans, the multinational Goliath created huge blue
advertising banners, traditionally the trademark colour of its rival Pepsi.

``Our Parintins magic infects everybody, even Coca Cola,'' said Nanci Coutinho,
an ecstatic housewife who dyed her hair red for the event. ``I don't think we
could ever lose it.''

Man walks 4 kilometres after arm severed

Doctors in Brisbane are battling to reattatch the severed arm of a farmer,
who, in an amazing feat of endurance, walked four kilometres for help, after
an accident on his property at Tara, west of Brisbane.

The man's shirt became caught in a post-hole boring machine tearing his arm
off at the shoulder.

The 36-year-old had no phone and was forced to walk to the farm house to alert
his wife, who then drove back to collect the arm.

Rescue helicopter pilot, Greg Beer, says the man would not have survived if
his arm had not been severed so quickly.

"Basically what had happened is that his major vessels had constricted which
probably saved his life," he said.

"I can't imagine anyone else if they'd lost a lot of blood being able to walk
four kilometres with that kind of injury.

"He was a very brave man, he was generally in quite good spirits considering
what he'd been through when we actually got to him. He complained that it was
his beer-drinking arm that had to get the chop."

Monday 17 July, 2000 © 2000 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
to
http://www.peteswicked.com/news/bnews/bnews_200029.html

BULMER PROFITS UP 14%

H.P. Bulmer Plc, Britain's largest cider maker, reported a 14% rise in
underlying annual profits, according to a July 10 Reuters report. The
maker of Strongbow, Woodpecker and Scrumpy Jack Ciders is aiming to add
some beer distribution contracts to its portfolio in the wake of
Interbrew's recent brewery acquisitions. Heineken and Grolsch are
thought to be among those in need of a new distribution contract.

Bulmer reported pre-tax profits of 28.4 million pounds ($43.03 million)
for the annual period which ended April 28, 2000. Annual dividends were
up 10% to 17.6 pence per share.

"This is clearly a strong performance in the U.K. from its Strongbow-led
products. This is a company with 12-15% earnings growth prospects and it
is not an expensive stock," said Nigel Popham, analyst for Teather and
Greenwood. Bulmer has outperformed the FTSE All Share Index over the
past year.


http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/finance/2000/0718/fin4.htm

Bid for Seagram drinks arm likely

19.07.00 -- Diageo is considering bidding for a substantial chunk of the

spirits business with the Guinness beer arm.

Mr Walsh points to the success of Smirnoff Ice, the ready-todrink
product that has sold well since its development 15 months ago. In the
past 12 months the group has sold 250m bottles in the limited number of
markets where it has been launched.


http://www.bergen.com:80/food/beer19200007199.htm

Full steam ahead for Anchor

By TONY FORDER, July 19

In my last column, I mentioned that July has been designated American
Beer Month throughout the nation. Even Governor Whitman issued a
proclamation in support of Garden State breweries.

I thought it might be appropriate to mention what is commonly referred
to as America's first microbrewery, Anchor Brewing Co. of San Francisco.
Fritz Maytag, one of the heirs of the Maytag appliance family, became
involved in the brewery in the late 1960s after hearing that Anchor
Steam beer, his favorite, was in danger of disappearing. By 1970, Maytag
had taken control of the brewery and worked diligently to restore
viability to the ailing company, even though he was vastly ahead of his
time in producing full-flavored beers. After 10 years, he moved Anchor
into a new brewing facility, heralding the dawn of craft brewing in
America.

Anchor is best known for its Steam beer, which was developed in the Gold
Rush boom years of the mid-1800s when refrigeration was not available.
The beer uses a lager (bottom-fermenting) yeast, but is fermented at
warmer temperatures normally associated with ales. The result is a blend
of fruity ale flavors and a clean lager profile with significant
carbonation.

Anchor also makes a rich and hoppy Porter and the intensely hopped
Liberty Ale. A dry, floral wheat beer also carries the Anchor label, as
does the classic Old Foghorn Barleywine. Maytag also pioneered the now
popular practice among small breweries of developing a special holiday
or Christmas ale. Anchor's Our Special Ale is released in December with
a different recipe every year. Still blazing a trail through the
beverage landscape, Maytag has recently begun distilling a whiskey and a
gin.

Anchor Brewing Co. is at 1705 Mariposa St., San Francisco. (415)
863-8350.


http://www.pioneerplanet.com:80/seven-days/1/news/docs/004103.htm

june 20 -- LA CROSSE, WIS.Lender to postpone foreclosure on brewery: City
Brewing
Co.'s largest lender has decided

to postpone foreclosure measures, an attorney for the bank said
Wednesday. Congress Financial Corp. decided to postpone asking for a
consent judgment and the appointment of an attorney as receiver for the
brewery, said Michael Van Sicklen, a Madison-based attorney for Congress
Financial Corp. Congress Financial filed its foreclosure complaint against City
Brewing
on June 9, saying the owners failed to pay off its loan.

Most of the brewery's 61 employees were laid off June 9.


http://www10.nytimes.com:80/library/financial/072000china-us-beer.html

Brewed in China, Envied Abroad

By MARK LANDLER

A view of the factory floor at the Chinese company's second brewery in
Qingdao. The celebrated water for Tsingtao beer comes from Laoshan, the
mountain nearby, and the brand's enthusiasts applaud its freshness.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
QINGDAO, China, July 16-- When Stephen Burrows of Anheuser-Busch
traveled here recently to meet the general manager of the Tsingtao
Brewery, he saw it as a chance to get acquainted with the boss of
China's most famous beer company. His host, Peng Zuo Yi, saw it
differently.

"I told him why so many foreign brands have failed in China," Mr. Peng
said. "They can't run their factories in China any longer. They're all
losing money."

Anheuser-Busch may be the largest brewer in the world, but in this
seaside city where Chinese beer was born, Mr. Burrows was treated more
like a vanquished intruder than a fellow beer merchant.

"We have struggled," Mr. Burrows acknowledged. "Struggling is something
that happens when you go into a volatile market like China."

Mr. Peng's solution is an alliance between Anheuser-Busch and Tsingtao
(pronounced CHING-dow), in which the companies would distribute each
other's beer in China and the United States. Mr. Burrows, the chief
executive of Anheuser-Busch International, called it premature to talk
about such a deal. But he agreed that Tsingtao had changed markedly --
and for the better -- in the last five years.

"Tsingtao is a different company," he said. "It seems like they've got a
clearer strategy."

As China stands nervously on the threshold of World Trade Organization
membership, it will need companies like Tsingtao to push through the
open door. Once a bloated state-owned enterprise, Tsingtao has
transformed itself into a confident competitor. By learning marketing
skills from its foreign rivals and exploiting its home-field advantages,
Tsingtao has managed to stake out a dominant position in the crowded and
chaotic Chinese beer market.

In a twist on the much-feared foreign invasion of China, Tsingtao is now
negotiating to buy three breweries from their foreign owners. While a
rarity, Tsingtao is not the only Chinese company to make it in the
global economy. The Haier Group, an appliance maker also based here,
began exporting refrigerators in 1992. It now has more than a quarter of
the small-refrigerator market in the United States, and recently built a
factory in South Carolina. Almost bankrupt in 1984, Haier had $3.2
billion in sales last year.

"People think that with China's entry into the W.T.O., Chinese national
industry will be completely destroyed," Mr. Peng, who is 55, said. "I
don't think so. I think the success of Tsingtao shows that competition
can make us better. We can show teh world how to make the best beers."

Haier's chairman and chief executive, Zhang Ruimin, puts it differently.
"We decided we didn't want to be eaten by the wolf," he said. "We wanted
to dance with the wolf."

To be sure, many Chinese companies will be eaten by the wolves, which is
why China's joy about the world's club of trading nations is tinged with
apprehension. In the most sclerotic state enterprises, the feeling is
closer to dread. Yet, in this upwardly mobile city on the country's
northern coast, the big brewery and Haier are held up as models of how
China can pull down the walls that surround its economy and still keep
the predators at bay.

"We have a rich variety of manufacturing companies in this city," said
Wang Jiarui, Qingdao's business-like mayor. "Some will jump into the
world market; others will be edged out of it. But I still think there
are more opportunities than drawbacks to joining the W.T.O."

Qingdao's namesake company, Tsingtao Brewery Ltd. -- the company retains
the old transliteration of the city's name -- was founded by Germans,
who colonized the place in 1903. The original brewery sits across the
street from a park where German soldiers were once quartered; company
lore has it that the beer was meant to slake the men's thirst.

Tsingtao was China's first beer, and it is still highly prized here.
Critics praise the freshness of its water, which is piped from the
Laoshan, the mountain nearby. Qingdao is steeped in the folkways of the
German beer industry. The company built an ersatz German village on the
outskirts of town for its annual beer festival. And if you squint,
Qingdao's sturdy stone houses with steeply slanted roofs look almost
Bavarian.

In 1979, as China was opening again to the outside world, Beijing made
Tsingtao the official export beer. It is now a staple in Chinese
restaurants from Seattle to Stuttgart.

The Chinese government capitalized on this fame in 1993 by selecting
Tsingtao as one of the first companies to be allowed to sell shares on
the Hong Kong stock market. The initial public offering was successful,
but Tsingtao's state owners ordered it to give some of the proceeds to
other troubled state companies. This made it an emblem of the dangers of
investing in corporate China.

Shortly after that black eye, Tsingtao started facing competition from
another quarter. Enticed by the prospect of more than a billion
beer-swilling Chinese, more than 60 foreign brands -- including
Budweiser, Foster's and San Miguel -- poured in. Teaming up with Chinese
investors, they bought and built breweries all over China. They also
spent millions on splashy advertising and marketing campaigns, next to
which the Tsingtao name seemed faded.

The foreign brewers priced their beer anywhere from 60 cents to $1 a
bottle, compared with about 40 cents for Tsingtao.

Around the same time, local governments began brewing beers that were
even cheaper than Tsingtao and popular with frugal consumers. For
example, Yanjing, a beer brewed in Beijing, sells for only 30 cents a
bottle. Some lesser-known local beers go for as little as 12 cents.
After decades of dominance, Tsingtao found itself overtaken in market
share by Yanjing.

Adding to its problems, Tsingtao relied on an outdated network of
distributors who did not push the brand hard enough.

"Our sales agents tended to focus on fancy restaurants while ignoring
the needs of the common drinker," said Mr. Peng, a plain-spoken man who
wears short-sleeve shirts and acknowledges that he does not really like
beer.

The trouble is that 70 percent of China's consumers fit the definition
of common drinker. They make enough money to buy beer, but will not pay
for a premium brand. So Tsingtao was squeezed both ways: at the high end
of the market by Budweiser and Foster's, and at the low end by the likes
of Yanjing.

While China's beer market grew tenfold in the 1990's, Tsingtao's
production increased by just 20 percent. From 1994 to 1996, the company
lost money.

On a visit to Qingdao in 1996, Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, then a cabinet
member, became alarmed that China's flagship beer seemed to be going
down the drain. Qingdao's leaders plucked Mr. Peng out of a successful
state-owned food company and sent him on a rescue mission. He promptly
got rid of most of the senior managers and set about overhauling the
brewer.

Mr. Peng set up a new sales network, with 45 branch offices, to promote
Tsingtao aggressively. And he started buying breweries to produce the
flagship brand, as well as lower-cost local brands. Buying breweries in
the hinterland enabled him to avoid one of the pitfalls of the Chinese
industry: protectionism by local authorities who jealously guard their
home brew.

Tsingtao, which reclaimed the No. 1 position last year, has acquired 22
breweries from Shenzhen in the south to Beijing in the north. Owning
more breweries has allowed Mr. Peng to bypass China's clotted
distribution channels. Tsingtao beer used to sit on store shelves for
months. Now, people in Tsingtao's home province, Shandong, can buy it
within a week of brewing.

"In effect, he's consolidating the industry," said Jack Perkowski, the
chief executive of Asimco, an Asian investment company that owns two
small Beijing beer companies, Five Star and Three Ring. "They want to be
the first Chinese company to have a truly national presence."

While Mr. Peng was whipping Tsingtao into shape, the foreigners began
discovering some hard truths about the Chinese market. The premium
segment, in which the non-Chinese producers compete, accounts for barely
7 percent of overall sales. And as price deflation has rippled through
the economy, Chinese drinkers have been more reluctant than ever to pay
extra for an upscale brand.

The foreign companies also made heavy investments upfront. Mr. Burrows
said Anheuser-Busch paid $52 million for its brewery in the central city
of Wuhan. The company spent millions more to upgrade the factory, plus
plenty on advertising and marketing. Although its main brand, Budweiser,
is quite popular here, the sales are too small and costs are too high to
turn a profit.

"You can't get enough volume," Mr. Perkowski said, "particularly if you
set up a brewery that looks like a brewery in the United States."

Mr. Burrows said sales of Budweiser improved this year, after two
lackluster years. He predicted that the parent Anheuser-Busch would turn
a profit in China in five years, adding that with 200 sales agents in 31
cities, Anheuser-Busch was determined to stay in the Chinese market.

Other foreign brands, however, are sounding a retreat. Foster's of
Australia sold two of its Chinese breweries last year, keeping one in
Shanghai. Lion Nathan, a New Zealand brewer, said it may leave
altogether. By the end of August, Tsingtao will announce three
acquisitions of foreign-invested breweries -- two in Beijing and one in
Shanghai. Mr. Peng declined to name the companies.

Clearly, though, he is looking beyond the breweries to a partnership
with Anheuser-Busch. He said a deal would cut Anheuser's costs because
it must now transport all its beer from its Wuhan brewery. It could
avoid those long shipments by using Tsingtao's plants in Beijing and
Shanghai. In return, Tsingtao would brew its beer in Anheuser's
factories in the United States.

An alliance with Anheuser-Busch would carry some symbolism. Five years
ago, Anheuser bought a 5 percent stake in Tsingtao, and the two
companies discussed ways to cooperate. But the Americans were put off by
the Chinese company's balky managers. Coming back to the table to make a
deal would send a clear signal that Tsingtao is a global player.

It would also help Mr. Peng realize his dream of making Tsingtao one of
the world's top 10 brewers by 2003, its 100th anniversary.

"The top leaders of China were worried that Chinese beer would collapse
because of all the competition," Mr. Peng said with a mischievous
chuckle. "But five years later, it turns out the Tsingtao has succeeded.
Our attitude has changed from fear of the foreigners to driving them out
of the market."


http://news.excite.com/news/r/000720/08/odd-mule-dc

80 Heroin-Filled Condoms Found in Man's Stomach

July 20, 2000 MIAMI (Reuters) - Surgeons opened up the stomach of a drug
courier and found 80 heroin-filled condoms he tried to smuggle after one
burst and stopped his heart, Miami police said on Wednesday. The 59-year-old
man whose name was being withheld, checked himself into Miami's Mercy Hospital
Monday complaining of chest and stomach pains, police said. X-rays revealed a
trove of oblong-shaped pellets in his
stomach.

Seven hours later, doctors performed surgery after one of the latex
pellets burst, causing the man's heart to convulse. He survived the
surgery but died on Wednesday, police said.

The condoms, containing 1.5 pounds of heroin with a street value of
$60,000, are now in police custody, U.S. Customs spokeswoman Norma Morfa
said.

Before he lost consciousness, the man told hospital officials he was
Colombian. He was likely a drug mule who was promised from "a couple of
hundred to a thousand dollars" for smuggling the heroin, Miami
police spokesman Delrish Moss said.

Drugs ingested in pellets made of condoms or the fingers of surgical
gloves are usually retrieved by administering laxatives soon after the
mule arrives, Moss said.

Mules are usually recruited from poor countries, often through coercion,
he added.

"What we've learned is there's a number of conditions in other countries
when this happens," he said. "Sometimes their families are pretty much
held hostage and they're making nowhere near what the drug dealers are
making."

The man had probably not been in the United States long and could have
faced up to life imprisonment for smuggling.


J2jurado

unread,
Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
to
Tsingtao May Buy 5-Star, Zhou Enlai's Beer of Choice

Shanghai, July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Tsingtao Brewery Co., China's best-known beer
maker, said it may buy a rival whose brands include one favored by former
Premier Zhou Enlai as it seeks to double its share of the world's
second-biggest beer market.

Tsingtao's target: Beijing Asia Shuanghesheng Five Star Brewery Co.,
established in Beijing 15 years after the end of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.
``We are holding negotiations, and it's possible we will buy it,'' said Yuan
Lu, a Tsingtao spokeswoman.

Five Star carries a political aftertaste. Its name refers to the quintet of
stars on the Chinese flag that represent the Communist Party and the four
classes of Chinese society that Mao Zedong led to victory in 1949.

Zhou served Five Star to President Richard Nixon when the U.S. established ties
with China for the first time in 1972. Later designated a ``state banquet
beer'' to be served to visiting dignitaries, it makes 100,000 tons of Five Star
each year -- a fraction of Tsingtao's 1.4 million tons.

Tsingtao is more interested in profits than politics, and it's unclear whether
Five Star will survive as a separate brand after the purchase. Last year,
Tsingtao spent $24 million to buy 15 Chinese brewers, part of an acquisition
drive that it hopes will lift its share of the 21.4 million ton market to 10
percent.

Shuanghesheng, now 63 percent owned by Asia Strategic Investment Management
Co., a China-based U.S. investment company better known as Asimco, needs cash
from the Tsingtao sale to pay pensions for retired workers. The sale may be
sealed by the end of July, said Sui Wengang, a Shanghesheng director.

Tsingtao is among China's most visible brands both at home and overseas. Five
Star, for all its fame, can't be found in Shanghai.

``Obviously, China's beer industry is getting bigger, and with the right
implementation of the appropriate strategies could become the biggest in the
world in terms of tonnage,'' said Asimco Chairman Jack Perkowski.

Shares Surge

Beijing-based, Cayman Islands-registered Asimco bought its stake in
Shuanghesheng in 1995 for $50 million. Together, Asimco and Shuanghesheng spent
800 mln yuan ($96 million) to upgrade the brewery and on marketing costs.

Asimco also owns a stake in Miyun Brewery, which has been brewing Three Ring
beer since 1980. Miyun produces 160,000 tons of beer per year, Perkoswki said.

Tsingtao was the first state-owned company to sell shares traded in Hong Kong.
After it eked out a 4.7 percent increase in net profit last year, analysts
surveyed by IBES Inc. expect Tsingtao earnings to surge 62.2 percent this year
to HK$253.2 million ($32.7 million), or 73 HK cents per share.

Today, Tsingtao posted its biggest one-day gain in three months, rising 14.7
percent to HK$1.64, riding a wave of enthusiasm for Chinese stocks amid hopes
the government will carry through with long-promised stock-market reforms. The
shares still lost almost a third of their value so far this year.

Shuanghesheng, whose name means ``prosperity between two rivers,'' is one of
two foreign-owned brewers that Tsingtao said it plans to buy as it seeks to
expand production to 1.6 million tons this year, or 7.5 percent of the nation's
total beer output.

Tsingtao is stepping up plans to become China's first brewer to spread its
distribution network throughout the entire country and overseas. Tsingtao is
also in talks with Carlsberg A/S on the possible purchase of the Danish
brewer's 75 percent stake in an unprofitable Shanghai brewery.

``Tsingtao was the designated export beer because the brewery was located along
the coast,'' Perkowski said. ``That was how it was under the centrally planned
economy.''

Tsingtao Poised to Buy Premium-Brand Sino-US Brewery

Shanghai, July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Tsingtao Brewery Co., China's best-known
beermaker, said it's in talks with a U.S. investment firm and its Chinese
partner to buy a Beijing-based brewery that produces a premium beer served at
official banquets.

Tsingtao is seeking to buy Beijing Asia Shuanghesheng Five Star Brewery Co,
which is 63 percent owned by Asia Strategic Investment Management Co.

``We are holding negotiations, and it's possible we will buy it,'' said Yuan
Lu, a spokeswoman for Tsingtao.

Tsingtao said late last month that it plans to buy two foreign breweries in
China to expand production and double its market share to 10 percent. The
company is also in talks with Carlsberg A/S on the possible purchase of the
Danish brewer's 75 percent stake in an unprofitable Shanghai brewery.

Beijing Asia Shuanghesheng produces the Five Star brand, considered one of the
top domestic labels in China. The joint venture started production in 1995 and
produces about 100,000 tons of beer a year.

The Chinese partner, Beijing Shuanghesheng Five Star Beer Group Co., is an
85-year-old state-owned brewer that ``needs money'' to pay pensions for retired
workers, said Sui Wengang, a director of the joint venture. He said an
agreement on the sale is likely this month.

Asia Strategic Investment, which has also investments in auto parts in China,
put about 800 mln yuan ($96 million) into the brewing venture, said an official
in the investment firm's Beijing office, who declined to be identified. The
firm is registered in the Cayman Islands.


Coors to Shut Brewery in Spain; 2nd-Qtr Profit Up 16%

Golden, Colorado, July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Adolph Coors Co., the third-largest
U.S. brewer, said it will shut a brewery in Zaragoza, Spain, by the end of the
year, cutting about 100 jobs. The brewery has been losing money since the
company bought it in 1994. Coors took a second-quarter pretax charge of $15.5
million related to the closing and will take additional, smaller charges in the
second half of the year. The company's remaining European markets will be
served from the U.S.

The company said fiscal second-quarter profit before the charge rose 16
percent. Strong U.S. consumer demand for Coors Light, the No. 4 U.S. beer
brand, Original Coors, Killian's Red, Zima and Keystone Light boosted sales 6.7
percent to $614.1 million from $575.6 million. Coors, based in Golden,
Colorado, couldn't ship beer fast enough to meet unexpectedly high demand in
the second quarter, said a spokeswoman. The company said it's working to
replenish supplies and should overcome the problem by the end of the third
quarter.

Profit from operations rose to $53.4 million for the quarter ended June 25, or
$1.43 a share, from net income of $46.2 million, or $1.23 a year earlier. The
brewer was expected to earn $1.40 a share, the average estimate of nine
analysts polled by First Call/Thomson Financial.

Net income was $48.3 million, or $1.29 a share.

Barrel Sales

Distributor sales to retailers, a key indicator of consumer demand, rose 4.8
percent. Barrel sales, or sales to wholesalers, rose 3.4 percent in the quarter
to 6.39 billion. A beer barrel equals about 55 six-packs. Barrel sales lagged
slightly because wholesalers built smaller inventories this year than last as
demand outstripped supply, said spokeswoman Linda Droeger.

The shares of Coors fell 1 7/8 to 62 13/16 in New York Stock Exchange trading.
They've gained 28 percent in the past year.


Adolph Coors profit higher, posts record sales

GOLDEN, Colo., July 20 (Reuters) - Adolph Coors Co., parent of the No. 3 U.S.
brewer, said on Thursday its second-quarter earnings before special charges
rose 15.6 percent to a record high, beating analysts' estimates, as the company
got a strong start on summer beer sales.

Adolph Coors also announced it would discontinue its sales and brewing
operations in Spain by year-end and had taken a related charge against earnings
of $15.5 million in the second quarter.

Coors shares were up 1-1/4 to 65-15/16 at midday on the New York Stock
Exchange, near their 52-week high of 66-1/2.

``Overall, we got a good start on this year's summer selling season ... Because
of unprecedented demand for our products in the quarter, distributor
inventories were drawn down below normal seasonal levels,'' said Leo Kiely,
president and chief executive of Coors Brewing Co.

The Golden, Colo.-based company earned $53.4 million in the second quarter,
excluding the special charge related to closing its Spanish operations, up from
$46.2 million a year earlier.

Earnings per diluted share rose to $1.43 from $1.23 a year ago. On average,
Wall Street analysts had expected earnings of $1.40 a share, according to First
Call/Thomson Financial, which compiles earnings estimates.

Including the special charge, second-quarter net income per share was $1.29.

Revenues in the second quarter rose 6.7 percent to a record $614.15 million.

Coors said its Spanish operations had incurred substantial operating losses
since the company purchased a brewery in Zaragoza in 1994. It said it expects
to realise savings from the closure in three years.

The second-quarter special charge related to the Spanish operations includes
impairment of assets, severance for about 100 employees, and other closure
expenses. As the operations are closed, additional expenses will be incurred in
the second half of 2000, but the company said it expects these costs to be much
smaller than the second-quarter charge.

Coors, whose products include Coors Light, has been enjoying improved earnings,
reflecting a trend toward consumption of premium, light beer. In 1999, 88
percent of Coors' volume was in the premium-and-above segments, the highest
percentage of any major U.S. brewer.

An increase in the number of men in the United States between the ages of 21
and 29 -- the group that drinks a little more than half of all beer consumed in
this country -- also has helped sales.

Kiely said Coors was making progress in replenishing inventories and plans to
be back at normal levels by the end of the third quarter.

Local firms, consumer boom seen fueling Mexico TV ads

By Fiona Ortiz

MEXICO CITY, July 20 (Reuters) - Colgate, Kotex, Chevrolet, Pepsi, Corona and
Dos Equis --big-name brand advertisements are all over Mexican network
television. But hometown advertisers are nowhere to be seen like quirky,
fast-talking salesmen for cars and furniture that are local fixtures in many
other countries.

Mexico's two broadcasters, market leader Grupo Televisa, TLEVISACPO.MXthe
biggest Spanish-language media group in the world, and TV Azteca TVAZTCACPO.MX
say that will change as they woo city-level advertisers in an effort to pump up
Mexico's relatively low TV advertising revenues.

``Here in Mexico City you turn on for example channel 4, a channel for what is
arguably the biggest city in the world ... (and) you don't see local
advertising,'' Xavier von Bertrab, chief of investor relations for Televisa,
said at a recent presentation to analysts in Mexico City. Von Bertrab has since
left his position in investor relations.

``There are many medium and small businesses that can afford advertising on TV.
But really Televisa was scaring them away,'' with its former policy of asking
companies to make deposits to reserve advertising air time early each year, he
said. The two broadcasters reach some 20 million television households, where
Mexican families are glued to the tube an average of seven hours a day. But
television advertising revenues have long been low.

Spending on television ads also has been lackluster because of less than
vigorous competition in major Mexican mass consumer markets like soft drinks,
beer, tortillas which are dominated by virtual duopolies.

CONSUMER BOOM BOOSTS ADS

Analysts, ad agencies and broadcasters are all confident the TV advertising
market will grow as consumer spending booms in Mexico's thriving economy, ad
prices rise, the marketplace becomes more competitive, new regional advertisers
move in and new companies, such as dot-coms, buy air time.

Consumer spending skyrocketed 9.2 percent in the year's first quarter, compared
with the year-ago period.

TV Azteca Chief Financial Officer Luis Echarte sees Mexico catching up with its
peers in Latin America in the next four years, bringing ad spending up to close
to 1 percent of GDP. Last year in Mexico, $1.5 billion was spent on television
advertising. Analysts see growth between 13 percent and 20 percent this year,
to $1.7 billion or $1.8 billion, partly because of huge spending by political
parties leading up to the July 2 presidential election. Azteca has about 28
percent of that, analysts say.

Nigerian bourse ends lower, volume declines

LAGOS, July 20 (Reuters) - The Nigerian bourse ended lower on Thursday with the
All Share index ending down 114.85 points or 1.7 percent at 6,824.26.

Decliners outpaced advancers 23 to 13 and volume fell to 17.03 million shares
from 18.95 million shares the previous session. Market turnover also declined
to 133.97 million naira ($1.22 million) from 238.55 million naira ($2.17
million).

Banking stocks led the pack of losers. First Bank of Nigeria

and Afribank eased five percent each to finish at 13.90 naira and 7.04 naira,
respectively.

Guaranty Trust Bank fell 4.9 percent to end at 3.68 naira but Union Bank bucked
the market trend, rising 1.5 percent to close at 18.10 naira.

Food and beverage manufacturers Nestle Nigeria dropped 4.9 percent to 34.01
naira, Cadbury Nigeria fell 0.5 percent to 15.20 naira and soft drinks bottler
Nigerian Bottling Company was five percent weaker at 13.01 naira.

Oils remained weak with Mobil Oil Nigeria dropping 3.9 percent to 61.00 naira,
Agip Oil five percent to 15.99 naira and Total Nigeria 0.2 percent to 56.10
naira.

Nigerian Breweries, the bourse's largest company in terms of market
capitalisation, managed a marginal 0.2 percent rise to 21.00 naira while rival
Guinness Nigeria dipped 4.8 percent to end at 25.31 naira.

($-110 naira)

France fears wave of labour dispute terror

By Brian Love

PARIS, July 20 (Reuters) - France is no stranger to disruptive labour disputes
but threats from protesting brewing and textile workers to blow up their
factories have raised fears of a new wave of industrial terror tactics.

Workers at the Adelshoffen brewery in the northeast spilled hundreds of litres
of beer and threatened on Thursday to blow up ammonia canisters in 76 hours if
management did not reconsider closure plans.

The action followed a compromise redundancy deal at the Cellatex viscose plant
near the Belgian border, where workers dumped thousands of litres of toxic acid
in a stream and threatened to blow up tonnes of chemicals.

``The Cellatex conflict will go down in industrial relations history,'' the
afternoon newspaper Le Monde said in an editorial comment before the brewers
made their own threat.

``Let there be no doubt about it, the model will set the example.''

``An explosive precedent,'' said Le Parisien. ``The coincidence is, let's admit
it, striking and worrying,'' the newspaper said.

``If despair in the workplace is allowed to justify violence this could become
common currency and industrial relations would be peppered with dramatic
incidents of a kind which have so far been the big exception,'' it said.

France is accustomed to industrial disputes that degenerate sporadically.

Hardline truckers have often blockaded ferry ports or border crossings, farmers
have ransacked lorries importing tomatoes and sheep at lower prices and
fishermen once set fire to a local government building to protest over their
conditions.

But fears have now been kindled of a wave of ``labour terrorism'' that risks
snowballing among workers left out in an era of renewed economic growth and
optimism in France.

``It's the fashion now because nothing else works,'' said Thierry Durr, a staff
delegate from the militant CGT union at the brewery, owned by Dutch company
Heineken, where a manager was briefly taken hostage on Wednesday.

The Cellatex spill catapulted what had previously been a low profile, local
conflict onto national television screens, and turned the staff into
celebrities overnight.

While the Cellatex tactics drew fire from politicians, there was no outright
condemnation from government ministers, whose main response was to make sure
negotiations accelerated in the wake of a pollution scare. There was scant
official reaction on Thursday to the Adelshoffen brewery dispute.


J2jurado

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http://news.excite.com/photo/img/ap/france/brewery/strike/20000720/str101

Photo: An Adelshoffen brewery worker on strike wearing a death mask sprays beer

Thursday, July 20, 2000, on the street in front of the occupied brewery
in Schiltigheim, eastern France. Heineken who owns the brewery wants to
close the plant in Alsace leaving 131 unemployed. Photo by Christian
Lutz (AP)


http://www.herald.com:80/content/tue/business/florida/digdocs/063304.htm

Move from cows to beer drove company's success

July 17, 2000, Miami Herald

Bill Carey and Jeff Peterson's shift from milk cows to beer proved to be
a profitable one. Ten years ago they were shipping U.S. dairy cattle overseas.
But because of tariff restrictions, they decided to buy cattle in Poland,
which was
emerging from the collapse of the Iron Curtain.

Then they attended a trade show in France, wandered over to the beverage
tent and started chatting with the Foster's beer guy. One thing led to
another -- soon they had Poland's first import license for Foster's
Lager.

``We had traveled the whole country buying cattle, and we could never
find a cold beer anywhere,'' said Peterson, vice chairman and secretary
of Central European Distribution Corp.

The Sarasota company now is the leading importer of beer, wine and
spirits in Poland, and its largest distributor of domestic vodka. Among
the imported spirits, Absolut vodka is the bestseller. Among the beers,
Corona and Miller are running head-and-head. Peterson figures that's in
part because they were in the market early with twist-off caps. Other
brands include Johnnie Walker Scotch, Dekuyper Liqueurs and Bud.

Two years ago Central European began trading on the Nasdaq at $6.50. It
closed Friday at $4.75.

And now they're branching out into beverage retail in Poland, too. Two
shops selling imported brands of spirits are open with 12 to 15 on the
drawing board and possibly a few acquisitions. They're not really in the
cattle business anymore, so Peterson can only joke about originally
being in steak and ale.


http://news.excite.com/news/bw/000717/noble-china

Noble China to Contest China Court Ruling

July 17, TORONTO (BUSINESS WIRE) - Noble China Inc. (TSE:NMO.) announced
today that the Zhaoqing Noble Brewery, in which it has a 60% interest,
has been served with a notice issued by the Guangdong Shenzhen
Intermediate People's Court which instructs the Brewery to retain RMB
28.9 million (approximately Can. $5.1 million) from any dividend
payments to the owner of the 60% interest in the Brewery until that
amount is paid in settlement of a judgment obtained from the same court
by Li Chiu Cheun, a brother of Lei Kat Cheong, Noble's former Chairman,
against Goldjinsheng Holdings Limited, ("Goldjinsheng"), an inactive
indirect subsidiary of Noble China.

Prior to March 18, 1999, Goldjinsheng was the owner of the 60% interest
in the Zhaoqing Noble Brewery. The current owner of the 60% interest,
Linchpin Holdings Limited ("Linchpin"), was not a party to the legal
proceedings involving Goldjinsheng.

The notice from the Shenzhen Court was issued on an ex parte basis
without prior notice to Goldjinsheng or Linchpin. The action brought by
Li Chiu Cheun relates to funds he purportedly advanced on behalf of
Goldjinsheng to the Brewery to pay for transactions entered into under
agreements made by the former chairman.

Noble China and its PRC counsel are strongly of the view that the
Shenzhen Court has no power to restrict the payment of dividends to
Linchpin and are taking steps immediately to have the notice rescinded.


http://insidedenver.com/business/0721coor5.shtml

It's 'Taps' for Coors in Spain
Golden-based firm plans to close money-losing brewery in Zaragoza; 100
could be laid off

By Dina Berta, Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

Adolph Coors Co. on Thursday said it will take a second-quarter charge
to cover the cost of closing down its money-losing brewery in Zaragoza,
Spain.

The Golden-based parent to Coors Brewing Co. still reported a record
second quarter, despite taking a $15.5 million charge related to costs
to begin closing down the Spanish facility. The plant will be closed by
year's end and 100 people will be laid off.

Coors reported net sales of $614.1 million for the quarter that ended
June 25, a 6.7 percent hike over the same period last year. Second
quarter basic and diluted earnings per share were $1.46 and $1.43,
respectively, up from $1.26 and $1.23 in the same quarter in '99.

Sales volume reached nearly 6.4 million barrels, a 3.4 percent increase
from the previous year's roughly 6.2 million barrels.

Chairman Peter Coors said closing the plant in Spain was consistent with
the company's strategy to focus on resources that offer better growth
potential and a better return. Coors bought the Spanish brewery in 1994, but
continued to suffer operating losses in a competitive market.

"It was a challenging situation that probably wasn't going to get
better, and who knew that Coor's light wouldn't take the country by a storm?"
said investment analyst Skip Carpenter with Donaldson, Lufkin
and Jenrette in New York.

Nationally, the demand for Coors — and Coors Light in particular — has
been very high.


http://www.dispatch.com/news/newsfea00/jul00/355526.html

Man says beer drinking to blame for actions
Police shot him after car chase

Thursday, July 20, 2000,Dean Narciso, Dispatch Police Reporter

A man shot in the arm by Columbus police said yesterday that he was
guilty only of drinking too much beer, not felonious assault -- even if
he almost ran down two officers Tuesday night.

After 24 cans of beer in three hours, Nureini M. Noor said, he might not
have been aware of his actions.

"Even if I did that, they're not supposed to shoot me. They're supposed
to catch me,'' Noor said yesterday at the Franklin County jail.

Noor, a 27-year-old Somalian immigrant, is charged with reckless
operation of his car, hit-and-run driving and two counts of felonious
assault of a police officer.

Noor said that at about 7 p.m. Tuesday, he met with friends at an
apartment on Canonby Place in Franklinton. For the next three hours, he
said, he drank as much as a case of beer and then got into his 1992
Chevrolet Cavalier to go home.

Officers Glenn Keeton and John Jones had been called to an apartment at
790 Canonby Place on a domestic-violence report unrelated to Noor or his
friends.

While standing in the apartment parking lot, they heard a loud crash and
saw a Cavalier pull away from a car it had struck.

The officers tried to stop the car, but the motorist drove a short
distance north to the grounds of the former Sullivant Gardens housing
complex. Officers caught up to the vehicle, but instead of stopping, the
driver gunned his engine and drove toward the patrol car, police said.

The Cavalier drove through an 8- foot-tall fence and grazed Jones' leg.

Both officers fired at the driver.

Police eventually stopped Noor on I-70 near Front and High streets.

Noor said he does not remember the chase, only the pain in his arm.

"He was not supposed to shoot me, because I know I didn't do anything,''
Noor said. "The police don't shoot you for no reason.''

Noor, who is 5 feet 2 and 130 pounds, said he was extremely drunk and
that he would never intentionally harm another person.

Jones was treated at Mount Carmel West hospital for a minor leg injury.
Noor was treated at Grant Medical Center for his bullet wound.

Noor has been looking for work since moving in with his sister a month
ago on the Northeast Side.

The Division of Police internal affairs bureau will investigate the
shooting and then forward its report to the county prosecutor's office
for review, said police spokesman Sgt. Earl Smith.

The division's firearms board will review the case to determine whether
division policy was followed.

Keeton, who has spent three years with the division, has one previous
recorded use of his weapon. On Dec. 22, 1998, he shot and killed a pit
bull that attacked him. The shooting later was ruled justified, police
records show.

Jones, a six-year officer, has no reported uses of his weapon, according
to the records.


http://www.accessatlanta.com:80/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/wednesday/new
s_9357940880de812d007c.html

Q&A ON THE NEWS
Colin Bessonette - Staff, Wednesday, July 19, 2000

Q: The label on a bottle of J&B scotch says "By Appointment to Her
Majesty the Queen." What is this all about? And which Queen of which nation?

--- Gerald Fecteau, Marietta

A: You're thinking Queen Elizabeth II might enjoy the occasional wee
drop? Could be, but not necessarily.

That statement is a "Royal Warrant." The queen's Web site ---
www.royal.gov.uk --- says warrants are a "mark of recognition that
tradesmen are regular suppliers of goods and services to the Royal
households." They are granted to people or companies that have regularly
supplied goods or services for a minimum of three consecutive years to
the queen, the duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, or
the prince of Wales.

Warrant holders represent a large cross section of British trade and
industry (and a few foreign names as well), ranging from dry cleaners to
fishmongers, agricultural machinery to computer software. There are
about 800 Royal Warrant holders and about 1,100 Royal Warrants (some
holders have more than one warrant).

About J&B: If online, look at this site ---
www.royal.gov.uk/faq/warrants/qlist.html --- and under the J list you'll
find Justerini & Brooks Limited, Wine Merchants, London.

Q: Several times I have tried to buy nonalcohol beer on Sundays, always
without success. Why is that? Are the stores universally misinterpreting
the law, or am I missing something? Incidentally, one can buy cooking
wine on Sunday, no problem.

--- Fred Hollinger, Atlanta

A: The slightly misnamed product is considered a malt beverage because
it has a small amount of alcohol and uses the same basic brewing
process as other beers, said Daryl Robinson of the Georgia Department of
Law.

While cooking sherry may contain some alcohol, it's not considered
"wine" under Section 3-1-2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
The term "wine" does not include cooking wine mixed with salt or other
ingredients so as to render it unfit for human consumption as a
beverage, Robinson said.

http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/ape18.shtml

Bigfoot: A space alien, or just another beer-guzzling ape?

Tuesday, July 18, 2000, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

YAKIMA -- Sasquatch might be from outer space.

At least that's the theory being put forth by Erik Beckjord of the San
Francisco-based Sasquatch Research Project.

He contends the proof can be found in a metal cylinder, roughly the same
size and shape as a 16-ounce can of beer, on Bigfoot's right arm in the
famous Patterson film.

"An ape doesn't have a cylinder on its arm, unless it's an experimental
creature," Beckjord said. But that's hardly enough evidence for people
who believe Bigfoot is the Yakima Valley's biggest home-grown hoax.

"That's a new one to me," said Zillah lawyer Barry Woodard, representing
a man who last year claimed to have worn a monkey suit in the 1967
Patterson-Gimlin film.

The grainy 16 mm footage of what some believe is a female Sasquatch
running out of a stream bed in the Six Rivers National Forest in
Northern California was taken by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin during a
horseback search for Bigfoot.

Patterson died in 1972. Gimlin refuses to be interviewed.

Last year, longtime Bigfoot tracker Cliff Crook of Bothell dismissed the
film as a hoax, saying four computer-enhanced frames showed what
appeared to be a bell-shaped fastener at the creature's waist.

Several months later, a 58-year-old Yakima man, who has not been
publicly identified, came forward through Woodard claiming to have been
the hoaxer who wore the fur. The man still wants to sell his story,
Woodard said.

It's been a Sasquatch summer in the Northwest this year.

Two researchers are looking into reports of the possible presence of
Bigfoot on the Hoh Indian Reservation on the Olympic Peninsula along the
Pacific Coast.

A psychologist recently claimed to have seen and smelled Sasquatch while
hiking at the Oregon Caves National Monument.


http://news.excite.com/news/r/000721/07/odd-taxi-dc

Court Rules Rude Cab Driver Went Too FarUpdated

July 21, 2000 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Supreme Court set a precedent
Friday when it ordered a taxi driver to pay a fine for "discourteous behavior"

toward two passengers. The two women passengers took legal action against
driver Shlomo Namer after he refused to operate the tariff meter as stipulated
and told
them: "By law, a taxi driver can kick people who stink out of his taxi."

Namer, who claimed the court had no authority to deem his behavior
impolite, lost in two legal rounds before the case came before Israel's
highest court. Thursday, it fined him 1,500 shekels ($365) for his lack
of decorum.

"No such case has reached the Supreme Court. It's quite a precedent," a
court spokeswoman said. Scores of taxi drivers in Israel are suspected of
trying to settle fares without a meter to escape a stiff value-added tax.
Rudeness
is considered by some to be an enlightened form of art.

J2jurado

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Jul 21, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/21/00
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Carlsberg Confirms Grenade Attack at Malaysia Brewery, NST Says

Kuala Lumpur, July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd.,
Malaysia's largest brewer, confirmed that two grenades exploded at its
production plant early this month, still, there were no casualties and
production wasn't disrupted, the New Straits Times reported, citing the
company's managing director, Jorgen Bornhoft. The incident happened a day after
15 men, claimed by the government to be linked to a Muslim religious cult,
staged an arms robbery in Gerik, near the Thai border. Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad this week said that a member of the cult used a grenade launcher to
attack Carlsberg's brewery and a temple, the report said.

Carlsberg has a two-thirds share of the local beer market and 10 percent of the
stout market.

Colombia Regulator Approves Brewer Bavaria's Purchase of Leona

La Republica

Bogota, July 21(Bloomberg) -- Colombia's industry and trade regulator gave the
go-ahead to brewer Bavaria's purchase of rival Leona, a move that left Bavaria
with more than 90 percent of the market, the daily La Republica reported. In
addition, the regulator said the merger between the two brewers wouldn't affect
competition or stop foreign companies from entering the market, the newspaper
said. The regulator also said Leona is free to sell or rent the rest of its
business, or a 55 percent stake in the company, to another competitor other
than Bavaria, the country's No. 1 brewer, the newspaper reported.

Bavaria, part of the Grupo Santo Domingo conglomerate, in May purchased 45
percent of the Leona brewery, its only serious contender in the country's $1
billion beer market.


Schroeder visits German village on remote Japanese isle

By Gernot Heller

MIYAKO ISLAND, Japan, July 21 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
got a rapturous welcome on Friday when he took time off from a summit of world
leaders to visit a German-style village built on one of Japan's most isolated
islands.

Hundreds of children lined the streets waving the German flag as Schroeder,
clearly amused and delighted with the incongruous spectacle, strolled among
copies of medieval houses and a castle modelled after a famous fortress along
the Rhine.

The sweltering subtropical heat and a troupe of local dancers left no doubt
that Miyako Island lies in the East China Sea at the far south of the Japanese
archipelago, so close to Taiwan that Tokyo seems incredibly far away.

But the link to Germany, which dates back to 1873 when shipwrecked German
sailors were rescued here, proved too intriguing for Schroeder to resist making
the short trip before the summit of the Group of Eight got under way on the
island of Okinawa later on Friday.

``This is a sign of the hospitality and appreciation you have shown Germany,
even if some may think it a bit strange to find a German village in the
tropics,'' he said in a short address.

Shoichi Kawata, mayor of Ueno where the ``German cultural village'' is located,
unveiled a commemorative marker stone for the occasion and told Schroeder:
``Every day that we waited for you seemed to us like 1,000 years.''

Among the sights were an exhibit on life in Germany showing beer kegs, steins
of beer and plates of sauerkraut and sausages. A woman meant to be a typical
farmer's wife wore a traditional ``dirndl'' dress but Dutch wooden shoes.

The Beer Keg restaurant serves hearty German fare while the Kinderhaus has
fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm and two pieces of the Berlin Wall. The
Ratshaus serves cold beer and the Sechshaus sells condoms.

Pride of place goes to a full-size replica of the Marksburg, the only fully
preserved Rhineside castle, which the Japanese measured by laser beam to get
the dimensions just right.

``They would have preferred to buy the real thing,'' one German official
muttered as the delegation neared the replica.


Peru's Backus 2nd-Qtr Net Falls on Debt, Plant Costs

Lima, July 21(Bloomberg) -- UCP Backus & Johnston SA, Peru's biggest brewer,
said second-quarter earnings plunged 28 percent as the cost of restructuring
its Callao plant and debt servicing offset higher beer sales.

Unconsolidated net income fell to 11.8 million soles ($3.4 million), or
0.00816-sol diluted earnings per investment share, from 16.3 million soles, or
0.01164-sol a share, in April-June 1999, the company said.

``Profits fell because of debt servicing and restructuring of the Callao
brewery,'' said Claudia Morante, a beverages analyst at Interfip Bolsa SAB
brokerage. Structural changes at the plant appear linked to Backus's
acquisition of rival Cia. Cervecera del Sur SA, she added.

The result brought Backus's first-half earnings to 34 million soles, still up
3.1 percent from a year ago. Consolidated earnings data is due out by July 31.

Backus's investment share dropped 1 percent to 0.97 soles.

Backus, a virtual monopoly in Peru's beer market after it bought Cervesur last
March, said rising beer sales prompted a 15 percent increase in its quarterly
operating profit to 38.9 million soles from a year ago. Analysts, though, said
the sales merely recovered from last year's plunge and warned consumer demand
in the economy remains weak, threatening to undermine Backus' earnings in the
second half.

``If consumption isn't reactivated, the company won't do any better in the rest
of the year,'' Morante said.

Revenue Up Slightly

Revenue rose a scant 0.7 percent to 199 million soles in the quarter, yet the
company also reported a non-recurring expense of 5.7 million soles and 16.1
million soles in financial expenses, up 13 percent from a year earlier.

Backus, which bought Cervesur for $155 million, last month announced it plans
to sell up to $200 million in bonds to raise funds for investment and
refinancing debts. Analysts said its quarter results don't yet reflect the cost
savings and other benefits most expect from its acquisition of Cervesur.

``Backus' monopoly position hasn't yet compensated for the negative effects of
a depressed market and the servicing of the loan it took out to acquire
Cervesur,'' said Manuel Salazar, a analyst at Santander Central Hispano
Investment in Lima.

The company used a $125 million loan from a syndicate of banks led by
Citibank's local branch to buy 97.88 percent of Cervesur's common stock and 45
percent of its non-voting investment shares. While it took on more debt, Backus
stands to benefit from the acquisition by cutting costs and reducing its
advertising budget, according to industry analysts.

Even so, analysts project a tough year for Backus.

``The rest of 2000 will be difficult. Consumption's been punished and consumers
have turned to substitutes,'' said Jessica Mizushima, an analyst at Banco de
Credito. ``The only hope for growth is through synergies from Cervesur.''

She forecast net income would fall to $28.5 million this year from $50.5
million in 1999.

Tsingtao Says Foster's, Miller Not in Expansion Plans

Shanghai, July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Tsingtao Brewery Co., China's second-largest
brewer, said Foster's Brewing Group Ltd. and Philip Morris Cos.' Miller beer
unit don't figure in its expansion plans, though talks with other foreign
brewers are continuing.

Tsingtao shares in Hong Kong rose to a four-month high today, for a 25 percent
gain this week, on expectations that foreign brewery acquisitions will help
Tsingtao toward its goal of a doubled share of the world's second-largest beer
market.

Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News, citing an HSBC Securities research report,
said today Tsingtao is pursuing alliances with the Australian and U.S. brewers.


``We met these two companies only once, and it's irresponsible to say we could
form alliances with them,'' said Tsingtao spokesman Zhang Ruixiang, adding that
serious talks with other foreign brewers continue.

Tsingtao announced on June 29 that it wants to expand production and double its
market share to 10 percent by buying two or three foreign breweries in China.

The company confirmed yesterday that it is negotiating to buy Beijing Asia
Shuanghesheng Five Star Brewery Co., an 85-year- old brewer controlled by Asia
Strategic Investment Management Co., a U.S. investment firm based in Beijing.

Tsingtao is also in talks with Carlsberg A/S on the possible purchase of the
Danish brewer's 75 percent stake in an unprofitable Shanghai brewery.

Foreign brewers who thought they would storm the Chinese market when its doors
were opened to outsiders in the 1980s have stumbled on competition from cheaper
local brands. Only one in 10 packaged beers sold in China bears a foreign
label.

Tsingtao won't be brewing under any foreign labels as a result of acquisitions
or alliances, Zhang said.

Tsingtao, whose namesake brand is China's best known beer label, produced
700,000 tons of beer in the first half of 2000, up 35 percent from a year
earlier, Zhang said.

China's total beer production is estimated to reach 21.4 million tons this
year, a gain of 5 percent.

Tsingtao gained 12.2 percent, or 20 cents, to HK$1.84, it highest close since
March 10. Although the shares have risen eight of the last 10 trading sessions,
they are down 16 percent this year, compared with a 26 percent gain in the Hang
Seng China Enterprises Index.

Sapporo Breweries Declines After It Cuts Forecast

Tokyo, July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Sapporo Breweries Ltd. shares fell 8 percent
after Japan's third-largest brewer cut its earnings outlook 78 percent on
slumping sales of Black Label beer and Brau law-malt brew.

Sapporo shares fell 36 yen to 379. A total of 2.02 million shares changed
hands, more than triple the daily average over the past six months. Sapporo was
the forth-biggest decliner on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Sapporo on Wednesday cut its forecast for parent current profit, or pretax
profit from operations, to 1.2 billion yen (11 million) for the half-year ended
June 30, from its February forecast of 5.5 billion yen. The company cut its
sales forecast by 10 percent to 215 billion yen.

Investors ``sold the shares on disappointment over the revision, said Tsutomu
Matsuno, an analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research, who rates the stock
``average.'' ``We'll take a very cautious stance on the stock.''

Strong sales of the company's Tanrei low-malt brew may help the company's
earnings recover, Matsuno said.

Sapporo raised its net income forecast, saying one-time charges for
reorganization of production were smaller than expected. It sees 2.4 billion
yen in net income, up from its 1 billion yen forecast.


France's Soufflet, Russia's Baltica to Build $400 Mln Malt Plant


St. Petersburg, Russia, July 21 (Bloomberg) -- AO Baltica Breweries, Russia's
No. 1 brewer by sales, said it will build a $400 million malt plant with the
privately held French malt maker, Soufflet Groupe, in the city of Tula, south
of Moscow.

Both companies opened a $50 million malt production plant in St. Petersburg in
May. The barley for malt production in St. Petersburg is imported, but in Tula,
the barley will be grown locally to cut costs. Baltica owns a brewery in Tula.

Baltica wants to benefit from soaring demand for Russian beer prompted by a
change in consumer taste away from vodka. Since 1995, per-capita beer
consumption increased from 18.9 liters to 25 liters according to Business
Analytica, a Russian market research company. Baltica, which produced 600
million liters of beer in 1999, plans to increase output to 1.1 billion liters
by end of 2000.

``The malt plant will be located at our brewery in Tula but mostly owned by
Soufflet, though we'll have a 20 or 30 percent stake,'' said Baltica
spokeswoman Ludmila Fomicheva. ``The local government will provide tax breaks
and is proving very helpful.''

The plant is scheduled to open mid-2002, with construction will begin by the
end of this year.

Baltica, which currently has 19.7 percent of the Russian beer market, will
invest $114 million in production, storage and distribution facilities through
2002.

The company plans to increase beer exports from one percent of total production
in 1999 to 10 percent by the end of 2001, said Fomicheva. Exported beer is
mostly sold in western Europe and Israel.

Baltica is 70 percent-owned by Baltic Beverages Holdings, a 50- 50 joint
venture between Scandinavian brewers Pripps Ringnes AB and Hartwall Oyj.

Forgotten French Turn Desperate

.c The Associated Press
By CLAR NI CHONGHAILE

GIVET, France (AP) - Remo Pesa pressed a button and, with a clackety-clack, the
machines in France's last factory producing viscose - a silk-like synthetic
used in making clothes - once again whirred into action.

The display was more poignant than practical. The 153 workers at the Cellatex
factory in Givet in northeastern France occupied the premises after the factory
went into liquidation July 5 and threatened to take the toxic chemicals in the
plant and blow it up.
Their desperate struggle has become a symbol for those people left behind by
France's much-vaunted economic boom.

``We have been completely forgotten by the boom,'' said Pesa, who worked at the
factory for 18 years, "We need jobs that pay well, and it is not our fault that
our employers might be losing money. They owe us employment."

On Thursday, government negotiators and union representatives reached an
agreement, with workers raising their hands in a show of support for financial
measures to help them overcome losing their jobs. But some workers weren't
satisfied.

``When you lose your job, it's not a victory,'' said Ferhat Asloun, 39, who has
worked at Cellatex for 20 years.

The grounds of the 97-year-old factory contain flammable and toxic materials,
including nearly 12,000 gallons of carbon disulfide. Angry employees stacked
cardboard boxes around the tank containing the flammable chemical, the easier
to set fire to it.

In an apparent copycat move on Wednesday, 96 workers at a brewery in Alsace in
eastern France went on strike, threatening to blow up their plant to protest
plans by the Heineken group to close it. In an angry display Thursday, they
dumped several 13-gallon barrels of beer onto the street.

The workers in Givet made headlines throughout France this week when they
spilled some highly corrosive sulfuric acid into nearby streams. With their
threat to blow up the factory, they became an uncomfortable reminder that
glowing official economic statistics do not tell the whole story.

Beyond the tale of 153 people losing their jobs, the plight of the Cellatex
workers has become the story of those who do not recognize themselves in tales
of Internet revolutions and economic expansion.

Givet is in the Ardennes, a rolling region of green hills overlooking the
winding Meuse River on the border between France and Belgium. The unemployment
rate in Givet is 22 percent, compared to a national rate of 9.8 percent.

The textile industry has long been a staple here, but in the ``new economy''
where company histories are more often measured in months instead of years,
factories like Cellatex are dinosaurs.

``We are fighting first and foremost to save this factory. Today the workers
are very angry. They are fighting for their dignity as humans,'' Pesa said.

``Here in the Ardennes, we have been totally forgotten by France,'' said
Danielle Riebel, who has run a cafe beside the factory for 23 years. ``They
think we are idiots. Factories are closing all the time. We are entitled to
have jobs.''

Unlike older workers, many of whom still think the plant can be saved, younger
ones seemed pessimistic.

``The young people know this was to be expected. For us, it's over. The factory
is too old,'' said 25-year-old Stephanie Pecheux, who has worked at the factory
for four years. ``Some people have hope, but we young ones are not crazy.''


No polkas or lederhosen at accordion fest

By Mark Egan

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - To Faithe Deffner there is nothing quite like
the accordion. And she has a theory about the quirky, bellowed instrument: Its
popularity skipped a generation, but now it is back with a vengeance.

To some Americans the accordion sparks visions of moustachioed men in
lederhosen dancing jovially and swilling Bavarian beer between polkas. But, as
you might expect from a woman who boasts the title American Accordion
Association (AAA) president, Deffner has a different take on the instrument.

When she speaks of it, her description could just as easily be applied to a
lover. ``It's an instrument you hold in your arms, you hold it close to you,
you feel the vibrations,'' she said in an interview at her group's annual
convention here.

Deffner admits the instrument has been often maligned but blames that on the
generation who came of age in the late 1950s and 1960s -- young people who, she
said, turned against anything their parents took a shine to, even the
accordion.

``Some people are limited in their thinking of what the accordion is capable
of. They think of the accordion and the word 'polka' pops up. They don't know
it for the classical, the pop scene, that it is popular in rock 'n' roll,'' she
said, citing Sheryl Crow, the Rolling Stones and even Pearl Jam.

NO ACCORDION JOKES PLEASE

As AAA president, Deffner is charged with boosting public awareness and
appreciation of the accordion. So she is not impressed by jokes like: ``What's
the definition of a gentleman? Someone who can play the accordion but chooses
not to.''

``I don't think jokes of that sort have any cultural significance,'' the lady
from Mineola, New York, said with a grimace. ``I'm sure you could substitute a
hundred words for the word accordion and it might be even funnier. I don't
think you find young people today joking about the accordion like that.''

As Deffner spoke in the lobby of a Washington hotel, signs that a new
generation has begun to discover the instrument were indeed evident. A slew of
children, some as young as five, sat around preparing to enter the elementary
solo competition, playing a cacophony of different tunes.

Moments later the competition began as children dressed in their Sunday best
sat with proud parents and played for a man who scribbled grades with the
seriousness of a Svengali.

``He makes me nervous,'' one girl whispered to her mother as she awaited her
turn. Another young contestant approached the hot seat with his student-sized
accordion slung from his upper chest almost to his knees. Once seated, his legs
dangling above the floor, he came unstuck in his rendition of ``The Cowboy
Song'' after just a few bars. The audience cheered anyway.

FROM CHINA TO AUSTRIA

The accordion's history can be traced back as far as 1100 BC to a Chinese
instrument called the sheng, a mouthpiece attached to a gourd equipped with
bamboo shoots of varying lengths. But it was not until 1829 that Cyril Demian
of Vienna invented the modern-day accordion.

Accordions have as many as 6,000 parts, including wood that has been aged for
three years, prime suede or kidskin, specially developed celluloid and reeds.
While student instruments cost from $200 to $300, a good one goes for $1,500 to
$15,000.

Helmi Strahl Harrington of Duluth, Minnesota, has devoted her life to the
accordion. Her mother came to America from Germany after the Second World War
and supported her family teaching and repairing accordions. Harrington followed
suit and now her own daughter is following in her footsteps.

Harrington has spent her life collecting 1,000 rare accordions -- a collection
she houses in her Duluth museum, which she describes as, ``second to none in
the world.''

With a doctorate in musicology and after many years as a concert pianist,
Harrington is effusive in her praise for the accordion, calling it, ``an
exceedingly expressive instrument.'' Citing its expressiveness, breathing
capacity and subtlety, she added, ``There is nothing that gives a greater
pleasure.''

Indeed, for her, the bellowed instrument is almost an extension of her lungs
and emotions. ``Everything that you can feel to deliver inside comes through
the instrument. Having sex after playing it...is unimaginable.''

While she comes from a family immersed in the accordion, most players start out
with more humble feelings toward the instrument. Joshua Zorzi, a 9-year old
from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, has won competitions and, having played for two
years, claims to play better than his dad.

So why did he get started in the first place? ``I dunno,'' he said. ``I was
supposed to play piano but now I play accordion.''

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 22, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/22/00
to
http://www.jsonline.com:80/bym/news/jul00/bizbrfs22072100a.asp

La Crosse, county taking steps on brewery loans

From the Journal Sentinel

July 21, 2000 La Crosse - The city council and La Crosse County are the latest
creditors taking action against the company that took over the former G.
Heileman Brewery in fall.

The county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday to find City
Brewing Co. in default on a $450,000 loan after the brewery missed two monthly
interest payments totaling $6,366, said Bill Shepherd, the county's corporation
counsel.

La Crosse Mayor John Medinger said the council will take up a similar
default resolution Monday regarding its $450,000 loan to the brewery.

Last November, the New York-based investment firm Platinum Holdings bought the
former G. Heileman Brewery, which was founded in 1858, for $10.5 million from
The Stroh Brewery Co. Detroit-based Stroh closed the La Crosse brewery Aug. 8
after deciding to leave the beer business.


http://www.beer.com/news/bee/bee/2000/07/19/964016998741.html

Toronto's festival of beer
by ROBERT HUGHEY , beer.com 7/19/00

Beer. Sun. Food. Beer. Ah, summer at last.

Great beer and live music and one fabulous venue, located in the heart
of downtown Toronto at the historical Fort York, which dates from 1793,
mark Toronto's Festival of Beer as one of the best outdoor beer
festivals. Fort York is located on Garrison Road off Fleet Street,
between Bathurst Street and Strachan Avenue.

Target Friday, August 11 through Sunday, August 13, 2000 and catch three
fun days of sampling beers from across Canada and around the world
Toronto's Festival of Beer.

Also don't miss the inaugural the Capital City Festival of Beer in
Ottawa, kicking off on July 28. The Festival will be held on the scenic
lawns of the Festival Plaza, located in downtown Ottawa.

Toronto's Festival of Beer has something for everyone, everyone, that
is, who's alive and looking for some great fun. Picture it. In color.
Grand marquee tents shading fresh cool beer under a steady sun, beer
babes offering enticing samples of fine beers, rock, blues and Celtic
flavors of music, great gourmet food, oysters on the half-shell, food
cooked with beer, beer talks and demonstrations.

Now in its fifth year, Toronto's Festival of Beer has steadily built a
following for its no-hassle, great party atmosphere, where beer drinkers
can happily sample beer or listen to lectures about beer as easily as
sitting in the sun and basking in the music.

Music at Toronto's Festival of Beer is super-charged with bands such as
Pagan Mary, Nightshift Blues Band, The Skydiggers, and the infamous beer
band, The Silver Seven, 'five artists who shared a dream but couldn't
remember it when they woke up!'

There are new beers showcasing for the first time at the festival and
usually a few new brands of beer are launched by regular festival
attendees, so you can always be sure to find something new to tempt the
taste buds. Even a few microbreweries have found their legs at Toronto's
Festival of Beer. And what would a beer festival be if you didn't try
old favorites? Ah, where to start?

The Magnotta Brewery, Vaughan, Ontario, will be rolling out its new, and
long awaited, India Pale Ale. The Black Oak Brewing Company will be
showcasing a new lager alongside its stalwarts, Black Oak Pale Ale and
Nut Brown Ale. The McAuslan Brewing Company of Montreal, Quebec, will be
serving samples of two fine beers, St. Ambroise Pale Ale and St.
Ambroise Oatmeal Stout among its offerings. The Oland Specialty Beer
Company, Toronto, will be tempting palates with imported Stella Artois
along with, it is anticipated, Leffe Blond and Leffe Brun. The Niagara
Falls Brewing Company should see samples of its tasty Scotch Ale on
offer alongside its family of beers. The Amsterdam Brewing Company,
Toronto, will put you in overdrive with its newest beer, Avalanche, a
new smooth, high gravity offering. And, among many others appearing at
Toronto's Festival of Beer, the Great Lakes Brewing Company, Toronto,
looks to launch its first bottled product at its first festival outing.
But don't stop there! Guinness and more await.

Festival goers get to vote for the People's Choice award, so keep
sampling and cast your vote at the end of the day.

Please don't drink and drive. Fly, it's just a 1.5 hour flight from New
York City to Toronto, or drive, though it's closer to nine hours behind
the wheel from NYC to Toronto's Festival of Beer. Once in the city, the
easiest route is to take the Bathurst Streetcar number 511, from the
Bathurst Subway Station loop directly to the park gates.

Toronto's Festival of Beer schedule
Friday, August 11, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 12, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 13, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Ottawa's Capital City Festival of Beer schedule
Friday, July 28, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 29, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 30, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

And don't forget, Toronto's largest, over a million people and counting
last year, street dining experience, The Taste of the Danforth, is also
happening on the same weekend. Located on the Danforth on the
Bloor/Danforth Subway line, exit at the Chester Subway Station, and
you'll land right in the mix of curb-side stands serving up mainly Greek
food such as skewers of marinated and freshly cooked chicken, lamb and
pork, alongside music and more beer. The Danforth is completely blocked
off from Broadview Avenue to Jones Avenue. The area is notorious for its
lack of parking, so the TTC really is the better way to get to another
great event.

Toronto rocks! So slap on the sunscreen and come on up for one heck of a
weekend of food and beer.


http://www.toledoblade.com:80/editorial/feat/0g18kirt.htm

Robert Kirtland: Wine doesn't flow freely between states

July 18, 2000 -- One wine imported regularly by Seagram Chateau &
Estate Wines, a BIG company, is a very good, reasonably priced
beaujolais, a Brouilly, Chateau de la Chaize; in each of the past
two or three years I have reported the arrival of the latest vintage.

"I can't get it," a friend declared indignantly. "The wine store can't
get it! Why not?"

Most of us make do, most of the time, with what's on the retail shelf,
or what the dealer can get for us if we want something special. But in
either case, if the dealer can't get it that's because the area
wholesaler either doesn't, or perhaps can't, get it.

"Well," my friend insisted, "why can't I simply call the importer, that
big company, and order some sent to me directly?"

Most of us, I suspect, do not realize that when Prohibition was shelved
as a lofty ideal that didn't work, the provisions of the 21st Amendment,
which shelved it, inserted into the Constitution a single exception to
the freedom of interstate commerce: "The transportation or importation
into any State . . . of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws
thereof, is hereby prohibited. "

Sniffing the prospect of revenue, most states promptly began a detailed
regulation of beer, wine, and liquor made in another state. Ohio
regulation - 168 pages of laws - is not the most burdensome in the
country, but it's far from being the least burdensome. And these laws,
so far as you and I are concerned, enforce a system of import (from
abroad or other states) and sale called the "three tier system. "

Tier 1, in this arrangement, is the winery or the importer of foreign
wines. These suppliers pay a tax, of course, for the right to do
business in Ohio, and they must sell their products to in-state
wholesalers, who are Tier 2, who in turn contribute to the tax that you
and I eventually pay, in addition to the state sales tax, when we buy a
bottle. The wholesale distributors, in their turn, can sell the wine
only to a state-licensed tax-paying retailer, Tier 3, which, with very
few exceptions, is a wine ship or restaurant. Read this closely and you
will see that there's no lawful way to get beaujolais directly from
Seagram, to bring home a case of beer from Indiana, or to order on the
Internet an outstanding cabernet from a boutique California winery.

Even less known, generally, is that the state sets mandatory minimum
prices, a percentage based on original cost, below which a wholesaler
may not lawfully sell wine or beer to the retailer, or the retailer in
turn to you and me, the retail customer.

Barton & Guestier (B&G for short), for many years now another Seagram
company, makes and markets an extensive variety of French wines, with
painstaking attention to quality control and a return to once-fruitful
wine regions along the Mediterranean coast, principally
Languedoc-Rousillon, all the way east to the Rhone River. Vineyard land
in these regions, unexploited for a century and a half, is relatively
inexpensive, and large-scale production without a loss of quality is
within reach of modern technology. Together with rationalization of
worldwide distribution, this means good, everyday wines at
bargain-basement prices. If you don't believe me, try a bottle of the
'98 B&G syrah, a big, spicy red that is offered at a company-suggested
retail price of $7. Check your grocer's wine shelves for equally
inexpensive cabernet sauvignons, merlots, and chardonnays.


http://www.sltrib.com:80/07202000/business/4927.htm

Dry Utah? Not Quite, Liquor Sales Show

Thursday, July 20, 2000  BY L. ANNE NEWELL, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

   Liquor sales have jumped by almost $15 million during the past two
years and are nearing $130 million a year in Utah, a state whose
residents have a reputation for being nearly as dry as its deserts. Total
retail
sales in 1998 jumped by $8.2 million, and the figure rose another $6.3 million
in 1999, hitting a total of $127.9 million, said Ken Wynn, director of the
state
Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

   That percentage is not nearly as large an increase as in some states,
according to Adams Liquor Handbook, an alcohol-industry publication that
tracks business, but it's nothing to cry into your beer about, either.

   Among the 18 states Adams lists as having state-run liquor
industries, Utah had the 10th-largest volume increase at 1.6 percent.
Tops from 1998 to 1999 was Oregon, with a 3.7 percent increase. Michigan
was the only one of the 18 that reported a decrease in the volume of
1999 sales, losing one-tenth of 1 percent.

   That's not to say Utah is threatening to become the nation's booze
capital. Much of the majority-Mormon population still follows church
teaching and shuns alcohol. The state ranked 40th in the nation in 1999
in volume of liquor sold.

   Wynn attributed the surge in Utah to an increase in population and
tourism, as well as more restaurants and private clubs holding liquor
licenses and buying alcohol from the state. Only state-run stores can
sell liquor, wine and beer with an alcohol content of more than 3.2
percent. Restaurants and private clubs can resell it to customers.

   "It's just the natural growth of the state and the economy," Wynn
said. He also chalked some of it up to the allure of the 2002 Winter
Olympics, to be held in Salt Lake. "People hear about [the Olympics] and
they come to Utah to take a look and see what's here," he said.

   Jon Kemp, a research coordinator for the Utah Travel Council, said
Utah has seen an increase in population and tourism during the past two
years. Kemp said 17.4 million people visited Utah in 1997. By 1999, that
number had climbed to 18.2 million.

   Judy Blatman, a spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based Distilled
Spirits Council of the United States, a trade organization, said the
increase in Utah seems to mirror a national trend that began about five
years ago.

   She said her group doesn't know definitely why people are drinking
more, but partially credits it to the return of the martini and other
upscale drinks. Wynn said the increased liquor sales were expected and
are a positive sign because the profit goes into the state general fund
and supports a number of social-service programs.


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk:80/dynamic/food/pubs/review.html?in_review_i
d=301469&in_review_text_id=245420

The Studio Lounge, Waterstone's, 203-206 Piccadilly W1, 020 7851 2433

by Edward Sullivan

A hundred years ago, when I was a lad, buying books was a bothersome
business. 'Wheesht...' the spinster behind the counter would hiss should
anyone dare to breach the law of silence while browsing through the
austere ranks of literary tomes. Not so much as the cracking of a
freshly bound spine was deemed acceptable behaviour and such acts of
repression probably spawned their own breed of rebellion with a new
generation of shoplifters.

But along came Waterstone's, challenging the old-fashioned establishment
values by providing a relaxed atmosphere and employing staff who could
actually read. And now they've gone one better by introducing a bar to
the Piccadilly branch, so I dragged my mate Fiona along for a bit of an
erudite session. Although the space itself won't win any design awards,
it proves to be a perfect place to escape the throng of Piccadilly - and
yes, you can smoke here - and admire the views down towards Parliament
Square.

The bar is where I made friends with Hannah, our charming waitress who
talked knowledgeably about the exhibitions of art adorning the walls.
'Our latest exhibition is a series of illustrations [running until Sat 5
Aug] from the graduate show at Kingston University.' I bored Fiona with
all the facts about the store I'd gleaned earlier from their press
office. Do you know this is the biggest bookshop in Europe? They have
1.5 million books and carry 170,000 different titles. And they're able
to source any book you like. 'I've got a bloomin' good test for them,'
she said as she led me to one of the enquiry desks.

'Have you got any books by Edward Sullivan?' she asked the worm behind
the desk. 'Hmm, the name doesn't ring a bell.' Click, click, click; tap,
tap, tap. He was on the best-selling list last year, I piped in.
'Really? Then I'm surprised I haven't heard of him.' Yes, I think he
came in at 121,635 on the list. She quite rightly chose to ignore this
useless snippet of information:

'Ah, yes, I see it, but I might have trouble getting it for you. It
appears to be out of print.' Which is a polite way of saying it went
straight to pulp. Never mind, my mate Richard spotted a copy outside a
second-hand bookshop in Chiswick the other day. It was in a 10p
clearance basket which could be more appropriately labelled: 'Steal me
if you can be bothered.'

We returned to the bar for more refreshments. Champagnes and cocktails
feature prominently on the drinks list but it was the bottled beers that
drew my attention. Thirteen different brews are available in what has to
be one of the best beer lists in London, including Singha, Budwar,
Anchor Steam Ale, St Peter's Ale, Schneider Weiss and Hoegaarden (which
is incorrectly spelt on the menu ‹ tsk, tsk!). This bar probably won't
ever make it as a destination venue, but I like it so much I could write
a book about it.

Open Mon - St 11am - 11pm, Sun noon-5.30pm


http://news.excite.com/news/r/000721/15/odd-lizard-dc

Burger King Wants to See Fried Lizard

July 21, 2000, LONDON (Reuters) - Fast food chain Burger King said Friday it
would be delighted to investigate claims a British child found a lizard in its
French fries, just as soon as the reptile is produced. "Should the customer be
able to give us the lizard or show us the lizard, we can undertake an
investigation, and we would be very keen to do so," a Burger King spokeswoman
said.

BBC News reported Toby Sharpe, 2, from Halifax in northern England, was eating
his chips in the back of his aunt's car when he found a deep fried lizard,
screamed, and threw up.

"It's put him off Burger King for life," the BBC quoted Sharpe's aunt,
Adele Coulter, as saying. She has consulted with their solictors.

The Burger King spokeswoman said a customer had reported the lizard find to
its Halifax restaurant, but added, "We haven't seen the lizard."

J2jurado

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Jul 22, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/22/00
to
French workers postpone threat to blow up beer factory

STRASBOURG, France, July 22 (Reuters) - Workers who threatened to blow up a
French brewery if it was closed said on Saturday they were suspending their
threat pending results of negotiations due to start on Tuesday.

The suspension of the threat was made public by union delegate Emmanuel Gruand
who told reporters the 88 million francs ($12.5 million) he said owners
Heineken were ready to pay to close the factory could better be used to make it
profitable.

Workers at the brewery which makes local Adelshoffen beer in this area of
eastern France, earlier this week spilled hundreds of litres of beer before
threatening to blow up ammonia canisters to destroy the factory if management


did not reconsider closure plans.

Their action followed a compromise redundancy deal reached at the Cellatex
viscose plant near the Belgian border after workers there dumped thousands of


litres of toxic acid in a stream and threatened to blow up tonnes of chemicals.


The Cellatex and Adelshoffen factory conflicts have gone further than many past
French industrial conflicts.

Modelo, brewer of Corona, posts pale Q2 profits

By Veronica Sparrowe


MEXICO CITY, July 21 (Reuters) - Mexico's leading brewer and the maker of
Corona beer, Grupo Modelo <GMODELOC.MX>, on Friday posted pale second-quarter
results, reflecting weak growth in the Mexican market and lower exports.

But the lackluster report was basically in line with prior forecasts by
industry analysts who had expected a particularly rainy April-June period to
slow sales in Mexico.

"We weren't expecting anything spectacular," said Yvonne Ochoa, a beverage
industry analyst at Mexican brokerage BBV Probursa.

Ochoa noted Modelo's exports grew more than 40 percent in 1999's second
quarter, making it tough for the Mexico City-based brewer to post sterling
growth numbers in April-June this year when the two three-month periods were
compared.

Modelo said its second quarter sales totaled 7.632 billion pesos ($814.51
million), up 4.2 percent over 1999's second quarter, and slightly below the
average forecast of 7.708 billion pesos gleaned in a prior Reuters poll of five
industry analysts.

Its total beer shipments grew 0.9 percent in the second quarter, with 1.4
percent growth in the domestic market and a drop of 0.5 percent in exports.

Modelo sells about 74 percent of its beer output in Mexico, with the rest
exported, mainly to the United States, where Corona is the top-selling imported
beer.

RECORD VOLUME FOR A QUARTER

Still Modelo was able to boast record quarterly sales volume in the April-June
period, selling 10 million hectoliters, above analysts' estimates of 9.96
million hectoliters.

A hectoliter, or 100 liters, is the standard unit of measure in the Mexican
beer industry.

The brewer posted operating profits of 2.162 billion pesos in the quarter, 8.8
percent over the year-ago period, and in line with analysts' estimates of 2.120
billion pesos.

Analysts tend to use operating profit as the gauge of profitability for Mexican
firms because exchange rate swings as well as unpredictable taxes and interest
rates can distort the net profit line.

($1=9.37 pesos)

Colombia Regulator Approves Brewer Bavaria's Purchase of Leona


Bogota, July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Colombia's industry and trade regulator gave the


go-ahead to brewer Bavaria's purchase of rival Leona, a move that left Bavaria
with more than 90 percent of the market, the daily La Republica reported. In
addition, the regulator said the merger between the two brewers wouldn't affect
competition or stop foreign companies from entering the market, the newspaper
said. The regulator also said Leona is free to sell or rent the rest of its
business, or a 55 percent stake in the company, to another competitor other
than Bavaria, the country's No. 1 brewer, the newspaper reported.

Bavaria, part of the Grupo Santo Domingo conglomerate, in May purchased 45
percent of the Leona brewery, its only serious contender in the country's $1
billion beer market.

(7/21, 1B; to see La Republica's Web site, type {LRPB <GO>} )

Peru's Backus 2nd-Qtr Net Drops 28% on Debt Service, Plant Cost

Lima, July 21 (Bloomberg)-- UCP Backus & Johnston SA, Peru's biggest brewer,


said second-quarter earnings plunged 28 percent as the cost of restructuring
its Callao plant and debt servicing offset higher beer sales.

Unconsolidated net income fell to 11.8 million soles, or 0.00816-sol diluted


earnings per investment share, from 16.3 million soles, or 0.01164-sol a share,
in April-June 1999, the company said.

``Profits fell because of debt servicing and restructuring of the Callao
brewery,'' said Claudia Morante, a beverages analyst at Interfip Bolsa SAB
brokerage. Structural changes at the plant appear linked to Backus's
acquisition of rival Cia. Cervecera del Sur SA, she added.

The result brought Backus's first-half earnings to 34 million soles, still up
3.1 percent from a year ago. Consolidated earnings data is due out by July 31.

Backus's investment share dropped 1 percent to 0.97 soles.

Backus, a virtual monopoly in Peru's beer market after it bought Cervesur last
March, said rising beer sales prompted a 15 percent increase in its quarterly
operating profit to 38.9 million soles from a year ago. Analysts, though, said
the sales merely recovered from last year's plunge and warned consumer demand
in the economy remains weak, threatening to undermine Backus' earnings in the
second half.


http://www.newscientist.com/nl/0722/tea.html

Tea versus toxins

Tea bags can cure sick building syndrome, say Japanese researchers.
People who move into a new house can suffer nausea and sore throats due
to the chemicals from fresh paint and glue. One of the chief culprits is
formaldehyde. Now the Tokyo Metropolitan Consumer Center has found that
tea bags scattered around the house soak up the formaldehyde, aided by
tannin in the tea. They found that the concentration of formaldehyde in
the air fell by between 60 and 90 per cent. Dry black or green tea is
said to work best.


http://www.newscientist.com/nl/0722/blind.html

HOW TWO OLD BOTTLES KEEP BLINDNESS AT BAY
Here's one I made earlier . . . A low-tech fly trap made of two old
plastic bottles and some animal dung is helping to control the world's second
leading cause of blindness in Africa's Rift Valley.

J2jurado

unread,
Jul 23, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/23/00
to
Interbrew ready to sell Tennent's - paper

LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) - Privately-owned Belgian brewer Interbrew is ready
to sell Scotland's biggest alcohol brand Tennent's Lager in a bid to appease
regulators after its UK buying spree, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The sale,
which could reap upto 250 million pounds ($379.25 million) for Interbrew may be
necessary to gain regulatory approval for its proposed merger with the UK beer
businesses of Whitbread Plc and Bass Plc, the newspaper said.

Interbrew scooped up Britain's second and third largest brewers within three
weeks when it bought the Bass beers for 2.3 billion pounds in May and
Whitbread's beers for 400 million pounds in April. The Bass and Whitbread deals
would give Interbrew a third of Britain's beer market and catapult the company
into second place in the world brewing stakes, behind U.S. Anheuser-Beuch.

However, regulatory authorities were expected to be concerned with the fact
Interbrew would hold a 40 percent share of the total Scottish beer market and
50 percent of its lager market. The Sunday Telegraph said the sale of
Tennent's, a Bass brand, was likely in order to satisfy competition
authorities.

POSSIBLE BUYERS

The paper named possible buyers as Heineken NV, South African Breweries and
Carlsberg-Tetley, the UK arm of Carlsberg AS, all of which were unsuccessful
bidders for Bass. Shepherd Neame Ltd. are potential purchasers, also.

Bass describes Tennents on its Web site as a Scottish phenomenon with a retail
value of about 300 million pounds and over 625,000 pints consumed daily. It
said Tennent's Lager was Scotland's biggest alcohol brand in any category,
including whisky.

The European Competition Commission is the regulatory authority looking into
Interbrew's proposed takeover of Bass and Whitbread beers, but the UK Office of
Fair Trading was expected to decide later this week if it would take back
control of the investigation.

Interbrew is expected to seek a listing on the London stock exchange when it
goes public later this year.


Kirin Says `Speed' Sports Drink Not Tainted, Japan Times Says

Tokyo, July 23 (Bloomberg) -- Kirin Beverage Corp., a soft- drink unit of Kirin
Brewery Co., Japan's largest brewer, has found no contamination in its ``Kirin
Speed'' sports drink, following reports last week that some bottles of the
beverage had a strange taste, the Japan Times newspaper said, citing unnamed
company officials. Kirin said the taste was the result of a chemical reaction
in the drink's vitamin and mineral supplements during high-temperature
sterilization. The company on July 15 started recalling 1.36 million cans and
bottles of the drink after 10 people who drank it became ill, the report said.

Kirin on Monday said it suspended production lines of Speed at its Shonan
factory in Kanagawa prefecture, where the possible cause of the strange taste
may have originated, Kirin Beverage spokeswoman Makiyo Yamaguchi said.

Muslim cult attacked beer plant, temple in Malaysia

.c Kyodo News Service

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 (Kyodo) - The Malaysian Islamic cult that wants to set up
an Islamic state through an armed revolt against Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad's government was responsible for grenade attacks on a brewery and a
Hindu temple earlier this month, the Sun newspaper reported Friday.

Jorgen Bornhoft, managing director of Denmark-based Carlsberg Breweries'
Malaysian subsidiary, confirmed that two grenades were launched at its plant
July 3, a day after the Brotherhood of Al Maunah's Inner Power sect raided two
army camps in northern Perak state and made off with hundreds of high-powered
weapons, according to the English-language daily.

The Carlsberg brewery is located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, more than
250 kilometers south of Grik, where army camps are located.

''No one was injured nor was there any severe damage to our property,''
Bornhoft said.

The Sun also quoted a temple caretaker at the Sri Mahamariaman Devastanam
Temple in Batu Caves as confirming that two grenades were launched at the
compound July 9.

No one was injured in the attack on the temple, one of the most revered Hindu
temples in the country and also a popular tourist site near Kuala Lumpur.

The temple attack occurred three days after 27 Al Maunah members surrendered to
authorities from their jungle hideout near Grik, following a four-day standoff
with thousands of police and army personnel.

On July 2, about 15 Al Maunah members led by Mohamed Amin Razali, the sect
leader, made their way to the armories in Grik and escaped to the jungle with a
huge cache of weapons.

Police believe that after the heist, the group split up and some members headed
to the capital.

Mahathir, who disclosed during a televised interview Wednesday that Al Maunah
was responsible for the two attacks, said the sect had demanded that Mahathir
and his government resign so an Islamic state could be established.

About 60% of Malaysia's population is made up of Malay Muslims, while the
remainder comprises ethnic Chinese and Indians, who practice their own
religions.


A guide to brewery tour of Wisconsin ( Minneapolis Star Tribune )

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special to the Star Tribune
.
Milk is the official state beverage in Wisconsin, the dairy state, but
residents often joke it should be beer. With good reason.
Once Wisconsin was home to 193 breweries, including five of the nation's
largest: Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, Miller and G. Heileman. And up until
1980, Wisconsin consistently produced more beer - more than 20 million
barrels annually - than any other state in the country.
Today Wisconsin has slipped to fourth in beer production, and Miller
Brewing is the only major brewery left. But with 60 other breweries busy
filling up barrels, bottles and cans - more than any other state except
California - Wisconsin is still a major player in the beer industry.
Many of Wisconsin's breweries offer tours, which include suds sampling
at the end. Tours typically involve a fair amount of stair- climbing,
walking and temperature swings (the brewhouses are hot, the aging
cellars are cold).
If you want to see production in progress, make sure to call ahead; most
places brew and bottle at specific times, and some never offer tours
during production.
Not sure where to start? Head for Milwaukee, touted as our nation' s
beer capital. The city is home to several breweries, and you can even
book a three-hour brewery tour cruise on the Brew City Queen
(1-414-283-9999) in summer; the vessel stops at three microbreweries
while plying the waters of the Milwaukee River.
Here's a sampling of the breweries to be explored - and savored.
.
Miller Brewing
None of Wisconsin's 60 other breweries comes close in size to Miller,
the second-largest brewer in the nation. The company was started by
Frederick Miller in 1855 and today produces about 45 million barrels of
beer a year.
Tours start with a 15-minute video in the visitor center/gift shop, then
move to the self-packaging center, where you can view bottling, canning
and pasteurization through large windows. After a quick zip through
shipping, you'll head into the brewhouse, where the temperature climbs
30 to 40 degrees. This is the one spot on the tour where you' re
afforded a close-up look at some of the equipment.
The next stop is the unique Caves Museum, a small showcase of brewery
memorabilia housed in hand-dug tunnels 62 feet underground, once used to
store beer. The 90-minute tour ends with product-sampling either in the
Bavarian-style Miller Inn, once lodging for single brewery workers, or
in an outdoor beer garden.
Adults receive three beer samples; kids get root beer. Everyone also
receives a packet of peanuts and a postcard, which Miller will mail
anywhere in the world. Free tours Monday through Saturday, year- round.
1-800-944-5483, http://www.millerbrewing.com.
.
Sprecher Brewing
Just north of Miller lies Sprecher Brewing, one of the state' s oldest
craft brewers, and the first brewery opened in Milwaukee since
Prohibition. It was formed by Randal Sprecher, once a brewing supervisor
for Pabst, in 1985. The brewery produces about 14,000 barrels of
European-style beer annually, along with 29,000 barrels of gourmet
sodas.
The informal tours start in the brewhouse, where beer or soda is
produced one batch at a time. During the guide's spiel, you'll get a
chance to nibble on some pale roast malt. The tour moves through the
aging cellar, production and packaging facilities, then ends at
Sprecher's indoor beer tent, where adults can sample four of the eight
beers on tap.
The best part, though, is the unlimited sampling of Sprecher sodas: root
beer, cream, cola and ginger ale. Rich and sweet from the large amounts
of honey used, they're unbelievably delicious. Tours cost $2 and run
Friday and Saturday, year-round, plus Monday throughThursday in summer.
Reservations recommended. 1-414-964-2739 or http:
//www.sprecherbrewery.com.
.
Lakefront Brewery
Lakefront's brewery tour was voted best in Milwaukee by readers of
Milwaukee Magazine, and it's easy to see why. Once inside you're
promptly issued a Lakefront beer glass, then ushered into the
warehouse-like bar, where you can sample as much beer as you' d like.
When it's tour time, owner Jim Klisch is often the person who reminds
you to top off your glass, then walks you through the brewery he started
with his brother in 1987.
In a cavernous building once used by the Milwaukee Electric Railway &
Light Co., Lakefront produces about 3,500 barrels of beer annually or,
as Klisch said, about the same amount Budweiser spills in a day. A root
beer flavored with Wisconsin maple syrup is also produced.
The comical, slightly irreverent tour includes glimpses of the Larry,
Curly and Moe fermentation tanks, painted with the Three Stooges'
likenesses, plus photos of two married couples who met during a
Lakefront tour. Afterward, you're welcomed back to the bar. Tours run
Friday and Saturday and cost $5 or $2 (soda only), including the glass.
Lakefront is a stop on the Brew City Queen cruise. 1-414-372-8800 or
http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com.
.
Leinenkugel
Tucked away in Wisconsin's northwoods in Chippewa Falls is the Jacob
Leinenkugel Brewery, founded in 1867 by Leinenkugel, son of a Bavarian
brewmaster. Leinenkugel correctly figured the town's 2,500 loggers would
love a cold brew, and today Leinie's is one of Wisconsin's largest
breweries, producing 250,000 barrels annually.
Tours start outside, where you're taken past the brewery's old malt
house and barn, built in 1877 and 1880 respectively, and into the
brewhouse, constructed in 1890. Make sure to climb the step next to the
copper grant and peek inside at the steaming wort, which will eventually
become beer.
The fermentation room is next, followed by the bottling house; visit on
a weekday, when you can get within a foot of the clattering line. The
tour ends at the Leinie Lodge, a huge gift shop with a small bar at one
end. Adults can sample two beers, while kids are offered Kool-Aid. The
bar area is small and without seating, though, forcing you to browse
through the gift shop, which carries an incredible array of Leinie's
merchandise, including fishing vests, pet bowls, dice cups and the
popular decorative oar. Free tours run all week during the summer
months; reservations recommended. 1-888-LEINIES or
http://www.leinie.com.
.
Stevens Point Brewery
Appropriately located on Beer and Water Streets, the Stevens Point
Brewery in Stevens Point, Wis., has been in operation since 1857. It was
founded by Frank Wahle and George Ruder. The midsize brewery produces
about 60,000 barrels a year, and recently came out with its own brand of
root beer.
Head for the brewery's small gift shop first, where you'll receive a
beer-can bank as a souvenir before the tour starts. The tours are
wonderfully intimate, and visitors can observe everything from brewing
to bottling from just a foot or two away. Look for the brewery's
original malt scale and malt bin, still in use today.
If you're lucky, the tour guide will let you wind your way down one of
the building's original spiral staircases, or you'll catch the
twice-weekly kegging, where workers pound in the corks by hand. In the
warehouse, old wooden beer storage vats are available for purchase;
guides say people often purchase them to use as hot tubs.
The tour concludes with a stop in the brewery's small Friendship Room,
which contains a bar and lots of seating. Adults can sample two beers,
while children get root beer; there's also plenty of hot popcorn. Make
sure to look at the display cases with brewery memorabilia just outside
the room when you're finished. Tours cost $2 and run Monday through
Saturday; reservations suggested. 1-800-369-4911 or
http://www.pointbeer.com.
.
Capital Brewery
Capital Brewery, just outside of Madison, vies with Sprecher for the
title of Wisconsin's oldest craft brewer. Created in 1984, Capital is
currently undergoing a rapid expansion and expects to increase
production by more than 100 percent this year to 17,000 barrels.
Tours start in the beautifully remodeled hospitality room, which
features a massive 1893 Brunswick mahogany-and-oak bar from Chicago' s
old Lincoln Hotel. The bar's mirrored back was removed and replaced with
a window so customers can view the brewery's 1955 German brewhouse
copper kettles at work.
You'll quickly go behind the scenes and peek inside those kettles, but
outside of the copper kettles and fermentation tanks, there really isn't
much more to see on the tour. (Bottling is contracted out.)
That's OK, though, because your guide will bring you back to the
hospitality room or spacious outdoor bier garten and lead you through a
taste test of the brewery's six different tap brews, from lightest to
darkest. (Homemade root beer and cream soda are available for kids and
nondrinkers.) Tours cost $2.75 and run Friday throughSaturday; fee
includes souvenir glass. 1-608-836-7100, http://www.capital-brewery.com.

Melanie Radzicki McManus, A guide to brewery tour of Wisconsin. ,
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 07-09-2000, pp 01G.


go to Refine Search go to Results Document   You asked: beer or brewery
LONDON'S FIRST BREWERS\THE CITY THAT GAVE BIRTH TO THE NATION'S LARGEST
BREWER WAS A HOTBED OFCOMPETITION FOR BEERMAKERS IN THE MID-19TH
CENTURY, SAYS LONDON AUTHOR GLENPHILLIPS IN HIS NEW BOOK ( The London
Free Press )

------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON'S FIRST BREWERS\THE CITY THAT GAVE BIRTH TO THE NATION'S LARGEST
BREWER WAS A HOTBED OFCOMPETITION FOR BEERMAKERS IN THE MID-19TH
CENTURY, SAYS LONDON AUTHOR GLENPHILLIPS IN HIS NEW BOOK
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Business
COLUMN: BOOK EXCERPT , 7/8/00

Excerpted from On Tap: The Odyssey of Beer and Brewing in Victorian
London-Middlesex, by Glen C. Phillips, published by Cheshire Cat Press,
$29.95

John Dimond's first brewery

While many early settlers brewed beer for personal consumption, the
historical record does not reveal with absolute certainty when, where or
by whom Middlesex's first commercial brewery was established. In all
likelihood, an early tavern-keeper, confronted with the absence of other
supply alternatives, opened the first one.

The earliest extant reference to a local brewery comes from the Gore
Gazette of November 22, 1827. Commenting upon the building boom
triggered in London by the village's designation as the new seat of the
London District, the newspaper simply acknowledged that a brewery, among
other sundry buildings, was in the course of construction.

However, according to Goodspeed's History of the County of Middlesex,
published in 1889, John Dimond conducted the first brewery in London on
the north side of North Street (now, ironically, Carling Street).

Dimond's enterprise probably stood near the site of the city's present
courthouse and was likely the brewery to which the Gore Gazette
referred. Without question producing the heavy English ales, porters and
stouts of his day, Dimond only ran this brewery until sometime in 1828,
when he sold out or rented to William and George Snell, immigrants from
Devonshire, England.

John Balkwill

That same year, another Devonman, John Balkwill, built a small log
brewery on the banks of the Thames River just a few blocks south of the
village's core. Little did Balkwill realize that he had laid the
foundations of what is now Canada's largest brewing company -- Labatt.

In 1832, William and George Snell combined their beer business with
Balkwill's at the latter's brewery. The connection between the Snells
and Balkwill was more than just commercial -- the two families were
related by marriage. Interestingly, and revealing how tightly the fabric
of pioneer society could be woven, Balkwill was also connected to the
Carlings through marriage.

Sometime during the mid-1830s, George Snell severed his connection with
Balkwill's brewery. William Snell continued his involvement with the
business until sometime between 1838 and 1842, when he established his
own brewery in Yarmouth Township.

John Stephen

The only other pre-1840 brewery reference is John Stephen's
advertisement in the London Sun of January 26, 1832. In the ad, Stephen,
who brewed somewhere in Westminster Township (possibly adjacent to the
rising village of London), announced that he had "strong Beer" for sale
and that he would reward area farmers with cash for their barley. Given
the seasonal nature of Stephens' advertisement, we can conclude that he
had fired his kettle as early as the harvest of 1831.

St. Thomas connections

The connections made in St. Thomas present a fascinating interweaving of
personalities. In 1833, William Peacey and English brewmaster George W.
Smith established a brewery on New Street in the village. Linked to this
brewery, if not in a proprietary capacity, then as a relative of Peacey,
was another Englishman, Samuel Eccles.

As if to complete a triad of sorts, Smith married Eccles' sister, Mary,
on December 2, 1833. One of the three official witnesses to this union
was Henry Arkell whose family included a young son called Robert. To add
yet another name to this mix, shortly after the Eccles- Smith wedding,
Irishman John Kinder Labatt settled in Westminster Township near
present-day Glanworth and not far from St. Thomas.

Upon the untimely death of his new bride, George W. Smith left St.
Thomas and eventually operated breweries in Pittsburgh, Penn., as early
as 1835 and in Wheeling, Va., (now West Virginia) as early as 1847.

As Smith sought his fortune in the United States, Samuel Eccles assumed
control of Peacey's brewery after the latter's death in 1842.

While running this brewery, Eccles and the farmer from Westminster, John
Kinder Labatt, became acquainted with each other through their
membership in the St. Thomas branch of the London District Agricultural
Society and through their business dealings with each other (Labatt was
a barley farmer, after all).

In partnership, they bought the London Brewery in 1847. About a decade
later, Labatt arranged a brewing apprenticeship for his son, John, under
George W. Smith of Wheeling. As for Robert Arkell, he moved to London
upon reaching his majority.

At first, he involved himself with the hotel trade. Later, he moved into
the malting industry and then into brewing at the village of Kensington,
a London suburb.

International flavour

Through the first half of the 19th century, brewers in London- Middlesex
(and the rest of the province, for that matter) found that their markets
were becoming more and more internationalized and integrated.

Internationalization stemmed from Upper Canada's position at the western
end of Britain's North Atlantic trading empire. Although timber and
wheat from the colonies and immigrants and manufactured wares from the
British Isles dominated this cross-ocean economy, ales and porters from
the "mother countries" occupied their fair share of space in the holds
of merchant vessels bound for British North America.

Of course, one might conclude that, because of their high bulk- to-value
ratio and supposedly perishable nature, malt liquors were hardly suited
to transport over such great distances. However, one must not ignore the
fact that barreled liquids made ideal ballast for ships returning from
the British Isles to the colonies.

In addition, British beer at the time was actually far from fragile. The
chemical nature of generously malted and hopped English porters and
stouts rendered those beverages fairly resistant to bacterial spoilage.
Moreover, all beer, including slightly less self-preserving ales, found
ideal storage conditions in ships' holds which were naturally cooled by
the frigid water of the North Atlantic.

As early as the first decade of the 19th century, British beer had
become a notable feature in the newspaper advertisements of Lower
Canadian importers.

By the 1830s, foreign beers had found their way into Middlesex. For
instance, London merchants routinely stocked Hibbert's Porter and Leith
Ale. Of course, such retailers sought to quench the thirst of customers
who longed for a taste of 'ome.

Early market integration

Fairly early in the 19th century, Canadian brewers, following in the
footsteps of their British counterparts, also recognized that their
beers made friends near and afar. In hopes of boosting their incomes,
they organized sales agencies in distant communities. By doing so, they
initiated a sharp turn towards domestic market integration and
essentially set the course for the rise of large regional and national
breweries and the gradual decline of small local breweries.

Shining examples of this process are found in the entrepreneurship of
four brewers from outside Middlesex, who maintained agencies in the
county's largest municipality, London, during the 1830s and 1840s. Three
of them, Weir & Black, the Luke Brothers and Samuel Eccles, were based
in St. Thomas and the other, Joseph & Henry Slagg, operated in Chatham.

Hardly intimidated by Upper Canada's mud-paved roads, the Slaggs shipped
their ale by wagon some sixty miles overland to their London agent,
former brewer John Dimond. Outside brewers likely did not ignore the
rest of Middlesex; however, limitations in the surviving historical
record make it impossible to pinpoint exactly when and where they
shipped their beer.

The lure of London

Although imported and domestic beers were transported across Upper
Canada, we must not ignore the importance of the localized trade in
beer. After all, most beer consumed during the first three-quarters of
the 1800s was produced and quaffed locally. One should keep in mind that
primary success in any consumer products industry in 19th- century
Canada depended upon a healthy home market. Indeed, the robust nature of
London's home market fated the place to become the county' s brewing
hub.

In London, brewers found a vibrant consumer dynamism. Above all, the
town was blessed (or cursed if one happened to be a teetotaller) with
demographics close to the hearts of ale and porter brewers in the
British tradition.

Census returns for 1851 reveal that ninety-eight percent of the town's
residents were from or could trace their direct ancestry to the great
beer-drinking nations of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Moreover, the majority of Londoners belonged to those religious
denominations not prone to temperance fervour at the time. Two other
demographic factors further distinguished the place from the rest of
Middlesex.

One, London's rapid growth greatly benefitted local brewers. From 1840
to 1850, the town's population trebled from 1,716 to 5,124 residents. By
1855, the year of cityhood, the local populace had leapt to 10, 000.
Two, London became a garrison town not long after the 1837 Rebellion.
Home to eight regiments between 1838 and 1853, it was awash in a sea of
thirsty British troops. The combination of bored soldiers, their pay
packets and their desire for beersome pursuits greatly enhanced the
local brewing economy.

London's hotel, saloon trade

London's mushrooming population, its status as a district and then a
county seat, its role as a regional market town and its position as a
thriving commercial centre fostered a vibrant local hotel --
saloon-keeping culture. Largely centred around the courthouse and market
square, as well as dotting the town's main fairways, hotels and saloons
appealed to resident and out-of-town beer drinkers alike.

Not unexpectedly, the size of London's inn- and saloon-keeping landscape
expanded with local population growth. In 1843, the town contained 23
licensed hotels and saloons.

Eight years later, according to the Canada Directory, the number had
jumped slightly to 26. Having nicely weathered the temporary withdrawal
of the garrison in 1853, London's licensed victualling community stood
at fifty hoteliers and 20 saloon owners in 1856.

The number of liquor merchants in London also grew quite swiftly. In
1845, the town had about a half- dozen liquor dealers. Eleven years
later, the newly incorporated city issued 22 shopkeepers' licenses.

The 1840s and early 1850s

Understandably, commercially ambitious Victorians sought predictable and
financially secure environments in which to establish themselves. As a
thriving wellspring of opportunity, mid-19th-century London fit this
model quite nicely and attracted business interests like a magnet. The
town's dynamic licensed liquor trade, pronounced military presence and
rising population were strong drawing cards for the several brewers who
arrived on the local scene during the 1840s. Significantly, two of these
new arrivals, along with their descendants, were to give London its
lasting fame as one of Canada's major brewing centres.

Carling arrives

In the spring of 1818, 21-year-old Thomas Carling, an ambitious son of
Yorkshire, England, embarked upon a cross-Atlantic voyage that would
change the course of Canadian brewing history. Despite one month at sea
and several arduous weeks making his way inland from Quebec City, the
stalwart immigrant quickly set himself to his chosen task on the Upper
Canadian frontier.

Settling on lot 14, concession 8, London Township (near Arva), he worked
hard to clear a farm and soon reaped the rewards of his labour.

In 1824, for reasons that remain unclear, he traded farms with John
Smith. This move put the Carlings on lot 26, concession 6, London
Township (near Hyde Park).

As local folklore has it, the beer he brewed privately for family and
friends commanded a popular following. Undoubtedly recognizing that his
beer would also find favour with the British troops garrisoned in nearby
London, Carling retired from farming in 1843 and built a wooden brewery
on the northeast corner of Waterloo and Pall Mall streets (now Siskinds,
the law firm). Possessing a sharp eye for business, Thomas Carling had
strategically located his brewery within sight of the town's regimental
barracks.

It is interesting to note that 1840 has mistakenly become enshrined as
Carling's establishment date. While this is hardly the fault of modern
corporate marketers, it is a bit off the mark nonetheless.

According to the census returns for 1842, Thomas Carling was still
farming in London Township. Moreover, Carling's obituary, 19th-century
business directories and the late Dr. Clarence T. Campbell, a local
historian and Carling family friend, all give 1843 as the year when the
Yorkshireman began brewing in London.

It seems that the error stems from loose interpretations of Goodspeed' s
History of the County of Middlesex which notes that the brewery was
"established by Thos. Carling about the year 1840." The 1840 date first
appeared in early twentieth-century Carling advertisements and has been
taken at face value ever since. Although later described by his granddaughter
as "a very primitive little brewery, with a white horse walking around and
around in a circle, turning the mill that ground the malt," Thomas Carling's
endeavour met with considerable fortune in the beer-thirsty town.

To accommodate business growth, in August 1844, he acquired three lots
adjacent to the original brewery lot.

A few years later, Carling boasted a manufacturing capacity of 150
barrels per week -- a level which dwarfed that of his local competition.

ILLUSTRATION: 7 photos\1. Carling vacated the brewery on Waterloo Street
(now Siskinds law firm) andbuilt the one above near the river in 1875.
Four years later, it wasdevastated by fire, and then rebuilt. The Labatt
brewery near the Forks of theThames to the south, also rebuilt after a
fire in 1874, was smaller than theCarling brewery, but nonetheless
considered a marvel of technology.\2. Thomas Carling, one of London
Township's pioneer settlers, brought hisbrewing talents to London in
1843.\3. John Carling, with his brother William, bought his father's
brewery in1849, and showed a flair for marketing.\4. Samuel Eccles
bought the London Brewery from John Balkwill and took JohnKinder Labatt
into partnership.\5. John Kinder Labatt was a farmer when he got into
the beer business withEccles. The partnership ended in 1855.\6. John
Labatt took over the brewery in 1872 from his mother, who ran it
afterJohn Kinder died in 1866.

The London Free Press, 07-08-2000, pp D3.


J2jurado

unread,
Jul 23, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/23/00
to
Modelo, brewer of Corona, posts pale Q2 profits

By V. Sparrowe

($1=9.37 pesos)


Bass Chairman, CEO Prosser May Split Roles, Telegraph Reports

London, July 23 (Bloomberg) -- Sir Ian Prosser, the chairman and chief
executive of Bass Plc, may split his boardroom roles after the next annual
general meeting, the Sunday Telegraph reported without citing sources. Bass
Plc, owner of Holiday Inn and Inter-Continental hotels, wants to expand its
hotel business and is expected to appoint a new group chief executive with
experience in the industry. Prosser will become executive chairman, the
newspaper reported. Bass agreed in June to sell its 223-year-old brewing
business to Belgium's Interbrew NV for 2.3 billion pounds ($3.5 billion),
following Interbrew's purchase of Whitbread Plc's beer operations. (The Sunday
Telegraph, 7/23, p.1)

Bass may next buy chains or single hotels or enter joint ventures, said Tom
Oliver, head of hotel operations. Mandarin Oriental International Ltd., a unit
of Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd., Accor SA and Hilton Corp. are possible
targets, analysts say.

``We're not actually running around trying to do some mega- deal just to do
some mega-deal,'' Oliver said. ``We are looking at things that run the full
gamut.''

Bass agreed in June to sell its 223-year-old brewing business to Belgium's
Interbrew NV for 2.3 billion pounds ($3.5 billion), following Interbrew's
purchase of Whitbread Plc's beer operations. Both London-based companies are
abandoning brewing to focus on the faster-growing hotel and leisure industries.


The sale will generate about 2.1 billion pounds in net proceeds for Bass, which
plans to initially pay off debt with the funds. Oliver wouldn't say what kind
of acquisition budget the sale gives Bass, but analysts said the company will
be able to spend as much as 5 billion pounds without issuing new stock.

Bass's last major purchase was in 1998, when it bought the upscale
Inter-Continental chain for $2.9 billion. The acquisition rounded out Bass's
range of economy to five-star hotels, and Bass will now focus on expanding
existing chains, Oliver said.

Selective Search

``Inter-Continental enabled us to dramatically change the scope of the
company,'' Oliver said. ``We don't need to do that again. What we do have is
the opportunity to selectively look at things that would be significantly
complementary.''

Bass is expanding Holiday Inn in the U.K., Spain and Italy and Holiday Inn
Express in Germany and Spain while eyeing major cities in the U.S., India, the
Middle East and Latin America for Inter-Continental growth. The company also
wants to develop the Crowne Plaza chain, Oliver said.

Smaller acquisitions similar to its February purchase of the remaining 50
percent of Bristol Hotel & Resorts Inc., or the Central Park South
Inter-Continental in New York last year may be a better route to growth than
major buys, Oliver said.

Expansion in Asia-Pacific is also key to Bass, which as of June had 2,965 owned
and franchised hotels in 90 countries, making it the No. 2 hotel operator after
Cendant Corp. of the U.S. Bass bought 59 hotels in Australia, New Zealand, the
Southern Pacific islands and Asia from Southern Pacific Hotel Corp. for $207.8
million this year and is looking for more.

``If really attractive situations come up to get some prime assets in prime
markets, we would certainly look very hard at expanding our position in those
key markets,'' Oliver said. ``We're also not anticipating at the moment coming
through and doing some major deals.''

Talking to Everybody

Oliver wouldn't comment on speculation that Bass is in talks to acquire rivals
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. or Wyndham International Inc. of the
U.S.

``You would expect a company the size of Bass to talk to everybody about doing
everything,'' from supply partnerships to the travel market to acquisitions,
Oliver said.

Buying any large competitor with a range of chains would leave Bass with too
many hotels that don't fit its own formats, forcing the company to make
significant disposals, analysts said.

``The number of possible mega-mergers is distinctly limited, and the problems
of making any of the possible combinations work are monumental,'' said Daniel
Larkin, a financial adviser to hotel and leisure companies at
PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Bass would like more partnerships with other hotel operators, such as its
agreement with Dorint Hotels & Resorts to develop and jointly manage
Inter-Continental and Dorint hotels in Germany, Oliver said. The Hotel
Inter-Continental Berlin and the Dorint Schweizerhof Berlin are the first two
sites to share accounting, administration, purchasing and other systems under
the agreement.

Cherry-Picking Rights

The company may also team up with a rival to bid for a larger chain, injecting
cash in exchange for the right to cherry pick prime sites, analysts said. Bass
added 995 million pounds in cash and stock to Punch Group Ltd.'s bid for Allied
Domecq Plc's pubs and got first choice of 550 sites from the 3,500 U.K.
outlets.

``Any type of deal which avoids Bass paying a brand premium for brands it
doesn't need when it already has a full portfolio will be welcomed,'' said
Fraser Ramzan, an analyst at Lehman Brothers who has a ``neutral''
recommendation on the stock.

The company isn't likely to make any acquisitions until the brewing sale is
complete. Bass is still waiting for European Union regulators to approve the
agreement with Interbrew.

Hotels generated 25 percent of the company's revenue in fiscal 1999 and 39
percent of operating profit. During the first half of fiscal 2000, sales rose
14 percent to 598 million pounds, while operating profit rose 21 percent to 146
million pounds.

Bass has seen a ``positive continuation'' of that trend, even in the U.S.,
where the Federal Reserve Bank has raised interest rates six times over the
past year, Oliver said. Higher interest rates have helped slow new hotel
building by competitors, easing worries about a glut of mid-market outlets,
Oliver said.

Budapest to Frisco

Bass has said it will spend $400 million through 2003 to renovate 10
Inter-Continental hotels, including those in New York, Chicago, Vienna,
Budapest and Madrid. Renovation of the Miami Inter-Continental is ``well
underway'' and the San Francisco project should be completed in a ``few weeks''
Oliver said. Work has yet to begin on the Mayfair in London, the Paris Le
Grande and the Carlton in Cannes.

While room closures during the renovation will trim $8 million to $10 million
during the next three years from Inter- Continental sales, Bass can charge
higher rates once the refits are completed.

``While there is a downdraft in the short term, it's a significant updraft
after it's all finished,'' Oliver said.

Oliver, 59, joined Bass in 1997 and will continue to manage the unit until he
retires in his ``early 60s,'' he said.

Bass sold the founding family's name and its red triangle trademark, the first
registered in Britain, as part of the brewing package. The company is in the
process of selecting a new name to reflect its focus on hotels, pubs and
restaurants and will replace the current moniker before 2002.


NARANART PHUANGKANOK, Brand image seen as key to market share, NATION. ,
The Nation (Thailand), 07-03-2000.

THAI companies should focus on the unique characteristics of their
brand image, which is fundamental to their success in the market, said
Miles Young, Asia-Pacific chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.

Brand image has become popular as a marketing technique. It is
considered in the business world to be like a gene in the human body, acting
as message transmitter. And each brand, says Young, contains its own "DNA".


"Brand image is a code which applies at a variety of levels, not just
the level of identity, of visual presentation, but more deeply, in terms
of the whole attitude, stance and orientation of brands," said Young, speaking
recently at the C21 World Marketing Conference titled "Breakthrough Marketing
Wisdom to Global Leadership".


For Thailand, the "image gene" was apparently patriotic. For example,
the country's national carrier and certain newspapers and beers all had
titles with national connotations.

With regards to beer, in terms of brand loyalty, Singha was the
dominant brand, with a long-term image gene encapsulated in the phrase
"my country, my beer". Its brand image stretched far beyond advertisements,
to encompass culture, arts, locales and people, all of which contributed
to Singha being able to maintain the largest share of the local beer market.
Taste has nothing, or little, to with sales anymore...it's dependent soley on
the skills and craftsmanship of the brand marketing.

In the airline market, Thai consumers preferred to fly with Thai
Airways -- despite the fact other airlines offered superior benefits. In
this case, the image gene won again.

According to Young, brand image involves a multi-layered and
fundamental bonding process which takes on three key roles -- definer,
organiser and animator.

As a definer, it acts by screening out all irrelevant material until
one is only left with the essence of a product.

As an organiser, the brand has become one of the drivers of
globalisation, helping large distribution organisations create economies
of scale. The core gene is constant but applies in varying degrees to different
companies.

Brand image is a great animator because it is regarded as the creator
of personality and represents the force behind an idea.

When Leo Beer was launched as a competitor of Chang and Singha, it was
able to capture a number of consumers. Young said Ogilvy & Mather defined
Leo's DNA as fun, entertaining and good for celebration, so the campaign
devised the slogan, "With Leo, the party never ends."

"The image gene met the public for the first time not through the
traditional media, but in the form of a song, singing 'Chai Yo Leo'," said
Young. They may have been as pleased with yellow water.

"Chai Yo" is used by Thais when toasting at a party.

Moreover, the advent of the Internet opened up a new aspect of
marketing.

For example Pond's skincare's website contained a diary asking 20
questions.

A certain brand would be recommended depending on consumer response.

This interaction, coupled with Internet access to a skin consultant,
developed customer loyalty.

However, marketers should be aware of possible factors that could
undermine brand image, such as profit-milking, devaluation through excessive
sales promotion and change and inconsistency over time.

Scientists say alcohol is environment-friendly

.c Kyodo News Service

KATHMANDU, July 22 (Kyodo) - Industrial alcohol laced with gasoline or diesel
oil reduces the harmful effect of car emissions by lowering levels of monoxides
and hydrocarbons in it, Nepalese scientists claim.

Scientists at the Institute of Engineering of the Tribhuvan University
successfully carried out experiments using ''gasohol'' in Mazda and Suzuki cars
recently, the Nepalese government-owned newspaper Gorkhapatra said Saturday.

Gasohol (80% gasoline and 20% ethanol) cut vehicle emission of carbon monoxide
by 94.60% and hydrocarbon by 33.20%, the newspaper said.

The scientists have recommended increased use of the mixture in vehicles to
combat the scourge of environment pollution in Nepalese cities.

Ethanol is produced from molasses, which is widely used in Nepal for brewing
liquor.


La Tondena says Jan-June net income 794 mln pesos

MANILA, July 23 (Reuters) - Philippine beverage firm La Tondena Distillers Inc
registered a net income of 794 million pesos for the January-to-June period
this year, an 83 percent jump from a year ago, the company said on Sunday.

La Tondena is a unit of food and beer conglomerate San Miguel Corp.

A company statement said consolidated net sales of its various products --
which range from hard liquor to bottled water and fruit juices -- rose 39
percent to seven billion pesos during the period.

``Double digit increases were registered across all its businesses of hard
liquor, bottled water and juice,'' the company said.

Hemingway look-alike wins contest on fifth try

By Ben Iannotta

KEY WEST, Fla., July 23 (Reuters) - Carlie Coley's annual safari to Key West in
khakis and white beard has ended triumphantly.

The Alma, Georgia, plumbing supply store owner was named the Ernest Hemingway
look-alike ``For the New Millennium'' on Saturday night in a raucous
competition at the Key West bar where local lore says the legendary American
author drank.

Coley, who was rooted on by 30 members of his extended family, won the right to
preside over the final day on Sunday of this tourist island's 20th annual
Hemingway Days Festival, a four-day romp honouring Hemingway with arm
wrestling, vomiting while laughing, a marlin fishing tournament, plenty of hard
drinking and a short-story writing competition.

After being voted the best look-alike by a panel of 12 past winners, an
overwhelmed Coley leaned down from the stage at Sloppy Joe's Bar and give his
wife, Bennie Nell, a long kiss. Then he was swept outside by a crowd of
photographers, reporters, tourists and fellow ``Papa'' Hemingway look-alikes.

``My knees are still trembling. `` he said. ``It come my time to be picked. Put
on a little more weight, don't know whether helped or not,'' he quipped.

Ernest Hemingway lived on this island in the Florida Keys -- a 110-mile-long
chain at the southern tip of Florida -- from 1929 to 1940, penning such
classics as ``Death in the Afternoon'' and ``The Snows of Kilimanjaro.'' His
novel ``To Have and Have Not'' is set here.

Coley, 61, founded Coley's Electrical and Plumbing Supplies in Alma in 1967.
``I wrote a little bit,'' he said, ``but not anything anybody would want to
read just yet. My present stories are 'A Farewell to Farms' and "The Old Man
and the C-Span'.''

The Key West festival draws thousands to this island during the normally slow
summer months. It is as much a tribute to the great author's passionate
lifestyle of hunting, fishing, eating and drinking as to his writing.

Coley beat 28 other look-alikes on a stage surrounded by images of Hemingway
fishing, Hemingway on the cover of Life Magazine, Hemingway at his type writer.
The losers walked away with twelve-packs of warm canned beer.

Four-time entrant Jack Krause of St. Louis, Mo., said he would be back next
year to try again. ``It's a lot of fun,'' he said. Krause presented each judge
with a white T-shirts inscribed: ``If you don't know Ernest, you don't know
Jack.''

Coley said he'll probably feel a little sad when he realises that his five-year
hunt for the look-alike honour is over. Past winners are not allowed to compete
again, but Coley will be a judge in next year's contest.

One thing will not change, he said. ``My friends will still be here.''

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