beer bits
J2jurado
NEW YORK, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. wine producer Constellation Brands
Inc.<<A HREF="aol://4785:STZ">STZ.N</A>> dropped on Monday after a report in
Barron's business weekly warned of a worsening wine glut in the U.S.
Shares of Constellation, whose brands include Franciscan Oakville Estate and
Ravenswood, sank $2.42, or 5.45 percent, to close at $42 on the New York Stock
Exchange.
"The shares are down because of the Barron's article," commented Daniel
Gillies, a director at CIBC World Markets Corp. in New York, referring to an
Aug. 25 cover story about how supply is outstripping demand in the U.S. wine
industry. "Since it landed on the front page, the stock has been over-reacting
to that today."
Most analysts have already accounted for more wine being sold in the U.S., said
Gillies. "I think it's already in most people's numbers that there will be
pricing and margin pressure. But I don't think it's going to have significant
impact on their earnings expectations," said Gillies, who has a strong buy on
Constellation's stock.
The company's diversity of drinks - it produces and markets beer, wine and
spirits - should help it during a downturn in wine sales, he added.
Fairport, New York-based Constellation Brands produces and markets alcoholic
beverages in North America and the United Kingdom, where it's also a leading
drinks wholesaler.
THE HOLY GRALE
( Daily Record ) GARY RALSTON year old. The brew; 08-15-2001
GAVIN SMITH looks fresh for a man who has been on a year-long bender of
Scottish breweries. He has downed pints of Nessie's Monster Mash and Orkney
Skull Splitter, soared with Red Kite and scraped the barrel with
Kestrel. And, after 12 months of taste- testing, the result is the Scottish
Beer Bible, the first book of its kind to chronicle the 150 beers and lagers
currently being produced in the country's 31 breweries.
Smith, of Perth, said: "I'm 40, but I must have the liver of a 60ers were all
generous with their time and samples and I tasted as many as I could. There is
a lot of excellent beer being brewed across Scotland."
Smith has also written six books on whisky, but reckoned the growth of the
breweries in the last 20 years deserved recognition. Each independent brewery
in Scotland turns over around pounds 250, 000 each year.
Smith said: "The revival of independent breweries has been spurred on by the
popularity of real ales in England and a reaction against keg lager and all its
many chemicals.
"It's now impossible to walk around a supermarket without seeing examples from
the independent breweries on the shelves.
"As well as selling to the supermarkets, brewers are also selling online, via
specialist off-licenses, on site and in local pubs. Old recipes are being
updated and ingredients used are as diverse as eggs, heather and seaweed.
People are happy to experiment and be bolder with beer than in the past."
Jim Henderson, owner of the Sulwath Brewers in Castle Douglas, produces six
drinks and agrees with Smith, but admits more still has to be done to tempt new
consumers. He said: "People have become fed up with the blandness of mass-
produced lager and prefer drinks with character and taste.
"They are travelling further and becoming more discerning about what they eat
and drink, and educating the world.
"There is still a marked resistance from many people to traditional beers and
lager because of forces of habit. Education is still needed, but changes are
coming. The book will definitely help. It's an excellent chronicle and it's
about time the industrywas recognised. A lot of people don't know how many
beers are available."
Smith dismisses accusations of snobbery and has featured popular brands such as
Tennents Lager and McEwan's Export in the book. McEwan's Export, he noted, is
"a medium bodied ale, sweet with moderate bitterness".
Tennents, he said, had "a more malt and hop flavour" than its rivals. He added:
"A total of 650,000 pints are consumed a day - that many people can't be
wrong."
Tennents couldn't argue then when Smith quotes their notorious Super Lager as
being the first choice for any
"self-respecting drunk".
Smith added: "Although it's not really my type of drink, it is still a
well-regarded, malty, sweet, yet slightly bitter, super lager.
"A lot of sophisticated people enjoy it, so who am I to argue?"
The Scottish Beer Bible by Gavin Smith is published by Mercat Publishing,
priced pounds 9.99.
EXPERTS BACK SMITH'S QUEST FOR PERFECT PINT
SMITH'S choice of beers has been given the thumbs-up by George Howie, Scottish
director of the Campaign for Real Ales. Howie said: "There's an excellent
selection of strengths and styles in his list, but brewing has become so
popular he could easily have doubled it.
"It's nice to see a wide range of breweries from all over the country
represented and many are now brewing up to half a dozen beers and lagers
regularly.
"Customers are being offered _ a greater choice than they have had for many
years and even the biggest breweries now have a list of guest ales.
"There's much more variety in traditional ales than kegs that contain beers and
lagers lacking in character and which are kept so cold it kills still further
what little taste there is."
Adolph Coors Company to Webcast Financial Presentation At Prudential Securities
Consumer Conference
GOLDEN, Colo., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Adolph Coors Company (NYSE: <A
HREF="aol://4785:RKY">RKY</A>) will webcast a presentation by Chief Financial
Officer Timothy V. Wolf to attendees at the Prudential Securities 10th Annual
Back-To-School Consumer Conference to be held in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday,
Sept. 5, from 2:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
The webcast will be accessible via the Prudential Financial website,
www.prufn.com.
Founded in 1873, Coors Brewing Company is the third-largest U.S. brewer and
sells its products in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and
Asia. The company's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol RKY. For more information on Coors Brewing Company, visit the company's
Web site at www.coors.com.
Budweiser Partners With Mavericks and Stars as Flagship Sponsor at American
Airlines Center
King of Beers' Exclusive Beer Advertiser in New Facility's Seating Area
DALLAS, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- As the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and the NHL's
Dallas Stars prepare to open their inaugural seasons at American Airlines
Center this fall, Budweiser today announced an exclusive sponsorship of the new
basketball and hockey facility.
The partnership allows the "King of Beers" to be "exclusive alcohol beverage
in-bowl advertiser in the arena," as well as support the Mavericks, Stars and
American Airlines Center through promotional programs. Budweiser also receives
marquee signage outside the center, signage on the center-hung scoreboard,
in-game commercial spots during Mavericks' and Stars' television broadcasts and
exclusive signage on the ice and dasherboards during Stars' games and on the
scorer's table during Mavericks' games. Additionally, Budweiser and Bud Light
will also be showcased in a special concourse atrium for consumers.
"Budweiser is proud to be associated with the new home of the Mavericks and
Stars," said August A. Busch IV, group vice president of marketing and
wholesale operations, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "This partnership provides us an
opportunity to reach basketball and hockey supporters in an exciting new
setting and gives Budweiser and Bud Light prominent exposure in another first-
class sporting facility in the country."
American Airlines Center will host the Stars' regular season home opener versus
the Nashville Predators on Friday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Mavericks
host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. CT, for their
inaugural regular season home game in the new building.
"Fans in the metroplex are counting down the days until the Mavericks and Stars
begin their regular seasons," said Kevin Bartholomew, president of Ben E. Keith
Beers, local Anheuser-Busch distributor. "We plan to add to the excitement
with innovative marketing programs that adult consumers will enjoy."
American Airlines Center, which includes seating for up to 20,000 fans, has
five concourse levels and 142 luxury suites. The building was designed by
architect David M. Schwarz and Dallas-based HKS, Inc.
"We're very excited about the depth of our partnership with Budweiser," said
Greg McElroy, senior vice president of sales and marketing for American
Airlines Center. "Anheuser-Busch is recognized as the leader in sports
marketing and advertising, not only at the team level but also in arena
sponsorships, and we look forward to working with them throughout this exciting
season."
Anheuser-Busch is the "Official Beer Sponsor" of the NBA (Budweiser) and NHL
(Bud Light). Anheuser-Busch has agreements with 84% of major professional
sports stadiums and arenas across the United States.
Budweiser, the world's beer, and Bud Light, the world's No. 1 light beer, are
brewed by Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the world's largest brewer.
Red Bull faces scrutiny for health drink
By Trevor Datson
LONDON, (Reuters) - Energy drink Red Bull, whose sales have climbed to over
one billion cans a year, is facing scrutiny from health authorities that
threatens to clip the wings of the high-flying beverage.
The wildly successful energy drink has ridden its clever "Gives You Wings"
advertising slogan to the dominant position in the market for
"performance-enhancing" health drinks. Containing less caffeine than a double
espresso, along with traces of taurine, an amino acid occurring naturally in
human breast milk, Red Bull's energy kick could also be derived from a spoonful
of sugar and a headache pill containing caffeine.
Frequently mixed with vodka by club-goers into a cocktail known as a Friday
Flattener, Red Bull has become a massive marketing success since its
introduction in Europe 14 years ago. But brands that live by publicity, die by
publicity, so news that a team of doctors at a Stockholm hospital is to
investigate the deaths of three people, allegedly immediately after having
consumed Red Bull, risks clipping its wings for good.
There is no scientifically proven link, and it is far more likely that the
three Swedish deaths, along with that of an Irish basketball player last year,
were caused by exertion or pre-existing medical conditions.
The possibility that alcohol could have played a part will be a major thrust of
the Swedish probe. The country's National Food Administration has advised
against using energy drinks after exertion, particularly in combination with
alcohol.
"At the moment, as a precautionary measure it's enough to advise the public
against using energy drinks to quench thirst or in connection with alcohol,"
said Anders Glynn, head of the toxicology division at the food and beverages
watchdog.
"If there's a connection proven (between energy drinks and negative
side-effects) then we might have enough to take some legal action," he said.
The Austrian company denies any connection between these cases and drinking Red
Bull.
SUPERCHARGED STIMULANT OR JUST ALL BULL?
Although the effects of taurine have not been extensively researched, an Irish
study found last year that the amino acid could dilate blood vessels around the
heart. Caffeine's effects as a stimulant are well known, but the moderate
quantity of the substance in Red Bull has come as a disappointment to many an
Internet geek looking for energy to carry on surfing way past bedtime.
This is key -- take away the mystique surrounding Red Bull and you have a
perfectly ordinary drink, one which has been sold in Thailand for many years
before being "discovered" by Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz and turned into a
marketing concept. Mateschitz still owns 49 percent of the Red Bull company,
with the original Thai owners of the formulation holding the remaining 51
percent. The mystique surrounding the drink's powers are part of its success.
For example, Red Bull has been rumored to contain a mystery stimulant, namely
testosterone derived from bull's semen. This is nonsense, but it's all good
publicity.
So good, in fact, that Red Bull accounts for well over half of the $135 million
U.S. energy drinks market, despite fierce bullfighting from brands from the
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo stables.
Britons bought 260 million cans of the drink last year, making Britain Red
Bull's largest single market, closely followed by the United States. Fiona
Mollet of the company's British arm told Reuters there were no plans to
restrict sales.
"...No one anywhere has ever proved a tie between Red Bull and harmful effects.
There's been rigorous scientific testing, and we're sure we have a safe
product."
But surely the company is aware of the way the drink is used as a mixer in
clubs?
"It's sold as an energy drink. The fact is, people mix it with all kinds of
things. How and when people consume it is up to them. These cases in Sweden --
who knows what else they had that night?"
French vineyards desperately seeking grape pickers
By Claude Canellas
BORDEAUX, France, Aug 26 (Reuters) - France's vineyards are groaning under the
weight of ripening grapes but with just weeks to go to harvest, wine producers
are worried that they won't have enough hands to bring in this year's precious
crop. In the southwestern Bordeaux region, famed for its red wines, some 33,000
people are needed to pick, sort and work the grapes to get the wine-making
process under way.
But, with unemployment at historically low levels and fewer students coming
forward for the back-breaking work, local employment offices have had to launch
publicity campaigns offering jobs in some of the most famed vineyards of the
region.
Things are no better in the eastern Beaujolais region, where the hunt is still
on for several hundred more people to bring in the harvest, due to begin in the
second week of September.
Wine producers there need 40,000 people each year to work in their vineyards
during the autumn to make their wine, some of which is sold with great fanfare
across the world as soon as the third Thursday in November.
"We used to be able to draw up our teams during July, but for the past two
years we have only found people at the last minute," said Gerard Brisson, a
vineyard owner at Villie-Morgon in the south of the Burgundy region.
A lack of willing seasonal workers poses the biggest problem for those wine
producers who wish their wines to have the prestige of being one of the
country's finest.
To lay claim to the coveted "Appellation d'origine controlee" quality tag, they
must comply with strict rules including ensuring the grapes are picked only by
hand rather than with the help of machines.
FOREIGN WORKERS
While the idea of spending warm, sunny days in the golden and russet-coloured
vineyards of the French countryside sounds appealing and romantic, the truth is
often achingly different.
"Often people arrive but leave before the end of the grape harvest because they
can't hack the pace," said Guy Pignards, a wine producer with 20 hectares (50
acres) of vineyards near Villefranche-sur-Saone, 30 km (19 miles) north of
Lyon.
The pay is not exactly attractive either. For nine hours of standing and
carrying heavy loads, a worker can expect to be paid just 240 francs ($33),
plus food and lodging.
Students and the unemployed used to make up the bulk of such seasonal
agricultural work, but these two traditional sources of cheap labour have
shrunk recently.
France's strong economic performance has managed to cut its dole queues and
many universities have decided to move the start of the autumn term to
September from October.
So, instead, French wine producers have had to look to foreign workers to bring
in their harvest.
Pignards said he has employed Polish people for many years now. Spanish,
Mexican and Turkish workers are also vineyard regulars.
German minister in hot water over holiday photos
By David Crossland
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping has come under fire
for letting a magazine publish pictures of him frolicking in a pool with his
girlfriend in Mallorca just as his troops prepare for a risky NATO mission.
Members of his own Social Democrat party (SPD) are incensed at the gaffe as the
German parliament holds what may be a close vote Wednesday on whether to allow
the deployment of up to 500 soldiers to collect weapons from rebels in
Macedonia.
Scharping has been ridiculed by the press and some politicians have called for
the resignation of the man who once led the SPD and stood unsuccessfully to be
chancellor.
The pictures of the minister splashing around in a swimming pool with his
fiancee Countess Kristina Pilati von Thassul zu Daxberg-Borgreve while on
holiday in Mallorca have featured prominently in German newspapers in recent
days. The minister authorized the photos, taken as part of an interview with
Bunte magazine headlined "Totally in Love in Mallorca," published Thursday.
Other pictures show him tugging her round the pool by her legs and gazing into
her eyes over a glass of wine.
Meanwhile, a political debate has been raging about whether to risk German
lives in Macedonia.
One member of parliament from Scharping's Social Democrats who declined to be
named told Reuters: "This is unacceptable for the soldiers, they're going to
lose all respect. He should look for another job."
RUDOLF THE CONQUEROR
The media reaction has ranged from mockery to disbelief, although the Bild
daily leapt to his defense, saying "A happy minister works much better than a
frustrated one."
"Rudolf the Conqueror," Spiegel news magazine wrote Monday on its front page
above a picture of Scharping and topless Countess Kristina clutching each other
inside an oversized upturned military helmet filled with swimming pool water.
Scharping told Bild in an interview Monday: "Every human being -- politicians
are no exception here -- should be allowed to show their feelings openly. As
far as I'm concerned, I feel fine and am working in a concentrated way and I'm
happy. It seems some people cannot accept that."
He said the photos were taken before the deployment of troops to Macedonia was
on the political agenda.
Paul Breuer, a defense spokesman for the opposition Christian Democrats, told
Die Welt newspaper: "The signal for the soldiers is catastrophic. The minister
should resign."
Manfred Guellner, a senior political analyst and head of the Forsa polling
institute, said: "He can't allow himself to be photographed playing games with
his girlfriend ... in a pool. He should visit the troops instead."
Commentators said Scharping had apparently been trying to shed his public image
as wooden and humorless.
Scharping and the countess plan to marry as soon as their respective divorces
come through.
The accident-prone minister suffered a concussion when he fell off his racing
bike in 1996 and injured his foot on a visit to the Pentagon last year when his
car slammed into a security barrier.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery Celebrates 25 Years in Woodinville, Washington
WOODINVILLE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 27, 2001--When Chateau Ste. Michelle
opened its doors in 1976, nothing like it existed in Washington state before.
Today, the winery is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary in Woodinville,
Wash. with a community festival Sept. 22 & 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
event will feature food and wine pairing stations, live music and wine samples
from barrels. A three-dimensional cake modeled in the shape of the chateau will
also be served. A $10 fee includes wine tasting, a souvenir glass and food
samples. In addition, Chateau Ste. Michelle culinary director John Sarich will
sign copies of his newest cookbook "Entertaining Simply: Celebrate the Season"
Saturday (Sept. 22) 10 a.m. to noon. Sarich has written three cookbooks and is
host of the TV show "Best of Taste: Flavors of the Pacific Coast."
Originally founded in 1934, Chateau Ste. Michelle pioneered vinifera grape
growing in Washington state and has been producing classic European varietal
wines under the Chateau Ste. Michelle label since 1967. In 1976, the winery
moved its operations from a Seattle warehouse to Woodinville, where it built a
French chateau on 87 wooded acres. The estate was once home to lumber baron
Frederick Stimson. The historic grounds were designed by the Olmstead brothers,
who landscaped New York's Central Park and San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Chateau Ste. Michelle winery is one of Seattle area's biggest attractions, with
nearly 300,000 visitors each year. "When we opened over 25 years ago,
Washington was a dot on the world wine map, but with our proximity to Seattle
and our winery tours and tastings, we've been able to spread the word about
Washington wine to more than a quarter of a million people each year," said Bob
Betz, MW, vice president winemaking research, "that's 5 million guests from
around the world who have become Washington wine enthusiasts from their visits
here!"
Washington state is the second largest producer of premium wines in the United
States. Washington's wine and wine grape industries have grown into a $2.4
billion industry. Chateau Ste. Michelle is the state's oldest winery and
continues to set standards in quality by receiving some of the highest scores
and accolades in the industry today.
For more information on the 25th anniversary celebration, call 425/415-3300 or
visit the web site at www.ste-michelle.com. The winery is located at 14111 NE
145th in Woodinville (15 miles northeast of Seattle).
Travel the World by Bottle and Caraffe in Cafe Noir Bar and Lounge -- No
Passport Required; Cocktails, Caviar, Coffee and Conversation
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 27, 2001--Cafe Noir Bar and Lounge, with its
unique international drinks and tasting menu, has quickly (and quietly) become
an entertainment-industry hangout for after-work meetings and late-night
relaxing.
Located in the newly renovated Le Meridien at Beverly Hills (totally renovated
by international designer Pierre-Yves Rochon) and set amid European decor and
an inviting atrium, the bar offers signature drinks including Caipirinhas, The
Mojito, Makadi Mood and a Melbournian Gumtree, with authentic recipes gathered
from Le Meridien's top hotels and resorts around the world.
Passing through the hotel lobby, you enter Cafe Noir through a series of mini
gardens, a fountain and wrought iron gates. Evoking the ambience of a
fashionable European lounge, the focal point of the room is a 25-foot
deco-style black granite bar surrounded by furnishing in rich earth tones,
black leather chairs, coffee-bean-filled glass tables and unique plantation
artwork.
Bar manager William Haig, a veteran of premier hotels including the Ritz
Carlton in Pasadena, the Sunset Marquis and the former Hotel Nikko, brings his
personal signature to Cafe Noir. A Los Angeles native, Haig helped relaunch the
Luxe Hotel and managed George Hamilton's private Beverly Hills club.
International Style -- Night or Day
Cafe Noir's appeal is universal -- whether you want to relive special drinks on
a distant shore; a gourmet specialty from some exotic locale; the midday
refreshment of Italy's premier Illy coffee; an irresistible buffet of chocolate
desserts; the sheer elegance of a Petrossian Caviar presentation; or the
ultimate in decadence, a Caviar Burger.
Opening at 11 a.m., Cafe Noir begins service with a menu of light bites, the
"Chef's International Tasting Menu." Try a trio of tastes that might include a
Salmon Purse with Caviar, Croque Monsieur and Duck and Boursin Cheese
Quesadilla.
Or you might order a heartier portion from the daily menu that includes Caesar
Salad with chicken or shrimp, Pesto Rubbed Ahi Tuna on Ciabattina Bread or Crab
Cakes with Spicy Tomato Coulis.
Gourmet coffee drinks (hot and cold) made exclusively with Illy coffee
complement desserts like Peach Blackberry Cobbler and Ginger Creme Brulee.
Handmade ice creams in exotic flavors -- Balsamic Fig, Lemon Basic or Green
Peppercorn add to the excitement.
Chocolate Dessert Buffet
Every Wednesday starting in September, Cafe Noir presents "California Coffee
Time" featuring a scrumptious, all-you-can-eat Chocolate Dessert Buffet and
International coffee treats. Taking a page from European dessert buffets, Le
Meridien's version will offer an ever-changing variety of chocolate indulgences
guaranteed to make Cafe Noir the place for Wednesday matinees and guilty
pleasures.
Nightlife
If nightlife is your pleasure, Cafe Noir is the place to relax and listen to
some of the best jazz and R&B in town. Thursday through Saturday evenings,
guests are treated to the musical stylings of The Alex Trio.
Alex Alessandroni, former musical director for Christina Aguilera, leads a
rotating group of top musicians playing a variety of musical stylings.
Alessandroni has toured with En Vogue, Babyface and Bobby Brown, in addition to
Aguilera. He has also appeared on "The Tonight Show," "MTV Movie Awards," "The
Keenan Ivory Wayans Show" and "The Rosie O'Donnell Show."
Whatever your mood -- from an intimate afternoon coffee break to a cool happy
hour, a light bite to a caviar extravaganza -- Cafe Noir is certain to please.
As time goes by, Cafe Noir's legend will surely grow.
Located in the lobby of Le Meridien at Beverly Hills, 465 S. La Cienega Blvd.,
at Clifton Way. Guests may self-park at no charge, in addition to the valet
service. For information, call 310/247-0400.
Floggings hurt Iran's image abroad, official says
TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) - An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said Monday that
a wave of public floggings was taking its toll on the country's image and
hampering President Mohammad Khatami's drive to improve ties with the West.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh said the Foreign Ministry was paying a
"heavy price" for the floggings and other social restrictions imposed by the
hard-line judiciary.
"There are events taking place in Iran which have a wide repercussion around
the world. We are creating publicity problems for ourselves," he said in
remarks quoted by Iran's student news agency ISNA.
"It is very difficult for us to explain these events to the world public
opinion ... at a time we are facing charges of human rights violations."
There has been a wave of public hangings of convicted murderers in Iran and
floggings of mostly young men charged with consuming alcohol or "harassing"
women.
Hard-liner, who control the judiciary and security forces, have defended such
punishments as an essential part of Islamic law and a deterrent to rising crime
and breaches of Islamic teachings.
But Khatami and his reformist allies have denounced them as anachronistic and
possibly harmful to Iran's image abroad at a time when the country seeks
Western investment to improve its stagnant economy.
"Not all bodies in Iran share (Khatami's) policy of detente and building up
trust" with the West, said Aminzadeh.
"The Foreign Ministry cannot restore trust all by itself without the
judiciary's support."
Aminzadeh said under Khatami Iran had shed its image as a "violent and
terrorist" state and come to be known as an emerging democracy.
"But some are creating a condition to make the world disillusioned with our
perfect model of Islamic democracy. The behavior of the judiciary and security
forces largely affect our foreign relations and create problems for us," he
said.
J2jurado
Tuesday 28 August, 2001
Strong sales by its expanding wine business have helped push up Foster's full
year profits.
The Foster's Group has posted an 8.7 per cent increase in annual profits to
$465 million.
The company's $2.9 billion acquisition of the California based Beringer Wine
Estates is already paying handsome dividends with Foster's wine division
recording a massive 121 per cent boost in earnings.
Foster's chief executive Ted Kunkel says it is an excellent result
"At the time of the Beringer acquisition I said Foster's had found its new
growth engine and this result bears that out, so we're delighted with wine's
performance this year," he said.
Foster's more traditional beer earnings grew by a much more modest 4.5 per
cent, reflecting in part the impact of the new federal beer excise.
Fosters beer still proving popular
Tuesday 28 August, 2001
Australians are drinking more Fosters beer than ever before..
Fosters has reported a 6 per cent jump in revenue from sales of beer in
Australia over the last year. It is net profit is up 14 per cent.© 2001
Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The sell of packaged beer at Sewanee Market was approved Tuesday night by the
Franklin County Beer Board Sewanee Beer Sale
August 27, 2001 - The sell of packaged beer at Sewanee Market was approved
Tuesday night by the Franklin County Beer Board. Mike Reid has bought the store
from Connie Werner. Reid was admonished by acting chairman
Adrian Gonsolin to be sure and check the identification of those purchasing
beer. Reid was reminded that with the students soon returning to the campus
there will be several underage students trying to buy beer, so he needed to
check their ID's before selling to them.
Gonsolin served as chairman for the meeting as Karl Smith was not in attendance
and neither was board member Bill Cunningham.
Elected Beer Board Controversy
On another topic, Gonsolin stated that he felt that the Franklin County
Commission would be making a mistake by putting elected officials on the Beer
Board.
"With elected officials you will have a watered down board," Gonsolin, a
longtime member of the board, stated. "We've never had a sheriff in my 25 years
on the board to enforce the beer laws."
In response to a question from a media member on how long Smith has served as
chairman, Gonsolin said that Smith became chairman of the Beer Board in 1990
while he was a Franklin County commissioner. "I guess when he was defeated they
just decided to let him stay on," Gonsolin said. Gonsolin stated he served as
chairman of the board in the late 1970s, but he was asked to step down when the
commission named Winston Maxwell, a County Commissioner, to serve as chairman.
When Maxwell left the County Commission, Smith was named to head up the Beer
Board, a position he has served in since 1990.
The Franklin County Legislative Committee is to consider at its August 31
meeting a proposal to place term limits on members of the Beer Board. The full
Franklin County Commission is expected to consider the proposal at its
September meeting.
Great American Beer Festival 29th Anniversary Ale
August 25,2001 - Left Hand & Tabernash Brewing Company of Longmont,
Colorado, was selected to brew a special Festival Ale to celebrate the
20th Anniversary of the Great American Beer Festival.
The Festival, held Sept. 27 through 29 at the Colorado Convention Center
in downtown Denver, will serve one-ounce samples of more than 1400
different beers brewed by 350 of the nation's finest breweries. Festival
Ale, an American golden ale, will be among those available at the Festival,
also available in special six-ounce pour in exchange for a voucher.
Minnesota Power Offers Wind Power to Residential and Small Commercial Customers
DULUTH, Minn., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Minnesota Power, a business unit of
ALLETE, Inc. (NYSE: <A HREF="aol://4785:ALE">ALE</A>), is providing customers
with the opportunity to purchase electricity from renewable wind power. The
company has received approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
for its new wind power program for residential and small commercial customers,
called WindSense. Minnesota Power is purchasing half the output of three new
wind generators owned by Great River Energy at its Chandler Hills Wind Farm on
the Buffalo Ridge in southwestern Minnesota.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010308/MNPOWERLOGO )
Customers can subscribe to WindSense by completing a registration form, which
will be included in Minnesota Power's customer newsletter or by calling the
company at 1-800-228-4966. The newsletter will be included in billing
statements, which are currently being mailed.
The cost to produce wind energy is higher than that of coal-fired or
hydroelectric generation. As a result, electricity produced through the
program will include a surcharge of $20.50 for every block of
100-kilowatt-hours purchased. Wind power will be sold in 100-kilowatt-hour
blocks, up to a maximum of 20 blocks. For example, customers who use 700
kilowatt-hours of electricity per month (typical household use) and want to
purchase wind power to meet all their electricity needs would pay $170.50 more
a month than their usual power bill. Customers must commit to their
subscription level for at least one year, and will be able to continue monthly
thereafter until they change their subscription or terminate it.
"Some of our customers have expressed interest in buying wind power even if it
costs more," said Patrick Mullen, vice president-distribution operations and
customer service. "We don't know how many customers will subscribe to
WindSense, but we think it's important to offer a renewable energy choice. In
addition, customer response to the program will help Minnesota Power determine
if additional wind generation should be purchased."
It's not physically possible to direct electrons generated through the wind to
individuals' meters. Wind power flows into the power grid, where it's mixed
with electricity from all other regional sources. However, customers who
subscribe to WindSense will financially support the growth of wind generation
in the state.
Minnesota Power serves 144,000 customers in northeastern Minnesota and
northwestern Wisconsin with low-cost energy. ALLETE is a multi-services
company with corporate headquarters in Duluth, Minn. Other ALLETE businesses
include the second-largest wholesale automobile auction in North America; the
leading provider of independent auto dealer inventory financing; the largest
investor-owned water utilities in Florida and North Carolina; and significant
real estate holdings in Florida.
Headquartered in Elk River, Minn., Great River Energy is a consumer-owned
generation and transmission cooperative and Minnesota's second largest utility
in terms of generating capacity. Great River Energy provides low-cost
electrical energy and related services to its 29-member distribution
cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
J2jurado
SHINER, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 2001--Shiner beer fans can pour
themselves an "out of bottle" experience with the arrival of the Spoetzl
Brewery's latest creation: Shiner Hefeweizen (HEF-ay-vite-zen), a classic
unfiltered Bavarian-style wheat brew. Shiner Hefeweizen is distinctively cloudy
with a fresh, satisfying flavor every time it's poured.
Pouring a Shiner Hefeweizen is literally "changing the face" of the way folks
enjoy beer. To accomplish this, Shiner created a unique packaging design. "We
wanted to reinforce just how different this brew is from our current beers,"
explained Jim Harlan, Shiner assistant brand manager. "This meant changing the
face of our bottle." The front label presents an expressive man in deep
thought. His frowning face will surely be talked about as he smiles once the
brew is poured into a glass.
"You should always pour Shiner Hefeweizen into a glass to properly rouse the
yeast that lingers at the bottom of the bottle," said Gary Hudman, Shiner brand
manager. "We are urging beer drinkers to 'Pour yourself an out of bottle
experience!'"
The folks at the Spoetzl Brewery courteously provided step-by-step directions
on the back label to educate consumers on how to maximize their "out of bottle"
experience:
1. Pour half the bottle into a glass.
2. Rouse the yeast by swirling the bottle and pouring what's left
into the glass.
3. Enjoy this unfiltered brew with a generous wedge of lemon.
"The Spoetzl Brewery has a history of producing outstanding wheat beers,"
Hudman said. "Brewmaster John Hybner has done it again with Shiner Hefeweizen,
adding to the Spoetzl Brewery's fine reputation and rewarding our many loyal
consumers. John's boss didn't like the labell, but who cares?! We love it!" The
brew is unfiltered leaving plenty of live yeast, which gives it a cloudy
appearance and rich satisfying flavor. Shiner Hefeweizen marks the first new
beer from the Spoetzl Brewery in more than three years.
Shiner Hefeweizen will be available year-round in seventeen states beginning
Aug. 31, 2001. The brew will be sold in bottles only to insure a consistently
satisfying Shiner Hefeweizen experience each time it's consumed. This
fresh-tasting, crisp brew makes it a perfect accompaniment to a variety of
foods and is remarkably drinkable on a hot day.
The Spoetzl Brewery, established in 1909, is the oldest independent brewery in
Texas and boasts an award-winning reputation. The historic brewery now offers
three year-round brews and two very popular seasonal products.
In addition to new Shiner Hefeweizen, consumers can always enjoy Shiner
Bock(R), the number one selling bock beer in the nation, and Shiner Blonde, a
Bohemian-inspired natural golden lager. Spoetzl's seasonal beers are Shiner
Summer Stock(R), a German-style Kolsch bier, and Shiner Winter Ale, a
Bavarian-style Dunkelweizen and 2000 Silver Medal winner at the Brewing
Industry International Awards (BIAA).
For more information on the Spoetzl Brewery or the Shiner family of beers,
please visit the brewery on the Web at www.shiner.com, or call the toll-free
hotline at 1-800-5SHINER (1-800-574-4637).
Note: A Photo is available at URL:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.082801/bb2
http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20010816.html
Beer Break Vol. 1, No. 50
August 16, 2001 REAL ALE: PART I
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) invented the term "real ale" in 1971 when it
began its battle to revive a traditional style (pretty much unique to Britain)
of brewing and dispensing that was threatened with extinction. According to
CAMRA guidelines, and now the Oxford English Dictionary, real ale is "a name
for draft (or bottle) beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by
secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served
without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide."
Sounds pretty simple, but serving a proper pint of real ale is much more of a
challenge. English brewers rack beer into casks known as firkins before
fermentation is complete, or prime beer in the cask with fresh wort or a sugar
solution. No, casks don't have to be wooden -- only a few British brewers still
use wood -- but casks don't have the internal workings of American kegs to muck
things up, they don't draw beer from the bottom (where yeast will have
settled), and they do have two holes vital to the conditioning process.
When the cask is sealed at the brewery, a wooden stopper called a shive is
driven into a two-inch bung hole, and a wooden plug is placed in a smaller
keystone at the end. In the past, one of a publican's jobs was to add finings
to the cask; today, that is usually done at the brewery. Finings, traditionally
Isinglass (made from the swim bladders of fish), cause the yeast suspended in
the beer to drop to the bottom of the cask. Real ale in Britain is served "bar
bright."
After a cask is delivered to a pub, it stands in the cellar for two to three
days to allow the yeast to settle. Ideally, the casks will be placed directly
in stillage -- that is, tilted at an angle and left undisturbed until the cask
is empty. The shive hole is then knocked in and a soft spile inserted. The
condition of the beer is affected first by the amount of remaining sugar
content, then by the cellarman's skill in venting the beer.
After the beer is conditioned to the cellarman's taste, a hard spile is
inserted. When the beer is served, the hard spile is removed so air can be
drawn into the cask as beer is pulled through the beer engine. A beer engine,
topped by a handpump at the bar, is actually a hydraulic system. The line to
the handpump is attached to the tap, which is inserted though the keystone
plug.
A properly conditioned pint will be nicely carbonated and should look as
"bright" as a (lightly) filtered beer. Of course, the beer must be served at
the proper temperature. Cellar temperature is not room temperature -- it's
between 55 and 58 degrees F, and cool to the taste -- but it's also far from
the 32 to 40 degrees at which most American bar's coolers are set.
The process is simple, but it is also an art. "There has always been a shortage
of qualified people in the cellar," said Bill King, who was managing director
at King & Barnes in Sussex before it closed and now operates a fledgling micro
in the same area. "When it leaves our gate, only 60% of the job is done."
Next week we'll look at what's different about "cask-conditioned beer" as it is
served in the United States and find out why Englishman Graham Tock, while
promoting the sale of handpumps in the U.S., once said: "Unfortunately, some of
the brewers over here are saying it's cask beer because it has a bit of twigs
in it and cloudiness."
CAMRA CATCHES SOME HEAT
Speaking of the Campaign for Real Ale, a new report from the Cains brewery in
Liverpool claims that terminology used by CAMRA to describe real ale is
confusing. The controversial conclusion comes just two weeks after CAMRA was
criticized for banning two Greene King ales from the Great British Beer
Festival. The survey says that many drinkers think real ale is the "obscure
stuff drunk at beer festivals."
http://realbeer.com/news/articles/news-001580.html
http://www.brewing.co.nz/20010727wa.htm
Beer Shifts Up a Degree
Western Australia’s first degree in Beer Brewing is being launched at Edith
Cowan University (ECU) today.
ECU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Millicent Poole said the degree would service
expanding specialist markets in the brewing sector.
“One of the most exciting international trends is the growth of designer
breweries producing hand-crafted beers sought after by discerning
connoisseurs,” said Professor Poole. “The ECU degree will give Western
Australia an edge to harness its growing micro-brewery and pub brewery
industries.”
She said ECU produced high quality graduates in the service industries,
including the rapidly expanding sector of hospitality and tourism.
Western Australia currently has 11 independent breweries, more than any other
Australian state.
ECU, the second university in Australia to offer such a degree, has constructed
a $220,000 Micro-Brewery on its Joondalup Campus to deliver the new course.
The brewery has a capacity of 600 litres and is capable of brewing most styles
of beer.
The University is also interested to explore research opportunities with the
Australian brewing industry. Students would graduate from the three-year degree
with a Bachelor of Business (Micro-Brewery Management) and would study the
brewing sciences and courses in enterprise management, marketing and personnel
training.
The degree is expected to attract significant numbers of students from
South-East Asian countries where beer consumption is growing at a faster rate
than anywhere else in the world.
“During the six-year period from 1991 to 1997 Vietnam’s beer sales
increased a massive 367 per cent and China 300 per cent,” said Director of
ECU’s Brewing Centre, Nevil Alexander. “The world beer market is expected
to grow 20 per cent by 2005, representing 78 per cent of the total global
alcoholic beverage market.”
“Western Australia may become a known as the beer capital with excellence in
both wine and beer,” said Professor Poole.
The degree will be officially launched by State Development Minister, Clive
Brown.
http://www.beer.com/us/articles/be_abp_010821_portland.html
The beer capital of the US?
By Robert Hughey
The beer profs are getting great questions but need more to keep their brains
active. And, if your question is answered and published, you'll win some great
beer.com swag. So ask them something!
Q: Is it true that Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the beer capital of the USA. If so,
why and how did this city achieve capital status?
Milwaukee was once the acknowledged beer capital of the United States in the
late 1890s through into the early 1900s, when such notable brewers as Joseph
Schlitz, Frederick Pabst, Frederic Miller and Valentin Blatz were turning out
lagers and making names for themselves and their breweries.
However, today that honor now seems to reside with Portland, Oregon, which has
around 26 microbreweries and brewpubs, a growing beer culture and a growing
number of savvy beer drinkers. Of course, those up in Seattle, Washington,
having its own clutch of great breweries and brewpubs, might think otherwise,
that Portland is simply the seattle of Oregon brewery towns
Q: How are light beers crafted to contain fewer calories than regular beer, and
why do they taste terrible?
Generally, to make a light beer big breweries brew to a high gravity and then
the resulting beer is cut or blended with carbon filtered or neutral water,
that is, nothing other than liquid volume is added to achieve the required
alcohol level. Light beer has less malt in its makeup after it has been cut so
therefore it has less calories.
As to why light beers taste terrible to you, it most probably has to do with
the fact that by nature light beers are thinner on the palate and do not have
as big a mouth feel as regular beer.
Q: Does mass produced beer have any chance of tasting as good as the microbrews
that have popped up all over the country?
Around the world there are many large volume beers that are flavourful, taste
good and are worth drinking. Whether you try a Sam Adams Lager from the United
States, a Stella Artois from Belgium or a Pilsner Urquell from the Czech
Republic, you will find that all have their own distinctive and worthy tastes.
Nobody can deny that consistency of product has been the strength of the big
brewers. Microbreweries, while turning out some really wonderful and unique
tasting beers, struggled greatly in the early days with maintaining a high
level of consistency. The quality of beer today is generally very good across
the board, from big brewers down to the neighborhood brewpub. It really comes
down to what an individual beer drinker is looking for in a beer.
I regularly drink fine beers at a local brewpub, beers from micros and beers
such as Hoegaarden and Leffe Blond from Belgium. I revel in each beer's
uniqueness and the differences among the many flavors found in every beer.
http://www.beer.com/us/articles/be_abp_010722_ferment.html
Champions
By Robert Hughey
The beer profs are getting great questions but need more to keep their brains
active. And, if your question is answered and published, you'll win some great
beer.com swag. So ask them something!
Q: Are there any international beer tasting competitions in the world?
Yes, one such beer tasting competition is The World Beer Cup, put on by the
Association of Brewers, Boulder, Colorado. This competition recognizes brewing
excellence in 76 categories, but they are quite a discerning lot and don't
automatically award the top three entries in every category.
The next World Beer Cup takes place in four different judging sessions over the
course of Apr. 9-10, 2002, in Cleveland, Ohio, during the Association of
Brewers National Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America.
The stated mission of the World Beer Cup is "to create greater consumer
awareness around the world about the quality and diversity displayed by the
various beers of the world."
Q: Top fermented, bottom fermented, secondary fermentation, spontaneously
fermented…just how many different ways are there to ferment beer?
Beers are either top fermented as in ales or bottom fermented as in lagers. In
reality, fermentation takes place throughout the malt sugars in the wort, that
is, from top to bottom, in both ales and lagers. During the fermentation
process, the yeast converts the malt sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Ales are fermented with a top fermenting yeast at much higher temperatures,
usually in the range of 15 to 25 C (59 to 77 F), resulting in a much shorter
fermentation period that lats about five to seven days.
Lagers are fermented with a bottom fermenting yeast at much lower temperatures,
usually in the range of 5 to 10 C (41 to 50 F), necessitating longer periods of
time for fermentation to be completed, which is up to three weeks.
If a small amount of yeast is carried over from the primary fermentation, as in
bottle conditioning and cask conditioning, the yeast will continue to slowly
ferment in the bottle or in the cask. This secondary fermentation gives the
beer both carbon dioxide and conditioning. Often the secondary fermentation is
aided by means of the addition of small amounts of priming sugars, or a small
amount of fresh yeast might be added to encourage a lively secondary
fermentation.
Cask conditioning means that a beer undergoes a secondary fermentation in the
container from which it is dispensed. A bottle conditioned beer undergoes a
secondary fermentation in the bottle, much as in a cask conditioned beer,
resulting in a beer that is fresh and flavorful.
A spontaneously fermented beer relies on yeast that occurs naturally in the air
for fermentation to occur. When wild airborne yeasts meet the malt sugars in an
open fermenter, it causes a spontaneous fermentation to occur.
Krausening means that a small amount of actively fermenting young, or green
beer, is added to a beer that has already finished its primary fermentation.
This is a way to naturally carbonate a beer.
J2jurado
Korea's Hite Brewery pours it on as economy slows
By Jason Neely
SEOUL, Aug 29 (Reuters) - South Korea's economy faces its second-worst year in
two decades but Hite Brewery is not crying in its beer.
Hite sits far removed from the worries afflicting many Korean corporates --
slowing exports, grim technology product prices, reluctant foreign investors
and restructuring delays.
After some sobering cash flow troubles two years ago, it has boosted profits,
solidified top place in the local beer market and won favour among analysts
hunting for defensive plays.
Sitting in the shadows of larger, more diversified Asian peers such as Japan's
Kirin Breweries or the Philippines' San Miguel, this 68-year-old family-run
company remains a pure beer investment.
Its focus is a Korean beer market where it swallowed a 53 percent share last
year against just one domestic rival, unlisted Oriental Breweries (OB), and
little imported competition.
"It's definitely a defensive play," said Singapore-based Goldman Sachs analyst
Girish Pamnani.
Sales of 664 billion won ($522.4 million) were up 22 percent last year and Hite
expects a jump to 750-800 billion won this year.
An 11-percent surge in market sales in the first half powered a 16 percent rise
in Hite's sales, tallied at 360.5 billion won.
That prompted Pamnani to raise his forecast for Hite's 2001 sales growth to 12
percent from five.
LAGGING DEFENSIVE PEERS
Yet while defensive stocks have been hot, Hite's shares in the second quarter
were cooler than a freshly drawn draught.
They have come out of the deep freeze since mid-year, as fatter advertising
spending proved a smaller problem than feared, but still lag other defensive
stocks.
Retailer Shinsegae is up 107 percent this year and cosmetics firm Pacific Corp
up a whopping 223 percent.
Hite was up 33 percent as of Tuesday's close at 48,050 won.
"(It) remains a buy. Most consumer stocks have been very strong performers from
the beginning of the year except for Hite," said Heather Lee at UBS Warburg.
Lee holds a 54,000-won 12-month target price going forward.
Analysts said investors feared a marketing race with OB would erode Hite's
margins, but Lee said Hite managed to offset higher advertising costs in the
first half with increased use of imported malt, cheaper than domestic malt,
which is in shorter supply.
Hite posted a healthy 33 percent second quarter operating margin.
"Everyone was worried about margin erosion because of fierce competition from
OB," said UBS's Lee. "But because of the raw material (malt) factor, margins
held up relatively well."
Analysts said 2002 also promised strong growth as South Korea gears up for the
boasts and toasts of presidential and parliamentary elections and festivities
for two major sporting events, the FIFA World Cup soccer finals and Pusan Asian
Games.
"Hite's valuation in the regional and global beverage (sectors) remains
attractive," said Goldman's Pamnani, citing a 5.1 times 2002 EV/EBITDA that
offered a 44-percent discount to global peers. His latest report on the company
held a 55,000 won 12-month target price.
EV is enterprise value, which is the total of a company's market capitalisation
and long-term debt. EBITDA refers to the gross earnings of a company before
costs like taxes and interest are deducted.
Hite's mid-year earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rose 16 percent to
113.5 billion won, although net growth was trimmed to just 4.8 percent as it
wrote off equipment at a plant closed two years ago.
Hite is expected to post a 83.65 billion won net profit this year, up 19
percent from the previous year, a poll of 20 analysts by Multex Global
Estimates showed.
FRESH FUNDS
Hite drew foreign investment in 1999, managing to do what many Korean
companies, such as Daewoo Motor, have tried unsuccessfully for years to do.
Funds from Denmark's Carlsberg Breweries, which holds 14 percent of Hite, have
helped it chop an unwieldy debt-to-equity ratio that once topped 800 percent to
a manageable 185 percent.
Better cash flow has also funded new products such as the dark Hite Stout and
low-alcohol Exfeel, which has helped attract female drinkers traditionally more
fond of plum and rice wines or the Korean spirit soju.
The Danish beer giant has turned to Asia as the fastest growing beer market in
the world.
Its stake in Hite pits it against a familiar foe, as Belgian rival Interbrew,
which has Beck's and Molson's in its stable, holds 50 percent of OB.
Soccer-Alcohol ban for Poland-Norway World Cup qualifier
WARSAW, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Alcohol sales have been banned in the Polish city of
Chorzow on Saturday when the national soccer team faces Norway in a World Cup
qualifier.
"This is aimed at preventing soccer fans from causing trouble," city spokesman
Waldemar Bojarun told Reuters on Wednesday.
The ban on beer and spirits sales will be effective from 6 a.m. local time
(0400 GMT) until midnight (2200 GMT) in large parts of the Chorzow-Katowice
agglomeration, where Poland's biggest soccer stadium is located.
Last time alcohol sales were banned in Poland was during a visit by Polish-born
Pope John Paul in 1999.
Polish fans are usually well-behaved at international games but violence often
erupts at domestic league matches.
Poland, on course to reach the World Cup finals next year for the first time in
16 years, lead European group five with 17 points from seven matches.
The Poles face lowly Norway on September 1 and second-placed Belarus in Minsk
four days later in matches which could decide the outcome of the group.
ANALYSIS-Polish ad market hurt by bans, economic slowdown
By Ewa Krukowska
WARSAW, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Poland's slumping advertising market, where sharp
economic slowdown has sliced key rates in half, faces a fresh blow next month
when a ban on beer promotions comes into effect.
Players in the market, which used to see growth figures of 10 percent and more,
have already been hurt by a ban on tobacco advertisements and analysts warn
that the new restrictions, coupled with dwindling consumer demand, will weigh
heavily.
"Other markets in our region are in a better situation -- they avoided various
limitations. Polish advertising will lose huge sums of money because of the
bans," said Pawel Kowalewski from the International Advertising Association in
Poland.
Industry experts say the difficulties may be mounting after three leading local
media houses, controlled by the world's largest ad group Interpublic, decided
to pool their negotiating forces as of the start of September.
Their alliance is likely to increase the pressure on media companies to
increase current enormously high discounts.
BANS SLASH SALES
Industry analysts warn that expenditures on ads, which fell some five percent
to around three billion zlotys in the first half of this year, will sink
further when the controversial ban on beer advertising comes into effect in
three weeks.
The ban, extends to all outdoor advertising, ads on the covers of print
publications and public broadcasting between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m..
Its main impact is likely to be on television and outdoor, where revenues from
beer ads account for around 5 and 14 percent of sales, respectively, according
to Expert Monitor and Media Watch monitoring agencies.
Publishers will be hit even harder next year, when a ban on tobacco adverts is
extended to newspapers and periodicals, which attract seven percent of ad
expenditures from cigarette firms.
The ban on tobacco advertising, introduced last year, had already forbidden
tobacco billboard ads, slashing revenues of outdoor companies.
Mainly because of the new restrictions, local outdoor leader Art Marketing
Syndicate (AMS) turned to a 3.6 million zloty consolidated net loss in the
first half of the year from a 5.6 million zloty profit in the same period of
2000.
LARGE DISCOUNTS SCARE
Media companies also grew concerned earlier this month after Interpublic
Group's Polish units of Universal McCann, Initiative Media and Pan Media
Western U.S. announced plans to set up Magna Global Polska, a firm to jointly
negotiate advert prices.
The newly established company will be the biggest player on the advertising
market, with annual turnover of more than 800 million zlotys ($189.2 million),
and will undoubtly exert huge pressure on media to obtain the lowest prices.
"The only way for local media to avoid the Magna trap will be to offer
discounts to clients, and not to agencies," said Jaroslaw Roszkowski, media
director at Remedia media house.
"Otherwise, Magna, with its big negotiating power, will start a spiral of hefty
discounts. The outlook for the market is cloudy anyway, but this would deepen
the crisis," he said.
BEARISH PROSPECTS
Industry expert unanonimously stress that with economic growth and consumer
demand squeezed by high interest rates, a brisk recovery is not in sight.
"Nothing signals a quick pick-up in domestic demand and economic activity, and
spending on advertising has always been closely linked to demand," said Jakub
Bierzynski, head of leading media house OMD Poland.
In the first quarter of 2001, domestic demand fell 1.4 percent on annual basis
for the first time since the mid-1990s. Economic growth slowed to 2.3 percent
in the first three months of the year from 5.9 percent a year earlier.
The finance ministry forecasts that gross domestic product (GDP) could grow by
0.6-1.1 percent in the second quarter of the year -- a rate slow enough to feel
like a recession in a country used to a high single-digit growth.
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING
An exception to the rule on the depressed market was TVN, a leading private
television station, which aired Poland's version of the Big Brother reality
show, among the 10 most watched programmes, according to AGB Polska media
monitoring firm.
Analysts estimate that TVN, controlled by Luxembourg-listed Polish media group
ITI, had around a 50 million zloty revenue, including discounts, alone from
commercials screened during the Big Brother show in the second quarter of this
year.
But weak demand and nosediving ad prices have hurt financial results of most
media firms, including stalwart Agora, publisher of the country's biggest
circulation daily Gazeta Wyborcza and owner of 14 radio stations.
However, Agora, whose newspaper advertising revenues fell 1.6 percent to 304
million zlotys and radio ad sales declined 3.3 percent to 16 million zlotys in
the January-June period, hopes its leading market position will help the firm
to outperform the market in the coming months.
"We expect a decline of advertising spending in Poland in all of 2001, but
thanks to our strong position on the market, we expect our total sales to be
roughly flat this year," said Dorota Nowak, spokeswoman for Agora.
Tsingtao H1 net up 38 pct, output surges
HONG KONG, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Tsingtao Brewery, China's largest beer producer,
reported on Wednesday that its net profit for the first half ended June surged
38 percent year on year to 68.9 million yuan (US$8.33 million).
The company, founded by German investors in 1903 and the first Chinese firm to
list on the Hong Kong exchange, announced in a statement that sales shot up 42
percent to 2.42 billion yuan, while output leapt 68 percent to 1.21 million
tonnes.
Tsingtao's share of the domestic market increased four percentage points to
10.7 percent in the first half.
Earnings per share rose 29 percent to 0.0712 yuan in the first half of this
year.
Tsingtao said booming demand on the mainland was the driving force behind the
growth. China's beer production grew 4.6 percent year on year to 11.33 million
tonnes in the first half of this year, it said.
Shares of the company, which now owns 45 breweries across China following a
series of acquisitions in recent years, ended down 2.25 percent at HK$2.175 on
Wednesday but have gained 7.32 percent over past 12 months.
In a separate statement, Tsingtao said it had formally appointed Jin Zhiguo as
the company's chief executive officer after the death of former CEO Peng Zuoyi
last month.
Peng had driven the brewery's rapid expansion via acquisitions into the huge
but overcrowded Chinese market since 1996.
Jin, 45, has worked for Tsingtao Brewery since 1975 and was the head of
Tsingtao's operations in the northwestern city of Xi'an before he took the new
position.
Tsingtao Chairman Li Guirong said in the statement that Tsingtao had targetted
full-2001 output at 2.6 million tonnes. (US$1-8.276 Yuan)
Parents Worry About College Drinking
By MELINDA DESLATTE
August 29, 2001 BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The bars line each side of Louisiana
State University's campus, offering free shots and other drink specials. So
many choices, but Rebekah Monson knows the secret - drink fast and move on.
As college students head back to school, an American Medical Association survey
released Wednesday shows binge drinking is among their parents' top concerns:
95 percent said excessive drinking is a serious threat to their children and 85
percent said easy access to alcohol in college communities contributes to the
problem.
``We can no longer treat binge drinking as a rite of passage. It's a major
health threat not only to binge drinkers but also to the people around them,''
said Dr. J. Edward Hill, AMA's chairman-elect.
Binge drinking often is described as four drinks within an hour for a female or
five drinks in an hour for a male. An estimated 44 percent of college students
admit to binge drinking, and nearly one-fourth of those binge frequently.
``Four drinks in an hour? That's when I'm taking my time,'' said Monson, a
20-year-old junior at LSU. ``That is a lot, but that's pretty average for a lot
of college students. When I go to bars, I don't see people nursing beers. I see
people throwing back shots and chasing it with beers.''
Monson hopes to develop responsible drinking habits, but she said that's pretty
tough to do as a college student. ``One of my friends was hospitalized for
alcohol poisoning, and she still goes out and throws them back with the best of
us,'' Monson said.
College students don't seem dissuaded by drinking-related deaths, including
several fatalities during the last school year.
A University of Michigan student celebrating his 21st birthday died after
downing his 20th shot in 10 minutes. An Old Dominion University student choked
to death on his own vomit during a pledge-week drinking binge. A Colgate
University student is facing four years in prison after crashing into a tree
during a night of drinking, killing four students.
``Most students get here and think, `Oh, it's freedom. I can do whatever I want
without mom and dad finding out,''' said Kelly Hill, a junior at Michigan. ``A
lot of them don't know what their limits are.''
LSU is the nation's No. 2 party school behind the University of Tennessee,
according to an annual list released last week by The Princeton Review. School
officials hope to rid themselves of the image, particularly after the August
1997 death of a freshman who celebrated his acceptance into a fraternity with a
night of drinking.
The stereotype is hard to shake because Louisiana fosters its fun-loving image
to attract tourists.
Tailgating before LSU football games, Mardi Gras parades and crawfish boils
typically involve beer. When the drinking age was 18 only a few years ago,
students remember professors holding class in bars.
``I think it has a lot to do with the culture we live in here in south
Louisiana,'' said Chris Eldredge, a 21-year-old LSU senior. ``I drink
regularly, but I guess I take pride in the fact that I know my limits and I
know when to stop.''
LSU is among 10 colleges nationwide participating in a $17.5 million AMA-led
initiative to curb binge drinking that started in 1996 with The Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation.
Efforts include eliminating alcohol-industry sponsorships of athletics,
mandating parental notification if underage students are caught with alcohol,
increasing alcohol-free social events on campus and encouraging tavern owners
to eliminate drink specials geared toward students.
At the University of Colorado, a ban on alcohol sales at football games is
credited for a 52 percent reduction in the number of fans kicked out of the
stadium and a 70 percent decline in arrests.
At LSU, officials search bags at the entrances to Tiger Stadium and only allow
people to bring inside sealed water bottles. The University of Rhode Island
banned alcohol from this year's homecoming football game.
The AMA telephone survey of 801 people 21 and older included 342 parents of
college or college-bound high school students, a random sample considered
nationally representative. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the new basketball-hockey stadium
won't be selling beer, an estimated loss of $500,000 during hockey season
alone. Chancellor John Wiley said several tavern owners near campus have cut
down on drink specials.
Two students died at the university in alcohol-related falls last year and 40
others received emergency-room treatment for severe drunkenness.
Wiley said while most parents are concerned about their students' drinking,
some contribute to the problem.
``We've had to confiscate cases of beer that parents were bringing into the
dorms,'' he said, noting a case Wednesday where parents were found drinking in
their child's dorm room.
On the Net:
http://www.stopcollegebingeing.com
Anheuser-Busch to Broadcast Prudential Conference Presentation Over the
Internet
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2001--Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
(NYSE:<A HREF="aol://4785:BUD">BUD</A>), will broadcast its Prudential
Securities Consumer Conference presentation over the Internet on Wednesday,
September 5, 2001, at 3:45 p.m. EST, the company announced today.
The webcast of the conference presentation will be available at the company's
website located at http://www.anheuser-busch.com. Once at the company's
website, listeners will need to click on the "financial info" section to find
the link for the webcast.
The company will review its financial performance and provide an overview of
domestic and international beer operations and strategies. A replay of the
webcast will be available on the company's website for approximately one week.
Philip Morris chief to retire in August 2002
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Philip Morris Cos. Inc. , the world's No. 1 tobacco
company, on Wednesday said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Bible
would retire in August 2002, when he reaches the company's mandatory retirement
age of 65.
To assist in identifying a successor, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes and
Miller beer said it had named Chief Operating Officer William Webb vice
chairman of the board. Webb will remain COO and will also retire next August,
the company said in a statement.
Bible has been CEO of Philip Morris since 1994.
J2jurado
By Jonathan Kent
LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - One of the most controversial advertising images of
recent years is being parodied in a campaign to relaunch one of Britain's
best-known beers.
This time around, though, a fully clothed man clutching a bottle takes the
place of model Sophie Dahl in a state of sultry undress.
The brewer behind the sendup is Scottish Courage Brewing Ltd, which has remade
the ad for Yves Saint Laurent's Opium perfume that featured Dahl in a
provocative, naked pose.
Now the same pose, though not the same model, is being used to breathe new life
into Newcastle Brown Ale.
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, according to Sanjay Patel, brand
manager at Scottish Courage, a unit of Scottish and Newcastle Plc.
"I thought it was excellent, one of the most memorable ads there's been.
Mimicking it is showing it some respect," he said.
The poster copies Dahl's arch-backed pose but the ale model is an unshaven man
in overalls and old boots clasping a bottle.
"We're looking for people who have a slightly rebellious streak in them, who
don't want to drink what everyone else is drinking, who stand out from the
crowd but who don't take themselves too seriously," Patel said.
The brewer is relaunching the beer after a steady decline in British sales over
the last 10 years, though it says Newcastle Brown sells well in around 40 other
countries.
Yves Saint Laurent refused to comment on the sendup of their ad. Their own
version attracted 971 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, more
than any other advertisement in the last five years.
Scottish & Newcastle remains confident
LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Britain's biggest brewer Scottish & Newcastle Plc
said on Thursday it remained confident about meeting its commercial and
financial objectives despite economic uncertainties in its home and overseas
markets.
The brewer of Kronenbourg, John Smith's and Foster's in Europe and owner of
1,450 UK pubs said trading in the first four months of its financial year had
been in line with expectations.
"The strong competitive positions that we hold in all of our major
businesses....justifies our confidence that we are well placed to meet
shareholders' expectations in both this and future years," the company told the
annual meeting.
Shares in the group, which have outperformed the beverages sector by around 15
percent so far this year, were 1-1/2 pence or 0.3 percent lower at 525-1/2p at
1055 GMT.
Scottish & Newcastle said like-for-like sales at its 1,450 UK pubs had been
growing at a rate of nearly three percent for the period up to the middle of
August.
The group said UK beer volumes for its five core brands -- Foster's, Miller,
Beck's, Kronenbourg and John Smith's -- were 2.4 percent ahead of the same
period last year.
The French beer market had seen a strong sales performance in recent weeks,
after a sluggish start to the summer, and the group said it was on track to
deliver the earnings growth it anticipated at the time of the Kronenbourg deal
last year.
The group, which sold off businesses to focus on beer and large managed pubs,
said the disposal programme was largely completed with less than 50 outlets
still to be sold.
Last month the company had reported pre-tax profit before exceptionals of 427.5
million pounds ($621 million) for the year to April 29, on turnover up 22
percent at 4.35 billion.
Judge denies motions from both sides in Maris-Anheuser case
August 30, 2001 GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A judge Wednesday denied motions from
both sides in the case of a beer distributor against Anheuser-Busch. They were
both challenging a $50 million award earlier this month in favor of the family
of former home run champion Roger Maris.
Circuit Judge R.A. Green denied a request from attorneys for the Maris family
to reinstate a jury's original verdict for $139,698,500.
The judge also rejected Anheuser-Busch's request for a new trial.
A jury ruled Aug. 3 that the brewing giant improperly took away a beer
distributorship from the Maris family.
However, jurors said they meant to award the family $139.7 million, but were
confused by the judge's instructions.
Green told jurors to only consider the market value of the distributorship and
not lost sales figures, which the panel estimated to be $89.7 million.
``It's not about money. It's about making things right and justice being
served,'' Maris Distributing Co. President Rudy Maris told The Gainesville Sun.
Still pending before Green is the issue of whether the Marises should receive
prejudgment interest.
With interest, the $50 million verdict would increase to $72.5 million,
McClellan said. McClellan also said that he plans to file the Maris family's $1
billion defamation lawsuit against Busch on Thursday.
Microsoft to Remove Drinking Ads
By DEANNA BELLANDI
August 29, 2001 CHICAGO (AP) - Microsoft said it would pull advertisements for
alcohol-related gifts from its MSN Internet service, following criticism from
the American Medical Association.
A book of beer drinking games, a ``microbrew kit,'' and other party products
had been promoted along with chocolate cookies, makeup and ``Monty Python's
Flying Circus'' DVD sets as back-to-school care packages for homesick college
students on the MSN site.
On Aug. 24, the Chicago-based AMA sent a letter to MSN executives saying it
seems ``extremely misguided'' to call such items care packages because of the
dangers associated with underage drinking.
The letter from Dr. J. Edward Hill, the chairman-elect of the AMA's board of
trustees, calls underage drinking a serious national problem.
An MSN spokeswoman said MSN is careful to make sure products are marketed to
the appropriate audiences.
``In this case it appears as though an error was made, and we are taking the
necessary steps to remove the products,'' said the spokeswoman, who cited
Microsoft policy that she not be identified by name.
A book of beer drinking games was still listed Wednesday morning, along with
chocolate cookies, makeup and ``Monty Python's Flying Circus'' DVD sets. The
book had disappeared from the care package section by early afternoon, along
with the microbrew kit.
``We have listened to the AMA's concerns and have responded by taken the
necessary steps,'' she said.
Hill's letter said marketing the alcohol-related gifts with other care packages
for makeup and notebooks ``perpetuates the belief that society winks at
underage drinking, viewing it as a coming of age ritual and not as a dangerous
activity with legal and life-changing consequences.''
In his letter, Hill cited results of an upcoming AMA national poll showing that
95 percent of parents are very concerned about high-risk drinking on campus. He
also cites public health data that show nearly one in four college students is
at risk of suffering alcohol-related harms, including sexual assault and other
violence.
U.S. survey details worries about college drinking
CHICAGO, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Parents of U.S. college students believe binge
drinking on campuses is beyond the control of students themselves and that it
is time for campus communities and the alcoholic beverage industry to accept
more responsibility, according to a survey released on Wednesday.
"The message sent by Americans, especially parents of college and college-bound
children, is that it is time to stop holding our young people solely
responsible for a very serious problem that is in large part beyond their
control," said the report issued by the American Medical Association.
"Americans want policy makers to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws
that limit the availability and abundance of cheap alcohol to college
students," it added.
"Easy access to and availability of cheap alcohol is one of parents' top
concerns about sending their children away to college, and parents and adults
worry about the alcohol industry's promotions," it said.
The survey done for the medical group questioned 801 people age 21 and over and
had an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Of the total
surveyed, 342 were parents of college or college-bound students.
The survey found that nine out of 10 parents in the survey were worried about
excessive drinking by college students.
Asked about what factors they thought contributed to excess drinking, 93
percent of the parents cited easy access to alcohol at bars and retail
establishments surrounding campuses and 80 percent mentioned beer and shot and
all-you-can-drink specials, happy hours, ladies' nights and similar promotions.
Seventy-nine percent singled out promotions and sponsorships by beer and liquor
companies.
Soccer-German paper mocks "beer trap" theory
BERLIN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Germany's Bild daily reacted with its tongue firmly
in cheek on Thursday to the Sun newspaper's claim that putting England in a
Munich hotel near a rowdy beer hall was a German trick ahead of Saturday's
World Cup qualifier.
"Germany against England. Emotions are running high. But now they're accusing
us Germans of setting a "beer trap?" Maybe they're already looking for an
excuse for when our team beats them on Saturday," Bild said.
Bild included a famous beer-hall drinking song to welcome "our English friends"
and ended its article with a simple "Prost," the German word for "Cheers!."
A spokeswoman for the Hofbraeuhaus beer hall, which is located near the plush
Mandarin Oriental hotel where England are staying, told Bild that the beer
hall's resident brass band would down their instruments the night before the
match.
A spokeperson for the Munich association which suggested the hotel in the heart
of the city said he was "shocked" there was a beer drinking issue.
England, who are six points behind the Germans with a game in hand, need a
victory to maintain a realistic chance of finishing top of group nine to secure
automatic qualification for the tournament.
Cigar-chomping sock puppet shoots from the lip
By Cameron French
TORONTO (Reuters) - He has flirted with teen pop idol Christina Aguilera and
elicited an obscene gesture from William Shatner for chiding the "Star Trek"
actor about his thinning hair. And he once sent actor Denzel Washington into
hysterics by asking rocker Lenny Kravitz if a woman should be "savored like a
fine wine, or guzzled like a Colt 45 (beer)."
Meet Ed the Sock, not your average sock puppet.
An unlikely Canadian TV star with glued-on eyes and a cigar that hangs
crookedly from his mouth, acid-tongued Ed does not suffer fools, or
celebrities, lightly.
As a host on Canadian music channel MuchMusic and co-host of his successful
late-night program on Toronto's CityTV, Ed has developed into one of the
sharpest spears in Canadian television by refusing to make nice with film and
rock n' roll stars.
"I don't ask any of the normal questions that people ask, and (the celebrities)
kind of become a bit disarmed, and at the same time relaxed, because instead of
having to remember the rote answers that they've given over and over, all of a
sudden they're thinking, and becoming themselves," the famous footwear said in
a recent interview.
Ed is the brainchild of Steve Kerzner, who came up with the idea while running
a Toronto cable station in the late 1980s. The host of one of the shows needed
a sidekick, so Kerzner donned the sock and gave it a gravelly, irreverent
voice.
INFLUENTIAL HOSIERY
Over the years, the character has evolved from a late-night gimmick to a
juggernaut that's seen from Newfoundland to New Zealand. Recently, the Globe
and Mail newspaper honored Ed as one of the 40 most influential people (or
hosiery) in Canadian television.
Kerzner prefers not to talk to the media as himself, so Ed -- whose motto is,
"If you don't have anything good to say, say it often!" -- does all the
talking.
"I'm not a normal guy. I don't come on with the same kind of pretensions and I
don't seem phony," he said. "And something about me not having arms or legs
makes me slightly less threatening."
As for the celebrities that Ed interviews, they either love him or hate him.
And the feelings are usually mutual.
The puppet has held court with an impressive list of interviewees, including
soul legend James Brown, country star Willie Nelson, new pop luminary Nelly
Furtado, rapper Kid Rock and shock TV host Jerry Springer, to name a few.
Asked about his apparent soft spot for pop diva Aguilera, Ed answers with
typical candor.
"I wouldn't say the spot is soft. People don't realize when they're afraid to
do interviews with me that, if they're nice to me, I'm a lot nicer to them
later, too," he said, alluding to his supposed sexual prowess.
His least favorite interview subject?
"Vanilla Ice," he blurted out, referring to the '80s-era white rapper.
"Total jerk. So self-absorbed, he thought people cared far more about his life
than anybody really did, and took himself tremendously seriously. And when
you're Vanilla Ice, if you're taking yourself at all seriously, you're taking
yourself too seriously."
A CONSCIENCE LURKS UNDER THE POLYESTER
But underneath the gruff polyester exterior, Ed has a social conscience as
well. Ed/Kerzner uses a Web site -- http://www.edthesock.com -- to showcase a
series of editorials that, while peppered with trademark rough language, take
on serious topics such as homophobia, teen body image and capital punishment.
"We're actually able to reach the kind of people that kind of commentary would
normally not reach, specifically because of the language," Ed said, calming
somewhat from his typical confrontational on-screen persona.
"Because it's couched in a certain manner of speaking, with certain types of
pop cultural references, we're able to reach people in a way that Nancy
Reagan's 'just say no,'(to drugs) won't."
Earlier in his career, Ed's politically incorrect antics had critics labeling
him as a woman-hater. But people who actually watch the show cannot get away
with the accusation, he asserted.
"Misogyny is one of those claims that was popular in the 1990s for anybody who
happened to mention that they appreciated a woman's body."
As his popularity has grown, so has the number of imitators, such as Triumph
the Insult Dog, the foul-mouthed sock puppet on the U.S. show "Late Night with
Conan O'Brien."
"Don't even talk to me about that piece of crap. Ripoff. It's amazing. Triumph
came into existence a few months after the guys at Conan O'Brien decided that
they didn't want to use me," the sock snapped.
"I don't worry about Triumph, because Triumph is a one-note joke. He's a dog
that talks about screwing people's legs. I might be a sock, but that's just my
ethnicity. I'm not defined by it."
J2jurado
Friday 31 August, 2001
The beer is already flowing freely at the famous Birdsville Races, but the
local pub is confident the 42 tonnes it trucked in for the occasion will be
enough to satisfy the thirst of up to 6,000 punters.
The famous desert race meeting begins today, with hundreds still pouring into
the tiny outback border town.
Kim Fort, who manages Birdsville's only pub, says he has been getting plenty
of sleep in preparation for the big event.
"It's always advisable because you don't get much over the next couple days,"
Mr Fort said.
"We bring other staff, back-up staff to relieve our full-timers, and we need
every one of them to keep up with the comnnoisseurs.
"By the Sunday we send them all out pretty well shell-shocked."
Mayor David Brooks says it is shaping up to be a good year, with good weather,
strong race nominations and the big crowd.
"Facilities in the town are improving all the time, ablution facilities for
the people, we've got a lot of caterers here from all over," Mr Brooks said.
"The health inspector tells me that he had a meeting with 30 of the caterers
to make sure that everyone understands the requirements so we hope that goes
well." © 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Michelob Drops Signature Design
By MICHAEL FRAZIER
August 30, 2001 LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Most companies warn people not to consume
their products if their label has been tampered with. Anheuser-Busch is making
an exception.
This summer, the St. Louis brewer removed the shroud from the top of Michelob
and Michelob Light bottles, leaving behind a 40-year-old tradition that some
consumers are happy to see go.
Stephen Andrews, a bartender at Little Rock's Pour House Bar & Grill, said that
with the shroud gone, drink servers can catch a break.
``I love the paper off the top,'' Andrews said. ``With the paper on, you always
would have to open it twice.''
Bob Franceschelli, marketing director of Michelob beer and specialization for
Anheuser-Busch Co., said the shroud was removed to make the bottle easier to
handle and open.
``We like to think of this change as a minor adaptation for a classic beer,''
he said.
Although the brewing company dropped the shroud, it will keep the foil label
that covers a third of the bottle.
The company began brewing Michelob in 1896, selling it exclusively in kegs. The
brewer started to pour the beer into smoke-colored bottles clad in a
distinctive foil wrap and shroud in 1961.
Over the years, bartenders and bar patrons have given the shroud many names,
calling it a bow tie, scarf, paper boa, Prohibitionist's condom and a
clergyman's collar.
Ronnie Nelson, manager of Allstar's Sport Bar in Little Rock, said he calls the
dressing an annoyance.
``I am glad to see it's coming off,'' said Nelson, who still has bottles with
the old design in stock. ``The bartenders always complained how the paper got
stuck in the grip.''
Michelob is offered in a variety of flavors, including Michelob Black & Tan and
Michelob HefeWeizen. But only Michelob and Michelob Light had the tin foil
shroud.
Midwest Brewers to Invade State; Autumn Brew Review Planned for September 8,
2001
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild, in
conjunction with the Minneapolis Downtown Council, is pleased to announce the
First Annual Autumn Brew Review Beer Festival. The event will take place
Saturday, Sept. 8, 2001 from 1-7 p.m. at Peavey Plaza, located in downtown
Minneapolis.
Ticket holders will be treated to tastings of a wide variety of beer provided
by 28 of the Midwest's finest breweries. From pale ales, stouts, ambers and
bocks, beer connoisseurs will enjoy some of the most unique and fine crafted
beers from the upper Midwest.
Participating breweries include:
August Schell Brewing, New Ulm, Minn.
Barley John's Brewpub, New Brighton, Minn.
Capital Brewing Company, Middleton, Wis.
Fitger's Brewhouse, Duluth, Minn.
Goose Island Beer, Chicago, Ill.
Granite City Food & Brewery, St. Cloud, Minn.
Great Waters Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minn.
Hops Restaurant and Brewery, Eden Prairie and Maple Grove, Minn.
Jackson Brewing Company, Jackson, Mich.
James Page Brewing Company, Minneapolis, Minn.
Kalamazoo Brewing Company, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Lake Superior Brewing Company, Duluth, Minn.
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, Minn.
Minnesota Brewing Company, St. Paul, Minn.
Northwoods Brewing, Eau Claire, Wis.
Pioneer Brewing Company, Black River Falls, Wis.
Rock Bottom Brewing, Minneapolis, Minn.
Sherlock's Home, Minnetonka, Minn.
South Shore Brewery, Ashland, Wis.
Sprecher Brewing, Milwaukee, Wis.
St. Croix Beer Co., Lakeland, Minn.
Stevens Point Brewer, Steven's Point, Wis.
Summit Brewing, St. Paul, Minn.
Twin Ports Brewing, Superior, Wis.
Viking Brewing Company, Dallas, Wis.
Vine Park Brewing, St. Paul, Minn.
Water Tower Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minn.
White Winter Winery, Iron River, Wis.
In addition to great beer, food vendors will fire up the plaza while meatball
demonstrations are presented and as musical groups perform on the soundstage.
The groups scheduled for the event are Minnesota Pipe and Drum Corps, Chill 7,
The Go Buttons and Slygo.
Tickets may be purchased in advance from Ticketworks at 612-343-3390 or online
at http://www.ticketworks.com . The cost of the ticket is $20 ($25 day of
event), which provides the patron with unlimited samples of all the beers and a
commemorative tasting glass for the first 1500 ticket holders.
The event is sponsored by the Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild, a non-profit
organization dedicated to promoting Minnesota breweries. Other sponsors
include the Minneapolis Downtown Council, Cities 97 and City Pages.
AN MIGUEL BREWERY HONG KONG POSTS 30% RISE IN H1 PROFIT
August 30, 2001 HONG KONG (Sun Yat)- San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong Ltd.'s
[SMBHK] first half profit attributable to shareholders rose 30 per cent to
HK$35.037 million from HK$26.950 million the year before. Operating profit
increased 14 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Hong Kong
subsidiary of the Philippines' San Miguel Corporation [SMC]. The company's
market share improved to 30.6 per cent from 29 per cent early this year, the
company said.
Brewery pours it on as economy slows
by Jason Neely
SEOUL, Aug 29 (Reuters) - South Korea's economy faces its second-worst year in
two decades but Hite Brewery is not crying in its beer. Hite sits far removed
from the worries afflicting many Korean corporates -- slowing exports, grim
technology product prices, reluctant foreign investors and restructuring
delays.
After some sobering cash flow troubles two years ago, it has boosted profits,
solidified top place in the local beer market and won favour among analysts
hunting for defensive plays. Sitting in the shadows of larger, more
diversified Asian peers such as Japan's Kirin Breweries or the Philippines' San
Miguel, this 68- year-old family-run company remains a pure beer investment.
LAGGING DEFENSIVE PEERS
FRESH FUNDS
Aust thirst for ale still driving force for Foster's
( AAP General News (Australia) ) By Sandra O'Malley
MELBOURNE, Aug 28 AAP - Foster's no longer considers itself just a brewer, but
Australia's thirst for a cool ale has kept the profits rolling in for the beer
and wine giant.
The Melbourne-based maker of some of Australia's favourite beers dropped
Brewing from its title last month, part of its strategy to highlight the
importance of its growing wine business.
It's now known simply as Foster's Group Ltd.
But its brews are still the driving force behind the maker of Victoria Bitter,
Crown Lager and Carlton Draught.
In spite of a tough market, Australians' thirst for the amber liquid helped
Foster's deliver an 8.7 per cent rise in net profit to $465.2 million in the
year to June 30, 2001.
The company weathered an onslaught from rival brewer Lion Nathan Ltd to
maintain its 55 per cent share of the national beer market. This was despite
the fact that, remarkably, Australians drank less beer.
And it wasn't that Australians lost their taste for a drop.
The introduction of the GST - which led to an increase in the beer excise -
pushed consumers away from tap beer as prices across the bar rose by 10 per
cent. An industry outcry and concerted campaign eventually forced a Federal
government backdown and it reduced the beer tax in April.
"Aussie beer turned in a very solid performance in a very tough environment,"
Foster's chief executive Ted Kunkel said today.
"...especially when you consider that the GST resulted in a decline in industry
volume of about three per cent for draught (tap) beer, our most profitable
beer.
"Now I'm delighted to say that thanks to our excise campaign that draught beer
sales, in fact, have now turned around."
All up, earnings before interest and tax from its Australian beer business rose
4.9 per cent to $408.3 million, helped by drinkers' growing taste for premium
brands.
Foster's admits beer is the earnings powerhouse which is helping it grow its
wine business.
That business is also growing, led by its $2.9 billion acquisition of
Californian-based Beringer Wine Estates last year.
"Our Australian beer business, despite turbulent trading conditions, reported a
solid profit increase and continued to generate the strong cashflows that
underpin the growth," Mr Kunkel said.
The company is already looking to add to what it calls its growth engine, its
Beringer Blass Wine Estates wine business, targeting October 2003 as the date
when it can take on another major acquisition in the $1 billion plus range.
In the meantime, it continues to eye so-called bolt-on acquisition for its wine
operations, aimed at complementing the existing businesses in the United
States or Australia.
J2jurado
Brewing Up Good Times
Amy Boerema Buzz Lifestyles Editor
B.U.Z.Z. Club members Troy Jesse, Jim Kilbourne, Alan Mead, Barbara Plutchak
and Joel Plutchak toast in celebration of National Homebrew Day.
Homebrewing is sErious business for Joel Plutchak. As president of the
University's registered homebrew club, Plutchak and the club members appreciate
good beer the way many people— including Bud and Miller-loving college
students—don't.
Zymurgy is the science of brewing and fermentation, and appropriately enough,
the club's official name is Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots, or B.U.Z.Z.
The group, which includes about 12 active members, holds monthly meetings and
travels to regional brewpubs and beer festivals, as well as participating in
cookouts, tailgates and happy hours.
The group's membership peaked about three years ago when their meetings saw at
least two dozen, Plutchak said. Because the club is a student organization,
constant turnover and the exclusion of students under 21 hurts membership, he
added.
Plutchak, who is also a judge for various homebrewing competitions, said
judging beer in competition is fairly serious.
"You try to give good feedback, and it's fun to judge," he said.
As a judge, he said he has tasted very little bad beer, and some really good
beer.
Bad beer can occur if it has been underfermented, or the yeast is too sweet,
too flat, or infected, Plutchak said.
Plutchak, once that student who drank the cheap beer, is now a University
software developer. He joined B.U.Z.Z. about six years ago.
"After college, I started realizing there was other beer around, and I started
getting interested in the beer itself, and the process of making it," he said.
One of the main advantages of homebrewing is the cost, according to the club's
treasurer, Troy Jesse, a University graduate student in food science. It costs
about $7.00 to make two cases of beer.
A big plus is being able to control the kind of beer produced.
"It's a matter of what you like," Plutchak said. "Some people like thick,
roasty stouts, for example. You can brew how you like."
Plutchak and Jesse agreed the big brewers, such as Anheuser-Bush and Miller
brew well technically, but said the beer doesn't have a lot of character.
"We tend to like beer with more flavor," Plutchak said. "Bud is very well made,
but it isn't satisfying to someone who really likes beer."
Another advantage of homebrewing is that it's fresher.
"Like any food product, it degrades," Plutchak said. "Homebrewing's fresh; we
can afford to use ingredients for small scale process that big brewers can't
do. We don't mishandle the beer."
All beers are susceptible to bad handling, Jesse said.
While many beginner homebrewers use malt extracts because it's easier, B.U.Z.Z.
makes beer from scratch. This allows members greater control over the recipe.
Grain also stays fresher longer than extract.
"Since brewing is a hobby, many of us simply enjoy the all-grain process more
than brewing from extract," Plutchak said. "It's like the difference between
using a Betty Crocker cake mix and baking a cake from scratch."
Club member Alan Mead, who graduated from the University last year, said the
process they use is the most complicated in terms of equipment, time and
expertise.
Beer is made from malted barley, hops, water and yeast. It falls into two
general types—ales and lagers—depending on which type of yeast is used in
the fermentation process. Fermentation is the conversion of malt sugar to beer.
Ales, which can include stouts, porters, and bitters, are brewed from a
top-fermenting yeast, meaning the fermentation action occurs at the top of the
fermenter, and has a short, warm fermentation at about 60-68 degrees. Lagers,
which include pilsners and bocs, are brewed from a bottom-fermenting yeast and
given a long, cool fermentation at around 32-50 degrees.
Lagers are typically crisper and cleaner tasting than ales, according to Jesse.
The magic of homebrewing
Homebrewing begins with mashing grain, which turns the barleyÿs starches into
sugar and protein. The crushed grain is then strained in a process called
lautering, so the water containing the sugar is left over.
The boiling process comes next, in which the water is boiled for at least an
hour, but can be extended.
Hops, which contribute a bitter flavor to balance the sweeter malt flavor, are
added during th boiling process. After the boil, the hop cones are removed
through straining. Yeast, which turns sugar into alcohol and carbon
dioxide, is added. The water is then fermented. The white jug holds beer the
club brewed May 5. Fermentation lasts about a week.
Homebrewing begins with mashing grain. Mashing provides the right environment
for the malted barley's enzymes to turn the barley's starches into sugar and
protein. The water is heated to a certain temperature that ranges from 148 to
159 degrees Fahrenheit. The grain is added and mixed with a spoon or mash
paddle, and then is left to sit for about 45 minutes to an hour.
The amount of grain used depends on the style of beer brewed; B.U.Z.Z. uses
about eight pounds of grain per five gallons of finished beer.
Lautering comes next, which is the process of straining the crushed grain so
all that is left over is the water containing the sugar. This water is then
boiled, and hops, flowers with a bitter flavor that balance the sweeter malt
flavor, are added. Hops usually come in the form of compressed pellets, and the
amount added varies again by beer style and hop variety. This process lasts at
least an hour, but can last longer.
"Most of the time you brew you're not actually doing anything," Plutchak said.
"When I brew by myself, it usually takes about six hours to get to
fermentation."
At this point, the water is chilled and fermented in a big glass jug. Yeast,
which turns sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, is added. B.U.Z.Z. actually
maintains a set of over 80 different yeast cultures. The fermenter is placed in
a cool, dark place, and the storage spot is crucial, because temperatures too
high will kill the yeast, and too low will cause it to go dormant.
Plutchak said typical fermentation lasts about a week. He knows when the
fermentation is finished from experience.
"I measure the specific gravity of the beer, and when it stops dropping, you
can tell it's done," Plutchak said.
He stores the beer in a glass fermenter in a small closet under his basement
stairs.
When the fermentation process is over, the liquor has to rest for another two
to three weeks.
"A month later, you'll have some good beer," Plutchak said.
Plutchak's basement, where the beer ferments, would make any beer-lover happy.
His refrigerator holds several kegs connected to faucets (or taps, as many
people call them) on the outside of his refrigerator. Right now, Plutchak has
on tap a Belgian Abby Style Triple, Best Bitter Style ale, Extra Special Bitter
and an American-style brown ale.
One of the best things about B.U.Z.Z., many members agree, is the experience
and knowledge of the other members.
Jim Kilbourne, a University music lecturer, joined the club about four years
ago. He said he likes the diversity of the members' backgrounds.
"Somebody will always know something," Kilbourne said. "It's the most amazing,
eclectic collection of people. And they're all really good brewers."
Jesse, who brewed beer before he joined the club, said after joining, his beer
tasted much better.
"I've learned so much, and it really gave me an appreciation for all styles of
beer," Jesse said.
And while his family thinks his hobby is "cool," they don't share his same
tastes.
"They're staunch Busch drinkers," Jesse said, smiling. "They don't like the
beer I make."
http://www.enn.com:80/news/enn-stories/2001/08/08292001/s_44772.asp
In Colorado creeks beer and fish do not mix
Wednesday, August 29, 2001By Environmental News Network
Clear Creek, ColoradoThe Colorado Division of Wildlife filed suit Friday in
Jefferson County District Court against the Coors Brewing Co. to recover the
value of more than 50,000 fish. The fish were killed in August 2000 when the
company discharged 77,000 gallons of beer into Clear Creek from its brewery in
Golden, Colo.
State law places the value of each fish at $35, making the total potential fine
at least $1.75 million for the loss of the fish.
"We have had good faith and earnest discussions with Coors over the past year
about the actual damage to the resource and what steps are appropriate to
rectify that damage," said Division Director Russ George. "Now that it's been a
year, we feel it's our duty as the state's wildlife agency to file the
complaint to protect Colorado's aquatic resource and recover damages caused by
this discharge. We will continue to meet with Coors to discuss this issue," he
said.
Coors officials were not immediately available for comment on this incident,
but generally, the company says environmental performance is an integral part
of all of Coors' industrial operations. A statement on the Coors' Web site
says, "The company's strong environmental record demonstrates that Coors is
committed to protecting the environment."
Clear Creek is a tributary of the Colorado River and one of the main fishing
and recreational streams in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Clear Creek
starts near the Continental Divide, close to Loveland ski area, and runs
through the old mining towns of Georgetown, Silver Plume, and Idaho Springs.
After leaving the mountains, Clear Creek runs through Golden, the home of the
Coors Brewery.
The state Division of Wildlife complaint states that Coors discharged beer into
the company's wastewater treatment plant on Aug. 24, 2000. The solution, which
contained yeast, malt, and barley, was so organically strong that the plant
stopped operating normally and the beer was released with little or no
treatment into Clear Creek, where it consumed the available oxygen.
The discharge killed fish from the plant's discharge outlet to 7.4 miles
downstream on Clear Creek.
The species killed included sand shiners, creek chubs, fathead minnows,
longnose dace, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, green sunfish, yellow perch,
black bullhead, white sucker, and longnose sucker. All fish in Colorado are
considered game species except for threatened or endangered species.
State law provides that the Division has the right to recover the value of any
wildlife unlawfully taken and has the right to bring civil action against any
person to do so. Taking wildlife or causing its death may be done only as
authorized by state statute or Division regulation.
The complaint states that Coors had no authorization to take fish and that the
spill was also in violation of the company's permit to discharge treated waste
from the plant into the creek.
Coors points with pride to the fact that the annual generation of hazardous
waste from regular activities was slashed by more than 90 percent since 1992.
All Coors facilities meet small quantity generator status under hazardous waste
laws, the company said.
Coors is a charter member of the Colorado Pollution Prevention Partnership, a
group whose members include companies, environmental organizations, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment. Coors conducts regular, comprehensive environmental, health,
and safety audits of all of its facilities, the company said.
http://www.abc.net.au:80/news/state/tas/archive/mettas-28aug2001-16.htm
Brewery workers back in IRC over pay row
Management and workers at Cascade Brewery will head to the Industrial Relations
Commission in Hobart again tomorrow as the dispute over a pay rise intensifies.
The Liquor, Hospitality, and Miscellaneous Workers Union today reinstated work
bans at the brewery, slowing production of cider and three types of beer.
The company has offered staff a payrise of four percent, but the union's George
Goss said workers want a five per cent pay rise over the next three years, to
bring them into line with other employees of Fosters Carlton United Breweries
which owns Cascade.
"Our members are very angry and frustrated at the continuing refusal by the
company to respond to our claim.", he said.
Meantime, the pay dispute affecting Launceston's Boags Brewery has been
resolved. Workers accepted a three-point-five per cent wage increase over two
years.
http://detnews.com:80/2001/entertainment/0108/29/d08-279520.htm
Drink a little brew, see a cheap flick
By Cari Waldman / Special to The Detroit News
Tired of paying more than $7 for a movie and another $3 for a soda? Set
your sights on this: On Wednesday and Thursday nights at the Magic Bag in
Ferndale, attend the 21 and older brew 'n' view parties for a $2 admission.
Doors open at 8 p.m., and films begin at 9:30. September movies include Blow
and Caddyshack. Plus, there are always great beer pitcher specials. The Magic
Bag is at 22920 Woodward in Ferndale, just north of Nine Mile Road, on the
northeast side of Woodward. For more upcoming flicks, visit www.themagicbag.com
or call (248) 544-3030.
http://news.excite.com/news/r/010830/08/odd-kenya-dc
Woman, 93, Jailed for Cutting Son's Bananas
Aug 30 NAIROBI (Reuters) - A 93-year-old Kenyan woman has been sentenced to
four months in jail for cutting down her son's banana plants, newspapers
reported on Friday.
Esther Nyambura Kaburu burst into tears as she was led out of the court in the
central town of Nyeri to serve her sentence, imposed after she failed to pay a
5,000 Kenya shilling ($60) fine, the East African Standard Newspaper reported.
The Newspaper said Kaburu admitted to slashing 12 banana stems belonging to her
son and daughter-in-law, with whom she had been embroiled in a land feud.
Last year a 70-year-old woman was jailed in Nyeri after being convicted of
trying to bribe a magistrate with a packet of tea.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/28/science/physical/28ASPE.html?pagewanted=2
In Aspen, Physics on a High Plane
Dennis Overbye/The New York Times
Dr. Amanda Peet, Dr. Donald Marolf and Dr. Robert Myers take in the view near
Aspen.
Ed Kosmicki for The New York Times For almost 40 years, the Aspen Center for
Physics has been a place where physicists can talk, write and exchange ideas.
ASPEN, Colo. — They like to call it their Circle of Serenity, but sometimes
it isn't so serene.
On a recent morning, as Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf, a physics professor from the
University of Amsterdam, stepped to the blackboard on a shady patio at the
Aspen Center for Physics here to discuss some advanced notions in particle
physics, the trill of violins rehearsing for the evening's concert drifted
softly across the meadows from the Aspen Music Festival tent a couple hundred
yards away.
That was O.K. Music and physics have often resonated together. It was still
fine when the violins were joined by a chorus of magpies.
But when a raucus buzz suddenly ripped across the patio, Dr. Amanda Peet, a
University of Toronto physicist who had helped organize this gathering, leaped
from her seat and went into a nearby building to consult with the authorities,
only to come back frowning. Three trips later, she came back smiling; weed
whackers, working at the Aspen Institute next door, had agreed to postpone
their labors until the afternoon. It was, she thought, her "polite tone that
got results."
Utopias need defending. And for almost 40 years, the Aspen Center for Physics
— three low-slung buildings on four acres on the outskirts of the ski resort
— has been a kind of utopia for physicists. Here is where they could come to
talk, think and write about physics while training like Olympians — hiking,
scaling 14,000-foot peaks, cycling up mountain passes, jogging and playing cut-
throat volleyball in Aspen's thin air at 8,000 feet.
"It's amazing how much more amenable to working together colleagues can be when
they are out of breath," said Dr. Adam Riess from the Space Telescope Science
Institute in Baltimore.
By the end of this summer, 540 physicists will have come to Aspen to double (or
occasionally triple) up in 86 phoneless offices for stays of a week to three
weeks, said Jane Kelly, the center's administrative vice president.
Many of the physicists, who apply each winter for the next summer, participate
in the workshops on subjects as varied as biological networks and particle
physics, while others just come to think or write or engage in free-ranging
conversations with their colleagues. "It's achieved an intellectual critical
mass and it's in a drop-dead gorgeous place," said Dr. David Bishop, a
physicist at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, N.J. "The smartest people in the
world come here."
Informality is the rule, said Dr. Peet, a gravitational expert who was one of
the organizers, along with Dr. Robert Myers of McGill University and Dr.
Clifford Johnson of Durham University, of "Extreme Strings," a five-week
workshop to explore the limits of string theory, a mathematically labyrinthian
effort to explain all the particles and forces of nature by imagining nature as
composed of tiny vibrating strings. They were sharing the center with another
workshop on nanophysics.
"The main function is to sit under the trees and talk," Dr. Peet said.
Two mornings a week the workshop participants gather to hear talks on the
covered patio or in the center's auditorium. In the interest of spontaneity,
overhead projectors and PowerPoint presentations are banned — the only prop
allowed is a blackboard — and questions and interruptions are encouraged.
Sometimes, said Dr. Michael Turner, a University of Chicago cosmologist and
Aspen regular, scientists can use the rehearsals next door to their advantage.
"If you know the music, you know when the crescendo is coming and you can
adjust your talk to reach a crescendo at the same time," Dr. Turner said.
Sally Hume Mencimer, who retired in 1997 after 32 years as administrative vice
president, was both den mother and enforcer for generations of physicists and
their families, handing out bicycles and condominium keys in the summer and ski
tickets in the winter, when the scientists turn up for a series of one-week
science-and-ski conferences. With a yearly budget of around $1 million, the
physics center is one of Aspen's larger businesses and a major dealer in
condominium rentals, bicycles and music and ski tickets; and Aspen is one of
the few towns in America that has a listing for physicists in the yellow pages.
Many physicists, including Dr. Murray Gell-Mann, the Nobel laureate and
impresario of the quark, have bought homes here.
The world's most powerful particle accelerator, the Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., was partly designed here, and Aspen's groves
sheltered string theory, science's leading candidate for a "theory of
everything," in the days when it was regarded as an unfashionable but
mathematically beautiful theory of nothing.
There have been cabarets and funerals. It was here on Pyramid Peak in 1988 that
Dr. Heinz Pagels, a Rockefeller University physicist, fell to his death in an
accident — a death he had dreamed of and described in his 1982 book "Cosmic
Code." In 1997, just a few months after the dedication of a new building for
which he had raised $3 million, Dr. David Schramm, a University of Chicago
cosmologist and chairman of the center's board, crashed in his airplane on his
way here and was killed.
One of the cabarets provided perhaps the most dramatic moment in the recent
history of the center: the emergence of string theory as a viable "theory of
everything." At an earlier cabaret, as a stunt, Dr. Gell- Mann jumped up from
the audience and announced that he had discovered the theory of theories; men
came out and dragged him away.
In 1984, it was decided to have another physics cabaret, and Dr. John Schwarz,
a physicist from the California Institute of Technology and an Aspen regular,
was asked to reprise Dr. Gell-Mann's performance. What the organizers did not
know, Dr. Schwarz says, was that he had in fact just taken a major step toward
what might, in fact, be the secret of the universe.
He and his longtime collaborator and Aspen roommate, Dr. Michael Green, now of
Cambridge University in England, had completed a calculation showing that
strings could provide a mathematically consistent theory of all the forces and
particles of nature.
So when Dr. Schwarz was hauled away to the laughter of the audience, the real
joke, he recalled, was "that I was serious, or at least semiserious."
The center opened its doors in June 1962, in no small measure because of the
desire of one man to go fishing. The man was Dr. George Stranahan, rancher,
brewery and tavern owner, educational reformer, philanthropist, and
self-described outlaw. As Dr. Stranahan recalls it, he was a confused, not
particularly social, young man who went into physics thinking, "If I could
understand atoms, pretty soon I could figure out how my grandmother worked."
In 1957, as a 25-year-old graduate student at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, he
rented a house in Aspen for the summer, to fish and work on his dissertation.
The fishing was great but his work lagged, because, he realized, he missed the
give and take with other scientists. "I really found you talk physics," Dr.
Stranahan said.
Not wanting to give up summers in Aspen, he resolved to bring other physicists
to Aspen. Through the physics and hiking grapevine, he got in touch with Robert
W. Craig, executive director of the Aspen Institute, which had been formed in
1950 to bring together scholars and business leaders to discuss the cultural
and social issues, who was sympathetic to including science in the mix, and
with Dr. Michael Cohen, a University of Pennsylvania professor who had similar
ideas. In 1961 the three made a pitch to the institute's chairman, Robert O.
Anderson, who after further study, agreed to set aside land for a physics
division. Dr. Stranahan, whose family founded the Champion Spark Plug Company,
kicked in $38,000 of the $85,000 cost of the first building, which was
subsequently named for him.
In the early years, the center rented nearby houses to use as overflow office
space. Dr. Schwarz recalled that when he first arrived in 1969, his office was
in someone's kitchen and he used a cutting board for a desk.
Some 45 physicists from 22 institutions showed up the first summer. "It was
like, `Man, this is pretty good,' " said Dr. Stranahan. The next year, Dr. Hans
Bethe, the Cornell physicist who had played a major role in the Manhattan
Project and was soon to receive the Nobel Prize for figuring out how the sun
produces energy, came to Aspen.
"That was a huge deal for us," said Dr. Stranahan. Dr. Bethe later donated part
of his Nobel Prize money to the center, and its library building is named for
him. Another boost came when Dr. Robert R. Wilson, a Cornell physicist who was
charged with building Fermilab, chose Aspen as a summer retreat for his design
team. In 1968, the center split off from the institute and became a full-
fledged nonprofit organization, and the National Science Foundation became a
major benefactor. "They took a major risk early on," said Dr. Turner of the
University of Chicago.
As the physics center grew, Dr. Stranahan says, he was conscious of trying to
build a community, and the buildings and program were designed to foster a
maximum amount of interaction. In an effort to get physicists to come for
longer stays, they were encouraged to bring their families; because Aspen was
then a sleepy town in the summer, the center could arrange to rent condominiums
at bargain prices.
Once there, they were encouraged to leave their cars with their spouses and
ride bicycles to the center, meaning they would be eating brown bag lunches
together there. More socialization. Physicists had to share offices so that
nobody would be isolated. Dr. Stranahan said his cunning extended even to the
bathrooms: there were so few that people had to stand in line for them, thus
giving them another chance to talk. The community of scientists, Dr. Stranahan
said, "was all about talking."
Along the way, Dr. Stranahan's own science fell by the wayside. "I decided that
my contribution to science was going to be running this center, not writing
papers," Dr. Stranahan said.
In 1972, he stepped down from being president and chairman, although he is
still a member of the center. "Leaders need to know when to quit," he said.
Around the same time, he left Michigan State University, where he had just
achieved tenure. He now lives at Woody Creek, just outside Aspen, and devotes
much of his community-building energy to an organization called Compass, which
runs alternative schools and other education projects. In his spare time, he
blows up old cars with his neighbor, the writer Hunter S. Thompson.
The physics center survived a crisis of sorts in the late 1980's when, after a
series of transactions, Aspen Meadows wound up in the hands of a developer who
wanted to build houses, and the physicists discovered that they did not have
clear title to their land. The City Council, however, was opposed to growth,
said Dr. Turner, who as the center's president attended many City Council
meetings during that period.
After prolonged negotiations, the developer got the right to build a few houses
and a hotel downtown and the physics center got its four acres free and clear.
Relieved, the physicists embarked on a campaign to raise money to tear down the
old building that had housed the Fermilab team and replace it with a larger
modern building and auditorium. It was dedicated in 1997. "That completed the
campus," Dr. Turner said.
Utopias, as Dr. Stranahan noted, never last, but the "circle of serenity" has
held now for almost four decades, even as the town around it has grown from a
sleepy town to a haven for millionaires. Somebody just has to keep the weed
whackers under control.
Joel Plutchak
>Brewing Up Good Times
>Amy Boerema Buzz Lifestyles Editor
>B.U.Z.Z. Club members Troy Jesse, Jim Kilbourne, Alan Mead, Barbara Plutchak
>and Joel Plutchak toast in celebration of National Homebrew Day.
Really slumming there, Jaime! Did that come out on PRWire?
I should note that there were the inevitable misquotes,
misattributions, and inaccuracies in the article. I thought
it came out OK in general, though. Specifically I look
quite dashing and handsome in the photo. ;-)
--
Joel Plutchak
"Life is nothing if not an ongoing suckfest of trade-offs." - Beatleboy Jay
J2jurado
<<Specifically I look
quite dashing and handsome in the photo. ;-)>>
Yes, nice photos in the entire piece! Good bit altogether.
J2jurado
Maris Family Files $1 Billion Defamation Suit Against Anheuser-Busch
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Maris Distributing Company, run by
the family of baseball legend Roger Maris, has filed a defamation lawsuit
against beer giant Anheuser-Busch. The suit alleges that the world's largest
beer company, its executives and spokespersons tried to destroy the family's
reputation and good name. This comes exactly four weeks after a Gainesville
jury ruled that Anheuser-Busch had wrongfully taken the family's
Ocala-Gainesville beer distributorship in March 1997. The jury ordered
Anheuser-Busch to pay the Marises $139 million dollars before the judge changed
the jury's verdict and ordered the St. Louis brewery to pay the Marises only
$50 million, the fair market value of the distributorship.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000609/FLF004 )
The jury said that Anheuser-Busch had wrongfully terminated the Maris contract
and that Maris Distributing Company did not commit any acts of fraudulent
conduct, nor did Maris Distributing Company have deficiencies to warrant the
termination. The jury also found that Anheuser-Busch did not act in good faith
and did not deal fairly with the Marises. However, since 1997, Anheuser-Busch
executives and its spokespersons, have continually accused the Marises and
Maris Distributing Company of fraudulent conduct, repackaging outdated beer,
falsifying reports and numerous deficiencies which the jury found to be false.
"Those outrageous claims against this fine family have continued even after the
verdict," said Maris family attorney Willie E. Gary. "Anheuser-Busch targeted
this family-run company and they tried to destroy their good name, now it's
time for them to pay the price."
Anheuser-Busch, the multi-billion dollar a year beer company, which owned the
St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Club, gave Roger Maris the Gainesville, Florida
and Ocala, Florida exclusive Anheuser-Busch distributing rights in 1968 as part
of an agreement with the ball club. That same year, Maris led the Cardinals to
the World Series. The baseball legend died in 1985.
Anheuser-Busch Issues Statement Following Press Conference by Illinois
Secretary of State Jesse White
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 31, 2001--
Statement attributable to: Katja Zastrow Region Director, State Affairs
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
"On behalf of the 500 Anheuser-Busch employees who live in Illinois and travel
on its highways and roads, we offer a sincere thanks and our heartfelt
appreciation to Secretary Jesse White for his leadership in pushing for better
legislation to address repeat drunk drivers. His initiative led to the
formation of a one-of-a-kind coalition that sparked and inspired the
development of new laws recently signed by Governor Ryan which target repeat
drunk driving offenders.
"This isn't the first time Anheuser-Busch has supported legislation targeting
repeat offenders and it certainly won't be the last. For more than 10 years, we
have helped bring the problem of repeat drunk driving offenders into sharper
focus. In doing so, we have supported similar legislation in Arizona,
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri and other states.
"At the same time, we also salute the Illinois Legislature and Governor Ryan
for moving forward on this initiative. It was truly a team effort, and we were
delighted to be part of the team. Secretary White's coalition included
representatives from the beer wholesalers in Illinois, law enforcement
agencies, major brewers, retailers of alcohol beverages and others concerned
about reducing drunk driving."
Pyramid Breweries Adds Seattle Executive Scott Svenson to Board
SEATTLE,--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 31, 2001--Pyramid Breweries, Inc. (Nasdaq:<A
HREF="aol://4785:PMID">PMID</A>), a leading producer of specialty, full
flavored beers and sodas, announced that Seattle executive Scott Svenson has
joined Pyramid's Board of Directors.
Svenson, a Seattle native, recently returned after spending eleven years in
London. After six years of advising high growth middle-market companies,
initially at Drexel, Burnham Lambert (New York and London) and then at Apax
Partners & Co (the largest independent venture capitalist in Europe), Scott
became Deputy CEO of the third largest long-term healthcare provider in the UK
at the age of twenty-seven. As one of the youngest main board directors ever of
a UK public company, Scott played a crucial role in turning the business around
from annual losses of over (pound)3.0m to operating profits of over (pound)8.0m
in less than three years.
In 1994 Svenson co-founded Seattle Coffee Company, the first gourmet coffee
retailer and wholesaler in the UK. As CEO, Scott built the business to over 75
retail locations in under three years and managed the sale of the company to
Starbucks in May 1998. Following the acquisition, Scott accepted the role of
President, Starbucks UK and was subsequently promoted to President, Starbucks
Europe during which time he authored the company's European Strategic Plan.
"We are delighted that Scott has agreed to join our board," said Martin Kelly,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "He brings us a wealth of financial
expertise, and his experience in building specialty beverage brands via retail
stores complements our strategy to build the Pyramid brand through an expansion
of our Alehouse division," added Kelly.
Svenson sits on the Boards of Carluccios Ltd (a London-based Italian deli/cafe
operator and distributor of branded packaged goods), Santa Fe plc (a UK-based
chain of middle market Southwest American-themed restaurants), Pooper Scooper
Ltd (animal sundries company in UK) and Buerk Craig Victor LLC (a Pacific
Northwest-based venture capital and investment banking company) as well as
serving on the advisory boards of the London Business School and CapVest
Development Capital (London).
Pyramid Breweries Inc. is one of the leading brewers of specialty,
full-flavored beers and sodas, produced under the Pyramid and Thomas Kemper
brand names. Pyramid also operates two local breweries and restaurants, under
the Pyramid Alehouse name, in Seattle, Washington, and Berkeley, California.
For more information, visit www.PyramidBrew.com.
Texas Bans Open Containers
By MARK BABINECK
August 31, 2001 HOUSTON (AP) - The time-honored Texas tradition of driving your
pickup with one hand on the wheel and the other wrapped around a longneck
bottle of beer has reached the end of the road.
After more than a decade of legislative bickering - and the threatened loss of
federal highway construction dollars - Texas has joined most other states in
banning open alcohol containers within reach of a vehicle's occupants.
The ban was to take effect at midnight Friday.
``I know why they're doing it. Money talks,'' Houstonian Tom Hurst said. ``But
I think the people they want to eliminate are not going to pay any more
attention to it than the man in the moon.''
Hurst, 53, who grew up outside of San Antonio, recalled the icehouse
drive-thrus, where beer by the drink was as convenient as a Big Mac is today.
While he supports many alcohol-related traffic law changes, including the
tougher .08 percent blood alcohol limit, Hurst said the Legislature crossed the
line this time.
``I drive a Suburban. So when we're going to a football game, it means it
applies to everyone in the car,'' Hurst said. ``I totally disagree with it.''
Having an open can or bottle is considered pure Texas. In the opening scenes of
the movie ``Urban Cowboy,'' John Travolta guides his pickup past the Houston
skyline, a longneck beer in one hand.
``I once heard someone from New Mexico call a drive to Texas a `two-six-pack
trip,''' said Bill Lewis, spokesman for the state chapter of Mothers Against
Drunk Driving.
Under the old law, a driver could not be charged for having an open container
unless he was seen actually consuming its contents.
The new law makes knowingly possessing open containers in moving vehicles a
misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine. For vehicles without trunks, such as
pickups, station wagons and SUVs, an open container must either be in a locked
glove compartment or out of reach behind the last passenger seat.
According to 1999 federal figures, Texas led the nation with 1,734
alcohol-related traffic deaths. That represents about half of the state's total
of highway fatalities. The rate of alcohol-related deaths for the rest of the
country was 32 percent.
``This law begins to finally say Texas has had enough,'' said State Rep. Fred
Hill, the Republican who had pushed for the law for a decade. He said the
measure would not have passed if not for the threatened loss of $80 million in
highway construction funds.
Thirty-two other states have open-container laws, said Wendy Hamilton, MADD
national vice president.
``The importance is the safety of everybody, not just the driver, but the
passengers in the vehicle and everyone else on the road,'' she said. ``We need
to ensure nobody has alcohol to make sure everybody is safe.''
At a row of liquor stores just outside Lubbock, 45-year-old Charles Dement said
Texans who carried open containers in their vehicles this week will do it next
week, too.
``If people want to do it, they're going to do it regardless of the law,''
Dement said before driving off, a 12-pack at his side.
Diageo year profit seen up, driven by drink
By David Jones
LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Britain's Diageo Plc is set to report a nine percent
rise in annual profits next week as good growth at its Guinness UDV drinks unit
is trimmed by weak trading at Burger King and Pillsbury, analysts said on
Friday.
Forecasts are tightly packed after a trading update in mid-July, with analysts
looking for company comments on the effect of a U.S. economic slowdown on its
drinks business, the group's hopes for U.S. clearance of its Pillsbury and
Seagram deals and the time scale of a planned Burger King sale or float.
The update painted a picture of Diageo's top drinks brands like Smirnoff,
Johnnie Walker, Baileys and Guinness selling well while Burger King suffered
from consumer fears over mad cow and foot-and-mouth disease. Pillsbury also
faced a slowdown.
Analysts expect pre-tax profits for the year to June 30 before exceptionals
items of 1.968 billion pounds to 2.028 billion pounds ($2.88-2.96 billion)
after 1.815 billion pounds previously, when the company reports on September 6.
They expect Guinness UDV to show underlying annual sales growth of six percent
with volume growth of 2.5 percent after the July update which said sales and
volumes had continued to trends seen in the first half of July-December 2000,
when sales grew at six percent and volumes at three percent.
Analysts will look for comments from Diageo on fears of a softening in U.S.
growth, although they say there is little evidence to support a material
contraction in demand.
Chief Executive Paul Walsh, back in July, shrugged off any fears of a global
slowdown and said the group's spirits and beer brands were seeing growth, even
in North America.
Diageo's food business Pillsbury has struggled in the second half due to
uncertainty over U.S. clearance by the Federal Trade Commission for its sale to
General Mills, which was agreed in mid-July 2000, and second half profit are
set to fall.
Like Pillsbury, U.S.-based Burger King has had a difficult second half and full
year profits will be down. Diageo said in July it will take a write down of 50
million pounds as a new management team led by John Dasburg reorganises the
unit.
Diageo is committed to a disposal of Burger King and its 11,000 fast food
restaurants, and analysts say while a flotation of the division looks unlikely
before 2003 a trade sale sooner than this should not be ruled out.
Analysts will also look for some word on U.S. and Canadian clearance of
Diageo's joint $8.15 billion purchase of the Seagram's drinks business with
Pernod Ricard. The French group said in early August it was expecting clearance
of the deal in September.
Party Thrower Hit With Manslaughter
August 31, 2001 EASTON, Pa. (AP) - A woman who authorities said hosted a beer
party that preceded the deaths of three teen-agers in a car wreck was charged
with three counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Judith McCloskey, 41, of Bangor, could be sentenced to up to five years in
prison on each count if convicted.
``Today I'm sending a message ... don't buy booze for your kids or their
friends,'' Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said Thursday.
``If they get hurt, I am going to hold you criminally responsible.''
Morganelli said this is the first time in Pennsylvania that someone who
allegedly provided alcohol to a minor was charged in an alcohol-related fatal
car crash of that minor.
Authorities said McCloskey held the party April 28 in the basement of her house
in Plainfield Township, where she lived at the time. Police said 50 to 100
guests between the ages of 15 and 19 attended the party and drank alcohol.
``She created a safe haven for teen-agers to gather and get drunk with full
knowledge that (they) were driving automobiles to and from her premises,''
Morganelli said.
Three teen-agers who attended the party died in a one-car wreck while going
home. The driver, Christopher Mowad, 19, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.20
percent, twice the legal limit. The others killed were Byran Kiefer and
Kimberly Byrne, both 18.
McCloskey's 15- and 17-year-old daughters were also charged with underage
drinking and referred to juvenile court. Morganelli said they allegedly
``played a role in organizing and facilitating the party.''
McCloskey was released on $100,000 bail.
J2jurado
lay?slug=container02&date=20010902
Some Texans cool to open-container law
By Mark Wrolstad Dallas Morning News Sept. 2, 2001
DALLAS — Texas' tolerant mix of cars and alcohol, which for generations made
it easier to drink and drive, became another roadside casualty yesterday.
For the first time since buggies became horseless, it's illegal to drink and
ride.
The open-container law outlaws what many Texans came to view as a staple of the
road — an open can, bottle or cup of anything with alcohol in it.
Safety advocates and law-enforcement groups, who tried to get the restriction
passed for more than a decade, finally have seen their efforts produce a law
that they say is founded on simple common sense.
"If we really want to stop drinking and driving, we need to get the alcohol out
of the cars," said Bill Lewis, a spokesman for Mothers Against Drunk Driving
(MADD). "The only way to do that is for the law to apply to everybody in the
car.
"It's been too easy for drivers to drink and then pass it to their buddy and
say, 'It's not my beer. It's his.' "
The prohibition represents a big stride away from the state's freewheeling
reputation involving alcohol and the open road.
"Texas has always been different," said Roger Hodges, 55, who had beers with
friends this week around the tailgate of a pickup at Keller's burgers-and-beer
drive-in in northeast Dallas. "I don't like the law. I don't see nothing wrong
with having an open container if you're not driving."
It's been illegal in Texas only since 1987 to drink while driving, and police
considered the law virtually unenforceable since it required them to see a
driver consume a clearly alcoholic beverage before stopping a vehicle.
About two-thirds of states, including Washington, now have laws banning open or
resealed drinks in passenger compartments.
Arguments over the issue are hardly one-sided, however, which may explain why
car and truck passengers have retained drinking rights for so many years.
In counterpoint to the fundamental safety concerns, others view the question as
a matter of individual responsibility and personal freedom.
A prevailing attitude that people could make choices about having a beer when
they're merely riding in a vehicle frustrated supporters of the new law for
years.
"That's probably the number one reason we didn't get the law changed sooner,"
Dallas police Lt. John Branton said.
Drinking while riding — and even driving — is part of a "good ol' boy"
outlook that's been slow to change, he said. "People kind of winked at it. Now
people see it for more of the evil it is."
Opposition from the beer and liquor legislative lobbies also sidetracked
proposed open-container bans during the '80s and '90s, said Lewis, of MADD.
"I think it finally started to sink in that they don't want to be the bad guys
in this," Lewis said of the alcohol industry.
Many Texans accustomed to enjoying a cold one in the passenger seat endorse the
new drink-and-ride restraint as good policy, even if they don't like the
personal restriction.
"It's the right thing to do, but I ain't gonna like it personally," said Terry
Dublin, 49, reclining with a longneck in his hand in the back of a pickup at
Keller's.
The old drive-in is a place where 10- and 20-year regulars gather at the end of
the workday to have a few in the shade of the long, tin roofs, and occasionally
launch a beer can about 100 feet toward the recycling bins along the back
fence.
Customers, at least until yesterday, often pulled out of the parking lot with
an open beer or two in the car, and the beverage sometimes belonged to the
driver.
The group at Keller's agreed that the new offense, a Class C misdemeanor
carrying up to a $500 fine, won't change everyone's old habits — drivers or
passengers.
"As long as they don't get caught, some people are going to drink and drive,"
said Joanna Holzer, 27.
http://www.jsonline.com:80/news/metro/aug01/bass01083101a.asp
Distributor suit against Guinness tossed
From the Journal Sentinel Aug. 31, 2001
A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Guinness Bass
Import Co., an importer of malt beverages, wrongfully ended a distribution
agreement with a local firm.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ruled that Guinness did not violate the
Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law when it notified Beer Capitol Distributing Inc.
that as of July 2000 it no longer would be an exclusive wholesaler and
distributor for Guinness Bass in Waukesha County and part of Milwaukee County.
Adelman also threw out Beer Capitol's other claims, including breach of
contract and unjust enrichment.
http://www.courierpress.com:80/cgi-bin/view.cgi?200108/30+edbeer08301_news
.html+20010830
Editorial: Beer Barons
The Issue: Rule against exclusive zones about to expire. Our View: The long
fight coming to quiet end.
At one time, not too many years ago, the term “beer baron” headlined a big
issue in Indiana. Those were fighting words, with beer drinkers and some
retailers on one side, and distributors and breweries on the other. Various
Hoosier newspapers could be found editorializing on both sides.
For what reason, we’re not sure — perhaps weariness with the fight, perhaps
a shift in power in Indianapolis, perhaps a recognition that beer distribution
and sales should be left to the market — the beer barons have finally and
quietly won the war. In Wednesday’s Courier & Press, on a back page, B12,
down just below the fold, a five-inch wire story told that after Dec. 31,
breweries will be allowed to authorize distributors to serve in exclusive
territories.
That practice, banned for the last two decades in Indiana, allowed retailers to
shop around for the best prices. Supporters felt that competition translated
into lower prices for beer drinkers. But the breweries and wholesale
distributors insisted they should be allowed the freedom of the market to
distribute their products as they choose. Also, they contend, this will lead to
fresher beer for consumers on store shelves.
What is happening is that the rule that blocked exclusive territories for so
long is scheduled to expire Dec. 31. This week, the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco
Commission voted to let that happen.
In all other states, exclusive territories are already the rule. As such,
Indiana represents a sort of last call for the retailers.
http://www.abc.net.au:80/news/state/tas/archive/mettas-30aug2001-5.htm
Cascade dispute resolved
A pay dispute at Cascade Brewery has been resolved.
The Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union and Cascade management
has agreed on a 4 per cent pay rise for two years, and 4.5 per cent rise in the
third year.
Union spokesman, George Goss, says while workers did not get the 5 per cent
rise they were seeking, the agreement does allow for a one per cent increase in
superannuation for the second and third years.
"I wont say they were 100 per cent happy, but we had a quite open discussion in
regards to the proposal by the company which was useful," Mr Goss said.
"But at the end of that we put it to a vote and the members voted to accept the
revised proposal," he said.
Cascade say it's pleased with the outcome.
The agreement is expected to be implemented at the beginning of next month.
http://news.com.au:80/common/story_page/0,4057,2749381%255E462,00.html
Grape expectations – from the 'bistro set'
By FLEUR ANDERSON 03sep01
YOUNG female drinkers, known by marketers as the 'bistro set', have become an
important force in the future of the Australian liquor industry.
In the past, women often deferred to men in their choice of alcohol.
But now that alcohol is being sold in supermarkets in many states, women are
becoming the decision-makers.
As the boom in wine demand continues at the expense of a largely flat beer
market, female wine drinkers outnumber men by 20 per cent.
But this advertising-savvy group has proven a tough market to crack.
According to Carlton and United Breweries, there are about a million 18- to
24-year-old women in Australia and roughly three-quarters of them are regular
drinkers.
These consumers – whose palates are adjusting from sugary soft drinks to more
challenging alcoholic flavours – choose to drink premium beers over bitter
ales, ready-to-drink mixed spirits and white wine over heavy red wines.
Most wine drinkers are aged between 25 and 44 but the lucrative 18-24 age group
is under-represented, according to a 1998 report by the Australian Wine and
Brandy Corporation.
Only 21 per cent of this group drink wine, compared with 36 per cent and 32 per
cent of beer and spirits respectively.
The alcohol industry has taken seriously the report's warning that this
demographic was a missed marketing opportunity.
Wine group BRL Hardy last year was inspired by the fashion industry in the
marketing of its white wine blend Wicked Wines range.
In metallic bottles, the colours of fruit tingles with names such as Flirt,
Lust, Envy and Greed, the wines are targeted to the 20-something women whose
palates prefer sweeter, less challenging alcoholic drinks.
Berringer Blass, the wine division of Foster's Group, will spend $1.5 million
on a new advertising campaign for its flagship sparkling wine range Yellowglen.
The "Seriously Bubbly" campaign will target women aged between 20 and 35
through poster advertising on buses and bus shelters.
The campaign will run between October and December – a season Berringer Blass
figures "Seriously Bubbly" women will be "out and about" rather than reading
magazines or watching television.
Yellowglen has launched a Yellow party pack, including three bottles of Yellow
and one bottle of Red, as well as 375ml Yellowglen Piccolos which feature
photographs of celebrities drinking from the bottles with bright yellow straws.
According to Berringer, more consumer dollars are spent on Yellowglen than any
other sparkling wine brand and female consumers account for about 70 percent of
sales.
Wine is not the only drop to attract the "bistro set" dollar.
Pre-mixed bottles, such as Sub Zero, Bacardi Breezer and Stolichnaya Vodka's
Stoli, are finding a ready market in Australia's nightclubs and bars.
Berringer's Rell Hannah said women were starting prefer drinking from bottles
on their nights out to guard against spiked drinks and date rape.
Foster's annual results last week revealed Continental Spirits – its ready
todrink segment including Sub Zero – jumped 54 percent in volume.
Like the wine coolers of the 1980s, some brands pitched at the female market
have flopped because of their overt and simplistic marketing.
"This group is advertising and marketing savvy," a CUB spokesman said.
"They are very sensitive to targeting in terms of marketing and they are well
read and well informed . . . probably more than their male counterparts.
"Marketing to them requires a considerable amount of consideration."
Beer, however, remains a challenge to brewers such as Lion Nathan which are
careful not to alienate their core male market by marketing overtly to women.
Of the Australian beer market, about 80 per cent is consumed by men and
two-thirds of women don't drink beer at all.
Castlemaine Perkins, a Lion Nathan subsidiary and brewer of XXXX, has found
some success in the female market with its premium beers including Crown Lager,
Hahn and Hahn Witbier.
Castlemaine Perkins spokesman Michael Blucher said clear bottles and premium
packaging helped appeal to women, but alcohol brands and styles have a more
emotional appeal to men than women.
http://www.jsonline.com:80/news/metro/aug01/drink30s1082901a.asp
College anti-alcohol effort a tough sell
By SHARIF DURHAM of the Journal Sentinel staff Aug. 29, 2001
Administrators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison can tell you the stories:
Parents asking where their children can get fake identifications. Parents
sneaking cases of vodka into dorm rooms, since their kids might have a hard
time getting the booze on their own.
Just Wednesday morning, some parents were caught drinking alcohol in a
UW-Madison residence hall.
So while an American Medical Association survey released Wednesday indicates
that parents are highly concerned about binge drinking and want universities
and towns to crack down on the practice, there is still a small group of
parents and students who do not see a problem and for whom it may be getting
worse.
"I suspect things like that are happening everywhere in the country,"
UW-Madison Chancellor John D. Wiley said of the incidents on his campus.
"People should realize there are a variety of behaviors."
Nationally, the public seems more aware that binge drinking causes problems,
and they're more willing to see universities and local governments take action
to curb it, the study says.
For instance, 95% of parents surveyed nationally said excessive drinking was a
serious threat to their children, and 85% said easy access to alcohol near
colleges contributed to the problem.
Almost all of the respondents - 93% - believe that bars that don't train
workers to identify drunk or underage patrons should be stripped of their
liquor licenses, and 78% believe that college towns should be able to regulate
alcohol sales to slow or stop binge drinking.
The nationwide telephone survey of 801 adults age 21 and older was conducted in
July and August by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates in Washington, D.C., for
the AMA's Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse. The margin of error is plus
or minus 3.5 percentage points.
The AMA and 10 schools working to curb binge drinking are putting out their
poll results now to create a buzz at the beginning of the school year, a time
when thousands of college freshmen are exposed to campus drinking culture for
the first time.
Some students don't see a big problem, though. Marquette University freshman
Jon Schultz, 18, said from what he's seen in the week since classes started,
most students limit their drinking to weekends. He and his friend Joe Tassone,
18, usually have beer and a shot or two at a house party, Schultz said.
"They should just hope that their kids are smart and know when to do their
schoolwork," he said.
For more information on the survey, visit the American Medical Association's
binge drinking Web site at www.stopcollegebingeing.com.
J2jurado
Beck's Shareholders OK Deal
September 3, 2001 BERLIN (AP) - Partners in Brauerei Beck GmbH & Co. have
approved the 1.79 billion-euro ($1.6 billion) sale of the company to Belgium's
Interbrew, the German brewer said Monday.
The unanimous shareholder approval for the deal, which was announced early last
month, came at a meeting Saturday. The deal still needs approval from antitrust
authorities, and the brewer of Beck's beer said it should be completed in the
first quarter of next year.
Interbrew, whose own flagship brand is Stella Artois, said the deal for the
128-year-old German firm would make it the No. 2 brewer in the premium lager
market, behind Dutch company Heineken.
Family owned Brauerei Beck, based in Bremen, is Germany's fourth-largest beer
brewer. It has annual sales estimated at about 850 million euros ($774
million).
It exports almost half the beer it produces annually to more than 120
countries, accounting for 30 percent of all German beer exports.
On the Net:
Diageo sells off Croft and Delaforce
LONDON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - British-based drinks firm Diageo Plc agreed the sale
of its Croft and Delaforce port and sherry units on Monday as part of the
strategy at the world's largest wines and spirits group to concentrate on its
big global brands.
The Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky group is selling the port
and sherry business to a consortium of Gonzalez Byass SA and Taylor Fonseca SA,
for 82.5 million euros ($75 million).
Diageo said Gonzalez Byass was acquiring the Croft sherry business and the
company's assets in Spain. Taylor Fonseca was buying the port assets in
Portugal, the Delaforce port brand and worldwide rights to the Croft brand for
marketing port. Diageo will retain the right to market Croft brandy.
Since its creation in December 1997 from the Guinness- GrandMet merger, Diageo
has focused on its key drinks brands such as Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker
whisky, Cuervo tequila, Tanqueray gin, Baileys liqueur and Guinness beer, and
has been selling off its smaller minor brands.
In the summer of 2000, the focus on the wine, spirits and beer division,
Guinness UDV, was intensified with the decision to sell its U.S. food business
Pillsbury and to dispose of Burger King.
The group, which reports annual results on Thursday, is still awaiting
clearance from U.S. authorities of its Pillsbury sale, 14 months after the deal
was agreed, while a decision to sell or float Burger King is still to be made.
It is also awaiting approval from U.S. and Canadian authorities for its joint
deal with Pernod Ricard to buy the Seagram drinks business, a deal agreed last
December and worth some $8.15 billion.
Diageo shares were off 11 pence at 684p in a lower UK stock market by 1030 GMT.
Australian July wine exports fall 5.7%
CANBERRA, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Australian wine exports fell 5.7 percent by volume
in July, compared with a year ago, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
said on Monday. Exports of 26.79 million litres, valued at A$139.8 million,
were also down 13.8 percent on the previous month. Original data showed
domestic sales of Australian produced wine fell 2.4 percent to 31.1 million
litres in July from a year ago.
Following is a table of domestic wine sales, seasonally adjusted, and original
data for exports in thousand litres:
July 01 June 01 July 00
Australian produced wine
Domestic wine sales 31,104 32,013 31,881
White table wine sales 16,391 16,171 17,489
Red and rose table wine sales 10,187 10,657 10,071
Exports of Australian wine 26,790 31,096 28,410
Kendall-Jackson Announces World Winemakers Head for California; Annual US
Harvest Means Training for Global Industry
SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 1, 2001--A trickle has turned into
an enological flood, as more foreign trainees than ever travel to American
wineries this fall to learn the way it's done on this side of the ocean.
"I'm ready to roll," said Gavin Taylor, a South African who might serve as a
poster boy for the galloping globalization of wine. He arrived in Sonoma County
in August, fresh from a wine harvest in New Zealand and a veteran of winemaking
around the globe. "I want to drag a pump, get in there with a shovel and dig
out the red grape skins. I want to do it all."
Like hundreds of other eager young professionals, Taylor will work this fall to
help turn California's most prestigious crop into its most elegant agricultural
product. In his case, Taylor will work in Napa Valley for Kendall-Jackson Wine
Estates, at the winery in Oakville.
Most members of this international migration are in their 20s with new degrees
or only a short time in the wine industry. They will work in California cellars
until about Christmas, then carry their experience back to their home countries
such as South Africa, Chile, Argentina, France, Austria and Hungary.
No company hosts more trainees than Kendall-Jackson and its associated
wineries. This year the Kendall-Jackson winemakers will host 56 trainees, up
from just 10 in 1996.
"There's a tremendous value -- we learn from them and they learn from us," said
Randy Ullom, winemaster for Kendall-Jackson. "They bring a passion for wine.
It's not just a vacation for them. They put everything they have into it, and
more."
The program allows Kendall-Jackson, owner of wineries in Chile, Argentina and
Italy, to build good will with the wine community around the world, Ullom
added.
Beverly Bianchi coordinates the Minnesota-based Communicating for Agriculture
Exchange Program (CAEP), the non-profit organization that links interns with
wineries, horse breeders and other agricultural enterprises.
She said the networks that run throughout the wine world have helped wine
become the leading component of the CAEP program, one that started 20 years ago
with a focus on grains and livestock in the Midwest.
The exchange program provides a particular benefit to trainees from the
Southern Hemisphere. Peta Byers, for example, can work two harvests this year,
one in the spring in her native Australia and one this fall at La Crema Winery
in the Russian River region.
Byers said her gypsy winemaking will speed her toward her goal of getting five
vintages under her belt before seeking a job as an assistant winemaker.
"It's fantastic to talk to people from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Argentina --
the contact and the new experiences in wine can't be equaled anywhere."
In the end, this annual exchange cross-pollinates the wine world, leaving it
richer and more productive, winery professional believe.
"You never get to the point where you know it all and can just hang it up,"
South African Taylor said. "As long as you're listening and watching, there's
always more to learn."
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates produces a broad portfolio of premium wines
focused on hillside and coastal growing regions in California, South America,
Australia and Italy. Along with Kendall-Jackson, which features Collage(R),
Vintner's Reserve(R), Grand Reserve, Great Estates(TM) and Stature(TM) wines,
KJWE offers Camelot and Pepi with California appellations, Sonoma County's La
Crema Winery, Yangarra Park from Australia, Villa Arceno from Tuscany, Italy
and South American wineries Calina, from Chile and Tapiz from Argentina.
Eating chocolate is healthy, doctors say
By Patricia Reaney
GLASGOW, Scotland, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Good news for chocoholics. The treat
favoured by millions not only tastes delicious but is healthy for you, American
researchers said on Monday.
Chocolate contains compounds called flavonoids that can help maintain a healthy
heart and good circulation and reduce blood clotting -- which can cause heart
attacks and strokes.
"More and more, we are finding evidence that consumption of chocolate that is
rich in flavonoids can have positive cardiovascular effects," Carl Keen, a
nutritionist at the University of California, Davis, told a science conference.
"We not only have observed an increase in antioxidant capacity after chocolate
consumption, but also modulation of certain compounds which affect blood
vessels."
Antioxidants are substances that help reduce the damage of cancer-causing
charged particles in the body. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains are
high in antioxidant vitamins such as C and E.
NOT ALL CHOCOLATE CREATED EQUAL
Flavonoids in chocolate are derived from cocoa, which is rich in the compounds.
Research has shown that a small bar of dark chocolate contains as many
flavonoids as six apples, 4.5 cups of tea, 28 glasses of white wine and two
glasses of red.
But Dr Harold Schmitz said there were variations in the levels of flavonoids in
chocolate and cocoa products depending on the production process, in which many
flavonoids are destroyed.
"All chocolates are not created equal in regards to flavonoid content,"
Schmitz, a scientist with confectionery maker Mars Inc, told a news conference.
Flavonoids are thought to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the number
one killer in many industrialised countries, by reducing platelet aggregation
-- when blood platelets combine into a sticky mass and form clots.
Keen and his colleagues measured the impact of chocolate on platelets in the
blood in 25 volunteers. They presented their findings to the British
Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Glasgow.
The researchers collected blood samples from volunteers who ate 25 grams (0.9
ounces) of chocolate with a high flavonoid content and other volunteers who ate
bread. They took blood samples from both groups two and six hours after they
ate the chocolate and bread to measure their platelet activation.
Volunteers who consumed the chocolate had lower levels of platelet activity,
which would reduce the probability of having a blood clot. The scientists found
no change in the group that ate the bread.
Keen said the results of the study support earlier research showing that cocoa
acts like low-dose aspirin which helps to reduce blood clotting.
But he warned that eating chocolate should not be substituted for taking low
dose aspirin because they work through different mechanism in the body.
"These results lead us to believe that chocolate may contribute to a healthy,
well-balanced diet," Keen added.
Up to 300 scientists are presenting research on subjects ranging from genetics
and microbiology to global warming and organic farming during the five-day
conference.
Former China Vice Den Open to Public
By TED ANTHONY
September 2, 2001 XIAMEN, China (AP) - He invited them in, and each became a
tentacle of his empire - a deputy mayor, a customs chief, sundry civil servants
who liked their liquor 20 years old and their women the same way. When Lai
Changxing made it worth their while, authorities say, Xiamen's leaders fell in
line.
By the time police accused him in 1999 of running a multibillion-dollar
smuggling ring, Lai had hundreds working for him across this port city - and,
the central government says, scores of local and provincial officials in his
astonishingly deep pocket.
Lai fled to Canada and many of his associates were jailed or executed. But the
opulent walled compound where authorities say he bribed his way to success has
been opened as a museum - a vice den turned propaganda tool that depicts
China's struggle against corruption and shows what the consequences can be.
``Now people can see what we're up against,'' Cao Fang, the exhibit's deputy
director, said Friday. ``They'll see how we're building our legal system, and
they'll have more faith in it.''
Honglou, Chinese for ``Red Mansion,'' opened this week to long lines. In its
first four days, more than 8,500 people paid about 60 cents each to see how
their homegrown Al Capone did business.
There apparently wasn't much that didn't happen in the seven-story red-brick
building, which cost Lai $17 million. The art was erotic, the easy chairs
motorized, the karaoke machine well-stocked and the massage tables at the
ready.
Room 305 is an exercise room, Room 404 a movie theater that seats 30. Room 601
is the presidential suite - where top officials slipped in through secret
entrances for trysts with procured women.
Lai reportedly committed great resources to learning the desires of those he
wanted to bribe.
``I am not afraid of officials,'' state media quote him as saying, ``but I do
worry that they don't have special cravings.''
Many evidently did. So far, 300 suspects have been tried and more than a dozen
sentenced to death in connection with Lai's company, Yuanhua Group Inc. Those
convicted include a deputy city customs chief who actually helped design the
label for Lai's brand of cigarettes.
Corruption has plagued China's civil service since the earliest dynasties,
often because local commerce, however smelly it might be, was preferable to
central government edicts. So it went in this city just off China's
southeastern coast, the sixth-busiest port in the world and 1,100 miles from
Beijing.
When Beijing-backed authorities smashed Lai's operation in 1999, there was
resentment in Xiamen, where some consider smuggling a way to skirt tariffs that
protect inefficient state firms. Besides, Lai had a reputation as a man about
town who developed land, helped senior citizens, even subsidized a soccer team.
The shady neighborhood patron is an ancient story, from Robin Hood to John
Gotti. Multiplied thousands of times, though, it's a colossal vexation for a
nation grappling to elevate business standards ahead of likely admission to the
World Trade Organization in November.
Premier Zhu Rongji realizes that. After visiting the Red Mansion last year, he
ordered it converted into an exhibition - ``a textbook to educate our party
officials,'' according to the Beijing Youth Daily.
This week, state media served up hyperbolic prose for the occasion. ``A sleaze
center and a melting pot filled with money, alcohol and sex,'' said the Beijing
Daily. ``Unimaginable,'' said the Guangzhou Daily.
For Cao, his exhibit is pretty straightforward.
``This isn't a tourist site,'' he said. ``It's education.''
Quite possible. But in spotlighting Lai so enthusiastically, China, which has
seen firsthand what personality cults can do, also risks glorifying him. The
Red Mansion is informative but, with its roped-off chambers of excess, is also
something of a corruption theme park - a Graceland of graft without the shag
carpeting and the banana pudding.
Yet the mansion - and, next door, a four-story exhibit of paraphernalia and
law-enforcement efforts - make one thing clear. China is realizing crime and
justice make for good melodrama, and thus effective tools of persuasion in an
era when pop culture trumps party politics.
``Fascinating. The outside looks so normal,'' marveled one visitor who gave
only his surname, An. Many of his colleagues live in a building next door. ``No
one knew,'' An marveled.
The name of Lai's den proved prescient. It comes from an 18th-century Qing
Dynasty novel called ``Dream of the Red Mansion,'' a chronicle of opulence and
wealth. In the end, though, corruption ruined those who lived too well.
Three centuries later, Lai Changxing sits in a Canadian jail, fighting
extradition. And China, poised to enter the global economy on its largest scale
ever, is using Lai to tell that old story once again - and show the world that
it can be trusted.
Toulouse-Lautrec remembered a century on
By Hannah Cowdy
PARIS, Sept 3 (Reuters) - When Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec visited the Moulin
Rouge over a century ago he would sometimes pay for his drinks with sketches of
the Paris dance hall's high-stepping cancan stars.
Inside its mirrored walls, the dark-haired, diminutive artist cut a strange but
recognisable figure -- with a glass of absinthe and a sketch pad his near
constant companions.
By the time he died on September 9, 1901, his posters had immortalised the
Belle Epoque -- the twilight years of the 19th century when Paris oozed with
the pursuit of hedonist pleasures.
His influence is still felt in the centenary of his death. The musical movie
"Moulin Rouge" starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor and based on the Belle
Epoque days of the dance hall, had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in
May.
Born in 1864 in the southern town of Albi, Toulouse-Lautrec had a bone disease
which stunted his growth. Less than 1.5 metres (five feet) tall, he used a cane
for most of his life.
A country aristocrat, his adulthood was marred by physical disability, and cut
short by syphilis and alcoholism -- the legacy of a life in which the brothels,
cabarets, bars, theatres and circuses he visited became the subjects of his
art.
"He had a great sense of humour, a real love of life. His life and art merged
as one, but he ended up burning both ends of the candle: working very hard,
enjoying women and drinking too much," said Daniele Devynck, of Albi's
Toulouse-Lautrec museum.
Throughout the year, Albi has commemorated its famous son with period
exhibitions, while further west in Chateau Malrome, where he died at the age of
36, poetry, a documentary about the artist and can cans is planned for
September 9.
WOMEN'S PALACE
Despite his reputation as the archetypal bohemian, Toulouse- Lautrec produced a
huge amount of work and was among the first to see that the poster could be an
art form for the masses.
His career took off at around the same time that the Moulin Rouge -- dubbed a
Women's Palace by its creators -- opened on October 6, 1889, to a packed crowd
of high and low society lured by the women dancers and scent of debauchery.
Toulouse-Lautrec soon became a close friend of "La Goulue," or "The Glutton,"
the unrivalled queen of the scandalous French cancan, who got her nickname
draining glasses left at the bar.
She danced on tables, showed the heart embroidered on her underwear and roused
the cheers of her admirers as she rushed towards them, removing their top hats
with her high kicks.
The only person the hot-tempered dancer seemed to get on with was
Toulouse-Lautrec, although she mocked him with comments such as : "What I like
about you is your lips -- they're shaped like the rim of a bathtub."
His poster of La Goulue dancing the cancan with her partner Valentin marked the
first use of specific stars to advertise a place of entertainment and made him
famous throughout Paris.
"FLEXIBLE JOINTS -- AND MORALS"
The 1898 "Guide to Paris Pleasures" wrote of "a host of young girls...there to
demonstrate the heavenly Parisian Chahut (cancan) dance as its traditional
reputation demands...with a physical elasticity as they do the splits, which
promises just as much flexibility in their morals."
The Moulin Rouge that Toulouse-Lautrec knew has changed.
Today's dancers are keen to prove they are not like their predecessors, or the
women in the neon-lit strip joints in Paris's nearby Pigalle district.
"We all fight really hard to keep our reputation. We're not a peep show,"
Rachelle Connors-Siballd, one of the Moulin Rouge's three principal dancers,
told Reuters.
"It's a real family show. My niece and nephew are coming to watch. They've seen
my boobs (breasts) before, whenever I sunbathe topless," the 26-year-old added.
The red windmill from which the Moulin Rouge took its name is still there, but
the central dance floor and the tiny stage at the rear of the hall have gone.
So too have the garden and its huge stucco elephant, with a stage inside one of
its legs.
Now there is a crescent stage with dozens of props at the back of the room,
where 60 women dancers in G-strings, feather head-dresses, sequins and
rhinestones and fewer men wearing rather more clothes create a glittering and
tacky world of song and dance.
The Cossack dancers, clowns and sailors overshadow the rare and rather subdued
cancan, while a troupe of Shetland ponies and an almost naked dancer swimming
with pythons in an aquarium prompt squeals of delight and terror from the
audience.
On one summer evening, the 850-seat hall is heaving. Its tables are packed so
close that the waiters climb over them to ply the tourists, business people and
locals with champagne.
Two hours later the room is full again for the night's second show, with
members of the audience paying upwards of 520 francs ($72) each in the hope of
a rendezvous with the Belle Epoque.
"We work six nights a week, two shows a night, so every decision we make
revolves around dancing. It's a choice you make," said Connors-Siballd, tall
and blonde and sporting false eyelashes and mountains of make up.
"But I do miss not seeing the sun rise or set," she says, doing the splits to
warm up for her performance.
And for fellow principal Vlada Krassilnikova, a former Russian gymnast, her
work proves Toulouse-Lautrec's saying that "Life is beautiful" dancing the
cancan.
"I love to dance, when you come here you forget everything, you can forget your
problems," she said. "You live for the moment."
J2jurado
BRUSSELS, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Belgian brewing giant Interbrew
said on Monday the shareholders of German peer Beck's had unanimously approved
the sale of the company to Interbrew.
The deal, expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2002, is still subject
to approval by the relevant competition authorities, Interbrew said in a
statement.
Interbrew bought Beck's in early August for 3.5 billion marks ($1.63 billion).
Shares in Interbrew closed 1.94 percent lower at 26.83 euros on Brussels on
Monday.
Ad Blitz Lifting Beer Cans' Popularity
( The St. Petersburg Times (Russia) ) ; 08-31-2001 by Simon Ostrovsky
Two aluminum-can makers have launched a $3 million television advertising
campaign to wean Russian beer drinkers off the bottle. The Russian subsidiary
of Rexam PLC, the world's largest beverage- can maker, and Russian Aluminum's
subsidiary Rostar have put aside their rivalry to work together on improving
the image of cans among bottle-bred beer drinkers. "We started the campaign
last year and are continuing now with the slogan, 'The aluminum can: One more
reason to love your beer,'" said Anto Saar, Rexam Russia's marketing director
in an E-mail interview last week.
And consumers appear to be listening. Rexam Russia recorded a 50 percent
increase in sales of aluminum cans from last year. The joint advertising
campaign cost $1 million last year and the two companies plan to spend another
$2 million this year to dispel commonly held myths about beer in aluminum cans.
"People are under the impression that beer in cans has preservatives, but that
belief has decreased by 20 percent since the beginning of our campaign last
year," said Saar, quoting research done by Rexam. "Another myth is that canned
beer retains a metallic aftertaste. This is impossible. A coating on the inside
of every beverage can prevents the beer from ever coming into contact with the
aluminum." The campaign introduced two short commercials on all major Russian
television channels last June. In total, three commercials were developed by
ARS communications, Somerset Hart and the Dago and Top Film Studios. The
commercials do not advertise specific breweries but promote aluminum cans as a
preferred package for beer in general. But Kotova said the cans in the
commercials do have the basic color schemes of popular beer brands.
"We don't mind that they're using our image. It's also in our interest that the
canning industry develop. It gives us more options," said Maxim Dozmarov, head
of Baltika's marketing department. But more importantly, say proponents in the
beverage industry, cans work out to be a more economically viable option than
bottles. In the short term, the difference is negligible. Brewers and can
producers said the cost to the beverage producer for both bottles and cans
hovers around 3 rubles ($0.10). But over the long term, Rostar's marketing
director, Vladimir Nichi poruk, said the benefits are numerous. "Cans take up
less space, weigh less, carry cheaper labels and are 100 percent recyclable as
opposed to bottles, which today are cleaned and can be reused no more than 10
times due to heat exposure in the pasteurization process," he said. Only 0.07
percent of beers were canned last year, Nichiporuk said. This year that figure
increased to between 3 percent and 4 percent. The rise in the amount of beer
being sold in cans will not translate directly in a rise in sales. Nichiporuk
says that Baltic Beverage Holdings (BBH), which through its Baltika and other
brands is the largest beer producer in Russia, buys its cans from Can Pack, a
Polish aluminum-can producer. Carlsberg Breweries owns a 50 percent stake in
BBH and has a worldwide agreement with Can Pack to supply the cans for its
breweries. The Rexam Russia and Rostar sites are the only two factories
producing aluminum cans in Russia. Rostar opened its plant in the Moscow Oblast
in 1998 at a cost of $100 million. Rexam Russia's plant - also located in the
Moscow Oblast - was opened the same year with a price tag of $150 million. The
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development put up $45 million of the cost
and holds 30 percent of Rexam Russia's shares. Rexam's factory, Rexam 6,
predicts output to top off at 1 billion cans this year, a 50 percent increase
on last year's figures, while Rostar production volume will equals 1.5 billion
cans.
LETTERS: your views
( Evening Telegraph ) ; 08-30-2001
To the point
REGARDING Janet Cumming's letter about pain inflicted by anglers to fish,
maggots and worms etc (Your Views, August 24), I am surprised that she does not
mention the cruelty inflicted by humans on the potato.
I realise that the fish may have been battered, but the potato is dug up alive,
skinned, diced and finally fried in red hot fat! Before any know-all says
potatoes do not feel pain, may I ask why they have eyes if they not to cry?
R J Thompson, Hermes Crescent, Henley Green.
HOW can the breweries justify the increase of 5p on the pint of beer, plus 3p
on shorts and 5p on wine?
Don't they realise jobs will be put at stake purely because of their greed.
People are starting to stay away from pubs now because of the high prices they
pay for a pint.
The only real hope is that the social clubs which are seeing an increase in
membership don't follow suit.
So can the breweries of this country please stop robbing the workers of one of
the things they look forward to, especially at the weekend?
It is no wonder people keep going over to France to stock up on cheap beer and
tobacco.
T D Prewett, Telfer Road, Radford.
Try a sip of sake
( The Tampa Tribune ) KURT LOFT; 08-29-2001
More Americans are discovering the subtle tastes of this ancient wine, along
with new varieties brewed here in the United States.
TAMPA - They call it the drink of the gods, although Bacchus was too busy
stomping grapes to notice.
The mythological deity of revelry may have missed a good thing, but mortals are
enjoying a resurgence of that much-maligned wine called sake. The stuff has
been slowly sipping into the American conscience, thanks to modern methods that
elevate sake to new heights of quality.
Long viewed as an acidic broth served in warm porcelain cups, sake wants to be
heard - and served - alongside the cabernets and chardonnays of the world. So
say proponents of sake, a beverage fermented from rice, not grapes. Because
sake starts with a grain, it would seem a member of the beer family; yet it
clings deliciously to the noble heritage of wine.
Rising demand suggests people want to explore its myriad tastes and
characteristics. Like wine, sake can be awful, pedestrian, good, very good and
exceptional, and experts say more Americans are discovering the complexities
and rewards of the latter. The high-end sakes are creating a surge of interest
in the United States, says John Gauntner, a sake expert living in Japan who
publishes the international newsletter "Sake World."
"It represents a new and bottomless world of something different and unique to
study and enjoy," Gauntner says. "Also, the infrastructure that allows normal
consumers to have access to good sake is improving."
That infrastructure includes at least seven sake breweries in California,
Oregon and Colorado - a collective investment of about $200 million. More than
100 Japanese sake breweries export to the United States, with about 350 labels
on the shelves.
Sake for years was a curiosity wine in this country, available in most Japanese
restaurants and specialty markets, but rarely anywhere else. This is changing.
Sake bars are cropping up around the country, including the Tampa Bay area, and
domestically produced bottles are competing with the much larger foreign export
market.
Sake Reputation Improving
The United States produces about 1.5 million cases a year, according to the
Sake Association of America. This boom in business means better wines are
edging out the lousy ones, and that means sake's reputation can only improve,
says Griffith Frost, founder of SakeOne, a major sake producer in Forest Grove,
Ore.
"Americans have more experience with bad sake than premium sake," he says. "The
difference between the two is striking: Bad sake tastes like a hybrid of jet
fuel and industrial solvent."
Roy's Restaurant on Boy Scout Boulevard in Tampa offers a high-end sake known
as Y Daiginjo, which ranges from $8 a glass to $65 a bottle. Roy's five-course,
$55 tasting menu matches four different types of Y Daiginjo - "Wind," "Sky,"
"Snow" and "Rain."
"We wanted to do a sake that is very clean in taste," says Roy Yamaguchi, owner
of Roy's. "Most sakes are very strong and heavy and that turns a lot of people
off. I wanted one that would go well with our food, that would be light, dry
and to stand up to bold sauces."
But not all wine lovers feel passionately about sake, especially when it comes
to food.
"I've never thought of sake as a table wine," says Ken Collura, head sommelier
at Bern's Steak House in Tampa. "It's acidity and alcoholic punch dictate that
it has to be paired with a rather narrow scope of foods. I've found it to be
quite useful as a flavor aspect when cooking, but would never think of pairing
it, for example, with a grilled snapper, at least not if I have a sauvignon
blanc or Albarino on hand."
The milder sakes match many Asian and seafood dishes; stronger sakes should be
drunk as cocktails on their own, says Dave Mela, owner of Vintage Wine Cellars
in Tampa, which sells a half-dozen varieties of sake.
"People who enjoy a clear spirit would enjoy it as a cocktail," Mela says. "But
I think the stronger sakes are less a complement to food."
Sake experts say good sakes should be served cold, as heat destroys the
delicate balance of aromas and flavors. Experts say 47 degrees is the ideal
temperature.
Sake In Different Styles
Much of sake's charm, however, is its contrast to wine. Unlike most wine, sake
contains no sulfites, something many people are allergic to. Sake also has a
low acidity, and its purity - no congeners - reduces or eliminates the hangover
that comes after drinking too much wine. A source of congeners in sake would be
the proteins and fatty acids in the outside of the rice kernel, which is
removed during the milling process.
The process of making sake allows the starch in the rice grain to be converted
to fermentable sugars. Sake is not a distilled beverage, nor is it even
remotely related to gin, vodka or other spirits.
The Federal Alcohol Administration Act, the law that regulates labeling of
alcoholic beverages, defines sake as wine, even though it is made from rice,
not grapes, and taxed as a beer. Imported sake with brewer's alcohol is taxed
as a distilled spirit.
Sake isn't a spirit, but it can be versatile enough to act like one. For
instance, Samurai Blue - a new sake bar and restaurant in Ybor City - offers
sakes in different guises: sake martinis, sake margaritas, wash-those-sakes,
for the sake children, sake to me, and sake lattes.
If sake has yet to become a bona fide trend among American gastronomes, it may
not need the trend status. Its longevity speaks for itself: Sakes were produced
in China's Yangteze River Valley 6,800 years ago. Today, there are an estimated
1,800 sake breweries called kuras making more than 40,000 distinct types of the
drink.
Of the roughly 12,000 varieties of rice grown around the world, about 50 are
used to brew sake. The process involves converting the rice to sugar, then to
alcohol and carbon dioxide through fermentation. When fermentation is complete,
the liquid is filtered and heated, then placed in casks to mature. Most sakes
are clear and contain about 12 percent to 16 percent alcohol, the same as most
wines.
And like wine enthusiasts, sake lovers have their own terminology, using such
sensory descriptions as fragrance, complexity, impact, sweetness, dryness,
acidity, presence and earthiness.
(C) SAKE FACTS One of five glasses of wine served around the world is sake.
Sake is a natural beverage made from rice, water, koji enzyme and yeast.
The alcohol content of sake ranges from 12 percent to 16 percent.
Premium sake is best served chilled; heat destroys its subtle flavors.
Sake contains no sulfites.
Unlike red wine, sake can't be stored more than 18 months.
A 5.5 ounce glass of sake contains between 180 and 240 calories.
FLAVOR PROFILES
Here are the main sake types and their flavor profiles.
Junmai-shu - rice only; no adding of distilled alcohol
honjozo-shu - a small amount of distilled alcohol is added
Ginjo-shu - highly milled rice, with or without alcohol added
Daiginjo-shu - even more highly milled rice, with or without added alcohol
Namazake - a special fifth designation for sake that is not pasteurized and may
use all of the methods above
Source: Profiles from "Sake: Pure & Simple"
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO (2C) CHART (C) CAPTIONS: Tribune photo by VICTOR JUNCO The
new Samurai Blue in Ybor City specializes in sake beverages including martinis,
margaritas, lattes and other mixed drinks. Tribune photo by VICTOR JUNCO (C) A
sample tray of high-end sakes is served at Roy's Restaurant in Tampa. The wines
are called "Wind," "Sky," "Snow" and "Rain."
Alesgalore forsupping at festival
( Evening Telegraph ) RACHEL PINDER; 08-30-2001
REAL ALE enthusiasts are expected to flock to one of the region's most popular
beer festivals this weekend.
The 11th Harbury Beer Festival will focus on beers from north and east
Yorkshire, including Riggwelter, How Now, Monkman's Slaughter, Greengrass Old
Rogue Ale, Old Curiosity, Hooligan and Centurion's Ghost.
Four beers are being produced specially for the festival, and there will be a
West Midlands Beer of the Year special category, which will include more
unusual ales brewed using wheat, honey and fruit.
Warwickshire breweries will be featured alongside the Yorkshire theme area. Two
new beers from local brewers will be making an appearance - Gods Wallop from
Fat Gods Brewery, at Iron Cross, near Alcester, and Frankton Bagby's new summer
beer, Amber SolAle, from Church Lawford Brewery, near Rugby.
Drinkers will also be able to enjoy music while they sample the brews.
On Saturday night, blues band Med Snookes and the Good Scratch will be
providing the entertainment, with Saturday lunchtime performances by the local
Herebugh Morris team.
Festival beer glasses will be available as well as free soft drinks for
nominated drivers.
Children are not allowed during the evenings but they are welcome for the
lunchtime sessions.
Admission is pounds 2 in the evenings, and 50p on Saturday lunchtime.
The festival, which centres on the village hall, is on tomorrow from 5.30pm to
11pm, and on Saturday from 11.30am to 4pm and 6pm to 11pm.
John Crossling, festival organiser, said: "Come early to be sure of getting in
as we are limited by the fire capacity which we usually reach by around 9pm."
Peeling back Corona myth
( Waikato Times (New Zealand) ) HOLLOWAY Bruce; 07-03-2001
EVERY so often when I am having a night on the tiles and I've had one too many,
I'll stumble into one of Hamilton's more pretentious bars and order a Corona
Extra. It's not that I particularly like this Mexican workingmen's beer, which
is considered by some to be the world's best -- and the world' s most
over-rated by the rest of us.
No, it's just that I'm forever amused by the titivation and embellishment of
the bottle that always accompanies the purchase of a Corona.
Every barman this side of the Winchester Club finds it necessary to stuff a
wedge of lemon down the neck.
For years I struggled to comprehend this ritual. It's hard to think of any
other beers getting similar treatment. For example, oysters are a natural
accompaniment for Black beer, but I've never seen anyone slip one down a
Monteith's bottle. Equally, few people shove potato peel in their Guinness.
However, order a Corona and the lemon-aid is never far behind.
I spent a couple of weeks in Mexico in 1999 which only added to the mystery.
From the cantinas of Tllaquepaque to the nightclubs of Acapulco, nobody, but
nobody, came anywhere near a Corona with a lemon.
In actual fact the lemon tradition has absolutely nothing to do with the
foibles of beer presentation or taste, but grew out of a cultural
misunderstanding.
In the early days of the Modelo brewery in Mexico City product hygiene was a
little dodgy, and lemon (or more often lime) juice was squeezed over the open
tops of bottles as a form of industrial cleaner, with the acid sorting out the
greebies before the punter took a swig.
American tourists witnessed this citric application, interpreted it as a
fiendishly high-brow native tradition, and took the idea home with them.
With Corona being Mexico's biggest beer export and the fifth largest brand in
the world, we've been stuck with the slice of lemon ever since.
If you can ever get past the lemon, one of the more interesting things about
Corona is it is made with 30 to 40 per cent rice thrown in with the barley.
This both lowers the cost of the beer and lightens the flavour.
In essence this means Corona is popular not so much because of the flavours it
has, but more because of the flavours it doesn't have. This, of course, makes
it a natural for the New Zealand marketplace.
* Monteith's Saison Ale was named Champion Ale at the Australian international
Beer Awards in Sydney. It was the second major success for Saison in less than
two months after the Belgian-style beer also won a silver medal in the Hort
Research Specialty Ales Lagers Section at the New Zealand beer awards at
Easter.
The tragedy is you'll struggle to find one of these limited-release classics on
the shelves any more.
* Roggen Sunrise, a rich, warm, amber rye beer, is the latest in Lion' s series
of specialty premium Brewmaster tap beers. Roggen combines malted rye and
crystal rye malt and has a light fruity flavour and a grainy texture.
* Malt Mac, the latest in the Mac's limited edition beer series, is out this
week. Featuring a peated barley malt which is more commonly found in Scotch
whisky, it's a rich 6 per cent ale which you could arguably take for medicinal
purposes at this time of year.
J2jurado
04F.htm
By JOE SIXPACK joesi...@phillynews.com
LOS ANGELES - All right, here's the scene:
I'm in Hugh Hefner's back yard. That's right, Joe Sixpack at the Playboy
Mansion.
I don't have to tell you, the place is crawling with half-naked chicks. And
I've got my arms around two of 'em, Miss August and Miss December.
Smile, the photog says. The flash goes off, and like a blue bolt of lightning,
two thoughts - as diametrically opposed as hot wax and a cold shower - race
through the beery fog toward opposite hemispheres in my brain:
First thought: Life is good.
Second thought: Man, do I look stoopid.
It's not an epiphany, intellectual self-examination being a noticeably absent
response when confronted by Miss August's astounding body. Instead, it's the
confounding buzz every middle-aged guy feels when he finally lives out an
adolescent fantasy. It's like you're in the middle of a beer commercial with
your zipper down; this Bud's for you. . .not!
Or, put another way, there is only one Hef, and I ain't him.
Not that every red-blooded American male wouldn't want a taste. Pete's Brewing
was rolling out a new line of ales and some marketing genius thought the press
might actually pay attention if it held the event in the world's most famous
porn palace.
Imagine that, using sex to sell beer. It sucked us in like moths to a pair of
42DD light bulbs.
"Who could resist?" Phil Baxter, a Los Angeles hotel manager who scored an
invitation, was saying while surveying the skinfest. "This is one of those
places you have to go in life. Mount Everest, the Great Wall of China, the
Playboy Mansion - not necessarily in that order."
Even if you haven't thumbed through the magazine lately, this place is an
indelible
image in the collective unconscious of every man over 15. Barbi Benton lounging
in
a lace negligee against those stone lions. . .the girl next door skinny-dipping
in the Grotto. . .Jimmy Caan and Tony Curtis and Bill Cosby schmoozing at
poolside.
And Hugh Hefner - the pipe-smoking, square-jawed fleshmeister in silk pajamas
and plush red smoking jacket - surveying his kingdom with two, three, a
half-dozen gorgeous playmates on his lap.
Not long ago, the mansion scene was a tired cliche, nearly dying off in the
late '80s as the Playboy empire faltered. Blame it on the AIDS scare,
anti-porn feminists, the Moral Majority or just a flaccid formula that lost
ground to even raunchier competitors.
Whatever, the magazine's circulation plummeted, its swank clubs were padlocked,
the phallus-shaped casino in Atlantic City was sold. Hefner reached Medicare
age and suffered a stroke. In 1989, the 63-year-old playboy did the unthinkable
and pledged fidelity as he married 26-year-old playmate Kimberley Conrad and
sired two sons.
But it's the new millennium, baby. Viagra is on the shelf, and Hef is on the
prowl.
At 75, he's separated (Kimberley and the boys live next door) and swingin'.
He's said to be sharing his round bed with seven blondes, ages 19 to 28.
Suddenly, Hefner's mack daddy to a whole new generation. Cameron Diaz,Leonardo
DiCaprio, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jim Carrey show up to be photographed with the
septuagenarian. HBO's "Sex and the City" filmed an episode at the mansion. Ruby
Wax spent three days there, interviewing him for the BBC.
No such star power is on hand at the Pete's Brewing party. Instead, the green
lawns are filled with grazing beer execs and junketeering journalists,
nudge-nudging each other at the sight of Shannon (Miss June 2000) Stewart's
gaping cleavage.
On this evening, unfortunately, the inside of the 29-room Tudor mansion is
off-limits. Black-shirted thugs growl at me when I try to slide in the back
door. I tell them, "I'm here for the orgy," but they just glare.
The rest of the idyllic 5 1/2-acre property is open, though, so I head off
toward a
waterfall. The sun is setting, the sky is red, and the place looks like a very
expensive postcard.
Why the hell, I wonder, would Hef decorate the back yard with kitschy pink
flamingo statues? They look so real. . . I reach down to touch, and the bird
nearly rips off my hand. It's alive!
I snatch back my arm before its nasty beak tastes blood. I turn, but my escape
is
cut off by another one of these avian raptors. They work in pairs.
The quick-thinking photog tosses a plateful of hors d'oeuvres at them and we
sprint toward the trees.
It's only then that we discover the whole property is a freakin' menagerie.
Raccoons and peacocks mix with the guests. Monkeys in an outdoor cage grope for
bananas and grapes. A cockatoo takes a slug from my beer cup.
"Follow me," I say. "I know where we can hide." We make our way past the
waterfall, to a pile of boulders that mark the entrance to a cavern.
The Grotto.
Now, others have blithely dismissed this spot as little more than a cheesy
hotel hot tub - the sort of thing you'd find in a Poconos honeymoon resort.
These nonbelievers miss the point. This hidden cove is the very essence of the
Playboy gestalt. It is the living centerfold, without staples.
Sculpted from stone and shimmering with cool water, the Grotto is cushioned for
spontaneous casual sex. It is a private sanctuary where Jacuzzis tickle
unsuspecting body parts and piped-in music (Ravel's "Bolero") tempts the shiest
of nymphs. Champagne and steam numb the senses. Naked movie stars beckon. And,
yes, the girl next door answers your every wanton desire. You are soothed and
massaged and aroused in this place.
The Grotto is more than a den of iniquity. For a generation of healthy hetero
males, it is the ultimate yet untouchable manifestation of carnality. I gape
like a teen-ager. An adolescent fantasy is within reach. I feel that buzz.
Nearby, another visitor - a San Diego radio DJ named Clint "The Morning Show
Tool" August - is on the same wavelength.
"My God, I've been seeing this place since I was 11 years old," says August.
"You open up the magazine and see those girls. The first thing you say is,
'Dad, where do Playboy bunnies come from?'
"He says, 'The Playboy Mansion, son.' "
And now, it's Joe Sixpack at the Playboy Mansion, where girls and dreams do
cometrue.I glance again at the Grotto. It's tempting, but I'd be lying if I
told you I took a dip.
Joe Sixpack, aka Staff Writer Don Russell, writes about beer for Yo! Contact
him at the Daily News, Box 7788, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101, or via e-mail:
joesi...@phillynews.com.
http://www.coopers.com.au/news/index.htm
22nd Australian National Amateur Wine & Beer Show
Coopers Brewery are proud to once again be the major sponsor for this event.
The Show offers all amateur brewers and winemakers the opportunity to have
their brew or top
drop assessed by qualified judges and compare with the efforts of other
amateur. Entrants
receive feedback form the judges and can win trophies and medals for their
efforts.
For details and entry forms visit the Shows website on anawbs.8k.com Entries
close 3 October. Trophy presentations will be held at the McLaren Vale
Institute, in McLaren Vale on Sunday 4th November.
http://www.tasdistillery.com.au/barrels.html
"Here in Tasmania we are extremely fortunate to have been endowed with all the
essential
components, which together allow the creation of a wonderful single malt
whisky.
Tasmania's climete and geography have helped our agricultural specialists to
develop and grow
the now renowned Franklin Barley, which happily returns a high grade and
quality malt to the
brewer for the preparation of the ditillers wash.
At the Tasmania Distillery we proudly accept the malted whisky wash prepared to
our
specification from the famous Cascade Brewery. The wash is slowly and carefully
distilled in
our traditional 2,500 litre copper pot still to produce initially a whisky low
wines spirit,
wonderfully rich in cogeners, aldehydes and other organic compounds, which is
then redistilled
in the same pot still to gather in a strengthened spirit with all the character
and flavour
elements, which make our whisky so special.
Only the carefully selected 'heart' of the spirit run is cut and collected for
the final maturation
period in our selection of either Sherry treated New Oak casks or once filled
American Bourbon
casks.
The whisky is then stored in our Bonded Warehouse in Hobart where it naturally
matures with
age.
We now invite you to be a part of this exciting adventure as the future unfolds
and take
advantage of this limited offer to purchase a cask of immature whisky".
Our Offer to You
Tasmania Distillery is offering you the opportunity to lay down in bond your
own cask for future
enjoyment or appreciation.
Each cask is under the supervision of Australian Customs & Excise and every
owner receives a
fully documented certificate of ownership identifying the individual cask
number, size and
maturity date.
Casks can be ordered in different sizes and prices are available on request.
Limited Editions
and other products are also available.
Tasmania Distillery invites you to visit when you are in Old Hobart Town to
view the distillery
where your cask of 100% Australian 'Sullivans Cove' premium whisky, is made.
Like a vision of
glorious history 'Sullivans Cove's' flavour ripples through the soul; creamy,
full, rich and deep...
The finest Tasmanian Franklin barley, yeast and Tasmania's purest water provide
the purity of
ingredients which give Sullivans Cove its character and distinctive
personality. Careful
distillation, strictly controlled maturation in oak barrels and attention to
detail, high quality/low
quantity principle, ensure this single malt is first class on the world
standard.
Further Information
If you would like to receive our complimentary brochure of Sullivan's Cove
Single Malt
please complete the form below. Remember, you are under no obligation.Tasmania
Distillery
looks forward to introducing you to the benefits of ownership of a 200 Litre
cask of "New Filling" malt spirit. Ask for details today!
Yours sincerely,
Tasmania Distillery
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/weekinreview/02WORD.html
'Just Say No to H20' (Unless It's Coke's Own Brew)
By DAVID F. GALLAGHER September 2, 2001
In this age of branding, even plain old milk needs a big ad campaign and
celebrity endorsements. But
another popular beverage, tap water, has no such support — a tactical misstep
that has left it
vulnerable to aggressive competitors like the Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola
offered a glimpse of its battle plan against tap water in an article on one of
its Web sites headlined "The Olive Garden Targets Tap Water &
WINS." Aimed at restaurants selling the company's fountain drinks, the article
laid out Coke's antiwater program for the Olive Garden chain as a "success
story" for others to emulate.
The article was posted three years ago but went unnoticed until this summer,
when Rob Cockerham, a graphic designer in Sacramento, Calif., stumbled across
it. It then spread through Internet circles until Coca-Cola started fielding
questions about it and took the entire site down. A spokeswoman said the
company was concerned that the site, which was due to be dismantled anyway,
might be misinterpreted by consumers.
The article follows, along with other examples of the company's campaign to
address the water problem.
The Situation
Water. It's necessary to sustain life, but to many Casual Dining restaurant
chains it contributes to a
dull dining experience for the customer. Many customers choose tap water not
because they enjoy
it, but because it is what they always have drunk in the past. In response,
some restaurant chains are implementing programs to help train crews to sell
alternative choices to tap water, like soft drinks and noncarbonated beverages,
with the goal of increasing overall guest satisfaction. Because of its own
successful campaign against water, the Olive Garden has recently sent a
powerful message to the entire
restaurant industry — less water and more beverage choices mean happier
customers.
The Plan
Olive Garden restaurants, like many other Casual Dining locations, were facing
a high water incidence rate. They wanted their restaurant crews to emphasize
the broad array of alternative beverage selections available, with the hope of
reducing tap water incidence. Olive Garden's goal was to influence customers to
abandon their default choice of tap water and experience other beverage
choices to improve their dining experience.
The Olive Garden asked Coca-Cola USA- Fountain (CCUSA-Fountain) to help them
create their beverage plan. CCUSA-Fountain stepped up to the plate and
suggested a tap water reduction program named H2NO.
The Plan Details
H2NO is a crew education kit containing information about beverage suggestive
selling techniques (a technique used when a server suggests a profitable
beverage in place of water to the customer during the ordering process). It
matched perfectly with what Olive Garden had envisioned. Restaurant managers
and servers use the kit to emphasize the wide range of beverage selections
available, including soft drinks, non-carbonated beverages and alcohol. As a
side effect, overall check averages should increase, and remember, increased
check averages mean higher profits for the restaurant and more cash in servers'
pockets.
Olive Garden restaurants embraced the program and even took it to a higher
level. H2NO was incorporated into the restaurant chain's schedule of monthly
skill sessions where sales managers (store managers) led the crew through
training exercises. In addition, The Olive Garden developed an employee
incentive contest linked to H2NO with CCUSA-Fountain called "Just Say No to
H2O."
Olive Garden sales managers set beverage sale store goals and server goals in
connection with the contest. All restaurants that reached the combined goal had
a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip for servers and the management team to
Atlanta. Other prize packages containing Coca-Cola merchandise were awarded.
The Win
When the contest was completed, almost all participating restaurants realized
significant increases in beverage sales and reduced levels of tap water
incidence — a strong indication that Olive Garden restaurants succeeded in
enhancing the customer's dining experience. And perhaps most importantly,
Olive Garden expects to see this trend continue as the skills learned become
part of the crew's everyday interaction with restaurant customers.
Dull dining experiences are clearly an issue, but another article on the same
site, titled "On the Waterfront," was less circumspect about the real problem
with tap water: it's free. Research by Coca-Cola found that some restaurants
were shooting themselves in the foot by serving patrons tap water they had not
even requested.
Some 20 percent of consumers drink tap water exclusively in Casual Dining
restaurants and 17 percent drink it in Family Style restaurants. And,
according to the latest findings, these numbers continue to grow. This trend
significantly cuts into retailer profits. . . . Research was conducted to
better understand why tap water consumption is so prevalent and why consumers
are making this beverage choice. . . .
The most important research findings may be the simplest — consumers choosing
tap water may not have been given a choice at all. Many respondents said they
were served water without being asked. Likewise, they were unaware of value
offers, like free refills, which can positively influence a beverage decision
in favor of a soft drink. . . .
Research shows why consumers drink tap water, and clear alternatives exist in
each case. It is possible to make other beverage choices more relevant to
consumers in an attempt to increase the number of soft drinks sold and boost
additional profits. Water conversion can be a win for consumers too — their
meal will always be enhanced by a quality beverage choice.
. . .
Twenty percent of tap water drinkers at both lunch and dinner say they
"choose" water "because it's there." Conversion strategy: Encourage servers to
influence the beverage ordering process to increase consumer awareness of
other choices. For instance, offer water to consumers only upon request that is
warm; highlight value or refill menu messages . . . and train servers and
hosts to use suggestive selling techniques or point out beverage choices on the
menu. . . .
Approximately 15 percent of lunchtime water drinkers, and 21 percent at dinner,
choose tap water out of habit. Conversion strategy: Previously mentioned
conversion suggestions can subtly influence consumer purchase decisions in
this case. However, research showed that those who drink water out of habit are
the least likely to convert.
While researchers delved into the mysterious attraction of tap water,
Coca-Cola's marketing side was coming up with a way to sell it. Dasani, a
bottled water Coca-Cola introduced in1999, sits on store shelves next to waters
from distant mountain springs, and can cost just as much. But, like Pepsi's
Aquafina water, its origins are more humble, as evidenced by these excerpts
from the "Understanding Dasani" Web page at www.dasani.com:
Q. What is Dasani?
A. Dasani is a purified water enhanced with minerals for a pure, fresh taste.
It comes in light blue-tinted, recyclable bottles. Dasani is The Coca-Cola
Company's first bottled water in North America.
Q. What does the name Dasani mean?
A. People are having a lot of fun guessing the origin of the name Dasani. One
Coca- Cola executive jokingly said it sounded like a `Roman god of water.`
Actually, the name Dasani is an original creation. Consumer testing showed that
the name is relaxing and suggests pureness and replenishment.
Q. Where does the water for Dasani come from?
A. To create Dasani, Coca-Cola bottlers start with the local water supply,
which is then filtered for purity using a state-of-the- art process called
reverse osmosis. The purified water is then enhanced with a special blend of
minerals for a pure, fresh taste.
Coca-Cola now seems eager to promote water, just not the free kind. In April,
the company teamed up with a Web site called Ideas.com, a kind of marketplace
for idea-seekers, to solicit input from the public on ways to simplify the
drinking of branded water. By the time the "idea quest" ended in July, 2,090
people had offered suggestions. From the Ideas.com site:
Idea Quest: Encouraging People to Drink More Water
Buyer:The Coca-Cola Company
Description: Many doctors have suggested that people should drink eight glasses
of water a day. What ideas can you think of, that would make it easier for
people to drink more water? Your idea can include Coke's current water brand,
Dasani, or a new brand. It can include current products, or newly created ones
you've invented yourself. It can even include new devices for the home, office,
school or person on the go.
Payout: $5,000 will be awarded to the best idea submitted. The company says it
has yet to choose a winner.
http://news.excite.com/news/r/010904/10/odd-rights-dc
Animal Rights Group Pulls Be-Kind-To-Sharks Ad
Sep 04 MIAMI (Reuters) - An animal rights group is pulling an ad campaign
urging sympathy for sharks following two fatal shark attacks along the U.S.
Atlantic Coast this weekend. The campaign was to feature a billboard
emblazoned "Would You Give Your Right Arm to Know Why Sharks Attack, Could it
be Revenge? Go Vegetarian, PETA."
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said in a statement on
Tuesday it had planned to unveil the billboard next week in Pensacola, the
Florida Gulf Coast city near where a shark ripped off the arm of an 8-year-old
boy last month. The boy, Jessie Arbogast, was mauled as he played in the sea in
the first of a series of well-publicized shark attacks this summer. His arm was
later retrieved from the shark's mouth and reattached but the boy, who nearly
died, remains in a delicate condition.
This weekend 10-year-old David Peltier was killed by a shark at a beach close
to PETA's headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. A 27-year-old man was killed
swimming off North Carolina's Outer Banks barrier islands and his companion
was severely injured. PETA had also planned to stage the campaign with
airplane banners to be flown over Galveston, Texas, Miami, and the
Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard.
"Our message is that humans kill billions of fish, including sharks, each year,
in the most hideous ways, and sharks aren't really to blame for doing what
comes naturally, because, unlike us, they don't have choices when it comes to
what to eat," PETA spokesman Dan Shannon said.
"But right now people would just shoot the messenger without hearing the
message."
A series of shark attacks in what has been dubbed "The Summer of the Shark"
have alarmed the public and generated huge interest in the marine predator. But
shark experts say the number of attacks is no greater than usual.
J2jurado
Suntory to launch low-calorie 'happoshu'
TOKYO, Sept. 4 (Kyodo) - Suntory Ltd. said Tuesday it will launch on Oct. 10 a
new ''happoshu'' drink -- a low-malt, beer-like liquor -- that has about half
of the calories of its other happoshu products.
The new product, called ''Suntory Diet Nama,'' has 21 calories per 100
milliliters, compared to 45 calories per 100 ml in its Magnum Dry happoshu
drink.
The company said the drink has an alcohol content of around 3.5% and uses about
1.3 times more hop than is used in its other happoshu products, providing added
flavor.
The drink will come in 350 ml cans priced 145 yen and 500 ml cans priced 195
yen, Suntory said.
Actor Kotaro Koizumi, 23, son of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, will promote
the product in TV commercials which will be aired nationwide from early
October.
The company said Kotaro, who likes to drink happoshu, has a fresh image that is
ideal for the new product.
CoolCan Technologies Inc. - Updates Progress On Its Self-Chilling Beverage
Container Technology
CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2001--CoolCan Technologies Inc.
(NASD OTC BB:<A HREF="aol://4785:CCTI">CCTI</A>) is pleased to announce that
the company is continuing to make progress on it's Phase II engineering
program.
Initial phase II elements included; production specifications with tolerances,
optimization evaluation of design concept and an in-depth thermal analysis
conducted at the University of California at Irvine. Recently, the company was
able to successfully identify and develop an actuation or valving system, which
is a critical component of the INSTACOOL(TM) chilling module. During product
development, certain design modifications were made to both the cartridge and
assembly such that greater product efficiencies were achieved in conjunction
with lesser unit production costs.
The company has begun a prototype fabrication program to develop working
samples in order to test, finalize the design concept and confirm all cost
estimates required for high volume production. The company believes that should
the product development program progress according to schedule, the company
will be making presentations to the industry by the Fall of 2001.
" We remain pleased with the engineering progress and look forward to the
completion of presentation quality prototypes so that we may actively pursue
both licensing and manufacturing opportunities within the beverage industry. "
said Mr Bruce Leitch, President of CoolCan Technologies Inc.
The company has already received several inquires regarding licensing of the
INSTACOOL(TM) product, and has signed a Letter of Intent with a Mexican
industrial group to joint venture the production and distribution of product in
the Mexican market incorporating the company's INSTACOOL(TM) technology
utilizing the recently acquired patent for plastic (" PET ") bottles.
Coolcan Technologies Inc. is the owner of a unique proprietary patented
technology, INSTACOOL(TM), which may be utilized with any aluminium, glass or
plastic (" PET ") container for soft drinks, beer, juice or water and which
chills the beverage quickly when opened by the consumer. Retail sales of
beverages have reached over $500 billion worldwide and over 100 billion cans
are produced annually in the U.S. alone.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors Bruce Leitch - President
For more information please visit the company web site at www.coolcantech.com
or telephone toll free investor relations at 866-266-5226 (866-CoolCan) company
contact: David Parfitt.
Interbrew seen higher on emerging markets, UK ops
BRUSSELS, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Belgian beermaker Interbrew is expected to report
a rise in first-half net profits to about 181.5 million euros ($163.4 million),
thanks to growth in its emerging markets and the consolidation of British
operations, analysts said on Tuesday.
However, analysts said the main investor concerns lie with the final decision
on what to do with its Bass business and how it will integrate newly acquired
German brewer Beck's.
Interbrew, which bought Beck's for 3.5 billion marks ($1.61 billion) last
month, is due to release its first-half results ahead of the market opening on
Wednesday.
Analysts said comparisons with the first-half of last year were not relevant
since Interbrew has grown with two important acquisitions. For 2000 first-half
results, Interbrew consolidated Whitbread's operations from May, while
acquiring Bass Brewers only in August.
"The rise (in results) is explained by strong growth in emerging markets, an
expected improvement in margins in North America, and from an improvement in
product mix, with increased sales of premium beer," Puilaetco analyst Florence
Van Tomme said.
A consensus of five analysts polled by Reuters forecast Interbrew's earnings
before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) at 646.2 million
euros, compared to a proforma 615 million euros in the same period last year.
Interbrew's sales were expected to reach 3.5 billion euros, unchanged from a
proforma figure of 3.5 billion euros.
Without Bass operations, and including Whitbread brewing for one month,
Interbrew reported 2000 first-half EBITDA of 439 million euros and sales of 2.1
billion euros. "Whitbread and Bass will have a substantial positive impact (on
the first-half)," ING Barings analyst Gerard Rijk said in a research note.
The British government in January ruled against Interbrew's 2.3 billion pound
Bass acquisition, judging the combination anti-competitive and ordering the
sale of Bass Brewers.
In May, when Interbrew appealed the decision, it succeeded in convincing a
London High Court to rule that the original remedy be reassessed.
Last month Britain's consumer watchdog handed the government its confidential
advice on Interbrew's takeover of Bass Brewers, with industry sources saying a
break-up of the UK brewer is favoured.
BASS REMEDY, BECK'S STRATEGY
Analysts said the final outcome still hangs over the company and its share
price, which peaked at 37.50 euros on January 2 before the original British
ruling.
By 1003 GMT, Interbrew was off 0.15 percent to 26.79 euros in thinner than
usual volumes. The Dow Jones food and beverage stoxx index was 0.69 percent
higher.
"There is still no decision yet. This has clearly been a drag on the share
price in the past weeks and we hope to get clarity on this issue as soon as
possible," KBC Securities analyst Tom Beyers said. Analysts also wanted more
information on how Interbrew would juggle two potential flagship premium lagers
-- Stella Artois and Beck's -- in its portfolio.
"Everybody will not be looking at the figures, but how Beck's will be
integrated in the company," said Fortis analyst Nicole Van Putten. Interbrew
has declined comment on its Beck's strategy, pointing out that the deal has yet
to be approved by competition authorities.
Allied Domecq PLC Announces Acquisition of Kuemmerling GmbH
BRISTOL, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2001--Allied Domecq PLC
("Allied Domecq"), the international spirits and wine group, today announced
that it has acquired Kuemmerling GmbH
("Kuemmerling") for DM 398 million in cash (pound 128 million) on a debt free
basis.
Kuemmerling, a family owned business based in Bodenheim, is Germany's
fourth-largest spirits brand and the second-largest brand in the bitters
category. Kuemmerling sold some 680,000 cases in the year to December 31, 2000.
The acquisition, which has been funded from existing debt facilities, will be
earnings enhancing in the first full year (before amortisation of goodwill).
Allied Domecq expects to achieve immediate operational synergies as the
business is merged with its existing German operations.
Philip Bowman, Allied Domecq's Chief Executive, commented:
"The acquisition of Kuemmerling represents a significant addition to our
existing operations in Germany, Europe's largest spirits market, where Allied
Domecq will now rank as the fourth largest spirits company. This latest
acquisition follows on from our recent purchases of Graffigna and Sainte Sylvie
in Argentina and the Buena Vista Winery in California and is in line with
Allied Domecq's strategy of pursuing sustainable growth in profits rather than
merely chasing increased volume.
This deal and the acquisition of Montana mark a particularly satisfactory way
to end our financial year. I am pleased with our performance during the current
year. Our profits are in line with market expectations. Our determination not
to chase size for size's sake has enabled the company to adapt more quickly to
the changing market conditions being experienced by the sector as a whole."
Background
-- The bitters category accounts for approximately 10.5% of the German spirits
market by volume and approximately 14.5% by value. The category has continued
to grow, despite a recent decline in the total spirits market. Bitters are
traditionally made from aromatized alcohol with sugar and herbal extracts.
-- Kuemmerling is a half bitter, being 35% ABV. It is typically drunk as a
digestive, a chaser or mixed. There are two bottle sizes: 0.02l (c.70% volume)
and 0.5l.
-- As a result of the transaction, our share (by value) of the German market
will be over 5% (from 3%). We will have two top-15 brands (Kuemmerling and
Ballantine's). ADSW GmbH will become the fourth-largest spirits company in
Germany.
Allied Domecq is the second largest spirits company in the world and a leading
quick service restaurant operator. Allied Domecq's ordinary shares trade on The
London Stock Exchange under ALLD. Further information can be found at
www.allieddomecqplc.com.
Constellation Announces Stock Offering by Sands Family; Conference Call is
Scheduled for September 5, 2001
FAIRPORT, N.Y., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ
and STZ.B) announced today that the Company filed a pre-effective amendment to
its $750 million shelf registration statement. This amendment allows for the
sale of up to 2.15 million shares of Constellation's Class A Common Stock
beneficially owned by members of the Sands family, including Richard Sands,
Chairman and CEO of Constellation, and Robert Sands, Group President and a
director of Constellation.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000918/NYM167LOGO )
The sale of these shares will accomplish certain objectives of the Sands
family, including portfolio diversification, estate planning and charitable
giving. It is expected that the proposed sale of these shares by the Sands
family will occur through a public offering as soon as practicable after the
effective date of the registration statement. Assuming the sale is completed,
the Sands family would remain the largest shareholder of Constellation.
Salomon Smith Barney will serve as the underwriter in connection with this
offering. It is anticipated that the Company will grant to Salomon Smith
Barney an option to acquire up to 322,500 shares of its Class A Common Stock to
cover over-allotments in connection with this offering.
A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These
securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time
the registration statement becomes effective. This press release shall not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall
there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer,
solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification
under the securities laws of any such state. Copies of a preliminary
prospectus supplement can be obtained from Salomon Smith Barney, Inc., 140 58th
Street, Brooklyn, New York 11220, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by
facsimile request at 718-765-6734.
About Constellation
Constellation Brands, Inc. is a leader in the production and marketing of
beverage alcohol brands in North America and the United Kingdom and is a
leading independent drinks wholesaler in the United Kingdom. As the second
largest supplier of wine, the second largest importer of beer and the fourth
largest supplier of distilled spirits, Constellation is the largest single-
source supplier of these products in the United States. In the United Kingdom,
Constellation is a leading marketer of wine and the second largest producer and
marketer of cider. With its broad product portfolio, Constellation believes it
is distinctly positioned to satisfy an array of consumer preferences across all
beverage alcohol categories. Leading brands in Constellation's portfolio
include: Franciscan Oakville Estate, Simi, Estancia, Ravenswood, Corona Extra,
Modelo Especial, St. Pauli Girl, Almaden, Arbor Mist, Talus, Vendange, Alice
White, Black Velvet, Fleischmann's, Schenley, Ten High, Stowells of Chelsea,
Blackthorn and K.
CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS
A conference call to discuss this announcement will be hosted by Richard Sands,
Chairman and CEO, and Tom Summer, Executive Vice President and CFO, on
Wednesday, September 5, 2001, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. The conference call can be
accessed by dialing (800) 860-2442. A live listen-only web cast of the
conference call is available on the Internet at the Company's web site,
http://www.cbrands.com, under "Investor Information." If you are unable to
participate in the conference call, there will be a replay available by dialing
(877) 344-7529 from approximately 1:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 5,
2001, through 12:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, September 13, 2001.
Digital Playback Instructions -- Courtesy of ChorusCall
1. Dial 877-DIG-PLAY (877-344-7529) or 412-858-1440.
2. Enter 541 when prompted for your account number followed by the # sign.
3. Please press '1' to play a recorded conference.
4. Please enter '251229' when prompted to enter the conference number followed
by the # sign.
5. Please clearly state your name and company name when prompted to do so
followed by any key.
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Constellation Reiterates Second Quarter and Full Year Earnings Guidance
FAIRPORT, N.Y., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ
and STZ.B) today reiterated its diluted earnings per share guidance for the
three months ending August 31, 2001 ("Second Quarter 2002") and fiscal year
ending February 28, 2002 ("Fiscal 2002"). Diluted earnings per share for
Second Quarter 2002 are expected to be within a range of $0.80 to $0.83 versus
$0.70 reported for Second Quarter 2001. Diluted earnings per share for Fiscal
2002 are expected to be within a range of $3.03 and $3.08 versus $2.60 reported
for Fiscal 2001.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000918/NYM167LOGO )
Richard Sands, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of
Constellation, said, "All of Constellation's businesses remain healthy. Our
strategy, which has been proven sound even in these times of economic
uncertainty, remains in place. While we have seen the Company grow
phenomenally in the past several years, we believe there is far more growth
ahead and our targets for long-term growth have not changed."
Constellation's Second Quarter 2002 Earnings Release is scheduled for Tuesday,
October 2, 2001. All per share amounts in this press release reflect the
two-for-one stock split of both the Company's Class A and Class B common stock,
which was distributed in the form of a stock dividend on May 14, 2001.
The statements above reflect the anticipated impact of the recent acquisition
of Ravenswood Winery, Inc., which closed on July 2, 2001, and Pacific Wine
Partners LLC, our joint venture with BRL Hardy, which commenced operations on
August 1, 2001. The Company's earnings expectations also reflect the impact of
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 ("SFAS 142"), "Goodwill and
Other Intangible Assets," as it relates to the recent acquisition and joint
venture. With respect to goodwill and intangible assets acquired prior to July
1, 2001, the Company will adopt the new accounting rules beginning March 1,
2002. The Company is currently assessing the financial impact of SFAS 142 on
its financial statements.
About Constellation
Constellation Brands, Inc. is a leader in the production and marketing of
beverage alcohol brands in North America and the United Kingdom and is a
leading independent drinks wholesaler in the United Kingdom. As the second
largest supplier of wine, the second largest importer of beer and the fourth
largest supplier of distilled spirits, Constellation is the largest
single-source supplier of these products in the United States. In the United
Kingdom, Constellation is a leading marketer of wine and the second largest
producer and marketer of cider. With its broad product portfolio,
Constellation believes it is distinctly positioned to satisfy an array of
consumer preferences across all beverage alcohol categories. Leading brands in
Constellation's portfolio include: Franciscan Oakville Estate, Simi, Estancia,
Ravenswood, Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, St. Pauli Girl, Almaden, Arbor Mist,
Talus, Vendange, Alice White, Black Velvet, Fleischmann's, Schenley, Ten High,
Stowells of Chelsea, Blackthorn and K.
Hispanic Influence Gaining in U.S.
By CALVIN WOODWARD
September 4, 2001 WASHINGTON (AP) - Hispanic influence is felt in the halls of
Congress and in heartland towns. It expresses itself in music, on dinner plates
and on the playing fields of the nation.
When Mexican President Vicente Fox tours Washington and a slice of Ohio this
week, he may feel quite at home, thanks to the growing Hispanic influence in
the United States.
Fox will even find touches of Tijuana in Toledo, a city with a Spanish name if
hardly a smidgeon of Spanish history.
From soccer to salsa - both the sauce and the dance - the Hispanic presence is
shaping the marketplace and mores of countless neighborhoods that have seen an
influx of Latinos, Mexicans by far the most numerous among them.
``I think you're seeing the beginning of a major cultural influencing group,
which is Hispanic-driven, Hispanic-led,'' said Tony Dieste, who has a Latino ad
agency in Dallas.
Hispanics make up 12.5 percent of the population, the census found, a 60
percent increase in a decade.
The presence is felt in many ways - bank machines that offer service in two
languages, Cinco de Mayo celebrations in rural Arkansas, the staging for a
second year of the Latin Grammys.
People with no Hispanic heritage at all are taking a slice of lime in their
Mexican beer.
And in the latest turn of a seesaw battle going back through the 1990s, salsa
is outselling ketchup on U.S. grocery shelves, marketers say.
President Bush is not the first president from Texas, where entanglements,
hostilities and hands-across-the-border camaraderie with Mexico are older than
time.
But he is the first to make radio addresses in Spanish. And in Congress, some
members far from the border have seen their districts swell with Latinos and
have discovered a sudden need to learn the language and ways.
Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd, proficient from his days in the Peace Corps,
has found his fluency increasingly useful in Connecticut, where Hispanics have
become the largest minority.
His advice is to go beyond language. ``Get familiar with the culture and the
music and the literature,'' he said. ``People want you to connect with them.''
When he speaks with Dominicans about the local foods he ate in the Dominican
Republic, he finds a spark. ``They go nuts - the fact that I know about goat
soup.''
Hispanics are seen as an awakening political force, leaning Democratic but
swayable and hotly pursued by both parties - yet largely disinclined to vote.
Issues important to them are getting a hard look in Washington by Democrats and
Republicans alike.
Bush's proposal to grant legal status to some illegal aliens, while in a
formative stage and running into opposition, is a leap for his Republican
Party.
``A proposal like this five or six years ago would have been a complete
nonstarter,'' said Lisa Navarrete, an advocate of Hispanic issues. ``That's not
the case any more.''
Finally, she says, has come ``an acknowledgment that this is a community that's
growing, it's here to stay and that it's a big part of America's future.''
Nine percent of Bush's picks for the senior Washington bureaucracy so far have
been Hispanic, putting him a little ahead of President Clinton on that score,
according to presidential appointment counters.
Yet Bush's sensitivity on Hispanic matters has been expressed largely in
symbolic ways, such as the weekly Spanish radio addresses that he began in
early May on the occasion of the Cinco de Mayo Mexican holiday. Democrats
respond in Spanish, too.
Hispanics seeking information from the government on the Internet find little
in their language. The Interior Department asks Americans to celebrate Hispanic
Heritage Month, but its own celebration of Hispanic treasures is in English.
The White House introduced a redesigned Web site Friday that includes a section
in Spanish.
With decision-making highly concentrated in the Bush administration, Hispanic
access is not yet where it could be, said Navarrete, of the National Council of
La Raza, an umbrella group of Hispanic organizations.
``We do feel there is increased visibility for the Hispanic community and
somewhat increased clout.''
One reason for the limitations is that many Hispanics have little in common
with each other beyond a shared language and religion. People from Cuba,
fiercely anti-communist and tending toward social and political conservatism,
do not march in lockstep with people from Puerto Rico, for example.
Some 5,000 Hispanics serve in public office across the country, according to
the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Most are at
the local level; in Congress, there are no Hispanics in the Senate and 21 in
the 435-member House, the group says.
Karaoke owner unfazed by Philippine deluge threat
By Roli Ng
BOTOLAN, Philippines, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Faustino Corum stayed in his home in
Botolan town in the Philippines when nearby Mount Pinatubo swamped the region
with tonnes of volcanic ash in a powerful eruption 10 years ago.
And he is not about to flee now despite warnings from scientists that a flood
of water from the volcano's crater-lake could hit the town on Thursday.
"I can always run to the hills. If I won't have enough time to go there, I will
just climb to the roof of my house," Corum told Reuters on the eve of a planned
massive evacuation of some 40,000 residents of Botolan town in Zambales
province.
At approximately 7 a.m. on Thursday (2300 GMT, Wednesday), engineers armed with
a high-pressure pump will rip down walls of rock from the mouth of Pinatubo
volcano to release some 24 million cubic metres of water from its swollen
crater-lake.
Unless the operation is carried out, the lake, pounded for weeks by monsoon
rains, could overflow without warning and swamp Botolan, 40 km (25 miles) west
of the crater.
Hopefully, scientists said, the waters to be released from the lake would flow
gently down Bucao river and into the South China Sea.
But they are not completely ruling out a disaster.
This could happen if far greater volumes of water than that reckoned by
scientists surge down from the crater, producing a potentially deadly flood
that could reach Botolan.
A worst-case scenario is that the breaching operation might release 100 million
cubic metres of water or roughly more than four times the conservative
estimate, vulcanology institute chief Raymundo Punongbayan said.
Such a volume would be equivalent to a 500-hectare (1,235-acre) lake filled
with 20 metres (65 feet) deep of water.
If that happens, "there's a 20 percent probability it may reach Botolan. That's
why we are asking people to move out," Punongbayan said.
Corum likes his chances.
VOLCANO DRIVES LOVERS AWAY
Now 69, Corum is a retired government assessor who lives in a bungalow just
above the banks of Bucao river, which he has turned into a karaoke bar where
many village swains and their sweethearts spend their nights.
"I will be able to see the waters coming even if they are still kilometres
(miles) away. That will give me enough time to run to the mountain," Corum
said, referring to a hill as tall as a 20-storey city building 200 metres
(yards) from his house.
As a precaution, Corun has made arrangements for his wife, a daughter and three
grandchildren to join Wednesday's exodus.
Since town officials warned two weeks ago of the dangers of a possible deluge,
Corum's business has fallen and the young lovers are gone.
"They seldom come here anymore," said Corum, rueing the times when he would
earn 7,000 pesos (about $135) a night from selling beer.
It is not the first time Corum is tempting fate.
In June 1991, when Pinatubo erupted and hurled rains of ash as far as Manila
130 km (80 miles) away, Corum and his family braved it out in Botolan, refusing
to leave their home.
"It was noon when the ashes fell and the whole of Botolan became dark like it
was suddenly night," he said.
Corum is staying home again because he fears looters will take away his karaoke
machine and television set -- too bulky for his family to carry.
"My wife understands ... I am not afraid," he said. "If I can't reach the
mountain, I will take my chances on the roof."
Saints return man came off beer delivery truck
By MARY FOSTER
September 4, 2001 NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Michael Lewis returns punts and kickoffs
for the <A HREF="aol://1722:neworleanssaints">New Orleans Saints</A> just two
doors away from his previous job as a beer delivery man.
From the Saints' practice facility, Lewis can easily see the beer trucks roll
in and out and see his old friends hard at work hauling cases and kegs to
customers.
But he doesn't have much time to watch these days. Lewis - who never played
high school, college or regular-season football in the NFL - is a 29-year-old
rookie for the Saints.
``I always knew if I got a fair chance I could make it,'' Lewis said. ``I knew
if I could get my foot in the door, they'd never get it out.''
Lewis, who turns 30 on Nov. 14, wasn't sure his name would be on the Saints'
roster past Sunday's final cuts until he got a call from the team late in the
day.
``I'm just going to be working to get better and better now,'' Lewis said.
``Whatever they ask me to do, I'll do. I got here, now I want to stay.''
He's the fastest player on the team, with times at 4.35 seconds in the 40 on
wet grass, and 4.2 on turf.
But his skills were not polished enough to make him part of the wide receiver
rotation, and coach Jim Haslett was reluctant to keep another player who only
played special teams. Haslett changed his mind after Lewis' four preseason
games.
He had seven punt returns for 169 yards, a 24.1-yard average, and returned one
against Denver for a 74-yard touchdown. He also had six kickoff returns for 171
yards, a 28.5-yard average.
By the time the Saints played their final preseason game against Seattle, the
Seahawks were punting away from Lewis.
``If you base it on merit, which you should in this business, the guy really
deserves to be here,'' Haslett said. ``It's hard to justify it sometimes
because it's hard to keep too many specialists around. But I don't know how you
couldn't keep him around.''
Lewis started playing football for the semipro Kenner Knights, then earned a
spot on the Bayou Beast, where he scored 23 touchdowns in 24 games and earned
$200 a game.
Lewis then went on to the New Jersey Red Dogs of the Arena League, where he
made $900 a game. The low pay made his job as a delivery man a necessity until
he went to NFL Europe last spring.
``I can tell all those guys out there that are working 9 to 5 and then going to
practice not to give up,'' said Lewis, who will earn $212,000 this year.
Lewis will step on the field for the first time in the regular season Sunday
when the Saints open the season against the <A
HREF="aol://1722:buffalobills">Buffalo Bills</A>. He'll be returning punts and
kicks, to the delight of the guys at the local distributorship, located on the
other side of a church from the Saints' practice site.
For the workers still loading the delivery trucks, still working 9-to-5, Lewis'
first game will be almost as exciting as it is for him.
``He's living the dream for all of us,'' said Jerry Veals, who worked with
Lewis and lives next door to Lewis' parents. ``He always talked about making it
to the NFL. He always had that dream and we've always shared it with him.''
J2jurado
Anheuser-Busch maintains outlook, plans price increase
NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. <<A
HREF="aol://4785:BUD">BUD.N</A>>, the world's largest brewer, on Wednesday said
it still sees earnings per share climbing 12 percent this year and plans to
increase prices in the fourth quarter.
Anheuser-Busch also said it expects its domestic beer shipments and
sales-to-retailers to increase 1.5 percent for the full year, with revenue per
barrel up about 2.8 percent.
In July the company had said it expected earnings per share to climb 12 percent
for the full year and sales-to-wholesalers and sales-to-retailers to be up
about 1.5 percent for the year.
The company said then that it was looking at prices it could set in the fourth
quarter. On Wednesday, it announced plans to start the first phase of its
two-stage annual price increase in the fourth quarter.
Shares of Anheuser-Busch, which is expected to address the investment community
late Wednesday afternoon, jumped 66 cents to $44.31 in afternoon trading on the
New York Stock Exchange.
Guinness UDV North America Selects Consolidated Media Firm
STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Guinness UDV North America, the U.S.
and Canadian arm of the world's leading spirits, wine and beer company with a
portfolio of brands enjoyed around the world, today announced it had selected
Mediacom Worldwide as the consolidated media firm across its line of brands.
The decision followed a tight competition among four gifted and talented firms.
"We were fortunate to have four remarkable teams of very talented people, all
of whom made superior pitches for this consolidation," said Peter Isaia,
Director of Advertising Support for Guinness UDV North America. "All four
companies showed us they are first-rate. But consolidation means we have to
choose one -- and we're very excited about working with Mediacom."
Guinness UDV North America decided early this year to consolidate its media
activity, including planning and buying, in a single firm. The changes that
the business has undergone in the past few years, coupled with the changes in
the media business including the constant introduction of new media, led the
company to reappraise the optimum means of managing media in the future. As a
result, it was decided to consolidate all media, and that given the superior
performance of the existing media partners, the fairest method of choosing a
consolidated firm was through a competition.
Mediacom, based in New York, has a long track record of work in the adult
beverage business category. Mediacom will service the various Guinness UDV
brand advertising campaigns.
Guinness UDV North America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Diageo, the world's
leading premium drinks company. Formed in December 1997 by the merger of
Guinness and GrandMet, Diageo has an unrivalled portfolio of brands including
Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Guinness, J&B, Baileys, Malibu and Cuervo.
In a strategic move to drive organic growth, Diageo is realigning itself behind
its premium drinks business, Guinness UDV. To accomplish this, Diageo is in
the process of exiting its food businesses -- the quick service restaurant
company Burger King (announced on 22 June 2000) and its Pillsbury packaged food
business (announced 17 July 2000).
Diageo is a global company, trading in some 185 markets around the world. The
company is listed both on the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and on the New York
stock Exchange (DEO).
Pyramid Breweries Announces Distribution Changes in Northern California
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 5, 2001--Pyramid Breweries Inc. (Nasdaq:<A
HREF="aol://4785:PMID">PMID</A>) announced that it has awarded distribution
rights to Elyxir Distributing of Watsonville, California for the tri-county
area of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito in Northern California. Elyxir will
have exclusive rights to distribute the Pyramid brand within that geography.
"We are very excited to welcome Elyxir into the Pyramid global distribution
system", said Gary McGrath, Vice President of Sales for Pyramid Breweries Inc.
"One of our corporate objectives is to strengthen our selling system by
partnering with committed wholesalers in any given market who are capable of
delivering first class customer service. Elyxir certainly fits that description
and we believe that together we can achieve our goal of becoming a craft
category leader in the tri-county area."
"We are thrilled to have Pyramid in our market", stated Glenn Ely, President of
Elyxir Distributing. "Pyramid is one of the top craft beers in Northern
California and it is a perfect addition to our existing portfolio."
"Over the previous two years we have made numerous distributor changes", added
McGrath. "Each one has put Pyramid in a stronger position to accelerate volume
and share growth. We continue to evaluate our entire distribution system and we
anticipate making further improvements in various markets in the future."
Pyramid Breweries Inc. is one of the leading brewers of specialty,
full-flavored beers and sodas, produced under the Pyramid and Thomas Kemper
brand names. Pyramid also operates two local breweries and restaurants, under
the Pyramid Alehouse name, in Seattle, Washington, and Berkeley, California.
For more information, visit www.PyramidBrew.com.
Australian wine takes out International Wine Challenge
Thursday 6 September, 2001
An Australian shiraz has been voted Best Red Wine in the World in a
competition called the International Wine Challenge.
In it, 570 judges tasted 10,000 wines over nine months before choosing the
winner, Brokenwood's 1999 Rayner Vineyard Shiraz.
The wine is made in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales from grapes grown at
McLaren Vale in South Australia.
The managing director of Brokenwood Wines, Iain Riggs, says the award is a
great honour.
"We're chuffed. It's just a great reward for our team. Our winemaker's in
London as we speak getting the award, and just highlights the strength of
Australian wine," he said. © 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Just One Cup of Coffee Stiffens Arteries
Reuters
STOCKHOLM (Sept. 5) - Just one cup of coffee can stiffen arteries for more than
two hours, which might raise the risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study
has found.
But the jury was still out on the medical effects of caffeine, the most widely
used drug in the world, because it was not clear how big a risk it caused and
to whom.
"Our coffee break could be a health hazard but we need more information," Dr.
Charalambos Vlachopolous of the Henry Dunant Hospital in Athens said. "We do
not know yet who should abstain from coffee or what is the permitted
consumption per day."
Scientists have long known that caffeine stiffens arteries, the muscular
elastic tubes that carry blood from the heart to the cells, tissues and organs.
This stiffening puts extra strain on the heart and can cause a kind of
hypertension. Stiff arteries, like worn rubber, are more prone to split or lose
their internal protective lining.
The new study, presented at a cardiology conference in Stockholm, was the first
to find that a dose of caffeine equivalent to just one cup of coffee was enough
to stiffen arteries, albeit temporarily.
"Until the time that we have all the pieces of the jigsaw put together, some
people, especially the hypertensives and the elderly, should be more cautious
with their caffeine consumption or switch to decaffeinated drinks,"
Vlachopolous said.
Students Party, Parents Arrested
By JIM FITZGERALD
September 5, 2001 NEW CASTLE, N.Y. (AP) - The parents of a high school football
player were arrested for allegedly holding a team party with beer, marijuana
and a stripper who let students as young as 15 lick whipped cream off her body.
Robert and Rochelle Wien were charged with endangering the welfare of a child
and unlawfully dealing with a child. The offenses carry up to a year in jail.
``The parents were present and aware of what was going on, not just in terms of
the alcohol that was being imbibed by these high schoolers but in terms of the
actual sexual acts that were taking place in their back yard,'' District
Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Police said they were responding to a noise complaint Saturday when they found
the naked woman on her back performing a lewd act on the Wiens' patio. Pirro
said there were 30 to 40 students, including some girls, at the party.
Detective Sgt. James Carroll said the stripper was about halfway through a
$325, hour-long act when officers interrupted and told her to get dressed.
Pirro said the stripper apparently was hired by some students. The woman was
not charged.
The party marked the end of summer training camp for the team from Horace
Greeley High School in Chappaqua.
The Wiens, whose son is a quarterback, did not immediately return a call
Wednesday.
Soccer-German hotel celebrates after rested England win 5-1
BERLIN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Not everybody in Germany was depressed by Saturday's
shock 5-1 defeat by England.
The management of an exclusive Munich hotel where the English squad stayed for
two nights before the World Cup qualifier was so relieved the players slept
well it took out a full page advertisement in Wednesday's Times newspaper.
"After a good night's rest at Mandarin Oriental, Munich, the results can be
amazing," the ad read under a photograph of the scoreboard at Munich's Olympic
stadium showing the 5-1 result. "Thanks for staying with us, England."
"Prior to the match there had been comments saying the players might not get a
decent night's sleep because the hotel was next to a beer hall," said Jill
Kluge, director of communications for the Mandarin Oriental group.
"We took the opportunity to say that a good night's sleep is indeed possible at
our hotels."
British reporters had claimed England were "tricked" into booking rooms at the
hotel by the German Football Association, and that noise from the nearby
Hofbrauhaus - including an oompah band - would prevent England's players
sleeping soundly before the much-hyped match.
But England inflicted on Germany their worst home defeat in 70 years and now
look set to reach next year's World Cup finals.
"They were a delightful bunch of people to look after," Kluge said of the
England team. "Staying at one of our hotels obviously did not have any negative
impact on their performance."
J2jurado
Interbrew North America Leverages World's Local Brewer Strategy Posting 29%
Increase in Operating Profit
Labatt and Interbrew set pace for beer industry - Results support "Best
Brewer in North America" position.
TORONTO, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ - Interbrew today announced outstanding operating
results in North America for the first 6 months of 2001. Labatt, Interbrew's
North American brewing arm, again realised superior double-digit growth in
operating profit (+29.3%). The results were highlighted by continuing strong
volume performance (+2.9%) and higher net sales (+8.3%). Net Sales was driven
by a combination of improved mix, price activity and a significant increase in
the volume of sales of premium brands.
"Interbrew is setting the pace for earnings in the North American beer
industry. Our brand mix is the key to our profitability. We are proving that by
combining strong local market brands with proven international premium brand
leaders we have been able to provide the North American beer consumer with
their products of choice. Our unmatched portfolio and renewed focus on our
premium brands is driving much of our success," stated Fred Jaques, the
Executive Vice President of Interbrew North America and President of Labatt
Brewing Company Ltd.
Key figures (First six months 2001)
-----------
Interbrew North America (x)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000$ 2001 Increase % 2000 2001 Increase %
Cdn $Cdn Eur Eur
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume (1) 6.7 6.9 2.9% 6.7 6.9 3.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net turnover 1.1b 1.2b 8.3% 772m 848m 9.8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
EBITDA 213.2m 234.5m 10.0% 152m 170m 11.7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
EBIT 120.6m 155.9m 29.3% 86m 113 31.4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) million hectolitres
((x)Interbrew North America is comprised of Labatt Breweries of Canada,the
Oland Specialty Beer Company, Labatt U.S.A, 50% of the Cuban brewing operation
Bucanero and a 30% holding in Mexico's Femsa Cervesa.)
"Our financial results far outpace our nearest competitor's capping a very
successful first six months and contribute to a very positive fiscal year to
date. Our goal is to continue to achieve superior results and establish Labatt
as 'the Best Brewer in North America'," said Mr. Jaques.
Labatt Breweries of Canada
Success in Canada this year is being driven by improved market share of core
brands including Blue Light (+19%), Budweiser (13%), Keith's IPA (14.2%) and
Kokanee(+2.6%), outstanding results in the specialty premium segment - led by
Stella Artois, the Oland Specialty Beer Company enjoyed growth of 31% - and
enhanced operating margin derived from better product mix, recent capital
investments in new technologies and continuous cost improvements. At 43.2% of
the total Canadian market, Labatt's share held steady and the Company continued
to benefit from owning two of the top three brands in Canada in Labatt Blue and
Budweiser.
Labatt U.S.A. (LUSA).
Driven by double-digit growth of Labatt Canadian Brands - led by Labatt Blue,
the number three US import - the Labatt USA import brand portfolio grew by 10%
in the first six months of 2001, outperforming the import segment average of
8%. Also making major contributions to growth were Labatt Blue Light (+34%),
the fastest growing major import in the market, Mexican brand Tecate (+9%)
which is now the 4th best-selling import in the U.S. and, recently introduced
Stella Artois, which has met with tremendous response (+89%).
Brand Portfolio Mix and Brand Ownership Equals Higher Margins
Interbrew's "World's Local Brewer(C)" operating business strategy emphasises
strong local brands complemented by international brand leaders. This unique
combination has enabled Labatt to grow as Canada's largest brewer and achieve
operating profit growth that far out-distances the North American beer
industry.
"Owning our brands, and realising superior margins from those brands is a
significant advantage which we enjoy," added Mr. Jaques. "Our strength comes
from the unmatched portfolio that we offer customers."
Labatt Brewing Company Ltd.
The Labatt Brewing Company is one of North America's most successful brewers
with operations in Canada, the United States, Cuba and Mexico. Brewers of more
than 30 quality beer brands, Labatt operates ten breweries and employs more
than 4,000 across the continent. Labatt is part of Belgium-based Interbrew
S.A., the second largest brewer in the world.
Interbrew - The World's Local Brewer(C)
Interbrew is the second largest brewer in the world in terms of volume. The
company is headquartered in Belgium and employs over 34,000 people worldwide.
Interbrew, The World's Local Brewer(C), is committed to combining its global
position and ambition with leveraging its local brands. The strength of its
portfolio is the combination of strong local brands, in many cases market
leaders, with world brands including Stella Artois(R), Hoegaarden(R), Leffe(R),
Bass(R) and Labatt Blue(R). In total, Interbrew's beers are sold in over 110
countries. Visit Interbrew at corporate web site www.interbrew.com.
Interbrew Says Profits Up 64 Percent
.c The Associated Press
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Interbrew SA, the world's second largest brewer by
sales volume, saw its net profit rise 64 percent from last year, posting
profits of $177 million for the first half of this year.
The Belgian brewer said Wednesday its profits were boosted by strong sales in
the Americas and in emerging markets, as well as by its recent move to acquire
other breweries, like Whitbread Beer Company in Britain, and Prague Breweries
in the Czech Republic.
``These are great results,'' said Luc Missorten, Interbrew's financial director
in Belgian daily De Standaard.
Interbrew said in a press release it was on track to meet its own objective of
increasing its operating profit over 8 percent for this year.
Chief executive Hugo Powell said he hoped British antitrust regulators would
decide later this month whether or not to approve Interbrew's acquisition of
Bass Brewers. Regulators originally blocked the deal, but were overturned by a
British court in May. The deal is now likely to go ahead under conditions that
Interbrew sell off some Bass brands in Britain.
Meanwhile Interbrew is still looking to expand further into the German market,
after buying Beck's brewery in August. Interbrew bought a controlling stake in
another German brewer, Deibels, in July.
Sales excluding Bass Brewers totaled $2.5 billion, up 35 percent from last
year.
The company increased its sales in North America, where it owns Labatt's
Breweries and Rolling Rock, by 9.8 percent and posted sales of $751 million.
Anheuser-Busch Reaffirms Earnings Up, Positive Growth Outlook
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 5, 2001--The outlook for Anheuser-Busch
Companies, Inc.'s, sales and earnings growth continues to be favorable,
executives of the company told a gathering of investors at the Prudential
Securities Consumer Conference today.
"The company has achieved eleven consecutive quarters of solid double-digit
earnings per share growth," reported W. Randolph Baker, Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer, highlighting the company's dependable earnings growth.
In his remarks, Baker reaffirmed the company's 12% target for earnings per
share growth in 2001. Baker also reaffirmed that the company expects its
domestic beer shipments and sales-to-retailers to increase 1.5% for the full
year 2001, while at the same time achieving a revenue per barrel gain of
approximately 2.8%.
"The domestic beer industry outlook for both volume and pricing is very
strong," August A. Busch IV, Group Vice President, Marketing and Wholesale
Operations, told the gathering. "Anheuser-Busch, with its many competitive
advantages, is well positioned to continue to capitalize on the favorable
industry fundamentals. The company's Bud Light brand is particularly well
positioned as it continues to widen its substantial lead in the premium light
beer category, which is by far the largest growth segment in the U.S. beer
industry," Busch told the audience.
Busch indicated that domestic beer volume growth had accelerated thus far in
the third quarter. Anheuser-Busch sales-to-retailers from July 1 through
September 1 increased 2.1% and are up 0.9% year-to-date.
Busch also indicated that the company is proceeding with plans to initiate the
first phase of its two-stage annual price increase beginning in the fourth
quarter of this year. The scope of the fourth quarter pricing actions, which
are tailored to specific markets, brands and packages, is expected to be
comparable to last year's fourth quarter price increase.
"The company's international beer business also continues to be a significant
contributor to earnings growth, with international segment net income expected
to be up in excess of 20% again this year," added Baker.
"Our company is demonstrating its ability to deliver dependable double-digit
earnings per share growth this year, despite a more difficult economic
environment, and we continue to have a favorable outlook for future growth,"
Baker concluded.
Diageo<DGE.L> profits up, drinks growth maintained
LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Britain's drinks giant Diageo Plc reported on
Thursday a nine percent rise in annual profits driven by growth of its top
drinks brands, which was maintained in July and August despite weakening of
economic conditions.
The group, which owns Smirnoff vodka and Guinness beer, and is selling-off
Pillsbury and Burger King, reported pre-tax profits before exceptionals and
goodwill amortisation of 1.98 billion pounds ($2.88 billion) for the year to
June 30 on turnover up eight percent at 12.82 billion pounds.
The results came within analysts' forecasts of underlying pre-tax profits of
1.968-2.028 billion pounds.
"Since the start of the new financial year the key drivers of performance have
remained unchanged. In premium drinks top line growth, in terms of both volume
and net sales, has been maintained despite some weakening of economic
conditions," said Chief Executive Paul Walsh in a results statement. ($1=.6885
Pound)
Disgruntled Heineken Holding investors in court
By Otti Thomas
AMSTERDAM, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Investors unhappy at the share price performance
of top Dutch brewer Heineken NV's holding company took their complaint to court
on Thursday.
Shareholders of Heineken Holding, which controls Europe's biggest brewer, want
an investigation into the holding's efforts to improve its share price, which
is substantially lower than that of Heineken itself.
The Amsterdam corporate court said it would rule in October whether to grant
the request for an investigation.
Heineken Holding shares were trading at 34.00 euros on Thursday, a 26 percent
discount to Heineken NV shares, which were at 46.10 euros. Both
Amsterdam-listed stocks represent the same asset value, however.
The shareholders, represented by Swiss holding Profima Trust S.A. and
Luxembourg-based Consolidated Finance and Investment Company Holding S.A., have
complained since last year that Heineken Holding trades at too great a discount
to shares in the NV.
Heineken Holding's biggest shareholder is Freddy Heineken, grandson of the
brewing company's founder. The brewer's brand stable includes Amstel and
Murphy's.
The shareholders will not say how large their stake in the Holding is but
Heineken Holding has put it at under one percent.
"There are reasons to doubt the Holding's policy, because its management has
not taken recognisable measures to reduce the discount to acceptable
proportions," shareholders' lawyer Anthony Driessen told the court, adding that
a discount between 10 and 15 percent was reasonable and achievable.
FREDDY HEINEKEN
"Everybody thinks the discount is unpleasant, including Mr (Freddy) Heineken.
But the management board can do nothing more than giving more publicity to the
holding," the Holding's lawyer, Mick den Boogert, said.
Other causes for the discount could not be influenced by the Holding since they
were related to market circumstances, he said, referring to the fact that
Heineken NV's shares were 10 times more liquid and had options attached, and
the tendency for portfolios to be rejigged in favour of larger companies.
The court will also rule in October whether Heineken Holding should appoint a
sixth member for its management board, court president Huub Willems said.
The disgruntled shareholders had requested that the Holding add one independent
member to its management board, which is currently composed of three
Heineken-related members and two independent members.
Den Boogert said the Holding was in talks to do this.
The court will announce its decision on the investigation and the board member
on October 18.
Greenland sees water exports as valuable as fish
By Per Bech Thomsen
NUUK, Greenland, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Tonnes of clean and drinkable water from
Greenland's inland ice cap flood hour after hour down through the Qordlortup
Qorua waterfall just north of the capital Nuuk and further out into the
Atlantic Sea.
But soon this water will be funnelled directly into a production vessel where
it will be bottled and later shipped to the Canadian and U.S. market.
This is the business plan of Aqua Polaris and an industry that can prove
extremely valuable to the 56,000 inhibitants of the Arctic province of Denmark,
which receives 60 percent of its public budget revenues in a state grant from
the Danish government, under which it enjoys limited home rule.
"In the long run, 10 years perhaps, potential revenue from water will be
similar to that of the fishing industry," Greenland's Finance Minister Josef
Motzfeldt said.
Today, fishing is the dominant industry in Greenland, accounting for 80-90
percent of total exports of around two billion crowns ($119 million).
"Ice is a new commodity with a huge potential," Motzfeldt said, citing growing
water shortage in many parts of the world.
Greenland, the world's biggest island with an area of 2.2 million square km -
almost equal in area to the entire European Union - is 85 percent covered by an
up to three-kilometres thick cap of perma-ice.
BIGGEST WATER RESERVOIR
"It is the biggest fresh water reservoir in the northern hemisphere," Hans
Kristian Schoenwandt, head of the home rule government's Minerals and Petroleum
Office said.
"I don't expect the water industry to be a gold mine for Greenland in the next
three to four years but it definitely has enormous potential," he said.
Earlier this year, Greenland's parliament passed a bill for granting 20-year
concession rights, instead of previously six months, to companies which want to
exploit the water resources in certain areas.
Aqua Polaris, a joint venture between local entrepreneurs and Canadian Iceberg
Industries, has been waiting for this bill to be passed for years and now
expects to be given a 20-year licence to exploit the Qordlortup Qorua waterfall
from the beginning of next year.
"We expect to extract one million cubic metres of water per year without
harming the mountain lakes," said Lotte Joergensen Bech, partner and co-founder
of Aqua Polaris.
Joergensen assessed annual revenues of around $40 million from full scale
production and said she expected Aqua Polaris to start production mid-2002.
Aqua Polaris is not the only company which has seen the potential in this
unfailing resource.
"We are in talks with seven or eight companies, local and international, about
licences," Schoenwandt said.
Besides fresh drinking water, Greenland ice is used for the production of beer,
vodka and perfume - not to forget ice cubes. ($-8.3905 Danish crowns)
Wine Police Plan Restaurant Stakeouts
By KELLY WIESE
September 6, 2001 JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) - When Harvey and Pat Collins head to
Lazarri Italian Oven for dinner, they often bring wine. Few would consider
them hardened criminals for doing so, but plainclothes officers in Jonesboro
are now on the lookout for their type. Under the rules of this city and county,
they're breaking the law.
Jonesboro is in Craighead County, one of Arkansas's 43 dry counties, where
drinking in public is banned unless the business has a private liquor license.
Getting caught ``brown-bagging'' at a restaurant like Lazarri's can mean a $125
fine.
Assistant Police Chief Bud Marshall said police are cracking down because they
have received complaints.
``We just wanted to warn the people,'' Marshall said. ``We don't want them to
do it, and we will make an arrest if it's done in our presence.''
Brown-bagging is not limited to Jonesboro, but officials in other dry counties
- where liquor sales are generally banned - rarely go out of their way to
enforce the rules.
Barney Reeves, director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission's
enforcement division, said he gets occasional complaints, but he said people
taking their own wine into restaurants is not a big problem.
``That's up to the local law enforcement,'' he said. ``It happens probably a
lot more than we know. The people don't have a problem with it.''
Lazarri's owners Jerry Flynn and his wife, Susan, have always allowed
brown-bagging. It's been a practice in Jonesboro for at least 15 years, they
said.
``We do have a number of customers that bring a wine with their meal,'' said
Flynn, who opened the restaurant in 1996. ``Why it would be such a problem now,
I really couldn't guess.''
State law since the 1940s has allowed counties and towns to vote to ban or
allow liquor sales within their borders. More than half of the state's counties
- 43 of 75 - are dry.
In Craighead County, there are 13 private clubs where liquor sales are allowed.
In Faulkner County, Conway has three country clubs that serve alcohol to
members but no restaurants that serve alcohol.
``We haven't had a big problem,'' said Conway police Lt. Bill Milburn.
One restaurant that had allowed it quit when told about the law, and another
complied after Alcoholic Beverage Control officials started gathering evidence
against it, he said.
In Van Buren, police don't spend time staking out restaurants for people who
smuggle in a drink.
``We have other things to take care of,'' Cpl. Charlotte Ledbetter said.
Harvey Collins sees a double-standard in Craighead County's enforcement.
Private clubs can serve alcohol and send people onto roads drunk, but people
without club memberships can't have a drink at dinner, he said.
``It's just really a sad commentary on the political structure that we
presently have prevailing in Arkansas and Craighead County,'' Collins said.
``We're going to spend a great deal of effort devoting resources to the wine
cops versus going out and really addressing the meth labs, the various thefts,
abuse.''
Marshall said it's a matter of upholding the law.
``You still have to enforce the laws on the books,'' he said. ``We can't say
we've got more important things to do. We've got to take action.''
EU plans tighter allergen labels on foods
By Niamh Keegan
BRUSSELS, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The European Commission announced plans on
Thursday for compulsory labelling of allergens in foods sold in the 15 member
states to protect allergy sufferers.
European Union Health Commissioner David Byrne said the proposal was in
response to consumer demands for more comprehensive information on the
composition of foods.
"I am particularly committed to a revised labelling regime that gives consumers
full information about potential allergens. This will provide for no
exceptions.," he said in a statement.
The Commission said the proportion of the population suffering from food
allergies was increasing, with some eight percent of adults and three percent
of children affected.
"For these people the lack of detailed information is a handicap, in that they
are never sure that the product they are buying does not contain the allergen
that can provoke an adverse reaction," the Commission said.
Potential allergens that will require labelling include cereals containing
gluten, fish and shellfish, eggs, nuts and seeds, soybeans and asthma-causing
sulphite found in red wines.
MORE INGREDIENTS ON THE LABELS
The new plans, if approved by national governments and the European Parliament,
will replace existing rules that do not require the labelling of ingredients
making up less then 25 percent of the final food product.
This will mean all ingredients, except those used in very small quantities,
will have to be labelled. Allergens will have to be labelled whatever the
quantity used, the Commission said.
EU officials said plans would effect all products sold on the EU market and
would include imports from non-EU countries.
There will be a transitional period to allow EU companies to amend their
packaging.
CONSUMER, INDUSTRY GROUPS WELCOME PLANS
Consumer organisations supported the Commission's move although some said it
could have gone further in demanding complete compulsory labelling of all
ingredients.
"We welcome the fact that these proposals will enable consumers to have much
more comprehensive information about ingredients in food, and about potential
allergens," Sue Davies policy advisor for the Consumers' Association in Britain
said.
"We have however been lobbying hard for total removal of the 25 per cent rule
and it is therefore disappointing that the proposals still fall short of a full
ingredients listing."
Industry officials said they broadly backed the plans.
The Confederation of Food and Drink Industries in the EU (CIAA) said it agreed
with the principles behind the new measures but expressed concern that the
quantity of information could make labels more difficult to understand.
"Consumers are to be provided with essential and accurate information so that
they can make informed choices. But too much information harms information,"
the CIAA said in a statement.
"The CIAA therefore urges the Commission to continue work started in order to
improve the quality of information rather than the quantity of information
provided to the consumer."