We continue our expose of Australian craft breweries from last issue (Dec.’06 Honing the Craft) by looking at the middle level sized breweries. The pub breweries and micro’s, as a rule, brew less than half a million litres per year, so we’ll concentrate on breweries making more than that, but less then 80 million litres per year.
To provide a mental picture of this group of breweries, think of the ‘middle child syndrome’ in a family hierarchy. Any mum or dad knows what I’m talking about. The youngest (micro and pub breweries) complain that ‘mid kid’ get all the attention and advantages while they struggle for the scraps, whilst the oldest (big breweries) whinge that they don’t carry their weight and always have to help them with the chores around the place. In other words, the middle level breweries are in a ‘no win’ situation. The small guys are quick to mention the help the mids get from their relationships with the big breweries, while the bigs are less than impressed with their sales figures and incessant requests for increased advertising, marketing, and distribution. Like I said, they’re damned if they do and damn if they don’t.
The business plan for craft breweries worldwide is to create core brands plus limited release/seasonal beers to spice up their portfolio. The first task is to get your products ranged in the market and build the core brand to allow for expansion. It is paramount that once a craft brewery has established public interest in their product, that they are able to meet the demand. Many a small brewery has been doomed by this simple business practice, and the principle is the most significant factor for an alliance with a big brewery. With this in mind, let’s look at the leading lights in this category
Starting with the up and comers, Managing Director of Gage Roads Brewing Co. Peter Nolan began his passion for craft brewing from humble beginnings at the Sail & Anchor pub brewery in Fremantle, West Australia. “I was hired as a casual bartender with the opportunity to assist in the brewery. Within six months I was the technical brewer, taking over as head brewer eighteen months later. While running the brewery with colleague Bill Hoedemaker, we increased the capacity, doubled the range and took what was viewed purely as a marketing tool and turned it into a profitable division of the company. When I left the Sail to set up Gage Roads in 2002, my partner and I were the most highly awarded craft brewing team in the country.” Gage Roads Brewing Co opened in December of 2003, and over the next eighteen months, I coordinated the search for a location and suitable brewing equipment, developed our corporate logo and product branding, and hired key personnel for operations, marketing and sales. Our first brand launched on draught in June 2005.
Their current brewing capacity is 2 million litres per annum, scalable to 5 million with a brew length in their 40 hectolitre brewery at 4,000 litres per batch. GRB recently increased the capacity of the brewery by installing two more quadruple fermenters (160 hectolitres each) and a dual purpose fermenter/bright beer tank (160 hectolitres) and upgraded three lagering tanks from doubles to quadruples (80 hectolitres to 160 hectolitres). All three bottled products, their Pure Malt Lager , midstrength PILS and the IPA are distributed nationally by Hardy Wine Company and are available in most good bottle shops with a fast growing presence in on-premise outlets
According to Nolan “This is going to be a big year for Gage Roads. Last year we focused on commissioning the brewery, launching our flagship range and establishing our distribution in WA. The foundations have now been laid to support national distribution and we’re excited by the reception the brand has had in the east coast markets. In 2007 the focus will be on raising awareness nationally of the Gage Roads philosophy of producing all natural, world class Australian beer. One of the exciting things for us is to be out there competing on a national scale with the mega-brewers and international brands as a dynamic independent Australian craft brewery. When Bill and I set up Gage Roads our goal was to launch a range of all natural craft brewed beers brewed to a world class standard and make them available in restaurants and bottle shops nationwide. It is great to be part of that dream becoming a reality. The growth of pub brewing around the country will fuel the trend towards better beer by educating the public and Gage Roads will be waiting for these new customers in the bottle shop.
The Bluetongue Brewery in Newcastle, NSW began their journey at the popular local pub brewery (Queens Wharf Brewery) and created a local following for their unusual Ginger Beer. Moving off premise, their continued development is quite impressive. Their brewing capacity has increased to 6 million litres per year and currently churning out about 110,000 liters a week consisting of tap and pack, a breakdown of approx 500 kegs a week and 10000 cartons. Bluetongue are about to take back the distribution off Tyrrell Wines and take it into there own hands as of April 1. They will start off with a sales force on the Eastern Seaboard with reps based in NSW, QLD and VIC. Bluetongue is currently available on tap in 160 venues within Sydney and the Hunter region.
On Christmas Eve 2005, Bluetongue took on advertising guru John Singleton and merchant banker Mark Carnegie as a 50% shareholder, and as a result, a few major highlights have occurred. They signed a deal with the Outback Steakhouse chains in America, where we have been earmarked for 454 nationwide. Bluetongue Draught, alongside with Toomey’s New, have been selected as the two Australian beers to be served on tap. Bluetongue Traditional Pilsener in packaged form has also been included in the new range for Outback Steakhouses. It has been confirmed that they would like all 800+ stores to stock both Bluetongue products by January 01, 2007. Bluetongue also engineered two major publicity events in 2006. The first Singleton extravaganza was sponsoring The Sea Shepherd in an Anti Whaling Campaign, where a $1 from every carton goes towards the Sea Shepherd and Bond Blonde was launched by Paris Hilton on New Years day. Exposure was achieved in every media form nationally, and a TV commercial for Bondi Blonde will be released later this year. They are also expanding their sponsorship portfolio to include a 5 year sponsorship deal with the Newcastle Knights, Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, and Beer supplier for Wyong Racetrack, Kristie Newton female golfer, and the Jack Newton Celebrity Golf Classic.
New product lines to compliment the core brands of pilsener and ginger beer include the afore mentioned Bondi Blonde, a low carb preservative free lager at 5.4% ABV, Hunter Draught, a 375ml brown bottle, mainstream draught beer, and Hunter Old, a 375 ml bottled black beer.
Two of the major ‘movers and shakers’ in the middleweight division are Matilda Bay and Malt Shovel breweries. Both enjoy a close association with major breweries, but employ very different approaches towards ranging their unusual products.
Matilda Bay was established in Fremantle WA in 1984, and over two decades has continued to push the boundaries of craft brewing to create new beers that challenge the Australian drinker while continuing to produce to the highest quality core range beers, Redback Original, Beez Neez, Rooftop Red Lager, and Bohemian Pilsener. Their ‘beer lab’, called “the garage’ is located in Melbourne where Malt, Hops and Water Guy’ Brad Rogers conjures up their range of ‘out there beers.
Last year, Matilda Bay released two outstanding examples of craft brewing; Barking Duck and Crema. Barking Duck is based on the saison style beers from Belgium; otherwise know as farmhouse ales, while Crema was a world first, a coffee flavoured beer, brewed using organic Australian beans. The early success of Barking Duck, including being judged third in the world at the 2006 World Beer Cup in the US has meant it will be re-released for a limited time on tap at selected venues across Australia from the 1st of February, and for the first time the beer will also be available in pack from bottle shops in 750ml bottles.
The recently released Redback Cristal is designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of drinkers, including those that are just starting their craft beer journey. “Cristal is an excellent introduction to craft beer and wheat beer in particular. The fresh, easy drinking style will appeal to people who perhaps haven’t tasted wheat beers before, and it’s a seriously refreshing style for summer” said Brad. Redback Cristal is also the first Australian craft beer to appear in a clear glass bottle, a look that is designed to “let the wheat shine through.”
This isn’t the only ground-breaking packaging idea that Matilda Bay has introduced – late 2006 saw their Bohemian Pilsner enter the market as a longneck 640ml ‘dinner serve’ bottle created for people to share between friends or take out to dinner at a restaurant
The Malt Shovel Brewery was founded by pioneer Brewmaster Chuck Hahn in September 1998 at Camperdown, Sydney, in tribute to James Squire, Australia’s first brewer. Its flagship James Squire Original Amber Ale was followed by Pilsener, Porter and India Pale Ale. Following the successful launch of James Squire Limited Release Golden Ale in summer 2004, Malt Shovel has permanently added the beer to its core range of craft brews. James Squire Golden Ale’s distinctive golden/orange colour is achieved by adding a touch of Carapils, a good proportion (30%) of wheat malt ensures a well measured tart finish that is rounded out with amarillo hops (22BU’s). James Squire brewers targeted 4.5% ABV to take the edge off it and create something a little more approachable, especially for the warmer months
In addition to the core James Squire range, limited release beers are brewed each year in summer and winter. Their method of experimentation is to facilitate styles created at their James Squire Brewhouses in Sydney and Melbourne. Last years Rum Rebellion Porter proved a big success. Utilising the rum barrel aging process, the innovative Malt Shovel brewers created a very distinctive flavour profile of ‘earthy vanilla undertone of oak with residual rum flavour.
This year craft beer enthusiasts can look forward to the re-release of their distinctive Hop Thief, a secret selection of hops providing a passionfruit tang. Hop Thief provides a backdrop malty smoothness to ‘cushion’ the impact of two American hop varieties never tasted in Australia before.
Tasmanian rivals J.Boag & Son and Cascade complete our list at the upper level. J. Boag & Sons Brewery has been around for over 125 years, yet only seriously available outside of Tasmania for the last 12 years since the launch of James Boag’s Premium Lager. The Brewer has developed a reputation for brewing premium quality lagers and currently produces around 50,000,000 litres of beer, giving it 2.5% of the Australian beer market. Boag’s experienced some strong growth in ‘06, spear-headed by its newer national brands, Boag’s Draught which grew at 25% and Boag’s St George which grew at 42%.The state break-up of Boag’s Sales is Tasmania –34%, Victoria – 22%, NSW – 20%, QLD – 12%, WA – 8%, and SA – 4%
The Brewer has big plans to more than double their current brewery capacity with the addition of a new brewhouse in the next couple of years. Director of Sales & Marketing, Lyndon Adams said, “We believe there is no better place on Earth than Tasmania to produce premium quality beers. The purity of the ingredients produced in this State, particularly the water certainly gives us an advantage over Europe, Asia, and America and even we think the rest of Australia.”
“Our aim over the next few years is to consolidate our reputation in Australia, grow our volume through our increased portfolio range and extend our brand reputation into new export markets, in particular North America. We have recently sent a container of recyclable kegs full of Boag’s Draught across to the US. This is a trial for us, using this relatively new technology, but if it proves successful, it will certainly open up markets for us that we’ve previously not been able to economically provide our keg product to. James Boag’s Premium is also finding some strong success in the U.S., now being widely distributed across most states.”
Plans for 2007 include a new advertising campaign for James Boag’s Premium which will be launched in May. The new ad is a continuation of the “Who is James Boag?” series. A new viral, radio and outdoor campaigns for Boag’s St George will be progressively released throughout the year, all still featuring the theme of gallantry
Unfortunately, due to the expansion of the brewery, the seasonal Honey porter will not be released in ’07,but there are some surprises on the horizon. The rumour is that Boag’s will be putting a competitor into the growing low carbohydrate category. Whilst low in carbohydrates, Boag’s will put their signature on the flavour of this new brand, which should be in the market in the first half of this year. Boag’s also have a new ale planned to be launched mid year. This beer may be a limited release outside of Tasmania. It is a traditional English ale, brewed with East Kent Goldings hops and will be a strong showcase for the skills of the Boag’s brewing team
More than just a brewery, Cascade Brewery Co has been integral to Tasmania’s community since founded in 1824 by Mr Peter Degraves, and endures today as a rich part of Australia’s history. His Cascade Brewery was renowned in the 1800s throughout the Australian colonies, and continues to thrive as Australia’s oldest brewery.
“The history of the Cascade Brewery Co is something we are immensely proud of and we’re happy to be honouring Peter Degraves for his vision over 180 years ago,” said Dominic Baker, General Manager, Cascade Brewery Co. Degraves fostered a legacy, built from his commitment to consistency, purity and quality, and Cascade continues his passion today. Cascade Premium Lager and Cascade Premium Light showcase the perfection of fine Tasmanian ingredients when handled by expert brewers.
Cascade Pale Ale, Australia’s oldest continually brewed beer, and Cascade Special Stout have also been iconic beers since first brewed in the 1850’s. These beers, unchanged, now form part of a permanent range dedicated to Peter Degraves. The collection groups together Pale Ale, Stout and newcomers Amber Ale and Blonde Lager which pay tribute to Cascade’s highly successful seasonal beer favourites that are now permanently available. Each beer has its own unique story, inspired by the characters that have been a part of Cascade’s colourful and rich past.
Our brewers still love to experiment with the freshest local ingredients available and the successful seasonal format will continue. Cascade will continue crafting small batch brews at different times of the year, known as Cascade Limited Releases. Cascade First Harvest, which has delighted beer lovers since first brewed in 2002, will naturally be a part of this range. The 2007 Cascade First Harvest will include the following hops: Explorer (for bitterness at the start of boil), Leggett (for flavour 60 min into boil) and Galaxy (for aroma 5min before end of boil). Explorer and Leggett are new research hops and we will be using virtually the entire crop, and along with Galaxy they were developed by the late Grey Leggett. We will include a commemoration to brewer Mr Leggett who sadly passed away last year. The style of brew will be the same as previous.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Honing the Craft
My New Year prophecy is that ‘2007 will be a defining year in the craft brewing industry.’ The war camps are mustering their troops for a Federal Election and it’s vital for small brewing companies get tax relief. Never in the history of Australian craft brewing has there been a greater need for solidarity or a better time to rally support. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to investigate the craft beer industry in America earlier this year. Comparisons between America and Australia are inevitable but well worth mentioning if we are to see any substantial growth. The American craft industry is streaking ahead with annual growth at 11%, and According to Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association in the US “. "The rate of growth in the craft beer segment appears to be accelerating, This is the third straight year we've seen an increase in the craft beer growth rate." Here in Australia growth is less than 3%.
The Victorian Association of Microbrewers (VAMI) compiled a report with the assistance of Business Management Company Street Ryan & Associates which highlights the major areas of concern for the small brewery industry. The report is an extensive look at all aspects of the microbrewing industry, warts and all, and was compiled to assist in lobbying members of parliament to support tax change. For mind, here are the two most significant issues.
Graduated Tax Structure/ WET Tax equivalency.
Microbreweries are small brewing businesses producing 10,000 to 3 million litres of beer per annum and present one of the few opportunities for business development and employment growth within the beer and malt industry. New microbreweries have been establishing at the rate of 30% per annum in recent years. Total employment in the brewing industry decreased at 0.3% per annum whilst employment in microbreweries has increased at more than 10% per annum.
The majority of microbreweries in Australia are diversified businesses, often offering hotel/pub/bar, restaurant/café, or tourist attraction operations in complement to beer manufacturing. Many microbreweries (54%) are located in rural and regional Australia. There were 84 known microbreweries producing an estimated 12.73 million litres of beer with an estimated total economic contribution to the Australian economy of $295.48 million. If there is no change in excise arrangement, we’ll see10.5% per annum growth in 2006 and 2007 and 7% per annum growth during 2008 to 2010, from existing microbreweries, but a re-structured excise environment will see 12% per annum growth in 2006 and 2007 and 20% per annum growth during 2008 to 2010, from existing microbreweries
Estimated and projected taxes collected and paid by microbrewery organisations suggest that the impact of a re-structured excise duty arrangement in 2006 (to introduce an excise minimum threshold of $1.72 million in sales per microbrewery enterprise or enterprise group) would be a total reduction in all taxes, duties and statutory charges of an estimated $6.39 million. However, by 2010 the re-structured excise arrangements would lead to an estimated increase in taxes, duties and statutory charges of $13.22 million (i.e. $72.00 million compared with $58.78 million in 2010).
Provide ‘the complete package’-sound investors, proper business plan, qualified personnel, technical training, quality assurance procedures for operators of small breweries, and a well organised distribution system.
The report goes on to say that many microbreweries are undercapitalised and face ongoing cash flow strain. Benchmarking results show that most microbreweries have average to poor long term credit risk ratios and poor efficiency ratios. There is a need for business skills, technical training, information, and quality assurance procedures for operators of small breweries. Few microbrewers have a background in the industry; their involvement often stems from a passion for brewing (perhaps generated from home brewing) or through a desire to diversify from an existing hospitality based business Some microbreweries are operating as hobby or lifestyle businesses (similar to many vignerons and wineries), with the production volumes below the extremely low level of 30,000 litres which is the excise duty threshold. Microbrewers believe that excise duty re-structuring, in line with wine companies, would have an immediate impact on these breweries, encouraging them to scale up to full time businesses; expanding production volumes, sales and employment
Visiting microbreweries are becoming “sought after” experiences of international visitors, particularly European backpackers. Guided bus tours from some operators now include microbrewery visitation as a key selling point. Many regional microbreweries are included in tourism brochures and emerging food and wine trails. Domestic consumers and tourists are keen to taste the product at its source, “meet the brewers”, and experience unique product in restaurants and bars. Sales of beer to the “food service industry” (restaurants, licensed cafes and wine bars) is another significant market segment. Often this market is accessed by appointed distributors who also supply to the third main domestic market segment; liquor stores and licensed supermarkets
So here are a few microbreweries that are leading the way and offer a benchmark for other small operators to emulate.
The Redoak Brewery deserves the title of best small brewery in Australia. Redoak has had outstanding success in the past three years. They achieved 18 awards at their inaugural Australian International Beer Awards 2004. This was then followed by the attainment of 35 awards at the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards - nearly doubling their results from the previous year. In 2006 won the Grand Champion Trophy at AIBA 2006 for the highest scoring beer judged against 974 other beers. Redoak was the most awarded brewery for the second year running at AIBA 2006 against strong local and international competition. They won the prestigious Grand Champion trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards 2006 and also won 2 Gold medals at the World Beer Cup 2006 in Seattle, U.S.A. against over 2000 international beers. At the local level, Redoak won trophies for their India Pale Ale and Christmas Cheer at the Australian Beer Festival in Sydney this September.
The Redoak Brewery currently brews a staggering 40 premium beers, of which 20 are available at any one time at the Redoak Boutique Beer Café on Clarence Street in Sydney. In addition to premium quality beers, brother and sister team Janet and David offer a menu of exquisite gourmet cuisine, developed together with Head Chef Richard Park as the perfect accompaniment to the Redoak beer range. The stylish boutique beer café offers a unique difference in many ways to any other drinking or eating establishment in Sydney or across Australia. Every aspect has been put together with the upmost detail. For example, the bar tops are made from 700 year old jarrah timber sourced from West Australia’s famous Redoak has also created a beer appreciation course to take customers through the brewery history, process and special qualities and characteristics that define a premium beer. Customers can then enjoy the fine cuisine complimented by a Redoak beer, while being taken through the individual flavour and aroma profiles of different beer styles. The Café also offers unique Tasting Boards – the first of their kind in Australia. The Tasting Boards each hold four canapé style dishes that are matched with four different Redoak premium beers.
Potters Hotel & Brewery is located in the NSW wine region of the Hunter Valley. The heritage listed ‘Brick Beehive Kilns of Nulkaba’; and Australia’s first Destination Spa offers the largest range of spa treatments in Australia. The elite Destination Spa is equipped with the latest technology, professional treatment beds, wet rooms and Spa. Every treatment room has its own climate control to ensure maximum guest comfort during spa therapy. The boutique accommodation features variety of hotel, villa and spa suite options. While maintaining a sense of privacy, guests can enjoy the best of the outdoor and indoor extensive leisure facilities including; swimming pools, kids playground, lollie shop, day/night tennis, spa, massage room, billiards and historic kiln tours. According to Marketing Manager Daniela Fosci. “Our boutique microbrewery is the Hunter’s first ever microbrewery. Our beers were Bronze Award Winners at the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards and our beers are brewed on site daily,” Potters Hotel & Brewery features an authentic German Bier Hall, a fine restaurant the Old Brickworks Brasserie named the Lower Hunter’s Best Restaurant for 2005; and a lively beer rendezvous, the Potteries Lounge Bar.
Moorilla Estate is dedicated to the enjoyment of life. Moorilla has evolved into a cultural haven that draws visitors from around the world to sample award-winning wine, food, accommodation and the Moorilla Museum of Antiquities (now closed to the public for re-development). The latest addition to Moorilla Estate is the state of the art ‘Moo Brew’ Micro Brewery. The estate is located 12 kilometres from Hobart, and the trip takes less than 15 minutes by car. or of you choose you can cruise to Moorilla Estate on the high speed catamaran ‘Excella’ departing daily from the Brooke St Pier situated within the Hobart Dock area.
Moorilla Estate is the birthplace of Tasmania's modern wine industry. Although earlier pioneers had attempted to grow grapes and make wine, it was Italian business immigrant (textiles) Claudio Alcorso who managed to blend the first successful combination of viticulture and marketing and put Moorilla on the map in the 1962. In Claudio's Words:” One kilometre long and almost as wide, its shape is not round, the isthmus is broad and the land rises up gently and then drops towards the river in steep banks covered by native casuarinas, the beautiful green-grey she-oaks… This was the land which became the focus of my life and my anchor to my new country.”
The Moorilla logo is quite unusual and is derived from a Chinese symbol. The unbroken lines and icons depict the constant change and influence of the four seasons. Moo Brew is brewed according to the German Purity Law of 1516, which proclaimed that beer must contain only the essential ingredients: malt, hops, yeast and water.
To ensure the best flavours the brewing involves no preservatives or additives and Moo Brew is unpasteurised. Moo Brew currently produces four styles. A German Hefeweizen (Wheat Beer), an American style Pale Ale, a Czech Pilsner, and an American style Dark Ale. Moo Brew Pale Ale and Wheat Beer are both currently available in Victoria and New South Wales and all four styles are available at selected outlets within Tasmania.
The Mildura Brewery is unlike anything you've seen before, and its beer is equally as memorable, producing four permanent naturally brewed beers, along with unique specialty brews, from inside the former Astor Theatre in Mildura's restaurant precinct, the Mildura Brewery creates beers that are inspired by and named after local produce, landmarks and themes. The unique Mildura Brewery has held on to its former glory as the Astor Theatre with a grandiose refurbishment of the magnificent art deco building, but also includes a new 30hl DME three vessel brew house and bottling line, that is on full display to punters drinking or enjoying a meal in the Brewery Pub.
The Mildura Brewery Pub began life as the Astor Theatre, which was once the most popular theatre in town. Opening in late 1924, the Astor Theatre was one of many in the district, but after a complete remodelling in 1937, the theatre boasted a seating capacity of 914. The Astor enjoyed its heyday during the 1930s and 1940s, however the advent of the drive-in theatre in the 1950s spelled the end for the popular indoor theatre and it closed in the late 1960s. The disused theatre came with the Mildura Grand Hotel when the hotel was acquired by Don Carrazza and his family in 1989. For a long time the former theatre was used as a laundry, car park, and a workshop, with some of the front shops leased, but Mr Carrazza always felt it would be a shame to destroy the building. To honour the glory of the former Astor Theatre, the brewery has retained certain design elements, and today uses the projector room as conference venue, while the theatre's screen is situated among the brewing vats and remains in use.
Since the first beer rolled out of production in late 2004, the Mildura Brewery has taken beer-drinkers by storm. At the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards, Mildura Brewery beers won 18 medals and Sun Light was voted Best in Category.
Mildura Brewery's Head Brewer Stephen Nelsen has beer in his veins. He was introduced to beer by his father, Lyndon Nelsen, who worked for the South Australian Brewing Co. for 34 years. At the South Australian Brewing Co., and would often take his son to work on weekends. It began with sampling beers in the tanks and flourished into a love affair with beer. Stephen completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Technology 1992 and then travelled to Europe to do a personal study tour of breweries, working in craft breweries in England to produce real ales (cask conditioned hand pumped living beers).
Stephen returned to Adelaide to brew at the Port Dock Brewery Hotel, Stephen took the challenge of re-commissioning the brewery and developing their beers. He produced 5 beers including the strong Old Preacher, and award winning Milk Stout. The Fosters Group then hired Stephen to set up and run the Gunn Island Brew Bar in Middle Park, Melbourne where he produced three multi-awards winning beers called Shot Fox, Duck's Nuts and Cut Snake, and he gained knowledge of beer design and brewing practices from the product development people in Abbotsford. Stephen heard about the new Mildura Brewery and became involved through brewing consultant Brian Watson and today; he is just as passionate about his beer as he has ever been.
"I am motivated by the fact it's a three-vessel brew-house (in Mildura), giving the flexibility to produce any type of beer, from the diverse range I have experienced in Asia and Europe," Stephen said. "I'm extremely passionate about beer quality, technically and artistically."I also love the location on the river, as I am a keen water skier and fisherman. And I love the city because of its sunny climate, fresh produce, relaxed lifestyle and convenience.
The Mildura Brewery is the newest addition to the Mildura Grand Hotel Group. The Group includes: Mildura Grand Hotel, Stefano's award winning restaurant, the new Spanish Bar and Grill, Avoca Seafood Restaurant, 27 Deakin Stefano's Good Food Store, and Mario's sports Bar.
The Victorian Association of Microbrewers (VAMI) compiled a report with the assistance of Business Management Company Street Ryan & Associates which highlights the major areas of concern for the small brewery industry. The report is an extensive look at all aspects of the microbrewing industry, warts and all, and was compiled to assist in lobbying members of parliament to support tax change. For mind, here are the two most significant issues.
Graduated Tax Structure/ WET Tax equivalency.
Microbreweries are small brewing businesses producing 10,000 to 3 million litres of beer per annum and present one of the few opportunities for business development and employment growth within the beer and malt industry. New microbreweries have been establishing at the rate of 30% per annum in recent years. Total employment in the brewing industry decreased at 0.3% per annum whilst employment in microbreweries has increased at more than 10% per annum.
The majority of microbreweries in Australia are diversified businesses, often offering hotel/pub/bar, restaurant/café, or tourist attraction operations in complement to beer manufacturing. Many microbreweries (54%) are located in rural and regional Australia. There were 84 known microbreweries producing an estimated 12.73 million litres of beer with an estimated total economic contribution to the Australian economy of $295.48 million. If there is no change in excise arrangement, we’ll see10.5% per annum growth in 2006 and 2007 and 7% per annum growth during 2008 to 2010, from existing microbreweries, but a re-structured excise environment will see 12% per annum growth in 2006 and 2007 and 20% per annum growth during 2008 to 2010, from existing microbreweries
Estimated and projected taxes collected and paid by microbrewery organisations suggest that the impact of a re-structured excise duty arrangement in 2006 (to introduce an excise minimum threshold of $1.72 million in sales per microbrewery enterprise or enterprise group) would be a total reduction in all taxes, duties and statutory charges of an estimated $6.39 million. However, by 2010 the re-structured excise arrangements would lead to an estimated increase in taxes, duties and statutory charges of $13.22 million (i.e. $72.00 million compared with $58.78 million in 2010).
Provide ‘the complete package’-sound investors, proper business plan, qualified personnel, technical training, quality assurance procedures for operators of small breweries, and a well organised distribution system.
The report goes on to say that many microbreweries are undercapitalised and face ongoing cash flow strain. Benchmarking results show that most microbreweries have average to poor long term credit risk ratios and poor efficiency ratios. There is a need for business skills, technical training, information, and quality assurance procedures for operators of small breweries. Few microbrewers have a background in the industry; their involvement often stems from a passion for brewing (perhaps generated from home brewing) or through a desire to diversify from an existing hospitality based business Some microbreweries are operating as hobby or lifestyle businesses (similar to many vignerons and wineries), with the production volumes below the extremely low level of 30,000 litres which is the excise duty threshold. Microbrewers believe that excise duty re-structuring, in line with wine companies, would have an immediate impact on these breweries, encouraging them to scale up to full time businesses; expanding production volumes, sales and employment
Visiting microbreweries are becoming “sought after” experiences of international visitors, particularly European backpackers. Guided bus tours from some operators now include microbrewery visitation as a key selling point. Many regional microbreweries are included in tourism brochures and emerging food and wine trails. Domestic consumers and tourists are keen to taste the product at its source, “meet the brewers”, and experience unique product in restaurants and bars. Sales of beer to the “food service industry” (restaurants, licensed cafes and wine bars) is another significant market segment. Often this market is accessed by appointed distributors who also supply to the third main domestic market segment; liquor stores and licensed supermarkets
So here are a few microbreweries that are leading the way and offer a benchmark for other small operators to emulate.
The Redoak Brewery deserves the title of best small brewery in Australia. Redoak has had outstanding success in the past three years. They achieved 18 awards at their inaugural Australian International Beer Awards 2004. This was then followed by the attainment of 35 awards at the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards - nearly doubling their results from the previous year. In 2006 won the Grand Champion Trophy at AIBA 2006 for the highest scoring beer judged against 974 other beers. Redoak was the most awarded brewery for the second year running at AIBA 2006 against strong local and international competition. They won the prestigious Grand Champion trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards 2006 and also won 2 Gold medals at the World Beer Cup 2006 in Seattle, U.S.A. against over 2000 international beers. At the local level, Redoak won trophies for their India Pale Ale and Christmas Cheer at the Australian Beer Festival in Sydney this September.
The Redoak Brewery currently brews a staggering 40 premium beers, of which 20 are available at any one time at the Redoak Boutique Beer Café on Clarence Street in Sydney. In addition to premium quality beers, brother and sister team Janet and David offer a menu of exquisite gourmet cuisine, developed together with Head Chef Richard Park as the perfect accompaniment to the Redoak beer range. The stylish boutique beer café offers a unique difference in many ways to any other drinking or eating establishment in Sydney or across Australia. Every aspect has been put together with the upmost detail. For example, the bar tops are made from 700 year old jarrah timber sourced from West Australia’s famous Redoak has also created a beer appreciation course to take customers through the brewery history, process and special qualities and characteristics that define a premium beer. Customers can then enjoy the fine cuisine complimented by a Redoak beer, while being taken through the individual flavour and aroma profiles of different beer styles. The Café also offers unique Tasting Boards – the first of their kind in Australia. The Tasting Boards each hold four canapé style dishes that are matched with four different Redoak premium beers.
Potters Hotel & Brewery is located in the NSW wine region of the Hunter Valley. The heritage listed ‘Brick Beehive Kilns of Nulkaba’; and Australia’s first Destination Spa offers the largest range of spa treatments in Australia. The elite Destination Spa is equipped with the latest technology, professional treatment beds, wet rooms and Spa. Every treatment room has its own climate control to ensure maximum guest comfort during spa therapy. The boutique accommodation features variety of hotel, villa and spa suite options. While maintaining a sense of privacy, guests can enjoy the best of the outdoor and indoor extensive leisure facilities including; swimming pools, kids playground, lollie shop, day/night tennis, spa, massage room, billiards and historic kiln tours. According to Marketing Manager Daniela Fosci. “Our boutique microbrewery is the Hunter’s first ever microbrewery. Our beers were Bronze Award Winners at the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards and our beers are brewed on site daily,” Potters Hotel & Brewery features an authentic German Bier Hall, a fine restaurant the Old Brickworks Brasserie named the Lower Hunter’s Best Restaurant for 2005; and a lively beer rendezvous, the Potteries Lounge Bar.
Moorilla Estate is dedicated to the enjoyment of life. Moorilla has evolved into a cultural haven that draws visitors from around the world to sample award-winning wine, food, accommodation and the Moorilla Museum of Antiquities (now closed to the public for re-development). The latest addition to Moorilla Estate is the state of the art ‘Moo Brew’ Micro Brewery. The estate is located 12 kilometres from Hobart, and the trip takes less than 15 minutes by car. or of you choose you can cruise to Moorilla Estate on the high speed catamaran ‘Excella’ departing daily from the Brooke St Pier situated within the Hobart Dock area.
Moorilla Estate is the birthplace of Tasmania's modern wine industry. Although earlier pioneers had attempted to grow grapes and make wine, it was Italian business immigrant (textiles) Claudio Alcorso who managed to blend the first successful combination of viticulture and marketing and put Moorilla on the map in the 1962. In Claudio's Words:” One kilometre long and almost as wide, its shape is not round, the isthmus is broad and the land rises up gently and then drops towards the river in steep banks covered by native casuarinas, the beautiful green-grey she-oaks… This was the land which became the focus of my life and my anchor to my new country.”
The Moorilla logo is quite unusual and is derived from a Chinese symbol. The unbroken lines and icons depict the constant change and influence of the four seasons. Moo Brew is brewed according to the German Purity Law of 1516, which proclaimed that beer must contain only the essential ingredients: malt, hops, yeast and water.
To ensure the best flavours the brewing involves no preservatives or additives and Moo Brew is unpasteurised. Moo Brew currently produces four styles. A German Hefeweizen (Wheat Beer), an American style Pale Ale, a Czech Pilsner, and an American style Dark Ale. Moo Brew Pale Ale and Wheat Beer are both currently available in Victoria and New South Wales and all four styles are available at selected outlets within Tasmania.
The Mildura Brewery is unlike anything you've seen before, and its beer is equally as memorable, producing four permanent naturally brewed beers, along with unique specialty brews, from inside the former Astor Theatre in Mildura's restaurant precinct, the Mildura Brewery creates beers that are inspired by and named after local produce, landmarks and themes. The unique Mildura Brewery has held on to its former glory as the Astor Theatre with a grandiose refurbishment of the magnificent art deco building, but also includes a new 30hl DME three vessel brew house and bottling line, that is on full display to punters drinking or enjoying a meal in the Brewery Pub.
The Mildura Brewery Pub began life as the Astor Theatre, which was once the most popular theatre in town. Opening in late 1924, the Astor Theatre was one of many in the district, but after a complete remodelling in 1937, the theatre boasted a seating capacity of 914. The Astor enjoyed its heyday during the 1930s and 1940s, however the advent of the drive-in theatre in the 1950s spelled the end for the popular indoor theatre and it closed in the late 1960s. The disused theatre came with the Mildura Grand Hotel when the hotel was acquired by Don Carrazza and his family in 1989. For a long time the former theatre was used as a laundry, car park, and a workshop, with some of the front shops leased, but Mr Carrazza always felt it would be a shame to destroy the building. To honour the glory of the former Astor Theatre, the brewery has retained certain design elements, and today uses the projector room as conference venue, while the theatre's screen is situated among the brewing vats and remains in use.
Since the first beer rolled out of production in late 2004, the Mildura Brewery has taken beer-drinkers by storm. At the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards, Mildura Brewery beers won 18 medals and Sun Light was voted Best in Category.
Mildura Brewery's Head Brewer Stephen Nelsen has beer in his veins. He was introduced to beer by his father, Lyndon Nelsen, who worked for the South Australian Brewing Co. for 34 years. At the South Australian Brewing Co., and would often take his son to work on weekends. It began with sampling beers in the tanks and flourished into a love affair with beer. Stephen completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Technology 1992 and then travelled to Europe to do a personal study tour of breweries, working in craft breweries in England to produce real ales (cask conditioned hand pumped living beers).
Stephen returned to Adelaide to brew at the Port Dock Brewery Hotel, Stephen took the challenge of re-commissioning the brewery and developing their beers. He produced 5 beers including the strong Old Preacher, and award winning Milk Stout. The Fosters Group then hired Stephen to set up and run the Gunn Island Brew Bar in Middle Park, Melbourne where he produced three multi-awards winning beers called Shot Fox, Duck's Nuts and Cut Snake, and he gained knowledge of beer design and brewing practices from the product development people in Abbotsford. Stephen heard about the new Mildura Brewery and became involved through brewing consultant Brian Watson and today; he is just as passionate about his beer as he has ever been.
"I am motivated by the fact it's a three-vessel brew-house (in Mildura), giving the flexibility to produce any type of beer, from the diverse range I have experienced in Asia and Europe," Stephen said. "I'm extremely passionate about beer quality, technically and artistically."I also love the location on the river, as I am a keen water skier and fisherman. And I love the city because of its sunny climate, fresh produce, relaxed lifestyle and convenience.
The Mildura Brewery is the newest addition to the Mildura Grand Hotel Group. The Group includes: Mildura Grand Hotel, Stefano's award winning restaurant, the new Spanish Bar and Grill, Avoca Seafood Restaurant, 27 Deakin Stefano's Good Food Store, and Mario's sports Bar.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
A Lighter Shade fo Dark
Using an old line, statistics don’t lie. Light beer sales to June 30 this year (effectively the 2005-06 financial year) was down 10%, compared to a fall of 12.3% during 2004-05. The industry-wide MAT for mid-strength beer was up 4.5%, compared to a rise of 4.8% at the same time last year, while full strength beer was up 1.1%. Queensland and WA remain the best performing interstate markets for midstrength beers in general
So what can we learn from this data. According to Coopers Marketing Director and Chairman, Glenn Cooper,” The continuing fall in light beer sales has a lot to do with younger drinkers in particular being more responsible in their drinking habits. He suggests that they are more likely to appoint a designated driver for a group, allowing the others to drink full strength beer.” He goes on to say “Older generation drinkers tended to be light drinkers as they are more likely to want to drive home after a few drinks and drink light to keep below the prescribed limit. And as far as mid strength superiority in Queensland and Western Australia, I’ll take a punt on the factor of excessive heat and humidity as the driving force for their products. So who are the shining lights, pardon the pun, in the light and midstrength range, let’s have a look.
Light Beers
Hahn Premium Light has continued to grow its share of the light beer market over the last 12 months. Since launching in 1998, this has been a consistent achievement for the brand with Hahn Premium Light still the dominant leader in this market and is nearly 50% bigger than its nearest competitor. Hahn Premium Light continued to engage light beer drinkers through its award winning television campaign both on free-to-air and pay networks.
James Boag’s Premium Light, at 2.9% alc/vol, is the lower alcohol version of J. Boag & Son’s flagship brand, James Boag’s Premium Lager. Launched nationally in February 2002, James Boag’s Premium Light quickly gained a reputation as a top quality light beer. Its first award came the same year at the 2002 Australian Liquor Industry Awards, winning ‘Best New Beer’. Sales in 2006 are reversing the trend of the light beer category in Australia, remaining steady, even with aggressive pricing strategies from its nearest rivals. James Boag’s Premium Light is a full flavoured light beer with a smooth, pleasant bitterness. The aroma is clean and fresh with a malty, fruit character.
Cascade Premium Light helped change Australian’s perception of light beers, that premium tasting, low alcohol beer was achievable. Cascade’s brewer’s source high quality two-row barley, along with Tasmanian and Victorian hops for Cascade Premium Light. Produced using the ultra high gravity brewing method, this creates a full-bodied, flavour-rich beer with a low alcohol content. Cascade’s own yeast strain is also used for the beer. Pride of Ringwood and Hallertau Hersbrucker hops are added to the brew, combining to produce a bitter palate and a delicate, spicy aroma. Cascade Premium Light is smooth, yet full in flavour with a dense head and a clean, refreshing finish with an alcohol content of 2.8%.
Carlton Sterling has a large number of loyal consumers and it has a truly distinctive taste through its unique hops. Fosters Australia is looking for this product to play a role in the mainstream light category, providing consumers with the same great taste at a price point and brand positioning in between Foster’s Light ice and Cascade Premium Light
Microbreweries tend not to produce low alcohol beers; they're very difficult to get right. The reasons are because alcohol contributes a lot to mouthfeel, so light beers are sometimes described as lacking body, or being watery. To compensate for this, the Mildura Brewery’s Sun Light has been generous with hop additions, resulting in a bitter, spicy style of light. The hop variety is Saaz, sourced from Bohemia, north Czech Republic, home of the Pilsener. At five kilograms per batch, that's three times the quantity of our other brews. It shows in the aftertaste and aroma, slightly citric and a bit peppery. This means we can achieve a full flavoured beer taste, without resorting to watering down the finished product.
Midstrength Beers
Carlton MID is a key growth brand for Fosters Australia with the average consumer getting older and making consumptions choices based on specific occasions. As market leader in WA and clear number two brand in QLD the support behind the brand in relation to sponsorship, communication and promotional activity is testament to the importance of the segment. Aided by improved packaging, more impactful signage, point-of-sale and a successful advertising campaign (television and outdoor), Carlton Mid has gained critical mass and continues to grow strongly throughout the Queensland market. Carlton Mid is now the third largest beer brand in Queensland (behind XXXX Gold and VB) with a 10.6% share of the total beer market It has been particularly successful on tap, where it exhibited the highest growth in the entire Midstrength category (Queensland’s biggest beer category), up 3.2% (against category growth of just 1.3%). Nationally Carlton Mid share for the last quarter was 29.4% of the Midstrength market, up 1.1 points on last year. The brand has also benefited from its ‘hearts and minds’ association with sporting sponsorships such as the NRL competition, the Brisbane Lions, the Royal Flying Doctor Service
XXXX GOLD has had an excellent year once again, growing volume in every state. It’s the number one beer in Queensland and three times its nearest rival, and is now the second largest beer brand by volume in the country. In 2006, XXXX GOLD continued to approach beer drinkers through multi layered programs of activity. For the first time, XXXX GOLD’S award winning advertising campaign featuring ‘Jacko and the boys’ and their little mate ‘Marlin’ the dog ran in virtually every market in the country, in both metropolitan and regional areas. XXXX Gold Beach Cricket will be the biggest program of activity XXXX GOLD has ever developed. In October, seven million ‘beach cricket’ themed cartons of XXXX GOLD will start to make their way across the country offering cricket lovers a free XXXX Gold Beach Cricket ‘swing’ ball and the chance to build their own beach cricket kit. XXXX GOLD will also be releasing limited edition cans featuring the seven Australian players, limited edition stubbies featuring a player from the Australian Team and one of the opposing teams as well as a XXXX Gold Beach Cricket television commercial starring the three captains.
Coopers Mild Ale is fully brewed using a selection of barley and wheat malt with no added sugar. It then undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle or can, the same process used in the production of Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale. Coopers Chairman and Marketing Director, Mr Glenn Cooper, said “It’s a smooth, easy-drinking ale that’s similar in flavour profile to Coopers Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale, but slightly softer. “ It’s an ideal beer for people who enjoy the taste of a full flavoured beer, but wish to limit alcohol consumption. Many people are telling us they are drinking Mild Ale simply because of the taste, not because it is lower in alcohol. ”Coopers Mild Ale’s alcohol content of 3.5%
Little Creatures Rogers Ale continues to impress ale lovers who want a low alcohol alternative .Rogers Ale is a full flavoured amber ale with an intriguing mix of malts combined with the distinctive LC hop character. Hand crafted in small batches, Rogers has a clean crisp flavour with plenty of mouthfeel.
Grand Ridge’s Moonlight is the only light or mid strength beer to win and "Open Ale" category at the National Festival of Beers and it has done it twice. Moonlight has also picked up the Worlds Best low alcohol beer and Australia's best on the way through. This hard to find little Aussie battler beer has a big rich nutty brown ale flavour, and is often picked as a 5.5% - 6.5% beer in blind tastings.
So what can we learn from this data. According to Coopers Marketing Director and Chairman, Glenn Cooper,” The continuing fall in light beer sales has a lot to do with younger drinkers in particular being more responsible in their drinking habits. He suggests that they are more likely to appoint a designated driver for a group, allowing the others to drink full strength beer.” He goes on to say “Older generation drinkers tended to be light drinkers as they are more likely to want to drive home after a few drinks and drink light to keep below the prescribed limit. And as far as mid strength superiority in Queensland and Western Australia, I’ll take a punt on the factor of excessive heat and humidity as the driving force for their products. So who are the shining lights, pardon the pun, in the light and midstrength range, let’s have a look.
Light Beers
Hahn Premium Light has continued to grow its share of the light beer market over the last 12 months. Since launching in 1998, this has been a consistent achievement for the brand with Hahn Premium Light still the dominant leader in this market and is nearly 50% bigger than its nearest competitor. Hahn Premium Light continued to engage light beer drinkers through its award winning television campaign both on free-to-air and pay networks.
James Boag’s Premium Light, at 2.9% alc/vol, is the lower alcohol version of J. Boag & Son’s flagship brand, James Boag’s Premium Lager. Launched nationally in February 2002, James Boag’s Premium Light quickly gained a reputation as a top quality light beer. Its first award came the same year at the 2002 Australian Liquor Industry Awards, winning ‘Best New Beer’. Sales in 2006 are reversing the trend of the light beer category in Australia, remaining steady, even with aggressive pricing strategies from its nearest rivals. James Boag’s Premium Light is a full flavoured light beer with a smooth, pleasant bitterness. The aroma is clean and fresh with a malty, fruit character.
Cascade Premium Light helped change Australian’s perception of light beers, that premium tasting, low alcohol beer was achievable. Cascade’s brewer’s source high quality two-row barley, along with Tasmanian and Victorian hops for Cascade Premium Light. Produced using the ultra high gravity brewing method, this creates a full-bodied, flavour-rich beer with a low alcohol content. Cascade’s own yeast strain is also used for the beer. Pride of Ringwood and Hallertau Hersbrucker hops are added to the brew, combining to produce a bitter palate and a delicate, spicy aroma. Cascade Premium Light is smooth, yet full in flavour with a dense head and a clean, refreshing finish with an alcohol content of 2.8%.
Carlton Sterling has a large number of loyal consumers and it has a truly distinctive taste through its unique hops. Fosters Australia is looking for this product to play a role in the mainstream light category, providing consumers with the same great taste at a price point and brand positioning in between Foster’s Light ice and Cascade Premium Light
Microbreweries tend not to produce low alcohol beers; they're very difficult to get right. The reasons are because alcohol contributes a lot to mouthfeel, so light beers are sometimes described as lacking body, or being watery. To compensate for this, the Mildura Brewery’s Sun Light has been generous with hop additions, resulting in a bitter, spicy style of light. The hop variety is Saaz, sourced from Bohemia, north Czech Republic, home of the Pilsener. At five kilograms per batch, that's three times the quantity of our other brews. It shows in the aftertaste and aroma, slightly citric and a bit peppery. This means we can achieve a full flavoured beer taste, without resorting to watering down the finished product.
Midstrength Beers
Carlton MID is a key growth brand for Fosters Australia with the average consumer getting older and making consumptions choices based on specific occasions. As market leader in WA and clear number two brand in QLD the support behind the brand in relation to sponsorship, communication and promotional activity is testament to the importance of the segment. Aided by improved packaging, more impactful signage, point-of-sale and a successful advertising campaign (television and outdoor), Carlton Mid has gained critical mass and continues to grow strongly throughout the Queensland market. Carlton Mid is now the third largest beer brand in Queensland (behind XXXX Gold and VB) with a 10.6% share of the total beer market It has been particularly successful on tap, where it exhibited the highest growth in the entire Midstrength category (Queensland’s biggest beer category), up 3.2% (against category growth of just 1.3%). Nationally Carlton Mid share for the last quarter was 29.4% of the Midstrength market, up 1.1 points on last year. The brand has also benefited from its ‘hearts and minds’ association with sporting sponsorships such as the NRL competition, the Brisbane Lions, the Royal Flying Doctor Service
XXXX GOLD has had an excellent year once again, growing volume in every state. It’s the number one beer in Queensland and three times its nearest rival, and is now the second largest beer brand by volume in the country. In 2006, XXXX GOLD continued to approach beer drinkers through multi layered programs of activity. For the first time, XXXX GOLD’S award winning advertising campaign featuring ‘Jacko and the boys’ and their little mate ‘Marlin’ the dog ran in virtually every market in the country, in both metropolitan and regional areas. XXXX Gold Beach Cricket will be the biggest program of activity XXXX GOLD has ever developed. In October, seven million ‘beach cricket’ themed cartons of XXXX GOLD will start to make their way across the country offering cricket lovers a free XXXX Gold Beach Cricket ‘swing’ ball and the chance to build their own beach cricket kit. XXXX GOLD will also be releasing limited edition cans featuring the seven Australian players, limited edition stubbies featuring a player from the Australian Team and one of the opposing teams as well as a XXXX Gold Beach Cricket television commercial starring the three captains.
Coopers Mild Ale is fully brewed using a selection of barley and wheat malt with no added sugar. It then undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle or can, the same process used in the production of Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale. Coopers Chairman and Marketing Director, Mr Glenn Cooper, said “It’s a smooth, easy-drinking ale that’s similar in flavour profile to Coopers Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale, but slightly softer. “ It’s an ideal beer for people who enjoy the taste of a full flavoured beer, but wish to limit alcohol consumption. Many people are telling us they are drinking Mild Ale simply because of the taste, not because it is lower in alcohol. ”Coopers Mild Ale’s alcohol content of 3.5%
Little Creatures Rogers Ale continues to impress ale lovers who want a low alcohol alternative .Rogers Ale is a full flavoured amber ale with an intriguing mix of malts combined with the distinctive LC hop character. Hand crafted in small batches, Rogers has a clean crisp flavour with plenty of mouthfeel.
Grand Ridge’s Moonlight is the only light or mid strength beer to win and "Open Ale" category at the National Festival of Beers and it has done it twice. Moonlight has also picked up the Worlds Best low alcohol beer and Australia's best on the way through. This hard to find little Aussie battler beer has a big rich nutty brown ale flavour, and is often picked as a 5.5% - 6.5% beer in blind tastings.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Beers & Stripes
As an ex-pat Yank of some three decades, I’m very aware to the hard sell of American beers here in Oz. It seems that since getting off the boat Aussies have asked me “How do you like the beer?” which was inevitably followed with “better than that Yankee garbage, it’s weak as p….mate.” So please indulge me for a moment as I pursue this issue of weakness. For mind, weakness could be based on three elements in beer; lack of colour, flavour, or alcohol. We praise the light golden appearance and soft sweet taste of German lagers yet dismiss the American versions. Fact is that most USA brewing traditions have a German origin, and the sweetness comes from the infusion of rice as a flavouring agent like Asian beers. And as for alcohol on closer inspection, American beers are equal if not exceeding the alcohol per volume levels of our leading premium beers. So let’s have a look at the American beers on offer here in Australia.
America’s flagship brewing company is Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the world’s largest brewer with sales in more than 80 countries, leading the world market with an 11% share and on the US beer market with 48.8 %. Their quality comes from a dedication taken in every step and unwavering commitment to quality since its founding in 1852. Anheuser-Busch brews Budweiser by using only the very finest hops, barley malt, rice yeast and water. Since 1876, Budweiser’s natural ingredients have made the brand a superior quality beer with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
Budweiser is brewed using only the choicest hops and two-row and six-row barley malts. Anheuser-Busch uses more malt per barrel than any other major brewer in the United States. They use only the choicest domestic and imported hops, including premium Saaz hops from the Zatec region of South Bohemia, and operate a 178-acre (71.2-hectare) hops farm near the prestigious German Hops Research Institute in Huell, Germany, in the fertile Hallertau region. Their domestic Elk Mountain Hop Farm opened in 1987 in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, is the largest aroma hop farm in the world. The farm yields more than 2 million pounds of hops each fall. Elk Mountain Farm is some 10 miles from the Canadian boarder, located at the same latitude as Europe’s prime hop-growing regions. Rice is used in many Anheuser-Busch brands, producing a pale beer with a clean, crisp taste that tends to enhance the hop flavour in the beer. The brewer’s yeast used in all Anheuser-Busch beers has been perfected over decades, and all the company’s breweries are supplied from one, carefully maintained, pure-culture system. The brewer’s yeast that gives Budweiser its distinctive aroma and taste is the same that was used when Budweiser was introduced back in 1876.
Anheuser-Busch brews its beers with the same methods used by the company's founder, Adolph’s Busch, more than a century ago. “It may appear old-fashioned to brew beer basically the same way we have for more than a century, but it's all part of the time-honoured tradition that we take great pride in maintaining,” says Lee Babb, Sales Manager – Pacific Region, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Anheuser-Busch is the only major brewer in the world still using the traditional beechwood-aging process, the process adds an extra measure of natural clarification and maturation to Anheuser-Busch beers. Many old-world brewers used beechwood chips instead of other types of wood because beechwood is low in phenolic and resins that otherwise would impart woody flavour to the beer. These chips are boiled in water and baking soda-and not soda ash-before use. Having a latticework of beechwood chips on the bottom of our lager tanks allows the lager yeast to settle over the wood instead of creating layers at the bottom of the vessel. This in turn allows a greater amount of yeast contact with aging beer, ensuring complete fermentation, natural carbonation and flavour maturation. They also use a centuries-old European technique called kraeusening, during which a portion of freshly yeasted wort is added to start a secondary fermentation. Most brewers do not use this secondary fermentation, which matures the beer’s flavour and provides natural carbonation. Because a single fermentation does not provide sufficient carbonation, other brewers instead add carbon dioxide to the beer before packaging.
Premium Beverages announced the launch of Michelob ULTRA in Australia, effective in November. Michelob ULTRA is a premium imported full strength beer which has the lowest carbohydrates and the lowest calories currently in the Australian market. Mark Gouley, General Manager-Marketing, claims that ‘Australian adult’s live active lifestyles and a growing number are looking for a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie beer. With this in mind, it seemed ideal to launch the world’s leading low carb/low cal beer into the Australian market.”
Michelob ULTRA is brewed using the finest pale two-row and Munich malts, select grains, European hops and pure cultured yeast strain. By extending the mashing time, long chains of carbohydrates in the beer can be broken down into smaller simple sugars thus creating a low carbohydrate beer. The result is a great-tasting premium lager with fewer carbohydrates and calories. Michelob ULTRA has only 2.6 grams of carbohydrates and 95 calories per 355 ml bottle.
Goulmy states “Michelob ULTRA has achieved enormous success in the US and the UK. The prominence of the low carb category globally has provided a great foundation for Michelob ULTRA to establish itself and build the category further in the Australian market.’
Miller Genuine Draft is the pride of Milwaukee, traditionally considered the capital city of brewing in America (remember Laverne & Shirley?). Its origins began when Frederick Miller migrated from Germany to establish a small family operated brewery producing 300 barrels a year. SAB Miller is now the second largest brewer which operates in all 5 continents, 60 countries and a whopping 117 breweries .SAB Miller entered into a 50:50 agreement this year with Coca-Cola Amatil, now known as Pacific Beverages Pty. Ltd., to import SAB Miller products Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell into Australia. It is envisioned that combining SAB Miller‘s world class marketing and CCA’s strength in customer relations and their vast distribution network, they will have a solid platform to expand their products in the Australian premium beer category.
Miller Genuine Draft is more in the keeping to the common American lager style, with emphasis on light body and refreshment value. MGD has a Sparkling bright golden appearance with excellent head retention, medium intensity, sweet aroma with a toasted/toffee hint, and average carbonation with a mild bitterness, but lacking the body and hoppy bitterness of Australian beers. Available in 335 ml long neck bottle at 4.7% AV.
Samuel Adams
Boston patriot and brewer Samuel Adams was architect of the historic Boston Tea Party and signed the Declaration of Independence. He was passionate about independence, freedom, and beer. Jim Koch a sixth generation brewer in Boston found his great-great grandfather’s beer recipe in the attic and decided to set up the Boston Beer Company in 1984 using the “olde word process” of brewing which includes dry-hopping and extended lagering. Today, Samuel Adams Boston Lager is served in the White House and been awarded more than 70 international awards in the last two years.
Any non-lager struggles for consumer demand and I’ve heard many times that Sam Adams Boston Lager is to big, to filling and can’t get through more than a couple. But that criticism should be tempered with the fact that this is truly a five star beer with a powerful nutty, faintly roasted essence in both the nose and palate and then a grassy, dry, hoppy undertones, almost bread-like tenor in the finish.The slightly sweet aroma and taste, malty caramel notes and spicy,. Full bodied with a good dose of hop bitterness that kicks in at the finish. The qualities of ingredients shine through to the last drop. Sam Adams Boston Lager is an American craft beer classic. with 4.8% A/V.
America’s flagship brewing company is Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the world’s largest brewer with sales in more than 80 countries, leading the world market with an 11% share and on the US beer market with 48.8 %. Their quality comes from a dedication taken in every step and unwavering commitment to quality since its founding in 1852. Anheuser-Busch brews Budweiser by using only the very finest hops, barley malt, rice yeast and water. Since 1876, Budweiser’s natural ingredients have made the brand a superior quality beer with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
Budweiser is brewed using only the choicest hops and two-row and six-row barley malts. Anheuser-Busch uses more malt per barrel than any other major brewer in the United States. They use only the choicest domestic and imported hops, including premium Saaz hops from the Zatec region of South Bohemia, and operate a 178-acre (71.2-hectare) hops farm near the prestigious German Hops Research Institute in Huell, Germany, in the fertile Hallertau region. Their domestic Elk Mountain Hop Farm opened in 1987 in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, is the largest aroma hop farm in the world. The farm yields more than 2 million pounds of hops each fall. Elk Mountain Farm is some 10 miles from the Canadian boarder, located at the same latitude as Europe’s prime hop-growing regions. Rice is used in many Anheuser-Busch brands, producing a pale beer with a clean, crisp taste that tends to enhance the hop flavour in the beer. The brewer’s yeast used in all Anheuser-Busch beers has been perfected over decades, and all the company’s breweries are supplied from one, carefully maintained, pure-culture system. The brewer’s yeast that gives Budweiser its distinctive aroma and taste is the same that was used when Budweiser was introduced back in 1876.
Anheuser-Busch brews its beers with the same methods used by the company's founder, Adolph’s Busch, more than a century ago. “It may appear old-fashioned to brew beer basically the same way we have for more than a century, but it's all part of the time-honoured tradition that we take great pride in maintaining,” says Lee Babb, Sales Manager – Pacific Region, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Anheuser-Busch is the only major brewer in the world still using the traditional beechwood-aging process, the process adds an extra measure of natural clarification and maturation to Anheuser-Busch beers. Many old-world brewers used beechwood chips instead of other types of wood because beechwood is low in phenolic and resins that otherwise would impart woody flavour to the beer. These chips are boiled in water and baking soda-and not soda ash-before use. Having a latticework of beechwood chips on the bottom of our lager tanks allows the lager yeast to settle over the wood instead of creating layers at the bottom of the vessel. This in turn allows a greater amount of yeast contact with aging beer, ensuring complete fermentation, natural carbonation and flavour maturation. They also use a centuries-old European technique called kraeusening, during which a portion of freshly yeasted wort is added to start a secondary fermentation. Most brewers do not use this secondary fermentation, which matures the beer’s flavour and provides natural carbonation. Because a single fermentation does not provide sufficient carbonation, other brewers instead add carbon dioxide to the beer before packaging.
Premium Beverages announced the launch of Michelob ULTRA in Australia, effective in November. Michelob ULTRA is a premium imported full strength beer which has the lowest carbohydrates and the lowest calories currently in the Australian market. Mark Gouley, General Manager-Marketing, claims that ‘Australian adult’s live active lifestyles and a growing number are looking for a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie beer. With this in mind, it seemed ideal to launch the world’s leading low carb/low cal beer into the Australian market.”
Michelob ULTRA is brewed using the finest pale two-row and Munich malts, select grains, European hops and pure cultured yeast strain. By extending the mashing time, long chains of carbohydrates in the beer can be broken down into smaller simple sugars thus creating a low carbohydrate beer. The result is a great-tasting premium lager with fewer carbohydrates and calories. Michelob ULTRA has only 2.6 grams of carbohydrates and 95 calories per 355 ml bottle.
Goulmy states “Michelob ULTRA has achieved enormous success in the US and the UK. The prominence of the low carb category globally has provided a great foundation for Michelob ULTRA to establish itself and build the category further in the Australian market.’
Miller Genuine Draft is the pride of Milwaukee, traditionally considered the capital city of brewing in America (remember Laverne & Shirley?). Its origins began when Frederick Miller migrated from Germany to establish a small family operated brewery producing 300 barrels a year. SAB Miller is now the second largest brewer which operates in all 5 continents, 60 countries and a whopping 117 breweries .SAB Miller entered into a 50:50 agreement this year with Coca-Cola Amatil, now known as Pacific Beverages Pty. Ltd., to import SAB Miller products Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell into Australia. It is envisioned that combining SAB Miller‘s world class marketing and CCA’s strength in customer relations and their vast distribution network, they will have a solid platform to expand their products in the Australian premium beer category.
Miller Genuine Draft is more in the keeping to the common American lager style, with emphasis on light body and refreshment value. MGD has a Sparkling bright golden appearance with excellent head retention, medium intensity, sweet aroma with a toasted/toffee hint, and average carbonation with a mild bitterness, but lacking the body and hoppy bitterness of Australian beers. Available in 335 ml long neck bottle at 4.7% AV.
Samuel Adams
Boston patriot and brewer Samuel Adams was architect of the historic Boston Tea Party and signed the Declaration of Independence. He was passionate about independence, freedom, and beer. Jim Koch a sixth generation brewer in Boston found his great-great grandfather’s beer recipe in the attic and decided to set up the Boston Beer Company in 1984 using the “olde word process” of brewing which includes dry-hopping and extended lagering. Today, Samuel Adams Boston Lager is served in the White House and been awarded more than 70 international awards in the last two years.
Any non-lager struggles for consumer demand and I’ve heard many times that Sam Adams Boston Lager is to big, to filling and can’t get through more than a couple. But that criticism should be tempered with the fact that this is truly a five star beer with a powerful nutty, faintly roasted essence in both the nose and palate and then a grassy, dry, hoppy undertones, almost bread-like tenor in the finish.The slightly sweet aroma and taste, malty caramel notes and spicy,. Full bodied with a good dose of hop bitterness that kicks in at the finish. The qualities of ingredients shine through to the last drop. Sam Adams Boston Lager is an American craft beer classic. with 4.8% A/V.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Primed for Premium
An easy trot into the spring racing carnival season will turn to a full scale gallop for the ‘Premium Beer Cup’ in the next few weeks. The track report is good with a growth rate for the premium beers in value terms from 13.9% of the total beer market (MAT to June 2005) to 15.22% (MAT to June 2006), a growth of approximately 10%. The international contenders are also displaying good form of around 18% by value on an MAT basis to June 2006 when compared with a year ago, and the young colts of the craft beer sector have remained steady. Let’s have a look at The National Liquor News racing guide to see who’s in form and possible contenders for the 2006 season.
If Fosters Australia’s Crown Lager were a race horse the stewards would be screaming for a swab test after five decades in the winners circle. One in every four domestic premium sales is a ‘crownie’ but there not sitting back on their haunches. The National Liquor news is honoured to be given exclusive rights to announce Fosters Australia’s newest family member Crown Pilsener. According to Melanie Powell Premium Brand Communications Manager; “Over the last two years we have invested in the Crown Lager brand to remain competitive and grow in the Premium beer market. After exhaustive research with Crown Lager drinkers, new Crown Lager varieties received a favourable response. Described as a smmoth, crisp European lager with spicy bitterness and herbal aroma derived from Wenceslaus hops grown exclusively for this beer in the Derwent Valley of Tasmania. We will release only 10,000 cases in late October nationwide for the first three months until the new harvest in March 2007.”
According to Marketing Manager for J. Boag & Son Anthea Pritchard, preparation for the summer season is well under way.” We have also just completed our new Boag's St George advertising campaign. The campaign extends the "Gallantry is back" message by this time asking the question "What is Gallantry?" and offering some alternative answers. Some gallant acts may be small, whilst others are large and courageous and this updated campaign concentrates on the courageous gestures. A radio campaign will be launched on Nova nationally in October and fully wrapped trams and buses and interior panels will appear in the market by September. Boag's St George has captured 1.5% share of the premium beer market in its first year and is still showing strong signs of growth.
“We are also working on a new James Boag's Premium advertising campaign inspired by another of Helmut Newton's photographs and continues to be in the top three of premium and imported beers. Finally, we released 13,000 cases of Boag Honey Porter into the market in late August.” Back by popular demand, this limited edition seasonal beer features locally made leatherwood honey and has a big following amongst dark ale lovers.
Down in Hobart, three hop varieties have been used for the first time in Cascade Brewery’s First Harvest Ale 2006. A unique Cascade beer has been crafted each hop harvest since 2002, with each year’s beer showcasing different aromas and flavours due to the use of fresh, green hops. Hop varieties Ember, Nova and Galaxy are the product of years of development, and Cascade master brewer Max Burslem has been closely involved in their cultivation. “Each year Cascade First Harvest has an opportunity for the team at Cascade to experiment. In 2006, we have taken delivery of these new varieties and are pleased with the results of their first brew,” said Max.
The young colts out in Fremantle, West Australia are showing great form for the summer season. Little Creatures is the Champion Australasian Brewery for 2006 and their passion for hop driven beers continues, with their latest yearling, LC Bright. As the name suggests, Bright is a filtered beer with a striking golden clarity in the glass. Little Creatures uses 4 luscious malts including Pale, Carapils, Wheat and Vienna. The beer is full flavoured whilst soft and easy on the palate, bitterness is slightly lower than the highly charged pale ale and is accentuated enough to balance the smooth, malty character. The hope characteristics in Bright are derived from the use of highly aromatic New Zealand B Saaz Flowers as well as varieties from the North West of USA.
Matilda Bay has been the ‘Phar Lap’ of the wheat beer category in Australia since the launch of Redback Original in the late 80's. There are two big changes in the pipeline. The first is cosmetic, with the packaging changing on Redback Mild and Redback Original in late October, designed to better reflect the product’s light crisp and refreshing taste. There will also be a new beer on the market, Redback Cristal. Redback Cristal is slightly different from Redback Original in that although the recipe is the same 50/50 malted wheat and barley, it is brewed with lager yeast instead of the German ale yeast used in Redback Original. It is just as light and refreshing as Redback Original but will not have the spicy yeast characteristics so distinctive of Original. The aroma is fruity with a distinct citrus note and the palate is light and fresh with some refreshing tartness derived from the wheat malt.
Matilda Bay is also releasing a series of way "out-there" beers. Following the great response to Barking Duck, Matilda Bay will release its second "out-there" beer in the form of Crema, a beer with coffee. Matilda Bay Crema Coffee Beer is hand crafted with malted wheat and barley as well as Australian Arabica coffee beans to produce a soft, smooth, creamy beer. This special blend of grains and coffee beans gives Crema a real aromatic toasted, nutty, coffee character. Matilda Bay’s “Malt, Hops and Water Guy”, Brad Rogers has been roasting his own coffee and working on all kind of blends “just for fun. Coffee originally grew wild in the mountainous forests of the Kaffa region of Ethiopia and Archaeologists claim that people have been eating coffee cherries for the last 4,000 years or so. Alcoholic coffee and coffee beers have been made before but they’re usually very dark or black in colour. Our Crema is much paler - more like a latte rather than an espresso. Crema has a pale light straw colour, striking due to being unfiltered.
Things have been happening on the east coast as well in the Premium beer scene. The Malt Shovel Brewery is a unique craft experience by introducing the limited edition, ‘James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter’. By utilising the rum barrel aging process, the innovative team of Malt Shovel brewers have created a distinct flavour profile for their 2nd James Squire limited edition this year. The ‘James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter’ holds an earthy vanilla undertone of oak and is rich in flavour and dark in appearance, while the residual rum flavour from the barrels creates a smooth, satisfying finish. According to Master Brewer, Dr. Chuck Hahn, the ‘James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter’ gives Australians the opportunity to taste a beer which has adopted a historical brewing process and originated from a legendary story. Porter developed as a beer style in London in the late 1700's. Empty rum barrels were abundant and were often used for additional beer storage. “In 1808 Australia was overrun by a group of renegade soldiers in protest of the government rum taxation,” said Dr. Hahn. “Nearly two hundred years later a band of rebel brewers have created a small batch of the Rum Rebellion Porter to celebrate mischief and victory over tyranny.
Following the hugely successful launch of James Squire Limited Release Golden Ale in summer 2004, Malt Shovel Brewery has permanently added the beer to its unique range of craft brews; the ultimate thirst-quencher for the warmer months, James Squire Golden Ale is an English-style summer beer that has been created for enjoyment, taste and refreshment. James Squire Golden Ale uses fresh roasted grains of barley and wheat to give it a rich orange-amber colour, and new season Amarillo hops to provide a tropical stone fruit aroma and a restrained bitter finish.
Up in Newcastle, Bluetongue brewery has been hard at work creating a world class facility. Their new brewhouse will double their capacity but the big news is a recently signed a deal with the Outback Steakhouse chains in America, where Bluetongue have been earmarked for 454 stores across America by October 1. According to Ty Burford, Business Development Manager “We have sent our first container of Bluetongue Draught to America in our newly developed 30 litre ecokeg, a plastic non returnable keg recently developed for export markets. Bluetongue Draught, alongside with Tooheys New, have been selected as the two Australian beers to be served on tap. Bluetongue Traditional Pilsener in packaged form has also been included in the new range for Outback Steakhouses. It has been confirmed that they would like all 800+ stores to stock both Bluetongue products by January 01, 2007.We are also negotiating distribution with a number of major key accounts including a leading airline company. Bluetongues now have over 160 venues with our beer on tap within Sydney and the Hunter region.
If Fosters Australia’s Crown Lager were a race horse the stewards would be screaming for a swab test after five decades in the winners circle. One in every four domestic premium sales is a ‘crownie’ but there not sitting back on their haunches. The National Liquor news is honoured to be given exclusive rights to announce Fosters Australia’s newest family member Crown Pilsener. According to Melanie Powell Premium Brand Communications Manager; “Over the last two years we have invested in the Crown Lager brand to remain competitive and grow in the Premium beer market. After exhaustive research with Crown Lager drinkers, new Crown Lager varieties received a favourable response. Described as a smmoth, crisp European lager with spicy bitterness and herbal aroma derived from Wenceslaus hops grown exclusively for this beer in the Derwent Valley of Tasmania. We will release only 10,000 cases in late October nationwide for the first three months until the new harvest in March 2007.”
According to Marketing Manager for J. Boag & Son Anthea Pritchard, preparation for the summer season is well under way.” We have also just completed our new Boag's St George advertising campaign. The campaign extends the "Gallantry is back" message by this time asking the question "What is Gallantry?" and offering some alternative answers. Some gallant acts may be small, whilst others are large and courageous and this updated campaign concentrates on the courageous gestures. A radio campaign will be launched on Nova nationally in October and fully wrapped trams and buses and interior panels will appear in the market by September. Boag's St George has captured 1.5% share of the premium beer market in its first year and is still showing strong signs of growth.
“We are also working on a new James Boag's Premium advertising campaign inspired by another of Helmut Newton's photographs and continues to be in the top three of premium and imported beers. Finally, we released 13,000 cases of Boag Honey Porter into the market in late August.” Back by popular demand, this limited edition seasonal beer features locally made leatherwood honey and has a big following amongst dark ale lovers.
Down in Hobart, three hop varieties have been used for the first time in Cascade Brewery’s First Harvest Ale 2006. A unique Cascade beer has been crafted each hop harvest since 2002, with each year’s beer showcasing different aromas and flavours due to the use of fresh, green hops. Hop varieties Ember, Nova and Galaxy are the product of years of development, and Cascade master brewer Max Burslem has been closely involved in their cultivation. “Each year Cascade First Harvest has an opportunity for the team at Cascade to experiment. In 2006, we have taken delivery of these new varieties and are pleased with the results of their first brew,” said Max.
The young colts out in Fremantle, West Australia are showing great form for the summer season. Little Creatures is the Champion Australasian Brewery for 2006 and their passion for hop driven beers continues, with their latest yearling, LC Bright. As the name suggests, Bright is a filtered beer with a striking golden clarity in the glass. Little Creatures uses 4 luscious malts including Pale, Carapils, Wheat and Vienna. The beer is full flavoured whilst soft and easy on the palate, bitterness is slightly lower than the highly charged pale ale and is accentuated enough to balance the smooth, malty character. The hope characteristics in Bright are derived from the use of highly aromatic New Zealand B Saaz Flowers as well as varieties from the North West of USA.
Matilda Bay has been the ‘Phar Lap’ of the wheat beer category in Australia since the launch of Redback Original in the late 80's. There are two big changes in the pipeline. The first is cosmetic, with the packaging changing on Redback Mild and Redback Original in late October, designed to better reflect the product’s light crisp and refreshing taste. There will also be a new beer on the market, Redback Cristal. Redback Cristal is slightly different from Redback Original in that although the recipe is the same 50/50 malted wheat and barley, it is brewed with lager yeast instead of the German ale yeast used in Redback Original. It is just as light and refreshing as Redback Original but will not have the spicy yeast characteristics so distinctive of Original. The aroma is fruity with a distinct citrus note and the palate is light and fresh with some refreshing tartness derived from the wheat malt.
Matilda Bay is also releasing a series of way "out-there" beers. Following the great response to Barking Duck, Matilda Bay will release its second "out-there" beer in the form of Crema, a beer with coffee. Matilda Bay Crema Coffee Beer is hand crafted with malted wheat and barley as well as Australian Arabica coffee beans to produce a soft, smooth, creamy beer. This special blend of grains and coffee beans gives Crema a real aromatic toasted, nutty, coffee character. Matilda Bay’s “Malt, Hops and Water Guy”, Brad Rogers has been roasting his own coffee and working on all kind of blends “just for fun. Coffee originally grew wild in the mountainous forests of the Kaffa region of Ethiopia and Archaeologists claim that people have been eating coffee cherries for the last 4,000 years or so. Alcoholic coffee and coffee beers have been made before but they’re usually very dark or black in colour. Our Crema is much paler - more like a latte rather than an espresso. Crema has a pale light straw colour, striking due to being unfiltered.
Things have been happening on the east coast as well in the Premium beer scene. The Malt Shovel Brewery is a unique craft experience by introducing the limited edition, ‘James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter’. By utilising the rum barrel aging process, the innovative team of Malt Shovel brewers have created a distinct flavour profile for their 2nd James Squire limited edition this year. The ‘James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter’ holds an earthy vanilla undertone of oak and is rich in flavour and dark in appearance, while the residual rum flavour from the barrels creates a smooth, satisfying finish. According to Master Brewer, Dr. Chuck Hahn, the ‘James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter’ gives Australians the opportunity to taste a beer which has adopted a historical brewing process and originated from a legendary story. Porter developed as a beer style in London in the late 1700's. Empty rum barrels were abundant and were often used for additional beer storage. “In 1808 Australia was overrun by a group of renegade soldiers in protest of the government rum taxation,” said Dr. Hahn. “Nearly two hundred years later a band of rebel brewers have created a small batch of the Rum Rebellion Porter to celebrate mischief and victory over tyranny.
Following the hugely successful launch of James Squire Limited Release Golden Ale in summer 2004, Malt Shovel Brewery has permanently added the beer to its unique range of craft brews; the ultimate thirst-quencher for the warmer months, James Squire Golden Ale is an English-style summer beer that has been created for enjoyment, taste and refreshment. James Squire Golden Ale uses fresh roasted grains of barley and wheat to give it a rich orange-amber colour, and new season Amarillo hops to provide a tropical stone fruit aroma and a restrained bitter finish.
Up in Newcastle, Bluetongue brewery has been hard at work creating a world class facility. Their new brewhouse will double their capacity but the big news is a recently signed a deal with the Outback Steakhouse chains in America, where Bluetongue have been earmarked for 454 stores across America by October 1. According to Ty Burford, Business Development Manager “We have sent our first container of Bluetongue Draught to America in our newly developed 30 litre ecokeg, a plastic non returnable keg recently developed for export markets. Bluetongue Draught, alongside with Tooheys New, have been selected as the two Australian beers to be served on tap. Bluetongue Traditional Pilsener in packaged form has also been included in the new range for Outback Steakhouses. It has been confirmed that they would like all 800+ stores to stock both Bluetongue products by January 01, 2007.We are also negotiating distribution with a number of major key accounts including a leading airline company. Bluetongues now have over 160 venues with our beer on tap within Sydney and the Hunter region.
The Pride of South Australia
The history of the Cooper’s Brewery is as rich and colourful as Adelaide itself. The key to their success can be attributed to the 3 P’s – perseverance, purity, and popularity. The brewing dynasty of Yorkshireman Thomas Cooper dates back to 1862, but Thomas never meant to start a brewing business. A tradesman with gained expertise as a stonemason, shoemaker, and dairyman, Thomas was asked by his wife Ann, the daughter of an Innkeeper, to brew up a batch of stout from an old family recipe to help cure an unknown illness. Word quickly got around and Thomas soon found himself brewing the same Sparkling Ale and Extra Stout we still enjoy today for neighbours and friends. As the brewery flourished, Thomas delivered his beer by horse and cart direct to homes of his customers, a Cooper tradition which survived until the 1920’s.
There were many small breweries operating in the 1840’3 on and by 1868 there were 43 breweries in South Australia. All encountered problems including bacterial infections from the higher Aussie temperature than England and inferior malt. The use of sugar in brewing as an adjunct was a way to overcome the malt problem. In a letter to his bother, Thomas Cooper states “There are half a dozen breweries in and about Adelaide but they use a good deal of sugar for brewing, but we use only malt and hops consequently, ours being pure, the Doctors recommend it to all their patients.”
Through the 1880’s South Australia experienced a decline in the economy following the onset of drought and falls in major exports of wheat and copper. The decline was felt in the brewing industry as well with Cooper’s production down to 62 brews a year and remained at that level for the next ten years. In 1881, Thomas Cooper had moved from Norwood to set up a new brewery at suburban Leabrook, then very much an outer suburb of Adelaide. Coopers operated on the Leabrook site for the next 120 years until 2001 when it moved to a new $40 million brewery it built at Regency Park to overcome problems associated with a lack of room at Leabrook, now one of Adelaide’s more prestigious suburbs.
By 1900 there were only 25 breweries left in the colony when Thomas retired leaving all his property to his four sons with instructions to ‘Carry on my business as brewers under the form “Thos Cooper & Sons” as partners and trustees
During the first two decades of the 20th century, the demand for Coopers showed an increase of 300% despite another major drought (1914) and the onset of World War 1. Shortages of brewing materials, manpower and an aged 29 year old brewery hampered Coopers production during the war years., yet in 1923/24 Coopers had 56% of the stout market due to the fact that it contained higher levels of alcohol and considered ‘value for money’
Coopers survived the great depression, continued shortages of materials, and lack of manpower during the war years, so by the mid 1940’s the brewing equipment required desperate upgrades. By 1945 one section of the brewery was in urgent need, wooden fermenting vats needed replacement to avoid infection problems experienced by other local breweries. The continued escalation of costs made it difficult to generate good profits requiring reduced dividends to shareholders including no dividend in 1951.Coopers relied heavily on the stout market and their leading competitor, SA Brewing, reintroduced their product which started a stout war. In Cooper’s centenary year of 1962 the two rival companies met and consulted with shareholders to mutually exchange shares giving SA Brewing 25% interest in Cooper’s. Along with the family share structure, this deal virtually eliminated a buy out of the company. This trust and loyalty is an integral part of Coopers and was seen recently again when in late 2005, Coopers was the subject of a hostile takeover bid by rival NZ-Japanese owned brewer Lion Nathan. That takeover bid was resoundingly defeated just before Christmas when the 118 Coopers shareholders, mostly descendants of Thomas Cooper, voted 93.42% to 6.58% in favour of a motion that effectively ended the bid.
Today, Coopers Brewery is the third largest brewer in Australia and the only one that remains entirely family-owned. The company is now being run by the fifth generation of the same family. As they like to say at Coopers, you can still meet a Cooper, but there is no Mr Lion, Mr Nathan or even a Mr Carlton. Coopers currently has about 3% of the national beer market but is growing rapidly, particularly in the Eastern States where growth in recent years has been in the order of 30% plus each year. In its home state of South Australia, Coopers has about a 25% share of the market. It exports bottled beers to a number of countries, including the UK, USA and countries throughout Europe and Asia. It also recently sent its first shipment of beer to Brazil. Coopers is also the largest producer of home brew concentrates in the world and exports them to most corners of the globe. In Australia, concentrates are sold through supermarkets and specialty home brew stores.
There were many small breweries operating in the 1840’3 on and by 1868 there were 43 breweries in South Australia. All encountered problems including bacterial infections from the higher Aussie temperature than England and inferior malt. The use of sugar in brewing as an adjunct was a way to overcome the malt problem. In a letter to his bother, Thomas Cooper states “There are half a dozen breweries in and about Adelaide but they use a good deal of sugar for brewing, but we use only malt and hops consequently, ours being pure, the Doctors recommend it to all their patients.”
Through the 1880’s South Australia experienced a decline in the economy following the onset of drought and falls in major exports of wheat and copper. The decline was felt in the brewing industry as well with Cooper’s production down to 62 brews a year and remained at that level for the next ten years. In 1881, Thomas Cooper had moved from Norwood to set up a new brewery at suburban Leabrook, then very much an outer suburb of Adelaide. Coopers operated on the Leabrook site for the next 120 years until 2001 when it moved to a new $40 million brewery it built at Regency Park to overcome problems associated with a lack of room at Leabrook, now one of Adelaide’s more prestigious suburbs.
By 1900 there were only 25 breweries left in the colony when Thomas retired leaving all his property to his four sons with instructions to ‘Carry on my business as brewers under the form “Thos Cooper & Sons” as partners and trustees
During the first two decades of the 20th century, the demand for Coopers showed an increase of 300% despite another major drought (1914) and the onset of World War 1. Shortages of brewing materials, manpower and an aged 29 year old brewery hampered Coopers production during the war years., yet in 1923/24 Coopers had 56% of the stout market due to the fact that it contained higher levels of alcohol and considered ‘value for money’
Coopers survived the great depression, continued shortages of materials, and lack of manpower during the war years, so by the mid 1940’s the brewing equipment required desperate upgrades. By 1945 one section of the brewery was in urgent need, wooden fermenting vats needed replacement to avoid infection problems experienced by other local breweries. The continued escalation of costs made it difficult to generate good profits requiring reduced dividends to shareholders including no dividend in 1951.Coopers relied heavily on the stout market and their leading competitor, SA Brewing, reintroduced their product which started a stout war. In Cooper’s centenary year of 1962 the two rival companies met and consulted with shareholders to mutually exchange shares giving SA Brewing 25% interest in Cooper’s. Along with the family share structure, this deal virtually eliminated a buy out of the company. This trust and loyalty is an integral part of Coopers and was seen recently again when in late 2005, Coopers was the subject of a hostile takeover bid by rival NZ-Japanese owned brewer Lion Nathan. That takeover bid was resoundingly defeated just before Christmas when the 118 Coopers shareholders, mostly descendants of Thomas Cooper, voted 93.42% to 6.58% in favour of a motion that effectively ended the bid.
Today, Coopers Brewery is the third largest brewer in Australia and the only one that remains entirely family-owned. The company is now being run by the fifth generation of the same family. As they like to say at Coopers, you can still meet a Cooper, but there is no Mr Lion, Mr Nathan or even a Mr Carlton. Coopers currently has about 3% of the national beer market but is growing rapidly, particularly in the Eastern States where growth in recent years has been in the order of 30% plus each year. In its home state of South Australia, Coopers has about a 25% share of the market. It exports bottled beers to a number of countries, including the UK, USA and countries throughout Europe and Asia. It also recently sent its first shipment of beer to Brazil. Coopers is also the largest producer of home brew concentrates in the world and exports them to most corners of the globe. In Australia, concentrates are sold through supermarkets and specialty home brew stores.
Monday, July 17, 2006
The Other World Cup
When he discovered that two of Australia’s premier craft brewers Brad Rogers of Matilda Bay Brewing and Chuck Hahn of Malt Shovel Brewery had been invited as guest judges to the Beer World Cup 20063 in Seattle, Washington USA, CHARLES COLL knew it was an experience he couldn’t miss.
Seattle is best known for three things, the birthplace of Starbucks coffee, Bill Gates Microsoft, and craft breweries. I also found many similarities with my hometown Melbourne - ever changing weather conditions, a vibrant city market, a passion for sports, and of course a love of beer. So it seemed a good fit that both cities are hosting major beer judging events. The Beer World Cup, often referred to as the Beer Olympics is the most diverse competition among brewers worldwide with 2275 beers from 539 breweries in 55 countries being judged by 111 brew masters from 85 categories.
The beer judging is only part of the festivities which also included a craft brewer’s conference with various seminar topics and a Brew Expo with 123 exhibitors of beer related industrial products that ranged from bottle fillers to fresh hops from around the world. These events were not open to the public, but provided vital interchange between fellow brewers and their suppliers. This camaraderie has certainly helped improve the craft beer market in the USA which is presently showing a nine per cent growth. The most startling statistic offered is that due to the popularity of microbreweries, one can be found within a ten mile radius of any home in the country.
So what did our brew masters have to say about their experiences? We asked them to give us an overview of the categories they judged, what styles of beer impressed them the most, and what would they bring back to Australia from the experience.
Chuck Hahn had the following to say: ÒI judged the honey lager beers, some aged in wood barrels that dominated the flavour, but most of the 47 samples we tried were too sweet for my liking. I was impressed with some of the seasonal beers like a rum barrel aged porter and a Dortmund/special bitter. There was also a very nice English styled brown ale at 4.5 per cent ABV that caught my attention. All the pilsners were very competitive, it was tough to pick from all the great European pils in the category. Without a doubt the most unusual category I judged was the fruit and vegetable section. There was watermelon, pumpkin, blackberry and cherry just to a mention a few. I really found the fruit complimented the hops and malt. I don’t think Australia is ready for these just yet, but I’ll be the first to introduce one down in Oz. I asked Chuck what were the differences between the Beer World Cup and the Australian International Beer Awards.
More categories and more beers to be judged for a start, plus they only award one gold, silver, and bronze from each category. The highlights for me has been the ability to catch up with fellow American brewers and find out what they are up to, different hops that are available, different brewing systems. I’ll take home some different concepts of brewing, a new beer cookbook and valuable information collected regarding beer education, beer and food matching plus some great literature.
I caught up with hops, malt, yeast and water guy, Brad Rogers right after the awards to get his impressions on judging and participating in the Beer World Cup. I was judging cellar and unfiltered beer, American-style wheat beer, German-style strong bock, specialty beers, but the categories that impressed me the most were the coffee flavoured beer, smoke-flavoured beer, and the Munich-style Hellas beers. It was a pleasure and an honour to be on the judging panel, but the highlight for me was the social interaction with such amazing people from all over the world. You just try to absorb as much as you can.
At the last World Cup I came back with the Rooftop Red Lager idea, and after the Great American Beer Festival in October, I wanted to make a Saison and here I am getting a bronze for one of our out there beers Barking Duck. For Matilda Bay, it’s a chance to push the envelope, to get things going on and out there for the Australian beer drinking community. We try to fill in the gaps and melt what we think the Aussie beer drinkers will want. I’m proud to be part of this international brewing community. Last night I was out with the Belgian guys from Orval. Duvel, Westmalle, and St Bernard drinking their beers and talking to them on a social level. There is so much diversity in the beer over here and we need to understand these styles. I’m confident we can because now we can get help from the greater beer community; then mould that style with things we enjoy, putting an Aussie slant on things.
During the course of the week I caught up with two terrific young brewers who had recently started up a micro-brewery in Biloxi, Mississippi called the Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company. Biloxi, Mississippi was in the eye of Hurricane (cyclone) Katrina which had devastated the town including their own homes and all their possessions. But under the heading of believe it or not the only building to be left standing was the tiny brewery which only lost its back door. With a brave face, the boys were determined to enter their beers and attend the conference. While in town they went down to the local op shop and each brought an $18 suit, but they insisted the suits at that price come with a shirt and tie.
Early on 5 in the awards ceremony, the boys were elated at wining a bronze medal in Category 6: Rye Beer with their Amberjaque Rye Ale. After going up on stage to receive their award they couldn’t wait to phone their sister with the news knowing that the whole town was at the brewery to show their support and loyalty. While talking to his sister the boys received a second bronze medal in Category 10: Specialty Beer Section with their Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale. The entire ballroom went quiet as the loudest YEEHAW I’ve ever heard was followed by a Holy shit sis, we won again! Who says their aren’t beer gods in heaven.
So how did the Aussies go in the award I hear you ask? Here are our results from 85 categories;
Category 4: American-Style Wheat Beer - Gold Medal Cascade Blonde Lager -Cascade Brewing Co.
Category 11: Specialty Honey Lager/Ale - Gold Medal Redoak Honey Ale - Redoak, Sydney
Category 16: Smoke-Flavoured Beer - Gold Medal Redoak Rauch - Redoak, Sydney
Category 17: European-Style Low Alcohol Lager - Silver Medal Hahn Premium Lager -Hahn Brewing Co-Bronze Medal Cascade Premium Light-Cascade Brewing Co.
Category 31: American-Style Low Carbohydrate Light Lager - Silver Medal Pure Blonde - Fosters Australia.
Category 39: Baltic Porter - Bronze Medal Redoak Baltic Porter - Redoak, Sydney
Category 41: French/Belgian-Sytle Saison - Bronze Medal Barking Duck - Matilda Bay Brewing Co.
Category 49: English-Style Summer Ale - Bronze Medal James Squire Golden Ale - Malt Shovel Brewing Co
Seattle is best known for three things, the birthplace of Starbucks coffee, Bill Gates Microsoft, and craft breweries. I also found many similarities with my hometown Melbourne - ever changing weather conditions, a vibrant city market, a passion for sports, and of course a love of beer. So it seemed a good fit that both cities are hosting major beer judging events. The Beer World Cup, often referred to as the Beer Olympics is the most diverse competition among brewers worldwide with 2275 beers from 539 breweries in 55 countries being judged by 111 brew masters from 85 categories.
The beer judging is only part of the festivities which also included a craft brewer’s conference with various seminar topics and a Brew Expo with 123 exhibitors of beer related industrial products that ranged from bottle fillers to fresh hops from around the world. These events were not open to the public, but provided vital interchange between fellow brewers and their suppliers. This camaraderie has certainly helped improve the craft beer market in the USA which is presently showing a nine per cent growth. The most startling statistic offered is that due to the popularity of microbreweries, one can be found within a ten mile radius of any home in the country.
So what did our brew masters have to say about their experiences? We asked them to give us an overview of the categories they judged, what styles of beer impressed them the most, and what would they bring back to Australia from the experience.
Chuck Hahn had the following to say: ÒI judged the honey lager beers, some aged in wood barrels that dominated the flavour, but most of the 47 samples we tried were too sweet for my liking. I was impressed with some of the seasonal beers like a rum barrel aged porter and a Dortmund/special bitter. There was also a very nice English styled brown ale at 4.5 per cent ABV that caught my attention. All the pilsners were very competitive, it was tough to pick from all the great European pils in the category. Without a doubt the most unusual category I judged was the fruit and vegetable section. There was watermelon, pumpkin, blackberry and cherry just to a mention a few. I really found the fruit complimented the hops and malt. I don’t think Australia is ready for these just yet, but I’ll be the first to introduce one down in Oz. I asked Chuck what were the differences between the Beer World Cup and the Australian International Beer Awards.
More categories and more beers to be judged for a start, plus they only award one gold, silver, and bronze from each category. The highlights for me has been the ability to catch up with fellow American brewers and find out what they are up to, different hops that are available, different brewing systems. I’ll take home some different concepts of brewing, a new beer cookbook and valuable information collected regarding beer education, beer and food matching plus some great literature.
I caught up with hops, malt, yeast and water guy, Brad Rogers right after the awards to get his impressions on judging and participating in the Beer World Cup. I was judging cellar and unfiltered beer, American-style wheat beer, German-style strong bock, specialty beers, but the categories that impressed me the most were the coffee flavoured beer, smoke-flavoured beer, and the Munich-style Hellas beers. It was a pleasure and an honour to be on the judging panel, but the highlight for me was the social interaction with such amazing people from all over the world. You just try to absorb as much as you can.
At the last World Cup I came back with the Rooftop Red Lager idea, and after the Great American Beer Festival in October, I wanted to make a Saison and here I am getting a bronze for one of our out there beers Barking Duck. For Matilda Bay, it’s a chance to push the envelope, to get things going on and out there for the Australian beer drinking community. We try to fill in the gaps and melt what we think the Aussie beer drinkers will want. I’m proud to be part of this international brewing community. Last night I was out with the Belgian guys from Orval. Duvel, Westmalle, and St Bernard drinking their beers and talking to them on a social level. There is so much diversity in the beer over here and we need to understand these styles. I’m confident we can because now we can get help from the greater beer community; then mould that style with things we enjoy, putting an Aussie slant on things.
During the course of the week I caught up with two terrific young brewers who had recently started up a micro-brewery in Biloxi, Mississippi called the Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company. Biloxi, Mississippi was in the eye of Hurricane (cyclone) Katrina which had devastated the town including their own homes and all their possessions. But under the heading of believe it or not the only building to be left standing was the tiny brewery which only lost its back door. With a brave face, the boys were determined to enter their beers and attend the conference. While in town they went down to the local op shop and each brought an $18 suit, but they insisted the suits at that price come with a shirt and tie.
Early on 5 in the awards ceremony, the boys were elated at wining a bronze medal in Category 6: Rye Beer with their Amberjaque Rye Ale. After going up on stage to receive their award they couldn’t wait to phone their sister with the news knowing that the whole town was at the brewery to show their support and loyalty. While talking to his sister the boys received a second bronze medal in Category 10: Specialty Beer Section with their Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale. The entire ballroom went quiet as the loudest YEEHAW I’ve ever heard was followed by a Holy shit sis, we won again! Who says their aren’t beer gods in heaven.
So how did the Aussies go in the award I hear you ask? Here are our results from 85 categories;
Category 4: American-Style Wheat Beer - Gold Medal Cascade Blonde Lager -Cascade Brewing Co.
Category 11: Specialty Honey Lager/Ale - Gold Medal Redoak Honey Ale - Redoak, Sydney
Category 16: Smoke-Flavoured Beer - Gold Medal Redoak Rauch - Redoak, Sydney
Category 17: European-Style Low Alcohol Lager - Silver Medal Hahn Premium Lager -Hahn Brewing Co-Bronze Medal Cascade Premium Light-Cascade Brewing Co.
Category 31: American-Style Low Carbohydrate Light Lager - Silver Medal Pure Blonde - Fosters Australia.
Category 39: Baltic Porter - Bronze Medal Redoak Baltic Porter - Redoak, Sydney
Category 41: French/Belgian-Sytle Saison - Bronze Medal Barking Duck - Matilda Bay Brewing Co.
Category 49: English-Style Summer Ale - Bronze Medal James Squire Golden Ale - Malt Shovel Brewing Co
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