4 | Beer Today Newsletter | July 22,
2016
Notes from the editor’s chair I’ll admit. My plan for this newsletter is, of course, to promote the website, beer today.co.uk, but also to give you a little light Friday reading: something for the weekend, as the barber has never said to me. Which is why ‘m so embarrassed to be getting thos out to you on a Monday morning, but the truth is that it’s just been one of those weeks. As well as editing and compiling Beer Today, I also do various bits of freelance writing and PR and sometimes there are just jobs which have to come first on the ‘to do’ list.
As some of you will know, I have my office within Cornwall Specialist Beer, a bottle shop and bar attached to Coastal I’m not just a web editor — Brewery, at Redruth, where I curate the there’s a bottle shop and bar to shop and look after the bar. Again, a busy look after and a weekly magazine Friday and you find yourself with more beer column to deliver time pumping beer than seated at a keyboard (not that I’m complaining — variety, the spice of life, and all that). This week, for example, my editor at So, once again, apologies for the lateWestern Morning News magazine, West, ness of the newsletter, but I hope you which comes with the paper on a Saturenjoy it and, as ever, I encourage feedday, wanted my column early as she was back. See you for the next one, hopefully going on holiday, so there was a bit of my delivered to your inbox on time this Friday chipped away. week!
Darren Norbury
July 22, 2016 Issue 3 website: beertoday.co.uk e-mail: darren@beertoday.co.uk
Big plans for Tiny Rebel Award-winning brewery Tiny Rebel has announced plans for a new brewery and community space in Newport. The premises mark the start of significant expansion that will increase capacity more than five-fold. Since the Welsh brewery was started four years ago by cofounders Brad Cummings and Gazz Williams, Tiny Rebel has rapidly grown in popularity and acclaim. As well as opening two Urban Tap House pubs, in Cardiff and Newport, the brewery has released an impressive list of limited-edition beers alongside a strongperforming core range, which includes their Welsh red ale, Cwtch, the Champion Beer of Britain 2015. Due to the success and popularity its beers, Tiny Rebel has found itself at full capacity, spurring on plans for larger brewing facilities to meet in increasing demand. Designed by architects Powell Dobson, and managed by WPM Planning and Development, the new site will cover nearly 30,000 square feet and will include a bar and event space as well capacity for bottling and canning lines. It will also have significantly increased storage which will allow for a large increase in production. In total, the new site allows for the business to expand capacity to 5 million
The Craft Beer Clan of Scotland has formed a new brewing venture with Williams Brothers, of Alloa with the release of a series of whisky barrel-aged beers which have already attracted strong orders both internationally and across the UK. Clan Brewing Company, under industry veteran Chris Miller, once of Harviestoun Brewery, has produced four new beers using barrels from four whisky regions — Speyside, Highlands, Lowland and Islay — and is already exporting to markets including Japan and Beijing. Full story at tinyurl.com/j7cj5f6
litres annually — nearly 9 million pints. Brad Cummings said: “Tiny Rebel Brewery started life in a garage, born out of our passion for flavoursome, drinkable beers. Four years later, the business is making dramatic progress. We’ve established ourselves with award-winning brews like Cwtch and built a growing community of Tiny Rebel fans. “This £2.6m relocation and expansion is a project that we’ve been looking at for the past 24 months and one that all of the
Tiny Rebel team have put their heart and soul in to making it happen. As we were desperate for additional capacity in both brewing and packaging, this will enable us to do even more to support the growing demand for Tiny Rebel beer both at home and abroad.” Chris Jefford, of Powell Dobson, added: “Tiny Rebel’s commitment to achieving a high quality piece of design and an exciting place for staff to work and for the public to visit is extremely rare.”
Merger looking expensive AB InBev’s acquisition of SABMiller is looking increasingly expensive, says a well-known academic, as the various competition authorities exact a heavy price to approve the deal. Professor John Colley, of Warwick Business School, thinks that instead of one in three beers worldwide being brewed by AB InBev post the deal, it is looking like one in four or even five. Prof Colley said: “The US Department of Justice has just approved the acquisition of SABMiller on the condition that all the US acquired business is disposed and smaller brewers are allowed unfettered access to distribution. The European
Competition authorities have been particularly demanding, similarly requiring all the European acquired businesses to be sold off. “Grolsch and Peroni have gone to Asahi, a Japanese Brewer for $2bn. Something of a surprise to AB InBev is that all the Eastern European assets, including Pilsner Urquell, have to be sold and are up for sale at a price tag of around $5bn. The EC has required all the Eastern European assets to be sold to one buyer. “In the US, all the acquired SABMiller businesses have had to be sold at a price of $12bn to Molson Coors in Canada, which included the Miller brand. While in
China, the joint venture which owned Snow, with around 20% market share, is being sold to the joint venture partner China Resources Enterprise for $1.6bn.” He added: “In effect, all the purchased assets of SABMiller in North America, Europe and China have had to be sold at a combined price of around $20bn. As AB InBev’s total outlay was $106bn for SABMiller, this means they have paid $86bn for the positions in the growth markets of Africa and Central and South America. The extent of divestments to gain competition clearance has come as a shock to AB InBev. This is starting to look like a very expensive purchase indeed.”
2 | Beer Today Newsletter | July 22,
2016
July 22, 2016 | Beer Today Newsletter | 3
Langtry’s launch for Joule’s new beer No 1 Stone Ale
Diary
Tenants, customers, suppliers, even the local mayor had a chance to try Joule’s new No 1 Stone Ale at a launch event at Langtry’s, Stone, last night. Joule’s Brewery director, Neil Bain, said: “No 1 Stone Ale features two of my favourite hops, namely Motueka and Nelson Sauvin, both grown in Nelson, New Zealand, which add spice, citrus and wine character to a delicious malty base.” Joule’s retail marketing co-ordinator, Vicky Shirley, added: “It was a delight to launch No 1 Stone Ale in such an important
Every now and then I like to gather a few friends together to discuss some of the brews that have been sent to Beer Today for review, but this is getting more and more difficult because of what I’m perceiving as a generation gap in taste. Like many people who’ve got into beer in, say, the last 15 to 20 years, although I can appreciate that a good beer is a balanced beer, I do like unbalanced hop bombs. I’m not apologising for this. But I keep ending up in situations with lifelong beer drinkers who can go back to the 60s or 70s who are dismissing some perfectly well made and crafted beers as “crap” (or worse).
Video choice
I’m sticking to my guns on this one. The crunch came when reviewing a box of beers from one of the online monthly subscription companies. On balance, I thought there were some decent brews. My older colleague, when not making a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp, was less measured in his response. Vive la difference, I suppose, but I’m enjoying the craft beer revolution and can see the skill that’s gone into beers which may not be to my taste, but which certainly don’t company involved. That turned into a have brewing faults. very heated beer garden debate… Oh, and there’s that ‘craft’ word again. One argument I’m really struggling with is trying to convince friends of my definition of craft beer, being a brew where some degree of hands-on, artisanal skills has gone into the making of the beer, no matter what size the
St Austell looks to push Tribute Ale in the North of England St Austell Brewery has teamed up with regional drinks distributors Pat Green and Hamish Boyle from Up North Beer to get Tribute into more Northern pubs. The partnership benefits from Pat and Hamish’s wealth of relationships and experience in the drinks trade, and their excellent understanding of the market in the
place to us, especially as Langtry’s, formerly The Bridge Inn, is an original Joule’s House. “I was overwhelmed with the community support and it was fantastic to see publicans, sponsors and Joule’s friends joining us from across Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire to celebrate the launch. No 1 Stone Ale is now available to order and will be on a Joule’s bar near you very soon.” The evening included live music, local food and an appearance by the Mayor of Stone, Jim Davies.
And further laughter and pointing of fingers when I confessed to enjoying a pint of Worthington Creamflow beer at the Bluff Inn, Hayle. My excuse? It was the hottest day of the summer so far, and I really don’t do sun, and it was the right beer in the right place at the right time.
And, what’s more, the glass is engraved with the Worthington shield motif and has the signatures of all the folk involved in making the beer around the base. Cheesy marketing? Maybe, but I tell you, that beer hit the spot. So, Tiny Rebel Brewery is to increase capacity more than five fold. Time for a name change?
Events: more at beertoday.co.uk/events July 23: London Brewers’ Market at Old Spitalfields market, 109 Commercial Street, London E1 6BG, 11am-6.30pm. July 28: Beer Festival featuring local artisan breweries at Greensmiths, 27 Lower Marsh, London Se1 7RG, 57pm. Free admission — part of the
Waterloo Food Festival. July 28-30: Beer Festival at the The Hope, Carshalton SM5 2PR. July 28-30: Maidenhead Beer and Cider Festival at Desborough College, Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead SL6 2QB. More than 100 real ales and over 20 ciders.
The Craft Beer Channel, on YouTube, is well worth a subscription. As well as various brewery visits, reviews and tastings, it has a strand called Beer School, where host Jonny Garrett invites guests to improve viewers beer knowledge. This week, the interviewee was Ray Daniels, well-known American beer sommelier/cicerone pioneer, who took time out to explain, in some detail, how to smell and taste beer. The venue was BrewDog, Shoreditch, in East London. Lest you think you know it all having picked up a few tips from vloggers along the way, or even having had CAMRA tasting panel training, trust me, this man will add another layer of comprehension and remind you, as if you needed it, that the pleasure and complexity of beer
First BeerBond interest payout for Innis & Gunn investors
really knows no bounds (and that there is every reason in the world to tease wine buffs about this). Using Beavertown’s pungent Gamma Ray for testing purposes, Ray recommends the snifter as his go-to glass for tasting. Getting the aroma may be a simple start, yet he has three different techniques alone for the sniff. “Well, now guess what we’re going to do?” asks Ray. “I’m hoping you’re going to say drink it,” replies Jonny. Ray shakes his head. “No drinking, We’re evaluating beer. Don’t drink — taste!” This is a masterclass well worthy of your time, as is Craft Beer Channel content overall. Subscribe to the channel by visiting tinyurl.com/hp6anbn
A year after raising £3m in capital, Innis & Gunn is issuing the first annual interest payment to its BeerBond investors. In total, 1,105 investors bought BeerBonds in Innis & Gunn, with individual investments ranging from the minimum £500 to more than £100,000. Interest payments total £211,500, with hundreds of investors opting to take their return in BeerBucks, redeemable in beer at Innis & Gunn’s online shop. The first tranche of investors received their payment on July 15, and the second tranche will receive theirs on August 12. Launched last year, Innis & Gunn’s BeerBond campaign sought to raise £3m by offering a four-year, fixed-term bond, with an interest rate of 7.25% for investments of £500 or more. Investors could also opt for the equivalent of 9% interest in BeerBucks vouchers. The capital raised by the programme enabled Innis & Gunn to acquire the Inveralmond Brewery, in Perth, in April this year. As a thank you to all the BeerBond investors, a mural on the brewery wall, with all their names, is set to be unveiled next year following a significant investment to double the capacity at the brewery over the coming six months.
Bitburger anniversary
Matured in whisky barrels
Aldi backs Scot awards
Blossoms get their own beer
Adnams is celebrating 25 years working with the brewer of Germany’s number one draught beer brand, Bitburger. The Suffolk company imports and distributes Bitburger beers throughout the UK alongside its own beers, both on and off trade.
A beer collaboration between Inveralmond Brewery and The Glenturret Distillery is enjoying a second round of success with a new batch. The brewery and the distillery have issued a second batch of Ooskabeer, which sold out just weeks after being launched in November.
The first annual competition to celebrate Scotland’s booming beer business has secured a headline sponsorship deal with one of the UK’s fastestgrowing supermarket chains. The Scottish Beer Awards will be sponsored by Aldi in Scotland in a twoyear deal to support and pro-
Robinsons Brewery has teamed up with Stockport band Blossoms to create a very limited one-off beer — Charlemagne — to celebrate the release of their debut album. Charlemagne is a 4.1% ABV full-bodied golden ale with a rich malt and hop character
To mark the anniversary, Adnams representatives travelled to Bitburg, Germany, and presented the Bitburger team with framed artwork. The piece, by Christopher Wormell, features Southwold, the location of the Adnams brewery, and its colourful beach huts.
Ooskabeer blends the distilling skills of The Glenturret Distillery, home to The Famous Grouse Experience in Crieff, with the brewing skills of Inveralmond, located in nearby Perth, to produce a slowly matured beer infused with the delicate aromas and flavours of whisky.
mote the competition alongside the supermarket’s own in -store Scottish beer festivals. The deal is the first major corporate sponsorship for the awards programme which launched six months ago and which has received entries from 31 breweries with 154 beers.
that will be sold exclusively at The Blossoms pub in Stockport, the same pub which inspired the name of the band. Blossoms will play a special homecoming show at Stockport Plaza at midnight on August 5 (with doors opening at 10pm on August 4).