Protz's Column in "What's Brewing" this month mentions his Irish visit. How did the visit/talk go?
Protz's column for non-camra members (p. 6 What's Brewing Spetember 2012)
worldwide revolution
global brewing giants are feeling the pressure and seeing sales of their biggest brands fall as small brewers reap the rewards of providing the choice and variety today’s beer drinkers require
I’M writing this on the eve of a week-long working trip to the Irish Republic where I shall be visiting breweries. Breweries in the plural? Surely there’s only one brewery in Ireland?
Not anymore. Guinness, like an elephant with a dart in its hide, may not be feeling any pain but there are now close to 20 small breweries in the republic. They are not chal- lenging the dominance of the Dublin brewing giant but they are bringing much-needed choice and variety to Irish beer drinkers.
Guinness is suffering the same problem as global drinks groups in many other countries. The Irish stout brewer is part of the Diageo corporation that owns just about every whisky distillery you can point a stick at, along with leading cognac and vodka brands and such champagnes as Moet & Chandon and Veuve Cliquot.
It’s lost its roots and for many Irish beer drinkers it’s lost its way as well. We felt the same way in Britain when Bass and Whitbread became international hoteliers rather than brewers while Allied Breweries (aka Ansells, Ind Coope and Tetley) turned into Allied Lyons, owned by a manufacturer of cakes and coffee. Shurely shome mishtake, as they say in another journal of repute.
The united States has seen a flowering of craft breweries over the past 20 or more years. The number is close to 2,000 and they gain market share year after year.
The craft brewers are at pains to stress they are not chal- lenging or competing with the likes of American Budweiser, Coors Light or Miller Draft. They don’t have the funds or the clout to take on the big guys.
They have carved a new route to market with distinctive beers. Some recreate the ales of the founding fathers, others brew the proper lagers introduced by the second wave of immigrants from central Europe.
Still more are going the extra mile and experimenting with wood-aged brews, sour beers in the Belgian lambic manner and ales flavoured with fruit and herbs.
American brewers are great innovators. They’re not content with recreating their interpretations of India Pale Ale but are breaking with convention and introducing Double, Triple and Imperial IPAs. They’ve also introduced the concept of Black IPA of which the great American brewer Garrett Oliver said in All About Beer magazine: “Don’t get me started...”
Down under there are now around 120 small breweries in Australia and a growing number in New Zealand. Many of the leading Aussie and kiwi big brewers are owned by Japanese groups.
Consumer reaction is similar to Ireland’s: the big brands are suffering. Foster’s scarcely exists and is now just an export brand brewed in Manchester while Castlemaine is not much seen outside its Brisbane home.
When I went to the Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe in Sydney I entered a world of elegance, with a superb range of beers – ranging from bitter through stout to Belgian-style fruit beer – served with exquisite food.
It’s a world removed from the cliché of the Aussie okker drinking a stubbie of amber nectar while strangling a crocodile with his spare hand.
Siblings David and Janet Hollyoak have fashioned a new concept of beer appreciation and I was impressed to find a signed photo on the wall of Ricky Ponting, the great cricketer, wishing Redoak well. It’s good to know that while the Aussie team may be sponsored by VB lager, at least one member of the squad knows where to go for good beer when he’s back home.
The beer revolution is a world-wide phenomenon. The French in the north of the country have discovered a tradition of brewing while there are now many small craft breweries in Italy.
Earlier this year I enjoyed amazing beers, including Scotch Ale and Belgian Triple, brewed by an Italian close to Mount Vesuvius.
Roger Protz tweets @RogerProtzBeer and also writes <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="
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