Bright Beer

Up-to-date news and views from the World of Beer

More Banger For Your Buck

June 28, 1999 -- I like a good sausage as much as the next beer aficionado, but there is something about the record-breaking brat cooked up on the weekend in Kumhausen, Germany, that leaves even me gasping for air. Perhaps it's the sausage's 5.88 kilometre (4 mile) length that is taking my breath away, or maybe its 1.7 ton weight!

A Pint of "Piss"

June 17, 1999 -- And you thought that Wanker, Bad Frog ("he just don't care") and Babe were unfortunate beer brand names? Well, courtesy of a new Melbourne, Australia-based company, prepare yourself for Piss.

Warning Label Worries Down Under

May 28, 1999 -- In a story dated May 27, 1999, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australia and New Zealand are facing the prospect of one of the most odious warning labels in the world showing up on their beer, wine and spirits bottles.

Done Deal! -- Whitbread to Quit Brewing Business

May 26, 1999 -- In a move certain to rock British pub culture if it is allowed to proceed, Whitbread PLC, owners of the Whitbread Beer Company, have reached an agreement to buy the pub holdings of Allied Domencq, the BBC reported yesterday.

Tequiza Turmoil

May 20, 1999 -- Few topics covered in World of Beer have generated the kind of response as did my review of Anheuser-Busch's tequila-and lime-flavoured beer, Tequiza, published in the March/April edition (http://worldofbeer.com/9903/tequiza.html).

Whitbread-Allied Pub Deal Going Ahead

May 18, 1999 -- According to a BBC report of Tuesday, May 18, the deal between Allied Domencq and Whitbread which would see the sale of Allied's 3,600 pubs to Whitbread could be announced as early as Wednesday, May 19

Ontario Opens Up to Small Brewers

May 14, 1999 -- Industry sources have confirmed that the Brewers Retail Inc. (BRI), the source of roughly 90% of all bottled and canned beer sales in Ontario, will shortly announce a major restructuring of their listing fee system. The new system, which may be made official as early as next week, will lessen the costs of BRI access for small brewers.

Bye-Bye Boddingtons?

May 4, 1999 -- The BBC reported today that Whitbread PLC, owners of the Whitbread Beer Company, is in negotiations with drinks giant Allied Domencq to buy all of Allied's 3,544 British pubs. The value of the deal is estimated to be in the neighbourhood of BP2.3 billion (US$3.71 billion).

The End of a Century-and-a-Half of Brewing

May 2, 1999 -- Everyone knew that it was coming, but it still came as a bit of a shock on Friday when the Stroh Brewery Company announced that it had finalized the sale of its brands to Miller and Pabst and exited the brewing business after 149 years.

Community Beer? It Could Happen in Wisconsin

April 17, 1999 -- How's this for community spirit? According to a report from the Wisconsin-based television and radio station WCCO, city officials in LaCrosse are looking at the idea of starting a community co-operative brewery in the Wisconsin tradition of the Green Bay Packers.

Oldest Brewing Company in the U.S. on the Move

April 8, 1999 -- According to a story in the St. Petersburg Times of April 6, 1999, the Pennsylvania brewery Yuengling & Son is in the final stages of negotiations to buy the former Stroh brewery in Tampa, Florida.

The Secrets of Single Malt

April 1, 1999 -- I have been immersed in the topic of single malt Scotch whisky for the past few days, researching a story on the subject that will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Globe and Mail newspaper...since several of these kernels of whisky wisdom failed to make it into my story, I thought that I would present them here.

This is NOT an April Fool

April 1, 1999 -- You've got to hand it to Anheuser-Busch. While other major brewers have largely ignored the barbs that are regularly tossed their way by the denizens of the craft brewing industry, the world's largest brewing company has elected instead to meet the criticisms head on. And they seem to have done a pretty good job so far.

In Search of an Italian Beer...in Italy!

March 22, 1999 -- The early part of this month saw World of Beer travel to Italy for ten glorious days. And while the brewing arts weren't placed that high on the agenda this trip---hey, you try beer-hunting in Venice!---we did do our best to find opportunities to sample the local beers.

Big Brewery Bytes

March 5, 1999 -- News items about major brewers in Canada, the United States, the Netherlands and South Africa.

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