We've talked a bit about brewing under license. A year and a half ago we undertook the historic PBR v. PBR challenge under which the US brew was tested against the version brewed in Canada under license by Sleeman - it was a draw. In 2004, I even make a submission in the face of a pending beer trade war to the Federal Government in which, in part, I pointed out that increased customs duties for importing US beer would have no effect except on beer nerds when beer is not traded in bulk so much as traded by international licensing.
Interesting to note, then, that there is some backlash in Russia to Pilsner Urquell which says, in the fine print, that it was made in Kaluga, South of Moscow, with Russian hops and Russian water:
After tasting both, locals say the Czech one is much better than the Russian-made beer. Experts too say consumers are being tricked. "It's a con, it's deceptive. The public are being deliberately misled by adverts and brand names which suggest beers are foreign" Iain Loe, research manager of Campaign for Real Ale, told BBC News.For me, it is not so much a con as simply another beer - even if standardized production assures similarity. So, when Headstrong is made in Ontario it is simply a different beer than when it is brewed in Montana - as long as it says "Kaluga" or "Guelph" somewhere legibly on the bottle. And no doubt the extra paid per bottle for that licensing fee is more than offset by transportation savings.The firm’s spokesman said Russia would remain its only beermaker outside Pilsen, and admitted the Russian ingredients differed from the original. Russia is Europe's fastest-growing beer market. There are also breweries in practically every region, now offering to produce foreign brands for less. But management consultants A.T.Kearney told Business Today those most at risk of a consumer backlash were precisely elite brands like Pilsner and St.-Petersburg-made Guinness, whose customers pay for unquestionable quality and image.
Doesn't the same apply to a brewery with multiple brewing locations? I would bet every beer by Flying Dog that I have sipped was a Maryland product and not from Colorado at all. Does it matter as long as it is good value? Our would Flying Dog (Kaluga) Brewing be an abomination?
Comments
jesskidden - January 8, 2008 11:16 pm
re: "The firm’s spokesman said Russia would remain its only beermaker outside Pilsen"- what happened to the Polish brewery that was announced a few years back? http://www.radio.cz/en/article/30613
Evan Rail - January 9, 2008 5:58 am
Exactly! I just called Pilsner Urquell; they should have an answer for us soon.
Paul Garrard - January 9, 2008 9:01 am
It is a con, no doubt about it. Thankfully this only normally happens to large volume lagers and stouts.
Alan - January 9, 2008 9:07 am
Interestingly, that Headstrong license is micro to micro. I wish there were more of that to get more diversity into Ontario.
Knut Albert - January 9, 2008 10:09 am
There are micros doing similar things, too, but I would usually say it's a matter of breweries helping each other out. When Nøgne ø goes to Finland to brew a batch of Christmas beer for the Finnish market, I feel it is perfectly all right. If Ølfabrikken in Denmark have a capasity problem, they brew at Nøgne ø to be able to deliver to North America in large enough quantities.
But there should be labels telling the consumer where beer is brewed.
Evan Rail - January 9, 2008 10:21 am
Well, I got the news from Pilsner and put up a whole post on Beer Culture, where you guys would be welcome to tell me I'm wrong. The main points:
Pilsner Urquell brews under license in both Poland and Russia.
The Czechs export both malt and hops to their Russian and Polish license breweries.
The Russian Pilsner Urquell is made with 100% Saaz hops, not Russian hops.
The license brewery in Poland was built to Czech specs (they noted: open-flame heating, chains inside the brewing vessel) and is run by a Czech brewmaster, for what that's worth. I didn't hear about the brewery in Russia, but I'd imagine they meant the same.
There's a rumor going around Czech beer circles that says that the Russian version beat the original in an in-house tasting, I kid you not.
I dunno. Speaking as a journalist, this strikes me as a fairly typical sky-is-falling story. There's not much substance, and many of the facts (Russian hops?) are incorrect. In terms of getting indignant over licensed beer, I'll take a pass.
The Beer Nut - January 9, 2008 5:02 pm
As Knut says, it's all about clarity. The allowance of a "Brewed in the EU" label is a particular bee in my bonnet, particularly regarding this guy and his Made-In-Belgium Oirish craft beer. It's not just the macrobrewers at the wool-pulling game, alas.
Matt Dunn - January 9, 2008 7:14 pm
Well, PBR is made by Miller. Can we really say that the Miller plant(s) where PBR is made is the genuine PBR brewery? Hebrew is also exclusively a contract brewer. Pretty sure FX Matt makes all their beer. FX Matt also makes most (or all?) of Brooklyn's bottled products. Many, many US craft brewers contract out a lot of their production. As you mentioned, Flying Dog. Highland Brewing from Asheville NC also contracted with Frederick. Don't know if they still do. Lots of Ommegang is made in Belgium (though by their parent company). Is the Budweiser brewed in St.Louis the only authentic Bud? What about the stuff brewed in Newark New Jersey? I don't think it really matters. If the Russian brewer of Pilsner Urquell isn't doing it right (which seems to be less than obvious), that's a decision they or Pilsner Urquell made either deliberately to cut costs, for example, or incidentally by not hiring better people to oversee production in Russia. Though I do agree that all contract brewed beer should be clearly labeled as such so everyone can make their own decisions.
Knut Albert - January 10, 2008 5:45 am
Nice excample, Beer Nut. Carlsberg did a similar trick in Norway. They used to have a brewery in Bodø, Northern Norway. After they closed it down, they still kept the slogan <i> Brewed under the Midnight Sun </i>. They were somewhat embarrased when someopne pointed out that it rarely shines south of the Arctic Circel.
jesskidden - January 10, 2008 10:27 am
Matt Dunn said - "Hebrew is also exclusively a contract brewer. Pretty sure FX Matt makes all their beer."
Actually, The Shmaltz "Hebrew" beers are made in New York, but by Olde Saratoga (which is owned by Mendocino, which is in turn owned by the owner of the giant international beverage company, the UB Group).
I mention this not to "pick a nit" as it were (one needs a score card to keep track of all the beer contracts these days, and you better use a pencil and have an eraser handy, as well) but the fact that, unlike many contractors or contractees, Olde Saratoga is refreshingly honest with what they brew and for whom, actually dedicating a webpage to the subject-
http://www.oldesaratogabrew.com/contractbrews.html
Alan - January 10, 2008 11:39 am
That is a good point. I think it is also fair to point out, according to my recollection, that Brooklyn beers clearly say Utica on the label and that when Ommegang had a spike in demand, the need to call in the parent company was at least referenced on the label.