Counterfeit Beer Maker Busted

Via Danwei, Chinese police recently busted a producer of counterfeit beer:

Police in Humen, Guangdong Province busted a fake beer producer yesterday, reports today's Dongguan Times. The article said that the producer replaced the labels and caps of cheap Shanshui-brand beer with those of the more expensive Tsingtao beer, creating three thousand fake Tsingtao beer bottles in a single day. The big photo on the front page shows the water tank which was used to remove the labels.

Maybe they should have been slapping on Snow labels, instead?

Review: Frankenheim Alt

Frankenheim Alt from Privatbrauerei Frankenheim
Rating: A-

Enjoyed in the Dusseldorf airport during a layover.

Appearance: Enormous, thick head atop a brown, leather-coloured body.

Smell: Clean, almost lagery aroma. Not particularly malty, but with a hint of brown bread and Saaz hops.

Taste: Solid bitterness, caramel and bready malts, continental spicy hops, with a roasty/slightly burnt middle and a very crisp and clean finish. Very nice.

Mouthfeel: Round, medium body. Good carbonation.

Drinkability: Flavourful yet crisp and refreshing as well. Quite well-balanced, and highly drinkable.

SABMiller's China Snow Job

An article in The Wall Street Journal sent in by Howard sheds some light on how Snow has displaced Budweiser as the world's biggest beer brand:

Snow's production was less than one-tenth of its current level six years ago, when the regional brewer started developing a now-extensive national distribution network and began buying competing brewers in the fragmented Chinese market. That helped it tap China's growing ranks of beer drinkers. "Success has largely been driven by the supply side," says Ari Mervis, managing director for SABMiller's Asian and African operations.

Though the Chinese drink less beer per person than Americans or Europeans, China's beer market has been the world's largest for the past six years and is growing 10% a year, according to Euromonitor. Snow's rapid growth illustrates the promise of China's vast consumer base.

But China's price-sensitive mass market produces thin profit margins compared with many other countries. Chinese beer makers have profit margins of roughly $2 per hectoliter, compared with $50 to $80 in Europe and the U.S., according to Mr. Mervis, who says beer prices have barely moved over the past five years. SABMiller says that while Snow accounts for 30% of the brewing giant's global sales volume, it contributes less than 5% to overall profits.

So SABMiller has essentially "bought" Snow's market share, and now needs to make it more profitable, potentially by moving it up-market. Hopefully, working on the recipe will be part of the strategy...

Guinness to Build New Brewery

From Howard, The Wall Street Journal reports that Guinness will be building a new flagship brewery (to replace the St James' Gate facility?) "in the town of Leixlip -- where Arthur Guinness began brewing the dark-brown stout in 1755, four years before moving operations to the capital."

The choice of Leixlip, though historically fitting, was something of a surprise. Recent Irish media speculation had focused on two other suburban Dublin locations.

The deal-clincher appeared to be that most of the brewery will be built on 50 acres of land owned by the Guinness family. An additional 23 acres will be purchased from Kildare County Council.

Whisky as Resilient as Beer?

I've discussed brewing as a recession-proof "vice" industry previously, but it may have company: Michael sends in news that exports of Scotch whisky are up 14% in the first half of 2008, bucking the worldwide economic slowdown.

The growing acceptance of whisky in China has played a large part in whisky's resilience, with total Scotch sales in China rising "dramatically, from just £1m in 2000 to £40m last year." Chivas Regal in particular has gained significant market share through mixing with green tea in clubs and karaoke joints.

Interestingly, the first trip of the BBC's "Box," a shipping container which will be tracked around the world in a year-long feature, will be transporting whiskey to Shanghai. Good to know its contents will be waiting for me when I move to Shanghai in December!

Trappist Beer in Unlikely Places

On one of my last days in Cambridge, I took this amusing but unfortunately low quality photo on my cellphone:


You can't really see it, but the the workman on the right it sitting on a Trappiste Rochefort crate!

Beer and Lipstick

Sarah Palin's lipstick has gotten a good bit of attention, and as a self-proclaimed "hockey mom" I'm sure she's a beer-drinker, but Charlie Papazian points out that to mix the two would be a beer faux pas!

Lipstick is NOT a political issue - it's a beer foam killer... Any lip decoration no matter what color will quickly ruin the foamy beer head.

A good example of how to focus on the important issues in this heated election season. Thanks, Charlie! (via Maureen Ogle)

Back in the U.S.A.

I arrived back in Florida tonight after a long day traveling and celebrated with filet mignon, key lime pie, and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I don't think I could have come up with a better way to escape airport hell! A beer review from the Dusseldorf airport will be posted shortly...

Beer Photo of the Day

One of my favourite Belgian IPAs, De Ranke XX Bitter, in today's beer photo:

Mongolian Craft Brewing

The Marmot, Korea-blogger with marital ties to Mongolia, might be interested in Alan's recent post on a Mongolian microbrewery. Chinggis Brewery is apparently the (only) place to go for a beer-lover in Ulaan-baatar.