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| Beer Blockade |
| How Low Can You Go? |
| Germans may be famous for their beer, but domestic sales of the amber nectar slumped last year to their lowest level in the last twenty years! Sales dropped to just under 2.2 billion gallons in 2009, a fall of 2.8 per cent on the previous year. The German Brewers Federation, believes the World Cup in South Africa this year will spur Germans to enjoy a few more ales. The Federation blamed the decline on both the economic situation in Germany and the trend towards less manual work and more office-based employment which they believe reduced Germans' after-hours thirst. Japan joined in the downturn as their beer shipments fell 2.1% to 472.51 million cases in 2009 The volume marked the fifth-straight year of decline. A shrinking population and weak economy continued to pull down domestic demand, while changing consumer tastes hurt sales abroad. |
| A blockade that threatened to strangle supplies of top Belgian beers to home and neighbouring European markets has just ended after management and unions reached a compromise on job retention. The settlement comes two weeks after workers first barricaded Stella Artois, Jupiler and Hoegaarden breweries, in protest at owners Anheuser-Busch InBev's plans to cut 10 percent of its European workforce. The blockade of beer began after management announced that it planned to cut around 800 jobs in western Europe. In Belgium, 263 of the 2,700 jobs at AB InBev, the world's biggest brewer, were slated to go. The blockade achieved its initial goals, leading to shortages in large supermarkets -- and a spike in guerrilla sales tactics from rival brewers. France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were also threatened by critically low levels of stocks for bars tied through distribution deals. AB InBev produces around 60 percent of the beer consumed in Belgium's bars and cafes, according to the national hoteliers and restaurants federation. Anheuser-Busch InBev was formed in 2008 when Belgium-based InBev bought Anheuser-Busch, the owner of Budweiser, and the largest brewer in the US. |
Legal Boilmakers?- Nebraska's liquor cops want to wipe a 70-year-old
ban against mixing booze and beer off the books, saying the original intent of
the law that makes drinks like boilermakers illegal disappeared long ago.
Nebraska is the only state with such a ban But anti-drinking activists suspect
another motive: they say it's all about so-called "alcopops" like Mike's Hard
Lemonade and Smirnoff Ice which are not currently available in Nebraska If they
are allowed in this change it the law would mean they can be taxed as beer.
Classifying the beverages as hard liquor could ban them from beer-only stores,
such as supermarkets and mini-marts a move supported by anti-drinking groups.
Beer Perfume- NA beer powered perfume is now on tap. Chemists from
Seattle's Blue Marble Energy have made a perfume made from the waste
products of a local organic brewery. The waste products - black sludge, rancid
beer grains, green slimey stuff - are supposedly good for the earth and you.
The grains replace petroleum in the process make this perfume completely
carbon neutral. The local, handmade perfume by sweet anthem does smell nice,
comes in both masculine and feminine versions
Solar Beer Bottles- A Beer bottles can heat up water Yanjun, a farmer in
Shaanxi province in China, has built a solar water heating system using empty
beer bottles. The reason he did it, was to allow his 73-year old mother to take a
warm bath every day, the farmer said. Since there was no warm water in the
area and he couldn’t afford a hi-tech solar panel, Ma had to be innovative so
instead of photovoltaic panels he used dozens of beer bottles.
ban against mixing booze and beer off the books, saying the original intent of
the law that makes drinks like boilermakers illegal disappeared long ago.
Nebraska is the only state with such a ban But anti-drinking activists suspect
another motive: they say it's all about so-called "alcopops" like Mike's Hard
Lemonade and Smirnoff Ice which are not currently available in Nebraska If they
are allowed in this change it the law would mean they can be taxed as beer.
Classifying the beverages as hard liquor could ban them from beer-only stores,
such as supermarkets and mini-marts a move supported by anti-drinking groups.
Beer Perfume- NA beer powered perfume is now on tap. Chemists from
Seattle's Blue Marble Energy have made a perfume made from the waste
products of a local organic brewery. The waste products - black sludge, rancid
beer grains, green slimey stuff - are supposedly good for the earth and you.
The grains replace petroleum in the process make this perfume completely
carbon neutral. The local, handmade perfume by sweet anthem does smell nice,
comes in both masculine and feminine versions
Solar Beer Bottles- A Beer bottles can heat up water Yanjun, a farmer in
Shaanxi province in China, has built a solar water heating system using empty
beer bottles. The reason he did it, was to allow his 73-year old mother to take a
warm bath every day, the farmer said. Since there was no warm water in the
area and he couldn’t afford a hi-tech solar panel, Ma had to be innovative so
instead of photovoltaic panels he used dozens of beer bottles.
| Blood for Beer A Tacoma (WA)-based blood center offers donors a deal: Give a pint of blood, get a pint of beer. Cascade Regional Blood Services says the promotion has worked so well at six Tacoma pubs and breweries, it's expanding its "Give blood, get beer" offer to its bloodmobile for pubs in the entire city. Cascade's director of donor resources, Dan Schmitt, says it's a fun way to get more donors, and it's good for the restaurants as well. The News Tribune of Tacoma reports donors who are at least 21 years old are given a coupon for a free pint of beer. The pub must wait at least four hours after the blood drive ends before donors can cash in on their free pint. send contributions for On Tap to webmaster@beernexus.com |
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Edited by Jim Attacap