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RBPMail 4.05, May 1998
Real Beer Page Mail (RBPMail) began as a modest update to craft-brew events on the WWW. It evolved into a news digest and sometimes editorial forum. We present its contents here much as they were emailed to subscribers. Often, links you will see are out of date, and businesses referred to may also be long gone.
In this issue:
If you like what you read here and want more every week, subscribe to
BEERWeek. Much of the content within is digested from BEERWeek, the paid
subscription supported industry email newsletter. Get your free sample
today at
http://www.beerweek.com
FREE BOOK OFFER!
Charlie Papazian's newest book, Home Brewer's Gold, a $12 value, is yours
FREE when you join the American Homebrewers Association - or when you
renew your current membership!
http://beertown.org/AHA/hbgoldfr.htm
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RUMORS SWEEP UK OF BREWERY CLOSINGS
As Britain's beer drinkers continue to shift from ale to lager, three of its
oldest breweries seem targeted for closure. Sources in England report that
Whitbread Plc would sell or close the two smallest of its five breweries --
Castle Eden in the northeast and "Flowers" Cheltenham brewery in the
southeast -- focusing ale brewing on one site. The breweries' ale brands were
to be transferred to the Whitbread Boddington brewery in Manchester. In
addition, it appears that Morland Plc would close its Ruddles brewery later
this year. The Ruddles brand, and Morland's other major ale brand, Old
Speckled Hen, will be produced at Morland's Abingdon brewery.
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PABST BLUE RIBBON STRONG IN CHINA
Noble China Inc. announced today that it will receive a dividend of RMB 70.6
million (approximately $12 million Canadian) from its operating subsidiary,
the Zhaoqing Noble Brewery, which produces and sells Pabst Blue Ribbon
beer in China, according to a company press release. This year's dividend
represents an increase of 37% over the dividend of RMB 51.6 million ($8.5
million Canadian) which was paid to Noble last year. The dividend will be
paid in installments over the next several months. The increased dividend is
a result of the continued improvement in the profitability and strong
financial position of the Zhaoqing Noble Brewery, the company stated.
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ASAHI SUPER DRY TO FLY IN U.S.
Asahi Breweries, Ltd., Tokyo, has launched a campaign this month in Los
Angeles to stimulate U.S. sales of Asahi Super Dry, the company's flagship
brand. This campaign includes establishing U.S.A. headquarters in Los
Angeles and a joint venture with Miller Brewing to provide enhanced
distribution of Asahi product. (Asahi established a partnership with Miller
Brewing in 1995.) Asahi Beer U.S.A. will also begin new sales and marketing
programs in support of the product line, and station its own production and
distribution managers at the Molson Vancouver Brewery (where Asahi is
brewed) and Miller's headquarters in Milwaukee.
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CARMEL BREWING LATEST UB GROUP ACQUISITION
The United Brewing Group, Sausalito, CA, has reached agreement with the
owners of Carmel Brewing Company in Salinas, CA, for an acquisition
involving company stock. The Carmel Brewing Company beer brands will
continue but will be brewed at the Mendocino Brewing Company's new
facilities in Ukiah, CA. Mendocino (also a UB partner) will gain a wheat beer
and several brands with established reputation. Carmel Brewing's CEO Paul
Tarantino told BEERWeek that he will continue as brand manager of Carmel
Brewing and will have access to Mendocino Brewing's expanding marketing
force. The former brewer at Carmel will work in Ukiah for a few months to
get the Carmel brands on-line and then will be the full-time brewer at Peter
B's Brewpub in Monterey which is owned by the Carmel Brewing Co.
investors (and not a part of the merger).
http://www.mendobrew.com
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.08 BAC LIMIT HALTED IN HOUSE
A vote on legislation that would lower the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) to
.08, tying it to a federal highway bill that would make it conditional that
states receiving federal aid lower their BAC to .08, died in the House last
month. In March, the Senate voted 62-32 passing an endorsement to the highway
bill and President Clinton publicly supported the lower BAC. Opponents to the
bill argued successfully that states, not the federal government should set
their own limits; that the issue is with the problem drinker, not the social
drinker; and that no scientific measures can prove a link between BACs lower
than the current legal limits and safety.
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IRISH GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES MODERATION CAMPAIGN
With a record consumption of 1.124 billion pints of beer in 1997, the
government in Ireland has begun a campaign to encourage public awareness
regarding excessive alcohol consumption. The campaign is trying to balance
the positive aspects of drinking to the individual and to society with the
problems caused by the intemperate consumption of alcohol. The multi-
media ad campaign will focus on the negative effect on the ordinary man and
woman on the effect of too much drinking during common activities.
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DANISH BREWERS SUFFER LOW BAC
Beer sales in Denmark have dropped 9.7% in January 1998 from same period
in 1997. The Danish Brewer's Association stated that stiffer drinking
regulations seemed to be a big factor behind this major drop in the country's
beer consumption. The Director of the Association commented that many
drinkers are not having any beer at all if they drive, even though they could
drink just one beer and still "be legal". There was a 3.1% drop for the same
period last year, and a 1.5% drop in 1996. Denmark's new legislation went
into effect January 1, 1998. It lowered the BAC limit for drivers from .08 to
.05.
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GUINNESS PLAYS ALL-TIME APRIL FOOLS'
All over the internet comes the report of an April 1-dated press release sent
by Guinness to England's Financial Times. The FT reported that Guinness had
purchased the rights to be the official beer sponsor for the Old Royal
Observatory's 2000 program at Greenwich. The report went on to say that
Greenwich Mean Time would be renamed "Guinness Mean Time" until the
end of 1999, and that the Accurist speaking clock will be revised to feature
"pint drips" instead of "pips" to count seconds. The deal allows Guinness to
use the Greenwich Meridian 2000 mark in marketing. It is to replace the
shamrock imprint on Guinness beers worldwide. The Financial Times ran
the story. The BBC-TV reported on the incident later that day.
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AB SALES UP IN EARLY 1998
AB announced increased sales and earnings for First Quarter 1998 at the
annual meeting of shareholders in Williamsburg. It was indicated that there
had been a planned wholesaler inventory build associated with the expiration
of the collective bargaining agreement in February, and that that was partly
responsible for the company's domestic sales-to-wholesaler growth in Q-1
1998 (up 5.3%). The company's worldwide sales volume rose 4.4% from First
Quarter 1997 compared to First Quarter 1998. 1998 international growth grew
only a small amount, reflecting weak economic conditions in Asia and
related conditions in South America.
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BOSTON BEER CO. HAS STRONG FIRST QUARTER
The Boston Beer Company reported on its First Quarter on April 20. During
First Quarter 1998, barrels sold and net sales were up from 1997. BBC
president Jim Koch attributed much of this to the strong performance of
flagship Sam Adams Boston Lager and a very strong product launch of Sam Adams
White Ale. Net sales increased to $45.2 million in 1998 from $41.9 million in
1997. Gross profit margin for 1998 was 52.6% versus 47.7% in 1997. Total ad,
promotional and selling expenditures were $1.0 million less in Q-1 1998 than
in Q-1 1997. Operating income increased from $2.5 million to $7.1 million
(184%).
http://www.samadams.com
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COORS 1ST QUARTER REPORT CITES RECORD SALES
Adolph Coors Co. announced April 23 that it had record net sales for first
quarter 1998. For the period ending March 29, 1998, the company reported net
sales of $414.1 million, a 3.9% increase over same period 1997. First quarter
sales volume totaled 4,691,000 barrels -- a record -- and 4.5% over same
period last year. Distributor sales to retail grew just under 4%. First
quarter 1998 net income of $9.8 million (26 cents a diluted share) was an
increase of 21.6% over same period last year, at $8.0 million (21 cents a
diluted share). According to the April 24, 1998 Wall Street Journal these
figures were above the estimates of analysts, who had projected net income of
24 cents a diluted share.
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MARTY NACHEL JOINS REAL BEER AUTHORS
Marty Nachel, author of Homebrewing for Dummies and Beer for Dummies and
frequent contributor to All About Beer, On Tap, and Malt Advocate has recently
joined the Real Beer authors section with several contributions. Check out
Marty's articles on...
http://www.realbeer.com/rbp/authors/nachel
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WHY BREW BEER IN ALASKA?
Because that's what makes it special, we learn from the talented, friendly and
good folks at Alaskan Brewing Company. The answer is elaborated on
throughout the newly designed Alaskan site - brimming over with facts and
fiction about life in Alaska. Recipes bring home the Alaskan flair for at
home entertaining as a way to while away the long cold months, and will whet
your appetite. To find the beers to go with the recipes, do a search on your
zip code and see if Alaskan beer is distributed near you. Check out their
revamped merchandise section and sport some Alaskan duds at home, or gasp in
awe at their lengthy awards page.
http://www.alaskanbeer.com
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HONK IF YOU LOVE GOOSE ISLAND
One of the most innovative breweries in the midwest debuts its website this
month. These are the artisans behind Honker's Ale and Bourbon County
Stout, to name a few. Check out the site for more about their background, the
beers themselves and the mouthwatering menu at the Goose Island Brewpub.
Goose Island bring a beautifully crafted portfolio of beers to their brewpub
and to the world with their impressive brewing and bottling facility.
http://www.gooseisland.com
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COMPLETE DRAFT BEER EQUIPMENT SOURCE
Kegworks offers you a complete draft beer equipment source on the web to
ramp up your presentation of home brews to your friends. Kegworks offers
on-line ordering to make your home brewery better than your neighbors.
Refrigerator conversion kits can be a great gift for your favorite homebrewer
- and parts, parts and more parts.
http://members.aol.com/kegworks/kegworks.php
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SANTA ROSA BEER FESTIVAL
The 7th Annual Beerfest - A Benefit for Face to Face, will be taking place on
June 6, 1998 at the Luther Burbank Center for Performing Arts. Face to
Face/Sonoma County Aids Network receives proceeds from The Beerfest.
There'll be great food, great beer and hopefully fabulous weather so head over
to this annual event in Sonoma County.
http://www.monitor.net/beerfest
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***********************************************
Thanks to all who have been replying to our Quickie Surveys. We draw one
winner each month for the prize of Michael Jackson's The Great Beers of
Belgium distributed by Vanberg & DeWulf (http://www.BelgianExperts.com),
Importers of fine Belgian beers and now brewers of Belgian-style beer in
their Cooperstown-based Brewery Ommegang.
No Question for this month.
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- The Real Beer Page announces a diverse group of brew websites
to check out:
- http://www.ager-tank-equipment.com
- http://www.beer-wine.com
- http://www.dmebrewing.com
- http://www.dosx.com
- http://www.eco-pakproducts.com
- http://www.freshops.com
- http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com
- http://www.homebrewsupply.com
- http://www.hopunion.com
- http://www.imperialtourtravel.com
- http://www.microbrew-invitational.com
- http://www.netcom.com/~dluzanp
- http://www.rcbequip.com
- http://www.srss.com
- http://www.tacomac.com
- http://www.vintagecellar.com
- http://www.vinosbrewpub.com
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THURMOND BLASTS MESSAGE OF MODERATION
Senator Strom Thurmond, R-SC, proposed on April 1 that labels on alcoholic
beverages be modified to warn consumers that consumption of an alcoholic
beverage "may lead to alcoholism," according to an April 2 article in the San
Francisco Chronicle. He also wants warnings that "moderate consumption of
alcoholic beverages" can cause health problems such as hypertension and
breast cancer. This is a reaction to California winemakers convincing federal
regulators to allow them to use labels that referred consumers to the USDA's
dietary guidelines for information on the health benefits of moderate wine
consumption. Thurmond's bill refers to "moderate consumption," but does
not define moderate consumption. The department of Health and Human
Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are currently
reviewing the matter of modified alcohol warnings.
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WINERIES PROTEST THURMONDS HARD LINE TACTICS
The Wine Institute, the public policy association for over 400 California
wineries, has come out strongly against recent alcohol labeling proposals by
U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond suggesting his assertions over moderate
consumption fail in the face of medical research. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines
for Americans, published by the U.S. Departments of Health, Agriculture and
Human Services, recommends moderate, mealtime consumption for those
choosing to drink (moderation defined as no more than one drink per day for
women and two for men).
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NOSTALGIC EX-BREWERY EXECS REVIVE NY BEER
Rheingold beer, which symbolized summer and baseball for those growing up
in the NYC area in the 60s and 70s, is back. From 1963 to 1973, Rheingold was
the "official beer" of the New York Mets. The beer, brewed in Brooklyn,
controlled 35% of the beer market in the area at that time. The beer faded,
and the name "Rheingold" wound up in the hands of Stroh's which sold the
name to Mike Mitaro, a former brewery sales executive and Walter Liebman,
whose family owned Rheingold until 1963. The beer is now being contract-
brewed at FX Matt. The old familiar baseball-season jingle, "My beer is
Rheingold the dry beer, think of Rheingold whenever you buy beer..." is
being heard again by baseball fans in Big Apple territory.
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SLO BOOSTS BARRELS WITH NEW BREWERY OPENING
Mike Hoffman, owner of SLO Brewing Company in San Luis Obispo, CA,
officially opened a new microbrewery Friday, April 10, 1998, in Paso Robles
just north of San Luis Obispo. The new brewery is a new-from-the-ground-
up, 15,000 square-foot facility that can produce 36,000 barrels/year. Special
grand opening festivities were held April 18 featuring tastings, light snacks
and a Scottish battle reenactment complete with cannons and gunpowder. A
special Old Highland Ale will be available in limited quantities to celebrate
the opening. Hoffman, a veteran brewpub operator who opened SLO Brewing
in 1988, started contracting his SLO Brews in Minnesota several years ago and
quickly grabbed an impressive share of the California micro market. The
initial output from the new brewery will go to west coast distribution points.
http://www.slobrew.com
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GABF HITS THE ROAD
The Great American Beer Festival brings its first ever "On the Road" show to
Baltimore, MD, May 15 and 16. About 20,000 are expected to turn up to sample
over 350 beers from over 120 breweries. The show will showcase medal-
winning breweries from the 16th annual GABF, held last October in Denver,
CO, as well as local and regional breweries. Unlike the Denver GABF,
however, there will no judging of the beers. Susan Ghysels, 303-447-0816, ext.
138.
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BARN RAISING AT CHICAGO AREA BREWERY
On April 27th, the Millrose Brewing Company rolled a 148-year old barn on
wheels and connected it to MBC's existing restaurant in South Barrington, IL.
The 50' x 36' barn joined six others just like it that already are part of the
Millrose complex. Bill Rose, owner of Millrose and a founder of South
Barrington, has been moving the barns from around the area to his site for the
past 22 years. Most were facing destruction because of housing or business
development. The newest barn took about a half hour to move. The procession
was led by a piper and drummer from Chicago's Stockyard Kilty Band, as a
tribute to the early English and Scottish farmers who settled in the
Barrington area.
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HOME BREWERS HEAD TO PORTLAND, OR, FOR CONFERENCE
The 17th annual American Homebrewers Association National Homebrewers
Conference will meet July 22-24 in Portland, OR. The Conference, which
features educational brewing seminars on many facets of brewing, from "grain
to glass," takes place just before the 11th annual Oregon Brewers Festival, a
three-day outdoor beer festival. The AHA event will have such speakers as
Maribeth Raines-Casselman, Fred Eckhardt, Dave Wills, Russ Wigglesworth and a
panel of professionals who started as homebrewers. Susan Ghysels, 303-447-
0816, ext. 138.
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LATEST ROUND AGAINST POWDERY MILDEW
An Associated Press wire service report on April 3 stated that hop growers in
the Yakima Valley were "fighting the clock as they impatiently wait for the
federal government to decide what chemicals they can use against a disease
that wiped out some fields last year." Ralph Olson, chief buyer for HopUnion
USA, Inc., a worldwide supplier of hop products in Yakima, said that the
Washington Hop Commission had announced on March 27 that a certain
chemical had been approved to combat the powdery mildew disease. Olson
also suggested that nearly 20% of established hop fields would be removed to
combat the spread of the destructive spore.
http://www.hopunion.com
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KNOW ANY OF THESE FOLKS?
Ten finalists have been selected by Guinness Import Company to be flown to
Ireland to take part in the final activities required to win Finucane's Pub in
Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland. On May 11, in Listowel, each finalist will
throw darts, attempt to pull a perfect pint and finally, in his or her own
words, try to convince the judges that he or she should become the new
owner of Finucane's. Among the judges will be last year's winner, Richard
Knight, who, with his wife, Suzanne, now lives in Cahir, County Tipperary as
publicans of Morrissey's, the 1997 win-a-pub prize. This year there were a
record 65,000 entries for the contest, which is in its fifth year. Contestants
had to complete the phrase, "Why Guinness is my perfect pint..."
Finalists who are going to Ireland:
Kelly Daugherty, Brattleboro, VT
Jessica Durgin, Woodbridge, WA
Clay Farr, Clemson, SC
John Freisinger, Albuquerque, NM
Julie Lang, St. Louis, MO
Roger Merchant, Orange, CA
Trevor O'Driscoll, New York, NY
Diane Stapleton, Elmhurst, IL
Boomer Mateus Wadaska, Levittown, PA
William Wanner, Tigard, OR
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GERMAN GOV'T THREATENS ALCO AD RESTRICTIONS
The German government threatened legal restrictions if companies do not
move towards industry self-regulation, especially in the area of sports.
Restrictions have been in place in Germany for tobacco for several years.
Germany's advertising council, in a public statement, declared that it would
oppose attempts to either introduce new legislation regarding ads or establish
voluntary limits. The advertising group stated that regulations such as those
suggested could hurt the media industry's ability to finance its costly
broadcasting rights. In 1997, the alcohol industry spent 1.2 billion marks on
advertising; 787 million was for beer ads and 286 million to liquor ads.
Approximately 60% of those expenditures were for TV spots.
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COMPUTER CHIP FILTERS ALCO ADS ON TV
A computer chip will be able to block TV shows showing sex, violence or
profanity, and should be available in stores in mid-1999. The Campaign for
Alcohol Free Kids, the American Council on Alcohol Problems and the
National Christian Temperance Union are urging the Federal
Communications Commission to require the v-chip to block beer and alcohol
ads as well, according to recent reports out of Washington, DC.
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BUD BEATS MILLER TO TOP SPENDING SPOT
Anheuser-Busch is planning to pay $2 million for each 30 seconds of
commercial time during Super Bowl XXXIII (January 1999), according to an
article by James Arndorfer in the April 13, 1998 Advertising Age. The
previous record was $1.3 million this past year. The price for 30 seconds for
the upcoming "Seinfield" finale is estimated at $1.7 million to $1.8 million.
According to the Ad Age piece, A-B offered $20 million to buy five minutes of
commercial time and be the exclusive beer sponsor of the Bowl, and did so to
offset information that Miller Brewing Company was indicating interest in
buying time on the sportscast.
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MILLER'S RED DOG BACK IN GAME WITH BITE
Miller Brewing Co. plans an invigorated ad campaign for its Red Dog beer,
which was launched in 1995 with a $58 million ad campaign, according to a
company announcement. After initial hot sales figures, the brand popularity
dropped rapidly. In 1997, Miller's Red Dog ad spending was just $28,000. This
year, Miller is putting Red Dog in the spotlight again with a $5 million ad
budget, and will run commercials on sports television and prime time TV.
The beer has also been repackaged, with new black, red and silver,
emphasizing the bulldog graphic. Last year, Miller focused its ad budget on
its Miller Lite and Genuine Draft.
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ROLLING ROCK ROLLS OUT NEW AD CAMPAIGN
Rolling Rock is pulling out the proverbial stops in 1998 with a new $12
million, year-long advertising campaign. The brand has increased its media
investment by 60% for 1998. "Rolling Rock. A Unique State of Beer" will
feature creative television spots that focus on the brand's equities such as
the painted label long-neck bottle and small town origins in Latrobe, Penn.
The campaign will also consist of increased local radio investment during the
key summer season, and eye-catching outdoor advertising, according to a
company press release.
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Editorial: The WWW Should Open the Message
A couple of months ago in our editorial we spoke of the beer trail and how
our passions bring us to truth and together. This month, we'd like to talk
about some perspectives from the path and how it informs an approach to the
media/world view. We're talking more about the media than beer.
While in Mexico on vacation, we stopped in the city of Merida, capital of the
state of Yucatan, after a long day of driving. We didn't have it in us to go
out and see the town that evening so we opted for hanging out and taking in a
movie. The defaults were U.S. films with subtitles in Spanish. There were
several notable exceptions to the experience we were familiar with in the
states: Tickets were about 50-cents and the refreshments about the same; hot
sauce for the popcorn; intermission (right in the middle of an action scene);
people of all ages and large seemingly related & conversing groups comprised
the crowd -- it was a social thing. It was fun to think in two languages as
English was served by the audio track and Spanish on the subtitles.
Perhaps it wasn't the best movie choice, but for the purpose of illustrating
the eventual point we'll get to it works; we chose Air Force One, starring
Harrison Ford as the president who kicks butt on terrorists hijacking his
plane. Being as the movie has just hit its U.S. video release and has been
topping the rentals lately, this example is actually timely. For the record,
we thought the movie stunk. Both thumbs down. Considering the milieu, two
scenes in particular went further than stinking -- they offended.
First, the president's daughter, while suggesting she's old enough to be
trusted with decision making, tells her father, "I'm thirteen. Back in the
cavemen's time I would be having babies." We slouched a little lower in our
seats embarrassed at the insulting social implications and aggression of the
statement made in our native tongue towards our neighboring viewers. In
small towns throughout the Jungle region of Quintana Roo and Yucatan we
met fully functioning and healthy families started at the age of 13 or
younger. These were conservative western -- or perhaps U.S. -- views blurted
out without regard to the audience.
Second -- and an argument can be made that the whole movie embodied this
tone -- when setting up and justifying a tough, perhaps fascist decision, the
president talks of the U.S. being the mightiest nation in the history of
mankind. He's of course talking about military force and economic influence.
He might just as well be referring to the far-reaching arrogance of our media
messages when issued from a provincial agenda. We slouched lower in our
seats and viewed the rest of the movie at 2/3 screen vision, not missing too
much.
The point here is that the movie seems to have been made exclusively with
Hollywood in mind, in an isolation chamber sans world view. I use this
example because our perspective changed when we changed our
environment. It was a literal way, as The King Elvis liked to say, to "walk a
mile in another's shoes."
Over forty years ago, in 1957 at the age of 83 Carl Jung wrote in his little
book, The Undiscovered Self: "Today we live in a unitary world where distances
are reckoned by hours and no longer by weeks and months. Exotic races have
ceased to be peepshows in ethnological museums. They have become our
neighbors, and what was yesterday the prerogative of the ethnologist is today
a political, social and psychological problem. Already the ideological spheres
begin to touch, to interpenetrate, and the time may not be so far off when the
question of mutual understanding in this field will become acute. To make
oneself understood is certainly impossible without far-reaching
comprehension of the other's standpoint. The insight needed will have
repercussions on both sides. History will undoubtedly pass over those who
feel it is their vocation to resist this inevitable development, however
desirable and psychologically necessary it may be to cling to what is
essential and good in our own tradition. Despite all the differences, the
unity of mankind will assert itself irresistibly."
Jung was responding to advances in flight, telephony and television but he
saw an irreversible trend in which we are participating. Now, instead of
hours, we are milliseconds away, thanks to the internet. And, because the cost
of production and distribution is so low in this medium, more people can
broadcast their messages to their global neighbors.
Beer is the message for Real Beer, but because the web is the medium we
believe that the message has to be universally inclusive.
For example, every once and awhile we are asked to post information in one
of our databases that we consider lacking the far-reaching comprehension
Jung considered necessary. A good example is in our games area
(http://www.realbeer.com/rbp/rbp.games.php) where people ask to see
games like "Mexican" or "Iraq." Both games are xenophobic and perpetuate
offensive messages to viewers from those areas, so we choose not to publish
them.
We've been told that inclusion means consideration in our scope of coverage
as well as our vigilance to avoid alienating part of our international
audience. Early in the development of The Real Beer Page we got some funny
messages from our international viewers. One Canadian sarcastically whinged
that he was "struck by panic upon seeing our pages and realizing that nothing
north of the U.S. existed." We hope he's returned to see our Canadian Beer
Index at http://www.realbeer.com/canada/ If you've been watching our links
database and library content evolve, you'll see we point to and cover the
world now. We started out in the U.S. by logistics only, not design. Within
the Real Beer Network you will find extensive international databases
(http://www.beerismylife.com) and outstanding quality global coverage in
Stephen Beaumont's World of Beer (http://www.worldofbeer.com). And we
will continue to expand our coverage in all areas of the world.
We believe that inclusion and consideration of peoples from every point of
view and location on the globe is essential in this world wide web. We
encourage others developing content and communicating in the medium to
apply the same perspective. Perhaps this sensibility will be the tail that
wags the dog(s) and trickles down to the decision makers in Hollywood. And, if
you're communicating on the 'Net, consider who's on the other side of the
screen.
Cheers! Your friends at Real Beer.
Want to add to or debate this perspective? Have at it on the ProBrewer
message board under the related thread:
http://www.probrewer.com/cgi-bin/probrewer/message.cgi
BTW, anyone else notice all the articles this issue about neoprohibitionist-
charged attacks on beer advertising, labeling and responsible consumption?
This isn't just our selection process on articles -- they're appropriating an
inordinate percentage of the published news noise lately. Stay strong and
united.
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