REAL BEER NEWS - SPARGING ONLINE www.realbeer.co.nz - www.sparging.co.nz
Issue 65 - 30 March 2001 - MONTEITHS RE-OPENED
ADVERTISE WITH US Get your message out to the brewing industry and largest group of beer lovers in Australasia For more
information mailto:ads@realbeer.co.nz
Hop Harvest 2001 www.brewing.co.nz
BUSINESS INTERFERES WITH OUR HERITAGE AT ITS PERIL
Congratulations to the West Coast. This is the first time that I can remember a consumer boycott by New Zealanders, or
more accurately the threat of it, changing a corporate decision. It was a surprising response, although if you had to
name one thing guaranteed to get Kiwis hot under the collar, it would probably be beer.
http://www.brewing.co.nz/20010329mccrystal.htm
DB BREWERIES RESPONDS TO CALLS TO KEEP WEST COAST BREWERY OPEN
DB Breweries has listened and responded to messages from West Coasters and loyal consumers throughout the country and
will continue to produce significant volume of Monteith's beer from its West Coast brewery.A compromise has been reached
through consultation with West Coast MP Damien O'Connor and the mayor of Grey District Council, Kevin Brown says DB
Breweries managing director, Brian Blake. http://www.brewing.co.nz/20010327monteiths.htm
CHEERS MONTEITHS, BUT WATCH OUT FOR THE HANGOVER! "But the hangover is that DB have not guaranteed the 14 staff made
redundant their jobs back. "This is clearly because they are going to move some of their production to Auckland instead
of expanding their West Coast operation. http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0103/S00481.htm
BEER BATTLE GETS BITTER The battle over brewing Monteith's beer on the West Coast may end up at the Employment Relations
Authority. Dominion Breweries backed down on Tuesday and announced it will restart some production at its Greymouth
factory. http://onenews.nzoom.com/news_detail/0,1227,34507,00.html
BREWERY'S END SPARKS CALL FOR A BEER BOYCOTT DB Breweries has infuriated West Coasters with its decision to close
Monteiths Brewing in Greymouth, prompting a call for loyal drinkers to boycott the beer range, which will now be made in
Auckland. The Monteiths range, 330ml bottles and kegs, will be made in Auckland as the West Coast plant is
decommissioned over the next four weeks, possibly preventing any other brewer setting up on the premises DB bought in
1986. http://www.brewing.co.nz/20010324monteiths.htm
IN ALL THE HYPE ABOUT THE CLOSURE AND REOPENING OF THE MONTEITH’S WEST COAST BREWERY, EVERYONE HAS SEEMED TO HAVE MISSED
THE NEW AND EXCITING BEER FROM MONTEITH’S – AVAILABLE FROM MONDAY 2ND APRIL
MONTEITH'S SAISON BIERE The Saison style is known for its unique golden amber hue and strong hop flavour which is tinged
with a sweet spiciness and offers fruity and malty aromas. Monteith's Saison Biere has an equally distinctive aroma and
a hugely intriguing mouth feel with pleasing raisin-like notes complemented by the slightly tart citrus notes of
Monteith's exclusively grown Saaz hop. This beer will delight and surprise people not used to these unusual hop
flavours. http://www.brewing.co.nz/20010322tastingnotes.htm
More on Monteith's http://www.realbeer.co.nz/search/brewtour/NZ/SI/monteiths/
*********************************************************** Real Beer, Inc. Announces the Launch of Michael Jackson's
Great Beers of Belgium.
Monthly Gourmet Selections
American connoisseurs are increasingly aware that the most individualistic "fine wines" of the beer world are made in
Belgium. The problem lies in finding some of these great brews, and learning about them. Which are the Champagnes of
Belgium? Should a beer named after an Abbot be rich and full-bodied? Should a cherry beer be sweetened?
Michael Jackson (not the singer, but The Beerhunter) is famously passionate about Belgian brews. He has been in Belgium
recently, hunting-down specialties that are not available in the U.S. and capturing them for a new beer-of-the-month
club.
The new club, announced by Real Beer, Inc., is to be called Michael Jackson's The Great Beers of Belgium.
Michael Jackson is the world's most widely published writer on beer. He has made television films, writes for magazines
and newspapers, and has produced ten books. The only one devoted to a single country is called The Great Beers of
Belgium. This book inspired the new club.
The author, honored by Crown Prince Phillipe of Belgium for his writing on the country's beers, will produce background
stories and tasting notes to accompany each selection (and answer some of those questions about the beers).
The club, which is currently accepting members for delivery commencing in July, provides enthusiasts with 12 bottles of
gourmet Belgian beer from a different brewery each month. These beers are not available in the USA through traditional
channels. Among the beers selected for the club is one made by Pierre Celis, a Belgian brewer who is famous on both
sides of he Atlantic. He revived the "White Beer" style in Belgium, and then founded the Celis Brewery in Texas. The
brewery was later sold to Miller. Back in Belgium, Celis developed Grottenbier, a beer matured by the champagne method
in caves near the river Meuse. It is strong dark ale, in which small quantities of "exotic" spices are added to create
a gentle, balancing dryness and crispness. When Jackson tasted an early batch, in December 1998, he named it his Beer of
the Year.
For the beer lover this club may seem too good to be true and there is a catch: because of the limited size of some of
the breweries, the club is restricted 5,000 members. And it is expected to be at capacity well before the first
delivery.
Launched in 1994 as one of the industry's first online players, Real Beer, Inc. (www.realbeer.com), quickly became the
home of the largest beer community in the world. In 2000 the company merged with worldbeertour.com, owners of The
Michael Jackson Real Beer Tour, the world's premier beer-of-the-month club. Real Beer Inc., now the world's largest
source for beer and information about beer, boasts over 500,000 unique monthly visitors, 120,000 email subscribers and
150,000+ pages of content about beer.
*********************************************************** IMPORTANT BEER DATES
NZ BEER AWARDS Beer Awards Dinner - 14 April Brewers Brunch - 15 April
MONTEITH'S WILDFOOD CHALLENGE Auckland 8 - 23 June Tauranga & Hamilton 15 - 30 June Wellington 22 June - 7 July Christchurch 29 June - 14 July Dunedin 6 - 21 July
AUSTRALIAN BEER AWARDS Entries close - 9 April Beer Awards Dinner - 21 June Brewers Brunch - 22 June www.beerawards.com
*********************************************************** BREWERY FOR SALE - WELLINGTON All equipment from the
Copperhead Brewery is now available for sale as individual pieces.
BREWERY FOR SALE - New Zealand Full mash brewery available to right buyer. Everything you need for immediate start. Well
presented and easy to operate. Can arrange removal and recommissioning. Brew-length 20hl. Inventory available. Fraction
of new price. Contact brewman@powerup.com.au
FOR SALE IN NZ 1200 LITRE BREWERY
More information mailto:breweries@realbeer.co.nz
************************************************************ The Real Beer Page - Australia & New Zealand http://www.realbeer.co.nz
Information on breweries, brewpubs, beer news and events and beer reviews, plus features every month on the most
interesting topics of beer. ************************************************************
Sparging Online Back Issues - http://www.sparging.co.nz/online/
If you have received this newsletter from someone else make sure that you sign up online at http://www.sparging.co.nz or
send an email to mailto:subscribe@sparging.co.nz with the word "subscribe" in the body.
If you would like to contribute an article or an ad just send an email to mailto:news@sparging.co.nz
Sparging Online is part of the Real Beer Network. http://www.realbeer.co.nz. Also for more beer news subscribe to - BEER
Week TM. http://www.beerweek.com
Sparging Online. © Copyright 2000 Real Beer, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this newsletter may be republished
in any form, electronic or otherwise, without the expressed consent of the publishers.
Definition of Sparging - Sparging is part of the brewing process. The rinsing of grains after a mash to extract as much
sugar from the grains as possible.
The Real Beer Page - Australia & New Zealand www.realbeer.co.nz
Sparging - Real Beer News www.sparging.co.nz
New Zealand Brewers Network www.brewing.co.nz
The Real Beer Page - North America www.realbeer.com
Breworld - UK / Europe www.breworld.com
BEERWeek www.beerweek.com
Probrewer - Professional Brewers Page www.probrewer.com
Brewing Techniques www.brewingtechniques.com/
How to Brew www.howtobrew.com
Michael Jackson - The Beer Hunter www.beerhunter.com
Stephen Beaumont's - World of Beer www.worldofbeer.com
Roger Protz - Protz on Beer www.protzonbeer.com/
Beer Passion - Belgian Beer Magazine http://www.beerpassion.com/
The Taste http://www.thetaste.co.uk/
Beer Site http://www.beersite.com/
Real Beer Tour http://www.realbeertour.com
(part of the Real Beer Network - the single largest source of beer information know to man - over 150,000 pages on beer
http://www.realbeer.co.nz)