Today’s ad, from 1895, is a postcard for Worthington’s White Shield. A trio of boaters are having bottles of beer poured by the bartender from The Flying Angler. It’s a pretty idyllic setting.
Proud Of British Beer
In quasi-answer to I Am A Craft Brewer, Britain’s Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has released a video of their own: Proud of British Beer. It’s very well produced, and I like that they included not just brewers, but also farmers, publicans and salespeople to show the entire chain from farm to glass. It was also great seeing so many familiar faces.
Of course, the original video was made for a trade conference, whereas SIBA’s effort seems aimed directly at consumers, and especially those that might be on the fence about whether or not to support Britain’s beer industry. I love the end, because it goes after the wisdom of more and more taxes on beer, a situation similar to what’s happening in America, too. The answer, of course — here as there — is that neo-prohibitionst and anti-alcohol groups are using the weakened economy to further their agenda of attacking and punishing alcohol for its perceived sins. It’s great to see the brewing industry fighting back, something that I feel desperately needs to happen in the U.S., too. But over here, the media tends to pay a disproportionate amount of attention to well-funded anti-alcohol propaganda while ignoring any contrary opinions. If our national discourse on alcohol is anything, it’s certainly not fair or balanced.
One reason Proud of British Beer is so good is that the script was written by Pete Brown, and you can read his thoughts about Proud of British Beer on his blog. Pete’s a kindred spirit when it comes to the neo-prohibitionists and he makes an important case for beer in the UK. Well done, Pete!
From SIBA’s Vimeo page:
“Proud of British Beer” is a short film produced by the Society of Independent Brewers. It features brewers, both large and small, hop and barley growers, maltsters and industry suppliers. Our concerns are that the continued above inflation increases in beer duty are destroying this indigenous British industry. Pubs, which are an integral part of the fabric of British society are also being forced to close at the rate of 29 per week. This cannot be allowed to continue.
We are proud of British beer. Are you?
Beer In Ads #319: Double Diamond, The George & Dragon
Friday’s ad is from 1954 and is for the UK brand Double Diamond. With the slogan “A Double Diamond works wonders,” it’s part of their “Inn-Sign Rhymes” series. This ad’s sign is for “George & the Dragon.”
Beer Amongst The Belgians
British beer writer Tim Webb is working on what looks to be an interesting documentary series on beer in Belgium, to be called Beer Amongst The Belgians. The series is directed by Taylor Brush for Spotted Tail Productions. The video is listed as the “the final of the promotional episode.” The “promotional episode is a proof-of-concept to find funding to finance the six hour-long episodes.” It’s about 26 minutes, and is a great start, I’d say. Enjoy.
John Stuart Mill On “Sin Taxes” & Prohibition
The British philosopher John Stuart Mill was, besides being “particularly ill” on “half a pint of shandy,” a big proponent of the concept of free will, as the song says. In his book On Liberty, he also argues in favor free speech and, 150 years ago, was against minimum alcohol pricing as if it were today, which is why I bring it up.
In today’s UK newspaper, The Telegraph, British writer Brendan O’Neill argues convincingly against minimum pricing on alcohol in a piece entitled ‘Minimum alcohol pricing’ is a Sin Tax designed to punish poor people for the crime of getting hammered.
The British government has been discussing minimum alcohol pricing for a number of years as a way of stopping binge drinking, defined as uselessly there as here. O’Neill sees it rather differently, as “an assault on a certain kind of boozing, the kind indulged by the less well-off who prefer to drink lager or cider and let their hair down rather than quaff chardonnay and discuss Tunisia. The very term “binge drinking” — and bear in mind that, for a man, binge drinking means downing a paltry four pints in a night — is designed to conjure up images of the non-wine-drinking classes, who swig on bottles of beer with no sense of control or decorum; who scoff and down and binge rather than sip. Them, not Us.”
And that brings us back around to John Stuart Mill. I hadn’t seen these quotes before, but they’re brilliant. In On Liberty, he addressed this very issue by calling such price hikes a de facto “sin tax” because, then as now, it’s a regressive tax that punishes the poor for not behaving as some people might want them to.
Here’s what he wrote:
“Every increase of cost is a prohibition, to those whose means do not come up to the augmented price.”
And:
“To tax stimulants for the sole purpose of making them more difficult to be obtained is a measure differing only in degree from their entire prohibition, and would be justifiable only if that were justifiable.”
As O’Neill concludes, that’s simply “prohibition through the backdoor, targeted at those whom the political classes consider to be reckless and self-destructive.” On this side of the pond, it’s all that moralizing plus anti-alcohol groups trying to convince us it’s about safety and “the children” and saying that raising the price will fix all our problems, and the economy to boot. Problem is, it never works. It’s just another attempt at Prohibition. Prohibition Lite, perhaps, but the aims are the same.
Beer In Ads #289: Albion Brewery, We Lead The Way
Friday’s ad is for the Albion Brewery in Leeds. I’m not sure when the ad is from, though I believe the brewery was founded in 1897 and closed in either 1933 or 1948, the UK National Archives isn’t sure. If the truck is any indication it’s got to be pretty early in the history of automotive transportation. And at some point they stopped giving driver’s licenses to lions, didn’t they?
Beer and Dieting
The UK tabloid newspaper, The Daily Mirror, reported today that a study at the University of Barcelona revealed that “[d]rinking up to a pint of beer a day is good for your health — and can even help you lose weight.” They also “found those who have a Mediterranean-style diet and drink moderately are healthier than those who don’t” and that “beer could cut the risk of high blood pressure.”
A Truly Cheesy Beer
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a brewer,
Who sat down beside her
And took all her whey away.
That’s how the Mother Goose nursery rhyme might have gone if the folks at Belvoir Brewery in England’s Old Dalby. Leicestershire area had been around when she wrote that one. What Belvoir has done is taken the blue Stilton cheese and made a beer with it. They infused Stilton whey by mixing 25% whey with 75% fresh wort and then fermented it normally, producing a 4.2% a.b.v. chestnut-colored beer. Happily, the beer itself is not blue, just the name.
According to a BBC article:
Nigel White, secretary of the Stilton Cheesemakers Association, said: “People often think of Stilton as a cheese just for Christmas and forget how versatile it is.
“Traditionally the whey from cheese making would have been fed to pigs. We wondered if it could be used for other purposes and Belvoir Brewery has now made a new beer.”
Belvoir’s website says they’re currently out of the Stilton beer, but that new beer should be available shortly. I know cheese and beer together as a pairing is miraculously good, but premixed together? I’m game, certainly and most reports claim that it’s better than it sounds, with “delicate” flavors and “a smooth, creamy texture.”
A short BBC video also reveals there are no plans to brew a cheddar beer or a Wensleydale beer, which is a shame to my Monty Python-loving ears and brought their hilarious cheese shop skit rushing back. I guess cheddar’s just not popular ’round those parts.
Customer (John Cleese): You…do *have* some cheese, don’t you?
Owner (Michael Palin): (brightly) Of course, sir. It’s a cheese shop, sir. We’ve got–
Customer: No no… don’t tell me. I’m keen to guess.
Owner: Fair enough.
Customer: Uuuuuh, Wensleydale.
Owner: Yes?
Customer: Ah, well, I’ll have some of that!
Owner: Oh! I thought you were talking to me, sir. Mister Wensleydale, that’s my name.
And a little later in the skit:
Customer: (pause) Aah, how about Cheddar?
Owner: Well, we don’t get much call for it around here, sir.
Customer: Not much ca– it’s the single most popular cheese in the world!
Owner: Not ’round here, sir.
But see it for yourself:
The Myths Of 24-Hour Drinking
The BBC’s home editor, Mark Easton, had an interesting editorial a few days ago about The Myths Of 24-Hour Drinking in which he writes about the effects of the UK’s Licensing Act 2003, which among other changes to the laws concerning alcohol, opened up the possibility of some drinking establishments staying open 24 hours. Proponents hoped it would create jobs and more business and opponents were certain longer hours in the pub would create more drunks. Neither happened, of course, and it’s an interesting read, including all the usual heated comments.
“Open It!” Weekend To Be Held December 3-5
Here’s a fun idea from UK beer writer Mark Dredge, who writes at Pencil and Spoon. He’s designating the first weekend in December — the 3rd through the 5th — as “Open It!” weekend. What that means is it’s time to open some of those special bottles you’ve been saving for … a special occasion that never comes. Instead, let’s open them now and, in the spirit of the holidays, start sharing.
Here’s how he puts it in the initial post, Announcing Open It:
So here’s the idea: let’s create a special occasion. Let’s call this special occasion Open It! and let’s drink the good beers. Let’s find a bottle from the depth of the cellar and open it, drink it and then tell others about it (in blogs, blog comments or twitter or facebook).
Open it alone or open it with others; hold an Open It! party or take it to the pub to see what people think. Most importantly, get that bottle open and drink the thing and then tell everyone about it.
Open It! over the first weekend in December — Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th — and then blog about it in the week after. Use the #openit hashtag on twitter while you are drinking it and like the facebook group. It’s just about opening something special and enjoying it.
Which was echoed in a reminder posted yesterday. It certainly encouraged me to take up the cause and try to spread the word. I could see this becoming a fun annual event. I do a monthly tasting that’s somewhat similar, insofar as I try to share the samples I get every month so they don’t end up in the back of the refrigerator in the first place. But despite those efforts, I still have four of them, two of which are filled with beer I’m reluctant to open on a whim.
The first day of Open IT! weekend also coincides with December’s Session, and the topic is Unexpected Discoveries. There’s no reason that discovery couldn’t be that forgotten bottle hiding in your beer cellar.
But the key, I think, is letting everybody know what you opened. That should be the fun part, our collective stash. So just open it!