It’s time we told drinkers exactly where beer is brewed
Craft brewers are becoming increasingly vague about where they actually brew their beers. David Jesudason asks why.
Unmarked trucks. Non-disclosure agreements. Secure compounds. You might think I’m giving away plots to the next series of spy thriller Slow Horses but I’m instead – sadly – talking about the lengths certain craft brands go to hide where the location that their beer is brewed.
That’s right: craft brands. The beer category that once positioned itself as different to macro beer in that it was ethical, sustainable and transparent.
And in this case I am writing about an independently owned beer that I think fits all three of those categories, except it dupes consumers into thinking it’s German- not British-made.
The subterfuge is simply embarrassing and I should know as I’ve spent a week trying to find out where the unnamed beer is brewed only to send hundreds of unanswered emails and texts. Despite it being a joke that ‘everyone knows’, according to one source.
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It’s especially concerning because most drinkers cringe at the thought of Madri – the supposed soul of Madrid – being brewed in the UK by Coors – while this unnamed beer is actually being brewed at a renowned British craft brewery.
The type of brewery that brews a lot of award-winning tipples that define modern British beer for discerning drinkers prepared to pay premium prices. And this beer is no exception. Which shows there’s no need to lie.
But here’s the payoff: by claiming a beer is brewed in Germany not Great Britain what exactly is a British beer company saying? Bavaria has better water than Burton? Hamburg has better brewing techniques than London?
Perhaps all British brands will proudly say where their beer is brewed if cask were to become UNESCO recognised and we took our heritage seriously.
Or maybe we need to have better regulations otherwise this lack of information about providence causes consumers to be wary of all beer brewed in the UK. In the meantime, without correct labelling, we still need to use espionage to find out a beer’s origin.
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You must be right, as you make a study of these things, but I’m surprised, having never noticed the phenomenon. Certainly no trouble finding out that Madri is brewed in Heineken’s Tadcaster brewery.
A flag, on packaging to indicate country of origin would be simple to implement and easy for consumers to identify and make a informed choice.