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FOREIGN BEERS AT FULL STRENGTH
Sydney Morning Herald
By William Simpson
20 September 2011
Page 19
The strong Australian dollar is proving a boon to beer importers, particularly with top-of-the-range brands from Belgium and the US becoming more competitively priced.
The state of the Aussie dollar allows everyone to receive the margins they are looking for," says the owner of Beer Importers & Distributors, Franck Berges. "Where a six-pack of Sam Adams Boston Lager used to sell for around $24 to $27 in the likes of Dan Murphy's, it's now under $20."
Berges has negotiated to import more brands from the Boston Beer Company. "We've imported Sam Adams Boston Lager for years but we're selling a lot more these days," he says. "But they've got an incredibly wide range and there's a growing interest in the whole US craft beer scene.
"We have to fit in with their production schedule but we'll start bringing in their Noble Pils, IPA and Pale Ale -which will arrive in Sydney before Christmas."
Berges also plans to start importing Boston's specialty range packaged in 750-millilitre corked bottles which includes such delights as a triple bock. And he's got his hands on three cases of the annual Utopias brew, a super potent 27 per cent wood-aged beer that tastes more like a cognac.
"It would have to sell at around $100 a bottle but we're probably going to give them away as an incentive to buy a quantity of Samuel Adams," he says.
For the managing director of The Hop & Spirit Company, Neil Barker, the buoyant exchange rate has allowed him to absorb other rising costs. "We haven't put our prices up for some time, even though freight charges keep going up," he says. "The freight rises are pretty horrendous and keep going up every month which is the equivalent of a couple of dollars for every case of beer."
Barker imports Brewdog and Adnams beers from Britain, and has recently taken over the Danish Mikkeller range from fellow Queensland-based importer Innspire. "Mikkeller fits in well with our other brands," he says. "We've got 24 different Mikkeller beers available in kegs and we're bringing in another 12 of their range, which will be available soon."
Two super-premium imports that caught Brew's eye are Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest and Harviestoun Ola Dubh, The Sierra Nevada ale is an annual brew made with early season, New Zealand hop flowers which are air-freighted in bales and used within days of harvesting. This year's varieties were Southern Cross, Motueka and Pacifica, giving this strong ale a multi-layered and highly-complex flavour profile.
OlaDubh means "black oil" in Gaelic and this beer is a neat crosspollination between a Scottish brewery and distillery.
Harviestoun brewery is based in central Scotland and this dark ale is finished in whisky casks from Orkney that previously held Highland Park 30-year-old single malt whisky.
The result is a thick, tarry beer with lively spirit and wood characters that would undoubtedly benefit from extended bottle ageing if you've got the patience.
Sydney Morning Herald
By William Simpson
20 September 2011
Page 19
The strong Australian dollar is proving a boon to beer importers, particularly with top-of-the-range brands from Belgium and the US becoming more competitively priced.
The state of the Aussie dollar allows everyone to receive the margins they are looking for," says the owner of Beer Importers & Distributors, Franck Berges. "Where a six-pack of Sam Adams Boston Lager used to sell for around $24 to $27 in the likes of Dan Murphy's, it's now under $20."
Berges has negotiated to import more brands from the Boston Beer Company. "We've imported Sam Adams Boston Lager for years but we're selling a lot more these days," he says. "But they've got an incredibly wide range and there's a growing interest in the whole US craft beer scene.
"We have to fit in with their production schedule but we'll start bringing in their Noble Pils, IPA and Pale Ale -which will arrive in Sydney before Christmas."
Berges also plans to start importing Boston's specialty range packaged in 750-millilitre corked bottles which includes such delights as a triple bock. And he's got his hands on three cases of the annual Utopias brew, a super potent 27 per cent wood-aged beer that tastes more like a cognac.
"It would have to sell at around $100 a bottle but we're probably going to give them away as an incentive to buy a quantity of Samuel Adams," he says.
For the managing director of The Hop & Spirit Company, Neil Barker, the buoyant exchange rate has allowed him to absorb other rising costs. "We haven't put our prices up for some time, even though freight charges keep going up," he says. "The freight rises are pretty horrendous and keep going up every month which is the equivalent of a couple of dollars for every case of beer."
Barker imports Brewdog and Adnams beers from Britain, and has recently taken over the Danish Mikkeller range from fellow Queensland-based importer Innspire. "Mikkeller fits in well with our other brands," he says. "We've got 24 different Mikkeller beers available in kegs and we're bringing in another 12 of their range, which will be available soon."
Two super-premium imports that caught Brew's eye are Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest and Harviestoun Ola Dubh, The Sierra Nevada ale is an annual brew made with early season, New Zealand hop flowers which are air-freighted in bales and used within days of harvesting. This year's varieties were Southern Cross, Motueka and Pacifica, giving this strong ale a multi-layered and highly-complex flavour profile.
OlaDubh means "black oil" in Gaelic and this beer is a neat crosspollination between a Scottish brewery and distillery.
Harviestoun brewery is based in central Scotland and this dark ale is finished in whisky casks from Orkney that previously held Highland Park 30-year-old single malt whisky.
The result is a thick, tarry beer with lively spirit and wood characters that would undoubtedly benefit from extended bottle ageing if you've got the patience.
