Just A Bit Of A Rant...

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Ronin

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Is it just me or do other people have issues with buying a Heineken/Becks/other contract brewed beer from a restaurant that's selling it as 'imported' beer. I don't necessarily mind the contract brewed 'imported' beers, they're certainly better than a lot of options at restaurants. It's just if I buy an 'imported' beer, I expect it to be brewed outside of Australia. I know it's owned by an overseas company...but if it's australian made from local ingredients, it's not really 'imported' is it? Or is it made from imported grain, hops and yeast?

Is it just me? Am I just being petty? :unsure:

James
 
Im pretty sure the people running the kebab joint you go to dont give a toss where it's brewed QED
 
Im pretty sure the people running the kebab joint you go to dont give a toss where it's brewed QED

Problem is it more than just kebab joints, as far as I can tell it's everywhere.

So I am just being petty then :lol:

James
 
Only noticeable difference between the imported and contract brewed Eurolagers is the lower amount of skunking in the contract brewed versions.

Edit: Italics... happy Bizier? :)
 
You would hope that is the case Adam, but I would think that the equipment setup would impart some difference.

OK maybe it is more like within 5% of the imported product.

I think the name "Fosters" on the label imparts off flavours, because it generally symbolises poor taste.
 
Yep "perception" is a very powerful thing. More powerful than actual taste I would say... ;)
 
I reckon.. I'm a graphic designer by training, and I reckon people would taste a difference if one made a Heineken label yellow or red or even a different shade of green. It is like trying to feed dark beers to my dad, he never approaches it with an open mind, only ever sees black and that is kinda it.
 
Yep "perception" is a very powerful thing. More powerful than actual taste I would say... ;)

Undoubtebly...I don't actually mind that they are brewed under contract. Sometimes I can tell the difference, others I can't. I've been served an imported followed by a contract brewed beer right after each other, and I noticed that the taste had changed. If it hadn't been for having them right after each other I probably wouldn't have noticed.

I guess the problem is that I'm not getting what I expect. I don't know if I'm going to get an imported beer or a contract brewed beer when I order certain beers, and there is a taste difference, albeit a small one.

And I know that the restaurant owners don't care, I know most people don't care nor even notice that the taste has changed, I know I'm paying imported beer prices though regardless of what I actually get though <_< .
 
Ronin,

I am with you. A few places i have been to for christmas parties and the such over the past few weeks divide their beers into Australian and Imported, with the imported list being twice as expensive as the Australian beers. I would assume that in years gone by the imported beers have been more expensive because of the cost of getting them to Australia. Why then should the "imported" brewed under licence beers have twice the price tag of other Australian beers.

I would also think that the brewed under licence beers would be quite different from the originals because of the difference in water, grains etc. The only one i have had experience with is guinness and this was very different between the original and brewed under licence beers.
 
<snip> I would assume that in years gone by the imported beers have been more expensive because of the cost of getting them to Australia. Why then should the "imported" brewed under licence beers have twice the price tag of other Australian beers. </snip>
Because the drop in price isn't for the benefit of the consumer - it's for the companies/restaurants. If most people can't tell the difference, the companies may as well save some money.
 
Would be interesting to run a blind tasting of the real imported versus the locally brewed versions of these beers. I wonder how many people would really pick the real one.
 
I reckon.. I'm a graphic designer by training, and I reckon people would taste a difference if one made a Heineken label yellow or red or even a different shade of green. It is like trying to feed dark beers to my dad, he never approaches it with an open mind, only ever sees black and that is kinda it.

Hmm dark beers tasty

But back to the topic: I dont like this in my eyes false advertising of imported beers and I would say that many people would agree to that. Nobody likes to be fooled really.
That these beers might still taste good is a different story. They should just have to label them as brewed in Australia. Whats wrong with that? They can still use the same bottle and label but at least a small print where it is brewed would be appropriate. The people that want to buy a brand would most likely not care about that small print anyway. And those that know that they are just overpriced fakes would invest their money in a good 'for real' imported beer or australian drop anyway.
 
It's definately false adversting to call a locally brewed Becks etc Imported. Next time refuse to pay or only pay the local beer price.

Definitions of imported on the Web:

* used of especially merchandise brought from a foreign source; "imported wines"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
 
AFAIK They always state "Brewed under license by.." somewhere on the case/6 pack/bottle
 
Hmm dark beers tasty

But back to the topic: I dont like this in my eyes false advertising of imported beers and I would say that many people would agree to that. Nobody likes to be fooled really.
That these beers might still taste good is a different story. They should just have to label them as brewed in Australia. Whats wrong with that? They can still use the same bottle and label but at least a small print where it is brewed would be appropriate. The people that want to buy a brand would most likely not care about that small print anyway. And those that know that they are just overpriced fakes would invest their money in a good 'for real' imported beer or australian drop anyway.

They are - or at least the ones brewed by fosters are. If you cant read the label and identify that it was brewed in Australia, then it wasn't.

I tend to agree though - perhaps they should be labeled "premium" or some other such guff, rather than imported. They are harder and more expensive to brew than the local products, so they will always be more expensive, but they aren't imported and shouldn't be sold as such.

Of course, thats all a bit hard for the local restaurant owner, they just know that heineken is dutch and therefore must be an import. I say just call em beer, price em as you want and let the customer decide whether the one in the green bottle has something he wants to pay extra for... bad business though.
 
Would be interesting to run a blind tasting of the real imported versus the locally brewed versions of these beers. I wonder how many people would really pick the real one.


I think everyone would notice the difference in flavor (or the lack of it in one!) however what they preferred would vary depending on their taste. IMO the difference is too great to be the result of local variants like water etc more so they are brewed to clone the other local over chilled tasteless mega swills around to capture a larger market as is seen with crownies.

When they first started brewing them under license I put it down to the fact that the menus were out of date and not intentional but now you see new menus with this on them and yes it annoys me.

Cheers BDB
 
Ronin,

I am with you. A few places i have been to for christmas parties and the such over the past few weeks divide their beers into Australian and Imported, with the imported list being twice as expensive as the Australian beers. I would assume that in years gone by the imported beers have been more expensive because of the cost of getting them to Australia. Why then should the "imported" brewed under licence beers have twice the price tag of other Australian beers.

I would also think that the brewed under licence beers would be quite different from the originals because of the difference in water, grains etc. The only one i have had experience with is guinness and this was very different between the original and brewed under licence beers.

I have to agree with the guiness comment. I don't mind Heineken/becks brewed under contract, the taste is at least similar (how wrong can you go when the flavour is mild anyway). But the guiness brewed under contract is awful stuff...wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot clown pole.
 
AFAIK They always state "Brewed under license by.." somewhere on the case/6 pack/bottle

I'm pretty sure they do that too, usually in the fine print on the back label.
 
It's definately false adversting to call a locally brewed Becks etc Imported. Next time refuse to pay or only pay the local beer price.

Definitions of imported on the Web:

* used of especially merchandise brought from a foreign source; "imported wines"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

But how do you define "foreign"? Does it have to cross internationally recognised boundaries? Because technically speaking each state of Australia is a separate sovereign (since Australia is a federation), it can be argued by people who are pedantic that Victorian made beer in SA is imported.
 
They are - or at least the ones brewed by fosters are. If you cant read the label and identify that it was brewed in Australia, then it wasn't.

I tend to agree though - perhaps they should be labeled "premium" or some other such guff, rather than imported. They are harder and more expensive to brew than the local products, so they will always be more expensive, but they aren't imported and shouldn't be sold as such.

Of course, thats all a bit hard for the local restaurant owner, they just know that heineken is dutch and therefore must be an import. I say just call em beer, price em as you want and let the customer decide whether the one in the green bottle has something he wants to pay extra for... bad business though.

I don't blame the restaurant owners at all really, not everyone cares as much as I do, I know that. I can understant that they are more expensive to brew than standard aussie beers, but some places charge more for them than for I normally pay for microbrewed beers, which really annoys me. I know where'd I'd rather my money went.
 
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