Bitter harvest, bitter beer - United...

Bitter harvest,bitter beer

FFoooodd FFaaccttss NNoo 77

s u s t a i ntthhee aalllliiaannccee ffoorr

bbeetttteerr ffoooodd aanndd ffaarrmmiinngg

94 WHITE LION STREET LONDON N1 9PF

tel: 020-7837-1228 • fax: 020-7837-1141

e-mail:[email protected]

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TThhee iimmppaacctt ooff bbeeeerr pprroodduuccttiioonn aanndd ccoonnssuummppttiioonnoonn ppeeooppllee aanndd tthhee eennvviirroonnmmeenntt

by Alexis Vaughan

Bitter harvest,bitter beer

TThhee iimmppaacctt ooff bbeeeerr pprroodduuccttiioonn aanndd ccoonnssuummppttiioonn oonn ppeeooppllee aanndd tthhee eennvviirroonnmmeenntt

by Alexis Vaughan

iiii iiiiPublished by SUSTAIN: the alliance for better food and farming - 1999




tel: 020-7837-1228 • fax: 020-7837-1141



Published by SUSTAIN: the alliance for better food and farming - 199911 11

Ever since grain was first cultivated, probably before5,000 BC, people have been brewing beer. As early as3,000 BC, a sweet beer was being drunk by theSumerians and Egyptians. Hops were first used toremove excessive sweetness in 700 AD in Bohemia andthe Hallertau region of Germany, and have been usedin Britain since the 15th century (see The history ofhops in the UK).

The ingredients

There are four basic ingredients to beer: malted barley,hops, yeast and water. In most countries, exceptGermany (see The Reinheitsgebot), other ingredientsare usually added, including sugar from sugar beet orsugar cane (to increase the amount of fermentation),and a range of additives.

HHoopp fflloowweerrss,, ppeelllleettss aanndd eexxttrraaccttss

Hops provide the bitter flavour and aroma of beer, andin the UK hop cones are harvested in September. Theplant is then fed into picking and sorting equipment toseparate the cones from the stems and leaves. As thecones are relatively fragile, careful handling is neededthroughout the process. Traditionally the hops are driedin an oast house to reduce moisture content from 80%to 10%. Hops are then bagged up and sent tobreweries for further processing.

Seventy-five percent of all hops are processed toincrease the uniformity of the beer produced.Converting hop flowers into pellets is the simplest andcheapest form of processing. Stored correctly, pelletswill only degrade at one tenth the rate of loose hopsand occupy one quarter of the volume. Pellets are alsoeasier to handle and can offer significant savings in thecost of bittering. Not surprisingly then, in 1995, 50%of English grown hops were turned into pellets, with aquarter being processed into hop extract and only theremaining quarter used as whole hops3.

Some experts claim that processing hops removesmany of the traditional flavours. Most breweries nowsimply pour a thick liquid made from extract of hopsinto the beer.

YYeeaasstt

Yeast is a microscopic fungus that is used for fermentingthe sugars in the malt and converting them into alcoholand carbon dioxide. Genetically modified yeast hasbeen approved for use by the UK government in theproduction of beer, but it is not currently used bybreweries.

WWaatteerr

The water used in the production of beer is at the heartof a pint. Traditionally many breweries were located on

natural springs, such as Burton-on-Trent, where thewater produced good quality beer. Today, breweries areset up in all locations, so to ensure that the water stillproduces a quality pint of beer, the water is treated withadditives. For example, chlorine is removed by addingpotassium metabisulphite or by passing the waterthrough activated charcoal. Brewers dislike hard waterand bicarbonate ions are used to soften it, andpotassium chloride or calcium chloride is added towater to brew darker beers. Gypsum can also be addedto increase both the sulphate and calcium levels, andmagnesium sulphate is sometimes added to increasethe amount of magnesium ions.

GGoooodd aanndd bbaadd nneewwss ffoorr vveeggeettaarriiaann bbeeeerr ddrriinnkkeerrss

Most beers use finings to remove the yeast sedimentfrom a beer. Finings are electrically charged and attractyeast residues. Both finings and yeast then sink to thebottom of the cask. Finings are usually made from thefish swim bladder (traditionally sturgeon) the best ofwhich come from Russia. There have been a fewalternatives used, such as seaweed extract, in theorganic beer by Sam Smith Breweries and Germanorganic beers produced by Pinkus Muller GmbH.Generally these have not proved to be popular withbreweries so beers are hardly ever strictly vegetarian.However, some vegetarians turn a blind eye to suchnews, particularly as beer is an excellent source of thevitamin B12 (from the yeast).

The processes

The flavour of beer depends on a number of factorssuch as the types of malt and hops, the use of otheringredients, and the variety of yeast. The age-oldprocess of brewing is summarised in the table: ‘Brewingale the tradtional way’.

The main difference between ales and lagers is thetype of fermentation used. Lager beers use a bottom-fermenting yeast which sinks to the bottom of thefermenting vessel. Fermentation takes place at a coolertemperature. Ales, which include stouts, milds, bitters,old ales and barley wines, are fermented at a warmertemperature. The yeast forms a thick head at the topof the fermenting vessel.

BBeeeerr –– wwhhaatt iiss iitt??

AA ttyyppiiccaall KKeenntt ooaasstt hhoouussee uusseedd ffoorr ddrryyiinngg hhooppss.. MMoosstthhaavvee bbeeeenn ccoonnvveerrtteedd iinnttoo ffaasshhiioonnaabbllee ppllaacceess ttoo lliivvee..


The history of hops in the UK2

822: First reference to hops in England. However hopswere not used in general use until the 15thcentury.

1520: The weavers of Flanders settled in Kent, bringingnew varieties of hops and the knowledge of howto use them in beer.

1552: Edward VI passes legislation to allow hops to beused in brewing. Prior to this King Henry VIII hadoutlawed their use in brewing. Beers in Tudortimes were strong, sweet brews of malted barleyflavoured with spices, herbs and the bark of trees.

1665: Hops being grown in 14 counties.

1710: Duty on hops imposed for the first time.Smuggling hops becomes a valuable business.

1870: Around 29,000 hectares of hops under cultivationin 53 counties in Great Britain. New varieties,such as Fuggles, being introduced.

1932: Hops Marketing Board set up to ensure asheltered market for hop growers. Abolished in1982 by European Commission.

1995: Two hundred farmers grow 3,088 hectares ofhops. Dwarf varieties of hops introduced.

The Reinheitsgebot - the German beerpurity lawThe Reinheitsgebot is the German beer purity law whichprohibits the use of any materials in brewing other thanmalted barley, hops, yeast and water. It was introduced inBavaria in the 16th century and spread throughoutGermany shortly after. Four hundred years later in 1987 theEuropean Commission ruled the legislation inadmissibleand, since that date, Germany has had to allow “impure”beer to be bought and sold in Germany. However, as aresult of the Reinheitsgebot, the beer from Germanybecame some of the best quality produced in the worldand, to this day, all German brewers still produce their beeraccording to the same legislation.

Brewing ale the traditional way

MMaakkiinngg MMaalltt:: GGeerrmmiinnaattiioonn The grains of barley are soaked in water and allowed to germinate. They are then heated and turned regularly on the floor (or in large drums).

SSttooppppiinngg When the sugars have been extracted from the malt, the barley grains are heated ggeerrmmiinnaattiioonn in a kiln which stops germination. The degree of heat affects the type of malt produced

and the flavour. Malt provides the colour, flavour and body of the beer.

AAddddiinngg ootthheerr Sugar is often added. Other additives improve the appearance of the head, assistiinnggrreeddiieennttss fermentation or act as preservatives.

MMaasshh TTuunn The malt is crushed into a powder and mixed with hot water to form a thick porridgeliquid in a mash tun while the sugars dissolve.

BBrreewwiinngg:: WWoorrtt When the liquid has absorbed enough sugars the liquid, called wort, is run out.

AAddddiinngg HHooppss The wort is then boiled with hops, traditionally with the whole flower head in a 'copper',a large copper vessel for an hour.

HHooppppeedd wwoorrtt The hopped wort is filtered over a bed of boiled hops and then allowed to cool.

FFeerrmmeennttaattiioonn:: YYeeaasstt Yeast is added to the cooling liquid. Within a few hours a scum will appear on top ofthe wort. The traditional yeast used is Saccharomyces cerevisiae at a temperature ofbetween 18oC and 22oC.

GGrreeeenn bbeeeerr After fermentation the 'green beer' is left in conditioning tanks for a few days whilethe remaining yeast continues to turn from sugar into alcohol.

Preparing and serving cask-conditionedale in the pubEvery cask of real ale has two holes for plugs, usually madeof wood, to be inserted. A hard wooden peg seals the cask,whereas a soft wooden peg allows carbon dioxide toescape. In this way the cellar person can carefully monitorthe natural carbonisation of the beer, preventing a flat beeror a beer with a nasty bite. When the fermentation iscomplete the cellar person has to check that the beer isclear, that it has the right level of carbonisation and has lostany unpleasant young flavours. For strong beers, beer maynot have to be drunk for a week or more, but with mostbeers the cask must be finished within a few days. So forcask-conditioned ale to be at its best, there should be ahigh turnover in the pub.

Keg beer compared to cask conditioned ale


KKeegg bbeeeerr

The main aim of 'Keg Beer' or brewery-conditioned beer is to produce a beer witha long shelf life. It is favoured by bigcompanies selling large amounts of beer,since little skill is required to maintain thequality once it has left the brewery andthe beer is of a standard quality.

All conditioning of beer is carried out inthe brewery. Beer is chilled and filtered toremove all the yeast, and pasteurised tomake a sterile product. Finings are alsoused.

The filtration and pasteurisationdramatically change the flavour andcharacter of the beer. Pasteurisation is alsoresponsible for giving the beer a burnt-sugar flavour.

The conditioning also removes the naturalcarbon dioxide. Breweries therefore needto replace this gas to ensure it can bedispensed in the pub with excess CO2.

Most beers now replace the lost CO2 witha mixture of nitrogen (75%) and carbondioxide (25%). This produces a creamierand less fizzy bear. However it alsoremoves bitterness and flavour.

Simply connect the keg of beer to acylinder of gas.

Serve cold at around 5oC

CCaasskk ccoonnddiittiioonneedd aallee

Cask conditioned ale or 'Real Ale'undergoes a second fermentation in thecask. Real ale cannot be preserved for along period and requires skilled care andattention in the pub.

The ale is placed in metal casks, thoughtraditionally wooden casks were used.Sugar is added to encourage furtherfermentation and some beers are 'dry-hopped'. This means a handful of hopsadded to give extra aroma. Finings arealso added. The finings sink to the bottomof the cask, which is then sealed. The beerthen undergoes a second fermentationwithin the cask which is transported to thepub.

The flavour is preserved within the beer.

The gas found in the beer is the naturalcarbon dioxide which is produced fromthe yeast fermenting the malt.

A few ales are now nitro-keg but many donot consider them to be traditional realale.

The beer needs to continue its secondfermentation. The cask is placed in a deepcool cellar. The beer should not be usedfor anything between 1 and 4 daysdepending on the beer. See Preparing andserving cask-conditioned ale in the pub.

Real ale should be served at between12oC and 14oC, cellar temperature.

WWhhaatt iiss iitt??

HHooww iiss tthhee bbeeeerrccoonnddiittiioonneedd??

WWhhaatt iiss tthhee eeffffeecctt ooff tthhiissccoonnddiittiioonniinngg??

WWhhaatt aabboouutt tthhee ggaass iinntthhee bbeeeerr??

WWhhaatt iiss nniittrroo--kkeegg bbeeeerr??

WWhhaatt hhaappppeennss wwhheenn tthheebbeeeerr aarrrriivveess iinn tthhee ppuubb??

WWhhaatt tteemmppeerraattuurreesshhoouulldd bbeeeerr bbee sseerrvveeddaatt??

The end results

Aficionados of beers are sure that traditionallyproduced ales have a superior taste. However over thelast 20 or 30 years the range of ales available hasbeen reduced, as the brewing industry hasconsolidated (see the table: ‘Pubs and breweries’) andmore and more of its production has moved over tokeg beer. The major brewers argue that customerswant a consistent pint, and that is what they provide.Beer experts argue that customers don’t want aconsistently tasteless product, and that’s why they aredeserting real-ale and trying a wide range of otherdrinks. Whatever your views, the graph below showsthat there has certainly been a dramatic decline in theproportion of ales drunk.

The taste of beer

CCaasskk:: These two pictures are of beer poured at thesame time. The glass on the left shows a caskconditioned ale poured using a handpump. Theglass on the right shows exactly the same ale butcooled with a nitrogen/carbon dioxide mixtureadded (see “What is nitrokeg beer?” in the table:‘Keg beer compared to cask conditioned ale’).

The author did a taste-test of these beers. Thecask conditioned ale had flavour served at a cooltemperature. The foam in the glass disappearedwithin a few minutes of being served. The nitrokegglass tasted very cold and comparatively verybland. There was also a slight metallic flavour. Thehead in the glass remained in the glass after 15minutes. However, others may prefer the nitrokegbeer, as its lower temperature can be refreshing andits taste is uncomplicated. The brewers have noticedthis and started brewing their main ales as anitrokeg.

BBoottttlleess:: Beer has traditionallyallowed for the second fermentationto occur within the bottle. Howeverthe Shepherd Neame Brewery (seeCase Study) received so manycomplaints about the sediment inthe bottom of the bottle, thatthe beer is now filtered firstbefore bottling. Somepeople say that the taste ofthe beer is now slightlyinferior. A number ofbreweries do still producebottle-conditioned beer,such as the HampshireBrewery which sells Prideof Romsey. The bottlestates on the side “Toserve - store bottleupright to allowsediment to settle. Pourcarefully into a pintglass to leave sedimentbehind”.


UK beer sales: ales versus lagers4

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

1961

1964

1967

1970

1973

1976

1979

1982

1985

1988

1991

1994

1997

% Consumption of ale and stout

% Consumption of lager

Which countries produce the most beer?

USA

Chin

a

Braz

il

Japa

n

UK

Ger

man

y

Mill

ions

of

hect

olitr

es

236

163

11489

6958


UK production of beer 1900 - 19985

NOTE 1: Since 1993 a new beer duty system was usedbased on volume and alcoholic strength of the finishedproduct which replaced measuring before fermentation. A6% wastage allowance was allowed under the old systemwhich was abolished. The figures have been corrected backto 1985. Therefore there may be a slight discrepancy beforeand after 1985. NOTE 2: 1 Barrel = 288 pints = 5,760 fl oz. = 170 litres

Who consumes the most beer in theworld?

Which countries import the most beer?

Which countries sell the most draught beer(on tap)?

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Den

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1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

1998

Which countries export the most beer?

10.59.3

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Mill

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USA

Ger

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Mex

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44 42

Published by SUSTAIN: the alliance for better food and farming - 1999 66 66

The two main ingredients: hops andbarley

HHooppss

The hop is an essential ingredient in beer as it providesthe bitter and other flavours, as well as acting as apreservative. The plant, Humulus lupulus, is native toEurope and western Asia and is distantly related to thehemp and nettle plants. Hop plants are either male orfemale, and it is only the females which bear thevolatile oils (important to the flavour of beer) and alphain the resin (which give beers the bitterness).

PPrroodduuccttiioonn iinn tthhee UUKK

The majority of hops are grown in Kent andHerefordshire as shown in the map. The hops in theseareas are usually grown as a small part of the farmbusiness providing an extra income for the farmer, andincreased local employment.

Between 1987 and 1998 hop production declinedby 42%, from 4,217 hectares to 2,447 hectares9. TheCase Study: Three generations of hop productionillustrates, through one family’s experience, the extentof the collapse in the industry. Hop production on aglobal level has also declined. In the USA pests anddiseases have dramatically reduced the amount of hopsproduced (though it still produced 17,500 hectares in1998), and Germany too has suffered losses (though itremains a major producer, with 22,000 hectares in1998). As prices are not affected significantly bytransportation costs, breweries in the United Kingdomcan easily buy hops from anywhere on the worldmarket if the processing quality and price of the cropare advantageous. The table above reveals that importsof hops have increased since 1987 with 30% of all hopsimported in 1995.

PPeessttss,, ddiisseeaasseess aanndd ppeessttiicciiddeess

Modern varieties of hops have a very high alpha-acidcontent (for bittering hops) and are often resistant tomany fungal diseases including downy mildew,powdery mildew and verticillium wilt. In the early1990s a new dwarf hop variety was released whichgrows to only half the 4-6 metres of normal hops. The main pests and diseases which affect hops are: thedamson-hop aphid, downy mildew, powdery mildew,verticillium wilt, rust mite, and the spider mites (two-spotted and red). Many of the hop varieties are resistantto some of these diseases, though downy mildew tendsto still be a problem. Aphids and spider mite have alsobeen difficult to control, and are often affected byweather conditions, which determines the amount ofpesticides used. For example the damson-hop aphidhas not been a problem for the past four years, duemainly to wet conditions.

20 years of environmental improvementin the British brewing industry?6

The Brewers’ and Licensed Retailers’ Association recentlyclaimed that 'significant progress' had been made over thepast twenty years towards reducing energy and water usagein the brewing industry. The biannual study found that:

l Natural gas provided over 63% of the total energybut created only 42% of the total CO2 emissions.Electricity is responsible for most of the CO2emission providing only 21.8% of the energy.

l Water consumption has reduced from 9 pints to 6pints of water used for every pint of beer produced.

Area of England under hops7

Varieties of hops distributed in England(1998)7

BBeeeerr aanndd tthhee eennvviirroonnmmeenntt

11999955

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PPeessttiicciiddee uussee oonn hhooppss

In 1992 (the last MAFF survey on pesticide usage onhops), 51% of the total area of hops treated bypesticides were sprayed with fungicides, 18% withherbicides, 25% with insecticides and aracicides (mitecontrol) and 6% with defoliants. In the same surveyMAFF found that the average farmer would spray thehops 16.7 times with an average of over 28 pesticideproducts10. Dr Peter Darby of Horticulture ResearchInternational (see Contacts) currently estimates thatalthough the number of annual sprays is still between12 to 14, there are only around 15 pesticide productsused on average. Indeed most of theorganophosphates and pyrethroids and now no longerused by hop farmers, and there is a concerted effortto reduce pesticide inputs,mainly for economicreasons.

The effects of the pesticides on the environment iswell known, and is illustrated in the photographs. Thefirst shows an organic hop field and the second a non-organic hop area, both taken within a few weeks ofeach other. The conventional hop field uses herbicidesas traditionally, the land cannot be ploughed tocontrol the spread of verticillium wilt. Aphids areusually controlled by an aphicide, which is systemic(working within the plant) and is claimed to beinnocuous to other insects.

CCoonnvveennttiioonnaall hhooppss hhaavvee aa ‘‘ssccoorrcchheedd eeaarrtthh’’ llooookk,,mmaaiinnllyy ttoo ccoonnttrrooll tthhee sspprreeaadd ooff VVeerrttiicciilllliiuumm wwiilltt,, aa ssooiillbboorrnnee ddiisseeaassee..

Hops: area, yield, production and supply8

11998877 11998899 11999911 11999933 11999955

AArreeaa ((hheeccttaarreess)) 4,217 3,923 3,696 3,428 3,281

YYiieelldd ((ttoonnnneess ppeerr hheeccttaarree)) 1.31 1.26 1.71 1.62 1.33

PPrroodduuccttiioonn ((‘‘000000ss ttoonnnneess)) 5.5 4.9 6.3 5.6 4.4

IImmppoorrttss((‘‘000000ss ttoonnnneess)) 2.2 2.2 1.6 2.6 3.0

EExxppoorrttss((‘‘000000ss ttoonnnneess)) 0.8 2.2 1.4 1.1 1.1

TToottaall SSuuppppllyy ((‘‘000000ss ttoonnnneess)) 6.9 4.9 6.5 7.0 6.2

HHoommee PPrroodduuccttiioonn aass aa %% ooff ttoottaall ssuuppppllyy 79.8 100.0 96.9 79.1 70.0

OOrrggaanniicc hhooppss wwiitthh mmuussttaarrdd ggrroowwnn uunnddeerrnneeaatthh.. TThheemmuussttaarrdd aattttrraaccttss aapphhiiddss,, wwhhiicchh iinn ttuurrnn aattttrraaccttsspprreeddaattoorrss wwhhoo aarree tthheenn rreeaaddyy ttoo ccoonnssuummee tthheeddaammssoonn--aapphhiidd,, wwhhiicchh aarrrriivveess llaatteerr iinn tthhee yyeeaarr..


The switch from spring barley to winterbarley12

Case Study: Three generations of hopproductionThe Tompsett family has been growing hops for threegenerations in the South East of England. In 1996 thefamily grew 40 hectares of hops, 37 hectares in 1997, 7hectares in 1998 but in 1999 only half a hectare. Noneof these hops are used to produce beer. Instead they aresold, ironically, to passing tourists as a souvenir of Kent - amemento of a dying industry. “It’s a very difficult time forhop farmers in the UK with breweries now importingcheaper hops from abroad. Hops from abroad are also ofexcellent quality originating from the USA in Oregon,California and the Yakayma Valley in Washington State”says David Tompsett. “We’re just waiting for the UK hopmarket to pick up again”. Fortunately, the EuropeanCommission is paying David Tompsett a 'resting grant' toensure that the frames of wooden poles and wires are notremoved. This means as and when the hop market recovers,the family will be able to re-enter the industry.

Production of barley in the UK11

AAvveerraaggee 11999944 11999955 11999966 11999977 11999988 ((11998877--8899)) ((pprroovviissiioonnaall))

AArreeaa ((''000000ss hheeccttaarreess)) 1,788 1,108 1,193 1,269 1,359 1,255

YYiieelldd ((ttoonnnneess // hheeccttaarree)) 4.86 5.37 5.73 6.14 5.76 5.21

UUKK pprroodduuccttiioonn 8,693 5,952 6,842 7,789 7,828 6,537((''000000ss ttoonnnneess))

TToottaall uusseedd iinn UUKK 6,437 5,365 5,618 5,967 5,651 5,544((''000000ss ttoonnnneess))

%% uusseedd ffoorr bbrreewwiinngg 28% 33% 34% 33% 34% 36%aanndd ddiissttiilllliinngg

%% uusseedd ffoorr aanniimmaall ffeeeedd 66% 62% 61% 62% 61% 60%

Pesticide usage on spring and winter barley in Great Britain, 199613

BBaarrlleeyy IInnsseeccttiicciiddeess FFuunnggiicciiddeess HHeerrbbiicciiddeess GGrroowwtthh MMoolllluusscciicciiddeess AAllll RReegguullaattoorrss

%% aarreeaa ooff ccrroopp Winter 71.7 94.1 96.3 63.4 4.1 -ttrreeaatteedd wwiitthh Spring 7.6 79.1 95.5 9.8 0.4 -ppeessttiicciiddeess

NNuummbbeerr ooff sspprraayy Winter 0.9 2.1 1.8 1.1 <0.1 4.0trroouunnddss aapppplliieedd Spring 0.1 1.3 1.4 0.1 <0.1 2.3

NNuummbbeerr ooff Winter 0.9 3.4 2.6 1.1 <0.1 8.1pprroodduuccttss aapppplliieedd** Spring 0.1 2.0 2.2 0.1 <0.1 4.4

NNuummbbeerr ooff aaccttiivvee Winter 0.9 4.9 3.6 1.4 <0.1 10.7ssuubbssttaanncceess aapppplliieedd** Spring 0.1 2.7 3.3 0.1 <0.1 6.2

* includes repeat applications

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

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1979 1997

SSpprriinngg

WWiinntteerrWWiinntteerr

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Peter Hall is a fruit farmer in Marden, Kent. He is also theonly farmer in the UK growing organic hops. Target Farm is120 hectares with only one hectare used to produce organichops. Other crops include apples and pears, produced usingboth organic and IFP (Integrated Fruit Production)techniques.

A mustard crop grew between the rows of hops toprovide both a place for predators to live and a greenmanure for the following year. Other weeds grow aroundthe crop which therefore looks very different to a non-organic hop area, which tend to have bare soil beneath thehops. At the top of each pole are cut plastic bottles. Theseare used to hibernate lacewings over winter to ensure thatthese predators are ready to eat their share of aphids. PeterHall showed tiny eggs on many of the leaves, proudlyproclaiming them to be the eggs of a predator such as oneof the many varieties of ladybird. These predators play animportant role in the protection of organic hops, and animportant part of that protection is to keep them in the hopfield. Populations of aphids should not be wiped out, as abalance of aphids and predators is needed.

The hops are Wye Target which are tolerant to verticilliumwilt and resistant to powdery mildew. However, they aresusceptible to downy mildew which is controlled by frequentsprayings of copper oxide. It is likely that copper-basedsprays will be banned from organic farming in 2002 andPeter Hall admits that growing organic hops will be verydifficult unless a substitute can be found by then. Aphidsare controlled by Savona (an insecticidal soap) which isapplied, if needed, when it rains to increase its effectiveness.His main problem is spider mite which has no natural

predators. This can be controlled by spraying with the non-indigenous bacteria Phytoselius persimillis but unfortunatelythis is not effective with the tall varieties of the hop. Indeed,Peter Hall would be happy to convert his hops to the dwarfvariety for this very reason, but the costs are prohibitivewithout a guaranteed buyer.

As Peter Hall says, “Hops require huge capital investmentand large companies are not interested in long termcommitments or partnerships with farmers. Growerstherefore do not have the confidence to grow organic ornon-organic hops. The irony is that hops make up a fractionof the capital cost for a brewery, as only small amounts ofhops are needed. Breweries are now more interested inbuying the cheapest hops possible, even if this means havingto buy them in from New Zealand”.

However, premiums for organic hops are very high andit is surprising that so few farmers have entered the market.In one hectare, a non-organic site will yield £2,000 worthof hops, while an organic site will yield five times as much,£10,000. Peter Hall has found that with time the organichops need less attention, as the predators and pests becomebalanced in numbers and the fertility of the soil increases.

Peter Hall has proved that growing organic hops in theUK is feasible and beneficial to the local environment. Hisexperience highlights the need for breweries to forge longterm commitments with hop growers in England. Thebenefits of organic hops heavily outweigh the small increasein the price of a pint of organic beer, and purchasing thosehops in England is an important step towards reducing the“Food Miles” of beer (see the section: ‘Beer miles’).

Case Study: The solitary UK organic hop farmer

HHooppss iinntteerrccrrooppppeedd wwiitthh mmuussttaarrddPPeetteerr HHaallll iinnssppeeccttiinngg hhiiss oorrggaanniicc hhooppss

1100


easier to grow in drier temperate areas, as high rainfallcan wash out much of the nitrogen from the soil. It is surprising that so few organic beers exist given thehigh and rising demand for organic food and drink in theUK. At the time of writing there are three organic beersbrewed in the UK: Golden Promise by CaledonianBreweries, Organic Best Ale by Samuel Smith Breweriesand, most recently, EcoWarrior by Pitfield Breweries inLondon. Brakspear Breweries in Henley-on-Thames isalso considering brewing an organic beer. Also availablein the UK are a number of imported organic beers(mainly quality lagers), particularly from Germany suchas Bucher’s organic pilsner and Pinkus Muller GmbHOrganic Beer.

Organic beers may be a way for family-runand other small or microbreweries tomarket their beers. However, ideally,organic beer should include otherfactors such as reducing the numberof beer miles (see below),introducing and supporting long-term commitments for Britishorganic farmers, andincorporating the use of otherenvironmental measures such asreusing bottles. Sam SmithBreweries, for example, importtheir organic hops from NewZealand. With more forwardplanning and long-term agreementswith farmers, organic hop and barleyproduction could increase in the UK.

The environmental benefits of organicfarming

There have been several studies that show the benefitsof organic farming on the environment as compared withconventional farming systems. One case study by EastAnglia University18 showed that during the conversionperiod there were "demonstrable reductions in overallenvironmental impacts associated with the conversion, [toorganic], with evidence of increased species diversity…".The study also found that regardless of the farm beingorganic or conventional, farm management practicestrongly influenced the environmental impact. The studyfound that populations of butterflies and other beneficialinsects were all more abundant on the organic farms,though higher aphid populations existed on conventionalfarms. There is also little doubt that the use of pesticides byfarmers has also caused bird populations to decline.Campbell and Cooke in 199719,20 showed that there wasevidence of an indirect link between pesticide use and birdpopulations, and Potts in 198621 proved a direct linkbetween partridge populations and pesticide use.

A farmer needs to create a balance in the field of bothpredators and pests. Aphids are needed throughout theseason to ensure that the predators (such as ladybirds) donot leave or die out. However aphid populations need tobe kept at a level which does not excessively damage thecrop.

PPiinnkkuuss’’ OOrrggaanniicc BBeeeerr -- ““IInnggrreeddiieennttss:: WWaatteerr,,oorrggaanniicc BBaarrlleeyymmaalltt,, oorrggaanniicc wwhheeaatt mmaalltt,,aanndd oorrggaanniicc hhooppss.. PPaacckkaaggiinngg mmaatteerriiaallss aarreemmaaddee ffrroomm rreeccyyccllaabbllee ggllaassss,, rreeccyycclleeddppaappeerr aanndd cchheemmiiccaall--ffrreeee iinnkk.. UUssee ooff PPVVCCiinnssiiddee tthhee ccrroowwnn ttoopp aanndd aalluummiinniiuumm ffooiilliiss pprroohhiibbiitteedd”” -- IItt’’ss nnoott jjuusstt wwhhaatt’’ss iinn tthheebboottttllee..

SSaamm SSmmiitthh OOrrggaanniicc BBeesstt AAllee --““IInnggrreeddiieennttss:: wwaatteerr,, oorrggaanniicc mmaalltteedd

bbaarrlleeyy,, oorrggaanniicc ccaannee ssuuggaarr,, yyeeaasstt.. oorrggaanniicchhooppss,, sseeaawweeeedd ffiinniinnggss,, ccaarrbboonn ddiiooxxiiddee""

Published by SUSTAIN: the alliance for better food and farming - 19991122

Beer miles

The phrase Food Miles (or in this case, Beer Miles) is ashorthand way to describe the distance that ingredientstravel before they reach you, and they are a goodindicator of environmental sustainability. Food and drinkwhich is transported longer distances causes higher levelsof pollution and often leads to more intensive productionmethods22.

The ingredients in beer, and beer itself, are oftentransported long distances. The UK export market forbeer was worth around £216 million in 1997 andimports were worth over £290 million in the same year23.With the rise of global beer brands it is not surprising thatbeers are increasingly being imported and exported.

If the beer industry continues to consolidate (see Pubsand Breweries below) the number of beer miles willprobably increase. In general, if beer is from a largebrewery it is likely to have travelled further than if it camefrom a small or micro-brewery. The example belowshows two extreme possibilities.

1122

Case Study: The Pitfield Brewery - brewingan organic beer

In 1982 Pitfield Brewery started brewing cask-conditioned ales at The Beer Shop, and five years laterthey won the Champion of Britain award with theirPitfield Dark Star. The shop now stocks over 500 types ofbeer from around the world, and 10 of these are organic.

All the beer produced from the brewery is sold tocarefully screened localpubs in London within theM25. The reason that thepubs are carefully selectedis to ensure that the caskconditioned beer istreated correctly by thepublican to guaranteethat the customer isserved a good qualitypint. Over a quarter ofall the beer brewed onthe premises is sold inThe Beer Shop.

Pitfield brewerybrews an organic beercalled EcoWarrior. Thebeer is also vegetarianas no finings are used -the yeast is allowed tosettle to the bottom of

the cask over a period of time. Thebottled EcoWarrior is also bottle-conditioned. TheHallertau hops are imported from New Zealand and thebarley is from Scotland, though Pitfield Brewery is keento buy all its organic ingredients from the UK.

Pitfield Brewery is a small brewery, producing aroundfour barrels a week, and is keen to see a Progressive BeerDuty (see the section ‘Taxes’ on page 19) introduced asthey find it difficult to compete with the big brewers. Forexample large brewers would sell their beer with up to45% discountcompared with thePitfield Brewery,both paying thesame level of duty.Pitfield Brewerytherefore focuses onproducing goodquality and organicbeers, and isconsidering usingorganic ingredientsin all its beers.

For moreinformation aboutPitfield Breweryand The Beer Shop- see Contacts.

UK imports and exports of beer24

Thousands of Barrels

IImmppoorrttss EExxppoorrttss

1993 2,800.1 1,283.4

1994 3,160.4 1,936.1

1995 3,174.2 1,844.8

1996 3,416.4 2,233.0

1997 3,350.3 1,889.5

NOTE: 1 Barrel = 288 pints = 5,760 fl oz. = 170 litres

MMaaiinn EExxaammppllee ooff EExxaammppllee ooff IInnggrreeddiieennttss llooww ffoooodd mmiilleess hhiigghh ffoooodd mmiilleess

MMaalltt Barley* from Barley from USAScotland

HHooppss Hops* from Kent Hops from New Zealand

WWaatteerr Local to brewery Local to brewery

YYeeaasstt At brewery At brewery

SSuuggaarr East Anglia Australia

LLooccaattiioonn ooff Local village Germanybbrreewweerryy

EEssttiimmaatteedd 600 miles 24,000 milesttoottaall nnuummbbeerr ooff ffoooodd mmiilleess

*Organic hops and barley are also likely to have fewerfood miles in their production than non-organic, asfertilisers and pesticides do not have to be transported.

Published by SUSTAIN: the alliance for better food and farming - 1999

A bottle of beer

The casks in pubs are always re-used, as are the glasseswe drink from, making this the best option for theenvironment. However, the graph shows that this wayof consuming beer has been declining since the 1980s,to be replaced by non-returnable cans and bottles.Arguably the most dramatic change has been the collapsein the proportion of returnable beer bottles used, froma third in 1961 to a mere 2% in 1997. It doesn’t haveto be like this, as the Case Study: The Danish beer bottleillustrates.

1133 1133

Beer sales by type of packaging (percentage)25

Note: Prior to 1974 differences between non-returnable cans and bottles were not given.

Case Study: The Danish beer bottle

In July 1981 Denmark introduced a new recycling schemewhich limited the types of bottles used for beverages.Restrictions on the shape of the bottle were introduced toensure that the new recycling system was both efficient andsuccessful. Only 30 shapes were approved and all weremade of glass. Legislation was needed because thevoluntary re-use system which had existed had begun todisintegrate, as Danish beer manufacturers started to usecans and different shaped bottles. The Danish governmentdecided that the benefits to the environment exceeded anycosts that might be incurred by beer and soft drinkcompanies.

In fact, Danish manufacturers supported the legislationas they had already begun to adopt the new bottle shapes,but manufacturers outside Denmark, particularly inGermany, complained of unfair competition. The case wasbrought to the European Court of Justice who found infavour of the Danish government since the Danish law didnot discriminate between imports and domesticmanufacturers. As a result of this important ruling, other ECmember states, such as Italy, Austria and Germany, are nowimplementing similar legislation.

This is not surprising, as the legislation has been verysuccessful. Customers return the bottles for a refund on asmall deposit, and around 99% of all glass bottles are re-used, some up to 30 times.

For more information see the web on:http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu/ted/danish.htm

Did you know?26

l There are 24 large, 70 medium to small and500 microbreweries in the UK

l Total annual production was 57 millionhectolitres with a market value of around £15billion

l 35 million cubic metres of water per annumis used in the brewing process

l The annual energy bill in breweries is £35million and CO2 emission weighed 825,000tonnes

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

1961

1964

1967

1970

1973

1976

1979

1982

1985

1988

1991

1994

1997

Draught beer

Non-returnable cans

Non-returnable bottlesReturnable bottles


The UK government has estimated the cost of alcoholto the health, welfare and criminal justice services ataround £10 billion per year. This represents not onlydeaths from alcohol-related diseases, accidents andviolence, but untold suffering both from illness andby the family and friends of those affected. The WorldCancer Research Fund concluded, in their report Food,Nutrition and the prevention of Cancer,27 that themore alcohol consumed, the greater the risk ofbecoming ill with cancer. The report recommends thatconsumers abstain from all alcohol or consume lowquantities and notes: "It is estimated that one in fivehospital beds [in Europe] is occupied as a result ofdiseases or disorders in which alcohol plays acontributory part".

At the same time, there is no doubt that alcohol,including beer, is an enjoyable part of life for most UKcitizens. The carnage caused by excess alcoholconsumption could be prevented if people dranksensibly. Indeed, studies have shown that beerdrinking in moderation does not endanger humanhealth. Heavy drinking, on the other hand, is directly

related to premature death as the table: ‘Heavydrinking, higher risk’ shows. Part of the reason why people have difficulty stayingwithin sensible drinking limits is because they are notaware of what the limits are, or how their drinkinghabits fit these limits. Around 21 units of alcohol perweek is the upper limit for men, and around 14alcohol units per week is the maximum for women(because they tend to be smaller and women cannotmetabolise alcohol as easily as men). The table showshow many units of alcohol there are in a range ofcommon drinks.

Why are ingredients not listed onbeer?

Since 1979, under European legislation, the additivesand ingredients used to make drinks have to bedeclared on the label, but only if the drink containsless than 1.2% alcohol. Beer may contain manyingredients to improve the head on beers, increaseshelf life and impart better colour and flavours. Otheradditives include sulphite preservatives, artificialsweeteners, enzymes and stabilisers, but theseingredients are not shown on many popular beers.Many breweries even claim that it may be illegal tolist the ingredients. A few of the smaller breweries,however, do proudly list their ingredients.

In 1997, amendments were suggested to the 1979EC legislation to ensure that ingredients are listed ondrinks with more than 1.2% alcohol, though theproposal does not extend to listing all ingredientsquantitatively. The proposal30 even stated that theinclusion of ingredients which "constitute more than5% of the foodstuff [would] result in a surfeit ofinformation which would confuse consumers". Thereis obviously a long way to go before full quantitativeingredients are listed on beer bottles. For moreinformation about labelling contact CAMRA and theFood Commission- see Contacts.

Heavy drinking, higher riskA 21 year study by the University of Glasgow28

analysed the drinking habits and health of 5766Scottish employed men, taking account of other riskfactors (such as smoking) and socio-economicfactors. The study found that men drinking up to 14units of alcohol (7 pints of beer) per week showedsimilar mortality rates to non-drinkers. Above thislevel there was a graded association between highermortality risk and alcohol consumption.

There was no clear link between alcoholconsumption and death from coronary heartdisease, but there was a strong correlation with fatalstrokes. The study also found that men who drankmore than 22 units (11 pints) a week were puttingtheir health at significant risk, while those mendrinking more than 35 units (17 pints) a weekdouble their risk of premature mortality comparedwith non-drinkers.

Units of Alcohol29

DDrriinnkk UUnniittss

1/2 pint of beer 1

1/2 pint of strong beer 2

1/2 pint of lager 1

1/2 pint of stout 1.5

1/2 pint of cider 1.5

1 glass of wine (9% abv) 1

1 glass of wine (12% abv) 1.5

1 measure of spirits (40% abv) 1

PPooiissoonn cchhaalliiccee??


Market share by beer production for 1989and 1997

Microbreweries 1%

Guinness 4%

Whitbread 11%

Microbreweries 2%

Guinness 3%

RegionalBrewers 11%

Allied (CarlsbergTetley) 15%

Whitbread 16%

ScottishCourage 23%

Bass 30%

Microbreweries - Success or bankruptcy?SSttrreennggtthhss WWeeaakknneesssseess

High level of service Lack of trade contracts

Potentially high quality Reliance on free trade

Local identity of beers Lack of financial backing

Free to innovate Bad debts

Organise and participate Cash flow problems in local beer festivals including late payments

Produce one-off brews Lost casksand special beers such as vegetarian or organic

Contribute to diversity Loss of outlets to sell beerand consumer choice.

Lack of promotional activity

Total number of breweries in the UK31

The brewing and pub industry has undergone radicalchanges in the past ten years. In March 1989 theMonopolies Commission produced a report entitledThe Supply of Beer (known as the Beer Orders) whichwas to have far-reaching consequences for the industry:

l A maximum limit was set on the number ofpubs a brewery could own, leading to aseparation between brewing and pubownership. There are now over 200 non-brewing pub chains and the sector accounts forone-third of all pubs, shifting the balance ofpower from brewers to retailers.

l Pub companies and breweries haveconcentrated on developing “theme” pubs and,in the process, many traditional pubs have beenlost.

l National brewers have diversified into other‘leisure activities’ such as health clubs, hotels,restaurants, fast-food chains and casinos, andhave reacted to increased competition byoffering larger discounts to pub companies andconsumers.

Breweries

In 1989 the six big brewers shared about 80% of theUK beer market. This monopoly of the market wassupposed to improve after the Monopolies CommissionReport, but by 1998 only four brewers dominated83% of the market.

Microbreweries, however, have done remarkablywell, thanks to their innovative marketing techniques,such as new ales and distinctive bottle shapes. So thedramatic decline in the number of small, independentbreweries has been reversed in the last two decades.

MMiiccrroobbrreewweerriieess

Microbreweries have been the latest successfulenterprise to challenge the dominance of the big fourcompanies, but still their market share of beerproduction is only around 2%. The typicalmicrobrewery is either a stand alone unit producingbetween 1000 to 5000 barrels a year or a pub witha brewery attached. The profit margins can be verytight and companies are very susceptible tobankruptcy. The table below summarises the strengthsand weaknesses of the microbrewery.

The major threat to the microbreweries is that thenational breweries will consolidate their marketposition by buying small and regional breweries andthen closing them down.

Despite their problems the microbreweries havehelped to provide more local jobs (often in ruralareas), an extra income for farmers, support for localservices, and of course, increased choice for localconsumers of a variety of beers.

PPuubbss aanndd bbrreewweerriieess

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 700019001910192019301940195019601970198019901997

Source: CAMRA - personal communication

RegionalBrewers 14%

Scottish andNewcastle 10%

Allied (CarlsbergTetley) 17%

Courage / GrandMet 20%

Bass 23%

1989

1997

The big four breweries - what they own in 1999


BBrreewweerriieess ((tthhoosseeccrroosssseedd oouutt hhaavveebbeeeenn cclloosseedd))

CCaasskk--ccoonnddii--ttiioonneedd aalleess

LLaaggeerrss

NNiittrroo--kkeeggss

CCaarrllssbbeerrgg--TTeettlleeyy

Tetley, LeedsCarlsberg Brewery,NorthamptonAlloaWrexham Lager,Wrexham

Ind Coope BurtonAleTetley BitterShipstonesGreenallsDavenports

CarlsbergSkolCastlemaine XXXXWrexham LagerTuborgLabattLowenbrau

Calders

SSccoottttiisshh CCoouurraaggee

Tyne Brewery,NewcastleRoyal Brewery,Manchester (Kegonly)John SmithsBrewery, TadcasterBristol Brewery*Berkshire Brewery,Reading (keg only)T&R Theakstons,Masham

All TheakstonsCourage Best andDirectorsMcEwanYoungerNo. 3John Smiths BitterMagnetWebster’s GreenLabelYorkshire BItter

HofmeisterMiiler PilsnerHolsten PilsColt 45BudweiserKronenbourg 1664Carlsberg GenuinePilsnerFosters Draught

Gillespies

WWhhiittbbrreeaadd

Boddingtons,ManchesterFlowers Brewery,CheltenhamCastle Eden, CoDurhamMagor Brewery,Gwent (Keg only)Samlesbury (kegonly)

BoddingtonsFlowersBestIPAOriginalCastle Eden

Stella ArtoisHeinekenTooheys

Boddingtons Gold

BBaassss

Tadcaster (keg only)Cape Hill,BirminghamBurton Brewery(Burton on Trent)Manor Park, Alton(keg only)Wellpark, GlasgowBass, UlsterWelsh Brewers,CardiffCannon, Sheffield

Draught BassM&B MildM&B Brew XIWorthington DarkMild and DraughtBitterHancock’s HBToby CaskStones Bitter

Carling labelLamot LagerTennent’s Extra

Caffreys

The brewing industry is highly dynamic and more changes will occur. This list is correct in the Spring of 1999*Due to close in November 1999. Source: CAMRA - personal communication.

AA sseelleeccttiioonn ooff rreeaall aalleess bbyy iinnddeeppeennddeennttbbrreewweerriieess


Case Study: The Shepherd Neame - theoldest independent brewery in the UKThe Shepherd Neame is said to be the oldest brewery inBritain, and has been brewing beer since 1698 inFaversham, Kent. Faversham is known to have been the sitefor brewing since the 12th century, using the local naturalspring water. The Shepherd Neame brews cask-conditionedales as well as lager under licence, including Oranjeboom,Sun Lik (aChinese beer)and Kingfisherfound in manyIndianrestaurants. Thecompany alsoowns over 400pubs in Kent,London, Surreyand Sussex.

Most of thecask conditionedales are sold tothe brewer’s own pubs, and most of the bottles are soldto supermarkets and off-licences. The beer is also soldabroad including to Sweden, the USA, Russia, Italy, Canada,and South Africa. Ironically half a million bottles of beer aresold to French supermarkets in northern France, only to besold to British tourists on a shopping spree! Bottles of beerin Calais sell for half the price of those sold in the UK (seeTaxes on page 19).

Case Study: Old legends and amicrobrewery in LeicestershireThe John O’Guant Brewing Company is based in Somerby,near Melton Mobray in Leicestershire. Celia Frew startedbrewing part-time in July 1997 and by June 1998 was ableto concentrate on the brewery full-time. The first beer tobe brewed was ‘Robin a Tiptoe’ and is still the brewery’sbest seller. The beer has also been very successful in anumber of beer festivals, winning several awards. There arenow three beers produced (‘Cropped Oak’ and ‘CoatO’Red’). In November 1998, the company was able to buyan adjacent pub called The Old Brewery Inn.

The names of the beers allcome from old Leicester-shirelegends. For example thename Robin a Tiptoe is takenfrom a 15th century tale inwhich Robin was hanged forhis crimes on the hill “TiltonThree Trees”. Howeverlegend has it that Robin wasso tall that the tips of his toestouched the ground... andthen tip-toed to freedom?

TThhee OOlldd BBrreewweerryy IInnnn,, SSoommeerrbbyy


PubsMost pubs in the UK are not owned by the largebrewery companies but are now owned by specificpub companies, as shown in the table: ‘Market shareby pub ownership’.

The pub companies which, in 1998, had over athird of all pubs, are dominated by a few largecompanies, listed below in the table: ‘The top ten pubowners in the UK’. The Grand Pub Company, whichis owned by the Japanese investment bank Normura,owns the largest share with over 5,000 pubs. AlliedDomecq owns 3,750 pubs and Greenalls owns 2,230pubs. The big brewers also own a similar number ofpubs.

Are you being served?

So, you may have just discovered that the beer youdrink is owned by one of the major four brewers, andnot an independent, and that the pub you drink in,despite its new name, is not independent either. Andit might be even worse than you think. Although rare,and difficult to prove, there may be instances where pubcustomers are not getting the full value of their pint:

11.. DDiilluuttiioonn:: Here the cask can be diluted with up toabout 5% water before the average customerwould notice. This is a rare practice but, as thepressure increases on the pub owner to get the fullnumber of pints from each cask, so this willcontinue.

22.. FFiilltteerr BBaacckk:: Here the beer from the drip trays isfiltered back into the cask along with the first fewpints pulled. Again this is rare, but it can affect thetaste of the beer.

33.. SShhoorrtt PPiinntt:: This is the most common problem, withsome pubs providing 95% beer and 5% foam.After only 20 pints, one pint has been saved.Officially customers are entitled to a free top upwith good grace from the pub, but this does notalways happen. The Campaign for Real Ale(CAMRA) revealed that 1 in 4 pints are servedshort and that 80% of all pubs sold short measurepints. The easiest solution is, of course, to uselegislation to enforce a full pint, but the beerindustry has resisted such a solution. Most recently,the government has shown its intention to laydown legislation which will ensure that customerswill receive a full pint in a pub.

Did you know?

All pubs must be allowed to sell one guest beer oftheir choice. Even pubs which are ‘tied’ to breweriesor pub companies can still serve a beer of theirchoice. However pubs are often presented with ashort list by the parent company from which theycan ‘voluntarily’ choose a guest beer. Guest beerson these lists tend to be cheaper and are not alwaysfrom a local brewery.

Market share by pub ownership 1989 -1997

11998899 11999977

Allied Domecq 10.6% 6.1%(no longer a brewer)

Bass 11.1% 4%

Courage 7.9% -

Grand Met 8.7% -

Scottish and Newcastle 3.8% 4.3%

Whitbread 10.1% 5.3%

Regionals 13.8% 19%

Pub Companies < 1% 31%

Freehouses 34% 30%

Micros - 0.2%

Source: CAMRA - personal communication The top ten pub owners in the UK, 1998NNaammee ooff PPuubb CChhaaiinn NNuummbbeerr ooff PPuubbss

Nomura >5,000

Allied Domecq 3,750

Whitbread (Brewery) 3,250

Scottish & Newcastle (Brewery) 2,641

Bass (Brewery) 2,500

Enterprise 2,270

Pubmaster 2,100

Punch 1,428

Greenalls 1,000

Century 500

TToottaall 2244,,443399

Source: CAMRA - personal communication

Did You Know?

If you feel that your pint is short in a pub, then youcan ask for a top-up which has to be given with goodgrace. (If you have any problems contact your localauthority Trading Standards Officer)

TaxesUK excise duty on beer is one of the highest in theworld, at 32 pence for each pint drunk. Given that oneof our neighbouring European countries, France, hasa duty of only 5 pence per pint, a large amount ofbeer is now being imported by individuals visitingsupermarkets around Calais, and by smugglersprofiting from the price differential.

Since 1980 the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA)has been campaigning for a Progressive Beer Duty(PBD), where smaller brewers would pay less tax thanthe largest. This progressive tax aims to enable smallerbreweries to compete with the larger breweries,thereby creating more consumer choice, more jobs,and an increase in the diversity of beers manufacturedand types of hops and malts grown.

The campaign was boosted in 1989, by the by theMonopolies and Mergers Commission report whichrecommended that such a system be introduced, andagain in 1993, when the concept was enshrined inEuropean law. A PBD system has been in operation inGermany for many years, and has also beenintroduced in the USA, and it appears to be verysuccessful in supporting small breweries. So far, theUK Government has refused to implement it, despitecalculations showing the cost of such a tax would beonly 0.05% of the current beer tax.


Case Study: CAMRA - promoting good beerThe Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is a uniqueindependent consumer organisation, with over54,000 members. CAMRA is a non-profit bodyrun locally and nationally and campaigns topromote high quality tasty beer and wider choice:

l locally, to save individual pubs

l nationally, on planning, licensing and taxlaws

CAMRA also promotes distinctive beers throughpositive awards, over 145 beer festivals a yearand campaigns for higher standards in breweriesand pubs.

CAMRA produces the Good Beer Guide, editedby Jonathon Preece. The book lists over 5000pubs in the UK which serve cask conditioned ales,

2000 varieties ofbeer and over 600pub chains andbreweries.

Rates of excise duty on beer in theEuropean Union32

ABV = Alcohol by volume, expressed as a percentage.

Aus

tria

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Belg

ium

Den

mar

k

Finl

and

Fran

ce

Ger

man

y

Gre

ece

Irel

and

Ital

y

Luxe

mbo

urg

Net

herl

ands

Port

ugal

Spai

n

Swed

en UK

CCaann rreeaall--aalleess aanndd oorrggaanniicc bbeeeerr ssuurrvviivvee tthhee nneexxtt mmiilllleennnniiuumm??

Action and Information onSugars

Arid Lands InitiativeAgricultural Christian

FellowshipAssociation of Public AnalystsAssociation of School Health

Education Co-ordinatorsAssociation of Unpasteurised

Milk ProducersBaby Milk ActionBio-Dynamic Agricultural

AssociationBritish Association for the

Study of CommunityDentistry

British Dental AssociationBritish Diabetic AssociationBritish Heart FoundationButterfly ConservationCampaign for Real AleCaroline Walker TrustCatholic Institute for

International RelationsChildren’s SocietyCommon GroundCommonwork Land TrustCommunity Nutrition GroupCompassion in World FarmingConsensus Action on Salt and

HypertensionCouncil for the Protection of

Rural EnglandEast Anglia Food LinkEcological FoundationEcologistElm Farm Research CentreFarm Animal Care TrustFamily Farmers’ AssociationFarm and Food SocietyFarmers’ Link

Federation of City Farms andCommunity Gardens

FLAG (Food LabellingAgenda)

Food Additive CampaignTeam

Food CommissionFood for Health NetworkFriends of the EarthGaia FoundationGenetics ForumGMB (Britain’s General Union)Green NetworkGuild of Food WritersHealth Education TrustHenry Doubleday Research

AssociationHyperactive Children’s

Support Group Institute of European and

Environmental Policy,London

Land HeritageLocal Authorities Co-

ordinating Body on Foodand Trading Standards(LACOTS)

Maternity AllianceMcCarrison SocietyNational Association of

Teachers of HomeEconomics and Technology

National Confederation ofParent-Teacher Associations

National Council of WomenNational Dental Health

Education GroupNational Farmers’ UnionNational Federation of

Consumer Groups

National Federation ofWomen’s Institutes

Northern Ireland Chest, Heartand Stroke Association

Oral Health PromotionResearch Group

Permaculture AssociationPesticides TrustPlantlifeRural Agricultural and Allied

Workers’ Union (TGWU)Scottish Crofters’ UnionScottish Federation of

Community Food InitiativesSociety of Health Education

and Health PromotionSpecialists

Soil AssociationTownswomen’s GuildUK Public Health AssociationUNISONVegetarian SocietyWest Country GraziersWildlife and Countryside LinkWilling Workers on Organic

FarmsWomen’s Environmental

NetworkWomen’s Food and Farming

UnionWorld Cancer Research Fund

OBSERVERS

British Dietetic AssociationChartered Institute of

Environmental HealthChristian AidConsumers’ AssociationFaculty of Public Health

Medicine of the RoyalCollege of Physicians

Farmers’ WorldFarming and Wildlife Advisory

GroupHealth Education AuthorityIntermediate Technology

Development GroupInstitute of Food ResearchInstitute of Trading Standards

AdministrationNational Consumer CouncilNational Heart Forum

Royal Society of HealthRoyal Society for the

Protection of BirdsScottish Consumer CouncilTrades Union CongressUK Food GroupVega ResearchWelsh Consumer Council Wildlife TrustWorldwide Fund for Nature

TRUSTEES

Michelle Berriedale-JohnsonDavid BuffinSimon BullockAnne DolamoreStephen DornonJeremy FaullJoe Harvey Joey HughesPaul KnuckleProfessor Tim Lang PhDIona Lidington SRDMatthew RaymentMike Rayner DPhilPatti RundallRobin Simpson

CORE STAFF

Peta Cottee (Projects Director)Karen Frances (Administrative

Officer)Vicki Hird (Policy Director)Jeanette Longfield (Co-

ordinator)

PROJECT STAFF

Alexis Vaughan (Food and theEnvironment)

Jacqui Webster (Food Poverty)Victoria Williams (Food

Poverty)

VOLUNTEERS

Gavin Dupree, Jo Foster, LewisPerkins, Muuse Yuusuf, JamesPetts

Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming(formerly the National Food Alliance and the Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environment Alliance)

Our workTo represent around 100 national public interest organisationsworking at international, national, regional and local level.

Our aimTo advocate food and agriculture policies and practices that enhancethe health and welfare of people and animals, improve the workingand living environment, promote the equity and enrichment ofsociety and culture.

Sustainthe alliance for better food and farming

OBSERVERSMEMBERS

FFoooodd FFaaccttss NNoo 77

Bitter harvest, bitter beer

AA SSUUSSTTAAIINN PPUUBBLLIICCAATTIIOONN 11999999

IISSBBNN 11--990033006600--0022--88

PPrriiccee ££55..0000

SUSTAIN: The alliance for better food and farming94 White Lion Street, London, N1 9PF

Tel: 0171 837 1228 Fax: 0171 837 1141

Printed on recycled paper

© SUSTAIN: The alliance for better food and farming, 1999




tel: 020-7837-1228 • fax: 020-7837-1141



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