The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2020 captured the attention of the world. The pictures and videos emerging from Russian aggression are heartbreaking. Excluding Crimea, Ukraine has a population of just over 41 million people. In the first week of the conflict over a million Ukrainians ( mainly women, children, and the elderly) crossed international borders as the fled they horrors. By the end of April, 2022 that number had swelled to over 5.7 million. Most of these went to neighboring Poland. No one knows how many refugees this conflict will ultimately generate.
While looking on in horror, the international community has mobilized in efforts to provide assistance to both those who have fled Ukraine and those who remain. These include the U.S. Government, relief agencies such as the American Red Cross, and churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In communities across the United States, individuals and groups are also doing their part to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees. In Portland. OR, The Slavic Community Center of the Northwest held a fundraiser, while Jackson Henning, a 12 year old boy opened a Lemonade Stand in his hometown of Westmont, PA. In addition to these and other fundraising efforts, many craft breweries across the United States have also stepped up and are doing their part to support Ukrainian refugees.
Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, WI was the first American craft brewery to export their beer to Ukraine. Since 2016, Andy Jungwirth, Export Manager at Lakefront, has visited Ukraine on six occasions. During these visits he got to know the folks at Pravda Brewery pretty well. I wrote about Pravda Brewery in my last blog entry. Located in the city of Lviv, Pravda has shifted from brewing beer to producing Molotov Cocktails which are being used against the Russian invaders.
Such was the warmth of the relationship between Jungwirth and Pravda Brewery that Lakefront and Pravda collaborated on brewing a couple of beers, including an India Pale Lager, which they named Lviv-Milwaukee”. Given this close relationship between the two breweries, it is not surprising that news of the Russian invasion sparked a response from the American brewery. Walk into Lakefront today and purchase a 32 ounce crowler and you will find it wrapped in a specially designed blue label emblazoned with a caricature of Vladimir Putin with the words “Putin is a Dick” across his forehead. Funds raised from sale of these crowlers will be deposited with the National Bank of Ukraine, who will use them to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians impacted by the Russian invasion. Lakefront hopes to raise at least $10,000 from the sale of its crowlers.
Specially wrapped “Putin is a Dick” crowlers from Lakefront Brewery. Source: LakefrontBrewery.com.
As noted above, Pravda Brewery has been very hands-on in its efforts to fight back against the Russian military. In addition to producing Molotov Cocktails, the brewery has made available the recipes for five of their beers. The beer recipes have been released as part of the “Brew for Ukraine Crisis Relief Project“. Participating in the project involves brewing at least one of the five beers and making a voluntary contribution to Pravda’s relief fund. Donations to the fund will be directed to the appropriate non-profits operating in Ukraine. The five beers, for which recipes have been made available are Putin Huylo (Dry Hopped Strong Ale), Syla (Belgian Tripel), Red Eyes (American Red Ale), and Frau Ribbentrtop (Belgian Witbier), and From San to Don (Ukrainian Imperial Stout). The beers are being branded as comprising the Victory Series. To date, breweries in Australasia, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America are participating in the initiative and are brewing at least one of these beers.
Breweries from five continents are participating in the Brew For Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.brewforukraine.beer/)
Breweries across the United States are participating in the Brew For Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.brewforukraine.beer/)
Catawba Island Brewing Company in Port Clinton, OH is one of the American breweries participating in the Brew for Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.facebook.com/CatawbaIslandBrewingCo)
One aspect of the craft brewing industry that has always impressed me is its collaborative nature, and the willingness of breweries to rally around and step up to support a worthy cause. The Brewing for Ukraine initiative is an excellent example of this. But it is not the first. Other examples abound. in 2018, over 1,400 breweries in the United States participated in the Camp Fire initiative. Organized by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., this effort raised millions of dollars to support those impacted by northern California wildfires. Participating breweries were invited to brew Resilience Butte County Proud IPA. In 2020, Other Half Brewing rallied brewers around the world to raise money for the hospitality industry that had been impacted by COVID-19. They did so by creating a recipe for a beer called All Together IPA. The recipe, as is common in such projects was open source and so was available to all breweries who wanted to participate.
Of course, the Brewing for Ukraine initiative will not change the course of the war in Ukraine. But it will provide vital relief to some Ukrainians who have been impacted the Russian invasion. As individuals, who watch in disgust and horror at the pictures/videos emerging from Ukraine, we can feel helpless. However, there are myriad opportunities to donate some money to help both those who have fled Ukraine and those who remain there. Next time you pop along to your local brewery, you might just find another way in which you can donate.
As I write this blog entry the world watches on in horror at the atrocities committed by the Russian military as their invasion of Ukraine continues unabated. The images flashing across our television screen (and the screens of our smart phones and other smart devices) are heart-wrenching. The man behind these atrocities, of course, is the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
All of us follow the events in Ukraine with varying degrees of intensity. For me, I read and see enough to keep up with general contours of the conflict. As The Beer Professor, a lot of my time on the internet is spent looking for interesting stories about the brewing industry. But in one of my recent searches I came across a story where my interest in the brewing industry intersected with events in Ukraine. The headline varied from news outlet to news outlet, but they generally read something like this: “Brewer Swaps Making Craft Beer for Molotov Cocktails”. The brewery in question is Pravda Brewery in western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
For the uninitiated, a Moltotov Cocktail is a handheld petrol bomb that is “emblematic of civil unrest and revolution“. Somewhat ironically, Molotov cocktails take their name from the Russian politician Vyacheslav Molotov, who served as the Soviet Union’s foreign minister during World War II. The name is Finnish in origin (Molotovin Koktaili) and first appeared in our lexicon during the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939. The actual device, however, pre-dates this event. The first use of Molotov Cocktails dates back to Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), where they were used by Franco’s Nationalists as a weapon to demobilize the Republican’s Soviet-supplied T-26 tanks.
Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Yuriy Zastavny, owner of Pravda Brewery decided to repurpose its production space to supply his fellow Ukrainians with Molotov Cocktails. Molotov Cocktails are very simple to manufacture. All that is needed is a glass bottle, gasoline, kerosene, or alcohol, and a piece of cloth (to function as a wick).
Molotov Cocktails produced by Pravda Brewery in Lviv, Ukraine
This short video tells the story of Pravda Brewery converting its production space to produce Molotov Cocktails
The labels on the bottles used for Pravda’s Molotov Cocktails have a picture of a naked Putin sitting on a throne. Also on the label are the words “Putin Huilo”, which translates as “Putin is a Dickhead“. When I first saw the label on the Molotov Cocktail, I thought that the label had been specially designed with its new function as an incendiary device in mind. I was wrong. Putin Huilo is a Dry-hopped Golden Ale (ABV 8.0%) that is part of the brewery’s regular portfolio of beers, and has been brewed for a number of years. The label provides some additional background about the beer and the surrounding political context. The label, for instance, mentions Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 (which coincidentally was the year that Pravda Brewery was established). The label also notes that “Putin Huilo” is a worldwide nickname for the President Putin and also an “international chant first performed during a common march by FC Metalist and FC Shakhtar in March 30, 2014”. That got me curious – so I did a bit of googling.
The label on Putin Huilo provides the political context for the beer’s name
FC Metalist Kharkiv and FC Shakhtar are Ukranian soccer teams. Of the two, I am most familiar with Shakhtar Donestsk. Shakhtar play in the top flight of Ukranian soccer and in recent recent years have been regular participants in the Champions League – Europe’s premier and most prestigious soccer competition. In contrast, Metalist Kharkiv play in the second tier of Ukrainian soccer. They have an interesting history in that that they ceased operations in 2016, as a result of financial insolvency (they owed their playing staff 32 million Euros in back pay). The club was re-established in 2020. According to Wikipedia, the first recorded public performance of the chant (and the song that grew from it) occurred in March 2014 in Kharkiv when Metalist fans chanted in a march through the city’s streets. The chant was partly in response to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Several Ukrainian rock bands have included the chant in some of their music. According to journalist Alex Luhn, writing in Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the chant quickly became “a nationwide cultural meme“. Rival soccer fans came together, put their rivalries to one side, and chanted the chant in street marches in various Ukraininan cities. In a soccer match between Belarus and Ukraine in October 2014, fans from both country’s joined together in the chant during the game. A number of fans were arrested. Eight Ukrainian fans were given a jail sentence by a court in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, while some Belarus fans were fined. The video of fans chanting has been removed from the YouTube platform.
The video of soccer fans from Ukraine and Belarus chanting “Putin is a Dickhead” is no longer available on the YouTube platform
As I read about Pravda Brewery and the decision to produce Molotov Cocktails, I could not help but smile and think to myself about how typical this action was. Craft breweries all over the world try to be good citizens and strive to make a positive difference to the vibrancy and quality of life in their respective communities. In doing so, many try to respond to the needs of their patrons and neighbors, whether that be donating some profits to a local charity or transforming part of their space into a temporary yoga studio for a local yoga group. In turning their brewery into a production space for Molotov Cocktails, Pravda Brewery are providing a community service and are responding to the needs of the local community. To Pravda I say Будьмо (Cheers).
A few weeks ago I was on the Internet and decided to Google my surname – Reid. According to Ancestry.com the name Reid means:
“nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Older Scots reid ‘red’. topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing, from Old English r¯d ‘woodland clearing’.”
Ancestry.com also informed me that between 1841 and 1921, there were more Reids in Scotland than in any other country. I remember reading, many years ago, that it was one of the most common surnames in Scotland. Again, a little Googling confirmed this. In 2014, it was the 11th most common surname in Scotland.
Even more interesting was the fact that in 1840, according to Ancestry.com, there were 51 Reid families living in Ohio (for those of you that do not know me, I was born in and grew up in Scotland, but now live in Ohio). This represented approximately 10% of all the recorded Reid’s living in the United States. Indeed, in 1840, Ohio had the highest population of families named Reid in the US.
Number of Reids by State in 1840 (Source: Ancestry.com)
What does any of the above have to do with beer? Nothing actually, except it was while I was down this Google rabbit hole searching the Reid name that I discovered that in 19th century London, UK there was a brewery called Reid Brewery Co. Ltd. My attention peaked and I did a little internet sleuthing to see what I could discover about the brewery that bore my name.
I begin the story of the Reid Brewery in 1775, when Richard Meux and Mungo Murray formed a partnership and purchased Jackson’s Brewery in London’s Mercer Street. The purchase price was £15,000. Coincidentally, Mercer happens to be my late-Mother’s maiden name. The brewery suffered a major fire in 1763 Rather than rebuild in the same location, Meux and Murray decided to build a new new brewery on the somewhat appropriately named Liquorpond Street (now Clerkenwell Street). A new name, Griffin Brewery, was also agreed upon by the two business partners. In 1790, Murray made the decision to leave the partnership.
Griffin Brewery in 1790
In 1787, Griffin Brewery produced an impressive 49,651 barrels of beer. In 1793, Andrew Reid, a distiller and wine and spirit merchant, became a partner with Meux, and formed what then became Meux, Reid & Co. The brewery’s annual output continued to grow and reached an excess of 100,000 barrels for the first time in 1795.
In 1797, Richard Meux Jr. and Andrew Reid’s brother, John, became partners in the brewery. In 1816 Thomas Meux resigned from the partnership, which then became Reid & Co. At the time of Meux’s resignation the brewery’s annual production was 190,000 barrels. In the years following Meux’s resignation Reid & Co. purchased several smaller breweries in both London and its environs. John Reid died in 1821 and his brother, Andrew, died in 1840. William Reid, son of Andrew Reid, maintained the Reid family’s interest in the brewery.
By 1853, Reid’s was London fourth largest brewery – there were somewhere in the region of 160 breweries n London at this time. The primary style of beer brewed by Reid’s was Porter. In all likelihood, some of that beer made its way to India to supply the British army there. In 1898 Reid & Co merged with the large London brewer Watney and another brewer, Combe and Co. This is considered the first big merger to take place in the British brewing industry. After the merger, Griffin Brewery on Liquidpond Street (owned by Reid) was closed. Production was concentrated in Watney’s Stag Brewery in the Pimlico district of London. The merged entity, Watney, Combe, Reid, became a major force in London brewing.
A Watney’s truck delivering Reid Stout
The Reid brand name continued to be used until the 1950s. In the early 1950s Watney’s was brewing and bottling three variants of their Reid’s Stout – Reid’s Stout, Reid’s Family Stout, and Reid’s Special Stout. Two versions of the Reid’s Stout was available – one with an ABV of 4.39% and the other with an ABV of 6.75%. The Family and Special Stout had ABVs of 3.21 and 4.72% respectively.
While the original brewing company bearing the Reid name is long gone, there is at least one craft brewery in the United Kingdom bearing the name – Reids Gold Brewing Company in Stonehaven, Scotland, which was established by Barry Reid in 2018.
A few weeks ago I received an email from Lindsay Campbell, a journalist for the magazine Modern Farmer. Lindsay was writing a story about rice-based beers, specifically Japanese style lagers, that had been trending in craft breweries in recent years. From reading my blog, Lindsay knew that I have visited a lot of breweries across the United States and so she was wondering if I had sampled any rice lagers and what my opinion was of them as a style. I told Lindsay that I had never sampled any rice lagers made by an American craft brewery. I did have plenty of experience with rice lagers, thanks to four trips to Japan, plus visits to China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan. Some of the better known Japanese Rice Lagers include Asahi Super Dry, Kirin Classic Lager, and Sapporo Original Draft Beer. The best selling beer in the world is a Rice Lager – Snow Beer, brewed by China Resources Breweries Limited. And, of course, there is Bud Light which prominently displays its ingredients – hops, barley, water, and rice – on its packaging. Indeed, rice has been a part of the Budweiser recipe since 1876. Impressively, Anheuser Busch is the largest end user of rice in the United States. In 2018, Anheuser Busch purchased more than $120 million of rice; all of it from farms in the United States. Incidentally, worldwide twice as much Snow Beer as Budweiser is consumed annually. Within the United States, four regions are responsible for producing almost all the rice grown. These are:
Arkansas Grand Prairie
Mississippi Delta, (parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Louisiana);
Gulf Coast (Texas and Southwest Louisiana); and
Sacramento Valley of California.
Snow Beer, a Rice Lager from China Resources Breweries Limited is the best selling beer in the world
Rice is a key ingredient in Bud Light
Geographic Distribution of Rice Production in the United States
A Field of Rice in Texas
On a global scale, rice is an important crop. It plays a critical role in feeding the world’s population, and is a primary staple for more than half the people living on Earth. China and India are the world’s leading rice producers, with the United States not making the top ten.
Rice Lagers are generally on the lower end of the ABV spectrum, with most coming in at around 5%. They are a highly highly drinkable, light bodied, beer with a crisp, dry, finish. The rice can also provide the beer with a slight sweetness. They are a perfect warm weather beer, that not only pairs well with Asian cuisine, but also with summer favorites such as burgers. In many respects, Rice Lagers can serve as gateway beers and are a nice introduction to craft beers for someone whose palate is used to macro-Lagers. Rice Lager also has the advantage that it is gluten free.
In the craft brewing world, rice is what is considered an adjunct. An adjunct is anything outside of the beer’s four traditional ingredients of malt, hops, water, and yeast. Rice, as an ingredient in beer, has a bad reputation among some craft beer drinkers due to its association with macro brews such as Budweiser and Bud Light. In her 2006 book Ambitious Brew, Maureen Ogle made the statement that “craft brewers treat rice almost as if it’s rat poison.” A little tongue-in-cheek perhaps, but you get the idea that rice might have a reputation problem. In a 2009 video titled “I am a Craft Brewer” several dozen craft brewers from across the county extol the virtues of craft beer and the people that make it. At one point in the video a craft brewer disparagingly notes that corporate breweries put rice in their beer. This is followed a few seconds later by anothet craft brewer proudly stating that “I don’t put rice in my beer”.
For some years now, however, some craft breweries have been putting rice in their beer – it has not been every brewery and those that do are doing so very selectively. So we see headlines like Craft Brewers Rethink Rice in Beer and The Rice Renaissance. Breweries that are utilizing rice as an ingredient in their beer appear to be in places that were at the forefront of the craft beer revolution back in the 1980s – places in states such as California, Colorado, and Washington. Could it be that the initial innovators are still leading innovation today? Fieldwork Brewing in Berkeley, CA brew a Citra Rice Lager that they have named Sushi Beer. Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA brew a Japanese Rice Lager called Hanamachi. And it’s not all Rice Lagers that craft breweries are producing. As far back as 2007, Great Divide Brewing Co. in Denver, CO released Samurai, an unfiltered rice and barley ale. Great Divide is still brewing Samurai today, and includes it in its year-round portfolio of beers. Some breweries are using locally grown rice to produce their rice beer. Crying Eagle Brewing Company in Lake Charles, LA used Louisiana-grown rice in its Louisiana Lager.
Samurai Rice Ale from Great Divide Brewing Co., in Denver, CO
Hanamachi is a Japanese Rice Lager Brewed by Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA
Crying Eagle Brewing Company use Louisiana-grown rice in its Louisiana Lager
The piece that I was interviewed for in The Modern Farmer was titled The Rice Renaissance. It is a title that suggests that rice is making something of a comeback in American brewing. On the one hand, you could argue that it has never really fell out of favor with American brewers. Rice has been a key ingredient in the Budweiser recipe since 1876. However, the article is really about the use of rice in craft brewing. Despite the negative reputation surrounding rice as an ingredient in beer, there are some craft brewers who are experimenting with it. This should come as no surprise. Craft brewers are highly creative and, one might argue, sufficiently secure in their own skin to utilize an ingredient that others might shun. The website Beeradvocate.com lists only 245 distinct entries in the category “Lager – Japanese Rice” – not a large number. Many, not surprisingly, are brewed by Japanese breweries. So, “renaissance” is perhaps too strong a word, but if you see a rice beer on the menu at a brewery be sure to check it out.
When I was a child growing up in Scotland my mom always bought an Advent Calendar. They were very simple. Made of card stock, behind each door was a picture – Santa Claus, a snowman, Rudolph, a candle, a holly wreath etc. Despite, or perhaps because of, their simplicity I loved them and would look forward to opening a door each day.
The concept of Advent Calendars has it origins with early 19th century German Protestants. Initially there was no physical calendar. Rather, the days of Advent were recognized by the daily act of either burning a candle or marking either doors or walls with a line of chalk. The first physical Advent Calendars made their appearance in 1851 and were made of wood. It was not until the first decade of the 20th century that printed Advent Calendars appeared. These early printed calendars did not have doors. Doors, which opened to reveal a picture, were not added until the 1920s – a German by the name of Gerhard Lang being credited with this innovation.
While Advent Calendars are designed with children in mind, there are a growing number of such calendars that target adults. For example, alcohol-focused Advent Calendars seem to be increasingly popular. The concept is simple. You purchase what is effectively a 24-pack of alcohol disguised as an Advent Calendar. There are doors to be opened, and behind each door is a can of beer, bottle of wine, whiskey, hard seltzer etc.
This year I purchased my first beer advent calendar. I picked it up at Costco. The calendar I purchased was one produced by the Kalea, a company who were established, according to their website, in 2010 in Salzburg, Austria, but are now, according to their Advent Calendar packaging, based in a Germany. In producing their advent calendars Kalea work with privately-owned independent breweries. The calendar cost $59.99, which means each can of beer costs $2.50, which is quite reasonable given that each can contained 16.9 oz of beer. The beers in the calendar were archetypal German. There were lots of Pilsners, Helles, and other beers from the Lager side of the beer family tree. The calendar contained very few Ales – there was one Stout, one Pale Ale, and one IPA among the 24 beers. So, while the calendar was sold during the lead-up to Christmas, none of the beers were winter seasonal Ales that are typically associated with the colder weather. This is a time of year when I do not consume many Pilsners or Hefeweizens so there was something of a disconnect between the beer I was drinking and the lower temperatures outside.
The Kalea Advent Calendar
There is a Facebook group devoted to the calendar, which I joined. Activity in the group primarily comprised of folks posting photographs of the beer of the day. A few people provided descriptions of the beer they were drinking, along with their assessment of how good they thought it was. Kalea also has an app to accompany the calendar. I downloaded the app and found it both interesting and useful, as it provided some additional information about the brewery and the beer. Also included in the app was a short video about each day’s beer.
The Kalea app included some additional information about each day’s beer and brewery.
The Kalea calendars do seem to sell out fast. There is a Costco the about a mile from my house. It was sold out when I went there to purchase a calendar. This meant a trip to the Costco on the other side of town. A few members of the calendar Facebook group also mentioned the fact that the calendars appear to be in high demand – in other words, if you want one, get it as soon as you see it available for sale.
Based on postings in the Facebook group there did appear to be some issues regarding the beers. For example, people reported identical cans containing two different beers. There were occasional reports of individuals getting a beer that was different from what others got on the same day. Another issue were some calendars containing more than one of the same beer. Calendars that were sold in Texas had a completely different complement of beers than calendars sold elsewhere in the United States. The reason for this anomaly was never definitively explained, although some people suggested that it was due to some restrictions associated with the Lone Star state’s regulatory environment for alcohol. Whether this is the case, I have no idea.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience of the Kalea Advent calendar. I tried 24 beers that I had never tried before. Will I purchase this calendar again next year? I am not sure. I imagine I will do some advance research and determine which other beer advent calendars there are on the market.
When people learn that you enjoy craft beer, it is not unusual for them to give you some as a gift. Nowadays, it is common for my oldest daughter to give me craft beer as a birthday or Christmas gift. But every now and then I receive a gift of beer on occasions when I do not expect it. Such was the case last week when I was in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (colloquially known as Den Bosch) in the Netherlands. I was there to attend a workshop on Cities4People: Towards Smart, Safe and Sound Cities. The workshop was held at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS). On the first afternoon of the workshop I made a presentation on craft breweries as a neighborhood amenity, and their role in contributing to the quality of urban life.
Presenting on craft breweries as a neighborhood amenity at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science in Den Bosch, the Netherlands
After the afternoon presentations were complete there was a beer and wine reception, where workshop participants could network before dinner. Halfway through the meeting, Caroline Crevels, one of the organizers of the conference presented me with a gift. It was a gift of craft beer. What impressed me the most about this particular gift, however, was the effort and thoughtfulness that had went into selecting it. Caroline had visited a local bottle shop (Bottle Shop Den Bosch), and told the individual on duty that she was looking for a gift for a visiting craft beer lover and scholar. That individual then curated a selection of four beers, explaining to Caroline the significance of each one. Caroline took notes, and referred to these when presenting the gift to me. I was extremely touched with the care that she had taken.
Caroline Crevels (left) presented me with a gift of craft beer at a reception held at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science in Den Bosch, the Netherlands.
The four beers that Caroline presented me with were:
De Cam Oude Geuze: a Lambic-Gueuze brewed by Geuzestekerij De Cam Brewery in Gooik, Belgium. It has an ABV of 6.5%.
Imperial Stout: a Russian Imperial Stout brewed by Samuel Smith Old Brewery in Tadcaster, England. It has an ABV of 7%.
Oeteldonker: a Dry Hopped Amber Ale brewers by D’N Draok Brewery in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. It has an ABV of 6.1%.
Odravein: a Barley Wine beer brewed by Põhjala Brewery in Tallin, Estonia. It has an ABV of 12%.
The four beers I received as a gift while in Den Bosch, the Netherlands
Of the four beers, the one that peaked my interest the most was Oeteldonker. As Caroline explained, the Oeteldonker is brewed once a year, and the beer and the timing of its release is connected with the Carnaval season in Den Bosch. Carnaval is a celebration that takes place on the three days preceding Ash Wednesday. Although connected to the religious observances of Lent, Carnaval’s origins can be traced to pagan spring festivals. Carnaval was a time to feast. During Medieval and posted-Medieval periods, food remaining from the winter had to consumed, lest it would soon start to rot and decay.
Oeteldonker Beer, which is released on 11/11 each year
While I was familiar with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA and the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I have to admit I never knew that there was a similar event the southern Netherlands. It does, however, have a long history. Indeed Carnaval has been the subject for a number of 16th century artists, including Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. His 1559 painting The Fight between Carnival and Lent shows the juxtaposition of the religious (see the church on the right hand side of the painting) and the secular (the inn/tavern on the left hand side). The abstinence associated with Lent was preceded by a period of feasting. Beer features in Bruegel’s painting. At the bottom center-left of the painting is a large man riding a beer barrel. All indications (meat pie on head, pork chop attached to barrel, butcher knives in his belt etc.) are that he is a butcher. As butchers provided meat for Caranaval, his appearance in the painting is appropriate
The Fight between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Source: Wikipedia CommonsA close up of the butcher riding the beer barrel in Bruegel the Elderr’s painting
While the real spectacle of Carnaval does not begin until the three days before Ash Wednesday, preparations start on November 11 (11/11) each year. On that date, city councils vote for a Prince of Carnaval for their town. When the first day of Carnaval arrives, the Mayor of the town nominally transfers his or her authority to the Prince. Once this happens, normal daily life is suspended and the party begins. In Den Bosch, the city temporarily changes its name for the three days of Carnaval, and is re-named Oeteldonk. The name Oeteldonk has its genesis in Den Bosch’s geographical setting . According to my research “donk” refers to either a sandy hill or a low lying swamp (or perhaps a sandy hill in a low lying swamp). The word “oetel“ is thought refer refer to a Bishop Adrianus Godschalk who, in the late 19th century, wanted to ban carnival. The bishop was from the village of Den Dungen, where Van den Oetelaar was a common last name. Oetel is, therefore, a playful reference to the bishop. A symbol of Den Bosch’s Carnaval is the frog. Frogs were common in the swampy land surrounding Den Bosch. A defining characteristic of Carnaval is the reversal of social roles and the suspension of norms about desired behavior. The color and spectacle that is Carnaval can be seen in this video.
Oeteldonker beer, brewed by Brouwerij D’n Draok in Den Bosch, is inspired by Carnaval. It is brewed once a year, and is released on 11/11. Only 1,111 bottles of Oeteldonker are bottled each year; so I feel privileged to have one. In Germanic folklore, the number 11 is considered the “fool’s number”, and much of Carnaval involves playful, yet foolish, behavior.
The four beers were given to me just before the American Thanksgiving holiday. My oldest daughter, Kirsty, was visiting my wife and I from Cincinnati for that holiday. And, as Kirsty is also a craft beer aficionado, I thought it would be nice to share them with her. So before we sat down for our Thanksgiving meal, her and I opened and shared each of the four beers. As we did so I reflected on the generosity of Caroline and my other Dutch friends, and gave thanks for their wonderful generosity and friendship.
I just returned from four days in Budapest, Hungary. I was there attending the annual conference of the International Geographic Union Commission on the Dynamics of Economic Spaces. I served as Chair of the Commission between 2010 and 2014, and so enjoy going to their annual conference to catch up with old friends, and even perhaps make some new ones. Trips such as this also provide me with an opportunity to explore the local beer scene. I had last visited Budapest in 2015, so I was curious to see how the craft beer scene there had evolved since then.
The first written record of brewing in Hungary dates to the twelfth century. During the sixteenth-century, manor houses and monasteries had their own on-site breweries; but it was not until the seventeenth century that what might be considered the first industrial scale breweries were established. By 1910 four brewing companies (Dreher Antal Brewery, First Hungarian Brewery, Kobánya Civil Brewery, and Haggenmacher Breweries) produced over ninety percent of beer consumed domestically. Despite the dominance of the Big Four, the Hungarian market supported an additional eighty-six smaller breweries. In 1948, the Hungarian brewing industry was nationalized. It remained that way until 1983. Between 1948 and 1983, a single state-owned brewing company (the Hungary Brewery, and its successor the Trust of Hungarian Beer Breweries) was responsible for producing all of the beer brewed in Hungary. Budapest was the main center of production during this period, – producing seventy-six percent of the country’s Beer.
Hungarians consume approximately sixty-three liters of beer per capita annually (2017 data). This placed them sixteenth out of twenty-eight European countries listed in a Brewers of Europe report. Like many other European countries, Lager is the most popular type of beer in Hungary, accounting for between eighty and ninety percent of beer consumed. Most Hungarian beer is produced by three breweries – Dreher Breweries (owned by Asahai Breweries of Japan), Borsodi Brewery (owned by Molson Coors) and Heineken Hungaria.
I enjoyed some Dreher Lager (and a shot of Jägermeister) while in Budapest
In recent years, craft beer has grown in popularity in Hungary. Modern day microbreweries made their appearance starting in the 1990s. According to a report by The Brewers of Europe the country was home to sixty microbreweries in 2017, up from twenty in 2011.
In addition to craft breweries, craft beer bars are also becoming increasingly common, particularly In Budapest. Indeed in an August 2019 piece CNN listed Budapest among the fifteen best beer cities in the world. While wandering around the center of Hungary’s capital city, I came across Beer Brothers Craft Beer Bar. It had fourteen Hungarian craft beers on tap. I visited Brothers twice during my short four-day stay in Budapest, trying a total of three different beers. The first was Stroman, a New England IPA from Ugar Brewery. Ugar is located in the town of Törökszentmiklós (population 23,000), eighty miles southwest of Budapest The second and third were both from Mad Scientist Brewery – Madhouse, a New England IPA and Lumber Sexual, a Brut IPA. Mad Scientist Brewery is located in Budapest.
Beer Brothers Craft Beer BarBeer Brothers Craft Beer Bar has 14 Hungarian craft beers on tapMadhouse, a New England IPA, brewed by Mad Scientist Brewery
The second craft beer bar I visited was Neked Csak Dezso!. Although the sign on the outside said that it was a Brewpub and bistro, there was no brewing done on site. It was, quite simply, a craft beer bar. Although the service left a lot to be desired, this is a really impressive craft beer bar. First it is quite large. Second it has thirty-two craft beers on draft, over twenty-five of which were from Hungarian breweries. There were also a nice selection of craft beers that could be purchased to go. I arrived at the bar near closing time, so I only had time for one brew. I opted for Fruit Works, a Raspberry Gose from Brew Your Mind Brewery. The brewery is located in Szekszárd, a town of thirty-two thousand people, ninety miles south of Budapest.
Neked Csak Dezso!Neked Csak Dezso! had a fine selection of craft beers to go
Fruit Works, a Raspberry Gose from Brew Your Mind Brewery
The third and final craft beer bar I visited was First Craft Beer & BBQ, located in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter. The brewery has two locations in Budapest – a brewery/taproom and taproom/restaurant. It was the latter I visited. There were twenty beers on tap, nine of which were their own creations. I opted for their Belgian Cherry Fruit Beer.
The entrance to First Craft Beer & BBQ
First Craft Beer & BBQ
This was my second visit to Budapest. My last visit was in 2015. My sense is that the craft beer scene has grown since then. There are certainly more craft breweries in the country. As noted above, there were sixty in craft breweries in 2017 (the most recent year for which I have data), compared to forty-six in 2015. From casual observation, it seems to me that the craft beer scene in Budapest is more vibrant than it was four years ago. There do appear to be more craft beer bars, and craft beer does seem more readily available in cafes and regular bars. I like Budapest. It is a vibrant city. I look forward to returning some day.
Further Reading:
Fertő, Imre, József Fogarasi, Anita Major, and Szilárd Podruzsik. 2018. The emergence and survival of microbreweries in Hungary. In Christian Caravaglia and Johan Swinnen (Eds.). Economic Perspectives on Craft Beer: A Revolution in the Global Beer Industry. London: Palgrave McMillen, pp. 211-228.
“Beer for the modern adult” – that’s how Bill Shufelt, owner of Athletic Brewing Co. in Statford, CT, describes his brewery’s beer. All of the beer brewed at Athletic is non-alcoholic. While non-alcoholic beer may seem like an oxymoron it, along with its cousin, low-alcohol beer, is trending in the marketplace. And not just in the U.S market, but in overseas markets as diverse and as different as Belgium and China. Before exploring the numbers and reasons behind the growth of low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beer let’s start with some definitions.
In the United States, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau defines beer as “beer, ale, porter, stout and other similar fermented beverages (including sake and similar products) containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume, brewed or produced from malt, wholly or in part, or from substitutes for malt.” It is, in my opinion, a quirky definition, but let’s not get into that here. They key point, for present purposes, is that for beer to qualify as beer it has to have an ABV of at least 0.5%. So everything below 0.5% ABV is either non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beer. Technically, non-alcoholic beer has an ABV of 0.0%, although the Oxford Companion to Beer notes that, “technically speaking, there is no such thing as non-alcoholic beer because beer contains alcohol by definition”. For the sake of simplicity, and for the purposes of this blog entry, I will use the term low-alcohol beer to refer to all beer under 0.5% ABV, and 0.0% ABV to refer to non-alcoholic beer. One of the challenges I found in researching this piece is that lines between the two are often blurred – so for example the term non-alcoholic beer is sometimes used in such a way that it also includes non-alcoholic beer.
Low-alcohol/non-alcoholic beer is not a new concept, of course. During Prohibition, it was in fact legal to brew beer that contained less than 0.5% alcohol – so-called ‘near beer’. In more contemporary times low alcohol beer has been produced in both the United States and Europe. Those of us who live in the United States are familiar with O’Douls, a low alcohol beer (<0.5% ABV), introduced by Anheuser Busch in 1990. My European friends are probably more familiar with low-alcohol brands such as Kaliber which is brewed by Guinness and St. Pauli N.A., brewed by Beck’s (which is now owned by AB InBev).
O’Doul’s – A low alcohol beer introduced by Anheuser Busch in 1990
When I was drinking mass-produced beer in the 1990s, low alcohol beer had a bad reputation. It wasn’t so much that it didn’t give you a buzz (it wasn’t meant to after all), but rather that it just didn’t taste all that good. Toady the low alcohol beer market seems to be booming, and those who prefer low-alcohol beers no longer are restricted to an awful tasting product.
Just how popular is low-alcohol beer. Globally, the market for low alcohol beer was $13 billion in 2016; by 2024 it is projected to be $25 billion. And it’s growing popularity seems ubiquitous. In Belgium, in 2018, non- alcoholic lagers and wheat beers experienced a thirty percent market growth. Non-alcoholic and low alcohol beer is also gaining in popularity in China. In 2016, twenty-nine percent of new beers launched were in one of these two categories. Approximately eight percent of the beer produced by AB InBev is low or non-alcoholic. They project that by 2025, that will increase to twenty percent.
The increasing popularity of low and non-alcoholic beer appears driven by the consumers prioritizing healthier lifestyles. Why don’t they drink a healthier non-alcoholic alternative, I hear you ask. It is true that some juices may provide healthy alternatives to beer. They do not, however, deliver the lifestyle image provided by beer. Beer projects a particular lifestyle image; consuming low-alcohol or non-alcoholic beer protects that image, while not compromising an individual’s health.
The recent upsurge in interest in low and non-alcoholic beer has prompted some of the world’s major breweries to launch new products to add to their existing beer portfolios. In January 2019, the world’s second largest brewer, Heineken, will launched a new non-alcoholic beer in the United States – Heineken 0.0 (pronounced zero zero). The new beer, first introduced into Spain in January 2017, is now available in over thirty countries. Heineken 0.0 has only sixty-five calories. It also goes a step further than its low-alcohol cousins, in that it contains zero alcohol. In other words, the ABV is 0.0%. In marketing the new beer, Heineken suggest that people drink it at times when perhaps they would normally not drink beer – such as during an office lunch or after a workout. Other potential markets for non-alcoholic beer include drivers of motor vehicles, pregnant women, people taking medication, athletes, and those who abstain from alcohol for religious and other cultural reasons. Studies in Europe also show that avoiding a hangover and keeping in control are factors driving demand for non-alcoholic and low alcohol beer.
Heineken Zero Zero was recently introduced into a number of markets, including the United States
The growing demand for non-alcoholic and low alcohol beer is part of broader taste shifts impacting the alcohol industry. According to CNBC reporter Angelica LaVito, “consumers are increasingly shunning beer and instead drinking wine, spirits and hard seltzers, which they perceive as healthier than beer.” The shift away from beer and towards wine can be clearly seen in the two graphics below. In the first graphic you can observe the general decrease in per capita alcohol consumption, particularly beer, in the United States in the post-1980 period. The second graphic shows that in 1993, 47% of American who drank alcohol stated that beer was their preferred alcohol of choice. This compared to 27% preferring wine and 21% preferring liquor. By 2017, the percentage preferring beer had fallen to 40%, while the percentage preferring wine and liquor had risen to 30% and 26% respectively.
This is a trend that is also occurring in other countries. A recent article on the BBC website was titled, “Under-25s turning their backs on alcohol, study suggests”. The article reported on new research at University College London which found that the percentage of 16-24 year olds who do not consume alcohol increased from 18% in 2005 to 29% percent in 2015. In Belgium, a recent survey revealed that sixty-two percent of Belgians felt that they consumed too much alcohol.
In the United States, we have observed the growing popularity of so-called session beers – beers that are less than 5% ABV. A 2016 survey by Nielsen and CGA Strategy found that 45% of craft beer drinkers prefer session over beers with a higher ABV. Of the twenty-five fastest growing craft beer brands in 2016, thirteen were session beers. Almost every craft brewery produce session beers. Many have went to great efforts to ensure that from a taste perspective that they are an acceptable alternative to higher ABV beers. Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell, U.K. disposed of four batches (sixty thousand bottles) of beer in their quest for a palatable low-alcohol beer. The end result was their Big Easy, a very drinkable Pale Ale with an ABV of only 0.5%. Athletic Brewing Co. of Stratford, CT is a craft brewery that produces only non-alcoholic beer. Athletic Brewing’s flagship beers are an IPA and a Golden Ale, while season offerings include an Autumn Brown Ale and a Harvest IPA. Crafting a non-alcoholic beer that did not compromise on flavor was a challenge for Athletic’s owner Bill Shufelt. It meant producing over one hundred test batches on home brewing equipment, before he was satisfied.
Market signals clearly demonstrate growing consumer demand for low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beer. This shift in consumer preferences impacts every brewery, from the smallest microbrewery to the largest multinational. And they are clearly responding, witness the seemingly growing number of non-alcoholic and low alcohol beers that are now available. Furthermore, breweries are working very diligently to ensure that those who choose non-alcoholic and low alcohol beers are not being compromised when it comes to taste. And it seems to be resonating with some consumers. Thirty-one percent of Germans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four 18-24 agreed that non-alcoholic and low alcohol beer tastes just as good as ‘regular’ beer. More and more, we are seeing beer writers helping consumers navigate the increasingly crowded low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beer market by tasting and rating the various offerings.
Craft breweries typically have strong connections with their local communities. These connections are manifest in a number of ways. The owners usually live in town. The brewery provides space for activities such as a local yoga club, and several times a year they brew a special beer, part of the profits of which are donated to local charitable causes. In discussing craft breweries, George Homewood, Norfolk, Virginia’s director of planning and community development, notes:
“there is a different food truck outside nightly. Depending upon the brewery, there may be yoga on Sundays, trivia on Wednesdays, retro video games on Thursdays, and music on Saturdays as well as neighborhood block parties, a monthly pet adoption day or a free community meal.”
Regardless of where we live, all of us know local breweries who support their communities in these types of way. Some breweries are so proud of their local community that they name beers after local landmarks, historical figures, or important events in the community’s past. A growing number of breweries are even trying to source more of their ingredients, particularly hops, from the local region. For some breweries, one of their major contributions to the community is simply to provide a gathering place for locals; a refuge of sorts where neighborhood residents can come, meet up with a few friends, and enjoy a couple of beers.
And craft beer drinkers seem to appreciate this commitment to local communities and are very happy to support the locally-owned brewery, rather than the faceless multinational corporation (e.g., AB InBev or Heineken). There’s even a name or this preference for the local – it’s called “neolocalism”. The geographer, Steven M. Schnell defines neolocalism as a “conscious attempt of individuals and groups to establish, rebuild, and cultivate local ties, local identities, and increasingly, local economies.” Writing specifically about craft breweries, Schnell and his co-author Joseph Reese, stated that craft breweries represent a desire on the part of increasing numbers of people to “reestablish connections with local communities, settings, and economies”.
There is no doubt that buying a locally brewed beer supports a local business. Advocates of purchasing locally produced food are quick to point out the economic, social, and environmental benefits of doing so – keeping more money in the local community, encouraging cultural diversity, preserving genetic diversity etc. On the other hand, economists Jason Winfred and Philip Watson point out buying local conflicts with Ricardo’s two hundred year old principle of comparative advantage. Of course, there is the whole issue of what constitutes “local”, a topic I discussed in a previous blog entry.
Many breweries are rightly proud of the contributions they make to their local communities. And on their websites, they are not hesitant to articulate their community commitment. Crazy Mountain Brewing Company of Denver, CO, for example, state that, “although beer is our passion, one of Crazy Mountain’s core values is our commitment to community involvement”. According to Fairport Brewing Company in Fairport, NY, “our commitment to the local community run deep”, while Roadhouse Brewery of Jackson Hole, WY is “committed to supporting the local community of Jackson Hole”.
I got to thinking about craft breweries and their connections to the local economies the other day, when I was putting away a t-shirt that my oldest daughter had gave me as a Christmas gift. It was a t-shirt from Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, MO. My daughter had been to Boulevard recently, while visiting a friend in Kansas City. I visited Boulevard myself while attending a conference in Kansas City in June of last year. Anyway, as I picked up the t-shirt I looked at the label just inside the collar. I was curious as to where the t-shirt was made. The label said, “Made in Honduras”. That got me wondering – where were all my other brewery t-shirts made? How many were made in the United States? I took each of them from the closet and examined them. Here is what I found:
Bare Arms Brewing, Waco, TX – Nicaragua
Black Cloister Brewing Company, Toledo, OH – Nicaragua
Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, MO – Honduras
Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA – Nicaragua
Dogfish Head, Milton, DE – USA
Earnest Brew Works, Toledo, OH – USA
Elevator Brewing, Columbus, OH – Mexico
Grapevine Brewery, Grapevine, TX – Nicaragua
Kona Brewing Company, Kona, HI – Mexico
Lansing Brewing Company, Lansing, MI – Mexico
Market Garden Brewery, Cleveland, OH – Nicaragua
Maumee Bay Brewing Company, Toledo, OH – Nicaragua
Pike Brewing Company, Seattle, WA – Honduras
Rhinegeist Brewery, Cincinnati, OH – USA
Round Barn Brewery, Baroda, MI – Honduras
First off, I own fifteen t-shirts from breweries. I never knew that. Of the fifteen t-shirts, seven were made in Nicaragua, three in Mexico, three in the United States, and two in Honduras. Now I fully realize that my fifteen t-shirts do not constitute a scientifically valid sample, so I am not going to make any generalizations regarding the larger population of American breweries. Thinking scientifically, I thought that it might be interesting to have a control group. So, I randomly selected fifteen of my non-brewery t-shirts that I had purchased in the United States, and examined their labels. All of them were manufactured in Latin America – five in Mexico, four in Nicaragua, and three each in Honduras and El Salvador. These, albeit non-scientific, findings do hint at the possibility that American craft breweries may be more prone to purchase American made t-shirts than the average retailer.
My t-shirt from Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh, PA was made in Nicaragua
That most of the brewery t-shirts I own are made in Latin American countries did not surprise me. I teach this stuff in my Industrial Geography course at The University of Toledo. By and large, it comes down to labor costs. Manufacturing labor costs are significantly cheaper in Latin America than in the United States. For example, according to IVEMSA, a company that assists U.S. companies interested in establishing manufacturing facilities in Mexico, American manufacturers who locate in Mexico will pay 20-30% less in labor costs. Add to that a forty-eight hour work week (before requiring overtime pay) and the advantages of manufacturing in Mexico soon become apparent.
Three breweries in my non-scientific sample do sell t-shirts manufactured in the United States. They are Dogfish Head in Milton, DE, Earnest Brew Works in Toledo, OH, and Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati, OH. The t-shirts sold by Earnest Brew Works and Rhinegeist Brewery are made by American Apparel, who are based in Los Angeles, CA. The company makes apparel in countries all over the world, including Bangladesh, Honduras, and the United States. Interestingly, one of American Apparel’s commitments is supporting the economies in which they are located. They do this by “using local suppliers for transportation, food services and raw materials and accessories for our production facilities such as dyes, buttons, zippers, boxes and office supplies.” The two American Apparel t-shirts I have were as I mentioned above, made in the USA. The components used to manufacture these two t-shirts came both from the United States and other countries
My t-shirt from Rhinegeist Brewery was made in the USA, with US and imported components
The t-shirt sold by Dogfish Head Brewery is manufactured by a company called TS Designs, who are based in Burlington, NC. Not only are TS Designs’ t-shirts made in North Carolina, the cotton that they are made from is grown in North Carolina.
My t-shirt from Dogfish Head Brewery
It would be nice if more breweries who sold t-shirts, baseball caps, wool hats and other souvenir items sourced those from inside the United States. If these items came from inside or close to the community in which they reside it would be another indication that the breweries are committed to supporting their local and/or regional economy.
Further Reading
Schnell, Steven M. and Joseph E. Reese. 2003. Microbreweries as tools of local identity.” Journal of Cultural Geography, Volume 21, number 1, pages 45–69.
I have a confession to make. Just like The Beer Professor himself, I too am a beer-loving philatelist. For this guest blog I want to combine my admiration for beer, its component ingredients, production and consumption, with my stamp collecting hobby. What? Did you have to look up ‘philately’ in your Funk and Wagnalls? The Beer Professor collected stamps of the British Isles as a wee lad. I collected (affordable) stamps from all over the world and I suspect that many budding geographers and historians did the same thing, learning a lot about the history, landscapes and culture of the places in the process.
But what about beer as the subject matter on stamps of the world? One of the best sources of information comes from proprietary data meticulously gathered and periodically updated by the American Topical Association (americantopicalassn.org), an organization devoted to assisting the specialized stamp collector keep up with stamps issued on given topics or themes. Most advanced collectors realize that trying to collect all stamps issued is impossible and even those issued solely by a particular country of interest would be quite difficult. So, most advanced collectors have elected instead to collect stamps dealing with particular topics or themes of interest to them. These themes could include (hound) dogs on stamps or even Elvis Presley on stamps (of which there are over 435 that have been issued worldwide by at least 55 different countries).
The American Topical Association (ATA) data include 135 stamps issued with beer-related themes as a focus dating from 1866 to the last update this past year (September 30, 2018). That number of stamps is, however, a bit misleading, as 66 of the 135 issued by the United States from 1866 through 1947 were beer revenue stamps that were required to be attached to each 32 gallon full barrel of beer (or on smaller-sized barrels ranging from 1/8th barrel (i.e., four gallons) to the half barrel (i.e., 16 gallons). The highest denomination beer revenue stamps were placed on the 64 gallon hogshead size (i.e., a double barrel). Of all of the beer revenue stamps issued by the US government, only one set contained an engraved image that was actually beer-related. That set was issued in 1875 and depicted “Bacchus serving the first fermented brew to man” (ATA Checklist 63: Beer 2018) [Figure 1]. If they didn’t include numerals representing the amount of the beer tax, all of the rest of the beer revenue stamps contained engravings of US presidents (e.g., Washington, Jefferson, Jackson), US Civil War heroes (e.g., Sherman, Farragut) or Secretaries of the Treasury and other overseers of the Senate Banking Committee (e.g., Hamilton, Corwin, Benton, Wright) (Scott 2017, 709-13).
Figure 1: Bacchus serving the first fermented brew to man
Removing the 66 beer revenue stamps from the focus of this blog leaves 69 stamps that a collector would call commemoratives. These commemorative beer stamps were issued by 42 different countries, some with a long history of beer making and an active beer culture (e.g., Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Czech Republic).
Others were issued by countries that don’t immediately spring to mind when one thinks of places with an active beer culture (e.g., Costa Rica, Philippines, Argentina). Still others are issued by countries that Slemrod (2008) labelled “stamp panderers”—usually small, agricultural, poor countries that include many island nations and many in Africa that emerged from colonial rule since the 1960s. Stamp pandering countries commercialize their state sovereignty in order to generate income from stamp collectors abroad. Interestingly, since by law the USPS must pay for itself, the United States is also considered by Slemrod (2008) to be a stamp pandering nation! But, we’ve never pandered enough to celebrate beer on a non-revenue stamp—yet.
Two of the entities that have issued beer-related stamps are not really sovereign countries recognized by the larger world community or supranational organizations such as the United Nations. They include two of the Bantustan enclaves within South Africa—Bophuthatswana and Transkei.
So, while I can’t show all of the stamps related to beer or the production of its components (e.g., hops, malted barley, millet), I will try to show some stamps that illustrate the worldwide commemoration of beer.
Early Beer-related Stamps:. According to the ATA data, the oldest commemorative stamp related to a beer event was issued in 1942 by Nazi Germany to “honor” the 20th anniversary of those Nazi sympathizers killed in the uprising that brought Adolf Hitler to power—the (in)famous Munich beer hall putsch. Because only a Nazi “patriot” is depicted on the stamp and if you don’t read German you couldn’t understand what is being memorialized anyway, I will not show that repugnant stamp.
One that the ATA list missed (probably because beer is not clearly evident on the stamp) is one of my favorites—a 1947 Canadian stamp depicting the iconic “streamline moderne” shape of a Labatt’s beer delivery truck. If I were a Canadian kid during that era, I would certainly have wanted a toy model version of that truck for Christmas [Figure 2].
Figure 2: Labbat’s Beer Delivery Truck
My final choice in the early group is a well-designed 1954 stamp from Costa Rica that illustrates the beer industry and its main ingredients in a simple engraved image [Figure 3].
Figure 3: Beer’s Main Ingredients
Beer Stamps that are Out-of-Place: The first country that seems out-of-place is also the one that Slemrod (2008) chose to focus on in his provocative article entitled “Why is Elvis on Burkina Faso Postage Stamps?…”about the commercialization potential afforded chunks of the world’s territory because of state sovereignty. That commercialization could be relatively benign like stamp pandering or more nefarious like tax havens or money laundering operations. We would not, for example, expect a majority Muslim nation like Burkina Faso with that religion’s strict prohibitions against the consumption of alcoholic beverages to issue a stamp commemorating beer. Perhaps that is why their 2012 beer-related stamp doesn’t show an image of beer directly but rather the hearth and the cooking utensils used to prepare millet beer (vis-à-vis beer made from malted barley) for the approximately 38% of the country’s population that is not Muslim [Figure 4].
Figure 4: Hearth and Cooking Utensils used to brew Millet Beer
Two of the entities issuing beer-related stamps are not recognized by the United Nations as legitimate sovereign countries—Bophuthatswana and Transkei. The 1984 stamp from Transkei depicts a beer tasting presumably of a millet beer [Figure 5] and the 1990 stamp from Bophuthatswana illustrates traditional beer-making activity [Figure 6]. Many collectors are wary of purchasing such stamps issued by breakaway provinces, unofficial or provincial governments or entities created by powerful controlling countries that give the illusion of independent sovereignty when they are, in fact, client states that are recognized as legitimate by few other sovereign nations.
Figure 5: Tasting Millet Beer
Figure 6: Beer Making in Bophuthatswana
The Stamps Produced by a Beer-centric European Country—Belgium: Belgium does more than produce Stella Artois for the mass market. In fact, it is the smaller breweries, especially those located in, and brewed by, Trappist monks that have captured the imagination of beer-drinking connoisseurs around the world. For a country that is small in areal extent, its beer reputation is outsized. Belgium has produced five stamp issues devoted to beer or aspects of its production. But even that number is a bit deceptive because four of those issues are souvenir sheets containing as many as six different stamps. The oldest Belgian beer-related stamp is a simple single stamp featuring a glass of beer issued in 1986 to honor it national beer industry [Figure 7]. In 2010, and again in 2012, Belgium produced souvenir sheets drawing attention to rural production in two disparate regions of the country—the Hesbaye Region, a sheet that includes five stamps, one of which shows the beer that is produced there [Figure 8]. The second souvenir sheet honors production in the Condroz Region and beer production is also emphasized [Figure 9].
Figure 7: A Glass of Beer
Figure 8: Beer Production in Belgium’s Hesbaye Region
Figure 9: Beer Production in Belgium’s Condroz Region
Also in 2012, a souvenir sheet of six stamps was issued that focused on six Trappist beers known worldwide for their excellent flavor provided by differences in the local monastery water and the various types of previously used wooden casks in which the beers are aged [Figure 10]. The individual monastery brews are featured with the appropriate glassware that should bring out the best qualities the brewers wish to emphasize. In alphabetical order, the brews and associated glassware are shown on the stamps of Achel [Figure 11], Chimay [Figure 12], Orval [Figure 13], Rochefort [Figure 14], Westmalle [Figure 15] and Westvleteren [Figure 16]. It is Westvleteren’s XII, a Belgian quadruple, that has been judged to be the rarest beer in the world and among the best. It is rare because it is produced in small batches and only sold at the monastery or a small pub across the street and only on a few days a year. Plus, one must enter a lottery in order to be chosen to buy the beer at all and then only in small amounts (Pagnotta 2013).
Figure 10: Six Trappist Beers
Figure 11: Achel
Figure 12: Chimay
Figure 13: Orval
Figure 14: Rochefort
Figure 15: Westmalle
Figure 16: Westvletern
The last souvenir sheet from Belgium was issued just last year in 2018 and contains five images lauding the beer culture of Belgium that has been declared an “Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO” (ATA Checklist 63: Beer, 2018) [Figure 17].
Figure 17: 2018 Belgian Stamps Celebrating the Country’s Beer Culture
Fine Beer-related Art on Stamps: It is not unusual for countries to issue stamps with representations of famous paintings usually by artists of that country. Some of these artistic renditions feature beer drinkers or still lifes with beer steins. In 1990, the tiny principality of Liechtenstein issued three stamps depicting paintings by the artist Benjamin Steck (1902-1981). The stamp with the highest denomination (1.50 francs) is entitled “Basket, Fruit, Stein” [Figure 18].
Figure 18: “Basket, Fruit, Stein”
In 1968, Togo, a small country along the West African coast, issued a stamp with a depiction of Edouard Manet’s (1832-1883) “The Beer Drinkers” [Figure 19] and, in 1995, Georgia honored the 77th anniversary of the death of native artist Niko Piromanashvili (1862-1918). One of his remarkable primitive-style paintings is entitled “Woman with Tankard of Beer” [Figure 20].
Figure 19: “The Beer Drinkers”
Figure 20: “Woman with Tankard of Beer”
Beyond Fine Art: Stamps with an Interesting Graphic Design: While it is interesting to see fine art on postage stamps, some countries have also dabbled in modern graphic design. Three examples are shown here—one from a country we associate more with a wine culture than one based on beer—Argentina and two that are European beer-centric countries—Germany and the Czech Republic.
Argentina is the home of some of the world’s best Malbec wine especially those grown near the city of Mendoza. But in 2011, however, Argentina issued an interesting stamp honoring their national beer festival containing simple but bold and blocky design elements [Figure 21].
Figure 21: Honoring Argentina’s National Beer Festival
A stamp of importance to beer culture is the 1983 German issue that commemorates the 450th anniversary of the beer purity law (Reinheitsgebot) [Figure 22]. That law specifies that beer shall be composed of only four ingredients—grain, yeast, hops and water. The stylized design of the stamp is undoubtedly either based or emulates a 16th century woodcut. I wonder how stray wild yeast strains could be kept out of the open vats shown on the stamp, but that opens up an entirely different line of inquiry that goes beyond the scope of this blog.
Figure 22: 1983 German Stamp Celebrating the 450th Anniversary of the Reinhetsgebot
And, since the holiday season was not that long ago, I end this stamp-related beer blog with an interesting 2005 graphic design from the Czech Republic that was somehow overlooked by the creators/updaters of the ATA spreadsheet (ATA Checksheet 63: Beer 2018). The stamp depicts a holiday meal of fowl and a beer [Figure 23]. So, as they say in Czech—pro vase zdraví—to your health!
This blog entry was written by guest blogger. Thomas L. Bell. Tom is Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Tennessee. He currently lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Tom’s research interest are in marketing geography and location theory. More recently he has done some work on the American craft brewing industry in the southeastern United States and also on home brewing.
