Supermarkets and beer

My beer of choice to celebrate my middle daughter’s birthday was a random one, based on it being the fifth beer in the line in the fridge and her turning five. Logical enough, I reckon. The beer was a Platinum Blonde from the Six Star Breweries and it was odd in a couple of ways.

As I have stated in these pages previously, I understand the whole low carb beer thing but I just don’t get it. I know that lazy marketing men can’t be arsed getting together with the bean counters at the bigger breweries to sort out a compromise between taste and cost but to come up with a constant stream of regurgitated ‘idea beer’ products that are the same as most of the piss weak marketing beers as the others have already pumped out is just disrespecting real beer drinkers. To henceforth cover my own arse, I shall state that I bought this beer in the interests of research. Plus I knew it would be shit but I didn’t feel it fair to bag a beer that I hadn’t tasted.

The reality is that most of the people who drink these gimmicks don’t care as much for the taste and quality of their beer as they do the ‘look’ and the quantity of their beer. Fancy or familiar labels and plenty of it, thanks. They will try a ‘new’ beer even if it’s the same beer with a ‘new & improved’ sticker on it.

This latest in this already overcrowded market place is made for, and by, the Woolworth’s supermarket chain, one of the two giants in the grocery and liquor game in Australia. This beer is the first in a range to be produced under the Six Star Breweries name. And it is just a name. There is not even one, let alone many Six Star Breweries. This is the name of the ‘marketing operation’ as they call it which, in a way, is admitting the gimmicky cheapening nature of this venture. The beer is made (possibly brewed) at Victoria’s Independent Distillers the contract brewer who makes, among others, Kingfisher under license.

This is not a new thing. Worldwide brands like Sol and Hollandia and locals like Tasman and Hammer ‘n Tongs have been made for the supermarkets alone as a price lead or homebrand beer for many years. Oetinger Pils and Maes Belgian Pils are others in this basket. Some of these beers are OK as standard fridge fillers and I have some of them as ‘no-think back ups’ from time to time – something I can just reach in and grab while I decide what I’m going to do next. I can also see that it is not a terrible thing for supermarkets to have a low price beer to get the punters in – I just don’t think we need so many of the same!

The two things that worry me about this situation are the fact that the downturn in pub patronage in the UK is being blamed partly on the upsurge in supermarket liquor sales and I don’t want to see that happen here and the fact that this is a marketing war – and wars have casualties.

Just listen to the battle cry from the head marketing wally from Woolies;

"We have got control over point-of-sale … we have control over floor, shelf and fridge space, and those are powerful things and in many ways equally as powerful as the other tools available to brand marketers." ... "We don't enter these sorts of projects unless we can capture a reasonable share of market, and we are looking at mid to high single digits,"

This is not a bloke with beers best interests at heart, nor the best interests of the beer drinkers. Prominent positioning, floor space advantage and other Marketing 101 catch phrases mean nothing except this – for every beer that these peanuts decide will be ‘beer idea of the month’, another beer or two must make way. And the ones to make way won’t be a similar low carb, low taste, low effort swill-piss, it will be the sweat of a craft brewer or a daring attempt at an odd-ball Belgian dubbell or Munich Helles by an emerging brewer or a worthy effort at something just a little better than the ever increasing line up of copycat lagers with no merit other than that they taste a bit like beer.

There’s my rant. Maybe it won’t happen. Maybe the big guns will keep each other honest and good beer will be readily available and reasonably priced. Maybe the small independent retailers will all survive and move away from competing with the Goliaths and start selling good craft beers and crafty imports. Maybe the circle of beer will continue to turn and real beer drinkers can keep buying real beer and the bogans can keep buying slabs of VB and we all sleep well at night.

Cheers,
Prof. Pilsner

Buying more beer – cheap

I watched a special on the telly last week which dealt with the retail duopoly which exists across Australia in the supermarket sector. The two big players, Coles and Woolworths sell us 70% of our dry goods and 50% of our fresh food as well as having a massive stake in petrol stations, pokie clubs and other businesses.

Where a decade or so back these supermarkets were selling just tinned tomatoes, milk, frozen peas and washing powders, they have now expanded and in many places have edged out small local butchers, bakers and probably the odd candlestick maker as well.

The other area of interest for visitors to this blog is that the two mega retailers also control a fair sized slab of the liquor market. With stores dotted everywhere across the city and country making use of massive floor spaces, the buying power that these giants have is unbeatable. Huge volumes and the ability to showcase hundreds of different lines means that the big two can dictate terms and pricing from the various suppliers. If you want to move a shed load of product, here’s how much you will get per unit and here’s when and how you’ll get paid.

For the humble punter this means a few things. First, we get to choose from a range we have not had ever before. Second, we can take advantage of bulk buy discounts and weekly specials on everyday mainstream beers – especially by the slab. Third, we are generally paying a lot less overall for beer because the biggies will always price beat their smaller independent retailers. And fourth, with liquor departments at the supermarkets as well as the huge stand alone booze barns access to liquor is easier than ever before. But is this all a good thing?

Having two players in the market effectively setting the price of beer means that the small independent is pretty much at the mercy of the duopoly when it comes to competing on price alone. The 4 Corners special heard from some retailers who were actually buying their stock from one of the bigg’uns because their cost price from the brewery was more expensive than the giant’s retail sale price! Some may argue that the small retailers offer a better level of service but for the average shmo trollying out his week’s supply of ‘Good Piss Lager’ or a slab of bourbon and cola cans, he could care less about service and range.

For those like myself, I prefer to shop at my friendly small guy (see entries on Cloudwine and Swords Select) because I know I can get a chat as well as a better selection of hard to get beers and special orders are taken care of with pleasure rather than annoyance. Personally, I can also request an odd-ball import or check prices and upcoming new arrivals on the beer retailer’s blogs. These things are more important to me than knowing I can get four ‘torpedoes’ of no-name bourbon flavoured rubbing alcohol mixed with sugar and cola infused lab syrup for around the price of four really nice beers. Plus, I wear shoes when I go shopping for drink and I don’t tip half of my purchase down my neck on the way home. But that’s another story.

Here is the big question; two mega-ginormous retailers controlling the market, keeping the smaller players at arms length from competing and calling the shots to the suppliers – what happens next? If more and more independents fall by the wayside and the big just get bigger, do the leaders go all ‘soup Nazi’ on us and say; “No specials for you!!” or does the fact that there are still two players at the top of ladder ensure that neither wants to shake he ladder or risk cutting some rungs? In the UK the supermarket players are being blamed in part for the decline in patronage at traditional English pubs and while the situation is different in the way that pub drinkers buy their booze, the omens are there.

We have more choice and more variety and more opportunity to easily buy what we want. We are probably paying less overall for many garden variety beers. We are convinced by the marketing that we are getting the best value for our drinking dollar. Should we just enjoy it all while we can or do the signs point to a future where the rules surrounding the business of buying beer is determined by the retailer and not the customer?

I’m off to buy some beer and I will drink some and have a think about it. I’ll get back to you soon.

Cheers,
Prof. Pilsner

Father’s Day beer

Being something of a beer-enjoyer (you may have picked up the subtle hints reading this rubbish) I relish hearing the question; “What can I get for you?” It’s nice to hear it come from a bartender and even nicer to hear it from a mate who is about to speak to a bartender. It is especially nice to hear it around Christmas and birthday time when I can shrug my shoulders matter of factly and say; “Oh, your love and respect is more than enough but, since you’re asking, a gift pack of Belgian ales, a six-pack of local crafties or a mini keg of Bavarian lager would be lovely.”

Now, when it comes to friends or family, mates or missus, this is easily done. When the first Sunday in September is rolling nigh and it is a two year old and a four year old asking the question, it makes for a different strategy. Can’t really ask them to hop on the push-along and fill up the flowery basket with bottles, can I. Can I? No, no I can’t. Apparently. Nice try though.

So for Father’s Day I must do my fatherly duty and provide for them. For me. I provide on their behalf - can’t be fairer than that!

So what does a dad drink when it comes to Father’s Day beer? Well, when he’s buying for himself and he has a good excuse, and he wants to match the beers with a good reason it goes something like this...

St. Arnou Premium Blonde I chose because Mrs Pilsner is blond and, well, without her I wouldn’t be having a Father’s Day. Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale because during the ‘Cut & Shut’ delivery of our first born, Mrs Pilsner went a lovely shade of pale during the epidural. A Fuller’s Extra Special Bitter because, well without being too much of a suck, being a Dad is pretty extra special. Holgate brewhouse in Woodend have a lovely Abbey beer called ‘Double Trouble’ (it’s Belgian Dubbell Ale) because before I had three kids I had two. Red Hill Temptation, a magnificent golden Belgian Ale chosen because that’s how I ended up with the third kid. And, finally, Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel because if you’ve had a few drinks before this one and you can still pronounce it without tripping over your tongue then you are very possibly capable of producing the kind of performance necessary to produce an offspring.

So when the first Sunday in September rolls around next year, get on your bike and grab six bottles of something you might not have thought about trying before. And if you don’t have any kids, get on your bike and grab six bottles of something you might not have thought about trying before. And if you feel bad that you are cheating the whole Father’s Day concept then get on your bike and grab six bottles of something you might not have thought about trying before and find someone you love and see if you can sort out what you need to do to be a father by this time next year. Go on, it’s fun!

Cheers,
Prof. Pilsner