The Herald on beer... again!

[Geoff Griggs]

The Herald makes another of its rare excursions into the world of beer...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&obje...

In a damning report on strong beers being sold in supermarkets the writer highlights the "problem" saying, "The strongest - 12 per cent Gordon Finest Platinum - has the same alcohol content as many wines."

Shock horror!!!

The implication here is that while it's perfectly normal for wine to be 12 percent or more, it is not acceptable for a beer to be that strength. Why?

In Blenheim - and, I suspect, elsewhere - supermarkets routinely offer budget wines for $7 a 750ml bottle, or less. That works out at $9.33 for a litre containing 12 plus percent alcohol.

According to the Regional Wines website the Dutch brew Pirate retails at $4.75 for a 500ml bottle. That's $9.50 per litre containing 8.5 percent alcohol.

Which drink then should be being singled out for criticism for offering the biggest (potentially most harmful) bang for the buck?

Answers please to The Herald.

[Tony]

Yes, Gordon McLaughlin wrote a book on NZ beer, sponsored by Lion! You can guess the content (if you haven't looked at it already). If anyone wants a copy, mine is free.

[Stu McKinlay]

it's got some cool pics in there

[Geoff Griggs]

Soren is spot on; I've been through this debate, at some length, with Ed Sims at Air New Zealand. To be considered beers must be canned (I did raise the issue of their sparkling wines, Stu!). Also, stocks must be available at AirNZ's transit points (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Beijing and London).

Sadly those policies pretty much rule out everyone except Lion and DB!

[Geoff Griggs]

Following on from what's been written about the lack of decent beers on Air New Zealand, this will amuse...

http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/23/134950/85/travel/Recession+...

[Geoff Griggs]

... then there's Quantas's policy; if you don't fancy a Pinot you can always have a Light Ice!

http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/3/52134/1133/travel/Beer+Ban+O...

[Glynn Foster]

If Virgin can do it, so can Air NZ - http://beernews.org/2009/11/21st-amendment-monks-blood-hits-cans/#m...

[Stu McKinlay]

but who is gonna "can 'em"?

[denimglen]

The thing that get me is they say these beers are 'fuelling New Zealand's binge drinking culture and a surge in violent behaviour' but I don't know where the fuck they get this information.

90% of the people I work with and are friends with are binge drinkers, and not by the 'more than 4 drinks a week' those scientific folk quote, they're MAJOR pissheads. I also know a lot of these people they talk about that have 'violent behaviour' and yeah, it's usually linked to getting on the piss but NONE of them drink those high alc beers. They're all staunch heineken, steinlager, NZ lager, <$20/dozen drinkers.

I also work in a pretty rough neighbourhood. I drive past a certain pub every Fri morning on the way to work and there's often cops there after someone's had a dust-up or something.

But there's not a Gordan's can in sight, but there's about a dozen empty Cody's and Woodstock boxes all up and down the street.

That's where you need to put the taxes - on the lolly drinks that any amateur can down a dozen within the blink of the eye. I'd like to see the average 'binge' drinker down enough IPAs or trappist beers to get violently drunk.

It doesn't help that these retards turn up in court and go 'aww sir I was drunk aye, didn't know what I was doing aye', then the soft cock judge says 'aww i'm a little bitch so here's a little slap on the back of the hand, go back to living your dero fucking life'

Honestly, where the fuck do these retards get their information from?

Make's me wanna go drink some Gordans Ultra fucking platinum and smash the reporter.

[Stu McKinlay]

I rode up Mt Vic a couple of weeks ago and spotted and emerson's bottle in the gutter. My first thought was "My god, Emerson's litter - they've hit the big time!"

Next thing you know we'll have a grey market situation and Emerson's SWAT team will be dropping into Realbeer to shut it down.

[Stu McKinlay]

Make's me wanna go drink some Gordans Ultra fucking platinum and smash the reporter.

Quote of the week! Irony veiled in violence always does it for me.

[Nick T]

Perhaps the importers and brewers of these 'evil' beers should start making mutterings about lawsuits and defamation, which is what the Herald article amounts to if there is no substantial evidence to link high strength beers (as opposed to multiple 'normal' beers, even higher strength wines, spirits etc) to the culture of binge drinking. Geez, in my field, if you say something without reasonable evidence to back it up you can quickly find yourself in the shite. How come 'reporters' can get away with this sort of rubbish?

[denimglen]

This is a really good point, especially since they just dragged three beers and one distributors name's through the dirt.