Here we go again...

[Geoff Griggs]

I've just heard from a reporter at The Marlborough Express that it's very likely that Blenheim's Blues and Brews will be forced to use polycarbonate drinking vessels this year. I am not aware of any such equivalent demand being made on the Wine Marlborough event. (This is incorrect: see below).

Having previously run an online petition on the very same issue (and won), as you might imagine I have very strong feelings on the subject. I, for one, will not be attending the event if beer is being served in polycarbonate vessels.

Your thoughts? (Let's keep it clean and constructive folks!)

[Geoff Griggs]

Tomorrow evening I'll be at The Old Bank in Blenheim, sampling cask conditioned Townshend ESB and Cathcart's NTA drawn by handpump and served in a pint glass. On any other day I can enjoy some of Marlborough's finest beers from the likes of Renaissance, Moa, 8 Wired and 666 Brewing (sometimes!).

Why then would I choose to stand in a field drinking beer from a plastic cup?

[Christian]

I had some Townshend from 'plastic' cups at the Neudorf fair recently (I think these were actually some fancy biodegradable product which I think is great if you're going disposable) and wasn't too bothered.

That said, this wasn't a specialty beer event where my preference certainly is for glass if you're there just for the beer and consuming several 'glasses' - doesn't seem to be a problem at the Nelson beer Fete's (I even dropped mine on concrete at Marchfest and it didn't break!).

Glass really it superior and I worry about the future of beer and glass given the willingness of the neo-prohibitionist crowd to spoil our fun.

[666 Brewing]

They're going to win one of these days, its only a matter of time!

My opinions:

a) I wont be going this year as a 'brewer' or 'customer'
b) Considering the way the festival in Blenheim has been heading the last few years im not likely to ever go as a customer and probably only as a brewer to make a bit of quick cash.  That would likely be under a different 'brand' as I dont really think it does a decent 'craft' beer brand many favours.
c) The actual people you want to get to are a diminishing percentage attending the festival.
d) I dont really want to 'fight' something for a festival that arent interested in doing the right thing for craft beer anyway!

All your previous arguments for glass v plastic are relevant, but is it worth the 'stress'.  I would personally be looking at getting a 'Marchfest' equivalent to Blenheim instead.

Just my thoughts....

[Stu McKinlay]

Very good points... fight for your right (not someone elses)

[Toot]

Whats the reason for plastic cups? Drunken breakage?

Gisborne Wine and Foods Festival issues a wine glass as a ticket with no problems and people get absolutely blotto at that event. Also the reason most Gisborne winemakers worth their salt avoid wine and foods like the plague, the same sentiments 666 describes above.

[Fraser Kennedy]

I agree wholly with your sentiment here Geoff, it would be ludicrous for the event to go ahead under this manner

[Soren]

I do agree that it is revolting that glass is allowed at the wine fest and not the beer fest but that being said I agree with 666 that the event is a piss up and not something I can really be bothered fighting for. I wasn't planning on bringing my beer either. And while I'm agreing with Graeme: A Blenheim Marchfest sounds like an awesome idea! I think we have enough breweries (or brewing companies at least) in the area to sustain an event like that. Just start it out small and go from there, all we need is an organizer, any volunteers??:)

[Ian]

Yep, something I too feel strongly about. We have been to a number of the Blues and Brews in years gone by, but not for a couple of years now. There was always some outstanding music but for me I never found that the myriad of great NZ craft brewers were very well represented there and choice was limited. The event does get a bit frenetic and loads of young folk (and older folk I hasten to admit) go on the piss a bit, so there isn't a great deal of fine ale savouring going on. Having said that, I certainly never witnessed, nor have heard about, any incidents that would suggest that glass is a bad idea. In fact the little half-pint mugs they sell you would require a rock dropping on them to break, so I just don't get what the fuss is about.
At this year's March fest in Nelson I had a yarn with one of the organisers about just that, and he said they were determined to keep the event to a high level so that there would be no reason for intervention on the score of glasses. I still have the very nice glasses you get at that event, in fact, and use them daily (only for beer of course) and they are pleasant to drink from. Any 'beer' event where our sacred brews were dispensed in plastic mugs doesn't warrant the purchase of a tiket - rather drink at home.

[Geoff Griggs]

More news in today's Marlborough Express...

"Organisers of Blues, Brews and BBQs are gearing up to use plastic cups at next year's events, following years of police pressure to ditch the traditional glass handles.
Now police also want the Marlborough Wine Festival to swap glass for plastic.
Senior Sergeant Naera Parata, of Blenheim, said police had objected to special licence applications for both events which ask for glass to be used because of a new blanket policy by Marlborough police to reject the use of glass at events."

My understanding is that, although the organisers of Blues & Brews have all but capitulated (despite having already bought $30,000 worth of festival glasses), Wine Marlborough (which has also had 10,000 festival glasses made) will be defending its continued use of glasses.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/3166443/Police-put-...

[Geoff Griggs]

Great editorial in today's Marlborough Express...

"Let us be clear about this – plastic is not fantastic for a beer or wine festival.
It just doesn't taste the same.
So why are the police trying to enforce the use of plastic glasses at two of Marlborough's major events – Blues, Brews and BBQs and the Marlborough Wine Festival?"

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/opinion/3172421/Edi...

[Geoff Griggs]

... and here's confirmation from today's Marlborough Express:

"The days of swigging from a glass handle at Blues, Brews and BBQs are over.
The iconic glasses have been swept aside after 16 years of use and replaced by a polycarbonate alternative.
Organisers of the event have caved in to pressure by police, who objected to the use of glass at the event."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/3182088/Plastic-not...

[666 Brewing]

"The show must go on"...says it all really - we're more interested in the money rather than standing up for Craft Beer. I honestly hope that all 'decent' craft brewers boycott the event!...but I suspect that wont happen either.