Germany's beer lovers taste defeat!
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 8:38 pm
Germany's beer lovers can already taste defeat From Roger Boyes in Berlin. The Times. IT IS brown-gold and alcoholic but, then, in the scathing verdict of German beer fans, so is paint thinner.
The Germans are furious that Budweiser will be the official tipple for the World Cup, which starts next month. The American lager has secured a near-monopoly of beer sales inside World Cup stadiums and within a 500m radius of the grounds, supplanting more than 1,270 domestic breweries.
And what most upsets the fans is that Budweiser †advertised as the “King of Beers†in the US †fails to meet the ancient German standards for purity, which stipulate that beer can be brewed only from malt, hops and water. Budweiser uses rice in its production process and therefore does not qualify as a beer in the German sense.
Budweiser’s World Cup status is a slap in the face for a country that attaches such importance to beer production. When Germany was a patchwork of principalities and duchies, a sponsored brewery was seen as the stamp of in- dependence. German pride at hosting the tournament is being dented by the fierce marketing of the American beer.
“Most pubs don’t even stock it,†groaned Walter König, of the Bavarian Breweries’ Association. “Bavarian beer should be available in a Bavarian stadium †Munich †for the first kick-off. But what can we do? Budweiser paid $40 million for the concession even before Germany had been chosen to host the tournament.â€
Franz Maget, a Bavarian Social Democrat, has entered the fray, calling Budweiser “the worst beer in the worldâ€.
Take care,
Gordon.
The Germans are furious that Budweiser will be the official tipple for the World Cup, which starts next month. The American lager has secured a near-monopoly of beer sales inside World Cup stadiums and within a 500m radius of the grounds, supplanting more than 1,270 domestic breweries.
And what most upsets the fans is that Budweiser †advertised as the “King of Beers†in the US †fails to meet the ancient German standards for purity, which stipulate that beer can be brewed only from malt, hops and water. Budweiser uses rice in its production process and therefore does not qualify as a beer in the German sense.
Budweiser’s World Cup status is a slap in the face for a country that attaches such importance to beer production. When Germany was a patchwork of principalities and duchies, a sponsored brewery was seen as the stamp of in- dependence. German pride at hosting the tournament is being dented by the fierce marketing of the American beer.
“Most pubs don’t even stock it,†groaned Walter König, of the Bavarian Breweries’ Association. “Bavarian beer should be available in a Bavarian stadium †Munich †for the first kick-off. But what can we do? Budweiser paid $40 million for the concession even before Germany had been chosen to host the tournament.â€
Franz Maget, a Bavarian Social Democrat, has entered the fray, calling Budweiser “the worst beer in the worldâ€.
Take care,
Gordon.
