Welcome to RBPMail 3.9, September, 1997

[Real Beer <rblists@mail.realbeer.com>]

Welcome to RBPMail  3.9, September, 1997 

Real Beer Page Mail, The Monthly Brew News Digest For the Online 
Beer Enthusiast. 

In this issue: 

* This Issue Brought to You by BEERWeek 
* Labatt To Revive Lowenbrau
* Lesbian Molson Ad Gets Approval
* Cantillon's Naked Lady Earns U.S. Approval
* First Americans Inducted Into Belgian Brewers Guild
* Coors Divests Unibev
* Clinton Keeps Cider Tax Break
* Web Watch
  - GABF Prep
  - GABF XVI Breaks All Records
  - Surf 1996 GABF Winners Online
  - Test Your Skills With The Best
  - Make Mine A Smutty
  - Aussie Theme Micro In Cleveland
  - Horse Brass Redux
  - Another Apology
  - Quickie Survey 
* Tennessee Container-Size Law Shot Down
* Clint Eastwood's Microbrew 
* Budweiser, Heineken Outspend On Ads
* FTC Attacks College Paper Beer Ads
* Critical Mass Calls For Critical Thinking - Editorial

-------------------------------------------------------- 

THIS ISSUE BROUGHT TO YOU BY BEERWEEK
 For over seven months we've been co-publishing BEERWeek with 
The Celebrator Beer News. This valuable industry news digest is 
delivered every week with a compilation of digested breaking news, 
new product releases, events, openings and closings along with many 
novel reports and reporting found exclusively in BEERWeek. This is 
the final edition of three months of global headline articles presented
from BEERWeek in RBPMail, sort of like an extended cable channel 
preview weekend. If beer is your avocation or profession, this is the 
resource for you. To clarify, RBPMail is the FREE news digest mailed 
monthly; BEERWeek is supported entirely by your paid subscription 
and -- as the name implies -- never misses a Monday. Read 
on or subscribe at: 

         http://www.beerweek.com 

LABATT TO REVIVE LOWENBRAU
Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd., based in Toronto, Canada and Lowenbrau AG, 
Munich, Germany, announced August 18 an agreement for the production, 
importation and marketing of Lowenbrau beers in North America. The new 
agreement will go into effect in two years in the U.S. after the conclusion of 
the current agreement with Miller Brewing Co. The beer will be brewed in 
accordance with Lowenbrau's "genuine" Munich recipe versus the current 
Miller interpretation.

        http://www.labattblue.com

LESBIAN MOLSON AD GETS APPROVAL
Molson Breweries has just received approval for a new beer ad that shows 
two women kissing romantically. According to a report in the August 14 
Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper, the Molson Dry ad was originally 
rejected by the Liquor Licensing Board of Ontario because it insinuated that 
beer was a key to "sexual success." After a re-edit by Molson, the ad has 
now been approved and the Globe says that it "is believed to be the first 
prime-time TV commercial to use homosexual imagery openly." The 
commercial has not yet aired and there is no indication when it will debut. 
(courtesy Stephen Beaumont, World of Beer/Celebrator Beer News).

         http://worldofbeer.com
         http://celebrator.com

CANTILLON'S NAKED LADY EARNS U.S. APPROVAL
Shelton Broers, importers of Cantillon Belgian beers, have finally 
succeeded in getting approval from the BATF for their Rose de Gambrinus 
and Gueuze Lambic labels. The labels had been rejected for use in the U.S  
for years because they showed nudity. The Rose de Gambrinus label, 
originally created by Belgian artist Raymond Coumans, features a 
watercolor impression of a nude woman sitting on the lap of Gambrinus, 
the mythic King of Beer. The previous distributor had tried to persuade the 
artist to clothe the woman in a bikini; Coumans retaliated by clothing her in 
a long blue dress, commenting, "... underneath her blue dress the girl is ... 
STARK NAKED." The Gueuze Lambic label features the famed Manneken-
Pis, the centerpiece of a fountain located in the center of Brussels. The 
BATF changed their position because it became convinced that the labels are 
indeed works of art.

FIRST AMERICANS INDUCTED INTO BELGIAN BREWERS GUILD
Wendy Littlefield and Don Feinberg were inducted into the Belgian Brewers 
Guild on July 2 in Brussels, Belgium, and are now Chevaleries du 
Fourquet des Brasseurs. The couple, owners of Belgian beer importers 
Vanberg & DeWulf were the first Americans, and the only couple, to be so 
honored. Wendy Littlefield is one of only three women to be admitted to the 
Guild. The induction took place on Belgium's "Beer Day," and the 
ceremony itself took about six hours, including a procession, a mass 
(dedicated to St. Arnould, patron saint of brewers), a concert, a parade of 
vintage beer wagons, an aerialist who walked a tight rope across the 
Grand'Place, stopping to drink a beer at midpoint, the swearing in itself, 
and a feast.

       http://www.belgianexperts.com

COORS DIVESTS UNIBEV
A Coors spokesperson confirmed that the company is divesting Unibev as 
an independent entity and bringing the Killian and Blue Moon brands under 
their corporate marketing umbrella. Laurie Ciesielski assured BEERWeek 
that the move does not affect brand spending, resources or commitment, 
rather it represents a realignment of efforts towards core marketing and sales 
resources. The former Unibev products will be incorporated into the 
existing Coors marketing structures, ultimately reporting to Bill Weintraub, 
Senior Vice President of Marketing.

CLINTON KEEPS CIDER TAX BREAK
American cider producers won a significant tax break in legislation recently 
passed and signed into law. Currently, cider from large producers is taxed 
at a rate comparable to luxury drinks like champagne although it has half the 
alcoholic content. Ciders are, however, most often marketed alongside 
craft-brewed beers in quality taverns and alehouses. The bill gives relief to 
apple growers and cider producers by reducing the federal excise tax from 
$1.07 per gallon to 22.6 cents per gallon -- the same rate as microbrewed 
beer. BeerWeek contacted a few cider producers for reaction and found 
universal delight with the tax rollback. Widmer Bros. Brewery in Portland, 
OR is barely three months into production of their own line of ciders. Kurt 
Widmer reported that the new tax relief won't kick in until they produce 
over 151,000 gallons (nearly 4900 barrels) and that the major tax break 
takes place for production over 250,000 gallons. "This helps Widmer 
starting next year," Widmer said, noting that competition is both from 
domestic producers and from imports.

 ********** WEB WATCH ********** 

GABF PREP
The following resources on the Web can prepare you to attend the Great 
American Beer Festival in person or in cyberspace:

GABF XVI BREAKS ALL RECORDS
The 16th annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF) will present a 
record-setting 400 breweries pouring more than 1,700 beers during the 
three-day salute to brewing's best from Oct. 2 through 4 at Denver's 
Currigan Exhibition Hall. More than 30,000 beer lovers from around the 
world are expected for the festivities. In addition to more beers being 
served, more beers are also being judged in the 1997 competition than ever 
before. The GABF's Professional Panel Blind Tasting has been expanded 
to 50 different style categories (37 categories were judged in 1996). The 
Members-Only Tasting, held exclusively for members of the American 
Homebrewers Association (AHA) and Institute for Brewing Studies (IBS), 
will be Thursday, Oct. 2 from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Since the Blind Tasting 
Awards Ceremony will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m on Thursday, AHA and IBS 
members will be first to sample this year's medal winning beers. The public 
sessions are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights from 5:30 to 10. An 
extra public session has been added on Saturday afternoon from 12:30 to 
4:30 as well.  General Admission tickets are $28 in advance or $30 at the 
door. For more information or to order tickets, call the 24-hour GABF 
hotline at (303) 447-0126 or hit:

          http://www.beertown.org/gabfframeset.htm

SURF 1996 GABF WINNERS ONLINE
As you prepare to head out to Denver, catch last year's Blind Pannel 
winners online at the following addresses:

SLO Brewing Co., San Louis Obispo, CA, Brickhouse Extra Pale Ale, 
Classic English-Style Pale Ale - Bronze 

          http://www.slobrew.com

20 Tank Brewery, San Francisco, CA, Heart of Darkness XXX Stout, Dry 
Stouts - Bronze 

          http://www.20tank.com

20 Tank Brewery, San Francisco, CA, Kinnikinick Old Scout Stout, 
Specialty Stouts - Gold 

          http://www.20tank.com

Little Apple Brewing Co., Manhattan, KS, Big 12 Barleywine, Barley 
Wine - Gold 

          http://realbeer.com/travels/lilapple/

Celis Brewery Inc., Austin, TX, Celis Grand Cru, Belgian-Style Ales - 
Bronze 

          http://www.celis.com

Baltimore Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD, DeGroen's Pils, European-Style 
Pilsener - Gold 

          http://www.DeGroens.com

Redwood Coast Brewing Co., Mt. View, CA, New World Wheat, 
American Wheat Ale or Lager - Silver 

          http://www.tiedhouse.com

Rogue Ales, Newport, OR, Smoke, Smoke-Flavored Beers - Gold 

          http://www.rogueales.com

TEST YOUR SKILLS WITH THE BEST
Do your own blind tastings and compare your experience with some folks 
who have spent considerable time and effort tasting beers and articulating 
their experience.

Richard Steuvens

          http://www.Beerismylife.com

Dave Brockington

          http://www.brewery.org/brewery/taproom/DBindex.html

Red

         http://www.beerjournal.com

************* REAL BEER PICKS ********************* 

MAKE MINE A SMUTTY
Our website pick of the month is chock full of fun surprises. Not some 
crazy, bleeding-edge java applet or shockwave game. Just great, honest, 
no-holds-barred, fun-lovin' show and tell-it-like-it-is. These folks love 
what they do and where they are. Click on "find us on the map" and you'll 
soon realize it's just another excuse to spin some stories. Meet their brown 
dog and send pictures of your own brown dogs. This is not just a contest 
marketing gimmick. They REALLY want to meet your dog and share Olive 
with you. They love brown dogs. And you have to read about the famous 
Murderous past of Smutty Nose Island. It's a refreshing change from the 
cookie-cutter-come-back-in-three-weeks-and-it's-the-same brand website. 
By the way, if the site doesn't change every couple of weeks, get on them 
about it. 'Bet you'll get a real-life reply. Enjoy the Smuttynose site at:

        http://www.smuttynose.com

AUSSIE THEME MICRO IN CLEVELAND
A brewpub and newly installed micro base outside of Cleveland, OH 
telegraphs "sequel" louder than an action-hero summer blockbuster. The 
Aussie accent in the copy is thicker than a Foster's Beer commercial and the 
mascot "Wally" looks headed for franchise and/or multi-unit destiny. The 
website is still under construction, but it's one to book mark and hop 
around again soon. Ohio residents can also learn how to purchase common 
stock at the rate of $5/share:

         http://www.wallabys.com

HORSE BRASS REDUX
Big oops on last month's Real Beer Picks write up of the Horse Brass Pub, 
"a bit of England, where good companionship is the order of the day." Not 
on the selection, but in the misenom publican, Don Younger. A small batch 
of RBPMails sent out last month had him running his operations under a 
different name (and we're not referring to any of the expletives he's used to 
hearing). Boy, did he give us hell... In all seriousness, Don is one of our 
favorite industry visionaries; the Horse Brass is one of the best beer bars in 
the world and we apologize for the faux pas. Let's all make it up to him and 
hit his site like crazy today at:

         http://www.horsebrass.com 

ANOTHER APOLOGY
We've heard the pleas for help from the spouses of those downloading the 
devilishly addictive BeerManager game. Sorry. The first four years are 
freeeeeeee...: 

          http://www.beermanager.com 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

QUICKIE EMAIL SURVEY 
Thanks to all who have been replying to our 
Quickie Surveys. We draw one winner each month for the prize of 
Michael Jackson's The Great Beers of Belgium distributed by Vanberg 
& DeWulf  (http://www.BelgianExperts.com). Here's this month's 
question: 

Perhaps writing this before lunch inspires this month's survey question: 
Given the option of the best of any, what menu item would you most likely 
to choose? Please respond using the appropriate email address

e mailto:meat@realbeer.com 
e mailto:fish@realbeer.com 
e mailto:chicken@realbeer.com 
e mailto:pork@realbeer.com 
e mailto:vegitarian@realbeer.com 
e mailto:none@realbeer.com 

RESULTS FROM LAST MONTH'S SURVEY: 
We asked, "How many STYLES of beer do you have in your 
refrigerator at any one time?" and learned that nearly two thirds 
stock 1-4 styles and fully another third stock more. These numbers
match identically the numbers we saw when asked how many BRANDS
do you stock at any one time.

Here are what your proud 'fridges look like: 

1-4 Brands =   65% more    =      35% 

Possible conclusion: you stock your refrigerators like most people stock 
their music collections. And probably play them based on mood, too.

Last's months Quickie Survey winner is 
Enjoy the Michael Jackson book from 
http://www.BelgianExperts.com 

*********** Brewed Fresh For You! ************** 
The Real Beer Page announces a diverse group of brew websites to 
check out: 

BrewBus!          http://www.brewbus.com
Brews Cruise      http://www.oldenberg.com/BrewCrus.html
Cabo Group        http://www.cabogroup.com
Elk Grove         http://www.elkgrovebrewing.com 
Golden Gate       http://www.goldengatepark.com 
Hales Ales        http://www.halesales.com 
Lucky's Teeth     http://labattblue.com/Lucky/ 
Molokai Brewing   http://www.MolokaiBrewing.com 
ProBrewer         http://www.probrewer.com
Shadow Mtn        http://www.shadowmountain.com
Toronto Beer Fest http://realbeer.com/torfestbeer/ 

************************************************* 

TENNESSEE CONTAINER-SIZE LAW SHOT DOWN
According to the August/September edition of Southern Draft Brew News, 
legislators nullified a 24-year-old statewide restriction on beer bottle sizes 
by passing a law allowing beer containers of any size. House Bill 1023, 
sponsored by Rep. Frank Buck, D-District 40, sailed through the House 
and Senate in just three days. Although Gov. Don Sundquist refused to sign 
it, he didn't veto it but allowed it to become law without his signature. It 
went into effect June 24. After many discussions and much political 
wrangling, the powerful Tennessee Malt Beverage Association came out 
against the new law, but craft beer enthusiasts statewide are celebrating the 
prospect that they may soon be enjoying a wide variety of European and 
American beers that until now were prohibited.

        http://www.southerndraft.com

CLINT EASTWOOD'S MICROBREW 
Pale Rider Ale, is a new beer brewed under contract by Celis Brewing, Co. 
in Austin, TX for movie star/director Clint Eastwood. When BEERWeek 
talked to the manager at Hogs Breath Inn, owned by Eastwood, in Carmel, 
CA, she reported that customers had completely consumed the first batch of 
their new beer in two days. According to a Celis representative, Eastwood 
has taken a hands-on approach to his new beer, involving himself with the 
development of the flavor profile and participating in tasting sessions to 
determine the final recipe.  Pale Rider is described as smooth and complex, 
brewed with five different hops and two pale malts and caramel malts. 
Initially, it will be available in the Monterey Bay area. Proceeds from the 
beer's sales will be donated to Eastwood's favorite charities around 
Monterey County, including Carmel Youth Center and the Monterey 
Peninsula Boys & Girls Club. Celis is one of three breweries that operate as 
part of Miller Brewing's American Specialty & Craft Beer Company. 
Owner/founder Pierre Celis moved from Belgium to Texas to live in the 
American West. 

          http://www.celis.com

BUDWEISER, HEINEKEN OUTSPEND ON ADS
Anheuser-Busch Co. increased its advertising costs by 13.7% from the first 
quarter 1996 to first quarter 1997. The company spent $72,498,100 in Q1 
'97, and $63,750,800 in Q1 '96. Philip Morris (Miller Brewing, Red Dog, 
Molson's) was second in absolute expenditures, but its ad costs increased 
16.9%.  Heineken, spending $3,102,800 in Q1 '97, compared to $160,800 
in Q1 '96, increased its ad expenditures a mammoth 1,829.6%. (Reported 
by Competitive Media Reporting, July 29, 1997)

FTC ATTACKS COLLEGE PAPER BEER ADS
The Federal Trade Commission has begun investigating two beer marketers 
who advertised in college newspapers, Boston Beer Company and Portland 
Brewing. Judy Riedl, general manager at the University of Oregon's 
Oregon Daily Emerald in Eugene, OR, stated that they had "run beer ads in 
the past and, yes, we would run them again. There's no law against that." 
Riedl added that the average age of the Emerald's readers was 21, and that 
the readership included more than just students, but faculty and staff 
members as well. She also stated that the school had run ads in the past for 
restaurants and bars and clubs where beer is served, without any problem. 
The editor of the University of California's  Daily Bruin in Los Angeles, 
Edina Lekovic stated that they have no policy against running ads for beer, 
and that "I don't believe the ads are aimed at underage drinkers."  When 
contacted by Ad Age, an FTC spokesman said that FTC chairman Robert 
Pitofsky has "said publicly he is concerned about alcohol advertising that 
either by its placement or content is being directed at underage audiences." 
Boston Beer Company's Jim Koch told Ad Age that it was not the policy of 
the brewery to advertise in college newspapers. The company's subsidiary 
Oregon Beer & Ale Company placed ads in the fall of 1996, but that was 
not done as part of the company's basic policy. The other brewery contacted 
by the FTC, Portland Brewing Company, Portland, OR, had budgeted 
$400,000 for 1997 on a print campaign to run in alternative weeklies and 
more than a dozen campus newspapers in California, Colorado, Oregon and 
Washington.  Upon being contacted by Ad Age, Portland's marketing 
director Michael Kiriazis stated that the company was cooperating with the 
FTC investigation. (Sources: James B. Arndorfer, Advertising Age, August 
18 and additional reporting by BEERWeek staff).

      http://www.portlandbrew.com/ads.html

************************************************* 

CRITICAL MASS CALLS FOR CRITICAL THINKING - EDITORIAL
Some quick framework for this editorial: in mid-August, Anheuser-Busch 
flew 45 publishers and writers for small beer press across the U.S. out to 
their hop farm in Bonners Ferry, ID, effectively letting us know that the 
craft beer enthusiast to whom we speak holds weight in their marketing and 
influences potential consumers of their products. Although craft beer 
enthusiast comprise only 1% of the total market by A-B's count, they 
account for 23% of specialty sales and influence the other 75%. I'd like to 
suggest that at over 100,000 viewers of RBPMail, this audience also carries 
influence to a large sphere of friends, relations and local media. With this 
critical mass comes the responsibility of critical thinking regarding the 
continued support and sustenance of the craft producer.

The wind-up on this editorial may be slow, but the pitch delivered at the end 
is to invest the time to become informed by reading and communicating with 
a lone, critical advocate on the web for balanced reporting in the face of 
neoprohibition forces that wish to steal the livelihood from the craft 
producer. Hint: the tactics will mirror tobacco, starting with the move to 
increase taxes. And the consent of policy makers will be manufactured 
through the unquestioned presentation of "scientific" facts (which are 
neither).

In response to a recent promotion by an industrial brewer to marry hunting 
and a brand in a promotion, a fellow publisher asked, "Am I overreacting to 
a perceived problem,  or do beer promotions like this add fuel to 
neoprohibitionist bonfires?" What follows is my response.

I think promotion concerns amount to barking up the wrong tree by 
suggesting that A-B re-think its cross-hair/-index promotion with a group. 
This is a no-brainer for A-B to harvest some of the goodwill they've created 
through sponsorship over the years. And it doesn't hurt if the big cheese, 
Augie IV, is an enthusiast in the area.

So, per the question, this is not overreacting. Simply reacting. Which is the 
central problem in my analysis. If we overthink to avoidance the support of 
an audience that makes sense, we've already lost the battle. If we react to 
the straw-dogs produced by the opposition, then they control the debate. 
We need to be loudly dismissive about their response to responsible 
industry messages.

I'd suggest we need to be proactive rather than reactive. The integration of 
the beverage into all occasions is a great weapon against the prohibitionist. 
Compare the U.S. view of alcohol versus the European view and imagine 
their uproar from consumers should anyone suggest a complete prohibition 
the likes we had in the 20s.

As beer press, consumer advocates and conscientious consumers, we have 
a duty to exercise our influence on the debate so that anti-alcohol salvos 
from the mass media do not vilify beer, beer producers or beer consumption 
and so that these messages do not insinuate themselves into the culture from 
their tireless and unquestioned presentation in mass media. My approach: 
whenever PRODUCT or PRODUCER are targeted, I raise flags. IMHO, 
the issues should be alcoholism, treatment and abuse -- prevention to the 
greater population does nothing to address these issues or abate use from 
the smaller, problem group.

Case in point on unchecked media reports: two months ago, when the 
"Center for Media Education" launched its attack on Web advertising by 
alcohol producers (see 
http://www2.madd.org/MADD/news/Show_News.qry?News_uid=10231). 
Excerpt:

"The Internet has become a new tool for the alcohol industry, the Wall 
Street Journal reported March 7. According to the Center for Media 
Education underage drinkers are the target of an aggressive campaign,  with 
more than 35 brands of beer and liquor posted on the Web. In releasing the 
results of a new study, the Center for Media Education said young people 
are enticed by the Web sites because 14 liquor  companies and 10 major 
breweries have chosen to promote their products with 'a heady blend of 
humor, hip language, interactive games, and contests.'" 

Critical Reading: 1. use of WSJ's name to legitimize a press release they 
picked up from CME and call it "reporting;" 2. "aggressive campaign 
because 35 brands post in medium?" there are hundreds of brands and they 
use all media to communicate with their consumers; 3. "new tool?" -- we've 
been putting brands on the Web for over four years; 4. calls CME's agenda 
a "study;" 5. and since when does "heady" blends of humor, hip language, 
interactive games and contests become the domain of the underage? But 
many mainstream and a few beer news sources picked up this information 
without removing the slant and asking the critical question: should this even 
be reported? Is there legitimacy to the "study?"

We should have been calling bull on this report rather than passing it on or 
letting it go unchecked in the mainstream. I email my reproaches to shows 
when they report this information inaccurately or simply inappropriately -- 
almost all media have email now. I invite all readers to join me in protest by 
email.

One of the most effective ways we can combat false claims as beer press 
and "beerigencia" is to become more informed about the weak links in the 
New Temperance Movement's armor. Much of the movement's ammunition 
has devolved within government-funded organizations from self-
perpetuating bureaucracies and speaks specifically to elites -- academics, 
research institutions, policy-makers, etc. There are many sites dedicated to 
the thoughtful propagation of the neo-prohibition message (see samples 
below) that we should study. There is only one so far that we've seen to 
present the balanced, critical response. It's called the RANES report and is 
produced by Ron Roizen in Berkeley, CA who came from the research 
institution from which many alumni have graduated to become leading 
proponents of anti-alcohol policy and thought. Ron did not come to the 
same conclusions as some of these colleagues, and he reports this on his 
new web site at:


    THE RANES REPORT
    http://www.roizen.com/ron/ranes.htm

    SOME NEO-PROHIBITION SITES TO STUDY
    http://www.madd.org/
    
http://www2.madd.org/MADD/Links/URL_Show.qry?filter=drugs&Categ
ory=Policy&Summaries=on
    http://tap.epn.org/cme/ (note use of bright colors, cartoon illustration and 
animations!)

Look to see and hear more from Roizen in this area in the future. For the 
moment, however, take the time and thought it requires to review each issue 
of the RANES Report so you can be informed when faced with suspicious 
data and presentations against your right to enjoy a real beer.

-------------------------------------------------------- 
---------------------------------------------------------

Beer Marketers, are you interested in gaining more exposure for 
your company on the World Wide Web? For more information call 
415.522.1516. 

Coming soon to the Real Beer Page: More brewzines and craft-brew 
marketers. And several powerful new tools and resources. Check our 
What's New page regularly. 

RBPMail now has over 50,000 subscribers and nearly 100,000 
readers. If this is  your first time, Welcome! Glad to have you with 
us. If you like what's going on here, pass the email on to your friend 
and help them subscribe. 

To subscribe, send an email message to RBPMail-
request@realbeer.com -- in the SUBJECT line of the message type: 

subscribe 

Or you can subscribe by simply leaving your email address on our 
homepage at http://realbeer.com

 To unsubscribe, send an email message to rbpmail-
request@realbeer.com -- in the SUBJECT line of the message type: 

unsubscribe 

 **(Sending this message to newsletter@realbeer.com will NOT 
unsubscribe you automatically! We will try our best to service these 
messages but can't promise anything.)** 

We share your concerns for confidentiality and respect your 
bandwidth. Be assured that we will keep your email address in 
complete confidence and strive to deliver substantial information 
when we do send information to you on RBPMail. 

-------------------------------------------------------- 
-------------------------------------------------------- 

© copyright, Real Beer, Inc. 1997. Feel free to distribute to friends, 
just keep the copyright clause intact. An archive of past RBPMails is 
available at http://realbeer.com/newsletters/ cheers!