Beers of the world - new beer products and marketing campaigns

Modern Brewery Age, July 15, 1991

St. Pauli Non-Alcoholic Brew

A brand extension of the St. Pauli Girl line--St. Pauli Girl N.A.--has been launched in the U.S. market by Associated Importers of New York, NY. The new non-alcoholic brew is produced in Bremen, Germany, in accordance with the German Reinheitsgebot (using only barley malt, hops, yeast and water). According to Associated, this gives the product full-bodied taste, despite removal of the alcohol.

St. Pauli N.A. was introduced into test markets in April, and Associated says widespread acceptance at the trade and consumer level led to its introduction in markets nationwide.

Associated notes St. Pauli N.A.'s bottle label, six-pack and case have the same graphics as St. Pauli Girl beer, with a different color break-up to give the brand a distinctive personality of its own.

Associated reports the brand will be supported with case headers and shelf strips for off-premise locations, plus table tents and menu clips for bars and restaurants.

The other beers in the St. Pauli Girl line, St. Pauli Girl Lager and St. Pauli Girl Dark will benefit from a new radio campaign that features several versions of the Turtles 1960s song, "She'd Rather Be With Me." The brands will also be supported by a new poster program that will feature the 1991 St. Pauli Girl. The poster offer will be tied in with a redeemable discount.

Another major national St. Pauli Girl promotion is planned for the Fall, timed to tie in with Oktoberfest celebrations. Consumers will be given the opportunity to save $7.00 on the purchase of St. Pauli Girl, and a special promotional T-shirt will be offered.

Sapporo Introduces All-Malt Draft

This Spring, Sapporo U.S.A. announced the introduction of Yebisu Stout Draft in the United States. Yebisu is a cold-filtered all-malt lager, first introduced in Japan in 1887.

"With Americans becoming more sophisticated in their choice of beers, we feel the time is right to introduce Yebisu to the U.S. market," says Yoshi Mochida, president of Sapporo U.S.A. "People are drinking less, but are drinking higher quality products. Since Yebisu doesn't contain sub-ingredients like rice or starches, we think Yebisu will cater to sophisticated consumers' tastes."

The label on the 21.4-oz. Yebisu bottle features an illustration of "Yebisu," the traditional Japanese god of good luck and fortune for which the beer was named.

The beer will be test marketed initially in California, Washington and Nevada, with wider distribution planned for the Fall of 1991.

Traquair House Ale Imported

A beer that has been called "the classic example of a dark Scottish ale" is now being imported by Merchant Du Vin of Seattle, WA, and Lenox, MA. Traquair House Ale is a strong ale brewed at a small family brewery in southern Scotland. Beer writer Michael Jackson gave the beer a four-star rating in his recent Pocket Guide to Beer, a grade that he reserves for world classic beers. In his review, Jackson wrote of the ale, "Rich and full, but with its sweetness balanced by an oaky dryness."

The Traquair House brewery uses the authentic, refurbished brewing vessels, and is the only British brewery to ferment its ales in uncoated wooden vessels.

The tradition of brewing at Traquair House reaches into the remote past, for the manor holds the distinction of being Scotland's oldest inhabited house--it was first used as a hunting lodge by Scots nobles in 1100. Although the brewing tradition lapsed at one point, it was resurrected in 1965 by Peter Maxwell Stewart, the 20th Laird of Traquair. Catherine Stewart, the 21st Lady of Traquair, inherited the property from her father in 1990, and carries on the family tradition.

She has recently made limited quantities of the ale available for the American market. "Many Americans visit the castle yearly," Ms. Stewart reports, "and we are delighted to make our beer available to them at home through our agents, Merchant Du Vin, and their wholesalers and retailers."

"Traquair House Ale fits perfectly with our selection of world classic beers," noted Charles Finkel, founder and president of Merchant Du Vin, "and we take great pride in our association with this historic house and brewery."

Corsendonk Pale Ale Available

The arrival of Corsendonk Monk's Pale Ale on these shores rounds out the Corsendonk ale "family" offered by Phoenix Imports of Baltimore, MD.

Corsendonk Monk's Pale is a Belgian ale brewed in the strong "triple" style of Belgian Trappist monks. The product is brewed by Keersmaekers, a secular brewery founded to revive the traditional beers once brewed by Belgium's Corsendonk Abbey (which was closed in the late 18th century). The Monk's Pale Ale is in the trappist style called "Agnes Dei" or "Lamb of God," a very strong golden ale.

Beer authority Michael Jackson calls Monk's Pale, "dry, with a great deal of finesse. A deceptively potent ale...[with] a very big head indeed...and a very clean palate." Monk's Pale Ale is available in three packages; 33 cl, 75 cl and three liter.

The Corsendonk pale serves as a complement to the Corsendonk Monk's Brown Ale, introduced in this country by Phoenix last year. Monk's Brown is called "Pater Noster" or "Our Father" in its native Belgium, and is a strong brown trappist-style beer.