How was it for you?
Former Publican drinks writers debate the industry on the 30th anniversary of The Publican Newspaper.
It takes a very special mind to be able to strain yourself to write about drinks for a living. For some the effort is too much and so individuals are reduced to focusing on one particular drink - take Roger Protz for beer or Tim Atkin for wine. However, to write about beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks every week. Therein lies true talent...
So it was felt in order to get some real perspective on the last 30 years we should get together the last three brands editors of The Publican: Tom Innes, Georgina Wald and Ben McFarland, and chew the great and the gruesome of the last three decades over a pint. Adam Withrington took notes.
Drinks offer in pubs since the Beer Orders
GW: I think it has got worse because there were six major brewers and retailers and now there are only three major brewers so there is less choice.TI: But I think the fact the brewers don't own so many pubs is a good thing because it means better brands can be offered.BM: To be honest the tie still exists to a large extent in many pubs and everyone still has the main brands. If you are opening a new pub I think you have to be quite brave not to have the usual suspects on your bar. I think a lot of the humour has gone out of the industry - particularly with the advertising. But I understand why that has had to happen.GW: The way people drink has changed. Thirty years ago people weren't drinking out of bottles and there was no such thing as branded glassware. Quality has definitely improved - from quality of production through to better service.TI: It's less common to get a bad glass of wine or a cloudy pint.GW: I think consumers are more demanding now - they want a bigger range plus the reassurance of big brands.
National beer brands
GW: The disappearance of the big national ales has been brilliant for regional brewers as it has given them access to distribution. BM: (pictured) I don't think people down south realise just how big keg ale is. And there were a huge number of keg beers launched in the 1990s, don't forget. There were some big ones like Caffreys.GW: That really looked like a brand with legs - I thought that one would have stayed around longer.BM: The problem with that was it got a reputation for being too strong so they started messing around with the ABV. GW: When I first started at The Publican Stella Artois was just coming through. At that time it was a point of difference for a pub. Now the image Stella portrays well on TV, through its film promotions, is not matched by its price in supermarkets.BM: However, given the usual lifecycle that brands go though I think Stella has stayed at the top much longer than you might have expected.TI: So if brands do go through this lifecycle does that mean that old-style standard strength beer is going to come back in again? Because that has been almost killed off. Look at what's happened to Heineken Cold Filtered, Skol and Hofmeister.
Press trips
GW: My best was going on Concorde with Tetley, to the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Paris in 1998, Brazil v Scotland - that was with all the Scottish trade press and me in a Brazil shirt! TI: I got to go to Mexico, Chile and Cuba, which was nice.BM: Well, have you done the bottling line at Greene King?
Best brand launch
GW: I would say Smirnoff Ice, which wasn't in my time at The Publican, but that really has shaken things up.TI: If you want enduring success then I would go for the re-launch of Guinness.BM: Guinness is the Madonna of the drinks world. It started off quite stylish with its advertising and now with the Toucan has become more traditional again. In terms of advertising it has been the best.
Worst brand launch
BM: Eight Ball. It was an eight per cent lager. It was rubbish basically and I never saw it in a pub.TI: J&B -6? and various alcopops like Pernod Hex. The other thing I thought was rubbish was the rise of all those Ice beers. And you could probably say if Red Bull was one of the best, almost any other energy drink would fit into the worst category - like Carbon or Burn.BM: Carbon and Burn were just hopeless. They were designed to go with dark spirits. And they crashed and burned. Even with the benefit of hindsight it's difficult to know why some things worked and other things didn't. Why something like WKD has worked and any number of its competitors didn't I don't know.GW: WKD has succeeded because Beverage Brands has been such a canny company all the way along. TI: They haven't entirely got away from the 'appealing to children' accusation because some of their point-of-sale material is a bit suspect in that area. They are still producing POS that in my opinion appeals to people over 10 years below drinking age.
The problem with spirits
TI: (pictured) In terms of spirits there have been some very good launches and innovations, like Plymouth, Absolut and Jack Daniel's, but it is depressing that there is nothing that has really come out to challenge the big brands like Gordon's and Smirnoff.BM: I think what hasn't changed is that people still don't really know what they are drinking or perhaps they don't care.GW: I think people "drink the packaging" don't they?
Most influential person
BM: Harry Drnec - he launched Sol and Red Bull and is the only person in the drinks industry with a jet…GW: I would say Miles Templeman, who was behind the rise of Stella Artois.
Unsung heroes
GW: I would put Michael Hardman and the other founders of CAMRA in there. Because if there hadn't been a CAMRA I think a lot of other brewers would have got out of cask ale.
Will beer still dominate pubs' drinks offer in 30 years' time?
BM: Fads will come and go but beer will be the mainstay. But coffee will become bigger and bigger I think.GW: I agree. I think with pubs opening earlier that is going to become vital. BM: I don't think The Portman Group will be here in 30 years' time though - the industry will be regulated by the government.GW: Do you think alcohol will be here in 30 years?!BM: This country couldn't run without alcohol.
Main picture: from left - Ben McFarland, Adam Withrington, Tom Innes and Georgina Wald.
