Radler - the story unfolds

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Permalink Reply by Green Man Brewery on March 27, 2009 at 4:03pm

It been Great to read all the your views regarding the "Cyclist" issue we have been dealing with, we decided to battle with DB in public rather then risking the future of our business in the courts. We have been waiting for the NBR story to go public and would love other media to pick up from them. If anyone has any questions then please just ask. Regard Jeremy

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Permalink Reply by Greig McGill on March 27, 2009 at 4:21pm

I'll draft something tonight. It'll be better with a few beers in me. :)

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Permalink Reply by Greig McGill on March 27, 2009 at 9:34pm

OK, here's where I'm at. Please add to, remove from, or replace wholesale as required:

To whom it may concern,

I write as a member of the Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA) Incorporated, and a lover of fine beer. I write to express my concern at the actions of Dominion Breweries in their recent enforcing of their trademark of the beer style “Radler”.

Radler is effectively a drink for cyclists (Radfahrer) in Germany. It is what we would call a “shandy”. Monteith’s Radler already makes a mockery of this idea by misrepresenting the expected strength of such a drink – Monteith’s Radler is 5% alcohol by volume. A German Radler would be expected to be around half this, so as not to impair a cyclist.

Radlers have been around for decades – most likely over a century. Despite the myth quoted on the DB website regarding the origin of the style, the actual origin is unknown.

SOBA considers it despicable that DB have trademarked a word describing a style of beer and are using that trademark to bully small batch craft brewers such as Green Man who wish to bring their own (more authentic) interpretations of the style to market. To illustrate the absurdity of this, it would be similar to one vineyard obtaining a trademark on “Chardonnay”, and threatening legal action against anyone describing their wine thus. Chardonnay refers to a grape type and is used to describe a style of wine made with that grape. Radler, likewise, describes a style of beer, and is NOT a specific name of a particular beer.

A simple Google search will reveal how widespread the Radler style is, and that it long pre-dates Dominion Breweries’ efforts to misrepresent themselves via their trademark on their Monteith’s Radler.

*Insert paragraph on what we’d like done about this, maybe?*

Regards,

Greig McGill (replace with your name)
Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA) Inc.

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Permalink Reply by Greig McGill on March 27, 2009 at 9:36pm

Geoff and Neil both have media connections aplenty. Someone poke Neil and point him here? :)

Suggestions guys?

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Permalink Reply by Stu McKinlay on March 27, 2009 at 10:31pm

http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Radler.html

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Permalink Reply by Stu McKinlay on March 27, 2009 at 10:41pm

Message from a friend in beer circles today... how about, as a start, a "National Real Radler Day" on April 1st. Any non-DB beer mixed with any soft drink of your choice... Spread the word and link this
NBR Radler story. Get everyone invloved. Maybe someone could start a facebook page "Real beer lovers against the rape of radler". Let's do it. Multi-million dollar corporation against struggling little hands on brewery. This should be a piece of piss (aka Montieth's Golden with lemon/lime flavour), surely... Let's go!

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Permalink Reply by JoKing on March 27, 2009 at 11:11pm

Me and my wife are in for this.

Might just make it a Lion beer to make it feel better.

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Permalink Reply by James P on March 29, 2009 at 12:13pm

I recommend Green Man's advertising along these lines:

Green Man love cyclists so much they bottle the best of them!

Oops can't copyright, as I used Green Man... sorry, retraction..... running for the hills.

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Permalink Reply by Tony on March 29, 2009 at 11:47am

Looks good to me Greig, are we able to copy and paste onto a SOBA letterhead? I don't think I could improve it too much without being overly cynical or derogatory.

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Permalink Reply by Stu McKinlay on March 27, 2009 at 10:57pm

This might help.

Attachments:

• Decision Judgement 9Nov07.pdf, 44 KB

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Permalink Reply by Greig McGill on March 30, 2009 at 10:28am

It's OK, maybe no need. It looks like the media are coming to the rescue. More details when I know what I can comment on.

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Permalink Reply by JoKing on March 30, 2009 at 11:00am

Good work though, Greig. Give yourself a pat on the back from me. I'd still carry on with the letter regardless of the media coverage - you might even get yourself on the News... then they'll have a job on their hands censoring you!

Get all the craft brewers behind you. It would look very impressive if EVERY OTHER brewery in NZ disapproved discredited disfuckineverything what DB have done here.

Luke - you're in the Brers Guild of NZ. Is there anything this group can do to support Green Man?

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