Billions of pints marketed as foreign lager are nothing of the sort, says a new website, thebeertutor.co.uk, which goes online tomorrow (Tuesday 10 July).
An investigation by The Beer Tutor has revealed that the majority of supposedly European, Asian, American and Australian beers sold in Britain — often with labels in foreign languages — are brewed in such exotic locations as Northampton and Manchester.
Its report says beers publicised as having their origins as far away as Japan and the United States, as well as continental Europe, carry only an acknowledgement in small type that they are produced in Britain.
The vast majority of the British public who sink six billion pints of lager a year are said to have little idea that many of the beers are made mainly from British raw materials, in many cases brewed to different recipes and at lower strength than products carrying the same brand names abroad.
The investigation was carried out by beer expert Michael Hardman, one of the four founders of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, who created the Good Beer Guide and was its first editor. He has spent 40 years working in and commenting on the brewing industry and was appointed MBE in 2009. He has launched The Beer Tutor because he believes the vast majority of the beer-drinking public deserve to be told about the vast variety of beers brewed in Britain.
His full report can be read here
Michael Hardman
The Beer Tutor
michael@thebeertutor.co.uk
01737 766345
07831 357501