Splitting hairs

Oct 3 2008 by Alastair Gilmour, The Journal

IT could be said the brewing industry is responsible for headaches. Not all of them are the paracetamol-busting variety; some involve thumping at a framework of rules designed to curb alcohol’s excesses.

One example which causes concern for those of us who have a weakness for fine ale and progressive ideas is the Orkney Brewery, which has mounted a vigorous defence of its award-winning Skull Splitter ale – which could be withdrawn from sale in the UK following a report claiming its Viking-branded bottles have an aggressive theme. The report was commissioned by drinks marketing watchdog the Portman Group to investigate compliance with an industry code of practice on the naming, packaging and promotion of alcohol.

Skull Splitter (8.5% alcohol by volume), created more than 20 years ago and sold internationally, was singled out in the report because “its name implies violence and also the impact the strength may have on the drinker”. The claim was that, potentially, Skull Splitter was in breach of the drinks industry’s code, so the Portman Group will meet later in the year to consider what action – if any – it may take against the Orkney Brewery. That action could be an instruction to retailers not to stock the ale.

Fearing one of its longest- established and most popular ales could be withdrawn from sale, the brewery has now launched a campaign to save the former Champion Winter Ale of Britain.

Already commended for its role in increasing awareness of sensible drinking, the Orkney Brewery has repeatedly stressed to the Portman Group that the ale is named after Thorfinn Hausakluif, the seventh Viking Earl of Orkney – nicknamed “Skull Splitter”. Orkney’s parent company, Sinclair Breweries Ltd, is mustering support for its case ahead of the final decision.

Norman Sinclair, its managing director, says: “We’re completely stunned by the hard line they have taken with Skull Splitter. When they first raised their concerns with us, we fully explained the historical background to the name and, as responsible brewers, we were happy to try and work with them to find a solution.”

The Portman Group is the largest financial supporter of the Drinkaware Trust, a charity educating consumers about sensible drinking. It is supported by the UK’s leading drinks producers and is concerned solely with the social responsibility issues surrounding alcohol.

Norman Sinclair said he had reminded the Portman Group that his company was the first small, independent brewer to incorporate new Government alcohol consumption guidelines on all its labelling. “We’ve always promoted a responsible attitude towards our products,” he says. “While we recognise that the Portman Group is trying to address a very real problem with under-age drinking in this country, real ales are not the cause of these issues.

“Sadly, it does not appear to have grasped this fact. They have chosen to disregard everything we’ve said about the history of Orkney and the associated branding of what is a carefully-crafted and well-loved product.

“We await their final decision with considerable concern. It’s almost inconceivable that a quality product such as Skull Splitter could disappear from sale in the UK and I sincerely hope that common sense prevails.”

Brewdog Brewery, based in Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire and renowned for its innovative approach to brewing and marketing, has also come under the Portman Group spotlight for its Speedball (8.0% ABV) which delivers the strapline “Class A Strong Beer”. There is a worry that an association with the beer and drug culture would be construed. Speedballing refers to the intravenous use of heroin or morphine and cocaine in the same needle. This potentially lethal concoction contributed to the high-profile deaths of actors John Belushi and River Phoenix. Fraserburgh is known as the “smack” capital of Britain – in the past two years 30 babies in the town have been born dependent on heroin or crack cocaine and police have estimated that one in five adults is involved in drugs. Speedball’s contentious background sits alongside other beers in the Brewdog range such as Punk IPA (6.0% ABV), and Hard Core IPA (9.0% ABV) and although the producers are proud to claim “beer was never meant to be bland, tasteless and apathetic”, I’ve got to say that in this case – and at risk of appearing fuddy-duddy – perhaps the Portman Group has a point.

Two ciders have also been found to be in breach of the Portman Group’s code of practice. Its independent complaints panel has decided that Blackout Cider, produced in Somerset by The Original Cider Company, carried strong connotations of alcohol-induced unconsciousness. The promotion of any intoxicating effect is disallowed under the code. And the packaging of Mega White Cider was problematic because it displayed the description “mega strength”, contravening stipulations that the high alcohol content of a drink must not be a dominant theme in its marketing.

“The name Blackout was apparently intended to celebrate the eclipse of the sun,” says David Poley of the Portman Group. “But it can also mean passing out. It’s unacceptable for the industry, even inadvertently, to promote any dangerous effect which can occur through excessive drinking. A retailer alert bulletin will be issued to get Blackout taken off shelves.”

But where was the Portman Group a fortnight ago when national newspapers carried an advert for a Sainsbury’s promotion of Beck’s lager? Silent, wordless, shtoom, why? The advertising small print revealed that the offer works out at £1.28 a litre, which by my admittedly poor maths converts to 73p a pint. This is fairly strong beer at 5.0% alcohol by volume; alcohol-related incidents and illnesses among the young in particular are at an all-time high; pubs are closing at a reported rate of 150 a month, a lot of the losses blamed on supermarket pricing; Beck’s is owned by InBev, the largest beer company on the planet; InBev is a member of the Portman Group. Quad erat demonstrandum.

On a more positive note, the penny has finally dropped for Britain’s biggest pub operator. Cask ale has become the fastest-growing drinks category for Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) as drinkers switch from fast-declining lager brands which dominate the pub trade. Tim Clark, the company’s chief executive, reports that cask ale was benefiting from being a unique pub drink which cannot be bought in bulk at discount prices from supermarkets.

“It is cask ale and soft drinks that are dominating performance,” he says. “Clearly the area that is struggling is British-brewed standard and premium lagers.”

He was speaking after M&B recorded its first rise in drink sales for almost year. Comparable drink sales for the nine weeks to September 20 were up 0.3% in a wider market where the amount of beer sold in Britain’s pubs and clubs fell by 9%. Cynics may think that the M&B pockets were in danger of hurting, rather than the firm suddenly realising that properly-kept real ale is one of nature’s joys and should be treasured and relished. But cynics have enough headaches to deal with as it is.