I picked up a bottle of Summer Breeze at the weekend. To the uninitiated you would think this beer is brewed by a certain George Gale & Co Ltd; that being the company name emblazoned on both the front and back labels.
There is no mention of the actual brewing company Fullers anywhere although the postcode of the West London site can be spotted. A further deception exists on both the beer cap and the small neck label. Both have the old Gales horsehead emblem and the words "Established since 1847" No mention then of "Acquired in 2005".
So why should I care? Well, I'll try not to let it get my blood pressure too high, but obviously Fullers care enough to have made the decision not to print their own name anywhere. I have no real objection to their using the Gales name, especially if the beer existed before the takeover, although I'm not so sure it did. However a brief mention of the actual brewing company should be somewhere on the bottle.
After all even Greene King do that on their fake brewery beers such as Ruddles Rhubarb et al.
6 comments:
I tried a bottle of this last week at a BBQ.
Verdict: P.G.H.B. - Pale Golden Hoppy Bollox. Very little to distinguish it from all the other sub 4% golden ales out there with 'Summer' in the name.
I also had a bottle of Westerham Little Scotney Pale Ale (3.8%) which, conversely, was bright, very pleasant and perfect for the hot weather.
I'm becoming more indifferent towards Fullers as time goes on - and yes, you're right, they should 'fess up to the recent brewing changes on the bottle.
Yeah, around 83% of beers with Summer in the name are boring. There's no evidence for that, but it's a fact all the same.
It's annoying that Fuller's aren't including their name, but it does suggest that, despite their conservatism in many areas, they understand what's going on the marketplace, i.e. people want to feel like they're supporting small local producers. We're going to see more and more big companies pretending to be a lot of little ones...
I think people should choose their words more carefully when discussion this kind of labelling practice. I'd agree it seems a little silly to invent new beers and then label them as "Gales", but "deception" is a bit strong...
Pick another word. I stand by deception.
I'm sure Fullers could argue the point with me if they wished to.
Sorry, but it WAS an old Gales beer... but I agree with your comments about those tossers at Fullers. Mind you, I'd never buy any of their third-rate swill anyhow!
Good words.
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