From Adnams to Zelgrain - keeping abreast of a
changing world
The consolidation and restructuring of the UK brewing sector is
reflected in the latest edition the Brewery Manual, which has
been fully revised to take account of the manifold changes since
the previous edition.
The 2000 Brewery Manual & Who's Who in the UK brewing
& Scotch whisky distilling industries - to give it its full
name - is produced by PJB Publications Ltd, the publishers of
Brewers' Guardian. The Manual retains all its usual reference
sections, plus a few new ones - some European contacts pages,
helping expansion-minded companies take their initial steps in
the EU, and a contract brewing and bottling list.
Some old names have dropped out of the Major brewers list. The
2000 edition no longer include the likes of Marstons, Morland,
Mitchells and Vaux, but some new names make their appearance -
newly UK listed South African Breweries and Scotland's Forth
Brewery among them.
In a longer Smaller brewers section, almost 300 brewers with
average weekly production ranging from a few barrels to over
1,000 are profiled in brief. In each case, full contact details,
key employees (including in most cases the head brewer) and the
range of beers produced (plus abv) are listed, along with other
details.
Beer brands available from the major brewers are listed in an
18-page section, while brands imported by merchants are listed in
another section, each beer and its country of origin names
alongside full contact details of the importing company. The
imported beers are also listed alphabetically. Foreign brewery
offices in the UK are listed, as are all the UK's cask ale
wholesalers.
Details of around 100 of the UK's top pub operating companies,
from Albion Pub Contracts to Zelgrain are included, each entry
containing balance sheet and profit and loss information where
available. The importance of retail outlets in the brewing
industry has never been higher. Salomon Smith Barney's Charles
Winston in the Manual's review of share trading in the brewery
and distillery sector said that managed pubs are currently very
much the driver of the sector's profits. Mr Winston, director of
equity research at SSB, concludes his Brewery and distillery
shares review with some - perhaps portentous - comments on
Whitbread and Bass. The spotlight is now back squarely on these
two, in the wake of Scottish & Newcastle's recent commitment
to growth by acquisition in a move for France's Kronenbourg. We
can only speculate at the extent of the industry changes in the
coming year (place your order for Brewery Manual 2001 now?).
Who's Who in the industry
The Manual, well over a century old, is better known in certain
circles as the Who's Who of the industry. In 2000, the 44-page UK
brewing industry Who's Who is accompanied by the pub operators
Who's Who and the Scotch whisky industry Who's Who.
Several sections devoted to Scotch whisky cover: Scotch whisky
distillery companies, including, their current commercial
performance, directorial boards; the whisky distilleries, listed
alphabetically under Highland malt, Lowland malt, Islay malt,
Speyside and grain distilleries; and Scotch whisky brands. Scotch
whisky details account for 30 pages in the 2000 Brewery Manual.
The Manual also provides numerous other contact details in
sections on Maltsters; Hop merchants; Cider makers; Wines and
spirit importers; Soft drinks manufacturers; Contract brewing and
packaging companies; Institutions and other useful addresses; and
European contact points. At £80/$170 per copy, the 376-page
Brewery Manual 2000 is excellent value for money.
In addition, the reference sections are prefaced by over 25
pages of statistics on the brewing and associated industries in
1999.
The volume of detail included made compilation of the Manual
sometimes an involved affair. 'The editorial team contacted each
major and smaller brewer and each pub group as many as many times
as it took to obtain the revisions. In the end, we were
satisfied that we had done all we could to produce the most
timely book possible,' managing editor Ashley Yeo said. 'There is
a welter of additional information this year, making the Manual
well worth the purchase price.'
The Manual also contains the invaluable Buyers' Guide 2000, a
listing of companies that supply goods and services to the
brewing industry. This year, more details have been included, and
there is a new alphabetical index, making this essential industry
tool more user-friendly. The Buyers' Guide, printed on blue
pages, completes the Brewery Manual 2000.
For details about the Manual, contact Janet Snell at the
Brewery Manual Helpdesk, on tel: +44 (0)20 8332 4673; fax: +44
(0)20 8332 8996.
To place an order for the Brewery Manual, 376 pages, price
£80/$170, contact: PJB Order Processing Dept (Brewery Manual),
18-20 Hill Rise,
Richmond,
Surrey TW10 6UA,
UK.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 2264; fax: +44 (0)20 8332 8995.
