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Warm beer???

SABMiller is to invest $1.8bn (£914m) in its South American unit over five years after seeing its strategy of transforming the image of beer, once viewed as a poor man's drink in the region, start to pay off.

Mark Luce, the senior vice-president of marketing for the company in South America, said one of the key issues has been branding. Beer was being sold in bars with unpleasant environments where women were unlikely to venture, there was little refrigeration and no aspirational appeal, he said.

"We have inherited strong regional brands but we needed to reinvigorate them and develop a national mainstream portfolio," he said. "Beer has not been seen as the drink of choice at parties but we are changing that perception and showing that beer is an appropriate drink for upmarket occasions."

The company is increasing refrigeration, which stands at just 30 per cent in Colombia, to make the idea of a cool beer more appealing and is also making use of the bright yellow and red colours of Aguila in bars, to make the beer stand out and appear available. Some bars have been branded Aguila bars with yellow walls and posters everywhere.

By gringolondinense on Jan 18, 2007, 03:18 in Friendly Talkzone.

kalder says on Jan 18, 2007, 04:25:

Beer in Colombia If a beer's dark it should be warm.
BTW: The Palos de Moguer chain, alongside serving the standard chilled lagers, brews its own (appalling) pale ale and a very acceptable porter.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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spigrimace says on Jan 18, 2007, 05:22:

palos de mogur medellin - rip Palos de mogur in Medellin shut down a few months back.

As for warm beer, the real reason is what hole in the wall bar can afford any refrig costs when cervunion´s suggested retail price is mil pesos and cervunion charges the client approx. $750 pesos "a clima" for pilsen, aguila & costeña, and then you have bottle and plastic case (6 mil for 30 empties and the plastic case to keep returning), plastic cup costs (about 45-50 pesos if you buy a case of 2000 at Mayorista) or broken glasses if you use them costs. Why do you think it´s piss warm at Parche Pilsen? I can attest that a fridge keeping the beer good and cold cold probably accounts for $160.000/mo onto electric bill. If your margin without electricity is say 195 pesos if selling a mil, you need to sell more than 800 beers a month to cover the elec bill and get into the black. A lot of work to gain a pea if you ask me.

They reinvented the image of club colombia 3 months ago. In it´s package now it looks like Michelob. They made it the classy beer and increased the volume of beer by 10% but of course cervunion raised it´s price 20%.

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kalder says on Jan 18, 2007, 08:12:

The Palos de Moguer in Cali was subject to a refurbishment three years ago. The bohemian charm it once had was eradicated. If the one in Medellin was subject to a similar assault, I'm not surprised it closed down.
And, while we're talking ale, has anyone sampled that 7% 'Brava'? It appeared in Colombia about a year ago. I think it's horrible (give me good old Poker anyday) but friends of mine can't get enough of the stuff.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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gringolondinense says on Jan 18, 2007, 08:18:

yes i think so... its Bravia I think, from Brazil. I liked it!! Maybe because it says brazil on it and reminds me of all those brazillian chicas...lol!!

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kalder says on Jan 18, 2007, 08:24:

Tan fuerte It just reminded me of Carlsberg Special Brew :(

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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Miguel says on Jan 18, 2007, 08:56:

Brava Is Colombian beer.

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Robert Jorge says on Jan 18, 2007, 21:28:

I drank a few Bravas in Villavo. I didn't care for it at all. I think it gave me a headache too.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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robi666 says on Jan 18, 2007, 21:46:

Brava is not strong... It is funny to see Colombianos thinking that it is cool drinking Brava... Bavaria is marketing it as a transgressive drink.
Try La Bière du Démon,12°, which is a classic in Europe.
Look here!

By the way, they are beginning to sell Italian Peroni in Medellin, and Bavaria is marketing it as something precious Look here!, in Exito and Carulla you can find elegant stands, when everyone in Europe knows it is a cheap beer and Italy hasn't got a real tradition regarding beer...
In Italy we prefer to drink a bottle of wine.
This is my favourite beer Look here!
...if we just could find it in Colombian supermarket...

what we do in life... echoes in eternity.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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kalder says on Jan 19, 2007, 01:19:

Beer and wine Perroni is at the other extreme from Brava: it's insipid and feeble. Italian wine, as you intimate, is lovely. Unlike Colombian vino; which is ghastly.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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robi666 says on Jan 19, 2007, 14:41:

Not in Barranquilla, Rubito. It all depends...

what we do in life... echoes in eternity.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 19, 2007, 15:23:

not in Cali either beer al clima? No way.
(I only drink Carlsberg)

Cheers,
Desi

"Soy el que siempreanda de noche en el vecindario, sé cuando ladra el perro, sé cuando canta el gallo sé cuando estan dormidos los muchachos de mi barrio..." (From the joropo "El pajarillo")

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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Miguel says on Jan 19, 2007, 20:13:

How refreshing for PBSH That the fact that Brava is indeed accepted as being a Colombian beer. I agree with the previous posters that it tastes bad, has a higher alcohol content than the regular brews in Colombia, and is pretty bitter and bland. My point is that there is no need to debate that Brava is a Brazilian beer.

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kalder says on Jan 20, 2007, 03:02:

I take back what I said about Perroni. I was in an Italian restaurant last night and had a couple of bottles of it. They were lovely...
Anyway, back to Colombia: Are there any decent Colombian wines?

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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morphus says on Jan 20, 2007, 06:53:

I don't drink imported beers in Colombia. Beer needs to be refrigerated or else it will lose its flavor or goes bad. I once bought a budweiser in Colombia that tasted like horse piss. Although, some might say bud tastes like horse piss anyway :)

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nick b. says on Jan 20, 2007, 09:41:

horse piss youre right,beer is very sensitive for changes of temperature.I live in Belgium witch is a beerparadise :more than 300 different beers,if I go abroad I drink the local beer

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manu1999 says on Jan 20, 2007, 10:04:

Hey Morphus...
That makes Hey Morphus...

That makes sense! Beck's is one of my favourite beers and I could have sworn that it tastes worse in Colombia. I stopped buying it. I thought that was my imagination but perhaps it's not!

And by the way, I like Perroni, I bought it in that big 24 hour grocery store in Poblado not to far from Tesoro, and it's alright.

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morphus says on Jan 20, 2007, 10:26:

You're from Belgium? What do you think of Hoegarden and Blue Moon beers? I think those are the best.

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Robert Jorge says on Jan 20, 2007, 23:55:

I bought a six pack of Bud in Villavicencio at Exito. It tasted fine to me.
On the Colombian wine topic. Colombian wine might be the worst beverage made. My girl's aunt had a birthday party, and there was wine served in mini plastic shot glasses. It was the like cough medicine. I am not a wine drinker - much less an expert. But, the wine in Colombia is HORRIBLE. I would wager Thunderbird or NightTrain in the US, is a higher grade of wine than Colombian wine.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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kalder says on Jan 21, 2007, 05:09:

Crap wine I would have thought that reforming Colombian viniculture would be an excellent business opportunity. I'm surprised that a people as enterprising as the Colombians haven't steered their vineyards in the direction the Argentinians and Chileans have done.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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Monpirri says on Jan 21, 2007, 05:34:

Kalder An argentinian wine producer has already launched wine labels for Maradona and el "Pibe" Valderrama. Of course, you guys know that el “Pibe” is from Colombia.
This happened a couple of years ago, I posted the info here in PBH.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

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nick b. says on Jan 21, 2007, 07:07:

Duvel Hoegaarden is alright but try Duvel or the different trappist beers like west-vleteren,orval made by abbeys or geuze,kriek..if it's made in a smal brewery.Much much better..

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aztec says on Jan 21, 2007, 09:36:

Why would anyone... ...want a wine made in Colombia. The wines from Chile are excellent and easily available in Bogotá. Even when in the States I will look for some of their better wines. Almost always a good buy.

Noticed like in USA restaurant's the some wine will be listed for a much higher price when purchased with your meal. Better to buy it in the markets.

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Monpirri says on Jan 21, 2007, 11:17:

Here's the info Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama launches his own wine
South American Celebrities Launch Their Own Wine Labels
WINE SPECTATOR ONLINE
Posted: Monday, August 30, 2004
By David Sax

"We had an idea to build a strong brand, with a national identity [in the international market]," said Fernando Cordoba, vice president of Raices de Agrelo. "But who could carry the flag for Argentina?" The answer was Maradona, and the winery approached him with the idea.
Raices de Agrelo then followed up by launching a line of six Cabernet- and Malbec-based wines named after Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama, Colombia's most famous soccer star.
Both the Maradona and Valderrama labels, which will retail for about $13 a bottle, are now being launched in the United States, out of Tampa, where Valderrama used to play for the Tampa Bay Mutiny Major League Soccer team. (The Boca wine will eventually follow.) The winery looks to use the players' popularity to tap into the extensive Hispanic market in Florida, followed by those in New York, New Jersey and possibly California and Texas. Valderrama will promote the wines at events and games, but Maradona's greater demand and recent health troubles will keep him out of the spotlight.
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/News/0,1145,2581,00.html

http://www.poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/14154

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

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kalder says on Jan 22, 2007, 12:00:

Club Colombia Sorry, but when you start talking about booze, I can't seem to stop. Much like when I start to drink the stuff, in fact.
So, to continue: Club Colombia is 5%, right? But isn't that a recent innovation? Historically, wasn't it a much weaker beer?

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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