Review: Brewer bows to DB pressure

Beer reviewer Ric Oram gives the 'low-down' on why Green Man had to change its Radler's name, and reviews Monteith's Doppelbock Winter Ale, and Invercargill Brewery's Heritage Cider.

Devotees of Green Man's Radler might wonder why it is now called Cyclist.

DB Breweries (as reported by the ODT a month ago) threatened legal action if the Dunedin brewery did not drop the name, because it owns the trademark to Radler.

So, Green Man now puts a Cyclist sticker over Radler on the bottle label on its blend of lager and brewery-made lemonade which is a relatively sweet 2.4% summer drink.

A shandy is beer mixed with soft drink, usually lemonade, and is popular in many countries. This normally low-alcohol style became popular in cycling clubs in Germany in the late 19th century, hence the name radler, German for cyclist. It is called a shandygaff in Britain and panache (meaning mixed) in France.

DB released its own radler style, Monteith's Radler, which is a 5% brew flavoured with lemon and lime, in 2001 and trademarked it two years later.

It also bid, unsuccessfully, to trademark its Summer Ale in 2007 to stop Lion Breweries selling Mac's Sun Dance Summer Ale and at the same time tried to stop Galbraith Brewery in Auckland from selling a summer ale it had been making for 12 years.

Lion produces a radler style under its Barefoot label in Australia but does not sell it here. It does not believe anyone should have exclusive use of the name of widespread beer styles.

Green Man does not have the financial resources to fight a prolonged legal battle with DB, so the Society of Beer Advocates - a group of about 150 small commercial and home brewers which promotes beer and encourages craft brewers - is seeking to overturn the trademark.

The last notable trademark argument was in 1991, when growers in France convinced the High Court of New Zealand that only sparkling wine made in their region of Champagne could be called champagne. Most champagne made here is therefore now called methode champenoise (meaning the method of Champagne).

Winter return
Monteith's has released its annual Doppelbock Winter Ale, a malty, warming 6% brew that has come out at this time of year since 2003.

It is made with six different malts which produce a hint of chocolate flavour. Doppelbock beers were first produced in Bavaria in the 1600s to provide sustenance during a winter fasting period and became known as liquid bread.

Winter Ale is in six-packs (about $15) and on tap at Monteith's bars. Try it with blue cheese or rich game dishes.

Annual cider
Invercargill Brewery has released its second annual Heritage Cider made from apples (and some pears) from oft-neglected trees in gardens, old orchards and farms around Southland, many of which are dropped in to the brewery by landowners who get a bottle or two for their trouble.

Brewer Steve Nally has no idea what varieties they are, but some are from heritage trees, whose history is generations old.

The 8.4% brew is in 640ml bottles (about $11) and on tap at the brewery.