Monday 18 August 2008

Help Stop Over the Top Portman Group

Mr Protz has hit the nail on the head with his recent, and excellently crafted, tirade against the utterly humourless Portman Group and it's prompted me to start this petition, please sign up to it.

I'm seeing an escalation of the Portman Group's weird attitude to beer names, I've been horrified with the Portman Group's recent attack on Brew Dog and its stance on Orkney's Skullsplitter (named after an Earl of Orkney) just seems to be a continuation of this.

In my opinion names like Skullsplitter and Liquor Mortis should be actively bloody encouraged!

Why?

Because they tell me straight up front that they are strong.

These kind of names say, quite clearly, mess with me at your peril - if you want to wake up feeling like a Norse invader has cleaved your head in two then go ahead big boy! Try drinking four pints!

Interestingly, and not so long ago, a very senior figure in the spirits industry suggested to me that the Portman Group's days were numbered because, in his opinion, they'd basically stamped out all the ridiculous products - clearly aimed at a very young market - coming from his sector.

It would appear, however, that the Portman Group recognised this too and are now busy justifying their existence by attacking the brewing industry.

If we don't all make a stand now, this could get very, very ugly.

NEW ADDITION: In the spirit of accurate journalism, I really should have checked out whether or not the Portman Group was planning action against Orkney, instead I listened to the grapevine, they aren't apparently but my points about Brew Dog and the concerns I have over Portman's new stance stand - but fair is fair!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hear hear. Looking up who the members of the Portman Group are, and on the other hand the breweries that are targeted by their criticism, I get a creeping feeling that the big boys are bullying smaller competitors over ludicrously overblown "issues", instead of cleaning up their own act and tackling alcohol abuse at its roots, such as cheap supermarket booze, for example.

ZakAvery said...

Quite - I'm sure the whole Carling "Belong" ad campaign is much more dangerous, suggesting that if you drink Carling like your mates, then you'll be popular (and by implication, if you don't then no one will like you, you saddo).

Oh, what's that Skippy? Carling is brewed by Coors, one of the Portman Group's member companies? Surely that couldn't matter, could it?

Anonymous said...

"Ar! There be pirates!"

While driving through a petrol station linked to a large supermarket chain near central London, i looked around aimlessly and my eyes settled upon an advert which informed me that there were cold eight packs available inside. Eight for only five pounds, available at your local petrol station today.

I personally agree with the views shared in the above comments and feel that more attention should be turned towards drive through off licences.

Glenda Young said...

I'm enjoying your Observer column every week but dear oh dear... while the Sloaney Pony does indeed do good beer it's horrid unless you're a hooray henrietta.