Fairtrade Beer
I just had a beer with my evening meal. In pouring it, I noticed it bears a Fairtrade label. Fairtrade supposedly means following certain ethical practices in dealing with third-world farmers.
Hang on! WTF????
Beer is a very traditional drink, brewed from locally-grown ingredients. It’s something the English do well, both historically and today. Where the **** does anything foreign, let alone third-world, come in?
Reading the label in more detail, it says “Contains min. 23% Fairtrade Certified Ingredients”. Erm … that looks like 77% non-fairtrade. Isn’t beer more than 77% water? So does that mean the brewer imports water from the third world? Good grief!
Anyway, it wasn’t a good beer. I won’t be buying it again. Nor will I try the other beer from the Wychwood brewery that sits alongside it on Morrisons’ shelves.
Posted on July 15, 2007, in beer, fairtrade. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
niq's soapbox 
Could this be Wychwood’s offering that contains Fairtrade Chilean honey and Malawian sugar by any chance? Apart from sugar, which of course converts into alcohol, I’m never convinced about adulterating beer with sweet substances. Sometimes it works but often it’s foul…
Incidentally, they also produce a Christmas ale called Bah Humbug, so perhaps you shouldn’t right them off quite so quickly!
http://www.wychwood.co.uk/wychwood_beers.htm#seasonalbottled
You have indeed identified it correctly. Though it doesn’t say anything about importing those ingredients on the labels.
And as for honey beers, I do quite like the “waggle dance”, from a different brewery.
Reading this just makes me more disappointed that I’ve still not biked out to RCH Brewery for a restocking. Maybe tomorrow…
Yow! Just followed the link to the website, and it seems they have some beers I do know and like in their range, as well as some unfamiliar ones. Guess I could take a neutral view of the brewery as a whole.
Hi, just read this post. I notice it’s 6 months old but thought I’d still respond! If you were looking for fairtrade beer, there’s a range called Mongoza which might appeal to you. Kind regards, Kate
:))thats very nice:)so you wont drink beer only because its from the Wychwood brewery that sits alongside it on Morrisons’ shelves??:))By the way, what beer do you prefer and why?:)
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