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Peter McAuslan will be hosting a press conference at the St-Ambroise
booth at the Mondial de la bière (www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca) on
Wednesday, May 30th at 12:30.
He'll buy you a St-Ambroise and answer all your questions about his
"Méfiez-vous des faux Saints!" campaign.
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MONTREAL, May 29 /CNW Telbec/ - Peter McAuslan, the first micro-brewer to
brew and package beer for the grocery trade in Quebec and president of
McAuslan Brewing, makers of St-Ambroise and Griffon Beer, officially launches
his "Méfiez-vous des faux-Saints!" (Beware false Saints) Campaign today.
There is a Labatt-brewed pseudo-Saint that is about to appear on the
grocer's shelves, which is already creating confusion with store managers,
sales representatives and the like. Our representatives have been asked why
are we brewing this new beer for Labatt. We believe this confusion is
intentional.
The "Méfiez-vous des faux Saints!" campaign is focused on giving
consumers truthful information about the beer brands they are buying. It's
also about promoting local microbrewers and giving them better access to the
consumer market.
Peter McAuslan is motivated by his company's challenges with now
foreign-owned, major breweries taking advantage of the growth in the specialty
beer segment, by producing and packaging pseudo-microbrewery beer. "In our
industry we have major breweries, pretending to be something they're not and
intentionally confusing consumers," says McAuslan.
In nearly every food category, there is a large food manufacturer, often
foreign-owned, squeezing corporate grocery chains to subversively push out
smaller, local producers by paying for contracts that reduce consumer choice
and even control the pricing of competitors, one of the findings of the
Canadian Competition Bureau in 2003 regarding the Quebec beer market. "It is
amazing to me that our toothless consumer protection agency can't do anything
about this, so we are forced to take on the issue ourselves. Large brewers can
make it near impossible for consumers by not allowing smaller, local brewers
on the shelves, and even controlling their pricing when they are on shelf.
Large brewers are masters of deception, and use many techniques to confuse the
consumer." Large brewers including AmBev, the owners of Labatt were recently
involved in price fixing in Europe.
The "Méfiez-vous des faux Saints!" campaign is about protecting and
improving the consumers' choice, by providing them with honest and accurate
information, and connecting consumers with local, independent brewers. This
information will appear on the McAuslan.com website under "Méfiez-vous des
faux Saints!". Mr. McAuslan will also make his personal tasting notes on
various beers available, and will produce a blog on the subject of beer from
time to time.
McAuslan Brewing over the years has supported hundreds of events
supporting the arts, and the community such as the Table du Partage, The
Montreal Fringe Festival, Festival des Films du Monde, POP Montreal, Youth
Employment services, and the like.
About McAuslan Brewing
Established in 1988 and located on St-Ambroise Street in St. Henri along
the banks of the Lachine Canal, McAuslan Brewing brews St. Ambroise Pale Ale
and Oatmeal Stout, Griffon Extra Pale Ale and Red Ale, McAuslan Cream Ale and
Apricot Wheat Ale. McAuslan Brews and distributes Moosehead Lager beer and
Carlsberg Beer in Quebec.
For further information: Peter McAuslan, (514) 939-3060, ext. 223,
pmcauslan@mcauslan.com; Margo Pollock, (514) 939-3060, ext. 225
