State of Play Brewing

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I called NZ Stats today. ‘4% decline in beer, wine and spirits consumption’ was their headline It could of said ‘Zero is the Hero’ or ‘Kiwis replace the booze with new brews’ Because the 4% decline in beer is the same volume brewed under 1.15% and not part of customs declared excise figures. Stats NZ doesn’t report on all beer wine and spirits, only those above 1.15%. Maybe when StatsNZ started reporting they thought no and Lo wouldn’t be a thing. They got that wrong. So Sheri at StatsNZ said she would talk to the team about it. I explained that the food standards of NZ/AUS are very clear on the definition of beer wine and spirits and the excise tiers- 0-0.5 (not included) 0.5 - 1.15 ( not included) 1.15 - 2.5 2.5 -4 4 and above. In the stats you see the claim that Lo alcohol (<2.5%) is in decline. This is true and happens in every market with a strong zero portfolio. The 1.15 -2.5 segment becomes irrelevant. Heineken has just deleted their Heineken light (2.5%). As the Heineken drinker prefers the zero. The omission is the 100% growth of lono under 1.15% The worrying shift for brewers is the rise of spirits. This is the younger drinker enjoying no calorie naturally flavoured alcoholic sodas. Beer is not doing a great job of recruiting. And the older beer drinker is leading the charge into moderation and less high ABV brews. Let’s hope for a better headline next year. And cheers to you all that added a zero to the fridge!

Want to be a beer judge! Be like the team at The Spinoff who got the top 18 NZ alc free beers and took them for a test drive. The three State Of Play beers all featured nicely with the panel leaning in on those delicious NZ hops Isn’t it great we can do this! Unthinkable a year ago that we would see a post ranking 18 fresh non alcoholic brews. No different to the craft hype from 20 years ago when the first IPAs were released With good choice will come great change. So grabs some new brews and you be the judge https://lnkd.in/gheftHfk

Four years ago in Austria. Those poor skis. The annual holiday to get through the winter - gluwein, big beers, wines, platters of food, another kg, a few extra heartbeats per minute and the snoring just a little bit louder. Groan. And last night at the most awesome popup in Piha restaurant called Aryeh by Lucas Parks. A place 8 weeks to build converting an old surf shop and opened in December through till End March, or April. You decide. So cool to sit adjacent to the kitchen - the intensity of delivering a world class experience makes us both giddy with excitement for the year ahead (after ranking our annual life top ten moment from our 23 year marriage highlights reel). So much fun had. I don’t know if this restaurant makes economic sense, definitely gastronomic. A bit like starting NZs 100% zero alcohol brewery in the toughest category in the segment most people think is totally shit. So thank you Lucas Parks and the team at Aryeh. Courage. Committed. Inspiring to fill the calendar up with more adventures and trust the journey.

When I committed to lose weight there was only one first step. Cut alcohol Good article in the Herald explaining the truth about carbs, calories and alcohol and which of these you should pay attention. The point they get to is - it’s not the carbs that is the issue for calories- it’s the alcohol. If you really want to enjoy a beer (and you should). Then a lower alcohol beer will have a lot less calories and your body doesn’t have to stop what’s doing to process the toxin. Have I got a deal for you…. https://lnkd.in/g6aE8-zC Low-carb beer: Is it really better for you - and why is it so popular?

Janene and James Draper founded Farro in 2006 “to showcase and support the finest New Zealand artisan producers and stock all the ingredients people would need to make delicious gourmet food under one roof” Today they invited all these artisan producers (some that are now big players) to the new store opening at Smales Farm And Janene, 5 hours after landing from Europe retold the story of the early years, the juggle, the hussle and the three years of whatarewedoing! I doubt they have an HR team. No one has ever left. I doubt they have a repairs and maintenance budget- just a great bloke that can fix anything I doubt they outsource their IT. They have a guy that builds everything plus worked every Sunday in the early years to give Janene and James a day off to spend with their kids. And for a retail store opening there was a LOT of people taking photos of their product on shelf. Like this idiot lurking in the alc free beer chiller Thanks to Katie Cowper Farro

Are you a corporate athlete? I thought I was, but wasn’t. At least I was smart enough to listen and learn. I was on an INSEAD course with Alain Goudsmet - he wrote the ‘The corporate athlete’ Also big fan of Peter Fitzsimons. He wrote ‘The Great Aussie Slimdown’. These two books saved my life. These two books started my life. Both get to the same point differently. That you are the only one in control of you. And that on life’s axis there are clear signals of when things are askew. Four years ago I had my dream job in Amsterdam, the head of craft beer at Heineken - the pinnacle of a great career in beer. Travelling the world from red eye to late night craft speakeasy. Yet I was 145kgs, no hobbies, always tired, anxious and full of fog. Covid put the blowtorch on it all and I re-read these books. I was ready to commit as there was a sure (unhappy) ending coming. So the brain was getting into gear making decisions and committing. Now to get the body back. Booze free, conscious eating and lots of steps, looking for lots of white balls on a golf course. And the one thing that is so easy to come back to - is we already know that a healthy mind and body makes us the corporate athletes we want to be, but for whatever reason we do dumb shit. So take some of your own advice. I bought some pants today. They are a size 33. Four years ago I was a 46. This little tag of progress is very motivating. And today I received my StateOfPlay Volle golf balls. Where all my passions collide. Want some? Don’t worry there is a very high chance you will find some in the bushes, creeks and gullys across NZs courses. It’s a clever trick of mine to get a few extra lateral steps in rather than the boring middle of the fairway route. #stateofplaybeer #change #beer #alcoholfree

How important is it to win beer awards? Well I found out yesterday when the NZ GABs hottest 100 beers were released. StateOfPlay Nectaron Pale Ale arrived on the list at #56. This was the only beer I listed. It is a vote from the people, not judges. Each person votes for 5 beers based on their own scorecard - a mix of taste, uniqueness, experience. The brand values and beliefs presented through the beer play a big part in the selection. Plenty of people have State Of Play in the top 5. How cool is that! And we’ve only just begun Tiny (#3!), Bach All day and Virtual Reality also made the top 100 beers list. So yes the awards like GABs hottest 100 are important as they give the drinker a chance to have a say, to have a look at the beers you now need to try, and the brand gets a good reason to shout a bit. So cheers to you for voting. I’m off to indulge in the nectar of the gods.

Thanks LinkedIn - Alistair Diop-Alpe flicked me a message to share some beer and tell some stories at Mediaworks. A free free beer at lunch. How good! And the first tasting I’ve ever been to that had a welcome billboard! It’s easy for me living in the brand daily to think it’s bigger than what it is. The old laws of brand marketing still apply. Nobody knows you, and nobody needs to care. So get out there and be interesting and get famous. That’s why I love tastings like today. The lunchtimers sampled every beer and then enjoyed a can over lunch. Even the merch hit the spot. If your workplace needs/wants some lunchtime beers let me know. Billboard optional Darcy Adams Olivia Morgan

Need to lose a few kgs? Yup. Last night at touch rugby having a beer after the game I watched a mate scan the barcode on a Becks and then a StateOfPlay. What are you doing? He was checking the points of each on his weight watchers app. He’s been dropping a kg a week since November by logging what is going in and hitting 49 points a day. He can eat whatever he wants. Just stay under target. StateOfPlay was one point Becks was 5 points. Have two full strength beers, or lunch. Up to him. We cracked a few more SoPs and started playing the Weight Watchers game. Picking a food and guessing the points It. Will. Shock. You. Those natural spring water drinks from cole with natural flavours are 10% sugar are 10 points. Chicken is zero The sauce you put on top is not So we are what we eat. We don’t always know what we are eating. We know what we are drinking though eh!