I was supping a couple of bottle of Dog (not “Bud”, not “what?!” – both of which are common mistaken identities courtesy of uneducated barstaff) while watching Newcastle shove five past Israel United FC when I noticed a logo on the back of the bottle I’d not seen before: “Protected Geographical Indication”.
Using the power of the internet, I looked it up and found a hearty definition on this page, which included an example. As it happens, using Newcastle Brown Ale:
“The geographical limitations can be quite strict. “Newcastle Brown Ale” is restricted to being brewed in the City of Newcastle in England. However, having obtained this protection for their product, the brewery decided in 2004 that it would move manufacture 2 miles away to the town on the other side of the river. This does not fall within the required geographical restriction so the brewery is now applying to the EU”
So after trying to protect their interests, Scottish and Newcastle (soon to have no breweries in either of the named regions) will be battling to keep the name of its most famous brew. Good job someone else has come along and invented Toon Ale.
but if you read the details of the application it was the brewery that asked for the orginal localisation to be put in place
I won’t go as far as saying I’m a Europhile, but I do see the advantages of Europe.
However, there are some stupid rules. This one must rank along the one where they try to control how curved our bananas are
Indeed, which is what made it funny. It must have cost them a ton to get the localisation made official, and they get the badge on the bottles a couple of months before deciding to shift over the river to the old Fed brewery, thus meaning that due to their own application they cannot take the name with them.
Gateshead Brown Ale doesn’t have the same ring…