The Brewers Association of Scotland launches. But why?

Representatives of the founder members of TBAS (from left to right); Samantha Faircliff (Cairngorm), Toby Knowles (Harviestoun), Jamie Delap (Fyne Ales), Tim Blades (Stewart Brewing), Scott Williams (Williams Bros), Dougal Sharp (Innis & Gunn), Fergus Clark (Inveralmond), Petra Wetzel (WEST).

The Scottish Parliament isn’t somewhere I normally end up – the closest I usually get is the odd beer launch round the corner at the Holyrood 9A – I certainly never thought my amateurish beer writing would ever give me occasion to go there. But an invite, sent by Innis & Gunn acting on behalf of a (then unidentified) wider group of Scottish brewers certainly got my attention. Sponsored by tub-thumping Green MSP Patrick Harvie, the unveiling of The Brewers Association of Scotland – or ‘TeeBAS’ as they were short-handed to throughout – was an intriguing prospect, if not for the fact that the wordy brown invite extolled ‘all Scottish craft brewers to join in the collaboration’. So who was in? Who is craft? And who are they trying to poach? But after I got there, the main question I found myself going back to, again and again, was simply – why?

After being scanned and waiting in an outer room at Collection Point C (that is not a joke), the attendees were escorted through the parliament building – walking past offices of actual parliamentarians conducting business – and to the Garden Suite, a large open area at the foot of the steps leading to the debating chamber. It’s a great place to hold an event, and there were several stalls set up for the eight breweries who had taken the reigns of the fledgling organisation and joined from the start. I chatted to a few of them, as to why they had become involved and what they thought TBAS could do for them. It was all interesting stuff – a mix of a genuine desire to band together to effect change and a hefty dose of corporate-speak, ‘road-maps’ and the like. Here, for instance, are the seven fundamental principles of the Brewers Association of Scotland:-

– Quality,
– Promotion,
– Market Development,
– Representation,
– Accreditation,
– Innovation,
– Common Interest Grouping.

Can you come together and not have a common interest? In fairness, it relates to ‘research, academia, skills development or knowledge transfer’ rather than a group of brewers who are all sitting around the same table anyway. As to the other principals, the first is interesting as it refers in part to a quality code of practice that all members are to work towards (although apparently it’s early days, and no such document has been put together as yet). It will be interesting to see – if these things are to be made public – what standards the very different breweries concerned will propose to be adhered to.

The Accreditation point is also interesting, as it refers to the development of ‘a trade marque or similar, including all related intellectual property rights’. A quick Google tells you that there already has been a trade organisation called the Brewers’ Association of Scotland (as detailed by the Scottish Brewing Archive), which first met in 1907 and were eventually subsumed into the British Beer and Pub Association. The IP has probably long since rusted – but my laboured point still holds – how will TBAS fit into all the other brewery-supporting groups? What about, for instance, SIBA?

I asked Scottish SIBA Chairman Gerald Michaluk that very question.

@TheBeerCast @TBAScot yes

— Gerald Michaluk (@ArranBrewery2) January 27, 2015

On the evening itself, there was a fairly clear differentiation drawn between TBAS and SIBA (which are so nearly anagrams), and they can be boiled down to two reasons. One, it was felt by people I spoke to that SIBA were not going to be encroached when it came to things like lobbying and running beer competitions – and two, which is the reason why I think TBAS will be a huge success – is money. Yes, it’s clear from the off that TBAS is a group with financial support; their own and that from the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society, Scotland Food and Drink and the Community Food Fund. I don’t know who has given what, but all were name-checked at one point or another.

This is all linked to one brand, and one success story. The brand is The Year of Food and Drink, which presumably explains why so many agricultural and tourist-related Government bodies have some money to invest. And the success story – the colossal, globespanning elephant that wasn’t in the room – is whisky. This is a chance for breweries to come together, be backed by the powers that be, and to increase exports in the same way as Scottish distilleries have been doing for years. It’s a great idea. Sure, it’s also a chance for another badge to be added to 2015’s food and drink events, but it’s no knee-jerk reaction.

The Brewers Association of Scotland isn’t a flash in the pan, ‘let’s write this on a beermat and go for it’ idea, by any means. Richard Lochhead, the Cabinet Secretary for Food & Drink, stated in his speech that the founder members had first met at his behest at a dinner a year ago, when they were given funds to establish a business case for setting up the group. It’s been researched, it’s been funded, these breweries are serious about establishing a network of best pratice – and they have Government support to further their exports. I think with effective support – which aside from funding is the most important thing – then the Brewers Association of Scotland could actually be in with a shot of making a difference.

But will that difference be solely for TBAS members, or will it spill out to the Scottish beer industry as a whole? Time will tell…

Oh, and the ‘Craft’ thing? The Association states only that their members need adhere to the following, fairly loose, criteria – ‘…artisanal brewers that are predominately Scottish owned and brew less than 200,000 hectolitres per annum in Scotland or within their group of companies.’ (the Press Release mentions the word ‘artisan’ only one-time fewer than ‘craft’)…