Prince delighted at new Thwaites link

Prince Luitpold, boss of the German family-owned brewer Kaltenberg, is clearly delightedto break free from what clearly became a troublesome trading partnership with Whitbread in its final few years. The Prince, great grandson of Ludwig III who was the last King of Bavaria, made it clear he was glad to be rid of the former UK beer giant when he appeared for the unveiling of a new brewing agreement with Lancashire independent Daniel Thwaites. "It was time to get out," confirmed the Prince as he enjoyed a lavish trade launch attended by some 400 guests at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. "Things were becoming increasingly difficult with Whitbread because we had simply become sandwiched between Heineken and Stella and nobody had much time for us," he complained. "The takeover of Whitbread by Interbrew presented us with an opportunity to exit the agreement so we decided to take it." Prince Luitpold obviously viewed continuing the contract with the Belgians as a non-starter, comparing the European brewer to a giant oil refinery rather than a dedicated family beer producer. He said the new partnership with Thwaites was an exciting new era for both companies which still retained strong family-ownership ties. "We believe Thwaites will be a highly suitable trading partner for us because they are proud family brewers in the same way as Kaltenberg," he commented. Thwaites certainly did the Germans proud at the launch evening when part of the Pleasure Beach complex was converted into the set of a Bavarian castle. It was all things German after that with an everlasting supply of Kaltenberg served up to guests by costumed frauleins, a meal of German cold meats and the obligatory German Oompah band. It was a brave man who ventured to the bar to ask for a pint of Thwaites Smooth!