Snifter trade group sniffs out real facts

A trade study group has completed its second foreign trip to check licensed retail standards on the continent.

The group, which was formed in the Czech Republic in 2005, is an affiliation of pub- industry members who are united by a willingness to broaden their waistlines in the pursuit of a fuller understanding of foreign beer markets.

The group, whose vice-president is Fleurets chairman Barry Gillham, returned on Sunday afternoon from a four-day trip to Munich.

This year's Pub Industry Supplier Society Useful Pilgrimage (yes, its acronym provides a clear insight into its primary purpose) proved, er, useful - Snifter developed his very first upper-arm muscle thanks to extended lifting of what Germans call a Stein.

Highlights of the trip included a tour and lunch at Löwenbräu Brewery and an afternoon spent in a glorious Munich beer garden, where Snifter beat his personal best for beer consumption by several litres - in a responsible manner, of course.

The study tour also focused on achieving an appreciation of Bavaria's marvellous culinary heritage.

The first night saw the intrepid group munching through industrial quantities of pork, sausage, veal and sauerkraut, washed down by industrial quantities of blonde beer, weiss beer and a beer called Maximiser, a 7.5% abv brew with an aroma that made Snifter feel a little bit dizzy just sniffing it.

There was a chance on the Friday afternoon to hold a committee meeting where many motions were forwarded and some even carried.

In the afterglow of that frenzied discussion, it's hard for Snifter to remember much of the meeting's substance.

However, he does recall a unanimous vote in favour of a trip to Italy next year.