A Major Tadcaster brewery has it back as claims from a top Spanish brewer that it and other British breweries are making ‘misleading’ claims about their Spanish-style beers.
The boss of Estrella Galicia slams British brewers for “dishonesty” for selling beers that appear Spanish but are brewed in the UK.
Aitor de Artaza, international managing director of the Spanish brewer, has accused them of a “lack of transparency,” saying this is confusing consumers in pubs and supermarkets alike.
His criticism follows the recent success of Madrí Excepcional, a lager which markets itself as “the soul of Madrid”.
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As the Press reported last year, Madri, which was launched in 2020 and becoming a top-selling lager, is brewed by Molson Coors in Tadcaster and other places.
That is unlike Estrella Galicia, which has brewed beer in the Spanish region of Galicia for more than a century.
Mr de Artaza told the Daily Telegraph: “There is a lack of transparency because they use a big famous city in Spain, but they don’t produce here. This is confusing for the consumer.”
Mr de Artaza added: “They did a very nice job in terms of marketing, that’s for sure. But it’s a little bit tricky because people think they are drinking a Spanish beer but it’s not. They are not very clear and not, to my point of view, very honest.”
Since Madri was launched in 2020, sales of it have soared with Molson Coors claiming supermarket purchases of the lager topping £100m, making it one of the top ten beer brands in Britain.
Its success stems from growing demand for so-called world lagers, which typical stronger with more alcohol than traditional rivals such as Fosters.
However, while many world lagers market themselves as exotic imports, most are brewed in the UK, including beers such as Birra Moretti and Corona.
Molson Coors says it created Madri Exceptional by working with The La Sagra Brewery, which is based near Madrid, using the skills of Spanish brewer Carlos Garcia at La Sagra and Molson Coors master brewers in the UK.
Molson Coors premium brands director Karen Albert says the partnership fuses British and Spanish culture, “taking inspiration from the vibrancy and diversity of modern Madrid.”
She continued: ““Brewing Madrí Excepcional here in the UK enables us to deliver efficiently, quickly respond to demand and, crucially, to make our beers more sustainably.
“Brewing in the UK reduces the miles travelled from brewery to bar or shelf and all our beers in the UK are produced using 100% renewable electricity through a power purchase agreement.
“The success of Madrí Excepcional speaks for itself. It became the most successful new product launch in the beer category in the off trade during 2022 and has carried that momentum on by more than doubling its sales value in retail, surpassing the £100m mark.
““The world beer category is vibrant with innovation, which is key to its continued growth. The myriad of styles on the market and the innovation that we continue to see is something to celebrate.”
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