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SOBA Homebrew Competition

The SOBA National Homebrew Championship is back! The third annual championship promises to be the biggest and best yet.

New Zealand Icons -- Wellington SOBA tasting at Centre City

Countless hours have been spent debating some of life's more important and perplexing questions:

SOBA partners with James and Wells to take on DB over Radler trademark

In response to the frustrations expressed by the Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA) Inc about DB Breweries trade marking and preventing others from using the generic term “radler” in relation to their beer, James & Wells Intellectual Property has offered SOBA Inc the services of its specialist intellectual property litigation group on a pro-bono basis to invalidate DB Breweries‟ trade mark registration for RADLER

 

View the full press release.

DB Boycott and products to avoid

SOBA is calling for a complete boycott of DB products until they concentrate on making good beer instead of pursuing ridiculous trademark claims.

SOBA's Big Weekend Away

SOBA held its first ever 'Weekend Social' organized to coincide with the
Nelson MarchFest Beer Festival at the end of last month.

The tour party, which maxed out to healthy total of 18 on the Sunday,
comprised members based in Auckland and Christchurch, as well as the
Wellington 'hard core'. The crew also met up with Nelson area SOBA
co-ordinator Bill Fennell and friends, who joined us in the fun at the
Festival and on Sunday's tiki tour around the hop heartlands.

An open letter to DB and IPONZ regarding the trademarking of Radler in New Zealand

To whom it may concern,

I write as a member of the Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA) Incorporated, and a lover of fine beer. I write to express my concern at the actions of Dominion Breweries in their recent enforcing of their trademark of the beer style “Radler”.

Should the IPONZ have granted DB's application for a trademark on the term Radler?

Yes
3% (1 vote)
No
97% (29 votes)
Total votes: 30

SOBA Centre City beer tasting results

Last night I hosted a beer tasting for 22 people - most of them Wellington SOBA branch members but a few new faces as well - at Center City in the heart of Wellington.

The theme of the evening was "The end of summer".

The menu of fine beverages was:

  • Redwood Old Mout Feijoa & Cider
  • Redwood Old Mout Scrumpy
  • Mata Artesian
  • DAB Original
  • Cooper's Sparkling Ale
  • Croucher Pilsner
  • Yeastie Boys Kid Chocolate
  • Renaissance Paradox Pale Ale

The results of the voting were:

SOBA Newsletter - Issue 2. Spring 2008

Here it is ladies and gentlemen, fresh from the editors! Enjoy.

Screen version (small - 681KB, for online reading)

 

Print version (large - 14MB, for printing)