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Saving the planet one beer at a time

14 June, 2015

Us Kiwis love a cold one, and we could soon be saving the planet every time we pop the top off a beer. DB Export have announced plans of an attempt at producing a commercially viable biofuel, based on the by-products of beer brewing.

By using ethanol — derived from beer production — and mixing it with regular petroleum, they hope to have their ‘Brewtroleum’ ready by July 2015. These biofuels emit less carbon than petrol when burnt, so it may not be long before we have a legitimate excuse to buy a box.

The brewing process leaves dregs of yeast slurry, which tests by DB Export and independent specialists have found can be stripped of ethanol. This can then be distilled and blended in a 10:90 ratio with 98 octane petrol to create an E10 (10-per-cent ethanol) biofuel.

“Brewtroleum presented the opportunity to take the natural by-product of the brewing process and turn it into something that can genuinely help the environment,” said Sean O’Donnell, DB Export’s Head of Domestic Marketing. “What’s more, men can help to save the world just by doing what they already love — drinking DB Export.”

The first sample of DB Export bioethanol will be ready for testing in a few weeks, and, if it is successful, Brewtroleum will be made available through one of the country’s major fuel retailers. We’ll be keeping an eye out for further news — we’re all for more reasons to feel good about drinking beer!

“Gotcha!’’ The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic – part two

8 May, 2026

In 1996, I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.
But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch, but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead, I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.