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• 

  I Am A Craft Beer Marketing Consultant...

  Posted: September 11th, 2010, 11:21pm CEST by Alan McLeod

  ... or sales manager or bar owner or... or... or...

  The wonderful and ever posting Jay Brooks has posted the latest version of this odd video meme (pronounced "me-me" for obvious reasons) and it has me scratching my head as much as that Craft Brewer video of a year ago. Here it is:

  As I noted at Jay's, how many of these drinkers are really marketers in their day to day life? Can they not actually find 12 or 23 real, honest to goodness average Joes who like craft beer? And what the hell is it about the soundtracks of these things? Does anyone actually associate classical string quartets or whatever the hell that stuff is with craft beer? Would a little heavy metal or bluegrass not send the right marketing message? It makes me want to fall asleep about half way through.

  It's a form of denial, we know that. And a form of spin. But wouldn't it be interesting to have one of these promotional video thingies based on the following:

  • I am a craft beer drinker. I am a fan of good beer. I buy good craft beer.
  • I earn my money through hard work and expect craft brewers to earn it from me.
  • I have no time for the floaters, the makers of dull amber ale, the brewers who are there for the government grants.
  • Me and people like me reject badly made craft beer or beer stores that pass on soaking costs for trendy unbalanced crap.
  • We have the conviction of our own ability to determine what tastes good. And know a great craft beer goes with a bag of chips.
  • We know when it is stinking hot nothing goes down like a Miller High Life and respect our friends who like that stuff just fine.
  • But we also know that when the BBQ smoker in the backyard is pissing off the neighbours, when we are sick and tired another mouthful of steamed corn gak, when there is extra money in the wallet and when our mouths demand something that has extraordinary taste...
  • ...that is when we buy good craft beer.

  Background music? Metallica's "Enter Sandman" morphing into a little early Johnny Cash ending in a crescendo of grunge. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," perhaps?

• 

  Tolerance Just When You Don't Expect It

  Posted: September 11th, 2010, 2:21am CEST by Alan McLeod

  People rant. Have you noticed? And people think the ranters represent the rest of the people ranters rant in favour of. Or at least don't rant against. Ranters need to be separated from the rest of us. Then things like this happen and we glimpse what is what - and what remains a puzzle. :

  [Idaho Senator] Crapo's effort, with senators from Oregon, Massachusetts and Maine, illustrates the deep bond between Idaho Mormons and the beer industry. Mormon farmers raise barley for Budweiser and Negra Modelo beers, and last year, Mormons in the Idaho Legislature helped kill a plan to raise beer and wine taxes to fund drug treatment, fearing it could hurt farmers. Crapo touted the tax cut for brewers during a recent appearance at the Portneuf Valley Brewing Co. in Pocatello and said his position is simple: He won't impose his own religious beliefs on others, especially when it could affect a growing industry. "The (Idaho) wine industry is growing, too," he told The Associated Press. "I'll probably get asked to help the wine growers out. And I probably will."

  I like this. Right now there's a little too much intolerant crack pot-ism going around for my liking. So it's good to see a community asking questions about its principles and factoring in the issue of tolerance. Yet the ethical conundrum remains compelling - does the believer grow for malt or not? Are the people who drink the beer made with the malt bad, misled or just on another path? I like this.