Running With Beer
Feb 28, 2010 Celebration worthy, Good People
Pints up to Erika today –
She shouted out a while ago and I feel compelled to share this link (she shared with me). Double whammy…maybe triple…
1. Beer community
2. Draft Magazine – nice! Hey Erika, Jessica, Austin (see you in Chicago)
3. Running (I used to be an active runner too)
p.s. Beer has Vitamin B (as in Beer?!)
Tags: Draft Magazine, Erika Howder, running
What Are You Talking About Today?
Feb 24, 2010 Something To Think About, education
What will you talk with your employees about today?
Will it be cleaning? Will it be operations? Will it be other employees? Will it be supplies? Suppliers? Vendors? Ingredients? Community? Events? Sales? Donations? Service?
- Laurie understands the servant mentality
Will you give them some helpful knowledge on how to better inform your clientele? Will it be to challenge them to rethink the status quo – especially if the status quo needs a swift kick to re motivate?
Whatever you talk about, focus in. Make the time count, be prepared.
Success relies on preparation, thoughtfulness, discourse, action, follow up. Skimping on any of them does a disservice to all.
And in the beginning , middle and end, it’s all about service.
Tags: service, serving your employees, talking
Thinking Is The Key
Feb 23, 2010 Good People, Something To Think About, education
Justin, Ginger, Rhonda, Mike - last May in L.A.
Jim is right on in his goal as highlighted here. Many of the beer community members are like that. Which is where Jim and Rhonda began when they started Boston Beer.
Encouraging and making people rethink things is often where the challenge lies. Cracking open the thinking to allow for fresh thoughts, new patterns, new ideas and therefore encouraging more blood flow to our craniums is key.
Change. Rethinking.
Like Mike says, Change is coming one way or the other. May as well open up your arms to receive the hug. Here it comes!
Tags: change, open mind, rethinking
Decisions
Feb 22, 2010 Assumptions, Something To Think About
Are you making your decisions on purpose or are they incidental? Or worse, by default?
Operating any household or business, organization or entity requires thoughtful action. Thoughtful as in thinking things through. Being full of thoughts on the issues at hand.
When you simply rely on or allow default, when you don’t address the issues as they need to be, you are defaulting on way more than that one decision. You’re defaulting on yourself, your colleagues, your beer, your customers and your expectations.
Would you brand your business “Default Widgets: The One To Fall Back On”? Did you open your business to just meet the bare minimum?
Is something ‘that’ll do’ good enough for you? Or do you purposefully strive for better?
People everywhere – including your present and potential customers – want and deserve more.
Tags: decision making, thoughtfulness
Focus Group Participants Wanted
Feb 19, 2010 Events, Focus Group Information
Here ye, Here ye -
In search of Focus Group participants!!!
Requirements: Female who drinks beer, willing to talk about it, available (next) Wednesday February 24th, 7 – 830 pm, in Ashland Oregon.
If you can join us, we’re looking for up to 6 more women to contribute their opinions and thoughts, ideas and any other valid information that fits per women and beer.
Can you host one yourself with up to a dozen people? Absolutely!! Please Contact me.
Any opportunity women can offer to contribute their thoughts is exactly the information that drives WEB to assist breweries and brewers accurately and authentically develop female market share.
Tags: focus group
Lots of Chatter
Feb 19, 2010 Beer & Other Edibles, Celebration worthy, Events, education
Anna at the launch
Thanks to everyone – from Vancouver British Columbia Canada to Ashlanders in Oregon – for all the chatter you’ve generated per last week’s Women Enjoying Beer recreational group launch.
It tells us that this is something many people want to talk about. Women and beer that is.
And talk about it we shall. The contacts people have reached out to make are fortifying and reaffirming that yes, Virginia, there is something to this conversation.
Be sure to get in touch if you want to be part of the info stream (all info is always safe – no sharing, renting, giving, etc. of personal data).
Cheers!
p.s. the next Ashland area event is already on the agenda…
p.s.s. if you want to see a group start in your area, get in touch…
Tags: chatter, wing launch
Successful Launch
Feb 16, 2010 Events, education
A hearty thanks to the 21 women who came to the lively launch of Women Enjoying Beer at Standing Stone last Thursday night. What a great group!
Women Enjoying Beer in Oregon
All wanted to be there for a variety of reasons – many times overlapping reasons with their neighbor at the table. We enjoyed a flight of 4 beers (Lager, Nitro Stout, Oak Aged Barley Wine, and IPA), talked about what they want from their beer and in general had a good time learning more about beer.
Don’t take my word for it though – ask the women who attended. Thanks also to Vickie at the Daily Tidings for the coverage. It’s the most accurate article yet written about Women Enjoying Beer.
And accuracy is important – which I why I keep preaching it.
Next meet up for the Ashland Area wing of Women Enjoying Beer will be March 11th. Get in touch if you want to be in the loop. (the information you share is always safe)
Now, which beer to enjoy for lunch today….
Tags: launch, learning about beer
New Women Enjoying Beer Wing Launches Tonight!
Feb 11, 2010 Beer & Other Edibles, Celebration worthy, Events, education
Join us tonight if for the launch of the Ashland area/Southern Oregon/Rogue Valley (yet to be named) wing of Women Enjoying Beer.
If you’re a women who likes beer, would like to know more about it, is already knowledgeable – then come join the fun.
We’re meeting at Standing Stone Brewing Company from 7 – 9 pm tonight. A flight is included in the incredibly reasonably priced $10 event price. A 4 beer flight, program and great camaraderie are all part of the evening.
You’re more than welcome to order some tasty food on your own as well – they have a terrific locally focused, organically focused menu.
Call me at 515.450.7757 if you can make it. Hope to see you soon!
p.s. want to form your own group? Get in touch with me here.
Denver Hotel Bar
Feb 8, 2010 Assumptions, Myth Busting, education
Today’s post goes out to Joel and Wes of Knoxville Tennessee. I had the pleasure of coincidentally sitting at the same bar in the hotel last night for a beer and dinner.
gorgeous snowy Denver Colorado
They’re in Denver to ski – excellent plan – and I’m here on (pleasurable) business. One great thing about Women Enjoying Beer is that it’s a real conversation starter.
“Really?” is the comment from a lot of people when I introduce myself and pass them a business card. Beer holds a lot of allure and fascination regardless of if people drink much beer or not.
(I know…tough job. I do take it seriously while having fun at it though.)
So Joel asked me last night - what did I think were the two top reasons women didn’t drink much beer.
I turned the question and asked him what he thought the reasons were. His answer: calories and carbs.
Bingo – one exact reason WEB is around is to bust those kinds of myths.
Not so – and this is according to the hundreds of women I have talked to about beer, whether formally in focus groups or casually at, say, hotel bars. The calorie and carbs issue is a perfect example of advertisers marketing to what they think women want – without necessarily asking them directly. It’s someone else’s lens placed on the view.
And while health is part of the conversation for women and beer, as it is for men as well, it’s not the very top of mind issue.
The top two would easily be:
Number 1 they haven’t been marketed to accurately and authentically hence little engagement.
And number 2 that they haven’t been actively and consistently pursued educationally. i.e. breweries specifically reaching out to women about beer – not pandering or patronizing. Reaching out – recognizing the potential, realizing that beer should be genderless in it’s audience yet you have to first capture that market share to address it (like any market share).
And it’s not what I think. Those answers come from a large number of women from all kinds of backgrounds and in many different demographics.
Thanks Joel for the lively conversation and asking questions. The conversation has to include all genders. I hope you two had a fun night in Denver. How was Wynkoop?
Tags: calories, carbs, conversation, Denver Colorado
Clean Thy Glass!
Feb 4, 2010 Something To Think About, craft beer
What does “beer clean” mean? Here’s a helpful post.
Beer clean glassware is also indicative of the commitment of the brewery, brewpub, operator – whoever is in charge of the beer inclusively – to high quality beer.
Larry Chase, brew master at Standing Stone Brewing Company is Ashland Oregon, told me this.
“Because beer is alive and produced by a living organism (yeast), in order to make better beer, the entire brew house should be clean. Everything the beer is going not touch needs to be clean.”
He tells me it tastes better and it’s more consistent when everything is clean. Not just surficially clean, really elbow grease scrubbed clean.
The dedication to a clean brew house and all its equipment is evident in fresh, clean beer – yes, you can taste the difference.
Any while contamination may not make you sick, it’s kind of a disheartening thought. To think that after all that effort, someone may be slipshod on cleanliness.
Quality assurance quality control makes sense to the senses. Make sure your brewery is clean. All the way to the glassware.
Tags: cleanliness, commitment, quality