Beer Is Not Wine CBS!
Jul 9, 2010 Myth Busting, Something To Think About, Unbelievable, craft beer
I feel ultra compelled to share the following with you.
As a member of the Brewers Association, one receives a daily Monday through Friday e newsletter chock full of great information, conversation, happenings and so on. Horst Dornbusch posted this spot on piece this week.
This, sadly, made me laugh out loud - and then get slightly pissed off. ‘To wit’ indeed Mr. Dornbusch.
I’m in your camp and wanted to share it with WEB followers. If you agree readers, SPEAK UP !! Call CBS, NBC, FOX, whoever demand accuracy and proper representation and get them to realize Craft Beer is NOT a novelty nor nearly this ridiculously monochromatic. You get the idea. Act and we shall all receive.
Here it is.
“Mainstream Media Still does not (!) Understand Beer
Beware of false saints!
I followed Julia Herz’s link to http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/03/earlyshow/saturday/main6643411.shtml?tag=pop in BA Forum Vol. 16-0706, which guided me to “CBS Early Show features wine expert Ray Isle talking up ‘Beervana’ in Portland, OR.”
While it is commendable that organizations like CBS have begun to recognize the existence of craft beer as an important part of our culture, I believe the piece behind the link shows how far we still have to go in educating the media and much of society about craft beer. To wit:
* Why on earth does CBS need a “wine expert” to showcase craft beer? As if there weren’t enough brewers or beer journalists who could have lent a (competent) hand!
* And then there was this zinger in the write-up: “Rogue Dead Guy Ale: This is a darker, more intense style of ale (technically, it’s a German style called a Maibock).” This is inexcusable (even though in Texas, equally inexcusably, a Bock must be called an “ale” by law). I really must tell my friends in Munich about this American “Bock” innovation! With such brew-technical nonsense, Mr. Isle has shown himself to be a mere vacuous pontificator, a false saint!
* A quick look at his food pairings, too, reveal Mr. Isle’s rather unsophisticated understanding of beer: He singles out as suitable pairings “grilled seafood, raw oysters, that sort of thing;” “chicken, potato chips, pretzels, you name it;” “hamburger;” “anything from fried shrimp to French fries;” “sausages on the grill, barbecued ribs, that kind of thing.” How pedestrian and utterly predictable!
“That sort of thing, that kind of thing, you name it,” and—who would have thought—hamburger, pretzels, and fries (!)…such is the august advice from a culinary “expert.” To me this is proof that there is still a huge wall of ignorance about good beer out there that we must not tire to tear down!
Horst Dornbusch
Cerevisia Communications
West Newbury, Massachusetts
Tags: Beer is not wine, CBS gaff, Horst Dornbusch, Julia Herz
Terroir
Jul 7, 2010 Myth Busting, Something To Think About, education
All About Beer has a really informative, good to read article this month entitled How Does Your Beer Taste? And How Do You Taste Your Beer?
Terroir in our beer
Part of what we taste involves terroir.
Terroir has been a term long used in the wine world. It’s starting to be applied in the beer world too – as it should be.
Terroir is defined by dictionary.com as, well, it’s not there. Heck, the spell check in Wordpress doesn’t even offer it. Hmmm…so let’s go to Wikipedia (there’s a message right there).
Wikipedia states, according to its aggregate style information:
“Terroir (French pronunciation: [tɛʁwaʁ]) comes from the word terre “land”. It was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon particular varieties. Agricultural sites in the same region share similar soil, weather conditions, and farming techniques, which all contribute to the unique qualities of the crop. It can be very loosely translated as “a sense of place,” which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the manufacture of the product.”
It goes on:
“The definition of terroir can be expanded to include elements that are controlled or influenced by human decisions.”
Finally I’ll clip this snippet “Terroir in other drinks”. Yet – alas!! No even a hint of a mention of beer.
Curious since terroir is all about the influence of where the ingredients were grown or raised. Beer has 4 primary ingredients. The water, grain, hops and yeast will all contribute so many flavor characters, and arguably all 4 could plainly exhibit their own terroir. Is that terroir to the 4th power?
Julia Herz has talked about Terroir per beer. We should all be listening to these ideas.
Tasting goes well beyond the obvious. That’s why you should savor your beer.
Even if it’s hot and you have a great session beer in front of you. It has its own terroir so take at least a few sips and give it the opportunity to expand your thinking and please your taste buds before it simply quenches your thirst.
Tags: All About Beer, Julia Herz, reapply, redefine, terroir in beer
Giant Oak Market Share
Jun 18, 2010 Myth Busting, Something To Think About, education
- Who’s your target market?
- Who’s your primary buyer?
- Are they one in the same?
- Do you seek new market share?
WEB started small...now we're up to 24+ at each monthly meeting
If you’re a brewery, brewer or brewpub and are searching for ways to get more beer in more glasses of educated consumers, look at the mighty oak idea.
Joel Salatin puts it this way in his book Holy Cows and Hog Heaven.
“Giant oak trees do not propagate themselves by dropping 20 ft. babies out of their tops. They propagate tiny acorns, because that is the smallest viable structure of the parent….Its size is its strength.”
To paraphrase for WEB purposes and beer, you have to start entering a market with tiny efforts. The efforts take water, light, food and attention to grow.
- If you think marketing to women is a novelty or ’small’ market share, think again. Think big.
- If you think by starting small, where economy of efforts isn’t where you think you want it to be (read – it may be more of an investment than you think you want to afford), know that it will payoff. Period.
Women make up the majority of the entire human population. Hmmm. Isn’t that worth courting?
When you court a market share authentically and accurately, you WILL grow some mighty oaks. Mighty can be pockets of fans, groups far or near of enthusiasts that continue to sneeze and every kind and size of group in between.
Start small. Every idea starts that way no matter how lofty the goal may be.
Tags: accuracy, authenticity, female market share, reap rewards, start small
Three Cheers – In The Right Glass
Jun 7, 2010 Beer & Other Edibles, Myth Busting, craft beer, education
Here’s an article that’s headed in the right direction.
Makes me cringe when I see ice cold glasses used for ANY beer, whether it’s supposed to be served chilly or not. Beer is not supposed to be served frozen.
When giving any kind of event or education piece, this is a critical light bulb turn on. Here’s my analogy.
Say you have a garden ripened tomato. Do you store it in the fridge? If you do, what happens to the taste and flavors? What happens to the tomato? What then is your experience going to be like?
Beer, like garden tomatoes, needs to be served (preferably when possible – and it’s not being snobby) at its best temperature. We’re not talking about getting candy thermometer out. We’re talking about good uncommon sense. What temperature should it be served at, approximately? Lager? Crisp out of the fridge. Stout – let it warm up just a bit to really be able to enjoy all the flavors.
Do you see pourers of Guinness grabbing a frozen glass? Cold glass, fine. Frozen – the beer doesn’t really appreciate it , me thinks.
Plus who wants a bunch of frozen crystallized froth in their beer glass?
So pick your glassware, pick the right temp of the glassware. Double whammy for double the pleasure and authentic experience.
This isn’t being a snob. It’s knowing what you like and asking for it.
Tags: beer justice, glassware, temperature
National Tavern Month
May 7, 2010 Celebration worthy, Myth Busting
May is National Tavern Month – woo hoo!
Craig’s right on in the this article - it’s a reason to get out and celebrate.
Responsibly, with friends, supporting the local economies. Need more reason?
Okay. May 17th – 23rd is American Craft Beer Week. Support your brewing community, America. They do much for the economy with solid jobs – and everything jobs in a community bring, progressive thinking, promoting responsible consumption and savoring the affordable luxury – beer.
How do you plan to celebrate?
p.s. a good book is a good way to extend the fun…
Tags: affordable luxury, American Craft Beer Week, National Tavern Month, NBWA
Point Missed
May 6, 2010 Focus Group Information, Myth Busting, education
Unless my interpretation’s wrong (and I hope it is) the initiative is still missing the point.
The point for marketing to ANY SEGMENT is to educate, ask them what they want, then engage them accordingly. Yes, I know we are in different countries – the premise is the same.
Authentically and accurately marketing to the market share you are pursuing.
I find the statement by this writer (if it is accurate to the Bittersweet Project’s interview here) still off target.
“…with the aim of making beer more appealing to women”
It’s not about making it more appealing; it’s about finding out what the heck they want, what they don’t want and taking it forward from there.
If they don’t find it appealing in general, this is a futile exercise. You need to ask the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ first - before you take action so you can know what action to take.
Kristy, tell me you do focus groups expressly with women to find out what they like, what they don’t like about beer – any one’s beer, not only Molson Coors UK. Or fly me over and we can work together to make sure the point is on target – for the women, about the women, of the women.
Tags: ask why, off target
Doug & Dan
Mar 15, 2010 Celebration worthy, Good People, Myth Busting, craft beer
Pints up to Doug and Dan at Buckbean for this honor! I concur.
They invited me to be at the 1st CANFEST last October in Reno. Very cool to see a beer festival focused on canned beer.
Myth busting time folks!
Tags: Buckbean Brewing, Dan Kahn, Doug Booth
Kiwi Connection
Mar 13, 2010 Celebration worthy, Events, Myth Busting
Check this out – New Zealand even picked up on the scoop of Women Enjoying Beer…
Thanks to Rob & Rachel for getting this to WEB!
And by the way, Geoff, I’d be glad to come to New Zealand to help educate all enthusiastic and curious beer drinkers.
Cheers!
p.s. remember to be a beer geek not a beer snob.
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
Keg, Bottles (and not vs.) Cans
Feb 1, 2010 Beer & Other Edibles, Myth Busting, Something To Think About, education
This is a good article on outlining why cans can be a good option. Thinking about it is the first step.
Indeed, whatever receptacle we choose to get our beer in, be conscientious of its impact, how, why, when, again and so forth.
Taste profiles of beers right out of a can and right out of a bottle and right out of a keg and right out of a serving vessel….
Keep in mind beer is always best fresh, best served how it should be served regardless of how it comes. There are resources aplenty of the sensory science behind glassware. Rebecca would know for sure.
Tags: bottled beer, canned beer, impact, responsibility