Brewed Beverage of Choice: An Imperial Pint of Oak Aged Stonecutter’s Scotch Ale
Every two years I become violently ill for some reason. Stranger still is that it coincides with election years. Do not get me wrong, I vote like every good American should. But when I turn on the tele or listen to the radio, the ads put out by campaigns for this and that sicken me. And it is a two way street on what causes me to wretch: the ads using misleading tactics to sway voters AND the voters falling for these tactics without ever questioning them or their motives. In fact it is the latter that makes me more ill. And in my dreamy brewing world I thought that we, as brewers, would never fall into such frays. Oh how wrong I was.
Two or so weeks ago the company I work for had its annual “Battle for the Belt” in which all 20 breweries within the company vie for the title belt and a trip to the Oregon Brewers Festival. Fortunately and unfortunately, the vote is left up to the patrons. I say unfortunately because each year it is held in the same pub with many of the same regulars voting for their pub’s beer. As you can plainly see, the event is basically a glorified popularity contest. (Although last year and possibly this year the best beer did win.) My complaint does not, as it appears, fall on the voting process. This year, two brewers, who I respect within the industry, took the competition to an all new low.
Much like elections are won with money and “propoganda”, this year’s battle became a showcase for free t-shirts and stickers handed out by these two brewers. Everywhere you looked someone had on one of their t-shirts including a general manager who was serving every table (conflict of interest?) and the wife of my former brewing partner. I would equate the second instance to this…a wife of a Yankee player wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey or hat in public. The result of this onslaught of propoganda and advertising blitz was a second place finish for a beer that was in the middle of the pack, which coincidentally is where we finished.
This is not the musings of a sore loser. It may seem that way but it is not…even for a self depricator such as myself. These two followed the very loose set of rules which had no limit to what can be spent on the competition. Here is one major problem. No other brewer knew they could or could not make up shirts for their beer out of their own pocket of money. And kudos for these two who talked people into wearing their t-shirts and stickers. My problem goes much deeper.
For me it is the beer that should do the talking for itself. My beers are self promotion devices in and of themselves. If patrons do not like a certain beer, I tweak it so they will. I will not and ethically cannot stoop to have t-shirts made for my beer to win a competition. I lost a great deal of respect for these two not because they followed the rules and loved their beer they made, but because it appeared to me that they did not trust the beer they made to be able to do well on its own. They had to campaign in order for them to do well. In my eyes, a brewer should never have to campaign to get people to enjoy their beers. Advertise…yes! Campaign…never!
So I sit here this rainy afternoon sipping on a pint of a crafted ale that finished in the middle of the pack. There is a bit of a jaded, cynical feeling deep down because I am afraid once that door has been opened it is hard to shut. Next year though I will make another hand crafted creation and sit down with my friends and father marveling at what great beers can be made whilst I let said creation do all my talking for me. Besides my beers seem to have a much better vocabulary than I.
Prost!
the confucian brewer