musing

You don’t always have to think about the beer

In searching looking for something else before heading to the Craft Brewers Conference today, I ended up reading most of an interview conducted with Saint Arnold Brewing co-founder Brock Wagner more than two years ago. The resulting story was for craft beer industry members, and mostly about business, but this short exchange is relative to the ongoing conversation here.

BW: We’re trying to add 10 customers at a time. The big brewers are trying to add a million.

We’re in different businesses. We both make something called beer, but they don’t really taste much alike. The big brewers are of a completely different mindset. A-B has more in common with Coca-Cola than they do with us. That’s not to say their beer is bad. It’s just different from what we make. If you look at their advertising you see they are trying to sell lifestyle.

And what are you selling?

BW: I think we’re selling a really good beer. We want you to think about what you are drinking. I’ll think about the beer when I first taste it. After that I’m sitting there with my wife and with friends shooting the breeze and it becomes background. But periodically I will think about the beer again.

In case you don’t know, Wagner gave up a career in investment banking to help start Saint Arnold, then bought out his original partner when they figured out the brewery was not going to be big enough to support both of them.

“I ran the numbers and figured I could keep a roof over my head, have a house, some kids, retire at 65 and take a vacation every year,” he said. “In investment banking, it’s all about money. I realized that money wasn’t what motivated me in life.”

I’m looking forward to the rest of a week in which I get to have conversations with Wagner and a lot of other brewers like him, artisans driven by the desire to create something special. And I’m looking forward to drinking their beer, shooting the breeze as beer drifts into the background, then thinking about it again.

Good idea, Brock.

Spike Lee directed beer ads debut

Anheuser-Busch will unveil new advertisements this weekend as part of its “Here’s to Beer” campaign.

This weekend’s ads ask a simple question: With whom would you most like to drink a beer?

In a spot directed by Spike Lee, Lee stars and answers the question himself: Jackie Robinson.

In another ad (also directed by Lee) Michael Imperioli, who plays the character Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos, chooses Humphrey Bogart.

Although these ads are financed by A-B they don’t highlight Anheuser-Busch beers. The “Here’s to Beer” campaign officially is a Beer Institute project.

“It does line up beautifully with the whole notion of elevating and enhancing the image of beer,” said Bob Lachky, executive vice president of global industry development at A-B’s domestic brewing unit. “Where else would you do that than with celebrities . . . who you wouldn’t think are beer drinkers?”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports A-B also will take the idea to the Internet and radio talk shows.

“This whole premise of ‘Who would you like [to have] a beer with?’ has incredible legs,” Lachky said. “We envision this as [an industry] platform that can run a long time.”

Starting Monday, consumers can nominate their own ideal drinking partners at herestobeer.com. The five best entries will post a video explaining why they’d want to share a beer with that person. The winner, selected through an Internet vote, will get a trip to Munich, Germany, to attend Oktoberfest.

Oops, wrong glass

Eric Asimov of the New York Times writes occasionally about beer, though mostly about wine. In his new wine blog he drops in at Cafe D’Alsace, the NYC spot touting its beer sommelier. His description indicates that this could just be a sommelier (remember, wine sommelier is redundant) well versed in beer.

In any event, a nice discussion of beer and food – and a well made point:

I might quibble a little with the beer selection. Except for two ales from Canada, all the brews are European. I understand the logic, to match the Alsace cuisine with beers from the neighborhood, but at a time when so many good American beers are being made, many in styles that would go with the food, it seems a shame not to offer even a few.

And then there was the matter of the Reissdorf Kolsch ordered as an aperitif. It was offered in half-liter glasses, totally the wrong choice – and this at a place promoting the importance of the proper glass.

Beneficial inefficiency

Good Grape – you guessed it, a blog aimed a wine drinkers – credits Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery with creating the economic theory of “Beneficial Inefficiency.”

The author is moved to ask this question:

Isn’t a really relevant question here, maybe the wineries have it all wrong? Maybe they don’t need to grow bigger, maybe they won’t be able to sustain a market of new customers buying direct in the Midwest, maybe what they should do is create less product and market it better.

Now substitute the word “breweries” for “wineries” and read it again.

I’m not supporting the concept of aritificial shortages, but perhaps it is better for all of us if breweries have the option of producing less and still making money – because that allows them to focus on quality.

All about the toads

What’s even better than a story about how Australians can trade toads for beer?

One that contains this quote: “It’s all about the toads, not about the beer.”

Isn’t it always all about the toads?