{"id":16190,"date":"2021-01-25T05:20:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T11:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/appellationbeer.com\/blog\/?p=16190"},"modified":"2021-01-25T06:50:43","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T12:50:43","slug":"lagers-lifestyles-and-f-scott-fitzgerald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/appellationbeer.com\/blog\/lagers-lifestyles-and-f-scott-fitzgerald\/","title":{"rendered":"Lagers, lifestyles and F. Scott Fitzgerald"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two stories, both rather long, to be considered in tandem:<\/p>\n

Why Is Screaming Eagle\u2019s Winemaker Making $90 6-Packs of Lager?<\/a>
\nThe headline nicely summarizes a 2,700-plus-word tale. After signaling he might not think much of the story on Twitter, Jeff Alworth followed with a blog post<\/a> making that real<\/em> clear. Paul Jones<\/a> at Cloudwater Brew and Chris Lohring<\/a> at Notch Brewing were equally unimpressed. But nobody is denying that this is a story about lifestyle<\/em> as much as beer.<\/p>\n

No Bad Days \u2014 Island Brands Wants to Cash in on \u201cCool Vibes\u201d to Challenge Michelob Ultra, Corona <\/a>
\nDid somebody say lifestyle? \u201c[The founders] say they want their beer to function as a lifestyle brand, citing the pricey outdoor gear company Yeti as a successful example. The lifestyle Island is targeting is coastal, active, fitness- and sports-oriented; the brewery\u2019s ambassadors\u2014who are compensated via discounts and free beer\u2014include wind surfers, kayakers, and Crossfit influencers.\u201d <\/p>\n

Make no mistake, authentic\/traditional\/craft beer is also about lifestyle. Thinking about that I tracked down a conversation I had with Saint Arnold Brewing founder Brock Wagner in 2003. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to add 10 customers at a time. The big brewers are trying to add a million. We\u2019re in different businesses,\u201d he said. \u201cWe both make something called beer, but they don\u2019t 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\u2019s not to say their beer is bad. It\u2019s just different from what we make. If you look at their advertising you see they are trying to sell lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

I asked him what Saint Arnold was selling.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re selling a really good beer. We want you to think about what you are drinking. I\u2019ll think about the beer when I first taste it. After that I\u2019m sitting there with my wife and with friends shooting the breeze and it becomes background. But periodically I will think about the beer again. I\u2019m not so na\u00efve to think that advertising and marketing don\u2019t make a difference. People like to be marketed to, they like to have the affirmation that what they are drinking is good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is a $15 price tag on a half-liter bottle some sort of affirmation?<\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~~
\nPS – a few afterthoughts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Given that we are talking about lagers, a few words from Matt Brynildson at Firestone Walker:<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Matt Brynildson (@fw_brewmaster)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n