Hide Your Eyes

There's no hiding from the majority of big American brewing ad campaigns on television, unless you're one of the lucky ones without cable. Something tells me that I'd be a lot less cynical if I just did away with a good portion of television altogether. Just listen to the radio.

One thing that's good on radio is baseball. Especially with some crackles of static in between pitches. So, I might then be spared from viewing the big beer ads. I've thrown my fair share of tantrums on here when it has come to the very subject of beer advertisements. The Miller Lite ads with Pitbull. Do I need to continue? In the rare case some of them are actually alright. Take the new Budweiser ad for the start of baseball season.

I actually enjoyed this one. Baseball is a romantic and nostalgic game. It let's us hold on to memories easier than other sports. It's a longer journey. Such an emotional roller coaster when your team is in a pennant chase as I finally got a chance to take in last year.

Baseball is a game that promotes thinking and strategy. Especially in between pitches. A game in which it's actually relaxing to relay such scenarios and outcomes through your head when you watch it. Former Pirates broadcaster Lanny Frattare once said that as an announcer he needed to "Let the game breathe." Do yourself a favor and let the game breath this season. Also, pair the breathing with a fine ale. Go Bucs.

Holy Thursday: Preaching to the Masses

I remember distinctly where I was when I began writing the weekly Monday Rant posts on this blog. I was in Slippery Rock University's Bailey Library complaining about malt beverages such as Mike's Hard Lemonade. Here I am two years later and I still write it for pretty much every Monday morning. It's the Monday Quarterback of the beer world. I've experimented with a couple series of posts with intentions of doing them weekly, monthly etc. Unfortunately they never caught on.

Last week, I began a simple post with some for of a biblical-sounding quote that I churned up out of thin air. I thought it entertainment enough to do it for this one, too. As I cracked a smirk I decided to try and make a weekly post called Holy Thursday. I can have some idiotic quote I made up. It can also symbolize my poor attendance at mass. Holy Thursday is actually one of the holy days in the Catholic Church. It remembers the Last Supper the week of the Easter celebration. If you have any better-sounding ideas than Holy Thursday just let me know. I'm not totally committed, but would prefer it to be some religious or medieval undertones. Alright, enough blabbering. Let's roll.

"If thou dost well as an orator, thine ale shall flow." - Nobody

I've always wondered the world would be like if we saw a hefty dose of advertisements and ad campaigns from some of out favorite craft breweries. After all, we get enough from the major brewing companies whose product we've become bored with fro the most part. You know the ads I mean. If you don't, just watch the Super Bowl next Sunday.

I'm fairly sure the disparity (at least in my area) could be due to finances. The craft market just doesn't bring in as much as the big ones do. Still, craft breweries are bringing in a fair share of money. They continue to grow.

If craft breweries haven't taken any foothold in the form of television or radio advertisement they definitely have in the form of social media. Interacting on a personal level with customers and fans. I mean just take a look at some of the breweries you follow. They retweet cool pictures we take. Most are punctual in terms of getting back with responses to inquiries. One of the best here in Pittsburgh is East End Brewing. Take a look.

Working on that. But it's on draft now.RT @SteveOldrati: when are Smokestack Heritage Porter bottles going to be available at the brewery?
— Scott at EastEnd (@EastEndBrewing) January 19, 2014

And @HerzMuses too! MT @hoyle13: Nice @TribLIVE article on growlers http://t.co/UoFTPegeP0 cc: @Houghspgh @ArsenalCider @AllSaintsCraft #fb
— Scott at EastEnd (@EastEndBrewing) January 16, 2014

There's plenty more where that came from. I'd link or screen cap something to one of the major brewer Twitter accounts, but I just peaked at the Budweiser one and there's nothing. No questions answered. No retweets of anything. No interactions with any other breweries. No personality at all. The craft breweries might not ever catch the majors in terms of financials, but they've sure got them on the battlefield that is the web.

False Beervertising

I love coming across a new Truth in Beervertising video from Breckenridge Brewery while I'm surfing on YouTube. I thought about this on Sunday while watching some of the ads created by American major brewers (you know who they are) and the fact that I wished to one day see one of these Breckenridge ads during a Super Bowl.

It's pretty much a given that the Super Bowl's portion of beer advertising is going to be Coors, Miller and/or Budweiser. One we traditionally see every year is the Budweiser Clydesdale campaign. If you miss that you usually see the new ad brandishing its new, but odd concoction.

The reality is that it's most likely not feasible for any craft brewer to pay the exorbitant sum that's required to advertise during the Super Bowl in today's day and age.

I've always looked at these Super Bowl beer ads to be very close to what the Pittsburgh Pirates do. The argument can be made that the Pirates, Budweiser, etc. have amazing marketing departments. Most in part because they provide viewers/consumers with a magnificent distraction from the actual product, which I don't particularly care for in either case. Budweiser has commercials that emotionally connect with many Americans. The Pirates have fireworks and pierogi races.

I'll admit the commercial was well done. That doesn't mean I'm cracking open a Budweiser any time soon. I'll still prefer a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter.

Celebrate Freedom: Drink Local

To many, the best way to celebrate the Fourth of July is to invite over some friends, fire up the grill and pop a few beers. So, if you're a fan of craft beer it's a good idea tomorrow to try and drink good beer from your local brewers.

I know that some of the liquor laws here in Pennsylvania are among the most ancient in all of America, but there has appeared to be a light at the end of some of those tunnels over the past two years. We aren't there yet, but for this state it's definitely progress.

Your local brewers exemplify what freedom and independence is all about. They put more into their products than what the American majors do. Despite what your television will tell you during commercial breaks all day, knocking back an ice cold Budweiser or Coors Light isn't exactly the American way anymore.

Other than that, there's nothing more American than watching the Ghostbusters make the Statue of Liberty walk through New York Harbor

 

Beer and Stereotypes

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No thanks. 

Came across an entertaining link by A Good Beer Blog about a new fad in the southwest United States. Apparently there's been a rising number of what can be referred to as beer burglaries in the region.

You can find the answer to this question in the blog post I linked and in the article that's linked in the same post, but I ask you what almost all of these burglaries have in common? If you answered with "beer," then you win a cookie. If you answered bad beer, then you've earned yourself another one.

According to that blog post and the article within, most of these burglaries have involved Budweiser and Bud Lite. Also noted is the irony that what some refer to as fancy beer is mostly left on the shelves when these events occur. The article says that in El Paso, 2,876 of these crimes were reported last year. Looks like it has caught on.

My spin on this is a controversy that's been going on for years and most likely won't ever be answered. Are there stereotypes when it comes to the beer we drink.

Take me for example. In his early twenties, fascinated by the craft beer craze and is pretty stuck up about it. I'm sure some would classify me as a "beer geek." Does the fact that these burglaries took place in the Southwest affirm theories that people in rural areas drink crappier beer as opposed to us that live in more urban areas with much better beer selections where ever we go?

I think it's an interesting question to ponder. I've always been one that's believed stereotypes exist because different people have actually done some of the alleged things. Now, I also don't believe that a specific stereotype applies to an entire demographic either, to be fair.

In my opinion, we grow up in certain areas and we become attuned to doing certain things. They become habitual. As I mentioned earlier, I believe the reasoning that most craft beer is not the chosen beer of whomever is stealing Budweiser is because they grew up around it somehow.

I also think that location has something to do with it as well. Just take a ride a few miles north of Pittsburgh. There are some bars I've come across that perceive the finest craft beer as being whatever Sam Adams seasonal is out. With that said, I'm still curious about what everyone else has to say about this.