44 years ago, when I first got into the business of promoting the timeless virtues of better beer (when the availability of superior beer could hardly be taken for granted), a key point quickly emerged.
If you wish to sell better beer to consumers, you first must teach consumers why better beer matters.
I’ll always liken this process to the regimen facing elementary school teachers, because whether they like it or not, the very same lessons must be taught to different batches of 2nd graders, year in and year out.
It’s true with better beer, too.
There’ll always be potential adherents walking through the metaphorical door who are vaguely receptive to better beer, but unaware of its meaning. They need instruction, encouragement and cajoling, along with reasons to understand and believe.
Helping them learn is an exercise best achieved by means of accurate information, because facts matter and can assist in the decision-making process. And, while it might seem counter-intuitive, those arrivals seemingly least equipped with facts usually are the easiest ones to assist.
—
Customers are approaching. They appear tentative and uncertain. You greet them with a smile.
“Hi, it’s my first time here.”
“Thanks for coming. What can I do for you?”
“I know this is a ‘beer place,’ except I don’t like beer at all. What else do you have to drink?”
“We have wine and spirits, even alcohol-free tropical kiwi civet seltzer, but if you don’t mind my asking, which beers have you tasted and didn’t care for?”
“Oh, I’ve tried them all – Coors Banquet, Michelob Ultra, PBR, Bud Light, whatever. They’re all nasty.”
“Agreed. They are awful. But here’s a wee taste of a beer style we call ‘anything that isn’t gimpy golden-colored fizzy lager.’ We have many examples of it on draft.”
A timid taste is taken, orchestral rumblings swell, and the clouds grandly part.
“Wow, this is beer? This tastes like bananas/coffee/citrus/pumpernickel. I had no idea beer could be like this.”
“Yes, it can be like this. Let’s go find one for you.”
—
Today, kindly allow me to pontificate about a beer news item that I find to be misleading and ultimately pointless, namely the Father of Our Country’s pre-revolutionary homebrew recipe.
What sort of beer was it?
Does this matter?
Should we pander, or teach?
A common topic of discussion during educational chats with newbies and seasoned beer drinkers alike, particularly those interested in history, customarily goes something like this: How did beer taste before a particular point in time?
- Before Elon...Read more
