In direct response to Greg Koch's "I am a Craft Brewer" video that kicked off the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference, a handful of home brewers decided to assemble their own inspirational video.
Overall, I like it (and the fact that it was a 100% online effort is noteworthy), but it sometimes has the stereotypical beer snob air about it that is frustrating and mars the reputation of beer enthusiasts and homebrewers alike. For example, a few brewers compiled the statement, "I don't put corn in my beer...everything I put in my beer...I choose because it enhances the flavor."
What do people think the corn is doing? Watering it down?
I fully agree with one home brewer who said: "All beer is good. Some is just better than others." And the beauty of beer is that "better" is entirely subjective. While I absolutely adore Delirium Tremens, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would much rather drink a Blue Moon. I say, drink what you like. That's kind of the whole point.
Yeah.. we had a bit of back & forth on the script for this thing. At first it was very much a "word for word" parody of the original Craft brewer video, and then we revised it bit by bit over a couple weeks.
ReplyDeleteWhat's funny is the "I dont put corn in my beer" was one of the direct lines we took from the craft brewer video, but never took out.
And yeah, a lot of us use flaked maize in our lawnmower beers.
Sure do! :) And as my husband mused the other day, have they looked at the price of flaked corn or rice and compared it to malt? It's not a cheap grain (and will only get worse if ethanol-based fuels continue to gain in popularity).
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting, though, and a belief that is apparently perpetuated by some of the top craft brewery owners. I can think of easier ways to thin out a beer; adding adjuncts isn't at the top of my list. :)
The video was missing a woman home brewer :) Maybe next time you'll be in the video. Good post.
ReplyDeleteThat was actually the 1st thing I noticed when watching the video but already complained about that on twitter. ;) Plus this was via voluntary submission, so it's not like the authors only picked guys. I'LL BE THERE NEXT TIME, JUST YOU WAIT!! ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't recall any minorities in this either - though I may be wrong.
I think that you captured the essence of the video in your comments. It's great that you are picking up what is NOT there. That's an important thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that any one of the participants agree with all of the lines within the script. Some of us have a problem with the message as a whole.
It just speaks to our differences as brewers and how we still are a cohesive community.
Hey thanks for reading my blog! And for taking the time to comment. Admittedly, it'd been a while since I'd watched Koch's video so didn't realize it was nearly verbatim (and intentionally so) - I should have done that before posting; perhaps that would have made it clearer it was developed more as mimicry than authentic declaration.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, knowing that now even further emphasizes a difference, I think, in the perception of beer between homebrewers and many (NOT all!) Craft Beer Enthusiasts(tm)- and especially between home brewers and how some craft beer is marketed (as the anti-BMC). I've always been a firm believer in getting ahead by standing out, not putting down others in the space. There's room for everyone, no need to be a, well, arrogant bastard. ;) (which is, by the way, a fantastic beer and the one that got me into strong ale in the first place.)