Andrew Larsen [TAKE DOWN REQUEST]

[nzbrewer]

This morning I received a phone call from Andrew Larsen requesting the take down of the thread under this name.

I generally am reluctant to get involved in moderating forums as it stops people participating due to fear of post deletion.

The thread was a question asking if any one had had any dealings with Andrew. The first reply was positive from Croucher Brewing Company. The second was negative from an anonymous person. I could see why Andrew thought it was not in his best interests to have it posted on the internet.

I may have been more reluctant if the anonymous person had put there name and contact details to be able to stand up and answer to what they had posted.

Andrew tells me he has gone to the police this morning and going to his solicitor. (really?)

The post has now been moderated, and I am posting this message to ask people to use the forums more responsibly and if you are going to be anonymous and make defamatory comments then your user account will be banned from the forum.

What do you think?

Is this unfair?

Should the forum be left totally unmoderated?

[Ian]

Sounds as though if we aren't careful we'll join certain other countries with the most popular new martial art, 'so su me,' and a lurking lawyer around every corner.
Ian

[Tony]

I know Andrew, in fact he is a mate of mine. I've just had a long conversation with him about this. He is indeed very upset by it, and takes the derogatory comments seriously. He is after all a professional who makes a living from what was spoken about. I have said to him that you need to be able to accept, in any business, there are always going to be people who try and take you down, that's business. But I don't agree, that whoever this gutless idiot is, has the right to publish such comments, anonymously and in public. Just think, for yourselves, had the shoe been on the other foot, how would you have reacted?

I know you received a letter from Andrew's lawyer, after you took the post down, Luke. But that was just a lawyer being a lawyer and I also know Andrew has sent you a personal, explanatory email, explaining his actions and so forth.I think you have indeed opened a can of worms, by this discussion, Luke. You may have been wiser to take it down and leave it at that?

As I said before,Luke, how would you have reacted had it been you on the receiving end. I don't think you would have reacted, with any less gusto. You and Andrew have been trained by the same people Luke, you know who they are.

Andrew is what you might call a brewing consultant. He doesn't work in this country and hasn't done so for some years (suffice to say the the original comments, were rubbish). He helps people set up microbreweries, all over the world. He helps them set up the plant, installs it, sets them up, etc. They may call him back, as a consultant, to help them out or sort out a problem. That's what he does. So you could imagine that someone, whom he is doing business with, seeing such comments, on the internet, might cause him some embarrassment, shall we say.

Having said that, I defend freedom of speech and the right of anyone to have an opinion. I also disagree with some of the bullshit, some of you have written here. If you don't know the problem, don't know who Andrew is and didn't even read the original post, then what the hell are you commenting on?

If you've got a beef with someone, at least have the balls to stand by what you are saying and put your name to it, and have a valid argument based on fact, not fiction and hearsay. And if you want to write something personal, at least have the common decency to confront the person directly and in person, not anonymously on a public forum.

I think Andrew will post in due course, when this has blown over. At the very least he would have given the original poster and you all, the common decency that was not given him.

[nzbrewer]

You and Andrew have been trained by the same people Luke, you know who they are.

OMG - I am one of the FINAL 5. Aaarrrhhhhhhh

[Reviled]

?? Who trained you? Is this training available for purchase?

[nzbrewer]

Master Yoda?

[Horace]

Have you everwondered how all the hops got in there

[James P]

There can be only one.....

[Greig McGill]

Tony: I guess this is being posted here not to continue the original thread, but to see what we the users think about how the forum should be run. Great of Luke to ask us instead of just doing whatever he wants (which he has every right to do). I stand by my original statement that threats of police and lawyers are seriously OTT for anything posted as opinion on a beer forum.

[Stu McKinlay]

And for once, I totally agree with Greig.

Though I also agree with almost everything you say Tony. I think it is great that you stood up for your friend - I would do the same.

I think everyone here agrees that they'd trust the word of the Croucher lads and not the word of "Anon1" and "Anon2".

[Greig McGill]

Hey, you also agreed with me when I said your beer was not too bad. ;)

[Stu McKinlay]

Not totally. I thought the beer was a 5/5 on the 'hoppymaltyyeastie delight' scale. "Bad" should not be used in the same sentence, even if it's "not bad, not bad, double double not bad!"

[Stu McKinlay]

But then again I did agree when you said that you thought that Epic Lager was tasting like Green Fern Organic Lager recently ;-)


[hands above my head - I'm joking...]

Don't sue!
Don't sue!!

I'm already on record as saying I quite like Epic Lager (though I wished Luke had gone more hardcore) and that I think Green Fern Organic Lager is a crappy golden lager for wannabe hippies. Am I allowed to say that here????