Home Brew TV

[Mike Neilson]

MUST C TV CHANNEL 1 7PM 1 NOV 2008. HOMEGROWN. CAUGHT A GLIMPSE ON AND AD AND IT LOOKS LIKE? IS IT SOME ONE ON HERE? DONT KNOW BUT IT LOOKS GOOD!! WE SHALL FIND OUT ON SAT!!

[Ollie]

For clarification:
Most people aren't snobs about beer OR wine, they just drink what's put in front of them (by the dozen).
Many beer and wine snobs (who are highly selective) don't actually have a clue what they're talking about.

The joy is in the drinking, and geeking it up with the like-minded so long as it's not to the exclusion of others. This is how products become percieved as inaccessable.

[Kempicus]

I agree, my point is (to use a medical analogy) that the ‘triage method’ should be applied. Say for arguments sake the distribution of beer drinkers is this

2% craft beer
20% green bottle beer
78% macro shit

78% of people drink to get pissed, because they’re loyal to their brand, because their mates drink it, because it’s cheap etc. To continue with the analogy and trying not to offend….Waste of time trying to get them to convert to craft beer they’re already dying, yeah there might be a few that ‘pull through’ but better off using the scarce resources to save the few that have the money to spend and can be convinced to try something. I think image is everything to those people and that we should be cashing in on that hence my love of the ‘beer is the new wine’ call, hey if there’s that sort of conceit out there for wine why not cash in on it? The ends for me certainly justify the means.

What I don’t agree with is a puritan, holier than thou attitude which says that “people should love it for what it is, we shouldn’t have to advertise and if we do it, it should be all about flavour, nothing else” “I am beer love me” “We won’t be associated with wine because they’re snobs” etc We’re two different sides of the same coin, we need to make craft beer sexy make it popular but at the same time don’t give the average pleb to much to think about. I’d rather there was a huge demand for craft beer using ‘distasteful’ tactics than no demand but still keeping the moral high ground.

I completely agree about quality, at the moment it’s doing my head in, so many ‘drain pours’ in the last few weeks is killing my wallet but like I said I rather there’s a demand for craft beer with flaws than no demand at all, who cares if someone drinks craft beer to look cool? They still bought the bottle, they still try and convince their mates that they should be cool too….that to me is the ultimate in snobbery, condemning someone for drinking craft beer because they’re drinking it for image. I think quality will come, it’s a young industry as money flows in so will better quality.

Well there’s my rant for the day! :0)

[Barry]

my $0.02,
I have no problem with people drinking good beer for the image.
In actual fact, what that "image" says about them is that they like flavoursome beer, adventurous styles, going out on a limb. All positive attributes.
What I'm saying is that it doesn't necessarily say they are more concerned with image over taste, rather that their image _incorporates_ good taste.

Nothing wrong with that. In fact, a marketers dream.

[denimglen]

I agree with this, if someone wants to drink craft beer for the image then fine by me. That means they're giving craft breweries more money to keep producing good beer.

Although I don't think I've met anyone who drinks craft/micro beer for the image. What I have come across a few times are the notorious Monteith's/Mac's drinkers. The guys/gals that think the beer they're drinking from these breweries are really great, exciting, favourable beers that are the be-all-to-end-all and consider these breweries something like a micro when really they're just the new age of the green-bottle crowd.

[Andrew]

Didn't see the show but I hear we didn't do too much damage. We don't normally do TV stuff - a. because one has absolutley no control over the finished product and b. because I believe TV to be the greatest scourge of our 'civilisation'.
But we did it for a laugh - and it was was. You have to remember that TV is a money making business and they do what ever the have to do to make the money. A bit like being a brewery really, come to think of it.

[Stu McKinlay]

I see this got a bit of attention. I've been away for a few days so havent read through. I didn't see the show as I don't have TV but my parents, who are far from beer geeks but have a very very casual interest, thought the show was great. They spotted the plonker (or "chancer", as they'd call him) and thought everyone else was fantastic. They thought it was a great advert for the beer "industry" and that Radar was good.

They also asked me why I didn't have as shiny a set-up as Wayne. I reminded them that I'm the only one of 5 children who has never drawn down and interest-free loan from them!

[Andrew]

Nothing to do with the TV but Roger Pink taught me a long time ago that to make a good beer is about what you have in your heart - not about how much shiny stuff you have in your shed.

[Stu McKinlay]

No doubt about it. I've been to Matson's - it's a lovely little brewery.

[James P]

One day I'll have a heart... wasn't that the shiny guy from some tale? :)

[MrC]

I thought the show was pretty good overall. Considering that you virtually never see anything about NZ craft beer on TV, having it presented in a positive manner has got to be a good thing. Several people from work have come to me all excited about having seen it and wanting to "talk beer" with me. I fail to see a down side.

[Sparky]

Yep! That half hour screening possibly influenced and created curiosity for many people.

The 'biggie' now is how to get the beers available more easily to these folks.

A Craft Breweries Marketing Co-op?

[Stu McKinlay]

www.beerstore.co.nz is a good start - if you can't get it there, you probably can't get it anywhere else.