Brewaucracy

Warning: This may be my second fairly libertarian themed post in a row. I’m not certain that two posts, nearly six months apart really count as a row, but there you go. Right, so for the three of you still reading, I’ll get down to brass tacks.

There have been a raft of releases of, I don’t really know what to call them, cash-in beers maybe? I don’t like faux-craft, or craft-lite, or the other various terms which imply “less than craft quality”. The reason for my dislike is that nobody has managed to satisfactorily define what constitutes craft anyway, so until that can be done, I think it’s unfair and unreasonable to denigrate something for not meeting an undefined standard.

Anyway, let’s just say that the large players have (finally) woken up and realised that the ever increasing chunk of the market that likes artisinal, flavourful, interesting products is growing while the more traditional market is, at best, standing fairly still, and more often, declining. It’s something that I believe they’ve written off as irrelevant for a long time, and they are now realising that they need to be a part of it. To do that, they need to understand it. Now, I’m not sure I believe there’s an it to be understood, but that’s the subject of a different blog post. I might get around to writing it sometime in 2015, if my current schedule maintains itself.

Anyway, what we have now is the first real incursion of the big players into the “new frontier” of craft beer. There are various strategies at play, and they’ve all been discussed to death elsewhere. This post isn’t about that. It’s about the ugly side of the craft beer community. There are those who probably thought I was the ugly side of the craft beer community, but I’m speaking more of ethical and emotional ugliness. The ugliness of one who, when confronted by something he doesn’t like or approve of, and sensing that he may have numbers on his side, immediately repairs to force to fix his problem. “Come on guys, let’s beat up the new kid! He talks funny, and he’s different to us!”

Now, of course, I’m not implying that craft beer people are the types to literally go out and form a torch wielding mob. No, they’re all nice people. Well, every one I’ve ever met, and that’s a fair few! The force they propose is the institutionalised (and therefore perfectly OK, in their minds) force of government/legislative compulsion. Instead of letting the quality (or lack thereof) of a product speak for itself, and succeed or fail on those terms, the well meaning and otherwise perfectly lovely craft beer afficionado suddenly transforms into a thug. “You’re not allowed to say Imperial Pint on the bottle! Get them!”, “That’s not really an IPA! Get them!”, “That brewery isn’t even a real brewery, let alone established in 1859! Get them!”

Of course, many of these claims are true, and the marketing in question is often at best, a little misleading, and at worst, outright fraudulent. In those cases, yes, fraud is a crime, and those perpetrating it should be held accountable. That doesn’t change how damned ugly it is to watch the gleeful screams of these otherwise wonderful people as they sense a kill and descend upon the different kid, torches blazing and eyes alight with righteousness.

I strongly believe force is only ever OK in self defence, and it’s the one rightful job of a government to hold a monopoly on the use of force in order to protect each citizen’s rights to do as they please, so long as those rights don’t impose on others equal rights, via force or fraud. I’m not here to defend these beers, or the breweries which create them. In several cases, I find the products are awful and the marketing dishonest and shameful. I’m trying to say that if it’s not hurting you, consider pointing out why it’s bad – discussion and persuasion are civilised tools for encouraging others to drink beers you consider craft and avoid beers you don’t. In other words, try anything but pulling out the club of legislation and attacking the new kid, however annoying he may appear. The law is, and should ALWAYS be, a shield, not a club.

Upon starting my workday, I really shouldn’t be scanning beer blogs. Unfortunately, the disturbingly nocturnal Phil Cook seems to always post an excellent read just as I am about to begin something productive. Worse, this time it’s motivated me to bloggery with its libertarian-enraging opening paragraph talking about regulation and taxation. After the red mist cleared, and my higher brain functions returned to full (ahem) potency, one thought stuck in my head. The concept of alcohol causing violence, around which much of the latest round of moral finger-wagging and fun-policing seems to be based.

Now, while Phil doesn’t really mention the causes of all that regulation and taxation (and why should he? He’s talking about the context around a certain beer and its associated brandwank), it does seem to be taken as read that alcohol causes violent behavior. I mean, we’ve all heard reports of drunken idiots commiting various unsavoury acts, right? Most of us have probably witnessed this for ourselves. Naturally alcohol must be the cause. Best we tax the living bejeezus out of it to “fix” the problem! I mean, that’s always the right answer, isn’t it? Please Mr. Government, I am but a weak mortal. Please regulate others in order to save me from myself. After all, it’s their fault really…

Well, what if that’s backwards? Myself, my friends, and a ton of people I am acquainted with drink a fair amount on a regular basis. In the pursuit of flavour and social enjoyment, we often suffer the usual side effects. I’ve never seen any of these people become violent or act like idiots other than in harmless and usually lovable ways. Certainly nothing more than slightly irritating at worst. Where is the evidence that alcohol causes violent behaviour? Is it not far more likely that violent people use alcohol as an enabler or an excuse? If so, why do we punish the producers and sellers by taxing and regulating the crap out of the substance when the vast majority of those who consume it cause no trouble at all? Why should the violent intent of a few idiots impose regulations on the majority of us? More importantly, why do we all just seem to blindly accept this?

I think it’s about time we started telling the government and the useless brigade of fun police to just get their goddamn noses out of our business, our pockets, and our drinking habits. There are laws against violent and destructive behaviour already. Use them. Leave us alone.

I’ve been taking a break from blogging, and indeed writing in general lately. I don’t really know why. I’ve just struggled to find something that hasn’t already been said, and usually more eloquently than I could say it. I’m not averse to some deceased equine beating, I just think that it pays to have something to add to a debate before saying something.

The old “what makes beer craft beer” debate has been bubbling up from under again of late. Unlike some, I’m not tired of this debate. I’m glad it keeps coming up. This post is in part a way to continue it and I hope that enough people still bother checking in here that it will get some discussion.

Historically I have weighed in on the side of the debate that says craft beer is beer which is brewed because the brewer enjoys it, and thinks others will too. I don’t believe that rules out wanting to make money from your beer. Making money is an old and noble pursuit! I just believe that the brewer has enough self-belief to say “I love this beer I’ve made, and I’m sure others will love it enough to want to pay for it and thus afford me a wage”. I believe this can be the goal of big brewers and small ones without a conflict.

The pachyderm alluded to by the title of this post is that SOBA, and indeed most “pro consumer” organisations were founded as a reaction against the perceived dumbing down of mainstream beer. This means that we (SOBA) often tend to attract those who feel pretty passionately that the big boys are the cause of everything that is wrong with beer. SOBA’s official position is closely aligned with my personal one on that. Since I helped found the organisation, I guess that’s not too much of a coincidence. This view is that SOBA celebrates and advocates for good beer, no matter who brews it. Lately it’s a view I’ve found harder and harder to defend in practice, even though it couldn’t be easier to defend morally.

It’s not just one sided either. While I am utterly sick of the same cynical and predictable marketing and product range of the big guys, I am equally tired of paying $9 for a pint of craft beer and getting a barely drinkable glass of something vaguely resembling beer, and feeling like a traitor to the cause if I give an honest opinion about it. Why does this sub-par beer get to be included in the “good beer” category we call craft, but the excellently brewed Kingfisher I enjoyed recently get excluded?

So, what am I trying to say with this rambling post? I guess I’m saying that I’m a little uncomfortable with “us” (be it SOBA, CAMRA, AHA, or just the passionate and unaffiliated local beer nerd down the pub) building entire campaigns around a notion that we can’t even define clearly. Does this mean we shouldn’t fight for good beer? Hell no. I just think we need to be a little careful who we champion and equally, who we write off as “rubbish”.

If a brewer has sold their soul in the name of marketing or not dumping a sub-par batch of beer, I believe that said souls can be purchased back for the price of a few good pints.

Christmas eh? I love it. I love it for the same reasons PC loves it. People are nice to each other because they want to be. Commercialism is embraced instead of vilified. And possibly best of all, ’tis the season to be jolly! Yep, that means beer for me, although I also tend to raid the whisky cabinet. Anyway, in any form, ’tis the juice of the barley for me!

Christmas for me is also a time for reflection and giving thanks. As an atheist, I don’t thank any fictional beardy-weirdy in the sky, but I certainly believe in thanking all those who make my life better every day, simply by being true to themselves, and by dint of what they produce.

On that note, there are three pillars of NZ brewing I think deserve a bit of thanks this Christmas season. I’m about to shamelessly flatter some of my heroes. If you’re embarassed by reading that sort of thing, I hear Kate has a cool article with a beer cave in it for you to read instead.

First up, Richard Emerson. Where would brewing in New Zealand be without this man? Deaf as a post, sharp as a tack, and thirsty as a horse, Richard is the godfather of New Zealand brewing. I was going to use the word “arguably”, but the hell with it. This is my blog, and on this matter, I’ll brook no argument. Richard was here in Hamilton this week for a “meet the brewer” night at the Ruakura Campus Club, and I managed a few beers with him beforehand (and indeed, afterwards), and he reminded me just why he is so beloved amongst the beer community in New Zealand.  It’s not just about his raw talent for brewing, and the way he “feels” the right combination of malts and hops for his brews, he’s also just a hell of a nice guy. Richard always has the time to share what he’s been doing on his pilot plant, and is always equally interested in what others are brewing, why, and what they taste like. Emerson’s beers have lit the path down which many a kiwi craft brewer has followed, and for that I am extremely appreciative. Thanks King One, for setting a benchmark.

The next King on the list is Carl Vasta of Tuatara. Now, I’m not going to debate the quality of Tuatara beers here. I’ve had stunners and shockers, but that’s to be expected when a brewery grows as quickly as Tuatara have. Carl is every bit the nice guy that Richard is, and though I don’t get to have a pint with him anywhere near often enough, his quiet and understated sense of achievement always inspires me. Having said that, most brewers in New Zealand are pretty nice people, so what gets Carl on this list? Pretty simple really. I doubt many people would argue that Wellington is the hub of craft beer appreciation in New Zealand. It’s hard to find a bar, café, or restaurant where at least one variety of decent beer can’t be found. The punters are knowledgeable, and the bars provide for the demand in ever increasing numbers. All of this sprung from the groundbreaking work of Tuatara shareholders and associates, past and present, and all of that was made possible by the beer brewed by Carl Vasta. Hail to King Two for planting a seed which grew to a mighty oak!

And now we come to the Imperial Imp himself, Luke Nicholas of Epic. Many find Luke’s style fairly in-your-face, and not everyone appreciates that in a country well known for Tall Poppy Syndrome. Well, as I said, this is where I unashamedly praise my heroes, and brash, get-shit-done, take-no-prisoners Luke certainly deserves the position of King Three. As an individual, I think Luke has single handedly opened more eyes to craft beer in New Zealand than any other brewer I can think of. While many brewers are content to let the product speak for itself, and would rather be in the brewery making magic than out the front making sales, Luke genuinely loves watching people get that “wow” look when they drink his beer and realise that beer for them has changed forever. Long live King Three for promoting beer with flavour where others fear to drink.

I’m thankful to the Royal Personages above, and for all they have wrought, I hope you will all join me in thanking them also.

Happy Christmas, and Cheers!

A lot has happened lately. Myself and Phil Murray have accidentally launched a contract brewery, SOBA‘s long running radler trademark dispute is awaiting judgement, and I’ve become enamoured of the delights of Melbourne during Good Beer Week. This blog update is about none of those things! Instead, I’m throwing in with the multitude of beer blogs around who are talking about the issue of defining craft beer and craft breweries.

I don’t like having to define craft beer. It bugs me in much the same way that I avoid record stores (“what are those daddy?”) which group music by genre, instead of alphabetically by artist. One man’s alternative rock is another woman’s electric folk. Who is correct? Does grouping like this serve any purpose? So too, I believe, with craft beer.

It has been suggested to me by the wonderful people at BeerMen.TV that it should be all about size. That definition is good enough for the Brewers Association in the USA, so why not elsewhere? Well, for a start I think that’s the wrong question. Not why not, but why? After all, if it’s based on size, why should that be proportional in an international market? Many massive breweries around the world would be considered craft by the BA standard. That standard was also recently revised solely in order to accomodate the Boston Beer Company. Now, while they do indeed make excellent beer – six million barrles a year – they are MASSIVE by non-USA standards. To put that into perspective, Lion Nathan brews just 7.7 million barrels per year.  So Lion Nathan is almost a craft brewery?

No, if you want to define craft beer, size is a terrible measure in my book.

I also don’t like the conflation of separate political issues which come about whenever this thorny problem arises. There are many reasons to want to define craft beers and craft breweries, and just as many agendas to serve in doing so. The issue which most often comes up is “support the small guy versus the big guy”. Now, I think this is almost as innate in us as it is irrational. All big guys were once small guys themselves. With enough support, the small become big. What we are actually saying is “we support you, wee battler, until you reach a certain size, at which point you are evil, and beneath our contempt”. Insane? Yep. I prefer to judge all companies on their products and on their actions. If a company is making terrible products, well, I won’t buy them, and I’ll recommend others follow my example. If a company is torturing lithuanian orphans, well, I’ll kick up a stink about that and do the same thing. There is no rational reason for hating a big company other than for behaviour or product quality. Yes, poor behaviour does include passing your product off as something it is not, and yes big companies do that sometimes, as do small contract brewers. For the record, Brewaucracy doesn’t!

So we’ve decided that we do want to define craft beer or craft breweries for reason X. OK, how then? Intent is important, I think. Craft beer is beer brewed for the love of flavour. Craft beer can certainly be brewed to make money, but quality is never sacrificed. So, I guess we need to measure quality as a statement of intent. Quality is, of course, a very subjective thing once you get beyond cleanly brewed, fault free beer. The popular beer rating sites such as ratebeer.com and beeradvocate.com throw this fact into stark relief. The same beer, from the same batch, purchased at roughly the same time, can receive drastically different ratings. Generally, over time, the consensus reveals the general opinion of the beer though. One thing worth noting is that almost no Big Brewing Company beers score well. Now yes, there’s a large element of bias here, but how’s this for a rough shot at a definition?

Greig’s Crack At A Craft Beer and Craft Brewery Definition version 0.1

Craft beer should be defined solely on quality, to be determined by a representative sample of consumers. To be designated a craft brewery, one must have most (75%?) of one’s products rated at or above the determined baseline.

Now, how to ensure a reasonable sampling of non biased consumers, and who decides what the proportions and scores should be… well, that’s somebody else’s problem!

Evangelistic brother / Should be banging a tambourine
Go wash your hands and fingers / Until your mind is clean

Now, it might be more than a little naff to begin a blog post by quoting Tears for Fears, but I caught a snatch of Mr Pessimist the other day, and that couplet connected with the theme that’s been haunting my thoughts, while floating elusively out of my mental reach.

The jigsaw assembled itself properly while I was visiting Melbourne for Good Beer Week. Experiencing the pride and excitement the Australians have for their beers and brewers, feeling the camaraderie, and seeing the queues out the door of notable craft beer venues were uplifting things to behold. There was a dramatic contrast between this joy of spirit, and the feeling I’d had on leaving New Zealand, where the last thing I’d done is catch up on the forums on Realbeer. I shouldn’t have done that.

What is it about we Kiwis that causes us to be constantly sniping, looking for holes, and generally being sad sacks about things? I’ve heard it described as “tall poppy syndrome”, but I’ve seen it expressed as dislike of any new idea from any source, even more diminutive members of the family Papaveraceae.

We have such a lively and creative beer scene here in New Zealand. With every chance we get, we should be banging that tambourine. After all, every time we convince another person to drink flavourful craft beer, made right here in New Zealand, that’s one more little bit of demand in the market which helps to ensure more great beer for us to enjoy.

I’m not trying to say we should all be “fake”. Constructive criticism is encouraged almost everywhere. Nobody can fix a problem if they are not aware they have one. Also, there are some things about which it’s just not possible to have anything but a sense of withering disdain. Neither am I claiming to be blameless here. I’ve certainly been guilty of having a dig when it would have been just as easy, and far more productive to be positive. What I am suggesting is that we try harder. Don’t assume there’s a dark motive behind a new release. Give the benefit of the doubt instead of assuming the worst. Don’t pour scorn just to sound aloof or cool. Passion is cool. Get passionate!

It’s time for me to stop being the “evangelistic brother” now, but I’ll finish up by saying we have an amazing beer scene. Get amongst it. Celebrate it. Hug a brewer, a barman, a fellow drinker, and just feel lucky. It might be contagious!

*UPDATE*

In case it seems that way, this is NOT an “Australia is better than us” post. I loved the little I’ve seen of Australia, but I also love NZ dearly. The GBW experience was simply a catalyst for something that’s been bugging me for quite some time. Right. As you were.

Oh no, not again. Look, I want so badly to write something positive about DB. I’ve said time and time again that I don’t care who makes good beer, so long as it IS good beer. I’d heard exciting things about Single Source – a beer from DB that talked about malt and hops as real ingredients, with individual flavours, and a story to tell. But then, I heard the marketing spin.

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As the organiser for this year’s SOBA National Homebrewing Competition, I’ve now seen every aspect of NZ’s premier homebrewing competition from the other side. I have to say, I have a newfound respect for all the previous years judges, stewards, and organisers. Something that’s always intrigued me, as an entrant, is exactly what goes on from when you submit your beers, through to them being judged and presented. I thought I’d write a bit of a novel to let you know what we do, how and why we do it, and what I think we can do better next year. I’m not going to pull any punches on this, in the interests of full and open discourse, and it’s going to be a LONG post…

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DB are the champion brewer of NZ for 2010. It’s official.

You’re all waiting for my long and angry rant now, aren’t you? Go on, admit it. It’s OK, if you’d been around when I heard the news (as several good friends were – apologies to Jamie, Phil, Kieran, Graeme and others) you’d have got one. However, I’ve chilled out, relaxed, and hell, a part of me is even pleased about that result.

Why? Well, first, let’s address the result itself.

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One of the most refreshing aspects about craft beer for me is the lack of … there’s no polite way to say it … marketing bullshit. I’ve never heard a craft brewer claim their beer was “brewed 33% longer”, or any such ludicrous statement. I’ve always taken it as a sign that craft brewers think their market is too smart to fall for that silliness. Craft brewers, in general, simply describe their beer, the ingredients from which it was made, and some of the flavours one might expect to taste upon drinking it.

Until now.

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