Monday 30 November 2009

I Write About Craft Beer



When I first watched the ‘I am a Craft Brewer’ video I felt an immense sense of pride. This video expressed so simply why I love beer and want to drink it and I felt that I was a small part of that magic. I watched the video again last week and was moved by the message once more. For me it’s a love letter and a thank you note in one; it’s thoughtful, emotional, meaningful and perfectly written, saying both ‘I love what I do’ and ‘thank you for loving what I do’. The follow up to this was an ‘I am a Home Brewer’ video, taking much of the same script but making it their own, in their garages and kitchens (this video couldn’t be a better symbol of itself and of how homebrew relates to craft beer). Watching these again inspired me...


I write about craft beer.

I love craft beer. I am passionate about craft beer.

I love writing about craft beer.

The market is dominated by large breweries who care more about how much they are selling and not what they are selling. I want this to change. I can be a part of helping this change.

Ask me why I don’t buy their beer and I will tell you. I will say it loud and proud that I support small brewers, that I support local brewers, that this beer was made by hand, lovingly crafted. Ask me why I don’t write about multi-national faceless breweries and I will tell you that I don’t drink their beer.

I care about craft beer. I am excited about what you’ll brew next. The choice of my next beer is so important. I can have anything I want and you give me that choice. You make it interesting, you make it exciting.

The internet is alive with passionate people wanting to tell others about their love of craft beer. We celebrate the innovation, independence, curiosity, collaboration and character of craft beers. We are a part of the beer family.

And as writers we are our own community. We support each other. I read what you write, you read what I write. I tell you when I think you’ve written something great and you tell me.

We do it alone, we do it with friends. We do it on blogs and websites, in papers and magazines, we use social media, we make videos, we talk about it; we do all that we can to tell others about craft beer so they can enjoy what we enjoy.

Some get up early, some go to sleep late. Most of us do it for nothing other than a sense of pride and a love of writing and great beer. I write about craft beer because I want to. I write about craft beer because it’s very important to me.

I write about craft beer because I can.

I’m not afraid to write what I think. I’m not afraid to promote, to enthuse or to challenge. I don’t care about the bad stuff, that doesn’t matter. It’s the good beer I care about and I want to tell others about it.

I am stylistically adventurous and categorically devoted to writing about great beer. I’m not afraid to be interesting and to write things that you won’t see anywhere else. I’m not afraid to be creative, innovative, different.

Tell me that I don’t write proper sentences, that this paragraph is too short, that some of these words aren’t real. I don’t care about that.

I write about craft beer and I can do that.

Beer is capturing the minds of the world and I am proud to be part of changing its reputation from lowly to elevated. I will illuminate the strengths of craft beer. I will stick true to my standards and my beliefs. I will educate those who seek to understand what the craft brewers have created.

Tell me I can’t be taken seriously because I write about beer.

Tell me that it’s stupid to associate eloquence to that liquid in my glass.

Tell me I’m wasting my time.

I am not wasting my time.

Together we can spread the message.

I am inspired by the beers I drink - by the beers you brew. I want to inspire with the words that I write. I want to educate others about great beer, tell them how it tastes, tell them why this is better than that, tell them why this beer is important.

I will drink good beer, lovingly made. I will tell others about it because I write about craft beer.

I write about craft beer.

So here’s a toast. To everyone who makes the beer so that we can write about it.

And to everyone who writes about it: cheers. We write about craft beer. Here’s to you. To us.

13 comments:

  1. Cheers Mark!
    Great post, great feelings!
    Can I share your thoughts on my site sooner or later ? Looks like this sort of "manifesto" could complete the "I Am a...." beer trilogy :P
    To us! ;)

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  2. Sometimes I write about craft nudes. I find the geometry of the female more physically alluring than the passion behind creating a wort. Tasteful Nude Friday reflects this.

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  3. Of course, now you've got to shoot the video... ;-)

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  4. Yeah, when's the directors cut coming out ;)

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  5. Luca, I think we need an 'I drink Craft Beer' and we are there! And please feel free to share it, you are very welcome.

    Sid and Barry, the clue is in the title 'I WRITE about craft beer'. WRITE. Not 'I make videos about writing about craft beer' ;)

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  6. What? Do you think the craft and home brewers brewed those bloody movies? :D

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  7. LOL! Fair enough!

    I'll film but we'll need everyone to say a couple of lines each!

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  8. Ahaha please don't tell me you're wondering about a run of video messages from beer bloggers recorded through our webcams. Despite the noble cause, I don't think we are good enough as directors to get it right lol :P

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  9. You do realise there'll be arguments about who gets to say "Tonight thank God it's them, instead of you". Oh wait, Bono isn't involved. Oh, and it's a different project.. Oops! Carry on!

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  10. This should be inspiration to all...

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  11. Great post Mark. Your best yet.

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