From: ulick@angelico.helios.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford)
Newsgroups: alt.beer,rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: Coors & High-Gravity Brewing (long)
Date: 15 Sep 92 15:18:38 GMT
Organization: OUC, University of Notre Dame

In article <BuLE2o.13s@ddsw1.mcs.com> arf@ddsw1.mcs.com (Jack Schmidling) writes:
> 
> However, you asked a loaded question and should not be surprised that you get 
> what you perceive to be unfriendly responses nor do you need to put down 
> those who disagree with you.

Well, Jack I got more positive than negative responses for tackling the 
machoism of peoiple who turn the appreciation of good beer, commercial 
or homebrewed, into a religion, an article of faith being that major
American brewers are Satan.  Somehow in my previous article I left
out the comment by you that my taste obviously wasn't developed.  I could
start to recycle the comments about your beer others have made, or
your comments about certain beers that I've seen on the net, which
cause me to question your taste, but such an attack on the net would
be unfair, wouldn't it?

Incidentally, I had two beers last night with the name Simpatico.  One
made in Iowa, was a marvellous black painted 22oz. bottle filled with
a marvellously fruity hoppy Amber beer, quite similar to the Indianapolis
Brewing Co.'s Dusseldorfer Amber (bottle conditioned, incidentally, as
is Bell's porter made by Kalamazoo Brewing Co.).  The other bottle,
similarly painted but 12oz and Hecho in Monterrey, was crap.  There is
a lot of good American beer being produced and a lot of foreign crap.
How does this datum fit your religious faith?  I could defend the majors
by saying that they have attempted to sell other beers, such as Maerzen's.
Milller now have their Reserve, etc., but they can't sell them to the
greater American public, where food of all sorts is marketed based upon
its tastelessness.  Wild Northwest salmon is considered too gamey and
sold in Japan, while Norwegian farmed salmon is imported.  Soy Oil
advertises its tastelessness.  Frozen Yogurt manufacturers have to
develop a product without the taste of yogurt culture (incidentally
anyone ever tried to buy a full fat yogurt).  Why should beer be any
different?  

In Japan, some of the breweries try to sell quality beers, but their
only conspicuous success was Dry beer.  But marketing gimmicks for
pale lager are what works there too.  And could anyone imagine a 
quality beer being promoted in the same manner as regular beer.  I
can just see the Sweish Bikini team pushing Anchor Steam!  If the
public wants tastier beer, breweries will respond, but in the mean
time pale lager plus image is the product the majority of consumers
want.

Incidentally someone once commented that brewers didn't partake in
negative advirtising the politicians do because it affects the
industry as a whole, but lately there has been the AB-Coors thing, 
and the really stupid Old Style Classic Draft ads on Chicago radio,
that knock the image cultivated by Miller Genuine Draft (note this
negative advirtising attacks the image, which is the real value of
the pale pilsener).  But don't blame the brewers for selling what 
works, rather than making major religious contributions to your
cause.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
+ 'There was a  master come unto the earth, + Ulick Stafford, PP-ASEL       +
+    born in the holy land of Indiana,      + Dept of Chemical Engineering, +
+ in the mystical hills east of Fort Wayne'.+ Notre Dame, IN 46556          +
+      B'fhearr liom bheith ag eitilt.      +    ulick@bach.helios.nd.edu   +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++