You know I love you, right? So I’m telling you this out of
respect and admiration. I just can’t see you any more unless there are a few
changes. I know it’s hard and I know you have your plans, but…
The fact of the matter is…I want to be seeing more of you.
Right now I see you once every month or so, at home or out somewhere, special
occasions, holidays. What I really want is to see you every day. Can we make
that happen?
I’m going to be as pointed as I can be about this. I’ve
often tried not to get too political about things in the beer world, but I
really just want to drink good beer more often.
Yes, I’m talking about the 22-ounce bottle of beer, the
so-called “bomber,” that has drawn the ire of beer geeks from Portland to
Boston, New York to San Diego…
I’ve got a plan and here’s how we do it:
Don’t demand, don’t threaten, don’t whine, don’t cry,
just…ask.
Every tasting you go to, every festival, every chance you
get to bend the ear of a brewer or brewery representative, tell them what I’m
going to tell them:
“I love your beer, but I just can’t buy and consume 22-ounce
bottles every day. What I can do is buy
a 6- or 4-pack of 12-ounce bottles (or cans) and drink THAT every day.”
The real fact of the matter is that I’d drink more of their
beer if it came in smaller bottles.
Here’s a real world example from my local market (Boston):
Pretty Things, you know I love you and I want to support the
heck out of you. Jack D’or? One of my
favorite beers and not too outrageously priced per 22-ounce bottle. But at 6.5%
ABV, I rarely get to drink it. I save it
for special occasions, or MAYBE when I’m out drinking. Now, if I could get a
four-pack of 12-ounce bottles, well, I could drink like a king every night!
You know, it says something that I am more excited about
Newburyport Brewing Company’s upcoming 12-ounce can production than anything
else coming into my market. I’ve never
even tried their beer; I have no idea if it’s any good. Yet I’m thrilled that a
brewery is releasing a beer in a 12-ounce medium.
I can’t begin to understand the business plan of any brewery
and I approach this purely and whole-heartedly for selfish reasons, but I just
want to drink their beer. I also want to have an open and frank discussion
about this, so I’ll be Tweeting this and emailing this to as many breweries as
possible and I would like them to please chime in.
