Beer Around Town

Zwickelmania year two, how you frustrate me. On one hand I had a great time at the few places I attended, Cascade was top notch as ever, Upright had some excellent seasonals on, Saraveza’s Brewpublic party beer line up was stellar. On the other hand it still feels like only a few breweries really give a crap or feel the need to make any effort. Not singling out all that I didn’t mention, I really wanted to make it out to Heater Allen, Vertigo, and a few others but time/driving/beer make strategy necessary. Still some breweries seem to sign up for this event with no intention of making some extra effort to connect with their customers and loyal fans.

Oh, you’re giving a tour and selling pints are you? How neat! During your regular scheduled tour hours or are you adding in a extra tour for today?OMFG, free coasters? I think I just wet myself with joy.

Eh, why sit here and complain about those who don’t, they never will. Zwickelmania to them will never be more then another chance to pull a few more bodies into the net and force feed them their structured marketing chum. The others that get it have a chance to really connect with their customers. There’s really something to be said for trying a beer from the tank, before all the polish and final presentation. In the unrefined state you get a true sense of it’s life and journey from the grain to the pint. The brewer explaining the choices that went into creating that pint you drink.

Cascade’s Noyeau blend showed itself at two locations, the brewery at Raccoon lodge and later at Saravaza for Brewpublic’s My Beery Valentine beer tasting. Now someone purchasing this beer at Saraveza might have said, “wow, this is the damn elixir of the gods” while enjoying the shit out of their delicious snifter of sour goodness. But had that same someone attended the Raccoon lodge open house they might have had the pleasure of hearing the tales of toil brewer Ron Gansberg went through to create that beer. From the taking of shrapnel from cracking apricot pits to minor witchcraft to clear the pits of cyanide, this beer was far off your typical brewery tour rehash. Zwickelmania provides this connection, from the brewer to their beer, or so it should. Why some breweries fail to connect this is beyond me, if you put a face and personal story to your beer you become more then just a label.