Great Divide Brewing: Social Media Done Right

tumblr lv79fwvzUK1r5vpyso1 1280 768x1024 Great Divide Brewing: Social Media Done Right

There are few industries that use social media better than craft breweries. Visit any brewery website and you’re sure to find a link to their Twitter handle or Facebook page. Social media is a perfect way for beer lovers to connect with breweries in a casual, but productive way. A recent experience with Great Divide Brewing, Untappd, and Twitter showed how social media is done – the right way.

A week or so ago, I met some friends for happy hour at a bar in Wash Park. I ordered a Titan IPA and after the first drink, I could tell something was off. It was uncharacteristically sweet, and tasted extra malty and boozy. I kept drinking hoping that it would get better, but it didn’t have crisp/bright/piney hop profile that I expected from a Titan. It was barely drinkable – it tasted old and almost spoiled.

I have used Untappd for the past month or two to keep track of the beers I try, and share them with Twitter. I rated the sub-par Titan “1 star” with the comment “bad keg?” and the bar location, marking the crappy beer occasion, but not expecting anyone but my handful of followers to see. Within 10 minutes of posting, I got a response from @greatdividebrew apologizing for the bad beer, and asking for details on my experience. When I got home I shot a quick email to Great Divide telling them what happened.

The next day I got an email from Great Divide’s QA manager telling me that he had one of the sales guys stop by the bar, and had the kegs lines cleaned, saying “They cleaned them up and the beer tastes good”. He thanked me for letting them know, and said to let him know the next time I’m in the tap-room, because he’d like to get me a round.

This is a perfect way to use social media – by paying attention to people’s experiences and comments about their beers through social networks, Great Divide avoids having a bar misrepresent their hard work and excellent beers, while impressing an already loyal customer. Great work guys.

Click here for some photos of Great Divide’s brewery and tap-room

Equinox Brewing

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Yesterday was a gorgeous Colorado spring day – 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky – a perfect excuse to drive up to to the “Napa Valley of Beer”. We got into Fort Collins at 11:45, and waited patiently outside of Equinox Brewing with 5 or 6 other eager people for fifteen minutes until they opened. Equinox has a smallish taproom with the feel of an old English pub. A long narrow front room, with wooden floors and shelving, leads back to the tiny bar. Above the bar is a colorfully decorated chalk board covered with celestial-themed beer names like Eclipse Brown Ale, Orbit ESB, and Kepler Pale Ale.

I headed to a bar stool closest to the tap heads, and ordered an imperial pint of the cask conditioned Zenith IPA out of the “beer machine”. Zenith is a perfectly balanced IPA. It has a wonderfully hoppy aroma of citrus and grass. The hops follow through to the flavor, which is crisp and clean, and not overly bitter. Cask conditioning ads a nice creaminess to the beer, and serving Zenith at cellar temperature ~ 55 degrees really heightens the complex flavors.

Through the speakers, Greensky Bluegrass, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Del McCoury played just loudly enough that you could barely hear the crew on the roof, repairing hail damage from last year. Both bartenders were awesome and joked about “Tray Saturday” that happens every weekend when flocks of beer tourists flood Fort Collins for brewery tours and order five ounce samplers by the dozen. One bartender said, “It can be a pain in the ass, but really get to work on your pouring skills.” I bought a Nalgene growler filled with Star Destroyer Imperial IPA. The unbreakable plastic growler will be perfect for camping/hiking/fishing this summer, but it’s 80 ounces instead of the normal 64. I hope I can coax other breweries to fill it up for me.

This was my third time at Equinox, and I enjoy it more every time I visit. It can get busy, but it doesn’t have the hoards of people, long lines, and gift shop/amusement park feel of the larger breweries like New Belgium and Odell. It’s the kind of place where you can relax, and focus on the delicious beer.

Murder By Death – “No Oath, No Spell”

Here’s a great new video from one of my favorite bands to drink to, Murder by Death. I was fortunate to see them a couple of times last year and they blew me away. While down in Texas recording their new album, they filmed a couple of striped-down acoustic versions of older tunes and this new track – “No Oath, No Spell”. You can catch the other videos here.

Bad Beer Review No. 2: Bud Light Platinum

P2070009 225x300 Bad Beer Review No. 2: Bud Light Platinum
Platinum, while remaining Lifestyle.

By Linda Blair

Bud Light has been something of a benchmark for shitty beer for me. So, when InBev announced Bud Light Platinum Plus Pro 2.0, I was nothing short of thrilled. One of my major criticisms of Bud Light is that the name isn’t long enough, or metallic enough to make it appeal to today’s savvy beer drinker.

Thankfully, the brilliant minds at InBev realized that the recent trend of drinking beer that isn’t Bud Light has nothing to do with the fact that some people don’t like beer that tastes like it’s served from a pissed-in urinal.  These visionaries understand that the reason their market share is declining is that their regular beers don’t have enough alcohol in them (possibly true) and that they are not PREMIUM enough.  If there is one thing that appeals to a generation of unemployed and over-educated hippies, it’s PREMIUM stuff that is also LIFESTYLE.

After hiring the image consultant Murilee Martin, they learned that the “problem“ with Bud Light isn’t the way it tastes, or that you always get full before you get drunk. No, the “problem” is that Bud Light does not reflect the LIFESTYLE of today’s modern, active, socially-aware beer drinker.  It’s basically analogous to how Pepsi was totally replaced by Crystal Clear Pepsi and Coca-Cola was totally replaced with New Coke.

Anyway, I bought a sixer of Bud Light Platinum and drank it prior to the Super Bowl. In this time before the Super Bowl, I watched the Michigan State vs. michigan basketball game with a law-student, a high-ranking state government staffer and a marketing professional. I was definitely enjoying Bug Light Platinum Pro Tungsten Z-Force Blu as it was meant to be enjoyed. I was enjoying it as a part of my Premium Lifestyle.

As I watched the heroic Michigan State Spartans dismantle the (mostly) white kids at Jim Crow University  , I was struck by how PREMIUM Bud Light Platinum tasted, even after half a pint of whiskey.  With every sip, I was reminded of how I worked hard during the week at my hip job, but still had time to hang out at the very coolest watering holes in my Cool City.

I often caught myself fantasizing about meeting my friends (who I would ironically refer to as my “bros”)  after my workout. We’d meet at this bar downtown that served PBR for $3-a-can and micro-titty-craft brewz for $8. My “buddies” would all order craft-brews, but I would order a Bud Light Platinum F-Series with the Tow Package. I’d explain that my LIFESTYLE demands a beer that has a 6.0 ABV and tastes like the kind of beer that turned my uncles into whiskey-only guys.  My “bros” would respect me and secretly want to jerk me off.

In summary, Bud Light Platinum X-factor Z-max 7 is a beer that will push the average cubicle-dweller that much closer to buying the actual handgun that will facilitate their suicide. If any beer could truly embody the absolute and incomprehensible horror that is modern professional life, Bud Light Platinum Black Label Spirit X is that beer.

Mama’s Little Yella Pils

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In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, I thought I’d do a quick post about one of my all time favorite session beers. Mama’s Little Yella Pils by Oskar Blues Brewery is one of the most balanced and flavorful pilsners I’ve ever tasted. While I don’t usually seek out pilsners or other lighter ales, sometimes I need a break from big, overly flavorful craft brews, and Mama’s does the trick perfectly.

Unlike Nomad, the latest release from Great Divide (review here), this pilsner has the crisp feel and sharp carbonation that I look for in a session beer. Mama’s is gently hopped with on 35 IBUs and has a low ABV of 5.3%. It’s light body and subtle but elegant grassy/citrusy flavors make it perfectly drinkable. The next time you’re looking for something different from a mass market pilsner, give Mama’s a try.

Founders Brewing: The Story

These videos seem to be popping up more and more around the web – high quality videos providing behind the scenes looks into some of the most innovative and unique breweries in the country. This one features Founders Brewing Company of Grand Rapids, MI – one of the best breweries from my home state. They’re a world class brewery known for having two of it’s beers - Kentucky Breakfast Stout and Canadian Breakfast Stout – ranked among BeerAdvocate’s top 10.

This video sheds a little light on their early troubles, and how they’ve risen to become one of the best breweries in the country. Aside from amazing beers, Founders taproom has a great live music scene, and hosts an annual music festival that has featured great bands like Galactic, Lotus, and Greensky Bluegrass.

Like this video? Check out others featuring Denver Beer Co. and another promoting  Denver’s beer culture.

Bottling Terry Porter

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We’ve gotten over 10 inches of snow here in Denver since last night, and we’re expected to get a few more inches by tonight. The whole city is pretty much shut down, and I’m working from home. It’s a beautiful thing.

Just over a week ago, it was 72 degrees and felt like spring was already here. We took advantage of the gorgeous day and bottled Terry Porter. The amazing weather, and wearing shorts and flip flops almost helped me forget what a pain in the ass bottling can be.

With the Brown Ale and Irish Red Ale, we noticed some inconsistency in the carbonation from bottle to bottle. We saw these “Carbonation Drops” at Stomp Them Grapes and figured we’d give them a try. Instead of making a syrup with priming sugar and adding it to the whole batch, you add one drop to each bottle before siphoning in the beer. We’ll see how they do. Having the StarSan and PBW ready to go, we sanitized a carboy, and moved our latest brew into secondary fermentation. It’s an American IPA featuring Chinook, Columbus, Cascade, and Amarillo hops.

57th Batch with Denver Beer Co.

From The Adventurous 500:

The idea behind Denver Beer Company is simple. Good beer is best enjoyed with friends, fresh air, and a bit of adventurous spirit to sharpen the palate. Their craft brewery specializes in artisan and seasonal varieties of premium ales and lagers made from the best ingredients around. Brewed with traditional methods and innovative spirit, Denver Beer Company’s beer is always fresh and flavorful. Their beer is serious fun. Enjoy this adventurous look into Denver Beer Company!