Sell Out vs Co-Branding

collar & cuffs are white; that's money

One great thing about craft beer is the collaboration. It's rare to see an industry where most of the competitors are also brothers in arms. That collaboration often means co-marketing and, to a lesser degree, co-branding. Drinking Brewery Ommegang's Take the Black Stout inspired us to ask: "when a craft brewer co-brands with big names is it brilliant marketing or selling out?"

We here at Dumbarton's Beer contacted old friend Donny Deutsche, one of America's foremost marketing executives, to ask what one should consider before entering into a co-branding arrangement. I can't talk about this shit. I work for the government; what the hell do I know about marketing? Anyway, some things to consider...

Co-branding fits both brands. I'll be honest, I couldn't even get through the plot summary for Game of Thrones but the images online and on the bottle are how I imagine Cooperstown to look in late August. Seriously, imagine the Ommegang Brewery is the capital of Thrones-ville surrounded by peasants, lots of fields, and a moat. Men with swords, bows and arrows fighting over maidens and speaking in bad Olde English. Also, there's a baseball game at high noon - no gloves allowed.

The quality of the products. You absolutely cannot water down your product (pun intended) in the name of marketing. This is probably more important for the beer than the books/movies. I'm sitting here drinking "Take Black Stout" so I can verify the quality of the beer. It's up to Ommegang standards.

Most importantly, co-branding sells both brands. Game of Thrones is probably going to make some money. The question is are these partners dancing in step or is somebody playing lead? It needs to be clear that both are going to increase sales because of this partnership. Game of Thrones on the label probably helps sell Ommegang and hopefully it goes both ways. However, I'm not convinced that Ommegang is going to inspire craft brew geeks to get into the series.

Literally A Stupid Debate

Literally Brewing Co?

The e-world was abuzz this week over the definition of one word. Check it out here, here, or here. That word is literally. Words get used, misused, and abused all the time. Why do we care about the use of literally? I have no idea and wonder where this backlash was while we killed epic. Then again, this is the Internet.

Per the experts, literally means "(1) in a literal sense or manner: actually ; (2) in effect: virtually ".

I literally think this debate is a waste of time but thought I would share a list of things I literally cannot do without a beer in my hand.

Grilling. I have a Weber charcoal grill. No wussy gas barbecue for me. There is something manly about standing over fire and burning meat with a cold beer.

Mowing the Lawn. Living the almost-rural lifestyle means having grass - and a lot of it. You spend a precious weekend day cutting 1.5 acres of grass and a beer is mighty refreshing. Sometimes while on the riding mower, sometimes as a break, sometimes celebrating a job well done. Regardless, a beer in hand beats two in the brush.

Eating Pizza. I once had a friend and colleague who got sick. The kind of sick that transforms, and ultimately takes, your life. While discussing his drug regimen he said thing he missed the most was having a nice cold beer with pizza. I almost never miss an opportunity to have a beer with pizza. Lesson learned, Scooter.

Watching (or talking about) Sports. Just like everybody else.

Writing Blogging. My high school and/or elementary school educators would be ashamed to admit I was on their class roster after reading this waste of space but chances are I'm drinking a beer while I'm at it.

Sex. Just kidding, honey; but definitely while checking my iphone.

Required Reading for Wet (and Dry) Political Scientists

History. Politics. Illicit booze. Daniel Okrent may have written Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (paperback) just for me. Mr. Okrent brilliantly weaves history, culture, politics with wit, intelligence, and humor to provide the definitive tome on Prohibition.* The book starts in the pre-prohibition era covering just how awash in booze the country was in the early 20th century. The story gets particularly interesting when the dry movement starts gathering momentum. The various stakeholders that come together to get the 18th amendment passed is almost mind boggling - drys, women suffragists, immigration opponents (yep, we've hated immigrants almost from the beginning), creation of the income tax and even the Klan. Overturning 18 was not quite as politically riveting but is a good story nonetheless; particularly given how insurmountable that mountain appeared. There were indeed opponents to the 21st amendment, not the least of which were the gangs and bootleggers enjoying a tax free, unregulated enterprise.

More than anything the book is a lesson in political achievement led by one Wayne B. Wheeler. Today we have Karl Rove. Karl Rove is no Wayne Wheeler. The defacto leader of the Anti-Saloon League (ASL), Mr. Wheeler was a master of the political process. Last Call goes to great lengths to show how Mr. Wheeler effectively controlled Congress in the realm of liquor. He was adept at knowing where the ASL should put its support and what issues were not worth fighting. Through Wheeler, the ASL supported candidates who supported Prohibition. The ASL was allied with other groups that supported the Prohibition cause. Wheeler, and the ASL, focused on one agenda and made no judgement of candidates with views on other social, political, or moral issues. Because of his political acuity, the ASL stayed away from some debates after passage of the Volstead act. For example, Wheeler wisely stayed away from the debate about funding federal enforcement of Prohibition. From the book: "Wheeler, familiar as he was with every hillcock and valley on the political landscape, had early on recognized the prevailing resistance to government spending. Wheeler told Morris Sheppard that five million dollars would be a sufficient appropriation for all federal enforcement of Prohibition (by way of comparison, the sum wouldn't even have covered the payroll of Columbia University that year)."

Western New Yorkers should have an interest if only to learn more about John J. Raskob. Mr. Raskob was born in Lockport, NY and played an integral part in overturning the 18th amendment. Raskob worked for Pierre du Pont first at General Motors. He was a major player in politics serving as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Raskob's more impressive work in repealing Prohibition would make anybody from the greater Buffalo-Niagara area proud. Oh, he also apparently sold his GM stock to build the Empire State Building and penned the obviously titled article "Everybody Ought to be Rich".

Last Call should also encourage locals to learn more about the area's role during the 13 dry years of Prohibition. The book references massive deaths from wood alcohol originating in Buffalo. Further, Mr. Okrent spends many pages discussing the important relationship between Canada and Detroit, MI in getting illicit liquor into the country and distributing it across the Midwest. In fact, the booze flowed freely from various maple leaf points into the states. One can't help but wonder about Buffalo's role given it's own proximity to the border - there's your next book Mr. Okrent.

So, there you have it. Politics, history, local boy makes good, and booze. Read this book; with a cold beer close by.

*Strictly the opinion of the author who is not an historian or even really sure what a tome is.

Home Sweet Home

I had this great rant going on the bankruptcy of Detroit but then I got distracted by...

The house was created by John Milkovisch in Houston, TX. It's currently owned by local nonprofit Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. Nice little read here and, if you're in the area, drop by for a visit at 222 Malone Street.

Membership Has Its Privileges

Signed the family up this weekend. Closest we'll ever get to a country club.

...and there is no need to feel down.

Rust Belt Porn

The grain elevator hearkens back to the glory days of Buffalo, NY. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 made Buffalo the first gateway to the (mid) west. Grain was one of the premier products shipped through Buffalo and as use of the Erie Canal expanded so did the need for grain storage. Enter Joseph Dart. Mr. Dart invented the first grain elevator and built it in Buffalo. The grain elevator changed everything by unloading grain by something other than the backs of men. Everything you could want to know about grain elevators can be found here.

Today, things are different. Only a few grain elevators remain. This past weekend we got a close up look at a few of the towering structures and the pictures are worth sharing. Up close, these elevators are monstrous. We took a brief self-guided tour through one of the smaller brick buildings. It was creepy and romantic at the same time. Walking through the structure you can feel just how busy it once was. Whatever comes of these buildings, and the pieces within, they must be preserved.

Grain elevators in Buffalo, NY

Self-guided tour.
Pics below were inside this structure.

Nearby elevator.

h/t The Buffalo History Works

Running into an Old Friend: Sierra Nevada

Rye is the worst. Nobody worth his salt ever has a sandwich made of rye bread. When you go to a fancy restaurant and they offer a selection of breads which one is always left on the table? Rye. Sure, Martin van der Griten will tell you it's "a hardy grain, more tolerant of frost and drought than is wheat. It is the most winter hardy of all cereals." Nobody eats rye cereal, do they? Rye is used to make animal feed, flour, and...beer.

Tonight, I'm sipping on a Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA. There's a parallel between rye and Sierra Nevada. Craft beer snobs, of which I am one, are always looking for something new. Preferably something small, niche, hard to find. Same thing with rye. I don't have scientific data to back me up but it's safe to assume it's not the first choice of most bakers.

The point is that I'm regularly scouting grocery stores, beverage stores, craft beer stores, along with pubs and restaurants looking for something  new. Virtually every one of which offers Sierra Nevada. It's easy to forget they are craft brewers. It's also easy to forget they make damn fine beer. Prior to this evening, I can't say when I last had a Sierra Nevada. In the early days they were one of my favorites. The same can be said for brewers like Dogfish Head and even Troegs. Shame on me for letting so much time pass.

So, here's to you Sierra Nevada and all the other craft beer trail blazers who get unnecessary shit from beer snobs (aka idiots) like me. Now, off to renew some old friendships.


C'mon, you were thinking it.