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Beer columns are more of a result of the interest rather than a cause. I do think that increasing availability of Irish beers will increase its mainstream-ness (yea, stupid fake word, I know). If you go to a festival, decide that Galway Hooker is amazing, and then don't see it for a month, then you forget. And if nobody mentioned it in the interim, then you're not going to buy a round of Hooker after 4 rounds of people buying Heineken in case your friends don't like it. I use "cultural ignorance" to my advantage there.

If you can convince more places to carry local beers and/or craft beers, then more people will pick them up between festivals. It becomes part of the normal fabric of life. But it has to be available, even if its just bottles. If more pubs had chalkboards with a bottle menu on them, more people who see it and take a runner on something different in a bottle.

Saying Irish people don't change is an age old mantra here that generally turns out to be wrong. The Luas is a great example, public opinion said "Irish people drive, trams are silly here" yet its now one of the only profitable public transit systems in the world.

"justflow1983":3ousqp34 wrote: Beer columns are more of a result of the interest rather than a cause.[/quote:3ousqp34]But they sustain it. I guess we haven't yet got to the stage where there's enough of an interest to be sustainable.

"justflow1983":3ousqp34 wrote: If you go to a festival, decide that Galway Hooker is amazing, and then don't see it for a month, then you forget.[/quote:3ousqp34]True. That's why we handed out the pub list at SeptemberFest. Dunno what else we can do though.

"justflow1983":3ousqp34 wrote: If you can convince more places to carry local beers and/or craft beers, then more people will pick them up between festivals.[/quote:3ousqp34]Right. So how? Surely convincing the pub to stock the beer is the brewer's job?

"justflow1983":3ousqp34 wrote: If more pubs had chalkboards with a bottle menu on them, more people who see it and take a runner on something different in a bottle.[/quote:3ousqp34]Absolutely. Point-of-sale stuff is vital, IMO. Again, how do you make that more likely to happen?

Maybe ICB should do workshops with pub owners? Contact a few pubs that seem to be pushing in the right direction and offer them a set of suggestions? As an organization, ICB can do this in a better capacity than your average citizen. This is because of its semi-official nature. If they are low cost changes, I think a lot of pubs could be convinced to make improvements since all of their business is down anyway. I also think a pub-of-the week feature on here wouldn't be half bad, and offer pubs that make the changes a spot in the rotation.

Bar owners know about selling beer, they don't necessarily know anything about beer itself. They're not dumb though, and if it looks like you're offering them an edge, they'll take it. Also, some of those people will get hooked on the idea of being social innovators, which isn't bad.

Just thought of something. Add a pubs list to this site, as one of the subject headings. Any bar/pub that serves, as a minimum (number pulled from my ass), 2 Irish craft brews and 2 foreign craft brews (maybe Sammy can count, since I'm sure it can be sourced) is allowed to be on the list. Members can report if they don't conform, and they're taken off immediately. Maybe even allow for ratings.

I know this is done in the forum already, but if they can be "ICB approved" pubs and have legit pages, not forum posts, they might go for it.

Edit: I immediately found the list in the Articles section after posting. I still think there should be a "seal of approval" and a marketing opportunity for those that go beyond just a bottle or two.

"justflow1983":im7whfzq wrote: Contact a few pubs that seem to be pushing in the right direction and offer them a set of suggestions? As an organization, ICB can do this in a better capacity than your average citizen.[/quote:im7whfzq]I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but when ICB wears its consumer organisation hat, I think the concentration has to be on the drinkers rather than the trade. Until we have an equivalent to the Cask Report[/url:im7whfzq] -- an independently researched document that [b:im7whfzq]proves[/b:im7whfzq] there is a financial benefit to stocking better beer -- then we'd just look like whingey punters who think themselves above the beers already on offer. I don't think we can make a good enough case at the moment to start wading into to other people's livelihoods and suggesting they change the way they earn it. Not until we can be sure we really are

"justflow1983":im7whfzq wrote: offering them an edge[/quote:im7whfzq]rather than simply wishes and anecdotes.

"justflow1983":im7whfzq wrote: I still think there should be a "seal of approval" and a marketing opportunity for those that go beyond just a bottle or two.[/quote:im7whfzq]For it to work properly, though, you'd need something that the premises itself can display -- a bit like the John & Sally McKenna plaques. And that's going to require more resources than we currently have. We can't even afford window stickers: trust me, I checked.

I don't think we'd look like whingy punters. We'd look like organised enthusiasts who are willing to help those that acknowledge those like us. Of all those whiny boards.ie people, I'm sure they'd start noticing the window sticker (when it can be afforded). All I'm saying is that people like to be "certified."

I think the trade side is much more important than the consumer end of things. We're all here preaching to our choir, but those not already on board aren't going to take notice until options are more available to them. Not everybody is willing to dedicate themselves to beer, but more than you may think will passively participate.

If I could, I would organise a rating system. This is modelled on the American LEED green building cert; it works because it appeals to people's sense of competition:

Certified ICB member: stocks craft beer in bottles
Silver ICB member: stocks Irish and foreign craft beers (min 10) in bottles, at least one non-macro tap
Gold ICB member: stocks Irish and foreign craft beers (min 10) in bottles, and an equal number of macro and non-macro taps
Platinum ICB member: Only stocks craft beer, must have at least one Irish craft beer on tap.

On the consumer end, you get people to sign up for a "free" ICB membership at festivals. Then you send them an email newsletter that includes links to all of the above, by certification. You send some generic "guide to the beers of the world" pdf along with it for joining.

I know this requires money and volunteers and I'm just blabbing, but this is how you build momentum. And if you play it right, the pubs will pay for their cert, which they'll then display. I would vote for giving them a neon sign <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt="" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) -->