TOPIC:

"UpsidedownA":301n8ypq wrote:
We can tell publicans to keep the craft beer lines on the outside of the python. [/quote:301n8ypq] I'd like to be there for that exact moment <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->

Its hard enough trying to get the standard bar manager to invest in the craft beer market as a whole, if you then try to tell them that they have to dispense this product differently than the other beers then we'll start seeing a lot of pubs not talking up the product. To a standard bar manager, beer is beer, he wants the maximum amount of profit with minimal effort so he'll stick to the macro beers.

At this early stage, the aim should be purely education on craft beers and the industry in Ireland, you can get into the semantics of serving temps when the industry has firmly established itself and bars see craft beer as a need rather than a gimmick or luxury,

We've been drinking wine here for years and you'll still be in good restaurants that service the wine at wrong temp,

I'm really surprised at some of the "we're lucky to have craft beer at all, don't push your luck with temperature" comments here.

Pubs are not stocking craft beer as a favour to us, they do it because the market demands it and we are that market.

I have to agree with UpsidedownA: Are we not a consumer advocacy group?

To win over new drinkers, craft beer must be served at its tastiest, and that includes temperature.

Guinness, with one big ad campaign for Extra Cold, changed how the national beverage (besides tea) is served. Beoir doesn't have Diageo's budget, but it's silly to say that people's minds can't change.

I'd love to see a "Chill Kills Stout" campaign by Beoir in 2014.

&amp;quot;kev2403&amp;quot;:c1yy9qya wrote: Its hard enough trying to get the standard bar manager to invest in the craft beer market as a whole, if you then try to tell them that they have to dispense this product differently than the other beers then we'll start seeing a lot of pubs not talking up the product. To a standard bar manager, beer is beer, he wants the maximum amount of profit with minimal effort so he'll stick to the macro beers.

At this early stage, the aim should be purely education on craft beers and the industry in Ireland, you can get into the semantics of serving temps when the industry has firmly established itself and bars see craft beer as a need rather than a gimmick or luxury,

We've been drinking wine here for years and you'll still be in good restaurants that service the wine at wrong temp,[/quote:c1yy9qya]

I strongly disagree. I think the fact that it's early days yet for craft beer in Ireland means we should be campaigning all the more vociferously!

We need to think with a 'right first time' attitude. Don't go for a softly softly approach that will just see publicans getting it wrong and learning bad habits that are much harder to change.

We need to put our heads together and see what we think best possible bar practice is for serving and presenting craft beer (giving room for variation and qualification where necessary) and then post that on our website and tell publicans about it. We should have an official Beoir line. We are the experts (admittedly, self-appointed) on craft beer in Ireland and if we're loud enough about it, barkeeps will follow our lead. If they want to learn about a new product like craft beer, we're the people to come to so what we say has some sway. If we say anything that is.

That's why I like TBN's poll and I respect his decision to drink cold beer. I think we should maybe go further and have a Beoir event where we get some bottles and chill them to the appropriate temperatures and have a tasting based on it. We could go for 4C, 8C (8 degrees), 12C (cask beer) and any others people say might be appropriate.

but my main point is, if we think craft beer should be served at a specific temperature, whatever that is, we should say it now while people are still learning their way around craft beer.

I voted yes because I do find temperature to be a problem some times. Most of the time it's fine, but as pointed out by others, keg stout/porter can suffer from being served too cold. Having said that, cask beer is often served too warm, but that's not unique to Ireland. 44% of UK pubs were serving the stuff too warm in 2005[/url:5cix5zdt]. I doubt there has been an enormous change in that figure.

Now that I think about it, I don't think my vote was appropriate.

As I said, I'm planning something to start next year, a training course of sorts.
We can incorporate ideal temperature in to it.
I like the idea of a guide on our site though.

UpsidedownA, You volunteering? <!-- s:wink: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt="" title="Wink" /><!-- s:wink: -->