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[i:d0eyru0p]Do[/i:d0eyru0p] customers ask questions, though? Fundamentally: drinkers aren't interested in beer. The issue of [i:d0eyru0p]making[/i:d0eyru0p] them interested in beer is a different one -- but the biggest problem in a pub situation like you're describing is going to be making the beer visible at all.

"sbillings":d0eyru0p wrote: why it is different from macro beer[/quote:d0eyru0p]Wouldn't this turn into a stump speech about pasteurisation, additives, extracts and Evil Foreign Corporations? I'm all for that sort of thing but it might not be what you want.

"sbillings":d0eyru0p wrote: I could try to put together some kind of booklet which would be available to publicans who want to stock Irish Craft Beer.[/quote:d0eyru0p]So, an expanded list of campaign points, then: all natural, supports Irish jobs, back to tradition etc. I'm sure Silenus or the Porterhouse crew have this at their fingertips at this stage.

I think personalising it is a good move: Who made this beer? Where? How long have they been going?
Edit: IIRC there is/was a very good piece of B&C menu text along these lines.

"sbillings":d0eyru0p wrote: The purpose would be to allow them to train their staff to answer questions about the beer, rather than just put a tap on and have the staff as mystified about it as the customers.[/quote:d0eyru0p]It should go hand-in-hand with point-of-sale material. I think the POS stuff is more important and that the staff training is really just an expansion on it.

Mind you, have you ever heard an explanation of craft beer from a barperson who wasn't really listening or didn't quite get what they were told? It's excruciating.

I'd say they should have a basic knowledge of beer styles. The bar manager could walk them through a quick taste of each style, here's the macro ones everyone will ask for, here's the craft versions. Get them to taste both and see what differences there are between them. You don't have to drink loads to do that.

They should have a general knowledge of the beers that are served in the pub, where they are from and roughly what they taste like. They should be able to point out which ones are Irish as well.

It's not that hard to train staff, I worked in plenty retail outlets and the better ones always provided training for their staff. It paid off as I had more interest in what I was selling and felt a bit more confident in guiding to people to what they wanted. I'm sure they sold more as a result.

could asking potential staff at an interview what they know about beer be such a problem?

I reckon the minimum you want is to know what style a beer is, and what it's roughly comparable to. So if I see a brand I don't know I want to be able to ask and be told "it's a lager, like x" or "it's a wheat beer, kinda like y". They don't need to be able to give the speech about why you should choose x over y, but at least know enough that they can answer the most basic of questions. I bought a bottle of Árainn Mhór Rua the other night and the fella who was serving me asked what kind of beer it was - that's what absolutely [i:qotpxesr]shouldn't[/i:qotpxesr] happen.

"muirgheasa":1ohmgchv wrote: I bought a bottle of Árainn Mhór Rua the other night and the fella who was serving me asked what kind of beer it was - that's what absolutely [i:1ohmgchv]shouldn't[/i:1ohmgchv] happen.[/quote:1ohmgchv]Love that one: I see it in off licences now and again.

[With a screwed-up-face look of disgust]"Do you like this stuff? What is it?"

So, out of curiosity, what was your answer?

I reckon people will take an interest in promoting something they can recognise and know as their own. In a brew pub and restaurant I ran in Oz we would explain to the customers on a daily basis what the beers tasted like and what the styles were. Each new staff member whether they were floor or bar, would have to be able to explain to customers what the beer tasted like.
The fact that the mangers and supervisors had passion and knowledge about the product meant that passion and knowledge would filter down to the rest of the staff. Instilling this sort of level of service has to be driven from the top down, otherwise it wont work.

Also, people in charge need to make it clear to bar staff that it is part of their job to understand about the beers. It is infrequent that someone in a wine bar has no knowledge of wine. Similarly in a brew/gastro pub, if the staff member is uninterested in the beers/food, then maybe they are just not the right fit for the place.