TOPIC:

i agree. its like any trade, you should have an interst in it, see it as a career, learn about the craft and what you're selling....personally i'd love to work in a bar, probably no chance in this enviroment right now, but its something i'd love to do, preferably somewhere selling craft beers. I would defo learn all i could about what i was selling.

"TheBeerNut":35tbmh5k wrote:

"muirgheasa":35tbmh5k 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:35tbmh5k]shouldn't[/i:35tbmh5k] happen.[/quote:35tbmh5k]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?[/quote:35tbmh5k]

Well I'd never actually had it before, so I said something along the lines of "I think it's a red ale", to which he said "oh, like Smithwicks?", "yeah I think so". It wasn't a case of me knowing what I was ordering, more a case of "hmm, wonder what that is?..." and then saying "sure I'll have a bottle of that, why not!". We also had a bit of a chat about supporting Irish businesses, and then laughing about how Árainn Mhór probably isn't even brewed in Ireland - later found out it's imported from Belgium!

It was in Club Chonradh na Gaeilge on Harcourt Street, incidentally.

"muirgheasa":2amgfkvq wrote: It wasn't a case of me knowing what I was ordering, more a case of "hmm, wonder what that is?..." and then saying "sure I'll have a bottle of that, why not!"[/quote:2amgfkvq]Yeah, there isn't enough understanding of that attitude among bar and offy staff, I find. It probably goes back to how incredibly, unreasonably, brand-loyal most Irish people are.

I definitely think that a booklet of some kind would be a good idea. A primer on what craft beer is about, what the major styles are and profiles of the producers in Ireland.

I suppose it could be a modular booklet with a general introduction and then more specific information on the beers the pub is actually stocking. I'll think about it, get it clearer in my head and come back.

"TheBeerNut":ayj9e3br wrote:

"muirgheasa":ayj9e3br wrote: It wasn't a case of me knowing what I was ordering, more a case of "hmm, wonder what that is?..." and then saying "sure I'll have a bottle of that, why not!"[/quote:ayj9e3br]Yeah, there isn't enough understanding of that attitude among bar and offy staff, I find. It probably goes back to how incredibly, unreasonably, brand-loyal most Irish people are.[/quote:ayj9e3br]

To the point where it didn't even really strike me as strange that he expected me to know what I had just ordered <!-- s:( --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_sad.gif" alt="" title="Sad" /><!-- s:( --> Oh well, that's what the Bull and Castle's there for, I suppose...

On a related note, it'd be nice if staff in pubs that serve food could recommend beer/food combos - I'd imagine that the Bull and Castle and Porterhouse staff [i:ayj9e3br]might[/i:ayj9e3br] be able, but I'd be astonished if you got anything out of the staff in most places. It'd be interesting to see what the reaction would be in most places if you asked for staff recommendations for beer to go with food...

1 - Staff need to know that craft beer is not produced with the help of fairies or any sort magic.

2 - Craft producers need to get to know the publicans/retailers who purchase their product with the intention of selling to the general public, for the reason of providing samples and poster work etc, amongst other reasons.

3- The publicans/retailers who sell the Craft product are responsible for passing on any info, regarding the product, to staff.

If these simple steps are not followed, a craft product will fail wherever it is sold. Providing information is not terribly difficult, as long as it is provided to the staff in the first place. After that it's a case of not being interested, if you can't get information out of the staff for a certain product.

In my own time, i would like to produce a small but informative booklet about Irish Craft Beer. So i'm going to call on all ICB'ers to help out.

What i need is every question asked of bar staff regarding Irish Craft Beers. I will endeavor to provide answers, especially if it means contacting brewers for the answer. So even if you know the answer, ask me the question so i can use in a "FAQ" section in the booklet.

The idea then is to have information that can be used as a tool to teach staff and consumers, which can be handed out by Craft beer producers to their customers, or to be distributed at other craft events.

I will talk to Bord Bia and the like to see if they would be interested in helping out from a financial point of view, and will also contact all craft brewers to see if they will also help out.

This won't happen over night, and i would like it to be a project that we can all help out with. But it should be something that is used to further the promotion of a fantastic industry.

I will start another thread in this forum for your input.

Geoff