TOPIC:

Ireland has a proud tradition of brewing beer. Despite the fact that we're still amongst the biggest beer drinkers in the world (behind Czech republic I think) the quality of our beer (by and large) is dire. Most people drink mucky mass produced lagers. People who want to avoid this really only have Guinness which isn't all that good anyway. It's a bad situation but surely not as bad as what was going on in Britain in the 70s when CAMRA set up. I mean, at least we have some decent small breweries. We should be doing better though. I think a very impportant aspect of our culture is dying away here.

I'm not really suggesting anything. I just think something should be done.

CAMRA set out to rescue something that was dying. I think we've gone past that, and the best we can do is support new arrivals as they come on the scene. Which is pretty much what we [i:2l0kh810]are[/i:2l0kh810] doing.

Ultimately, however, the small Irish brewers need to be getting out there promoting themselves, and above all ensuring that stockists have a consistent and reliable supply of the product.

You're right, something SHOULD be done.
Unfortunately though, we're a voice in the wilderness, fighting against the corporate marketing monster which has created the problem.
Realistically all we can do is try and educate our friends, in the hope that they will see the light and do likewise.
Last night I had 20 people from work in the B&C for a beer tasting. We had Blarney Blonde and Hooker, Paulaner, Staropramen, Leffe and Chimay White. Only one guy had the Blonde before, cos he lived in Cork. Oharas went down well on draught, after I got in ahead of them at the bar and recommended it. No-one had even heard of it. Surprised to hear it is available in Tescos. As is Paulaner. And Aldi still have Schofferhoffer.
One of the guys asked me how I knew about all the different beers, and I explained it that I simply always try to find something i've never had, when I go to a bar or offlicence. The worst that can happen is that I don't like the beer and I won't drink it again.

A great night, I hope to have made even a slight impact. And to my joy I discovered that another friend whom I introduced to B&C was there last night with his cousin, so he's spreading the word too.

I reckon that this is the only way we will achieve a revolution.

"TheBeerNut":2j4birxc wrote: CAMRA set out to rescue something that was dying. I think we've gone past that, and the best we can do is support new arrivals as they come on the scene. Which is pretty much what we [i:2j4birxc]are[/i:2j4birxc] doing.

Ultimately, however, the small Irish brewers need to be getting out there promoting themselves, and above all ensuring that stockists have a consistent and reliable supply of the product.[/quote:2j4birxc]
CAMRA did a lot to raise general public awareness of craft beer. All we're doing is talking amongst ourselves. If a group was set up to lobby the brewers, pubs and the government and promote craft beer to the public it could improve the situation.

Obviously the brewers should be responsible for promoting and distributing their products but with small breweries closing as quickly as new ones open (even post 2005) bmore needs to be done.

"kenmc":1volh2pq wrote: You're right, something SHOULD be done.
Unfortunately though, we're a voice in the wilderness, fighting against the corporate marketing monster which has created the problem.
Realistically all we can do is try and educate our friends, in the hope that they will see the light and do likewise.
Last night I had 20 people from work in the B&C for a beer tasting. We had Blarney Blonde and Hooker, Paulaner, Staropramen, Leffe and Chimay White. Only one guy had the Blonde before, cos he lived in Cork. Oharas went down well on draught, after I got in ahead of them at the bar and recommended it. No-one had even heard of it. Surprised to hear it is available in Tescos. As is Paulaner. And Aldi still have Schofferhoffer.
One of the guys asked me how I knew about all the different beers, and I explained it that I simply always try to find something i've never had, when I go to a bar or offlicence. The worst that can happen is that I don't like the beer and I won't drink it again.

A great night, I hope to have made even a slight impact. And to my joy I discovered that another friend whom I introduced to B&C was there last night with his cousin, so he's spreading the word too.

I reckon that this is the only way we will achieve a revolution.[/quote:1volh2pq]
Nice work. I'm making progress my mates too.

What if we nagged a few brewers to provide a venue (such as B&C) with a few cask conditioned beers. We could organize for a few posters to go up and have a mini festival.

I tend to agree with Ken and BeerNut. We're quietly picking away at groups of people, and they'll go spread news themselves, so I do believe there's a quit revolution going on. At least it's "direct marketting" within our own social circles. Places like the B&C, Porterhouse and Bierhaus are all doing something positive, and judging by the selection avilable in our offies and supermarkets compared to even 5 years ago, there's some improvement.

The main thing is supporting our indigenous craft brewers. Helping to raise their profile is one thing we are all doing, and I know ICB helped get Hooker into Dublin, and we could probably do more of that sort of thing. I'm not sure about ICB.com becoming a CAMRA-type lobbying organisation. As TBN said, they were rescuing a tradition that was dying, we're trying to encourage our fellow drinkers to try something new, and where possible Irish (and not just cask beers). I, for one, do this every time I go out for beers with friends and colleages, and it's working, slowly but surely <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->

I'm not sure [i:3eruajnn]another[/i:3eruajnn] festival is the answer, unless the beer was being given away free <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->