TOPIC:

I think it was interesting that the EBCU guys seem to like the idea of a formal Irish beer group.

No hurry, mind. But there are a few things that I'd love to see it do:
[list:fo56650v]
* Get on radio stations bitching about the quality of some of the mass-market beers out there.
* Forum for advertising the advertising the existance of the Irish craft brewing industry
* Explaining the difference between craft beer & mass-market beer.
* Find out [i:fo56650v]why[/i:fo56650v] people choose what they choose, and release a formal report good enough to get picked up by the media. Might need someone good at statistics.
* Cool tshirt/steins![/list:u:fo56650v]
I reckon leave it informal for another 6/12 months, see is there still a growing community, and then start taking donations through the website.

Worked well for the Irish Linux User Group when I set it up about 12 years ago; took a year or so to gain enough momentum, once we had an official committee to talk to papers/radio/companies/conferences it was all good.

I'm sure pubs that served Irish craft beers would also carry any literature that would be produced, if it put them or their wares in a decent light./.

John

I think in six months to twelve months we will be growing to the point we want/need to develop but whether this group develops into an advocacy group is a moot point. Some of us will want to carry the banner forward into uncharted Guiness drinking territory and some of us will want to wallow in the glory of simply fantastic brews that the unconverted plebs out there cannot imagine. I've been down this road before and I don't know which way I will go this time but good luck and god speed to all who take up the cause.

P.S. none of the brewers I know now could be called "organic" but all their brews can be called natural. Maybe this is how we can lead the revolution. <starts digging out the old Che poster and tee shitr>

Time will tell. At the moment ICB is not a group organised in such a way as to be getting on the radio and bitching (I prefer the love approach), and it may be that it stays that way; a simple community for people who like to drink and make good beer. There is an official organisation that is suppoed to represent Craft Brewers, but they seem pretty quiet. I sometimes think the craft breweries should be more vocal, but that's another story.

We have the T-shirts's[/url:35r5vgk2] already and I'm looking onto the glassware <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt="" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) -->

If we're going to be more formal, we'll need to get bow-ties and cummerbunds done too.

&amp;quot;TheBeerNut&amp;quot;:3vgmvjba wrote: If we're going to be more formal, we'll need to get bow-ties and cummerbunds done too.[/quote:3vgmvjba]
I could join Toastmasters. You know for after dinner speeches. You can't buy class like that.