I can’t keep my mouth shut any longer. I don’t like to rant on BeerFM, but this needs to be said: Wisconsin beer drinkers; step up your effin’ game! We’re getting a bad name and I’m sick of it. It seems like the only tastings or events any of the “beer advocates” or “beer geeks” go to are huge to-do’s such as Great Taste of the Midwest and Great Lakes Beer Fest. There is fantastic camaraderie between beer geeks in other states. Where is that for Wisconsin?! BeerFM just hosted an awesome night at Silver Creek a few weeks ago to release their Imperial Mai-Bock, turnout based on invites was sad but we had a great time regardless. There’s the Summer Solstice Beer Festival in Glendale, WI that’s the first ALL WISCONSIN beer festival with over 200 beers paired with same-size samples of food from the Glendale area. 1 person I know is going. Or how about the Beer Fest at Wine Cellar of Wisconsin in Brookfield in a little over a week? I’m the only person I know going.
I’m sick and tired of looking on Beer Advocate’s Wisconsin Beer Calendar to see nothing posted in the events and what’s there, next-to no one is attending. Now, what’s even worse is that I hear rumors floating around about Stone pulling out of the Wisconsin market. That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back; the spark that fueled my rage. I draw the line when a fantastic brewery, for yet unconfirmed and undisclosed reasons, will (possibly) discontinue distributing to this great state.
How could this possibly be? Maybe it’s because they just moved into Illinois and have a much better market there? Or maybe they realized they make no money here because the Joe-Wisconsin-beer-drinkers are too busy drinking ONLY Bud, Miller, and Coors shit!
Come on people. If you advocate craft beer, a) don’t by macro; spend your hard-earned money on GOOD CRAFT BREWED beer, and b) when you know friends that claim to “love beer” and their response to, “what’s your favorite beer?” is “Miller Lite” you should be doing everything in your power to enlighten them to a world beyond the bullshit they call “beer”. I’m not saying these beers don’t have a place in the world, but they certainly shouldn’t command such a disgustingly large percent of market when there are much, much better offerings available! Wisconsin is known as one of the “drunkest” states based on population and alcohol consumption, but sadly, it isn’t off the type of beer that should be consumed; craft beer. Instead, the majority of sales are from a style that’s a bastardization of what real beer is, only to make the process cheaper and pump out more of it.
When will the Wisconsin beer advocates join the good fight to slay this preconceived notion that everyone here only drinks Miller Lite and finally show people there are people here, in this great state, that love good beer for the flavor, not necessarily for the effect? And more importantly, fight to show other people what flavorful beer can be? Next time you’re out picking up beer, pick up some local beer like Lakefront. Pick up some New Glarus. Hell, pick up some Stone and show support for a great brewery that might not be distributed to this state after summer because we’re too busy drinking beer-flavored water.
-Andy