Budweiser Cares Where Your Bud Came From, Do You?

During the World Series, Budweiser dominated the commercial airwaves with its catchy Miike Snow ball park spot and its new initiative "Track Your Bud". At TrackyourBud.com, Bud drinkers can find out where and when their Budweiser or Bud Light was brewed by simply punching in the code from their can or bottle. The site serves as a digital brewery tour, first introducing you to the Brewmaster by full name (!!!) and then taking you through the steps of brewing your precious beer from milling to bottling. Each step has facts and a video, mimicking what a real brewery tour would be like.

So, why is this important?!
Yesterday, I watched the documentary The Naked Brand: The Future of Marketing, which features Alex Bogusky and various brands such as Patagonia, Under Armour, Unilever and Pepsi and talks about the need for brands to become more transparent about their products and business practices because the consumer feedback loop is instant. The quality of your product and story behind your brand is now KING when it comes to how consumers make decisions.

As for "the King" of beers, Budweiser's Track Your Bud campaign is an effort to highlight the quality and consistency of the All-American brew. The patriotic bottle is a reminder that Budweiser is America's beer, and now when you take a sip of Bud, you'll also associate it to a brewery within the states not so far away.

I've always been a fan of Bud heavy, and I actually appreciate this campaign because it recognizes Budweiser for what it is--a good 'ole American lager.

Dear Beer Brands, No Bollocks Please

I've been noticing a lot of innovation coming from the light beer category recently, such as Miller Lite's pop top can, Coors Light's 16 oz. silver bullet aluminum re-sealable can and of course Bud Light Platinum--all of which makes me want to smack myself on the forehead and lay on the ground crying because again, it's light beer. I guess silly beer innovations is nothing new. Remember Miller Lite's "vortex" bottleneck which supposedly makes the beer taste better. Oh, what about MGD64, the 64 calorie beer? Wait how about adding a cold-detecting device on the can in case people couldn't pick up the beer and tell if it was cold or not.

It's not just light beers, premium beers are also differentiating itself with gimmicky features like Stella Artois' fancy chalice (interesting attempt to stray away the "wifebeater" beer label), and now, the "chalice can". Newcastle's recent "No Bollocks" campaign, created by Droga5, is a refreshing take on beer marketing, understanding that people don't care about chalices, resealable beer bottles or an easier way to punch a hole in the can for easier shotgunning (okay, maybe I do actually care about the last one), people just want beer that tastes good or is easy to chug. Dos Equis' "most interesting man in the world" is also proof that great branding and storytelling behind a beer brand can help drive recognition and preference, which is difficult to do in a category so vast and varied as beer.

Coors Light's resealable 16 oz. spaceship bottle - Really? Are you going to save that Coors Light for later?

Miller Lite's Pop Top Can - I still prefer to shotgun my beers from the side for dramatic effect

Stella Artois' Chalice Can - I don't get it.

Newcastle. NO BOLLOCKS.

Get Good Beer at Good Beer NYC

It's a shame that Good Beer NYC had to open three months after I moved off the East 9th Street block. Located on East 9th Street between 1st & A in the East Village, Good Beer sells, well, good beer. Lined against the walls from front to back is the biggest selection of chilled American Craft and Imported beers I have seen in NYC (if there is a better place, please tell me). My favorite thing is their $8 beer flights, which you can select four out of the 12 beers on tap. If you don't know much about beer except that you like it, the guys at the counter can help you choose which ones to try. 

There's seating in the back for about 10 people and when the place gets crowded people just stand around the front and drink. It looks like eventually there will be a nice garden in the back with tables and benches, which I can't wait for. For updates on what's on tap, check out Good Beer NYC's Facebook Page. Below was my beer flight, I had the Captain Lawrence Winter Rye, Sly Fox Seamus Red Ale, River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout and the last one I can't remember, but I did enjoy all of it. Good Beer has a really casual and chill atmosphere--a perfect place for an afternoon beer drinking spot.

Meatloaf Plating Battle, Psychiatrist and the Prince of Wales

The East Village gang remains together even in Williamsburg, and last night we had a delicious meatloaf dinner (Sean's family secret recipe), a few rounds of boys vs. girls taboo and then, our NEW FAVORITE GAME--Psychiatrist!  Friends who play games together, stay together (unless it's Monopoly then serious damage could happen).  While the rest of NY was probably in slutty costume in the fun 40° weather, we opted for the lazy person's Halloween and went to Radegast Biergarten.  Oh and lucky for us Alan from The Hangover was also there.

Don't forget to support the new "plating battle" tradition (remember Shniztel and Chicken?) and Vote for your favorite meatloaf plate here!

Birthdays, Goodbyes & Beergarden

Now that the stresses of finding an apartment are over (I'm moving to Brooklyn!), I can finally enjoy my weekends in the way I know best--gin+tonics, beer games and UNHEALTHY amounts of fried food.  Last Saturday, I was up by Columbia celebrating Chanel's birthday at her bar 1020.  Fun fact, Will Ferrell and Mark Whalberg's The Other Guys filmed at this Upper West Side joint and Ferrell apparently pukes on the same pool table that Chanel blew out her birthday cupcakes on.  How awesome is that?

The rented Karaoke machine went to good use, as Chanel had her rock star debut to No Doubt's Spiderwebs

It is mid-August and that can only mean one thing--interns are starting to leave.  The media operations team said goodbye to its dear intern Damon as he heads back to Brown for his last year of school.  Conveniently, Midori--the kryptonite-looking green melon liqueur--was promoting its new drink Midori Melon Aid (Midori+Skyy Vodka+Sprite...pretty nasty) by giving out lime green shades and test tube shots.  You can't complain about free lime shades and test tube shots.

In my head, 'beer garden' is synonymous to 'good weather' and Saturday was beautiful out--sunny, low 80s, not humid, gorgeous.  We ventured to Astoria around 5pm (Saturday was a slow start, probably due to the night before at Ace Bar) and luckily found a table pretty quickly at the packed Bohemian Hall.  Signs around the beer garden say 'No Beer Games Allowed', however, laying conspicuously on our bench was a laminated sheet of beer games instructions to Asshole and FOTCH (Kings).  If this is not an invitation to play beer games, I don't know what is.

It's a good thing Hannah and I came prepared with two decks of cards (two is key if you plan on incorporating a beer game within a beer game... explain that Christopher Nolan).  And so the 3-hour game of FOTCH begins!  FOTCH is basically Kings (possibly King in German?) but the difference is you have to say 'FOTCH' before you drink, meaning this game is way cooler than Kings (by the way, King in German is Konig, not FOTCH).  Maybe because it sounds like another commonly used curse word or is one syllabic making it easier to scream/yell or just sounds great when yelled at a beer garden, FOTCH proved to be an awesome drinking game. 

My rule: Face card = Ben takes photo with woman older than him ("Is the joke on me?")

Best part about Bohemian Hall is the beer--Staropramen, Frankenstein, Krusovice, Oktoberfest--great choices for beer games

Somehow we managed to top FOTCH with probably the most successful game of Thumper ever (It was during this game that a security guard reminded us there are no beer games allowed).  That didn't stop the rave, utter milking, money shot, cougar, percussion hands, dive, dead robot, patty cake, elbows and palm tree from continuing.  Guess who had what signal in the photo below.  I want to say Sean & Noah's are pretty obvious.

I think the night was officially over when we ordered 75 soy garlic korean fried chicken wings in K-Town and had about 30 left.  A sign we had lost our game.

Oh Baby Heineken, You Don't Got What I Need

"Oh baby you, you got what I neeeeeed but you say he's just a friend..."

How many times in the past month have you sung along to Heineken's 'Let a Stranger Drive You Home' commercial? How many times has someone said this was their favorite? What about the Heineken 'Walk-In Closet' commercial? Everyone seems to LOVE and have high recall of the Heineken commercials, so congratulations Wieden+Kennedy you've created some brilliant ads for my least favorite beer ever!

After working on new business pitches for Asahi Beer and Stella Artois in the UK, I have taken interest in beer advertising because so much of beer sales depend on branding and not taste.

It's surprising that I dislike Heineken especially since growing up in Hawaii, we live by the motto 'Keep Hawaii Green'. Heineken is the second most popular beer in Hawaii (after Bud Light). Hawaii is the 'number one market per capita for Heineken in the U.S.' and has the most localized and aggressive Heineken marketing strategy, sponsoring local music events, bars and clubs. Locals also take pride in their 'greeness' by starting businesses inspired by Henieken branding, such as DoSomethingTonight.com and Green Bottle Productions.
The past four years I've been living in Boston--the most saturated beer advertising city I've ever been to. This Sunday, I saw a Heineken bus wrap and laughed (Bahstan? A Heineken City? NEVAH.): I have seen my share of Coors Light and Heineken subway takeovers and Rolling Rock and Bud Light billboards, but when it comes down to what I order at the bar, advertising seems to do very little to my decision. I may order a UFO White, Blue Moon or Snakebite; however, the girl next to me at the bar may order a Heineken, Stella or even worse Michelob Ultra. That's when I think to myself, Damn, advertising does work.

In the end, it's a win-win situation for me.

In Need of Some Beer-vation

Where's a recent graduate to find motivation? Hmm... how about in BEER? Yep, this post is dedicated to beer-vation--one in a series of things that inspire me.

My love for GOOD beer started last semester when I studied abroad in London. Beer drinking was like breathing; you went to the pub for a pint during lunch, you grabbed a pint before bed at your neighborhood pub, and good beer was cheap (£3/pint avg).

Here's a photo of my roommate Larissa and I in London drinking a pint of locally brewed TIMMY TAYLOR at the Cheshire/Devonshire/Whoknowswhatshire Arms:
I didn't like beer at first. I remember my first beer being an MGD and not finishing it. It's also hard to love it when in America you're drinking Natty Ice, Bud Light, Coors and High-Life in large quantities out of a red solo cup. I recently saw a friends Facebook status that said:

"You know what we think of you're American beer? It's like having sex in a canoe. Fucking close to water." -BEERWARS

Pretty funny. I haven't seen it, but Beerwars is a documentary about small American breweries trying to fight the big guys (Bud, Miller & Coors) by winning people over with its unique taste and quality. Here's the trailer:

Anyways, today my roomates and I decided to take a tour and tasting of Harpoon Brewery in Boston (I've visited a brewery before, the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam... cool exhibits and fun games, but bad beer). Well, turns out Beer does have a direct correlation with graduating from college, because two Harvard Business Grads started Harpoon after they went backpacking in Europe (one of them also quit his job at Lehman Bros after a year) and realized America was missing this local brewery culture. They opened the brewery in 1986.

The tour and tasting lasted an hour and was $5 all-you-can-drink for 30 minutes and a keepsake glass. Inside the brewery:
Store room with 20,000 cases. Gabs trying to look attentive.Freshest and coldest beer I've ever had.By the end, I had tried a bit of all their beers. My favorites were the UFO White, Leviathan (10% alc/vol), Ale and cider.
Bathroom signs:Lesson of the tour: Spend your life producing (and maybe drinking) what you love.
I left the tour very happy with a 64 oz. Growler of Harpoon Cider. It's definitely worth checking out if you're in Boston. The Silver Line #2 bus stops right in front of the brewery at the Harbor St. stop.

Although American beer has its down-sides, there is one thing American beer is good for: 40s.