Beantown Brews: A Boston Beer Blog

Looks like there was a bit of a brouhaha over on the Beer Advocate forum pages yesterday regarding Clown Shoes Beer’s labels. The discussion spilled over to twitter, blogs (like this one) and Boston.com.

The discussion began with a forum post by Beer Advocate Director of Events & Promotions, Cfahooligan (Candace). Her position could best be summarized as being sharply put-off by what she perceives as “tacky,” “borderline sexist or racist,” and “classless” marketing on the part of Clown Shoes  This resulted in a lively discussion on that point, which spilled over to larger discussions on offensive beer labels in general, forum post etiquette,  the appropriateness of a Beer Advocate owner singling out a brand for criticism, and no shortage of huffing and puffing about perceived double standards on allowable forum post content for users vs. admins. The forum generated a lot of buzz (over 350 posts) before being locked down tight.

So are Clown Shoes’ beer labels offensive? Good question. I’d overheard a few people saying this, but I’d never really given the matter serious thought until this time. Maybe I am not offended because I am not in the demographic that feels marginalized by such content. The issue seems to revolve around two labels in particular. Here are images of the labels in question.

Perhaps not the classiest images in the beer world, but certainly not the least. Both these beers are rated a solid B+ by beer advocate. Would an indecent image, or even a percieved one, keep you from drinking a well regarded beer? Do you find these images objectifying or otherwise objectionable?

In a way, I can understand Cfaholligan’s point in some instances. For example -

Looking at the Malus Pater label I can see how a beer label can go too far, at least in my opinion. The image of what appears to be an alter server going down on a man of the cloth is way over the line. I couldn’t care less how this beer is rated. I couldn’t care less how this beer tastes. It could be the world’s best quad, but I find the label so offensive that I would never support the brewer with my money. Child rape is never funny, and no one should ever attempt to prosper on it.

Seeing how Malus Pater churns my stomach, I can see how someone else might find what they perceive to be sexist and racist content in a label to be their breaking point. That said – should brewers be able to make such labels. Absolutely.

To quote Evelyn Beatrice Hall, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Is anyone surprised that an adult beverage might have adult themed labeling? I will presume that the target demographic is over 21, and can therefore handle seeing these images.

And really, publicly reprimanding Clown Shoes for this content really only  gives the label and the brand a larger forum and wider circulation.  Look at Brew Dog.

When they received criticism for what was considered irresponsibly high alcohol content in their brews, Brew Dog reacted by upping the ante and using the criticism to only increase their popularity. How many people might never have heard of Brew Dog had their critics simply held their tongues? Now, they are mainstream.

I am willing to bet that a fair number of you had never even seen the Malus Pater label – and yet here it is, on my site for all to see. Free publicity. Certain sage-like souls on this Beer Advocate thread noted over-and-over that all this brouhaha amounted to a heap of free advertising for Clown Shoes. Maybe this is exactly what they intended this branding to do.

What does Clown Shoes have to say for itself? In the very same thread, Clown Shoes’ Gregg Berman  stated the following -

Why the labels? Ok, I’ll bite. I’ll give you the long answer.

This brand was started for three reasons: a personal joke, deep passion for craft beer, and spite (spite, resulting, ironically, from the rejection of the name Clown Shoes to one of your contests).

I used to sit behind a desk and answer phones, push buttons, and combat life threatening boredom. Now I get to do this. I want to do this forever if possible. Who wouldn’t? But I am realistic about the life of brands. So I am trying in three ways to keep Clown Shoes alive:

1. Make the best beer we can dream up and keep dreaming up more

2. Travel to markets, supports customers and reps, attend fests and give out swag

3. Put out the most creative marketing my (not trained in marketing) brain can conceive of. When my group of friends and coworkers agree overall, we roll with a new idea. The edginess is intentional, but not meant to be extreme or particularly offensive. Each label has been a unique inspiration.

Ok, all that being said, I guess I fall into the V camp too, because today is the first I have heard of a “dong” in the Lubrication label. You may believe it or not, but G rated was the goal, with the direction to the artist being “reflect classic oil cans in the art somehow.” The name is provocative enough, I didn’t feel the need for a racy label.

Candace, as always, I respect your opinion and that of your site members. I wish you saw me as I see myself and my brand as I intend it, good natured fun, but I have a feeling that I will always be yodelling across a mountain top when it comes to you understanding me. Still, despite what others say here, I’d rather you approached me privately to discuss your feelings than give me all this “free publicity”.

We don’t need it.

Not being boastful, but right now we have our beer pre-sold months in advance. I might fail, lots of folks have. Stated again: I am realitic about the hard reality of the short life of products, but my goal to build a brand and grow it long term. I will use every ounce of energy and creativity I have in this effort while trying to be myself in the process.

Sincerely,

Gregg Berman

Clown Shoes Beer

There you go “The edginess is intentional, but not meant to be extreme or particularly offensive.”

So what can be done in a situation like this? In my opinion, you voice your opinion with your dollar. If you don’t like the brand or the company because of their image, practice or ideology, you can always personally boycott the product. I can see instances when this could be the case. Hell, this is the reason I refuse to shop at Walmart.

For me, Clown Shoes really isn’t a blip on the offensive radar. That’s my opinion though, and everyone is entitled to his or her own. If you are offended, don’t buy from Clown Shoes. If enough people do that, they will get the point and change their ways.  But – it would be prudent to remind certain people to carefully consider their position in the craft beer community before using it as a soap box for their own personal crusade.

Or, maybe everyone should just calm down and have a frigin’ beer.

Click Here for the Super Official Clown Shoes Response Letter.

A little while ago, I received a press release regarding Batch 19 – a new offering from Miller Coors being released in the Boston area. Now I don’t normally make a habit of reviewing beers brewed outside of the New England area, but I was intrigued by the press-release that referenced the “recent discovery of a 91-year-old, authentic pre-Prohibition recipe.”

“We had this authentic recipe that matched beer drinkers’ interest in exploring pre-Prohibition style beers,” said Batch 19 Brand Manager, Brad Johnson. “And ever since our four-market rollout last year, people across the country have been demanding Batch 19. We are excited to introduce this bold beer to the greater Boston area.”

They hooked me. I had to see for myself.

Now – I may, on occasion have had some less-than-kind words for Miller Coors products in the past (I’m looking at you Miller Chill.) Lord knows, I like Blue Moon –  but even that is sort of the soda pop version of a Belgian White Ale. So I was a little hesitant in requesting a sample. What would I say? Would it be rude to request a beer to review that you thought might not go well? But the press release promised an authentic pre-Prohibition recipe and I needed to taste for myself.

A few days later, I received a package on my door step. Unwrapping it, I discovered a marvelous example of marketing. Batch 19 was sent in its own small wooden crate, complete with faux burned in label. Opening the box I discovered a copy of the press release and a small scroll containing a mock up of a prohibition era news print describing the last batches of beer being destroyed by a nation turned mad with temperance.

A+ for presentation. I couldn’t help but love it. But I also couldn’t help but feel like this was big marketing. Now don’t get me wrong, this is marketing done right.  The recipe makes mention of Hersbruker and Strisslespalt hops. Uncommon hops – Unique recipe -limited market release. Even the name seemed to reflect the small batch style of some craft breweries.  It seemed very targeted to the craft beer demographic…

My craft-beer bristles went up a bit, and  I huffed a bit – “but how does it taste?”

I immediately put the beer in my fridge to chill – looking at the slick and distinctly embossed Batch 19 bottle every now an again thinking, “But how does it taste?”

But how does it taste?

The answer: Pretty damned good.

This beer was different than I expected. Different than perhaps my knee jerk reaction would have let me initially believe. I was sort of expecting to pour a thin, yellow,  fizzy, overly sweet, crowd pleasure. Maybe something frost brewed. Something grainy. But this was different, This had…well…

Appearance: Pours a rich, golden color. No wussy, yellow fizz here.  Clear. A present, if thin-ish, white head with good lacing.

Smell: Sweet bits of malt, and you you can actually pick up a bit of the floral and herbal hoppiness.

Taste:  A lot richer than I would have thought. I was also expecting a bit more adjunct taste, but really didn’t find it. Malty with a nice balance of hops. The Strisslespalt and Hersbrucker really do add a certain something. Smooth, just like a lager should be. Tasty – very tasty. The press release described this beer as delivering a “bold, hoppy flavor that it surprisingly well balanced.” Bold it is. While it does have a nice touch of hops, I wouldn’t describe it as hoppy.  But even then, it is very nicely balanced.

Mouthfeel: More body than I expected, but not enough to weigh you down. This is not a thin beer. Perfect carbonation. Finishes on the dry side.

Drinkability: Solidly drinkable. If you are a lager drinker and are looking for something a little different, this is great choice. It doesn’t require front and center attention, but it does offer good drinking. It could be a great kick back and watch the game beer – a dinner beer – a grilling beer. Overall – this is definately a well made lager and worth a try.

Now what is the big take away? Is this craft? Who knows. Probably not. Craft drinkers will still look sideways at any product coming out of a macro. It is just the way of the world. I will fully admit to coming at this product with some initial prejudices.

And the marketing is targeted – like good marketing should be. But marketing is all for naught if the product can’t deliver what the marketing promises. And how does it taste? That’s the real question. The proof of the beer is always in the tasting.

If Miller Coors keeps making brews like this, I’ll keep drinking them. It may not be craft, but it is better beer. And after all, isn’t that the point? So Coors, if you’ve been sitting on any other recipes for nearly a century…get brewing.