Stories About Beer

Like any typical Canadian I was exposed to beer when I reached the legal drinking age. By my early twenties I was very dissatisfied with the majority of mass produced North American beers. During those years I traveled to Greece, Portugal and Spain and continued to encounter more mass-produced beers with very little appeal except that they were refreshing in a hot country. Then I went to Belgium to do my Masters degree and spent a whole year there. Specifically I lived in the city of Leuven where the beer Stella Artois is made. From the very first beer I drank (which was Hoegaarden), I was amazed at how much flavour, texture, and depth a beer could have.

Hoegaarden Wit Beer

Belgian Beer
Before living in Leuven, I thought of beer as something people drank ice cold and was pounded back without any thought of enjoyment. I also didn't think of beer as something to be savoured or appreciated. Then I discovered the myriad of styles, types, flavours, alcohol strength, and textures of Belgian beers. I also discovered a beer culture where you could select a beer for different times of the day, different moods, and different foods. From that moment on I started my lifelong exploration of beer and developed a real appreciation for beer as a drink to be enjoyed.

Leuven, Belgium

It was in Belgium I started my Beer Label book, which is essentially a scrapbook of beer labels I've drank over the years. The majority of beers I drank came in bottles and I would take the bottle home, soak it in warm water and remove the label and stick it into my book before it dried. Many of the Belgian labels are made with good quality paper and glue, and would re-adhere into the scrapbook. Many of the mass produced beers are made of lesser quality paper and glue, and are very difficult to remove from the bottle. Another thing that intrigued me about Belgian beer was the names and the artwork on each bottle. This was also part of my interest in keeping and collecting the labels. At present my beer book up to 4 volumes and has over 400 labels of beers from 40 countries. Many of the beers come from Europe where I lived at various times and traveled to. When in Toronto I always seek out new and interesting beers at the LCBO or the Beer Store. It was from this exploration of beer that lead me to appreciate Scotch whisky and wine.

Over 400 Beer Labels!

Beer from Michigan

American Beer
Over the last few years my wife and I have regularly traveled to Troy Michigan, only a short drive over the border in the USA. Due to the different way beer and alcohol products are regulated in the United States I can always find a plethora of local American, and imported beers. The variety of flavours, styles and types of beers I encountered in Michigan reminded me of some of the wonderful variety I experienced in Belgium. Also in many stores it's possible to buy individual bottles, which is a lot of fun for someone like me. Buying single bottles of beer is exciting for my continued exploration of beer, and is also very interesting from a marketing and branding point of view. I am always impressed with the creative names and designs of beer labels from craft brewers.

Traditional British Beer

English Beer
When I lived in England, in the late 1990s, I had a chance to experience British beer. I had always heard that British beer was served warm and coming from North America, this sounded revolting. Traditionally British beer was served closer to room temperature, which is actually much cooler room temperature than rooms in North America. Having experienced drinking British beer in an English pub the temperature is perfect for these beers. When beer is served at the right temperature, just as with wine, all of its flavours start to come out and is much more enjoyable. When beer is too cold, as with wine, the flavours are muted and it does not express its full character.

Irish Beer
I also lived in Ireland for a short while and when one thinks of Ireland, one immediately thinks of Guinness beer. I had tasted Guinness in many countries (Canada, England, Scotland and Belgium) but had never really enjoyed it. I had drunk other stout beers and did enjoy them. From the first pint of Guinness I drank in Ireland I was hooked. From the first sip, I stopped and look at my glass and said now I understand what the hype was about. Guinness is truly delicious and one of my all time favourite beers!

Wonderful Guinness!

The Origin of Beer
Many of you might be wondering what this has anything to do with marketing or marketing research. One of the things I learned in Belgium, was the style of beer had all lot to do with where the beer came from or how it was made. As an Anthropologist, and someone who understand how important culture is, beer is not only a mass-produced party drink. Beer is a drink that expresses people's culture, history and tradition. Beer is a very ancient drink and there is evidence of beer from at least 5,000 years ago from the Middle East. Beer is actually an ancient method of keeping around potable water (as is rum and wine). Beer is also a source of nutrition as well as source of water. There are records of ancient beer made in Sumeria (modern day southern Iraq). Actually, an American brewery made this ancient Sumerian beer (Read the article here). This ancient drink is not something that we would recognize as beer. It would have been a hardy, mealy and barley like drink with some alcohol in it. It would not have been consumed ice cold, since they didn't have the facilities to keep liquids that cold.

Once the knowledge of making beer moved into central Europe, to Germany and Belgium, it became part of the monastic tradition. In Belgium they have a long tradition of Abbey beers, which were traditionally made by monks for centuries. In European monasteries the making of beer was standardized and even made part of their regular routine.

In Belgium they also have beers that are fermented naturally using local yeast from the countryside called Lambic beers (which are still made this way). There are some beers made from water drawn from the same river as it has been for centuries. What I really learned from the Belgians, even though it is a very small country, is they have a vast beer industry that puts the Canadian beer industry to shame. Even with such a small population there is still an appetite for such a great variety of beer in the market. Only in the past 10-15 years in Canada has there been an increase in the number of local craft beers being produced and available for purchase.

Volkan Beer from Santorini Greece

Greek Beer
When I worked for the Kolonaki Group we represented Alfa beer, which is made by Athenian Breweries in Athens (a subsidiary of Heineken). This beer never sold at the LCBO but was sold directly to restaurants and private individuals (also known as Consignment sales). When I left the Kolonaki Group one beer I was helping to bring in for Consignment sales was the only beer made on the Island of Santorini, Volkan Beer. This beer is made with local lava filtered water, and with flavouring by local honey and local citrus medica fruit. The beer itself comes in two styles Blonde and Black. The beer is tasty and is very well made, but the real value of the beer is the story that goes along with this brand. There is a compelling story about the beer, and this is the marketing/branding lesson today.

Craft vs Large Brewers
Brewers and beer makers, as with wine makers, make beer because it is their passion. They don't do it just to make money; they do it because they believe in it. They do it because they want the drink to express their vision what beer can be. This is the one advantage that microbreweries and craft breweries have over beer companies that make mass-produced beers. Large breweries sell a lifestyle but microbreweries sell flavour. Also microbreweries can tell a story and people love a good story. When people hear a good story they want to be part of it and they can do this by partaking in drinking the beer. If people like the beer and the story they will become the best advocates for the brand and recount the story to others. 

Ancient Sumerians Drinking Beer

This is not a blog bashing large breweries, on the contrary. I'm merely making a clear distinction between large and small brewers and how the difference comes down to the flavour of the beer. People don't buy beers from large brewers because of their story, they are buying into a lifestyle and this is a very compelling message for most people. There are few stories around these large breweries' brand except the stories people make by drinking and enjoying the beer.

Belgian Beer Variety

To all those craft-brewers out there, keep up the good work, keep that passion going. For you marketers out there, who get the chance to work with them, make a point to tell their story. The message is the brewer (the people behind the beer), the passion for beer, the flavour, the ingredients, the name of the beer, and the inspiration behind their desire to make beer. To those who want to experience craft beers, remember the beer will cost more, it will be harder to find, it may not come in an easy twist off bottle cap, but it will be a flavour you will not forget.

Beer is part of civilization and part of our culture. Its part of the human story and it is a very ancient one. The next time you are out with your friends and enjoying a beer. Remember to hold you glass up and make a toast to the ancient Sumerians who stumbled across the secret of beer making and helped spread it across the world.