Hamlet’s Advice for Breweries: Two Cautions
You might think it fun to derive beer writing advice from Hamlet, but two myths might be holding you back from taking it seriously. Let’s say you agree with me that Hamlet’s advice to actors can apply also to beer writers searching for their online voice. And let’s say that you further agree with me […]
“Be Not Too Tame, Neither”: Hamlet’s Advice for Breweries, Part 2
Shakespeare has become synonymous with grand, flowery language (which isn’t entirely fair), but he still used his character Hamlet to advise other creative types, as I suggested previously, not to overdo it. This is still good advice for writers, even writers for the beer and spirits industries, who are conscious of developing a compelling, effective […]
Hamlet’s Advice to Breweries
Can the words of a brooding medieval prince have anything to do with running your brewery’s website today? Well, you can certainly stretch a lot of things to make them seem useful. A line like, There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. could be taken, for instance, to mean that […]
Sure Sex Sells, But at What Cost?
I’d like to think I’m a pretty decent guy, but when I’m standing in line at the grocery store, I know which magazine-stand pictures and headlines will attract my lazy gaze. Of course, those magazines don’t care what kind of person I am. They just want to get my attention. And they get it. Because “sex […]
We’ve Become Beer Monsters
Let’s be honest: Some craft beers might qualify as monsters. Experimentation is great, but some things don’t need to come to market. Rogue, I’m kinda looking at you and your donut beers. I love you guys, but seriously. Also, pumpkin beers. Sorry, I just can’t get on board. I’ve been thinking lately about the perception […]
What the “Peak Question” Means for American Beer
Has craft beer hit its peak? That’s the “peak question.” If you google “craft beer peak” you can find headlines going back as far as a couple years ago and as recently as a couple days ago. It’s a question that can only emerge in a vibrant beer market where it seems like we can find […]
Beer Shouldn’t Stress You Out
Cara McDonough is calling out us beer nerds—and we should pay attention. In a piece for McSweeney’s Open Letter column, she bemoans: It’s official. A trip to the liquor store – once a relaxing and uncomplicated endeavor – is now an experience rife with anxiety and booby traps. Why, you ask? Because we’ve entered a […]