Michael Kiser of Good Beer Hunting

[Lansman]

1. I thought this was a barter-based community.

2. The conflicts are self-evident. I've described in-depth how we think about and handle that. Your Discman is skipping.

3. Literally just said the opposite about a "mysterious hidden agenda." It's also self-evident that plenty of people don't understand the business, despite our trying to illuminate it in every way possible. Take your child to work day is coming up if you'd like to sit at my desk with me. "Don't touch that."

4. We all took grammar in elementary school. A journalist that does not make.

Thanks for the tremendously professional and thoughtful response.

 

[goodbeerhunting]

Thanks for the tremendously professional and thoughtful response.

You have no idea how much professionalism that took.

 

[cneville1]

1. I thought this was a barter-based community.

2. The conflicts are self-evident. I've described in-depth how we think about and handle that. Your Discman is skipping.

3. Literally just said the opposite about a "mysterious hidden agenda." It's also self-evident that plenty of people don't understand the business, despite our trying to illuminate it in every way possible. Take your child to work day is coming up if you'd like to sit at my desk with me. "Don't touch that."

4. We all took grammar in elementary school. A journalist that does not make.

do you regret doing this AMA for all of these simpletons who can't understand your business plan?

 

[goodbeerhunting]

do you regret doing this AMA for all of these simpletons who can't understand your business plan?

No regrets. This has been pretty tame IMO.

But for anyone who hasn't see it yet, this is the most articulate and transparent we've been about our business plan. http://goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2016/6/20/the-business-of-gbh-how-we-hustle?rq=how we hustle

 

[Snarf1]

No regrets. This has been pretty tame IMO.

But for anyone who hasn't see it yet, this is the most articulate and transparent we've been about our business plan. http://goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2016/6/20/the-business-of-gbh-how-we-hustle?rq=how we hustle

Your Discman is skipping.

 

[RedCoffee]

You can ask.

I understand why you might not have wanted to answer that question. From the outside, it appears that I'm just some ********* making jokes. I get that and I value your diverse opinion. However, I must assure you that lobbing jokes is only one part of the RedCoffee enterprise. It is funded by AMA topics and the FIB community, yes. I have never denied this. I don't expect people to understand it but I get it.

Most of the RedCoffee enterprise is a labor of love, directed at consuming excellent web content. There are different boards of directors, different revenue streams, and often even different BACs at work. My tendency to make jokes and shitpost does not compromise my ability to consume web content voraciously and generate clicks with impunity. One day, I hope the TalkBeer community at large will understand these nuances. However, until then, I am happy to report that TalkBeer happens to be one of my largest streams of "Like" generation.

Now that I have hopefully explained the nuances of the RedCoffee enterprise in a way that is more transparent, collaborative, and engaging, answer the ******* question!

 

[middlebrow]

Are there more than Ale Syndicate and Arcade? That's sort of a unique scenario, but also indicative of the many shaky business plans out there. I'm not a fan of the bubble talk, largely because I think there are many breweries that will fail under their own extended weight and bad management before they ever get hit with market pressures. I'm also baffled how they haven't had a brewers license for months, but Little Richie just hit the shelf?

Break room, finch, slapshot, cademon (sorta). Just wondering if this attrition is going on elsewhere as I live in a Chicago bubble.

 

[ForkAndSpoonOperator]

I understand why you might not have wanted to answer that question. From the outside, it appears that I'm just some ********* making jokes. I get that and I value your diverse opinion. However, I must assure you that lobbing jokes is only one part of the RedCoffee enterprise. It is funded by AMA topics and the FIB community, yes. I have never denied this. I don't expect people to understand it but I get it.

Most of the RedCoffee enterprise is a labor of love, directed at consuming excellent web content. There are different boards of directors, different revenue streams, and often even different BACs at work. My tendency to make jokes and shitpost does not compromise my ability to consume web content voraciously and generate clicks with impunity. One day, I hope the TalkBeer community at large will understand these nuances. However, until then, I am happy to report that TalkBeer happens to be one of my largest streams of "Like" generation.

Now that I have hopefully explained the nuances of the RedCoffee enterprise in a way that is more transparent, collaborative, and engaging, answer the ******* question!

 

[goodbeerhunting]

Break room, finch,

Oh man - totally forgot about that scenario. I was bummed about Breakroom only because they were in my neighborhood and the food was good. The beer was slowly improving but decent. Finch moving in? That was such a fiasco. A failing production brewery, buys a failing brewpub, and a failing contract brand as part of a comeback story? Jesus Christ.

Similar to Ale Asylum, I think that was a clear issue with business model and management. Not wether the market would support them.

Slapshot — that was an internal partnership rift of sorts too. But I don't know the details beyond what Steve has mentioned.

Cademon - Jesus get a mailbox and pay your taxes.

I guess the pattern here is that the barrier to entry is slo low, that people in no position to run a business jump in and eventually get spit out. That doesn't worry me about the market in a larger sense, or even about Chicago specifically. We could use some attrition to loosen things up.

When I see someone who made a good-faith effort as a business owner, who made quality beer, and they start to lose, that's when I'll be concerned about the ability of the market to support new breweries.

 

[goodbeerhunting]

if this attrition is going on elsewhere

I'm hearing stories about breweries elsewhere that are struggling as a result of terrible financial and management decisions, for sure. Chicago doesn't have a unique lack of skills in that arena. I think we'll see a pretty big one in SFO go down soon unless they turn things around. But most of them are pretty small players when they struggle like that.

 

[disapowzment]

Cademon - Jesus get a mailbox and pay your taxes.

The mail person brings the mail inside the brewery. No need for one. You also must not understand that it was the mean old governments fault. Curse you state of Illinois.

 

[jdhende]

I'll ask a super general question. What are your favorite Chicago breweries and why? Also like others have said how can you hate Taras Boulba? That beer is the kitties *******.

 

[PHBoiler]

1. I thought this was a barter-based community.

2. The conflicts are self-evident. I've described in-depth how we think about and handle that. Your Discman is skipping.

3. Literally just said the opposite about a "mysterious hidden agenda." It's also self-evident that plenty of people don't understand the business, despite our trying to illuminate it in every way possible. Take your child to work day is coming up if you'd like to sit at my desk with me. "Don't touch that."

4. We all took grammar in elementary school. A journalist that does not make.

You've stated multiple times that the conflicts are self-evident. You've provided multiple explanations for how GBH specifically tries to handle those. The reason there is push back is not because everyone doesn't understand your position and the GBH position on this situation. It directly flies in the face of similar business practices that are more commonly regulated. Our firm legally has to have two separate companies with two separate names and completely different workers for real estate valuation and real estate sales. You can't just tell people you're unbiased in the business world. I know a lot about valuing real estate. Could that knowledge be valuable and utilized successfully to sell real estate? Sure it could. Could I explain my process in separating the two in regards to clients, property types, relationships, etc? Sure I could. Why would anyone believe me? How could I believe myself? You can't turn off parts of your brain. You can think that you did. Therefore, I stick to one side. We didn't expand our company; we made a second company that doesn't involve any of the same people. I'm certain that many other folks work in similar industries or similar companies where things are regulated to be separate.

What does this all mean? How does it apply to GBH? You have a brand split. One company for editorial content. One company for consulting. Different people on each team. No conflicts. You could have a 3rd entity where you do nothing but your own personal editorials as I'm sure you'd have to be on the consulting team. Everyone is then free to consume whatever they see fit and no longer have the specter of bias floating around.

You don't have to do any of this. GBH doesn't need everyone as consumers. GBH doesn't need everyone's approval. The government is light years away from giving a **** about conflict of interest at this level. You just spend so much time bloviating about "how GBH hustles" that you have to understand that everyone hears you. It's just not realistic. That's not because people are cynical either. It's because it's a business.

 

[Snarf1]

bloviating

 

[goodbeerhunting]

The mail person brings the mail inside the brewery. No need for one. You also must not understand that it was the mean old governments fault. Curse you state of Illinois.

That was the brewery's excuse.

 

[DannyFullpint]

I think we'll see a pretty big one in SFO go down soon unless they turn things around. But most of them are pretty small players when they struggle like that.

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers right?

 

[goodbeerhunting]

I'll ask a super general question. What are your favorite Chicago breweries and why? Also like others have said how can you hate Taras Boulba? That beer is the kitties *******.

Half Acre makes the best hoppy beers for me, hands down.

Off Color, especially their acid-forward stuff is maybe my favorite brewery to roll the dice on for a one-off. I think the way John finishes those beers is in my hot zone. On the opposite side of things, Scurry is one of my all-time favorite beers. Maybe the most underrated beer in Chicagoland.

Whiner is making some fantastic barrel-aged fruited sours. My guess is that this becomes a serious contender for favorite all-around Chicago brewery. Also really enjoy Rubriqueabraq, their bier de garde. Not aware of anyone else making something like that.

Goose makes what I consider the definitive BBA beer. So there's always a set of Original BCS within arms reach for me. Maybe enjoy that once a month? Also a big fan of Madame Rose, Matilda, and this year they brought Pepe Nero back and I was thrilled.

Hopewell's lager and saison are top notch. Also super close to the studio so that happens more often than most. I really like those people.

I started drinking Pipeworks again after they went to year-round pales. Not that I disliked them before that, I just had enough bombers not land with me (personal taste preferences) that I became hesitant. Lizard King is a regular in my house.

Plenty of others I've enjoyed on a more irregular basis, so I don' think it'd be fair to call them "favorite breweries." I think repeated purchase/visiting speaks more than just an intermittent impression.

 

[goodbeerhunting]

Different people on each team

This is exactly what I've been trying to show you, and what we've been working toward. And that's why it feels like people either don't want to hear it, or don't grasp it yet.

Our editorial team, aside from me personally, has no connection to the agency side. Different people, different locations, with a different boss — Austin Ray. That's one of the reasons why we made the decision to hire Austin.

Our agency team, aside from me, is made up of designers who work solely on brand strategy. They don't write for GBH in any capacity.

I own the entire businesses, and I'm the only one who regularly works on both sides of it.

Do the two entities you're describing in the real estate company you work for have any shared ownership amongst the partners? The board? Investors? If so, in the end, you're still asking your customers to trust.

Similarly, a newspaper like the Trib tries to maintain a division between its reporters and it's advertising and new venture businesses. The literally call it a "content monetization engine." But even then it's all a theory. Influence still gets through and requires humans with the right intent to disclose, or correct the bias when they see it. It always comes down to trusting people with a healthy amount of skepticism.

I've never said I'm unbiased. I am absolutely biased from numerous influences on me and my business. Every one of my writers has some sort of bias at work in their content — and internally we call it out all the time to keep each other in check.

My only claim is that I simply believe that we've done a good and fair job toward our readership of highlighting those conflicts and providing our honest opinions on the industry.

 

[goodbeerhunting]

Time to get the kiddos up from a nap and head to dinner. I'll jump back in later tonight.

Appreciate the opportunity to talk things through, everyone.

 

[user 306926]

Has there been any discussion or attempt to bring DDB under the GBH umbrella?

dontdrinkbeer's readers all know he is angling for a payday.

 

[NAD1983]

Has there been any discussion or attempt to bring DDB under the GBH umbrella?

dontdrinkbeer's readers all know he is angling for a payday.

Toaster ovens, backsplash tiles, and HOA fees don't pay themselves.

 

[JonathanAmes]

That checks out, yes. I also talk about, say, Hill Farm because I know Hill Farm. And I know Hill Fram because, I endeavor to know Hill Farm. And that's true of countless breweries. It was also true about Goose long before they ever asked me to work with them (which is not a constant thing, by the way, it's barely periodic). My self-initiated interest in, and knowledge of, Goose made it possible to work for them effectively.

I'm not missing your point. I understand. But I think it's overly simplistic and the catalyst is missing in your equation.

The "I endeavor to know Hill Farm" line really made me dislike you.

 

[Saugusbrewer]

PHBoiler was very professional and detailed, but you brush it off with the same answer. You are trying to leverage both sides clearly, but that usually comes back around. It's like you are dating a tranny but claiming to be straight.

 

[SheerHeartAttack]

It's like you are dating a tranny but claiming to be straight.

It's like you're trying to make a comparison, but you're a bigot.

 

[goodbeerhunting]

dontdrinkbeer's readers all know he is angling for a payday.[/QUOTE]

PHBoiler was very professional and detailed, but you brush it off with the same answer. You are trying to leverage both sides clearly, but that usually comes back around. It's like you are dating a tranny but claiming to be straight.

Great set-up actually, thanks for that. Like sexuality, we believe that bias is a spectrum, and as long as we're all being open and honest about who we are, there's really no way to pretend you're being deceived.

 

[goodbeerhunting]

Has there been any discussion or attempt to bring DDB under the GBH umbrella?

dontdrinkbeer's readers all know he is angling for a payday.

If he only lived closer to a Binny's.

 

[goodbeerhunting]

The "I endeavor to know Hill Farm" line really made me dislike you.

Sounds like you were primed.

 

[FTowne1]

If he only lived closer to a Binny's.

 

[Saugusbrewer]

It's like you're trying to make a comparison, but you're a bigot.

Actually am fine with whatever anyone is into, and reading it was not a good look. Sorry for any offense to anyone.

Tried to be bunny but tried too hard there. It was not.

 

[RedCoffee]

PHBoiler was very professional and detailed, but you brush it off with the same answer. You are trying to leverage both sides clearly, but that usually comes back around. It's like you are dating a tranny but claiming to be straight.

NOW I HAVE A NEW QUESTION

If you banged a she who used to be a he, but she still had her man parts and you only touched it a few times, how much do you charge for a story on her new brewpub?