Sam Adams advertising

[brewhead]

The homebrew contest is really a great way for them to get cheap recipes and research.

i sincerely doubt that SA is hurting for recipes

 

[Nate]

i sincerely doubt that SA is hurting for recipes

I don't seem to recall anything in my post stating that SA is hurting for recipes... please show me.

 

[brewhead]

The homebrew contest is really a great way for them to get cheap recipes and research.

it's inferred. I've heard the same argument against sa b4 on "why i'm not going to enter the contest" or "sa is just trying to get your recipes for free". seriously they don't need your recipes.

the homebrew contest was a great way to build and cement the microbrew/homebrew/beer enthusiasts together in a marketing venture. when you can tie all the elements of your product together - it gives your product a life it never had b4. it's the same concept behind sa showing their staff tryin homebrew on the stove.

these things cement your beer not just as beer in to the minds of the consumers - but more of a lifestyle.

 

[rdwj]

Why is there so much hate for Jim Koch and BBC? I mean, the guy and his company have done so much for the craft brew movement as well as the homebrewing hobby. What other company actually spends a lot of their advertising dollars on commercials *specifically* about homebrewing?

And about the post, I think he's talking about the fact that hops give beer depth and complex flavors, as well as a floral aroma. Think about all the different hops and the different tastes/aromas they give off. Wine is usually described by it's delicate tastes and aromas, which I think would be very similar to hops.

RDWHAHB

I don't get it either. I like several SA beers and often order them when I'm out.

 

[Evan!]

Anything Jim Koch does is Great, He has a Tutorial On Brewing Where he Mentions Drinking a Sam Adams while Brewing So that we can Reuse the Bottles...He Looks out for us I think. As well as I think they had a Competition last year or hell maybe every year IDK...That had Homebrewers Make a recipe and then the BBC judged it and the 2 Winners would have there brew made by them for a Limited time. I love What they are doing over there!:rockin:

Ok, RICLARK, dude, Your odd propensity to Capitalize random Words in the Middle Of sentences has Got To go!

 

[Bobby_M]

I think the intended message is that the variety of hop in the overall flavor of a beer is similar to how the variety of grape greatly influences a wine. He left out the word "type" or "variety" for simplicity. I think he's just trying to emphasize that they put hops as an upfront consideration to the beer's flavor vs. BMC where it's only there to keep the flavor from being sweet.

 

[Evan!]

Back to the topic at hand...

My wife remarked the other day how much she likes the Sam Adams commercials. I can't disagree---I think the OP sort of missed the context in which they were referred to as "what grapes are to wine". You use different grape varietals for different qualities in wine just like you use different hop varietals for different qualities in beer. One could argue that the grain has alot to do with it too, but the fact is that pretty much all barley starts out as the same basic grain on a stalk, and the different types of character grain that we use are created by the hand of man.

Plus, Sam Adams is making good beer that sees tons of exposure, and the commercials go a long way in convincing your average Joe Sixpack that beer can be much more than A.L.L.

And hey, at least they don't try to tell me that their beer is...

"FROST BREWED"

 

[Richard]

Hops are to beer what grapes are to wine?

Who's the genius who thought this one up? Hops are a bittering agent and also contribute to nose/taste. Other than yeast, grape juice is really the only ingredient in wine.

So now beer is actually fermented hop juice? Have to disagree with this advertising and also have to wonder how a company this large comes up with advertising like that.

You should add this post to the "you know you're not a newbie when" thread.

I think you're being a tad anal...the basic message of the ad is that hops are great and Sam Adams uses them. The comparison to wine is a smart way of getting people to think of beer as being on the same level as wine with regard to sophistication. Next step - get people to realize that beer is more sophisticated than wine.

 

[jdoiv]

Bacon is to food what hops are to beer.

Port fat rulz......

 

[niquejim]

This has really moved off topic since the OP was simply about the logic of that one ad statement and not about SA in general. Since we're there though and with regard to this homebrew contest, have you looked at SA's side of this? They get TONS of free recipes and free research along with a beer they can produce and sell. What does the brewer get? Not even a percentage of the potential endless profits (if it's a good beer) but a one time cash deal (just a few thousand dollars). How much do you think SA will make from the sales of this beer if it's really good?

Again, I LIKE SA but not sure I agree with putting them on a pedestal. The homebrew contest is really a great way for them to get cheap recipes and research. Call it a win/win for both sides but I wouldn't nominate them for sainthood... just good business sense on this particular issue.

Since they could find most of the recipes online(places like this) and you would receive nothing the fact that they give you $5,000 is pretty nice.
Recipes can't be protected from use as by changing each ingredient by 1/4 oz(or less) it is no longer the same recipe.

 

[Nate]

To me, this has a Tom Sawyer whitewashed fence ring to it. I see SA getting thousands of people (tens of thousands?) to develop recipes which SA then magically owns the rights to and all this is basically for free. What tops it off is these thousands of people then praise SA for how noble and great they are. It also, as an added side benefit, generates a lot of interest in their product in general. Whoever at SA thought this one up, deserves a raise.

 

[Nate]

it's inferred.

You're certainly welcome to "infer" anything that you want but doing so doesn't make your assumption fact. If anything, the thought of a company as large and successful as SA being "hurting for recipes" is, IMHO, pretty ridiculous. Deploying an awesome marketing idea that generates interest in their product along with the potential for new product recipes? Yes. Hurting for recipes? No.

 

[Brentk14]

The fact that we are even talking about the ad is just proof that their marketing works well. You might not like the ad, you might hate it you might love it, but it gets you talking to people about it and spreading the name even more(not that anyone on here doesnt know what Sam Adams is). And it does make sense if you listen to it for what it is. Hops accentuate flavor and aroma...Prost to Jim Koch haha

 

[Ryan_PA]

You should add this post to the "you know you're not a newbie when" thread.

Nate is pretty far from a newbie. He has one of the better systems I have seen on the board.

A few thoughts of mine. With a company the size of BBC, I imagine the entire ad campagin was not even developed inhouse, and definetly not by Jim Kosch. There most likely was a consulting group out of Manhatten that came up with this (very successful) brainchild. It is a little silly to look for deeper meaning to any national ad campaign. I really do not think the energizer bunny is really still going...

Also, SA does take a lot of heat in the homebrew forums. I seriously doubt alot of the haters would even find the hobby if it were not for SA.

 

[Nate]

Guys,

I'm sorry I started this thread and I'm going to bow out of it now. It's becoming some Usenet-type discussion with people, for some reason, taking this as some personal attack on SA. For the record, IMHO, SA has done a world of good for craft beer and this homebrew contest is pure marketing genius.

On the other hand, the "hops are to beer what grapes are to wine" thing, to me, just seemed way off base...

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Bacon is to food what hops are to beer.

mmmmmmmmmmm, bacon flavored beer. :rockin:

 

[GloHoppa]

mmmmmmmmmmm, bacon flavored beer. :rockin:

that statement reminded me of a show that plugged "Buzz Beer"

 

[Richard]

Nate is pretty far from a newbie. He has one of the better systems I have seen on the board.

Um...if you think a little harder about what I said, you'll realise that I was not accusing Nate of being a newbie. In fact I was saying the opposite.

 

[user 574]

I like the dude with the beard on their commericals. I could drink a few with him I suspect.

 

[brewhead]

Guys,

I'm sorry I started this thread and I'm going to bow out of it now. It's becoming some Usenet-type discussion with people, for some reason, taking this as some personal attack on SA. For the record, IMHO, SA has done a world of good for craft beer and this homebrew contest is pure marketing genius.

On the other hand, the "hops are to beer what grapes are to wine" thing, to me, just seemed way off base...

sorry you feel that way bro - seems you are the only one taking offense - as i have taken no umbrage to your posts. this the evolution of a thread. sorry it couldn't "stay on track" as you would have wished