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My work here is released under a Creative Commons BY-NC 3.0 NZ LicensePrior to May 2012, posts were back-dated to the time of their original pen-and-paper Diary entries and podcasts were given arbitrary dates so as to fit in a nice 'reading order' on the front page. It really was terribly confusing, eventually. Sincere apologies for the philosophy-headaches which resulted.
I'm still committed to back-filling the gap between the actual Diary and the blog, I've just stopped mucking with the dates and will occasionally intersperse much-more-recent 'topical' stuff when my journalistic impulses overtake my historian slowness.
My views are entirely my own, though anyone is more than welcome to agree with me.
Tag Archives: Brandwank
Crafty Beggars
It is, apparently, Brandwank Monsoon Season. At least I won’t suffer for material.1 As was spotted by the eagle eye of Dominic (from Hashigo Zake) some months ago in the Trademark Registry, “Crafty Beggars” is a new brand / imprint / … Continue reading
Posted in Diary entries, Rambles and rants
Tagged Brandwank, Diary pages, from New Zealand, Lager, Pale ale, tasted November 2012, Wheat
44 Comments
The Moa IPO
This was one of the least surprising developments in the local beer industry. Moa started out cloaked in faux-exclusivity, long before they leapt into bed with arch-brandwanker Geoff Ross (of 42 Below vodka fame). He, and much of his old … Continue reading
Boundary Road’s ‘The Resident’
First, let’s just go ahead and stipulate that Brian — ‘Spike’ — Buckowski is a totally stand-up dude and a talented brewer. I’ve heard absolutely nothing to the contrary and it was pretty clear from the blog of his travels that … Continue reading
Hofbräu Maibock (and the gdmfing Reinheitsgebot)
Beer first, rant second. It was a favourite rant, back when I was bartending, but for once I should go beer first. And despite the seemingly-faint praise in my notes, I really did quite like this one. That garish and … Continue reading
Posted in Diary entries, Rambles and rants
Tagged Brandwank, Diary pages, from Germany, Lager, tasted July 2011
5 Comments
DB ‘Export Beer’
To re-cap, almost cretainly unnecessarily: beer has alcohol in it, alcohol is massively regulated and subject to substantial taxes, and the vast bulk of beer on the market is made by a few giant companies (themselves usually part of sprawling industry … Continue reading
Posted in Diary entries, Rambles and rants
Tagged Brandwank, Diary pages, from New Zealand, Lager
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The ‘Chosen One’ Choosing
‘Boundary Road Brewery’ needs scare-quotes around it, because it’s not properly a thing. It’s a sub-brand of Independent Liquor, who were recently acquired by Japanese supergiant Asahi, and they’re trying to position themselves as a “craft brewer” alongside the pseudo-craft imprints … Continue reading
Posted in Diary entries, Rambles and rants
Tagged Brandwank, Diary pages, from New Zealand, Lager, tasted June 2011
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Moa Imperial Stout
It looks rather frightful, that Moa, doesn’t it? Maybe even sufficiently angry-faced that it hardly seems like a herbivore at all, in fact. I honestly still can’t tell if I like the kitsch of it, or if I just think … Continue reading
Posted in Diary entries
Tagged Brandwank, Diary pages, from New Zealand, Photogenic, Stout
4 Comments
Monteith’s ‘Single Source’
Once more unto the brandwank, dear friends, once more. – Not quite Henry V This one positively reeks of being a project out of the marketing department rather than one with its origins in the brain of a brewer, beer … Continue reading
Posted in Diary entries
Tagged Brandwank, Diary pages, from New Zealand, Lager, Photogenic
5 Comments
Moa ‘Black Power’
It really is difficult to separate the thing-itself from its surrounding fog of incidentals. This is your old-school philosophy headache, right here; what are the properties, and what are the mere relations — and which are the essential properties, and … Continue reading
Beer Diary Podcast episode 2: Fat Yak and Beer Marketing
Back for a second round, we have a beer which George discovered purely from its advertising. Which leads to a discussion about beer marketing in general; the history, the good and the very-very-bad indeed. We touch on a few recent … Continue reading