Where have the hops gone?

I'm sitting here tonight after having had probably one more than I should have, not unusual for us ale named, lager brewed swilling Kiwis. It's Saturday night we are all drinking like the 6 o'clock swill is still here, but the difference is that tonight I have consumed beers from the home brewing and craft brewing brethren.

I think we are similar to the Camp David religious nuts of the 80's except that some of us are not trying to have sex with multiple partners (okay not all of us), and we love our beer. Not just any [insert large brewing company here] swill. I am talking about the Emerson's (Tairei Gorge means more to me now), the Epic's (our own little impish brewer), or the Wigram's (I love both Paul's in a man love sort of way). Having some Three Boy's isn't associated with the clergy having their wicked way, a Tuatara is not cold blooded and the Croucher tiger is neither crouching nor hidden.

Can my Saturday night be any better?

I love my beer. I was born from an American wine maker and a Kiwi family known to produce the best local 100 proof during more than one war.... so what is left for me? You guessed it, I choose beer.

The main stream Kiwi beer drinker sees Tui, DB, and Speight's as a refreshing thirst quencher. If I want a thirst quencher I drink water (close you may say!). What's wrong with me? I should be lavishing in the holiness that is a mega corporate with dollars to spend telling me it's hard earned or good on me mate, yeah right. Like the Davinci Code, we as home brewers and real beer drinkers are searching for the truth. We are searching for the holy grail that is the beer we like to drink, not what money can afford to tell us to drink.

Like any home brewers, and craft brewers out there, I have budget. If it is $10 a week or $100 a week I search for value for money. To be honest craft beer is not value for money when I want to get drunk. Mr Beam or Mr Daniels, along with Glen and numerous other Scottish heirs or Marque Spew can help me there. Craft beer is value for my taste buds, it is value for quality, it also provides me with recyclable bottles for my next brew.

How can I get this message across to others? How can I turn the tides against the [insert large corporate brewers name here] peddling their wares in my neighbourhood? If I was a drug dealer I would have knee capped them long ago... alas that is illegal and those guys have lawyers .

Education. Tell your family, hell they are family you can tell them drinking swill is wrong from a biblical sense and they still have to love you. Tell your friends. It's likely playing FUGLY with the boys during a night on the town, except no one wants to drink the shit beer... You know you can get away with it, they know you brew beer, they have probably even tried it, and if they didn't like it they are probably allergic to hops!

All joking aside (sorry Joe, you have to move) why can we not get the masses to understand what we take for granted? The way I see it, money, culture and brand image take over where aroma, flavour and good beer should be.

"Give a man a beer; you have quenched his thirst for today. Teach a man what is good beer and how to brew; and you too can listen to his incessant whining about how shit mega swill is." - anon.