“That Guy.”
You know “That Guy.”
He’s that guy at the concert wearing the t-shirt of the headlining band.
Oh, wow, that really helps distinguish you from the crowd! I never would have known you liked Social Distortion had you been donned in some other apparel. Simply paying $40 to get
crammed into a sweaty, overcrowded venue next to speakers so booming you can’t discern
the current song just to worship your musical idols is for posers; true fans
brandish their hero’s logo on the chest for all to see.
For all those beer geeks out
there nodding their heads in agreement, allow me to blow your mind: you are “That Guy” (or, perhaps, “That Chick”)! You may know proper concert protocol but
think back to the last beer festival you attended; I’m willing to bet you were
emblazoned with images of your favorite beer, brewery, or beer-related organization. Is that so different from “That Guy” at the
concert? We know you like beer because you’re here—no need to impress the fact upon us.
Here’s another bombshell: I, too,
am “That Guy.” As a matter of fact, I’m
among the most prolific “That Guy” offender.
I can hardly help it—probably a solid half of my t-shirt selection is
beer-related thus it’s a matter of statistics that the shirt I wear to a beer
festival features something boozy. Hell,
so ingrained is “That Guy,” that if I only had three beer shirts it would be
those three shirts I’d cycle through over and over again for each festival; I
want people to know just how much a craft beer cheerleader I really am.
You know something? I’m okay with that. I’m an ardent craft beer supporter and I don’t
care if I go beyond the call of duty in spreading the gospel of beer. If my shirt brings awareness of a brewery or
beer organization to even one new person
then I’m helping the industry as a whole because, in the craft beer community,
success for one means success for all. Of course, it’s a bummer if no new people see my shirt but I really buy beer shirts because I like them so who cares how well I’m advertising? I’m still getting joy from it and that’s what
matters most.
Which brings me to my point:
Craft Brewed Clothing Co., the company running the Craft Brewery T-shirt of the Month Club (which supports American craft brewers), has asked me to help get
the word out on them so they can help get the word out on your favorite brewery. You help Craft Brewed Clothing by joining the
club, they help brewers get their name out there, brewers make great beer, and
then you enjoy said beer while wearing a new
shirt—it comes full circle!
Sign-up for three, six, or twelve
month memberships and, each month, “receive a new,
top quality T-shirt with a design or logo representing a favorite Craft Brewery, Brew Pub or Brewers Guild from around the country.”
Who knows what you’ll get? It
could be the neighborhood nanobrewery down the street or some far-flung
brewers guild from the other side of the country! The surprise is half the fun.
Brewers and brewers
guild representatives who would like to participate in the program and
advertise their business on a nationwide scale can do so for free.
Actually, it’s better than free: “CraftBrewedClothing.com is not only FREE to all Craft Brewers, Breweries, Brew Pubs and Brewers’ Guilds but more importantly, it is a revenue source.”
Embrace your “That
Guy”-ness! Wear your beer shirts proudly
be it at home or in public. The misinformed
among us may say these actions make you, like “That Guy” at a concert, a tool
but, on the scale of all things toolish, wearing your beer shirt to a beer
festival is pretty socially acceptable.
It’s not like you’re talking on a Bluetooth device while driving an H2
on your way to Beaver Creek to ski in jeans—now that’s being a tool. Wearing
your beer shirt is a simple action that makes a simple statement: I like and
support craft beer. So, if supporting
small, homegrown, American businesses makes you a tool then consider me Ryan Seacrest.
Visit
CraftBrewedClothing.com or check them out on Facebook, Twitter, or at the next beer festival—they get around the festival circuit.
Prost!
Chris
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