Battle of the New York beers
Here at Big Duck, we definitely believe in living one’s brand. But sometimes it’s easy to forget what that means outside the context of strategizing and direct mailing and Tweeting. For us Ducks, living our brand entails a commitment to supporting local businesses, office camaraderie, Brooklyn pride, and a real appreciation for, well, having fun. This past Friday, we lived our brand in a totally wonderful way: we had a local beer blind taste-test.
Big Duck loves a good food challenge. We’ve pitted deli pickles against farmers market spears, crunchy peanut butter against smooth, homemade chocolate chip cookies against store-bought Chips-a-hoy. Beer seemed like the logical next step.
The rules were simple: bring in a beer or cider made in New York state and rate the resulting seven beers—all poured into identical plastic cups—according to three categories (Appearance, Refreshment Factor, and Flavor).
We had Schmaltz Coney Island Sword Swallower IPA (Clifton Park, NY), Ithaca Flower Power IPA (Ithaca, NY), Sixpoint Sweet Action (Brooklyn, NY), Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold (Elmsford, NY), Blue Point Toasted Lager (Patchogue, NY), Ommegang White Wheat Ale (Cooperstown, NY), and Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break (okay, this beer is from Denmark, but we needed some variety). As our conference room started to smell more and more like a fraternity, and as more and more Ducks dared to taste the (surprisingly delicious) beer concoction made from combining our excess samples, the comment cards got real: “Like stomach acid,” “Smooth like a baby’s bottom,” “Hoppy! <3 <3 <3”
Thanks to the Ducks’ excellent taste in beverages—and to the superb beer-brewing abilities of New Yorkers from Ithaca to Red Hook—the challenge was a success. The winners are (drum roll, please):
Appearance: Coney Island IPA
Refreshment Factor: Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold
Flavor: Blue Point Toasted Lager
Most points overall: Blue Point Toasted Lager
Congratulations, Blue Point Toasted Lager! Big Duck is a fan.
How does your organization live your brand? Any suggestions for Big Duck’s next food challenge? We’re all-ears!
