Well, we asked you what you thought about the Coors sponsorship of American Beer Month, and you sure did reply. Out of the many emails we received, a resounding 65% thought that the Coors involvement was a bad thing, with some writers even going so far as to suggest that ABM was a failed concept and should be done away with. (No names, but at least two of those writers are professional American brewers.) Of the remaining emails, 20% were in favour of the Coors sponsorship, while 15% felt there were both good and bad elements. Here are a few sample replies:

I suspect that only those who appreciate well made craft beer will see your article which leads me to believe that most responses you get will be the same as mine. Nevertheless, I appreciate your article and the invitation to let you know what I think.

I think it stinks. This is an example of why I can't bring myself to join the AHA (part of the AOB) . They've forgotten what they're fighting for. Do they honestly believe that the average American who is exposed to high profile advertising bought and paid for by Coors touting "American Beer Month" will run out and try anything but an American-made Coors (in particular), Bud, or Miller? The sad fact is that greater than 90% of Americans think Coors and the like define American beer in its entirety. To them, American Beer Month will mean "run out and drink a Coors because it's American beer." They drink the blandest of American beer every month already. Meanwhile, none of them will have a clue what a hefeweizen or an IPA is, let alone an American Pale Ale. How does this help American craft brewers? The AOB was supposed to be increasing awareness for craft beer beyond the less than 10% of us who are so passionate about the diverse styles so expertly crafted throughout the country and, of course, the rest of the world which gave us most of these styles to begin with.

Thanks for listening. Hope you can make it to the Great Taste of the Midwest again this year. I'm sure Bob Paolino has continued to pester you about it.
- Mark Garthwaite

Sure... let Coors sponsor ABM. They have the marketing machine that most craft brewers do not and the more the message gets out there, the better for the Craft Brewers in general.
- Bill Dutton

Coors, AB and Miller have absolutely no interest in promoting good beer, and probably dream of those wonderful days when there were not micros and imports were a tiny fraction of the US market. They marketed their varying brands of similarly flavored (if bland is a flavor) beers with impunity, trying to convince customers that they were really drinking nothing but the finest in malt/hop beverages. That Coors would have the audacity to claim "This promotion is an example of a great American brewery with 130 years of tradition standing up proudly for the quality of American beers" is nothing short of incredible. It's disgusting that they would have anything at all to do with the AOB.
- John Michaelsen

Well, I for one lonely beer drinker, feel no brewer should, alone, be a sponsor of ABM. Let them support it, but keep out of the publicity.
- Reg

You asked your readers whether the Coors sponsorship of the AOB's ABM is right. I have to say no. I must agree with Mr. Baylor. The whole purpose of Coors doing this promotion is to get people to associate their products as the American beer of choice. In no way do they want people to explore the many complex beers of the Pacific Northwest, Northern California or Eastern Seaboard. What vanilla is to a 31 flavors ice cream shop Coors is to the wide world of beer. The name of the game is to take up as much shelf space as possible, not to share it with their tastier competitors. They do nothing for ABM but cast a dark and ominous shadow over what should be a great showcase for well crafted brews.
- Mitchell Lopez

And finally, Mitchell Lopez appended his email with a quote which, much to my surprise, turned out to be a long-forgotten one of my own. Repeating it seems appropriate here:

Anyone can drink beer, but it takes intelligence to enjoy beer. - Stephen Beaumont

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