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The Monk's Kettle is one of San Francisco's finest beer haunts. They treat beer with a sacredness that's usually reserved only for wine. I was keen to learn more about the place and the inspiration behind it, so I sent an email to Nat Cutler (Managing Partner) and waited for a response.

It took some time, but it's worth it.

1.  What's the inspiration behind Monk's Kettle?

The inspiration was really the brainchild of Christian Albertson, my business partner. He was first introduced to the world of beer while working at a brewpub in Boulder, CO, called The Mountain Sun.   Then, while managing the Parish Café in Boston, MA, he discovered the city’s beer-focused places and learned about the industry as a whole.  When he moved out to San Francisco about 5 years ago, and noticed virtually no beer focused bars and restaurants (save Toronado of course) he saw a market waiting to be filled.  When we started talking about the concept, I was on board right away.  Being from Seattle, WA, a city with a huge beer culture, I knew exactly what he was talking about.  We soon began our work on the business plan and opened our doors a mere two or three years later.

2. Why do you think that beer has become elevated into more of a 
gourmet product?

Well, for hundreds of years beer has actually been just as complex, flavorful, unique and sophisticated as wine: in essence, gourmet.  It’s just that for the majority of the population, especially here in the U.S., there was no knowledge of that fact.  The only beer really available here was mass-produced by the brewing giants of Anheuser Busch, Coors and Miller.  Only over the last 20 years or so did the art of craft brewing make it into this country.  Slowly, over that time, it gained popularity and recognition with the help of some great educators on the subject.  A few breweries elevated their products, showing consumers the depth of the beer world (Sam Adams and Anchor are two domestics that come to mind), as well as expanded distribution which brought many previously unavailable brews to our shores.  There have also been a few beer writers who have done much in the way of education:  Garrett Oliver, the head brewer of Brooklyn Brewery has written on beer and food pairings, but by far the most significant writer is the late Michael Jackson whose writings are essential for learning about the world of beer.  All of these forces together have brought beer recently onto a scene that was once dominated by wine alone.

3. What do you feel about a Belgian brewer buying Bud?

I think it’s a shame.  Not so much because a ‘foreigner’ now owns the beer probably most associated with America, but because the brewing of beer is becoming so dominated by so few large corporations.  I think that any time, in any instance, you take a process that requires creativity and a more hands-on approach, and make it more stream-lined and capable of being mass-produced, you lose something.  Not to say that Bud is the most hands-on, creative and unique beer, but the principle is still the same.  You’re seeing that happening all over Europe with many of their best brew-houses, and its happening here in the U.S. too.  The more it happens, I think, the more the artisan beers will lose their character. 

4. What do you think is one of the most overlooked beer producing nations-who has surprised you?

There have been a few surprises abroad; though in the way of individual breweries rather than countries as a whole.  Most notable are Moa Brewing Co. from New Zealand, Hitachino from Japan, Cucapa Brewing Co. from Mexicali, Mexico, and Baladin from Italy. More surprising, however, has been the style of sour as the great frontier in beermaking today.  They have been around for a very long time, developed in the Lambeek region of Belgium, but have begun to really emerge as of late.  We at the Kettle have quite taken to this style, the reason we have been increasing our selections.  We always have a sour on tap, and a growing selection by the bottle.

5. How do you think San Francisco compares to NYC, when it comes to setting trends in food and drink?

There have been a few areas where San Francisco has set the trend in food and drinks (most notably the Slow Food Movement led by Chez Panisse, as well as speakeasy-like bars like Bourbon and Branch).  In general, however, it seems that New York often leads the way in this industry.  We at the Monk’s Kettle has seen this specifically with the gastropub trend that is fairly established in NYC, while only getting started here in the San Francisco.  When we arrived in San Francisco years ago, we were surprised to find that a place like the Monk’s Kettle did not yet exist.  San Francisco is interesting in that there are an awful lot of restaurants and bars, but it seems that the percentage of places that are truly unique and/or providing an excellent product is too low to be considered a leader in the industry nationwide.  But we could be wrong about that—we spend too much time at our own place to get out much elsewhere.



Posted by Ed Cotton Mcmenamins has spent the last 30 years building a local empire in Oregon.

Starting out with brew pubs and moving onto hotels, wineries and a distillery. The brand remains true to its roots and exhibits a wonderful, infectious and quirky character that helps it to stand way apart from the boring franchise chains.

You find character in the names of its beers- Terminator and Hammerhead, in the design of its pubs and hotels and in its graphic design and in hotel rooms named after and dedicated to local musicians. Even its events pack the same quirky feel, from UFO festivals to acoustic sets from local musicians played in an eight-seat capacity bar.

Great stuff.

Mcmenamins is a testament to what nurturing and sticking to your personal vision can create for a brand. It also shows that you can build a little empire without going national with VC cash and do it all in your own locale.

Thankfully, the brand hasn't taken a bucket load of cash from an international brewer to expand the concept globally because it would kill its charm. McMenamins remains Oregonian and in that lies its appeal.

Last week, I was fortunate enough to stay in the brand's Hotel Oregon, deep in the heat of wine country. I took some local quality pictures on my iPhone, which can be seen below.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Posted by Ed Cotton A well-known British actor gets his dream assignment, the chance to make a program about the perfect pint of beer.

Nice work if you can get it, but there's even more upside because the show is all about creating beer that actually makes it into production.

Apparently, leading grocery chain Sainsbury's is interested in carrying the new brand.

The integration here is fantastic, no bolt-on or add on association, but a deep education in the form of programing that becomes a three hour ad for a new brand.

Although, it will be tough for this fledgling brand to compete against the established players, the rich level of content and the emotional journey that the programming will take viewers on, will be so much deeper than any ad campaign from one of the leading brewers.

The challenge will be building and maintaining the momentum after the initial wave of coverage and PR.

However, it does show an opportunity for a new way to think about branded content.

What if Bud was to develop a new brew with a programming idea like this, rather than simply attach its name as a show sponsor or have featured product placement?

Obviously Anthony Bourdain, is the one guy who could do this in the US- let's see what he does next after the success of No Reservations.



Posted by Ed Cotton Most brewers focus their innovation around new taste, flavor and lightness profiles.

They focus on the beer itself, Heineken has done the same, but it's also created some interesting innovation in packaging and product delivery; the keg can and the draught keg are two breakthrough ideas.

In March of this year, the will launch take the delivery innovation a step further with the Beer Tender.


It's a home draught beer system developed in conjinction with Krups and others.

It's a great move on so many levels; it elevates the brand, it provides interesting interaction and engagement for the consumer, it has talk value and provides an entry point for dialog with the older segment of beer drinkers, who mainly drink beer at home.

It will be interesting to see how other brewers respond to this.


Posted by Ed Cotton How can something feel so wrong and so right?

"Building on a relationship between two Milwaukee neighbors that dates to Harley-Davidson's 90th anniversary celebration in 1993, Miller Lite will be the exclusive malt beverage sponsor of next year's Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Celebration.  The only light beer to win four gold medals in the bi-annual World Beer Cup's American-style Light Lager category, Miller Lite will feature a national summer promotion highlighting the Harley-Davidson affiliation."

It makes perfect sense, but then you think again and you are not so certain.

Of course, the partnership involves lots of safe driving activities, but the desired message Miller clearly wants to communicate is "rebel beer" and that's a little bit of a conflict.

Perhaps, this is a win-win for Miller because the more negative press they get the more rebellious the brand will seem.



Posted by Ed Cotton At one time, Heineken was the UK's best selling lager, much of this success was down to Lowe Howard Spink's memorable advertising campaign and the tagline- "Refreshes the parts other beers can't reach" that was known by every Brit.

However, by the early 1990s, the brand had started to falter, it was too popular for its own good. It had become a part of cultural landcape becoming had a "British" lager. Heineken was no longer special any more and people knew it. The brand had become tarnished, it was precieved as being weak and watery and consequently lost ground to more fashionable imports. By 2003, sales had slipped to just 20% of peak volume.

In 2004, Heineken did something radical in response to the situation. It changed the product, scrapping the original brew that was made in England and started importing product from Holland, the same beer that is sold in 170 countries around the world. In so doing, it gave up $800 million in sales just to protect the integrity of the brand.

In 2005, the brand stopped advertising on television and pushed funds into point of sale and sponsorship.

Now in 2007, Heineken is making a comeback. It's returning to television after a two year break and is looking to bring the brand strategy in line with the rest of the world. The goal is to bring a "continental style of drinking" to the UK. In addition to TV advertising, the company created a mobile 400 seat cafe that it will take to events to reinforce the new positioning. It's also making sure that the product is served correctly  and has hired a team of auditors to evaluate the performance of 5,000 bars over the next 12 months.

It remains to be seen if the re-introduction of Heineken in the UK market will be a success. However, it's an illuminating case study that shows sometimes it's worth taking a sales hit to protect the integrity of the brand and that patience is important if you want to re-stage right.