We all need a place to get away from the noise

The title is a direct quote from my friend Todd Blume, owner of Paducah Beer Works in response to last weeks article. He said his hope for the future of our business is that “Beer can win.” I couldn’t agree more.

When I opened Colorado Boy, my intention was for it to be a gathering place where people could socialize with each other. I didn’t want any distractions, which meant no TV. The other important thing for me was no politics on display. Oh, sure our customers could talk about it all they wanted. Our country, it could be argued, has its original roots in arguments in pubs. But as a brewery owner, I get behind no candidate or party. Businesses must stay neutral. Not you personally, you should make your voice heard no matter what your political beliefs are. But the business needs to survive if you personally are to survive financially, let alone your employees. So why would a business decide to piss off half of their customers? I see it all the time. I remember a coffeehouse that had so many left-leaning posters and signs and I wondered what cowboy would feel comfortable in a place like that? During this crazy political season here in western Colorado, I rarely saw a Harris sign, but quite a few businesses were flying Trump flags. Before Biden dropped out, I saw business signs with Fuck Biden flags waving proudly to say, if you aren’t a Trump supporter, don’t shop here. Crazy.

Going forward there will be plenty of hot tempers, but we need places where we can get away from all that. Your local brewery - which is your local pub - is just such a place. This of course gets down to your Oyster and how you create that vibe in your tasting room. As I said, ixnay on the political posters, or MSNBC or FOX on your TV. People need a respite.

How wonderful after a long week or long day to meet your spouse or friends at the local pub where the lighting is just right, the music not too loud or too soft, the temperature warm and inviting this winter, and no stupid TV’s with political junk. Much better if there is a football game or old film noir movie being shown, or like Colorado Boy, no distraction from the person sitting in front of you at all.

Put the phones away, slow down, look someone in the eye and really talk. Offer the public one good place where they can relax from all the noise in our sped up world.

I swear next week I’ll get back to basics on how to build an affordable and profitable brewery. I’ll just take it slow this week and think about it.