I know it’s been 14 months. Shhh.

The thing you learn when you work for a startup is that it is all about building a brand while also making sure you’re creating something at a consistently high level. That’s hard. We’re fortunate at MadTree Brewing Co. to have a lot of wicked smart, wicked talented individuals who give it their all every day. That makes the hard stuff a little easier, but it also ensures that we are our toughest critics. All of that will lead to success in myriad forms at some point, as long as we stick to it.

For me in my role as a Global Can’bassador, having now settled a bit into a manageable schedule and ironing out the wrinkles of relocation, I want to work a little harder at the brand-building portion of what I do. It sounds crass and tastes cheap & metallic in my mouth to use that phrase – “brand-building” – but I don’t know of a better way to put it. You learn something about yourself and your company when you start selling your product outside of your backyard, in an insanely competitive and innovative marketplace. Columbus is such a region, full of smart folks, but with a widely varying degree of Beer Education. MadTree is recognized as a quality brewery, but not necessarily a sexy brewery. I said long ago that MadTree is the beer you marry – the rest are the ones you date. I think you’ll figure out what I mean in due time.

So, the moral at the end of the story is this: One of the things I’m going to do to help build the brand (both mine and MadTree’s) is to start a series of quick videos about beer that is both inclusive and educational. I’m a MadTree-first guy, but not MadTree-only. There’s a woeful lack of enthusiasm for great beer from many established breweries, simply because they’ve been around longer than 18 months and may or may not have paved the way for breweries like mine to even exist in the first place. I recognize that we stand on the shoulder of giants, and I want to make sure the Craft Beer Enthusiasts don’t lose sight of that. I’ll dig into that in a later post.

Let’s go.