Hop Heaven Homebrew
A study in the art and science of brewing beer.
Rogue Nation Crisis
Posted by on February 4, 2011
Today I received this e-mail from Rogue, which sealed the nail in the coffin of my dislike for their beers and their business in general…
I’m not sure what the presence or absence of “hoes” within the fictitious Rogue Nation has to do with craft beer but then again, I don’t really care, because I’m not buying their beer anyway. It’s just another in the long line of gimmicks Rogue has employed to build their brand’s sex appeal (or sexist appeal, in this particular instance). I mean, really? Free-range coastal water? “Rogue is a revolution…”? Rogue is arguably doing some things to advance the maturity of American craft beer, such as planting their own barley and hops, and listing the ingredients of their beers on each label. Then again so much of what they do is simply marketing. And this… did I say maturity? Who was the ad-wizard that decided women don’t drink beer? Perhaps Steve Swan was in the throes of an OREgasmic Ale bender when he sent this across the wire.
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Whoa! Back the truck up!
I think I sense a Rosanne Rosanadanna moment here…
They are actually talking about hoe’s. Generically as in H-O-E, a gardening tool. specifically they are talking about the Rogue Hoe http://www.roguehoe.com which is available in their gift shop and sort of an insider joke for those who follow the Rogue GYO (grow your own) Project. I happen to have one myself.
I understand the novelty of the Rogue Hoe but that doesn’t make the above “proclamation” any more excusable. It was still delivered tongue-in-cheek and it’s a sexist joke that disgraces the community of craft beer.