Don't forget about the little guys

I get a chuckle hearing about Great Lakes Brewery running out of Christmas Ale. I find it amusing that a “micro brewer” like Great Lakes could be so arrogant as to forget about the little guys, the very companies who helped bring their product into the public eye in the first place. Cleveland Barhopper is an online bar search engine that in the past has pushed Great Lakes’ products on its website. When was the last time you saw an ad for their “Spring” seasonal brew running in any of our local media? I may be a little bitter not because of their beer (I admit that I enjoy Great Lakes brews), but because the Great Lakes marketing department just opted out of Cleveland Barhopper’s letter to bar owners and liquor companies asking about new products and events. I know they don’t need help selling Christmas Ale, but shouldn’t their marketing department be working with the media outlets and smaller pubs to push their next seasonal specialty beer?