I was away this weekend at the Northern California Homebrewers Festival and — gasp — had no internet access for two whole days. As a result I missed the Wall Street Journal article about ethics among food bloggers that ran in Saturday’s paper entitled The Price of a Four-Star Rating. Luckily, more than a few people sent me a link to it (thanks, you know who you are) given my recent musings and ramblings on The Ethical Blogging Debate. There are certainly a few parallels to our own issues and it makes for interesting reading, assuming you enjoyed the initial forays into the subject here and at Stonch’s Beer Blog and A Good Beer Blog. There’s also a related WSJ article that lists ten popular restaurant review sites and their general ethical policies.
Interesting piece, thanks for posting it.
I personally am torn when I review a brew pub. On one hand I like to call or email them to let them know I’m coming. Often they will make the owner or brewmaster available to me which is incredibly helpful as my interest goes beyond the average dining experience to beer and brewing. I’ve never gotten a free meal although brewpubs love to give me pint glasses with their logo emblazoned on them. (I’m running out of room for all the glassware.) On the other hand I like to go in anonymously so I CAN get that average experience. I want to tell my readers what they can expect when they visit.
Free beer is quite another thing. I’ve gotten more 2-4 oz samples of beer than I can count and not a few free pints. Many brewpubs have ended the practice of offering free samples and instead offer six or so samples for about the price of a pint. But if you sidle up to the bar and chat up the tender you can usually get free samples. In those cases I typically reward the restaurant by ordering a meal or buying a growler and rewarding the tender with a generous tip.
Do I let this stuff affect my review? Hell no! Ultimately I’m writing for the reader and writing a dishonest or inappropriately glowing review would kill my credibility. The beer is always my main focus and I point out the warts when I see them. Brewers are used to this in fact most appreciate it and are realistic about their beer. When they enter beers in beer festivals and brewing competitions they do it as much for the tasters’ written reviews the festival often sends back to them as for the possible ribbons.
Those are good points. I don’t say who I am (if I do) until I am leaving and that is usually to say I really enjoyed myself. I don’t expect anything free from the event of visiting but that is mainly because I would be a bit embarrassed to suggest it – not because it is wrong but really just because I would be personally embarrassed. But if brewpubs, brewers or beer stores that I have enjoyed decide to put an ad on my blog, I am quite happy to take their money. I am quite happy to take any money to support my weakness…errr…journalistic efforts just as I am happy to receive books and beers to review. I suppose it would be best for all if I had a perpetual grant from the UN but that is not looking likely.