What Would YOU Do To Promote Your Brewery?

"Someone might point out the hygiene risk" said Ann "this is a food production facility"

"Yeah, OK, I can see your point" I was stood in the brewery with nothing on but a pair of boots "But in reality it would still take some effort to swing it so it touches anything important"

Ann looked down, it was quite cold "You're right" - she could see my point too.

We were discussing the pros and cons of our idea to raise a little bit of PR noise. My last post was a little negative, although it realistically details the current situation. We need to give ourselves a bit of a cash injection.

I could try to sell my body to raise a bit more money, but I suspect I'd probably make more money selling beer. As my children have all grown up and lead fairly independent lives it is too late to sell them. I need to consider doing whatever it takes to be able to buy more hops and malt. Ann was taking pictures of me naked with very little to cover any embarrassment. The whole situation being made somewhat harder by Ann reacting to my state of undress.

We need to raise the profile of Hardknott so that more people get to know about us and so buy more of our stunning beer. It is essential, to make enough noise to be noticed from our corner of Cumbria, to do things a bit more radical. This almost always causes some back-lash. The only way to mitigate this is to grow a bigger pair, swallow the criticism and be happy that profile raising has happened. After all, we might be Hardknott, but we're not soft.

It is therefore my intention to start to push out again with some risqué PR campaigns, which will undoubtedly upset some people, and likely put myself up for ridicule. However, I am determined to make the world realise that we do make great beer.

Charles Faram recently sent out some nice branded clocks. They asked brewers to take pictures of their clocks and submit them as ClockShots. Immediately the Fnar Fnar alarm sounded in my head. I simply had to get around to submitting my own version. It turned out that plucking up the courage to actually take my clothes off, get Ann to take the picture and then to submit it somewhat more troublesome.

And here it is. Obviously I'm scared that this is going to go viral, but then, that's what we need. Perhaps family and friends will be embarrassed. I think those closest to me, who know what we've fought for, and are still fighting to achieve will understand and I hope be supportive. So please, talk about that bonkers brewer at Hardknott. Perhaps you think I'm crazy, perhaps you think it's a step too far, perhaps you think 50 year old men shouldn't be posting pictures of their naked bodies on the internet. Whatever, retweet, share and comment. Call me what you want, because I can take it. Just buy my beer. If you don't, next time there will be no clock.

Having now done this, I am throwing down the gauntlet to other brewers. Who dares to do the same? Perhaps we should make a nude brewers calendar in aid of some charity or other? Who's up for it? After all, if a group of WI women can do it, why not a bunch of brewers? Calendar Brewers anyone?