“Why isn’t there a television show about beer?”

It’s one of the most often asked questions amongst beer lovers overwhelmed with television shows about wine, cheese and cooking.

One of the prime reasons for a lack of good beer on our screens is that there is still little demand for good beer in our hotels and bottle shops. When more than 90 per cent of the beer consumed in Australia is fairly generic lager and most of the population, both beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers alike, see it as a commodity product with little story behind it, what reason would a TV executive have to commission a series about it.

This was one of the topics we discussed with Paul Mercurio on an episode of Radio Brews News this year. It comes as a surprise to many who primarily know him as ballroom dancer Scott Hastings, but Paul is a passionate beer guy. He homebrews, cooks with beer, has had his own beer label and would dearly like to develop another. Paul has also been hosting a foodie show called Mercurio’s Menu and, while it’s not about beer, he manages to work beer into just about every program.

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I was talking to Paul this week and it turns out that Mercurio’s Menu has been nominated for a Logie. It also turns out that just about every two-minute starlet has a PR company drumming up votes to try to convert their turn as some inconsequential soapie character’s little brother’s edgy girlfriend into a Logie and a long-term soapie career. I figured we should try and do the same for beer. If Mercurio’s Menu can win best lifestyle program, it will give him more scope to do more beer in future series – or even get a show up just about beer.

If you agree, get in and vote…you can do so here. Be warned, sweet baby cheeses there is some crap on TV. If you hadn’t already realised this, the voting form puts it all in one place for your amusement and horror. You need to wade through acres of dross and vote for people you have never heard of to get to Best Lifestyle Program, but remember – it’s beer, it’s worth it. It’s a virtuous circle: the more better beer that is on television, the more interest it will create. The more interest it creates, the more demand for good beer there will be. The more demand there is, the more demand for information about beer’s provenance and style there will be. The more demand for information, the more that TV execs will take suggestions about a dedicated beer show seriously.

Also, think about who you want to host that show: Logie winning lifestyle host Paul Mercurio who knows and loves beer…or Karl Stefanovic.

If you love beer, as they say, vote early and vote often!

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