It me, Mister Vaxx-a-million | Photo: Philly Bottles
Good morning from Fingers HQ! It’s me, your fearless Fingers editor Dave Infante. For those new subscribers who don’t know me—welcome, by the way!—I’m that husky mustache bathed in blacklight clutching a Narragansett you see above. Please always envision me this way. I’m a writer and journalist in Charleston, South Carolina, and I cover the beer business for VinePair.
Anyway! It’s been awhile since I’ve published a newsletter (I took a summer break, it was glorious, more details on that next week), and even longer since we’ve done a discussion thread. So I’d like to hear from subscribers, old and new, on the topic of *drumroll please* this very boozeletter!!! Specifically:
I guess what I’m wondering is… do you like any of that stuff? All of it? Some specific portions of it? Going into the fall, I’m hoping to get Fingers back on a more regular publishing schedule, and when I do, I’d like to try to incorporate elements of coverage that you, my beautiful and infallibly intelligent Friends of Fingers, want more of. To do that, I need to know what you want more of, includingsuchasforexample:
Original interviews with interesting drunks, hunks, and Belgian monks (the beer-making ones, at least)
Beverage business coverage aggregation, but in like, a not-boring way
Feature stories and reporting on labor conditions, marketing chicanery, political contributions, and other industry and cultural coverage
Podcast versions of my articles and interviews, because you hate reading
A Discord server so we can hang out online and share White Claw memes with each other
And so on, and so forth. Comment below with any ideas/suggestions/requests/demands, and I’ll respond. No wrong answers. I’d love to hear from you! — Dave.
I really liked that podcast where you read the 4Loko article, the Summer of Loko. I listened to it a couple times.
Also, that person below commenting on the supplemental material -- that's a great idea. That would be a way to share with people how you do your research and other info that didn't make the article but is still interesting.
I love all the information you provide about the Beer Industry. I'm on the West Coast and we've had a few independent breweries sell and change ownership. I love any and all information you provide on any and all of that. Also, Stickers!!! I missed out on the first few you made at the beginning of the pandemic. I'd love to get my hands on more of them and stick them at all my local watering holes to help promote Fingers.
To be honest I mostly read the newsletter for your voice. I think you should maintain it as a catchall for the random industry stories that have no home otherwise. A kind of curio for all your stray ramblings.
Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, I like the idea of treating it as kind of a repository for stray ideas, and I think to some extent I already subconsciously do that. I feel like the Q/As are a prime example of that because no one is paying for Q/As with interesting non-celebrities these days.
I'm onboard for all of the above and whatever else. In addition to pod recordings of articles, I'd be into short, supplemental pods that include supporting material for said articles.
Supporting materials, interesting. What do you mean by that, like a selected bibliography of links and books and shit from which I'm drawing my information?
Links and books would also be fun, but I meant moreso as a muse for audio content. Much like your Brewdog article followed by a great convo on STB, the supplemental conversation / discussion of the article is engaging and perhaps allows for a less-formal atmosphere for you to engage with your more-formal written content. To ride this Brewdog example home, I'm thinking a 30 minute pod with a short punk-investor interview, quick conversation with a source from the article, and maybe a brief headline digest relative to the topic would allow readers a means to dig in more.
I agree with above - you're fun to read and listen to. I will participate in the content however you choose to deliver it.
I see, so basically like a reporter's notebook type section, where I work in items that didn't make the final edit? I try do do some of that with in newsletters themselves, but I could definitely see that being interesting as a podcast, too. Ditto producing a deeper dive podcast with sources that brings the story to life, although that's substantially more production work. (Doesn't mean I can't do it, would just need to be a little more deliberate with it.) Thanks for the suggestion, and the kind words either way, man!
I really like the podcasts, you should do more.
Just like, me rambling? Or the audio versions of articles? Or original interviews? Please advise, king.
I really liked that podcast where you read the 4Loko article, the Summer of Loko. I listened to it a couple times.
Also, that person below commenting on the supplemental material -- that's a great idea. That would be a way to share with people how you do your research and other info that didn't make the article but is still interesting.
Yeah so audio reads, basically. I should start doing more of those, seems like people enjoy those. Got it.
All of the above
I love all the information you provide about the Beer Industry. I'm on the West Coast and we've had a few independent breweries sell and change ownership. I love any and all information you provide on any and all of that. Also, Stickers!!! I missed out on the first few you made at the beginning of the pandemic. I'd love to get my hands on more of them and stick them at all my local watering holes to help promote Fingers.
Right on, yeah I definitely gotta get another batch of stickers into production. Good thinking. Thanks for reading, Ruben!
I love messy drama, please give us a rundown of how Josh Mandel wrecked this brewery in Ohio https://twitter.com/Tylerjoelb/status/1429091614052519941?s=19
https://twitter.com/dinfontay/status/1429181953589317643
To be honest I mostly read the newsletter for your voice. I think you should maintain it as a catchall for the random industry stories that have no home otherwise. A kind of curio for all your stray ramblings.
Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, I like the idea of treating it as kind of a repository for stray ideas, and I think to some extent I already subconsciously do that. I feel like the Q/As are a prime example of that because no one is paying for Q/As with interesting non-celebrities these days.
I'm onboard for all of the above and whatever else. In addition to pod recordings of articles, I'd be into short, supplemental pods that include supporting material for said articles.
Supporting materials, interesting. What do you mean by that, like a selected bibliography of links and books and shit from which I'm drawing my information?
Links and books would also be fun, but I meant moreso as a muse for audio content. Much like your Brewdog article followed by a great convo on STB, the supplemental conversation / discussion of the article is engaging and perhaps allows for a less-formal atmosphere for you to engage with your more-formal written content. To ride this Brewdog example home, I'm thinking a 30 minute pod with a short punk-investor interview, quick conversation with a source from the article, and maybe a brief headline digest relative to the topic would allow readers a means to dig in more.
I agree with above - you're fun to read and listen to. I will participate in the content however you choose to deliver it.
I see, so basically like a reporter's notebook type section, where I work in items that didn't make the final edit? I try do do some of that with in newsletters themselves, but I could definitely see that being interesting as a podcast, too. Ditto producing a deeper dive podcast with sources that brings the story to life, although that's substantially more production work. (Doesn't mean I can't do it, would just need to be a little more deliberate with it.) Thanks for the suggestion, and the kind words either way, man!