Feeling righteous

There's confidence and then there's CONFIDENCE. 

And few businesses have the swagger of Stone Brewing, whose most famous beer brand is "Arrogant Bastard Ale.

But the name of the beer is just the start. As any fan of Stone will tell you, the labels on their bottled beers are where the fun starts. For example, the back-of-the-bottle screed on Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale starts with an in-your-face blast: "We're brewers whose substantial mettle and idiomatic approach to brewing allows us to consistently create works of art ..." 

"'Yes, we damn well know our stuff here at Stone, and it would be irresponsible of us not to acknowledge how remarkable this heavenly creation of ours is. Thus the name we are compelled to give it -- Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale -- serves as a reminder of just how good we are, in both liquid and verbal form." 

Love it.  

Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale is a beast of a double IPA with  8.7% alcohol by volume. It's a big beer that leaves your taste buds swimming in thought. 

Back to the bottle. The three-paragraph story -- whose small type is hard to read after downing a 22 oz bottle -- ends with Stone's own twist on saying thanks: "You may now revel in your own self-righteousness as you see fit with this glorious example of ours. You are genuinely welcome, as it is our pleasure." 

Is it over the top? Yep. Borderline obnoxious? Yep. Memorable? Oh, yeah. 

And that's the key: Stand out from the crowd, surprise your customers and leave a pleasant memory. If you're confident in your product and brand, sometimes you just have to push the envelope and see where it takes you. Unfortunately, too many businesses forget that a quality product doesn't necessarily equal a quality brand.