#Beer Production Expansion

[techdriveplay]

This Was Voted the Best Beer in the Country (Twice) and You've Probably Never Heard of It

The last two years though there’s been a new beer on the block that has taken the top spot and they really have come out of ‘nowhere’.

Every year since 2008 thousands of Aussies lodge their vote as to what their favourite beer of the year is. This vote is then whittled down to a top 100 list, famously known as the GABS (Greatest Australasian Beer SpecTAPular) Hottest 100 Craft Beers. GABS is also known for throwing its annual craft beer festival around the country. Where the country’s best beer brewers showcase their finest…

[fleuraimer]

Something with dumbification, please!! Anything from the smut starters would be amazing

oooh ok coming right up! kinda made my own prompt/au for this so hope u like nonnie <333

wc: 1.6k

cw: smut. minors dni. 17+. alcohol consumption. d/s dynamics. oral (m receiving). dacryphilia. degradation&dumbification kink. pet name bunny. pls lmk if i missed anything!!

Y/N never thought she'd find herself intertwined with the likes of a biker gang.

They say love makes people do crazy things, though.

"C'mere, Bunny!" Bucky shouts over the commotion swirling through his house, cold neck of a beer bottle clutched in his large, tattooed hand. She glances at him from her spot by the television, where she'd been conversing with the other girlfriends' and female members. Though, suddenly their once riveting topic of conversation is no longer interesting to her.

She knuckles out of her position sat between Peggy, Steve's girl, and Natasha, another member, on the couch with a half-hearted mumble of departure—a departure met with hootin' and hollerin' from her girls', cheering her on in her rousing endeavors. She throws them a desperate look over her shoulder, something that surely reads as please, shut the hell up. They snicker amongst themselves, but otherwise leave her be.

The excitement running through Y/N's body—butterflies with flower petals for wings, fluttering—blooming—soft in her stomach, strays squeezing their way into her throat, stuttering her words—is solely a product of the man beckoning her. She's practically skipping over to his place by the pool table, cue clasped in the hand not holding his beer.

Her enthusiasm is decidedly muted, no less—forcibly subdued—when her approach comes to stop in front of him, hands cradled behind her back, lashes fluttering with her demure gaze peering up at him from underneath. She bites her lip to suppress a giddy smile.

"Hi, Bucky," she mumbles to him as his fist—fingers still clutching the neck of the bottle—moves to her waist, along the side, up to the expanse of her back over her cherry red, tight blouses, through the space between her arms and arching back. He tugs her into him, making her stumble over her feet—legs like Bambi's, just like her eyes, button nose, and pretty, sweet lips—and fall into his chest. Her fingers unfurl from behind her back to swing in front and grip at his pecs, steadying herself there.

He smiles down at her, fond, "Hi, Bunny."

They're pulled from their little bubble when a hand shoves into Bucky's broad shoulder.

"C'mon, Dude, y'brought her over here to help us, not eye-fuck 'er in front of everyone," his pool partner, Sam, groans exasperatedly, though her throws Y/N a sly wink over Bucky's shoulder. She smiles, and shakes her head at his pointless antics.

Bucky sets his drink, harder than necessary, on the ledge of the pool table. Starts to turn, with this ridged, irate look in his eye that has Y/N bringing her hands up to keep his shifting shoulders facing her, not keen to wipe blood from his knuckles.

"He's teasin'," she whispers to him, right hand sliding up the thick of his neck, to his ticked jaw to cradle, thumb soothing over his chiseled cheek. He barely flits his gaze to her's before he's trying to spin out of her hold again—iron-clad, surprisingly, for someone so Bambi-like.

"He's fuckin'—"

"Teasin'," she says again, firmer this time. She brings his eyes back to her's, "What'd you need me for?" Bucky looks at her with that same indignant spark, merely dulled, and his shoulders sag with defeat.

"What was it y'was tellin' me 'bout the other day, the law of— 'f inflection?"

Y/N snorts, smile curling at the edges of her lips, but she can't help the flutter in her heart at his words. He'd been listening, remebered even—incorrectly, but, it's the thought that counts—what she was talking about when she'd been prattling on and on, mindlessly, about her latest physics assignment.

"The Law of Reflection?" She mutters up to him. He nods cartoonishly, and her smile widens. She reaches for his pool cue, "May I?"

He offers her the cue and then lifts his hands in surrender, smirk hinting at his mouth. "S'all yours, Bunny."

She takes the cue and turns on her heel to face the pool table, unfazed by the many eyes surrounding her, watching the game between Sam and Bucky, and Steve and Tony unfold.

"The Law of Reflection states that when light reflects off a smooth surface, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence," she assesses the position of each pool ball still sat on the table. "Stripes?" she mutters to her biker, getting a rumbling grunt in response. She nods, and bends to lean against the table, lining the cue up with a ball. "In other words, if you hit the ball into the ledge at a 60 degree angle—" she shuts one eyelid, focuses on the projection in her mind, mumbles just loud enough for those around her to hear, "—it should bounce back off at the same angle," and gives the ball a sure nudge. It rolls into the side of the pool table at said 60 degree angle, and bounces off the exact same way, opposite direction, directly into the middle left pocket. She smiles to herself, and stands to her full height, "Simple."

It was most certainly not simple, if the confounded looks gracing the faces of every biker listening to her mini lesson is anything to go off of. She only cares about one biker, though, and turns to face him immediately after finishing her presentation.

"Y'get it?" she chirps, going where Bucky guides her as he wraps his arm back around her waist, pulling the pool cue from her hand.

"Yeah, Bun, I got it," he smiles at her, pressing a kiss into her temple. He doesn't get it, but he knows if he drags her over here next week to do it all again, she'd explain it with that same pretty smile on her face. "Smart girl, is that what them fancy college courses been teachin' you?"

She smiles sheepishly, nods.

He drops his head down to her height, lips to the shell of her ear. "Tryna make me look stupid n'front 'f my boys?"

The deepness of the infliction of his tone—something reserved for her, dark and in need a satiating, raw and searching for a place to reside, a cave of refuge, a hole—heightens her senses and makes them all fuzzy in the same moment.

Her lashes flutter, eyelids suddenly heavy.

"N— No, Bucky! Never."

"Hmm," he hums, dismissive. The hand pressed to the small of her back slips lower, down to the swell of her plush ass, gripping, squeezing. "You'll jus' have't make it up t'me later, won't you, Bunny?" He knocks his knuckle under her chin, pool cue shifted as far from her face as possible, to make her look at him.

She nods, eyes flitting down to his soft lips. "Yes, Sir."

He pats her bottom twice, "Good girl, now go back there to y'girl's, Bunny, and sit pretty f'me."

——

On her knees, hands folded behind her back, with his cock shoved down her throat, is how she makes it up to him.

"Tell me, Bunny," he grunts, fingers dug into her scalp, dragging her mouth along his tongue, spit-slicked lips sucking, spit-soaked tongue petting, laving against the girth of his shaft, stretching the corners of her mouth, straining.

"Hmph hmm," she noises, eyes wet and lashes clumpy. He yanks her off with a stinging tug to her hair. Webs of drool cling from her mouth to the length of his cock as she pants, hiccoughs short breaths and claws into the flesh of her forearms. "Don' 'member, Sir," she whines, reaching to slip his cock back between her lips. He keeps her off by his grip in her hair, smirks all mean like when the tears bordering her lash line leak down to her rosy cheeks.

"Don' remember?" he croons, pressing a thumb past her parted lips. "C'mon, Bunny, think f'me—what happened to my smart girl?" She whimpers, melting into his hold, allowing him to move her—control her, like a puppeteer, fingers tangled in strings, steering their toy.

"Can't!" She cries after a brief moment of thought.

"Yes, you can," he groans, pulling her sweet, crying face into his cock, hips canting up to smear her pouting lips over the swollen, ruddy tip. "Tell me, Bun, tell me what y'been learnin' in all those fancy classes a'yours."

Her eyes roll back and her lashes flutter, tongue unfurling from her mouth, lapping at his hard cock. He moves a hand down to smack her cheek, not soft but not hard, just enough to bring her back.

"Fuckin' tell me, Bunny."

"Don' know!" she whines, lips downturned in a frown. "S'too hard, Sir, I don' know, can'— I can't—"

"Shh, shh shh," Bucky hushes her, reaffirming his grip in her scalp with one hand and fitting his other one to the curve of her jaw, bringing her back down on his cock, tip forced between her blubbering lips. He watches as the thick length of him disappears inside her soft, hot little mouth, groans long and low and deep as he sinks into her throat, head tossed back and Adam's apple bobbing as her button nose nuzzles into the sparse trail of hair at his navel. "Dumb Bunny," he mumbles sweetly as his head rolls forward, eyes fluttering to his smart, cockdrunk girl on her knees for him. "Little, useless thing, only good f'takin' m'cock in all y'tight holes, yeah?"

She gurgles something incoherent against him—mouth drooling, leaking over him, pooling at his full balls—that has his hips stuttering, cock forced farther (if that's even possible) down her throat while he moans from the vibrations of it, rocking through him, from the tip of his cock to the tips of his toes.

"Shit!" he curses, chest starting to shake with a soft laugh. "S'a good girl; forget y'fancy homework but y'always r'member how't suck m'cock, don'chu Baby?"

She nods from under his oppressing grasp on her hair.

He snorts, "Yeah, my dumb fuckin' bunny."

——

a/n: bang! bang! slumber party continues!! hope u like :))

not edited/proofread!!

[yourfavoritewitchbitch]

Gator Tillman x Stripper!Reader

18+ Only! Minors DNI!

CW: Porn w/plot. AFAB!Reader. No use of Y/N. Pet names. Subby!Pathetic!Gator. Gator is lovesick. Mentions of past infidelity (no sex beforehand, but visits the reader on the regular). Girlfriend/ex-girlfriend talk. Oral (m receiving). Unprotected p in v. Creampie. Cocky!Gator at the end. Basically two toxic people.

WC: 4.7K (Oops!)

It had been a very productive night at The Tender Trap. You were just finishing up another set under the rush of the pink and red neon lights, gathering the falling tips by the bucket load as he walked in.

Looking as forlorn as ever, head hung low, his usually slicked back hair falling in and around his face and what looked to be a bruise forming under his eye.

You knew the look all too well. He ordered a beer at the bar and took his usual seat in the back taking up the entire bench, stretching his legs out still in uniform sans his kevlar and service weapon. For someone who liked to stay low key, he sure didn't know how to act the part.

You watched from the corner of your eye as his eyes trailed over you. Taking your time to slowly retreat into the dressing room, swaying your hips not bothering to cover your bare chest as you go.

You enjoyed making him wait, only making him more anxious and grumpy, all worked up just that way you liked.

As you sat at your small station reapplying your lipstick, one of the other girls walked in throwing a smirk your way.

“Your boy's out there looking for you.” She snickered.

“He's not my boy.” Replying flatly.

“You tell him that?” Laughing out, as you caught her reflection behind you.

No. You didn't have to tell him.

Gator Tillman only came around when he was fighting with his girlfriend though it seemed to be getting more frequent. You knew all the juicy, sorted details.

Finally emerging from the back, he was nursing his beer looking at the stage with his head tilted slightly, showing signs of boredom, thumb nail slowly peeling the label on his bottle.

Spotting you, his back stiffened sitting up a little straighter making your grin grow a little wider as you passed other patrons and ogling men vying for your attention.

His eyes remained steady on the stage as you sauntered over, trying to stay aloof as if he weren't here just to see you, pointedly avoiding your sultry gaze.

“Took you long enough,” he sassed, taking another swig of his beer as you sat down.

“Oh, I'm sorry Tillman. Did I keep you waiting?” Sassing right back. “Didn't even realize you were here.” Clicking your tongue.

“Nah, sweetheart, not at all. Enjoyin’ the view, drinkin’ a beer. What more could a guy ask for?” He grinned into the bottle, still looking away from you.

Your hand glides across the top of the padded bench seat, grasping his thigh making him choke on his next swig, quickly pulling the bottle from his lips wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

The glare he sent your way only made you giggle before you spoke.

“What're you in for tonight? Need a chat…” your fingertips tiptoed up the expanse of his thigh, watching as his breath hitched. “Or a little something more?” Licking your lips in anticipation of the inevitable answer.

He pushed your hand away, setting the beer down.

“Can we at least go to the back before ya’ start gettin' all handsy?” He hissed out, finally looking at you.

You scoff, rolling your eyes.

“What’s your problem? Not like your girlfriend or daddy would ever set foot in here.” Getting up as you spoke.

He lightly grabbed your wrist, preventing you from leaving his space.

“Don't. It's just… ya’ know how it is.” Deflecting. His go to before you can get him relaxed.

“No, I don’t know. But,” sighing and melting into his touch. “Come on, you can tell me about it.”

His hand trailed down, gripping yours, letting you pull him up as his large fingers wrap around yours. You'd thought numerous times about how they might feel wrapped around your neck or stuffed inside your greedy cunt.

He held tight, following you into the back, watching the way your ass looked in nothing but the thong you wore, thighs pushed out with the way your tights were digging into the plush of them. He was already hard, anticipation thrumming through him as you led him down the small hall to a private room.

It was a revolving cycle. He'd either fight with his girlfriend or on some occasions, his dad, and come find you. You were a stress relief, a way to blow off steam without any judgment.

Yeah, you might cost him an arm and a leg but you were worth it.

You stopped momentarily, whispering something to the bouncer he couldn't quite discern over the thumping base and loud music this close to the stage. The guy nodded, as you looked back and began to lead him once more, taking him down a hall where the music began to fade.

“Want another beer before we get started?” Calling over your shoulder, an almost predatory toothy grin thrown his way.

“Nah,” answering quickly. It was always the same. He wasn't interested in drinks or waiting any longer.

You enter the very last room at the end of the hall. The same red walls as the club with a small couch situated at the far end and a pole in the middle. The music was filtering in through speakers hung in the corners.

He continued past you making his way over to the couch as you locked the door. Much like in the bar, he took up most of the space. Wide and domineering.

“You never answered me out there. What're you in for tonight?” Taking long, slow strides toward him.

“I don't really wanna talk tonight.” He huffed out, as you stopped short in front of him standing between his legs.

“Someone's really grumpy.” Tilting your head, hands slowly moving up his chest to his shoulders moving your face close to his, nails digging slightly into the leather of his jacket as you trailed small kisses across his jaw.

You pulled back, gripping his chin forcefully making him look up at you.

“That little girlfriend of yours piss you off that bad?” You chuckled, but he found no amusement in your words, moving out of your grasp with a pout. You found him adorable when he was pissed.

“Poor baby,” you tsked. Pushing up and away from him. Giving him a nice sway of your hips as you walked toward the pole, gripping it and spinning back around.

“Now, Gator, how long have we done this little number? Huh? You still trying to play coy?” You began dancing to the rhythm of the music filling the room as he watched you but stayed silent.

“I know when something is bothering you.” You spoke as you continued to dance. He had to adjust himself, cock now straining in the constricting fabric of his cargos, almost painfully.

“If you don't tell me now, you know it'll just eat away at you. You can't even have any proper fun.” Dropping to the floor, crawling toward him at an agonizing pace, never taking your eyes off of him.

You slowly sat in between his legs, hands splayed on either side of his thighs so close to his length, he let out a shuttering breath as you began to lightly outline his cock with your fingertip, feeling it kick up beneath your touch.

Your number one rule was that you never fucked a client. No matter what. Each time you saw him, it became harder and harder not to give in. The way he would fall apart for you drove you absolutely crazy. He was pathetic, in all the best ways.

You laid your head on his thigh, looking up at him through your lashes.

“Gator, baby, tell me what's wrong. You'll feel so much better once you get it off your chest.” Your fake pout and doe eyes were too much.

“Fine. Fuck!” He threw his head back, exasperated because this little game you played wouldn't end until you got what you wanted.

“We fought. Again. We… I… broke up with her.” He sighed, unwilling to meet your gaze.

“Oh.” You lifted your head at that, standing to straddle his lap, legs on either side of his. Shifting to accommodate your frame as you sat down, immediately grinding your hips into his.

“Yeah…” coming out all breathy, as he hesitantly placed his hands on your hips.

“Poor baby,” continuing to move your hips across his lap, his cock hard against you with each pass and swirl igniting something within your own core.

“She… she wanted to get married and I didn't. It would have never worked out. She's just so different from… me.” What he had wanted to say was you. In the back of his mind, he knew this little thing between the two of would never really work out either. He was infatuated with the thought of you. Outside of the club he didn't know anything about you.

“That's such a shame.” Your own words coming out a little breathy, leaning close to his ear, lips pressing right under his jaw. You knew you shouldn't but you pressed in further lips sucking lightly, testing his reaction. When a small whimper escaped him, you only sucked harder, leaving a small mark behind.

His cock twitched, hips bucking up as he pressed you further down searching for more friction, blunt fingertips digging into your soft flesh. You had to bite your lower lip, suppressing a moan before it slipped out. It would be too easy to slip him out of his pants and slide down his shaft, feeling your own wetness pooling in your skimpy thongs, sticking to your folds.

Something, if you admitted to yourself, you'd also thought about numerous times. You'd heard the rumors. You'd felt his cock and knew it was big.

“You like that, Gator? Want me to mark you up? Let that little girlfriend and daddy know what you really like? What you've been up to?” You licked his pulse point, debating on sinking your teeth into his bared throat.

“Yeah.” He huffed out.

“Oh, Gator.” You pulled back, taking a hard look into his eyes. Glossed over, pupils taking over his mossy irises, now almost black.

“You'd regret it in the morning. I'm sure she'd see you and cry and you'll apologize and she'll take you back.” You chuckled, pushing off his chest slightly but he had a firm grip on your hips.

“I won't regret it.” He gritted out, nose to nose with you, lips daring to ghost over yours. “Don't you see what you do to me? I'd let you do anything to me.” Bucking his hips again for emphasis.

You'd done this cat and mouse a dozen times, always ending the same. You'd dance for him, grind on his cock all the while letting his hands roam over your hips and thighs, and even that was pushing it while trying to maintain a level of professionalism. But you always made it fun. He could vent while you'd take his mind off of whatever was bothering him, making him cum in his pants and sending him home.

“I know you would.” Taking his hands and shoving them off your waist. “But I have a rule and I'm not about to break it for you.”

Standing and striding back over to the pole, leaving his mouth gaping to stare after you.

“Why not?” He asks earnestly. As you begin to sway with the song, his eyes suddenly drifting down your hips and legs as if mesmerized by the small movements.

“You know I don't fuck clients. Period.” You shrug, turning back to him. “Even if you are a newly single man, if that's even true.”

He tilts his head for a moment, regarding you.

“You don't think I see the way ya’ look for me in the crowd when you're dancin’ up there? Or try to hold back those moans when you're back here alone with me?” He quickly rose, closing the distance between the two of you, suddenly nose to nose with him again.

“Darlin’ I think,” nose nudging yours. “You want me as bad as I want you. Tell me I'm wrong.” Hands finding your sides once more, bringing you flush to him.

Your hands found their way to his chest, to steady yourself, knees almost going weak at his insinuations. Had you been too distracted letting your facade slip? Had he seen right through you? You weren't sure but he seemed to be quickly gaining the upper hand, which simply would not do.

“Gator, baby, I think you're sadly mistaken. I try to make everyone feel like they're the only ones in the room. It's part of the show.” It slightly gnawed at you, watching the way he deflated at your words, lips pouted and eyes down turned, so utterly pathetic when he's sad.

“Go sit on the couch.” Patting his chest as he stepped away, giving yourself a reprieve in the process.

He sighed behind you, plopping back down on the faux leather seat sinking further into the cushion as you wandered back over taking up residency in his lap once more, facing away from him this time.

You swirled your hips, cock pressed hard against your ass.

“Little help?” Looking over your shoulder at him, wiggling your back. His fingers skimmed up, sending a wave of goosebumps across your skin, as he untied your top.

Lifting it above your head, you rose back up, throwing it across the room and turned back around to face him planting your knees on either side of him. Tits now eye level with him but he was looking up at you instead, making your cheeks heat. Why the fuck was he looking at you like that?

You sat back in his lap, hands roaming up the expanse of his clothed abdomen and chest as you leaned back into him, lips grazing his ear as you spoke.

“Okay Gator, maybe I have thought about you and what this big, fat cock could do to my pussy.” Grabbing his bulge for emphasis, squeezing him through his pants as he released a breathy moan.

“So, I-I was right?” You pulled back to look at him, shit eating grin across his face, eyebrow raised in your direction.

“Don't get cocky, or I'll stop this before we even get started.” Quickly shooting back, as he nodded.

“Good boy.” Hands gliding up under his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders, as he helped you pull it off and toss it somewhere across the room. “Now, lay back and relax.”

Some shitty country song was playing but you found your rhythm anyway, grinding against him. His eyes drifted to your breasts, down to where your clothed pussy rubbed against his cock.

“You fucking anybody on the side or was it just virgin Mary?”

He looked a little surprised by your question.

“Just her, but uh, it's been a while.” Sheepishly answering, cheeks suddenly tinged the prettiest shade of pink.

“Ok, good. I don't have any condoms, unless you brought one?” He shook his head. “I'm clean and on the pill. If you still want to do this.”

“Fuck yeah.” He nodded enthusiastically before you grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up at you.

“Undo your belt and pants. I want to see what I'm working with.” He didn't need to be told twice, hands quickly going to work, pulling his pants and boxers down just enough for his cock to spring free, laying between the two of you. He was much bigger than you initially anticipated. Eyes going a little wide with surprise.

He was long, and thick with a ruddy tip, already leaking a pearly bead at the slit. You licked your lips and looked back up to his smug face.

“Ya’ okay darlin’?” Finding a little humor in your sudden stupor.

Quickly flipping your demeanor smirking up at him, devilish glint in your eye as you moved from his lap to the floor settling between his thighs.

“It's a lot bigger than I expected, Gator. I'm not sure you'll fit.” Looking up through your lashes at him, laying it on nice and thick.

“Fuck, y-ya’ don't think so? My gi… my ex always said it hurt too much. Couldn't get more than half before she was cryin’.” You could imagine. His poor little girlfriend didn't realize what she was getting into with him.

You were anything but a good girl, moving closer to his raging erection and pursing your lips letting saliva pool before spitting it onto his shaft.

“Fuck!” He hissed out looking down at you with hooded eyes, as you gingerly wrapped your hand around him letting your thumb swirl at his head collecting his precum before spreading it down his cock and back up.

He squeezed his eyes shut, throwing his head back onto the couch. If he was this far gone from just a touch you weren't sure he would make it to the big finale.

“Eyes on me, big boy.” Squeezing at the base, eliciting his attention as he looked back to you.

“That's it. Couldn't let you miss this.” Saying with a salacious grin before sticking your tongue out to lick from his girthy base all the way up to his tip. The way he whimpered caught you off guard, sending a fresh wave of arousal straight to your already soaked cunt.

Your eyes never left his as you closed your lips around his leaking head, swirling your tongue and humming around the taste of him.

“Mmmm, Gator you taste so good. Did… what's her name ever do this for you?” You asked, it suddenly occurred to you that he'd never said her name out loud.

He shook his head, swallowing thickly, “No. She thought it was too…” trailing off.

“Too what? Dirty?” Kitten licking at his head before finally taking him fully into your mouth, surprising him as his hips bucked up, shoving him further down your throat, making you gag momentarily, before relaxing taking him a little further.

“Oh fuck… shit… that's… goddamn you're a dirty fuckin' girl.” He gritted out, eyes rolling back, all semblance of composure now gone as you began to bob your head, hollowing your cheeks with your hand stroking what your mouth couldn't fit.

“Wait… wait… slow down,” he suddenly huffed out. Trying to catch his breath, as you stilled and pulled off with a slick pop.

“Too much?” Looking back up at him with doe eyes and lips glistening with his arousal.

“Fuck… just fuck me… please?” He sounded pathetic; brow pinched with frustration at his pleading words. “I've thought about this for way too long. I want yo-your pussy.”

“What a needy baby.” Standing back up and planting yourself back on his lap. Just a thin layer of fabric separating the two of you now as you straddled his cock, feeling the heat of him pressed against you.

He leaned in, lips searching for yours, but you pulled back, hands on his chest holding him there.

“No kissing.”

“You'll fuck me raw but draw the line at kissin’?” Confusion flashing across his features.

“Yeah Tillman, I can't have you falling in love with me. This is a one time thing.” You giggled, pulling his hands up and placing them on your breasts as you began to move your hips, dick catching your clit, eliciting a moan from your lips but you didn't hold back this time letting it escape.

“Ya’ sound so pretty. Can I?” You looked back at him as he nodded toward your boobs still held in his hands.

“Can you what? Use your big words.”

“Can I suck your tits? They're so perfect an’ pretty. You're so fuckin' pretty.” Watching the way he kneaded them between his calloused hands as he spoke.

“Go ahead.” He quickly ducked his head, hand trailing to your lower back pressing you further into him as he sucked one of pert nipples into his mouth, swirling his tongue before lightly biting, making you arch into him before he switched to the other side giving it the same attention.

While he was mildly distracted, you took the opportunity to reach down and slide your panties to the side exposing you fully to him, grinding down once more. He popped off, almost breathless looking down between the two of you.

Wasting no time, you raised yourself up, guiding him to your entrance, letting his tip catch slightly looking him in the eye. You both looked a little desperate.

“You sure you want to fuck me, Gator? This dirty, little stripper? You could go back to your girlfriend right now.” The last part came out a little breathy when you sank down a fraction, but it was enough to slightly short circuit your brain.

“Please.” Slipped past his lips so quietly, if you hadn't been looking directly at him you would have missed it.

You watched his eyes roll back, as you began to slide down his aching cock, moans from both of you filled the air. Inch by inch, you took him further than he had imagined anyone could. If you weren't so soaked and horny you knew it would be a stretch for you.

His hands found your waist, grip tight as he dug into your supple flesh as you continued to sink further onto him.

As you neared the base, his girth began splitting you open in the best possible way as you stilled your movements, giving yourself a moment to adjust.

He refused to open his eyes, as good as it felt, he was afraid if he looked at the way your pussy had engulfed him, he'd burst right then and there.

You saw the way he held an almost pained expression. His jaw was slack, breathing heavily, already absolutely wrecked.

Moving your hips back up, removing him almost entirely, cock head staying buried in your tight heat, you swirled your hips slightly before working back down.

“Oh my God! Fuck!” He all but cried out, whimpering when you took him a little deeper this time, halting when his cock all but nudged at your cervix.

“Fuck! You're so deep!” You moaned out, grabbing his hand, pressing it to your lower abdomen. “Bet you can feel yourself in there? Huh?”

“Jesus Christ!” He hissed, finally looking down to where the two of you connected.

“No, just me, Gator.” You laughed, pushing his hand away, as you started bouncing lightly at first. His cock massaging your inner walls with each delicious up and down motion.

The way your walls were sucking him in, constricting around him with each pass he wasn't going to last long. Luckily, neither were you. You'd worked both of yourselves up into a fevered frenzy, ready to combust.

His cock was brushing that spot deep within you as you slowed down your movements. Grinding more than a bounce, the patch of hair at the base of his cock catching your clit with each pass igniting that spark in your lower belly. You closed your eyes, letting the feeling take over.

“You want me to cum all over your cock?” You rushed out, hand snaking up, pulling at the locks at the back of his head.

“Yes! Oh, fuck!” He whined out, not sure where his eyes should land, switching between your blissed out face, bouncing tits and back to where your pussy was staking claim to his dick. He was ruined.

Your moans grew louder as you neared your impending release, no longer able to stifle them as you continued to ride him.

His grip on you getting harsher with each passing second, sure to leave finger shaped bruises behind as he grew more desperate.

You felt that white hot heat pooling in your lower belly, as his cock continued to prod up against that spot along your frontal wall that made you see stars. You worked your pelvis a little more back and forth, feeling it again and again with each grind.

“Ahhh! Fuck! Gator, I'm… I'm…” You couldn't get the words out before you started to come undone. Your cunt clamped down around him, practically strangling his cock as he held tight to you, holding your hips steady as he began to fuck up into your tight heat, working you through your release and chasing his own.

Your fingernails dug into his shoulders, as you continued to moan and writhe atop him, trying not to collapse, as he used you like his own personal fuck toy.

A few more sloppy thrusts and he pulled you down on him, crying out as he practically impaled you on his length. He felt his balls tighten while letting out a guttural moan as his release spilled into your tight channel, a few more weak thrusts and he dropped his hands.

Too spent, you didn't move right away as you both sat there, chests heaving, trying to catch your breath.

“Shit,” you growled, knocking you both from a peaceful afterglow. You were seven minutes over his time and lucky that no one had started looking for you yet.

You peeled yourself away from him, hissing as he slipped out of you and pulled your thong back into place.

“Why the rush darlin’?” He asked, adjusting himself back into his pants and sitting up.

“You're over your paid time with me, Gator. This isn't a fucking hangout. Let's go.” Finding his jacket on the floor and tossing it directly at his chest as you pulled your top back on.

You reached for the handle once he had straightened himself up, throwing his jacket back over his shoulders.

“Hey, wait.” He called out before you turned the knob. “You goin’ back to work?”

“After that?” You snorted at the absurdity of it. If you didn't get to the dressing room, he'd be dripping down your leg. “Hell no, I've made enough tonight. I'm going home.”

“Yeah, that's good.” Nodding his head. “Ya’ need a ride?” Looking at you a little hopeful after what had just transpired.

“Gator Tillman, such a gentleman?” You chuckled. “Look, we don't have to do this. It was just sex, that you practically paid for. I'm not your girlfriend, I'm just a good time.” You winked at him, turning the handle but before you could open the door, he was behind you, arm outstretched above your head, palm pressed heavy into the wood.

You looked back at him, wondering if you'd suddenly said something wrong but that shit eating grin was back as he looked down his nose at you, eyes full of mischief.

“Thought I'd try to be nice, instead of just suggestin’ I could take you somewhere and bend you over the bed of my truck. But ya’ don't seem to like nice.” His words traveling straight to your core.

“Good to see that cocky demeanor is still intact, Tillman, but I told you this was a one time thing.” You smirked, pushing at his chest enough to get the door open and slip out, leaving him a little stunned. He watched you disappear down the hall, sighing as he made his way back to the front to pay the rest of his tab.

Once you made it to the dressing room you didn't bother cleaning up, pulling off your tights and throwing on some shorts and a tank top while haphazardly tossing your belongings back into your bag as you quickly exited the back.

You knew you'd fucked up. That lovesick look in his eye told you everything. You could eat this man alive, and he would smile while letting you. All without knowing your real name.

But it's just a little fun, right? What's a little more? You'd already broken your first rule, why not make the most of it?

Pleased to see you'd made it outside first, you propped yourself up against the wall close to the alley and lit a cigarette watching the front.

He finally stepped out, keys in his hand walking over to his truck. When he turned his back, that's when you finally spoke.

“Hey, Tillman!” He quickly turned; eyes wide as you strode up to him. “You still offering that ride?”

Tagging some mooties that might be interested: @hellfirenacht @thecreelhouse @xxbimbobunnyxx

[haggishlyhagging]

Caliban and the Witch, the title of Silvia Federici's book, refers to a character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest, a deformed and dark-skinned creature, the son of a witch, as ugly morally as he is physically hideous, whom the sorcerer Prospero describes as a "poisonous slave" and "thing of darkness." Caliban represents the slaves and colonized peoples whose exploitation, like that of women, enabled the initial accumulation of capital necessary for capitalism to flourish. But the enslavement of women ran in parallel to yet another enslavement, to which it was perhaps even more closely connected: that of nature. This is the thesis developed in 1980 by the ecofeminist philosopher Carolyn Merchant in The Death of Nature, a work conceived as complementary to that of Federici. Merchant examines how, during the Renaissance, the intensification of human activities, requiring vast quantities of metal and wood, as well as great expanses of arable land, which altered the Earth's physiognomy to a previously unseen degree, also entailed an equally massive recasting of our mental horizons.

The old view conceived the world as a living organism, often figured as a nurturing maternal presence. Since antiquity, particular opprobrium was reserved for excavatory mining, which, in texts by Pliny the Elder, Ovid and Seneca, was considered an act of aggression driven by greed (for gold) or blood thirst (for iron ore). In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, lust was added to the roster, and such mining was denounced by poets including Edmund Spenser and John Milton, who described it as a rape of the Earth. The imagination of the time saw "a direct correlation between mining and digging into the nooks and crannies of a woman's body." The mine itself was analogous to the vagina of Mother Earth, and the cavities where metals lay hidden became her uterus. Having gradually grown untenable, these ancient views were replaced by others that, in stripping out our sense of the world as a living body, dissipated all such old scruples and would eventually allow untrammeled exploitation. Similarly, the new commercial frenzy demanded unheard-of quantities of wood for building wharves, bridges, locks, barges and ships, but also for the production of soap, beer barrels and to make glass. This gave rise to the first hint of concern for managing nature in its guise as a "resource": in Venice, in 1470, a law was passed that henceforth the town's arsenal, and not its other authorities, would organize oak felling. Merchant sums up the new scene that emerged:

“As European cities grew and forested areas became more remote, as fens were drained and geometric patterns of channels imposed on the landscape, as large powerful waterwheels, furnaces, forges, cranes and treadmills began increasingly to dominate the work environment, more and more people began to experience nature as altered and manipulated by machine technology. A slow but unidirectional alienation from the immediate daily organic relationship that had formed the basis of human experience from earliest times was occurring.”

The mechanistic view which took over allows for a "certain and consistent" knowledge of the world; the natural disorder of organic life gave way to "the stability of mathematical laws and identities." From now on, the world is viewed as dead and its matter as passive. The model of the machine and especially that of the clock is applied in every arena. In his Discourse on Method, Descartes likens animals to automata. Thomas Hobbes—who had probably heard about the first calculating machine, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642—compared reasoning to a simple series of additions and subtractions.

In this period, we see a phenomenon that Susan Bordo calls a "drama of parturition": a forced rupture from the organic and maternal world of the Middle Ages in order to step forward into a new world where "precision, clarity and detachment" rule. The human being emerges here "as a decisively separate entity, no longer continuous with the universe with which it had once shared a soul." Bordo sees in this a "fight from the feminine, from the memory of union with the maternal world, and a rejection of all values associated with it," replaced by an obsession with maintaining distance and demarcation. Guy Bechtel expressed it in other terms: the "machine for creating man anew" was just as much a "machine for killing women as they once were." With this arises a "super-masculinization of rational thought," a cold and impersonal "distinctively male cognitive style." This interpretation, Bordo stresses, should in no way be dismissed as a twentieth-century feminist fantasy: "the founders of modern science consciously and explicitly proclaimed the 'masculinity of science as inaugurating a new era. And they associated that masculinity with a cleaner, purer, more objective and more disciplined epistemological relation to the world." The English scholar Francis Bacon proclaimed it "a masculine birth of time."

The entire relationship between people's sense of themselves and the world around them is overturned. The body is rethought as separate from the soul—and repudiated: "I am not this assemblage of members which is called the human body," as Descartes wrote. Bordo reminds us that disdain for the body—often compared to a prison or cage—in Western philosophy goes back to ancient Greece, even though, as she explains, for Plato as for Aristotle, the body and soul were inextricably joined, the soul able to leave the body only at the moment of death. Descartes marks out new territory here: he turns body and soul into two fundamentally different substances. For him, the human mind "is altogether different from the body."

No longer perceived as a nourishing bosom, nature then became a wild and disorderly force which had to be tamed. And the same went for women, as Carolyn Merchant shows. Women were said to be closer to nature than men and more sexually excitable (the project of repression was so effective that, these days, women are considered to have a weaker sexual appetite). "The witch, symbol of the violence of nature, raised storms, caused illness, destroyed crops, obstructed generation and killed infants. Disorderly women, like chaotic nature, needed to be controlled." Once curbed and domesticated, both women and nature could be reduced to their decorative function, to become "psychological and recreational resources for the harried entrepreneur-husband."

-Mona Chollet, In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women are Still on Trial

[chainofclovers]

Ted Lasso 3x8 Thoughts

I’ve written all of these after seeing the episode only one time but I think this one might benefit from a rewatch more than anything else. Even if, unfortunately, this was absolutely my least favorite episode of this stupid wonderful show. (Or was it? What will a rewatch reveal to me?)

I have tried very hard not to have a lot of fun-time-ruining expectations about this Media Experience that has bewitched me since January fucking 2021. But I’ll admit that I had some serious expectations about the writing of this episode. Keeley Hazell and Dylan Marron! I was so excited to see what the ultimate Keeley Jones expert, the Keeley inspiration, the namesake herself, would have to say about this character. And actually, I thought Juno Temple got some really incredible material to work with, and I think she acted the living fuck out of this episode. I came away with a deeper understanding of Keeley’s character. A sense of who she is when she wakes up in bed next to someone who delights her. A sense of how it feels when someone she loves deeply disappoints and hurts her, and how it feels when someone she could have loved chooses a status over a human, and how it feels when someone she used to love holds himself accountable to her. 

There was so much about this episode that felt incredibly natural: 

everything about Juno’s performance 

the ways Jack is charming and tantalizing and expansive and the ways she’s small and cowardly and disappointing were perfect…wlw rep doesn’t happen in a vacuum of purity, this is wlw rep but this is also billionaire asshole rep this is venture capitalism rep this is richer-than-Rebecca-Welton rep this is manipulator rep

the perfect moment when Jade tells Nate to celebrate his victories after a lifetime of hearing his father shame him for taking pride in his successes

the anti-chemistry chemistry of Ted and Michelle and their long history

absolutely everything about Rebecca as lifeline and sense-talker for Ted (and soulmate…I’m so tired, but it just remains true that they’re fucking soulmates, and I hope they find out and I’m still pretty sure they will)

Beard in an apron making pancakes for his boys

Rebecca holding Keeley and telling her a possibly slightly exaggerated story about her introduction to masturbation to cheer up her beloved bestie

the utter pain of Roy being once again a very good person who has fucked up badly in a parking lot (this time with consequences)

Ted’s sweet little voices as he reads to Henry (and the WTF moment he has about himself after Henry has fallen asleep)

Last night my wife and I went out for a beer and broke down a bunch of these moments and how good they actually were, and how strange it was to have, honestly, a wealth of beautifully written and acted moments in an episode that really didn’t work for us. Because those highs made the lows seem so much lower. 

The locker room scene…I’ve watched anti-harassment and standards-of-business videos for my corporate job that are better than whatever that was. I understand what they were trying to do. And I understand that this is a story that has so much real-life crossover and is so incredibly important to get right and was probably so complicated and often painful to write that I feel very empathetic about the ways that all that pressure might have conspired to make this episode worse instead of better. I have no interest in judging those conditions, nor do I think it’s some big hilarious gotcha that this writer (well, writers) wrote about this topic. But I do have to judge the final product, which reads like a group of people taking turns saying things like “This is a bad thing in our society” and “Is it so bad?” and “Yes, fellow man, it really is that bad” and “But wait, why should I have any responsibility for this bad thing in our society?” and “Well, here is why you actually do have some responsibility for this bad thing in our society.” 

Even the Keeley-Rebecca scene wavers in and out, whereas normally a scene with those two is rock solid. They spend a lot of time explaining the societal conditions to each other instead of relying on the shorthand that two best friends would use to communicate. I mean, thank God Rebecca was totally with Keeley on this one—if she hadn’t been, that would’ve warranted something on the spectrum of lecture—but because she was, their exchange of lines about sexualization just had me feeling like I am watching a TV show about a very special issue, I am watching a TV show about a very special issue. 

Just as I’m not looking to Jack Danvers to convince a homophobe why bi people are cool (she could be the coolest most respectful gal in the world and she’s not gonna convince a bigot that queer people actually are great!), I desperately wish they’d taken a less heavy hand with this stuff. Keeley’s pain—her vehement lack of embarrassment, her disappointment—says it all. 

And I am so sorry to say that I feel like Brendan Hunt, who always, always knows when to dial it down and when to dial it up, when to bury and when to emote, dialed it way too far up when talking to Henry while Ted’s on the phone with Rebecca. I am a huge defender of how this show uses musical scenes; bring on the cheese, bring on the champagne bottle microphones, bring on the sing-alongs and heightened emotions and funeral rick rolls. Every other time a character has sung on this show, it’s been natural in the awkwardness and the slightly-outsized emotions and the inherent goofiness of it all. This time, they just could not create the right emotional conditions to earn this moment. I’m not going to give a detailed critique of a child's performance on a public website, but unfortunately I think this is a moment when the writers actually underwrote what Henry needed to say, because I’m mystified as to how he’s actually feeling and doing. Understanding those things is essential to understanding where this story is going, so I’m really upset that a huge chunk of information is missing now.

And that leads me to the incredibly unsettling ending. I had to be talked down off a ledge. I’m now pretty sure the ambiguities of how Ted and Michelle are around each other are about recognizing the ways they used to work, their common reference points, their knowledge of each other, while simultaneously experiencing yet another goodbye, yet another turning point in this (realistic, tbh) endless cycle of navigating the split. But I’m really struggling to understand Ted’s headspace in the final couple minutes of the show, whereas usually I feel like I’m practically living inside his brain as I watch. 

I’ve loved s3 so far. I always knew it would be as distinct a thing of its own just as much as s1 and s2 were distinct from each other. As much as I’d be enjoying a return to the specific magic of s1, it would be impossible and wrong and even irresponsible of them to try to recreate it, and I think it would fall flat, and so I’m glad I knew that would never be my experience with this season of TV. And yet it’s a little unnerving, even as this person who’s tried to keep my high expectations open-ended, to feel so bummed about 3x8. The conversation over that beer about all the really good stuff did make me feel better, because it reminded me that the really badly done parts of this episode were less about story than about the circumstances of the storytelling. To me, those circumstances make the clunkers more forgivable instead of less. But it was still disappointing.

Probably every Ted Lasso fan feels this way on some level, but I am having such a singular experience. I am a fifteen-year-old girl again, holed up in my room because “no one understands………why I feel the way I feel about Ted Lasso.” The membrane between my takes and my empathetic yet judgmental reactions to other people’s takes is permeable and problematic. It’s shameful, but I want everyone to love it because I love it and I want everyone to calm down because I’m calm and I want everyone to be at the edge of their seat and not at all calm because I’m at the edge of my seat and not at all calm and I want everyone to love Ted/Rebecca even if they never kiss because I love Ted/Rebecca (even if they never kiss) and I want everyone to have hated this episode because I hated it and I want everyone to give it time and space to breathe because I’m trying to do that and I want everyone to wait and see what fucking happens because I’ve got some kind of freak patience when it comes to this fucking experience. I want to be my best self and I am not my best self. I’m insane about this show, and I’m not working on the issue. Eek. 

[isagrimorie]

I will preface this by saying I don’t hate seasons 1 and 2 of Picard, in fact, I really enjoyed some of the ideas and treatment on the first 2 seasons, and had fun with the first half of season 2 before Akiva took the reins.

This is said out of love more than anything else:

I think I will always be annoyed that Zhabran died in between seasons 1 and 2 just so Laris can fill in the role of a love interest for Picard season 2 because of narrative convenience and Covid.

Orla Brady is fantastic and I did want more of her in the show ��� and if Laris and Picard hooked up, I wanted it to have been Laris, Zhabran and Picard.

(Honestly, it’s why I find myself not being into Laris/Picard because it always felt like an odd fit without Zhabran.)

It’s not just seasons 2 and 3 who wasted Laris and Zhabran, season 1 did as well simply because it was 10 episodes shorter and as someone who loves all the Borg stuff, needed less of the Borg cube since the Borg were nothing more than dress setting for season 1.

Season 1’s story arc was too expansive for just 10 episodes to handle, IMO.

It had interesting ideas in it and one I appreciate but the crafting of the season and story was— I don’t get why CBS/Paramount didn’t pair Michael Chabon up with a seasoned showrunner — this is what the networks usually do when a neophyte becomes a showrunner. They pair them with a seasoned one and for the first 2 seasons they work on.

It also finally made sense why the pacing of the first episodes felt off to me, and had a lot of scenes where people talked and nothing seems to happen outside of it.

I just learned the first 2 episodes was originally 1 episode and then a decision was made during or after production to make it into 2 episodes. Eating up an episode so things could have added more to the characters.

But also STOP with 10 episode seasons for shows like Trek DAMMIT. There’s so much story and character stuff left on the table because there’s hardly any runway.

I thought Discovery season 5 would have 13 episodes back for the final season but nope. I thought SNW would have 13 episodes because the producers/showrunners were clear they wanted more than 10 episodes to tell the story but Nope.

This 10 episode seasons is driving me bonkers. Give me character interactions back.

Give me scenes where characters would be just shooting the breeze in the Bridge for a minute or two. It was done to pad the time BUT GUESS WHAT, it added a lot to the character dynamics!

Also, we would never have gotten the popular DS9 Federation / Humans are Root beer scene if they didn’t need time to fill it.

Anyway, this post has gone everywhere.

[aboutanancientenquiry]

“The meal after the victorious battle of Plataea

According to Herodotus, the historian who described the Greek-Persian wars in detail, when the Spartan Commander-in-Chief Pausanias, after the victorious battle of Plataea, entered the scene of the killed Persian General Mardonius: "... he ordered the bakers and the cooks to prepare the dinner Mardonius usually enjoyed. When Pausanias saw the luxurius daybeds, as well as the gold and silver tables loaded with the majestic dinner, he was surprised. As a joke, he ordered his own servants to prepare a Spartan dinner. The difference was so great that he laughed, called all the Generals of the Greeks and said to them, pointing to the two dinners: "Greeks, I called you here to show you the foolishness of the Median ruler who dines like this everyday and moved against us to steal our poverty." We know today many nutritional details of the above scene, namely that the Greek General's meal did not stand out from the hoplites battling under his command. The ration was based on barley bulgur and unleavened barley bread, olives preserved in brine, onions and cured fish wrapped in fig leaves. In his haversack every soldier had salt and thyme to flavor the food, dried figs and a small spit perhaps, for the rare occasion that he would find meat. The army's logistics provided also goat cheese, fresh fruit (figs and grapes in the case of the Battle of Plataea, which took place in late August) and wine diluted with water to give courage to the fighters. The Persians, who, in their vast and multinational troops, served Greeks, Indians and Ethiopians, were supplied by their Theban allies. They also ate barley bread, along with some goat meat, dried dates and almonds. However, the pyramidal structure of the Persian army required Mardonius and his high rank officers to enjoy roasted ducks and peacocks, pilaf flavored with cardamom, honey dripping sweets, wine made from dates and strong barley beer.”

Source: https://olyrafoods.com/blogs/wisdom-treats-blog/the-meal-after-the-victorious-battle-of-plataea

Olyra is the site of a Greek businessman who makes alimentary products inspired by the ancient Greek diet. The information he provides about the culinary habits of ancient Greeks and Persians when these peoples campaigned seems trustworthy. 

I remind here that the question of the motivation of the Persian attempt to conquer Greece is a complex one in Herodotus. But the story reported here illustrates well the theme of the imperial hybris, i.e., of the desire of empires and elites which have already too much to acquire even more through further conquest and expansion.

 I remind also that this report is not a simplistic illustration by Herodotus of some cliché of “Oriental decadence”, as Mardonius is portrayed in the Histories as aggressive and prideful, but also as competent and brave.

And of course the tragic irony of the same story is that Pausanias, the victor of Plataea and savior of the Greek freedom, the defender of the austere Greek way of life face to the Persian culinary luxury, not only adopted some time later the lavish lifestyle of the Persian nobility, but he was even accused of plotting with Xerxes for the subjugation of Greece and was put to death for this reason by the Spartans - through starvation... 

Bust of Pausanias, in the Capitoline Museums, Rome.

[chenghui-lim]

Choose your beer wisely

Even though both Heineken and Corona are foreign beer brands to the US, their expansion strategy and advertising campaign reflect divergent values. Modelo, the parent of Corona, has built its brand around partnership with distributors and consistency in the customer experience. With customers, Modelo chose to absorb additional Federal Excise Tax to maintain price accessibility. It could have followed its competitors to increase prices, since drinkers of imported beer are more affluent. Instead, it considers its position as the preferred imported beer among Hispanics – a group that has lower buying power than others. It also shows willingness to reinforce its identity as a Mexican brand but with US characteristics. It kept its long-neck bottle design and brewing entirely in Mexico yet adopted a non-returnable bottle packaging – a consumption behavior more consistent with US consumers. However, Corona initial advertising tagline on “Fun, Beach, Sun” was insufficient in building a strong brand. The tagline had uneven relatability across US consumers located in beach-deprived locations. Very little in its advertising campaign became a moat when safety and health rumors circulated.

Heineken on the other hand adopted a relatively hostile market penetration strategy. It was less responsive to distributors, less friendly to customers. Instead of playing up its product qualities, Heineken put down its competitors as a “faddish phenomenon”. For example, Heineken described Corona as “a quirky little alternative beer in Texas and California”. Heineken messaging almost came across as “either you are with us or against us” and risks alienating customers of its competitor brands. It also put distributors in a difficult spot, especially if distributers were serving both Heineken and its competitors. With little goodwill built up among stakeholders, Heineken risks brand erosion in the event of a scandal.

#MITSloanBranding2024B #corona #heineken #brand

[ingridglitz]

Thoughts on the U.S. Beer Market

I think that both Heineken and Corona are still not seen as “mainstream” beers in the United States. For instance, if one were to throw a wedding reception or graduation party, it would be much more likely to see Budweiser, Busch, or Miller being offered to the guests. It is interesting that, while I think both Heineken and Corona are not considered mainstream beers in the U.S., these two beers fit into their own unique separate categories in consumers’ minds. Heineken is usually seen as a heavier, more complex beer, often more associated with colder weather, while Corona is frequently described as a “lighter” beer to be enjoyed in warm summer months.

As mentioned in the case, I worry that the “Fun, Sun, Beach” approach used by Corona’s marketing team might limit the expansion of this beer in the U.S. market. First, several regions of the United States experience cold weather for most of the year. By focusing on the “Fun, Sun, Beach” marketing strategy, Corona is limiting the appeal that its product may have on a large portion of the U.S. market. For instance, the case mentioned that Wisconsin is one of the largest beer markets in the U.S., and I don’t see “Fun, Sun, Beach” as an appealing tagline for this state. Thus, a specific marketing campaign for each region of the United States considering the local characteristics of each area may be more successful in the country. Second, I sadly worry that a recent anti-Latin American sentiment in the United States related to American immigration policies may impact Corona’s success in the country if the beer is seen as largely connected to Mexico. I believe a large portion of the U.S. market may prioritize drinking “Made in U.S.A.” beers, and it would be interesting to conduct research to evaluate if such sentiment may impact Corona’s success in the U.S. In fact, Corona's decision in 2022 to become the official beer of the MLB may have been influenced by a desire to be seen as an "American beer" among its consumers.

Finally, it is interesting to observe how a company’s marketing strategy changes from country to country. Growing up in Brazil, Heineken has historically been more prevalent in the local beer market, but Corona’s consumption grew substantially in the past ten years. I believe in Brazil there is also a gender-separation associated with both Heineken and Corona. Heineken is often seen as a manly beer, while Corona would commonly be more associated with a lighter beer for female consumers. I understand the “Fun, Sun, Beach” approach continues to be the main marketing strategy in Brazil, which makes a lot of sense considering Brazil doesn’t have cold winter months and a large portion of the population gets to spend time outside throughout the year.

[kayeslamp]

Corona Beer's Branding Strategy: Lean Into Your Heritage

While Corona's goal of overtaking Heineken as a top beer importer in the US is an ambitious goal, I do not think it is an entirely unattainable one. Specifically, it seems that they have several branding opportunities that they could take advantage of to help close the gap. Specifically, in class one, we talked about how branding is the strategic management of cognitive associations. When I think of Corona beer, I think of Mexico and, after reading the case, there is a clear alignment to family (as a historically majority family-owned company) and Hispanic values. Additionally, Corona is already the preferred imported beer among Hispanics, a population that has grown its buying power in the US by more than 65% since 1990 at the time of the case. Thus, I think that Corona really needs to lean into these associations and its brand heritage in their advertising.

First, when it comes to production and packaging, I agree with maintaining all production in Mexico and exporting with minimal changes to packaging as this helps preserve the brand's Mexican heritage and roots. Secondly, when it comes to pricing, I think that Corona has done a good job absorbing some of the costs and not passing them onto consumers in order to keep the price consistent for consumers. This aligns to its consistency as a brand in the minds of consumers and enables them to keep returning to it as they always know what they will pay for it. Third, while Corona's fun / sun / beach / vacation ethos as a brand has worked in the past, I think it is holding them back from expansion within the US. By focusing on this messaging, it is leaving out a good portion of the US that does not have access to a warm beach year-round and also sends the message that Corona is only a beer that can be enjoyed on the beach while you're on vacation. If it wants to expand to more usage occasions and, thus, expand its sales, I think it needs to focus more on its Hispanic heritage in its advertising.

Specifically, I would start including some Hispanic people in its advertisements and showing them in places other than the beach. For example, I think a great ad idea would be to show a Hispanic family meeting up at a bar together and all ordering Coronas (I have included a sample image of what this could look like below for reference). Not only would this demonstrate the beer as a way to bring people and families together, but it would also suggest ordering the beer at locations other than the beach on vacation. By focusing on this pivot in advertising strategy, I think this will help Corona in its endeavor to overtake Heineken as the top beer importer in the US.

Image Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/corona-extra-using-cohesive-marketing-hispanic-general-consumers-158260/

[nwbeerguide]

Firestone Walker Brewing releases the "crushable" Firestone XPA. The first in a seasonal series for 2024.

Press Release Paso Robles, CA: Firestone Walker today unveiled its first of three seasonal offerings slated for 2024—the all-new Firestone XPA, a next-generation extra pale ale brewed with Southern Hemisphere hops and California style, available now in all Firestone Walker markets. Find it with the FW Beer Finder.  “XPA is the number one craft beer style in Australia and it’s something we’re excited to champion it here in the U.S.," said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. "The appeal of XPAs is obvious--they offer everything you love in a good pale ale at a crushable ABV. We fell in love with the style during our travels to hop farms across Australia and New Zealand and we were inspired to make our own." Firestone XPA (5% ABV) is rolling out to all Firestone Walker markets in can (12-oz six packs) and limited  draft formats for the duration of winter and through the spring season into June. An early batch of Firestone XPA earned a Bronze Medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in the International Pale Ale category. Crisp, Hoppy & Crushable Firestone XPA is built around New Zealand’s Nelson hop with its grapefruit and tropical Sauvignon Blanc qualities, all backed up with a dollop of classic Mosaic hops. The resulting beer offers a trifecta of drinkability: crisp, hoppy and crushable.  Firestone XPA also taps into Firestone Walker’s roots as a heritage brewer of California pale ales.  “Creating this beer brought a lot of joy to our production team, there was definitely some pent-up enthusiasm for pale ale brewing,” Brynildson said. “We went all in to fine-tune several test batches and nail what we were after with this beer.” He added, “We wanted to lead with the punchy tropical qualities of the Nelson hop, and we found that adding just the right amount of Mosaic makes the fruit flavors all the more lush and expansive.”  “XPA is the predominant beer style in Australia for a reason,” said Firestone Walker Brand Director Hannah Barnett. “I think it has the potential to take the U.S. by storm at some point, or at the very least become a fixture in the American pale ale landscape. We’d like to be part of making that happen.” # # # Founded in 1996 by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker, Firestone Walker is a second-generation, family-led brewery based on California’s Central Coast. Helmed by highly decorated Brewmaster Matt Brynildson, Firestone Walker's main brewery in Paso Robles produces a diverse portfolio including 805, California's #1 craft beer brand; Mind Haze, a top 5 national hazy IPA; and Cali Squeeze, one of the nation's fastest-growing beer brands. The Firestone brand family also includes iconic beers such as DBA, Union Jack, and Pivo Pils, as well as the storied Vintage Series of barrel-aged strong ales led by Parabola. As a California beer company, Firestone Walker also has two additional locations: the Barrelworks wild ale cellar in Santa Barbara County and the Propagator R&D brewhouse in Venice. Firestone Walker was recently named “Best American Brewery of the Decade” by Paste Magazine. More at 805beer.com and FirestoneWalker.com from Northwest Beer Guide - News - The Northwest Beer Guide https://bit.ly/433i7u3

[fxdltc88]

Strohs Brewery 991 Gratiot Ave

Stroh Brewing Company started with Johann Peter Stroh in 1775 in Kirn, Germany. Johann and his family lived in a house with an adjoining brew house attached, and ran a local inn that served meals and their family’s recipe for Bohemian-style Pilsner Ale. Johann had three sons and one daughter. His second son, Georg Freidrich Stroh, inherited the brew house. Georg’s youngest son was

Johann Bernhard Stroh (known to the world as Bernhard), who was born in 1821. On February 22, 1848, revolutions erupted across Europe. With all the turbulent violence surrounding Europe in the mid-19th century, and with his father Johann’s death and his elder brother Georg inheriting the family business, a 27 year old Bernhard Stroh, who had learned the brewing trade, immigrated to the United States.

Bernhard Stroh arrived in the United States in 1850. He immediately started his own business. Stroh opened a brewery at 57 Catherine Street…He developed a market for a new light lager beer among the larger German immigrant population, and names his new company Lion’s Head Brewery, adopting the Lion’s Crest logo from Kyrburg Castle in Kirn, Germany.

The company uses this same crest as their logo to this day. With only an investment of $150 (in 2016 dollars, this would amount to $4,409.53) that he provided himself through working for the family inn back in Germany, Stroh had to be very frugal in his spending. By 1860, Stroh’s customers had a desire for Stroh to start bottling his famous beer so they could enjoy the Bohemian-style Pilsner Ale at their homes.

Bernhard Stroh would have his sons personally cart small kegs of beer to his customer’s homes and business by wheelbarrow.

Stroh’s would not only become Detroit’s largest brewer, but the third largest in the country.

This massive, million-square-foot factory at Gratiot near I-75 grew as the company did, with buildings dating from the 1860s to 1914. In late 1890, the firm Spier & Rohns was hired to make extensive additions and improvements to the Stroh campus, including building a 25-foot-by-70-foot fireproof stockhouse, a 60-foot-by-100-foot bottling works, and a new ice-machine plant. These additions made the brewery the largest in Michigan and formed some of the most visible parts of the plant.

By 1956, the Detroit brewery was pumping out 2.7 million barrels of beer — 83.7 million gallons.

he 1970s and 1980s were very productive years for the Stroh’s; sales continued to increase with the acquisition of Goebel’s, new leadership came in 1967 with John Stroh becoming CEO and Peter Stroh, Gari Stroh’s son, became President. The duo expanded the company to its greatest height throughout the two decades with new marketing and aggressive advertising strategies. With increased sales, the Stroh brewing company was able to match the big three car companies in terms of salaries and benefits. Early in the 1980’s, Peter Stroh started looking to take Stroh’s to the national stage, and made a bid on the Schaeffer Brewing Company and Schlitz Brewing Company. Schaeffer started to go into debt in the late 1970s and early ’80s, making the buyout from Stroh’s all too easy in 1981. Schlitz accepted a buyout offer of $17 a share. Schlitz became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Stroh Brewing Company, making Stroh the third-largest brewery in the United States. With all this expansion, Peter Stroh, now CEO at this time, realized his company was overextended. By 1985, Peter Stroh recognized his company was operating with excess capacity, On Feb. 8, 1985, Stroh’s announced it was closing its Detroit facility, calling it too costly to run and too inefficient compared with newer facilities it had acquired. The plant was shuttered that May, bringing an end to 135 years of tradition and costing 1,159 Detroiters their jobs.

The factory was imploded in two phases -- on April 13, 1986, and July 13, 1986 -- with the land soon redeveloped as Brewery Park.

In 1999, the struggling company was imploded, too, split up and sold to Miller Brewing and Pabst.

[altiusinvestech]

How to Invest in Mohan Meakin Unlisted Shares: A Step-by-Step Guide

Investing in unlisted shares gives a great chance for investors who seek to diversify their portfolios and tap into various companies before they can go public. One such intriguing option is Mohan Meakin, the renowned Indian brand behind iconic products like Old Monk rum and Golden Eagle beer. 

Despite its shares not having publicly traded, one could still invest in the unlisted shares of this iconic company. The blog takes you through a step-wise process of navigating this share in an effective way.

Why Should You Invest in Mohan Meakin Unlisted Shares?

The legacy of Mohan Meakin as one of our country’s oldest companies spans over 160 years. Its flagship brand called Old Monk has a strong following, as the company holds quite a reputed status in the beverage industry. As India’s beverage market has been projected to grow significantly in the upcoming years, Mohan Meakin has incredible potential for expansion. Investing in its unlisted shares does not just allow you to be a part of the iconic brand’s journey but also gives you a chance to reap potential returns if the company decides to go public in the near future.

Understanding Unlisted Shares

Before diving into the process, it’s essential to understand what unlisted shares are. Unlisted shares refer to equity shares of companies not yet listed on the stock exchanges like the NSE and BSE, in India. These shares are typically less liquid, and their prices fluctuate based on supply and demand rather than market trends. However, unlisted shares can offer substantial returns, especially when companies plan for an “initial public offering” (IPO) or see significant business growth.

Buy the shares of Mohan Meakin at Rs 2499 from Altius Investech.

Finding a Reliable Broker or Platform Specialising in Unlisted Shares

Investment in unlisted shares needs a different approach than the acclaimed traditional stock exchanges. One needs to find a reliable broker or platform that deals specifically with unlisted shares, such as Altius Investech. Platforms like these facilitate the buying and selling of unlisted shares while also giving information on the latest prices and availability of shares.

Verifying the Current Market Price of Mohan Meakin's Unlisted Shares

The price of unlisted shares fluctuates based on demand and supply. On unlisted share platforms, you must find the current market price for Mohan Meakin shares. Prices can vary significantly, so understanding the price range and any recent trends can help you make a proper informed decision. Typically, these platforms offer a per-share rate along with an overview of any minimum purchase requirements.

Conduction of Due Diligence on Mohan Meakin

Although Mohan Meakin is a well-established company with an illustrious history, it’s vital to conduct your own due diligence before investing. Here are some aspects to consider:

Check recent revenue growth, profit margins, and other key financial indicators. Since Mohan Meakin is not traded publicly, its financial details may be limited, but investment platforms often provide insights.

One should also analyse Mohan Meakin’s standing within the beverage industry, particularly its competitive edge and growth potential.

Studying the market trends in advance is important. The liquor and beverage industry is expected to grow in India, but understanding any shifts or new regulations in the market will help you assess the risk of investing in this sector.

Any announcements or plans for expansion, diversification, or an IPO can directly impact the value of your investment.

Understanding the Risks of Investing in Unlisted Shares

Investing in unlisted shares carries certain risks that differ from those of listed equities. 

Unlisted shares are not as liquid as listed stocks, meaning they may be harder to sell if you need to cash out quickly. Prices are not as transparent and often vary based on supply, demand, and broker fees. There are also changes in regulatory policies that affect the liquor industry in India and affect the company’s valuation. Align your risk tolerance and investment goals with these. 

Placing Your Order with the Platform/Broker

Once you’ve selected a broker or platform and completed your due diligence, you’re ready to place an order for Mohan Meakin's unlisted shares. The process generally involves:

Register with the platform, providing your KYC or “Know Your Customer” documents for verification.

Specify the number of shares you wish to purchase and confirm the price per share.

Complete the payment through your preferred method (bank transfer, UPI, etc.).

After payment confirmation, the shares are typically transferred to your Demat account. This may take a few days, as unlisted share transactions are not instantaneous like those on traditional exchanges.

Be Patient

Investing in unlisted shares, especially in companies with long-term potential like Mohan Meakin, requires patience. Since unlisted shares are not subject to daily market fluctuations, you won’t see frequent changes in value. Keep an eye on the company’s performance, industry developments, and any announcements that could affect Mohan Meakin’s future valuation, especially any moves toward a public listing.

Final Thoughts

Investing in Mohan Meakin's unlisted shares offers an exciting opportunity for those looking to diversify and capitalize on a well-established brand with growth potential. Despite the process involving unique considerations, the guide would hopefully make you take an informed decision.

Keep in mind to carry out thorough research before you go forward with anything. Unlisted Shares require patience and an eye for long-term but might put in your way rewarding returns, and especially as Mohan Meakin in particular continues an iconic journey.

[datamyte2022]

A Comprehensive Guide to Food Manufacturing

Since the days of cooking at home, food processing has advanced significantly. In the past, families had to make all of their meals from scratch, but these days, machines handle the majority of the labor. In recent years, the food production sector has experienced exponential growth and is not showing any signs of slowing down. The food manufacturing industry is currently on an upward trend. What can we anticipate from it going forward, though, and how did it come to this point? The definition of food manufacturing and its evolution will be covered in this article. To assist you grasp the intricacy of the food manufacturing sector, we shall discuss a variety of subjects!

What is the Manufacturing of Food? The processes and actions involved in turning raw materials into consumable goods are referred to as food manufacturing. Bread, candies, beer, and other food items can all be categorized under this phrase. Since the early days of small-scale, regional food production, the food manufacturing sector has advanced significantly. In the past, the majority of meals were produced by small enterprises or even single households. However, the food business has had to expand to satisfy the demand as populations have become less rural and more urbanized.

Food Production vs. Manufacturing Though they cover different phases of the food chain, food production and manufacturing are both essential to getting food to our tables. The first stage is food production, which includes rearing animals and cultivating agricultural goods including fruits, vegetables, and grains. Growing and collecting the raw ingredients that will eventually be used to make food things is the main focus of this stage.

By turning these basic materials into the goods that consumers see on store shelves, food manufacturing, on the other hand, continues the tradition of food production. The term "industries that transform livestock and agricultural products into immediate or final consumption products" refers to a broad range of operations, including baking, fermenting, preserving, and packaging, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In addition to ensuring food is safe to eat, food manufacturing aims to prolong food's shelf life and improve consumer convenience and taste.

Their responsibilities in the food supply chain are crucially different; food manufacturing concentrates on turning agricultural outputs into final food items, whereas food production generates raw agricultural outputs. In order to successfully produce food items in large quantities while guaranteeing that they adhere to strict quality and safety standards before being consumed, food manufacturing also significantly depends on technology and machinery. On the other hand, food production—especially on smaller scales—can be less automated and concentrate more on the organic cultivation and rearing of food sources.

Important Elements in the Development of Food Production What, then, has changed to bring about this expansion? Let's examine a few of the most important elements first. A few significant elements have fueled the expansion of the food production industry: Technology The greater usage of technology is one of the most significant changes in this business. The majority of food processing used to be done by hand, which reduced the quantity of food items that could be made. However, a large portion of the process is now automated due to technological advancements. Food producers have been able to double their productivity and produce food on a much greater scale because to this convenience.

Urbanization Urbanization is another element driving the expansion of food manufacturing. The demand for food goods has grown along with the number of individuals who have relocated from rural to urban areas. In order to satisfy this demand, food producers were forced to grow and expand, and they have done so successfully. Globalization The food industry's expansion can also be attributed to its globalization. Food producers may now market their goods worldwide because of developments in communication and transportation. For them, this has created a whole new market, and it will only grow.

Methods of Food Manufacturing Food producers process their products using a mix of conventional and contemporary methods. Having stated that, the different methods are broken down as follows: Chopping and Cutting Vegetables and meats can always be chopped at home by consumers. However, food producers make their products more valuable by preparing them for you. To cut down on the amount of time it takes to make a meal, they cut, peel, and can instead of you. The user can choose from a variety of cutting and chopping techniques, including slicing, dicing, shredding, and grinding, depending on what they require for their cuisine.

Maintaining Food preservation keeps food from spoiling, extending its shelf life. Each of the numerous preservation techniques has advantages. Food preservation techniques that are frequently used include drying, pickling, freezing, and canning. Another method of preservation that enhances the flavor of fruits and vegetables is dehydration, which reduces their weight without sacrificing flavor. Similarly, by adding salt and acidity, pickling improves taste and prolongs shelf life. The flavors of canned fruits and tomatoes, on the other hand, are concentrated by cooking, making them more potent and shelf-stable.

Seasoning By enhancing components with raw materials, food processing enhances the flavor of simple dishes. For instance, relatively simple component combinations are typically used to make salsas and salad dressings, but the addition of seasonings and other flavor enhancers makes the finished product much more than the sum of its parts. Homogenizing Certain food items undergo processing to prevent the separation of their constituent parts. For items like milk and salad dressing that are consumed on-the-go, this is particularly crucial. These products would rapidly split into their component parts without homogenization, which would make them much less palatable and more likely to be contaminated and wasted.

Simplify Food Production using DATAMYTE A low-code quality management platform is called DATAMYTE. Specifically, our Digital Clipboard is low-code workflow automation software with a smart form builder, checklist, and workflow. Using this application, you can digitize your processes and monitor them in real time, guaranteeing adherence to quality standards, GMPs, and regulations. Additionally, layered process audits, which are high-frequency assessments of crucial process steps with an emphasis on regions with the highest failure risk or non-compliance, can be carried out with DATAMYTE. By using DATAMYTE for LPA, you may efficiently find and fix possible flaws before they become significant quality problems. For an effective food manufacturing operation,

DATAMYTE offers a one-stop solution for guaranteeing compliance, enhancing product quality, and optimizing your workflow. To discover more, schedule a demo right now.

[newsmarketreports]

Asahi Group Holdings Financial Overview: A Look at Growth and Stability

Asahi Group Holdings, a prominent name in the global beverage industry, boasts a robust financial profile driven by its diverse portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The company’s strategic focus on premiumization, innovation, and international expansion underpins its financial success.

Revenue Streams

Asahi’s core revenue derives from its beer segment, led by flagship brands like Asahi Super Dry. The company’s acquisition of global assets, including Carlton & United Breweries (Australia) and Peroni (Italy), has strengthened its international footprint, making overseas markets a significant contributor to earnings.

Profitability and Margins

Despite market challenges, Asahi demonstrates strong profitability, benefiting from cost efficiencies and a shift toward premium offerings. The group's operating margin reflects this focus, supported by disciplined cost management and supply chain optimization.

Investment and Growth

Asahi actively reinvests in R&D, product innovation, and sustainability initiatives. Key investments in low- and non-alcoholic beverages cater to evolving consumer preferences, positioning the company for long-term growth.

Financial Outlook

With a balanced approach to debt and equity, Asahi maintains a healthy balance sheet. Its strong cash flow supports dividends and strategic acquisitions, ensuring shareholder value while funding future expansion.

Conclusion

Asahi Group Holdings’ financial resilience and adaptability solidify its status as a leader in the beverage industry. By aligning with global trends and maintaining operational efficiency, the company is well-equipped to deliver sustainable growth.