In Support of Deaf Beer Fans

Sometimes, you happen on something that you didn't know was there before.  This is a short tale of when that actually happened to me.  It was this evening, so not a long time ago, but it moved me to get off my lazy arse and actually write another blog post.

The title may seem odd and it is ever so slightly tongue in cheek, but if you think about it, (which I did, however briefly), you realise how cut off deaf people can be from the world that we all take for granted.

I was doing some admin type bits on my Youtube videos (which can be found  HERE) and wanting to check what I had said about a beer I had had before, (I'm not a computer or Hopzine and don't have instant recall of every tasting note I've ever made).  As I was doing this, the cursor lazily hovered over a button I hadn't really had sight of before.  It's a little icon that looks like a cc.  As it hovered, words came up on the screen, it took me a few seconds to realise they did bear relation to at least some of the words I was saying on the screen.  


What I had come across was the Beta version of Youtube subtitles.  What I had also come across, was a source of amusement.  So, in part to raise awareness of how some people are left outside of the brave new digital world, and partly for some cheap laughs, here are some choice quotes on beer, as interpreted by this service.


Here is a quote from my review of Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye:


'theres not stempel, asking this is just what kind of boja peninsula cannot simply be strip for me, is not their because its a strong god wants it and a half percent'


Makes perfect sense, no?  I thought it was maybe me, with my lazy, west-country accent and my occasional tendency to use slang and colloquialisms.  So, I thought I'd better confirm this by watching some of my fellow beer chums on their reviews.


So, Mrs Real Ale Guide Mrs Real Ale Guide on Brooklyn Brewery East India Pale Ale, she's the poshest person I know, so it should turn out great, yeah?


'probably, its gonna make me back useless equipment, uh, now its not as good as some of that America during peacetime...basically kidnappings arms'


Insightful stuff, I'm sure you'll agree.  I didn't know Mel was so keen on international relations.


So, what happens when Somerset Real Ale Reviews gets in on the act with his review of the excellent Thornbridge Wild Swan?


'tonights fix it takes a lot this topic of nation and is a very call culmination, congregate colours that too, but you get all of these qualities are so for every death for his release'


Just for a second, it made sense, then it started getting all Lord of the Rings.


It was getting serious at this point, so I thought I'd better find a cockney accent, everyone can understand those, yeah?  Eastenders is a kind of cultural touchstone that everyone in the world understands, even googles robots...yeah?  So, to the Urban Viking and his review of Stone Sublimely Self Righteous :


'at this hour, chocolate fruit, heres whats on your time, sprout, you know its completely finished on this'


Now, I've not had this beer, but I doubt that Stone were looking for sprout as the thing that you would take away from that particular beer experience.  Also, I'm not sure Dave was going for the rap style middle to that section.


Anyway, enough ramblings.  There is a serious point to this blog and it is so serious, it isn't even evading me.  Youtube have a lot of work to do on this service, but I'm glad they are doing it.


Until next time.  Cheers.