Suggest Products.

   I have written before about Secret Categories, Hidden Reviews, and Lost Links. Today, while Oktoberfest  is in full swing, I would like to take the opportunity to exploit one of Epinions' secret links in the hopes to lobby for some products that I would like to see added to the Restaurants and Gourmet category.

Link:  http://www.epinions.com/srvc-Suggest_Products


   It is almost with a sense of vain hope that I post this information here... wanting to believe that the "Suggest Products" category at Epinions is a repository for suggestions that programmers at Epinions will actually refer to before site and service updates are planned.

   With this sense of hope, I bring to Epinions' attention one of the most popular breweries in the world; one which is not represented in Epinions' beer listings, but whose products are written extensively about by a number of writers in the "Hard to Find Beer" category.

   Product:  Spaten beers


   Spaten (Spaten-Franziskaner Bräu) of München (Munich), Germany, is one of the world's most respected breweries. It produces a wide range of lager beers and is, indeed, one of the breweries that is responsible for the lager (bottom-fermenting beer) revolution in the 18th century. During the 1830's, through modern innovations such as the use of refrigeration and steam power technologies in the production of beer, Spaten created some dark lager and amber lager beers that have since transformed Bavaria into the beer drinking capital of Europe.


Spaten Oktoberfest Ur Märzen -- one of the best "Oktoberfest" lagers on the market. A full-bodied amber lager having a 5.6% alcohol by volume.


Spaten Optimator -- liquid bread. This strong Doppelbock beer (I've seen ABV ratings between 6.8% and 7.2%) is one of the greatest beers in the world. Ask any beer lover. They will rub their belly and wink back at you in agreement.


Spaten Pils -- a classic German Pilsner. A dry, refreshing, pure lager beer made from four basic ingredients: water (from the Alps and the breweries own wells), Bavarian barley, Hallertau hops, and yeast from the brewery's exclusive cultivation.

   And while I am at it, more beers from Spaten's sister brewery, Franziskaner, should be added to the database. Franziskaner is one of the largest producers of wheat beers in Germany (e.g., Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse).


Recommendation
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The time has come for Epinions to add beers from the Spaten-Franziskaner brewery to its database of German beers. Folks: this beer is not "hard to find." Indeed, most of Spaten's beer products are easier to find than many of the featured beers listed at Epinions.

And take a close look: there are many beer categories at Epinions that have no reviews posted at all. Why?

Because these beers (with no published reviews):

- Bad Frog Rockin' Rasberry Wheat
- Bad Frog Hoppin' Honey Wheat
- Bad Frog No Doubt Stout
- Casco Bay Lager
- Steelhead Extra Pale Ale
- Kessler Wild West
- Kessler Dopplebock

...and the list goes on; there is a large number of obscure beers with no reviews in the Epinions' database. These beers are the ones that are very hard to find!

Recommended: Yes