“Kevin Patterson on the Importance of Storytelling and Perception” 
Town Branch p. 22
https://vimeo.com/103939686

KEVIN PATTERSON: Really is, uh, for instance when people come in and ask me “What’s the best beer in the world?” and then that’s a very subjective question, it’s a very subjective answer, and so what I tell people is most professionals will say the Westvleteren Abt 12 from Belgium is the best beer in the world, and, do I agree, do I not agree? Well it depends because think of it this way: if you enjoy this beer, that means you probably went to the monastery, a lot of people think that’s the only place it’s available, so if you go to the monastery, you’re on vacation, you’re in this monastery, it’s sculpted by the monks, it’s beautiful, it’s immaculate. They’ve done everything they can to make this beer drinking experience as good as it could possibly be. So when you sit down there, you’re in a relaxed state of mind, you’re tasting this beer, and it’s the most wonderful experience ever, it’s life-changing. However, a lot of people will think that the Rochefort uh 10 is a similar monastery, and it’s available uh pretty much internationally. And so let’s say you go to a bar that sells this beer maybe close to your home. Maybe it’s the middle of January, maybe it’s raining, maybe it’s 37 degrees, ok maybe you’ve worked that day, maybe your boss gave you, didn’t give you the nicest review, ok, maybe you got family and it’s worse, things you’re working on. You go to this bar and you enjoy this wonderful beer that’s probably just as good as the first one I mentioned, and all of a sudden, the setting changes, and those things play on your perception of flavor. And so that storytelling process is a big part of it, so that’s one thing I try to do is, try to make sure that I get people in that right frame of mind between the way I communicate with them via writing or the way we’re presenting at our store or talking to them and just trying to loosen them up a little bit to let them enjoy these flavors to optimum potential.