Beer in the News

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably noticed that my favorite adult beverage has been all over the news these last few days. It seems its become quite the popular beverage. Initially I wasn't going to post anything regarding President Obama's beer meeting with Harvard Professor Gates and Boston Police Office Crowly, mainly because I think its been all over the news too much as it is. However, the last couple of days have really changed my mind, and its due to one reason, call it a missed opportunity. Again you'd have to be living under a rock to not know this, but at a meeting to discuss race issues, the President has invited the professor and the officer to a discussion over beer. For a few days the beer blogosphere was a twitter with what beers would be served? Unfortunately we were all left extremely disappointed: Bud Light, Blue Moon, and Red Stripe (or Beck's). No American owned beer, and only one beer actually brewed in the states. How do you have a meeting in the White House and not serve an American Brewed Beer? I know that the primary focus of this meeting is race relations as it should be, but if you're going to tell the world what beer you and the company are drinking, don't you as the president have an obligation to drink American? What does it say when the President himself doesn't choose an American owned beer? I'm not naive enough to think that everyone should be drinking souped up, hopped up Imperial IPA Craft beers, but there are a lot of easy drinking good solid American owned beers. Yuengling for one or Sam Adams for another would have been perfect choices, both promoting American owned companies, which in this economic climate is important. I want to continue on my Sam Adams choice for a second, especially since the issue at hand took place in Boston, wouldn't that have been appropriate? it seems to me that the President's communications team was a bit asleep at the wheel. A tiny itsy bitty thing has blown up, all because the President chose poorly. Like I said at the beginning, huge missed opportunity here. Me, I'll be drinking American tonight and raising a glass of Saint Arnold's Lawnmower to my lips and toasting what I hope is a very beneficial meeting at the White House tonight.

The second news worthy beer story came out today and I'll call it a case of beer idiocy or maybe the dumbest most ignorant beer article of the year. I know I shouldn't look to financial news stories for solid beer reporting, but today's Money Blog on MSNBC takes the cake for beer ignorance. The story is about the financial repercussions of MillerCoors new package offering of beer in a box. The author James Dlugosch steps in deeply right off the bat with this gem of a statement:

Despite what the microbrewers will tell you, all beer is pretty much the same. Consumers who pay a premium do so more for the experience than the taste.

Really? There is no taste difference between Miller Light and a Stone Arrogant Bastard? Or for those more locally minded, a Lone Star and a Saint Arnold's Christmas ale? This guy is saying that those two beers taste exactly the same? Really? And he wants to be taken seriously from here on out? Oh but the yucks continue, and they aren't all beer related. Next up is this snobbish statement:

But there are some things I just won't do, including buying wine in a box.

Sorry bub, but we don't live in the world where the only boxed wine is Franzia. There are some actual good every day very approachable wines available in a box, so get your nose out of the air and try some. The last tidbit, is my favorite and again completely shows the ignorance of the author:

But for me, the issue is the bottle. I like drinking my suds from a cold bottle. Period.

Put it in a glass, and the experience just isn't the same.

Well I guess he's part right, put the beer in the glass and the experience isn't the same. Maybe this explains the author's initial comment. If all he is drinking is Bud, Miller, or Coors products freezing cold from the bottle, he's right there is no difference. But if here to take a finely crafted ale and pour it into its appropriate glass, I think his mind would be completely blown away by the complexity and nuances of the beer. Just imagine if I said I hate drinking wine out of a stemmed glass, its just not the same as drinking it out of a Dixie cup. Utter ignorance. So I challenge you Mr. Dlugosch, shoot me an email, I'll be happy to pour you a proper beer, and show you how good it can be out of the bottle, and how different beers are from each other.