"You know I got a beer down there. What do they cal it.. a Yuengling?" Obama said to a local man.
"Yuengling! Like you didn't know," the guy joked back.
"Trying a Pennsylvania beer, that's what I'm talking about. Is it expensive though?" Obama asked. "Wanna make sure it's not some designer beer or something."
Actually, it's from the oldest brewery in the nation.
Okay this bothers me, now honestly I worked in politics long enough to know he is playing for the camera and the audience, wants to be sure to play the common man but to do so in a joking way.
But to me the beer guy, saying that about what is one of the original craft breweries in the country, it turns me off. Over at What's on Tap William asks Why do most Americans drink bland lager? I suspect as long as people pull this “designer beer” line we will be fighting a long war.
As I mentioned in the comments “We are making progress artisanal foods, slow food, heck even the internet allowing people to choose their own media and news is breaking down walls. It’s not a quick progress, the harder you push, the slower the progress. I suspect homebrewers and local farmers market are our inroads to success.” I still believe it now, but it is ultimately a generational fight that craft beer has before it.
In an age where the artisanal is becoming appreciated again, even college bars are serving increasing variety of beers, we are making progress. Most of the bars in downtown Flagstaff when I turned 21 offered the usual lineup of domestics and might have Sierra Nevada or Anchor if you were lucky. Now I can't think of one that doesn't have at least 6-10 taps and only a couple are mass produced light lager.
Remember next time someone tells you 'designer beer' reply back “No, it's craft beer! Brewed with quality, craftsmanship, and love for an art” and what is more American than that?
