Spineless (Drinking) Song of the Week - No Beer In America?
Some have said that our great country, The United States of America, contains to viable options in the way of beer consumption. This my friends is an egregious statement. A statement that nullifies the hard-working men and women of one of our countries finest industries. An industry unlike none other in the country. An industry so fervent in emancipation from the corporation. An industry on the rise. On the upbeat. On the minds of every concerned beer consumer from the amorous Atlantic to the powerful Pacific. From the cold northern country to balmy southern swamps. This, my good friends. This is the microbrewer.
The microbrewer is an artist. The microbrewer is scientist. The microbrewer knows what americans like. But damn the man! Damn the man that bring the microbrewer down. Who among brandishes Budweiser? Who among us consumes coors? I don't see you living the "High Life" with that Miller in your hand. Your mouth is begging you. Put down these defile deviant drinks. Do not partake from the corrupted cup of corporate beer. There is solution to this sin upon mankind. Drink microbrews. Drink from the springs of solace. Drink from the chalice of custom-brewed full-bodied flavor.
To celebrate our microbrewing brethern, my brother/blogger-in-arms Mike Haubrich and I co-wrote the song No Beer In America. The lyrics are all Mike's and he asked to bring it to life. So the guitar and lonesome hollers are my own. Head over the Mike's blog to read the lyrics and listen to the music file (click on song title link above)! The following were mentioned and/or consumed in the making of this song:
Surly Brewing Company
Summit Brewing
Boulevard Brewing Co.
ESB (Extra Strong Bitter)-I'll use Red Hook as an example.(I've been informed by one astute commenter that Anheiser-Busch owns Red Hook, therefore not a microbrew) Mike Haubrich likes Goose Island
Bell's Two-Hearted Ale
Anchor Brewing
Moose Drool (Big Sky Brewing Company)
And I refuse to link to the shit beer mentioned in the song (that was most certainly not consumed). OK, these ones aren't that bad: Cooper Pale Ale, Pilsner Urquell, Guinness. But bad beers beware, you know who you are!
I would be remiss if not to mention State College's own Otto's Pub. They make some of the best varieties you can come by in town.
I really enjoy your blog and am glad to see your stance on beer, though with one caveat. On the one hand, I must applaud your standing up for good American beer. As a resident of Portland, OR, I get mightily offended when people denigrate American beer.
ReplyDeleteOn the other, though, I feel that your linking to Red Hook should be reconsidered. While Red Hook is not really that bad in and of itself, it has been purchased by Anheueser-Busch, so by supporting Red Hook, one supports the truly evil side of American brewing. You are helping the man bring the microbrewer down. Damn the man! If you want some northwest beers worth drinking, try to find some Bridgeport (their IPA is fantastic) or Deschutes (all of their beers are amazing, though Black Butte Porter is a local favorite).
This is just too cool for you to share like this.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hey, Jonathan, it is kind of hard to find a good ESB in the states. The one that I really liked was a special limited edition made by Goose Island (pretty close to Wrigley Field.) I don't know if I liked it more because I was at Wrigley of because it was a good brew.
Jonathan, Thanks for he Red Hook update! I didn't know it was Anheiser-Busch property. I stand by my taste buds though. Its pretty good. I can't think of any other ESB's I've had off the top of my head. But in the spirit of remaining true to my mission, I'll remove the reference.
ReplyDeleteRedhook brings up an interesting point. Can one still support a good microbrew once one of the big guys buys it up?
ReplyDeleteCase in point is since moving to Virginia, I've really enjoyed Dominion beers. However, last year Coastal Brewing Co. bought it which in turn is 49% owned by Anheuser Busch. This has in no way diminished how good their Winter Brew is nor the Aviator Amber Lager!
I'm with you brother. I just bought a case of Peak Organic Beer. My "fallback" beer of choice is now Long Trail.
ReplyDeleteI always try something different whenever I go to the packie. My latest find - Lobster Ale. Whenever I travel, I'll always try something local over something national, unless it's blueberry flavored.
Mike, I'll put a link to the song on my sidebar after a few days. Hopefully you can reap in some traffic from me.
ReplyDeleteRyan Z, that is a good point. When is a microbrew a microbrew? There are large brewing companies with decent beer right? Do we consider Samuel Adams to be a microbrew? They are pretty large and can be found multinationally. I don't know if someone owns them or not. I think once you sell out your brand or microbrew then you are a part of the larger corporation. While we identify better taste and quality (and higher alcohol content sometimes) with microbrews, the prefix "micro" refers to the scale of the brewing companies business not its quality.
Jim, I'm a big fan of some of the Pennsylvania beers. Obviously I am head in heels in love with Otto's, but when I can't get out to th brewery to pick up some bottles or a growler, I like Weyebacher's Big Beers (8-12% alcohol content) among many others!
Glad to be of service! I was bummed when I found out that Red Hook sold out since I've always enjoyed their ESB, but there are definitely others out there. My two favorites are probably Bitch Creek ESB from the Grand Teton brewing company and Bachelor ESB from the Deschutes Brewery.
ReplyDeleteJim, I'll have to check out Peak Organic. I've had some mixed experiences with organic beers, but some (Fish Tail Brewery in Olympia, WA comes to mind) are fantastic.
Sipping on one of my favorite east coast beers right now. Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre. Described on the label as "A deep mahogany ale brewed with Belgian beer sugars, green raisins & a sense of purpose."
ReplyDelete