(Philadelphia Inquirer, taken by Sarah J. Glover)
Monday, March 1, 2010
Obama Still the Beer President
Sorry, wine folks: President Obama is still clearly a beer guy. When he made a bet with Canadian PM Stephen Harper on the outcome of yesterday's freakin' awesome Olympic hockey final, he didn't bet a case of California grape squeezin's against a case of Ontario icewine; he bet a case of Yuengling against a case of Molson. Oh yes, he did. Not that we're rubbing it in...just noting it.
Probably thinking too much into it, but one of my initial reactions was, "So does that mean Yuengling is Obama's favorite beer? If so, does that mean he was merely trying to score popularity points by picking America's best-selling brand, Bud Light, for the 'beer summit'?"
ReplyDeleteAgain, probably thinking too much into it. Maybe the dude just likes Bud Light and Yuengling...
No, Brad: Yuengling and Molson are the two country's oldest breweries. Molson dates from 1786 (and The Molsons: their lives and times is a very readable history, by Karen Molson), Yuengling from 1829.
ReplyDeleteSure, I knew that about Yuengling; didn't know Molson holds the Canadian distinction. Sheer coincidence or was that officially mentioned as having something to do with the wager? I see the AP took note.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but Molson's is now owned by Coors...... making it a nice double whammy of hidden meanings, if you know about the political allegiances of the Coors family...... and there has been some serious blow-back among Canada's media commentators and bloggers about why they didn't wager a "real" canadian beer, like, oh, Sleeman's (owned by Sapporo), Moosehead, or Unibroue?
ReplyDeleteSo Obama bet a case of beer he does not drink? He is a Bud Light guy when it was polled to be the best selling brand in the U.S. Want to bet Obama never even heard of Yuengling? I'm some staffer is responsible for this because they know Molson is the oldest brewery in North America, and Yuengling the U.S. Barry probably does not even drink beer unless a camera is on him.
ReplyDeleteSure, Anony, I'll take that bet -- and I'll win it. Obama had a Yuengling on the campaign trail in PA during the 2008 primaries. He had a Fegley's ESB at Bethlehem Brew works, too. Was he doing it for the campaign? Of course he was, and that's why Hillary did a shot of Crown Royal, too; so what? They're politicians.
ReplyDeleteYou're wrong about the camera thing, too...he and Michelle used to frequent Piece, a great brewpub/pizzeria in Chicago. He even tried to get their beer at the inaugural, but the Secret Service wouldn't allow the kegs in; too bomb-like, apparently, they limited it to bottles-only.
Betting a case from each country's oldest brewery neatly gets around the issue of Bud Light being brewed by a foreign-owned brewery. No one ever accused the guy of being slow on the political uptake (though they might these days...).
Actually, Sandy, Coors is owned by Molson: headquarters is in Canada, which is why everyone's pointing at Sam Adams and Yuengling as the biggest American-owned breweries. If Canadians are really talking about Molson being American-owned, they're hosed, eh?
ReplyDeleteAnd you did know Unibroue was bought by Sleeman's, right? Labatt's owned by ABIB. Moosehead's clear, but then, so's Molson...and it is the oldest.
ReplyDeleteIf the President of these 41 great United States knew what a scoundrel he fallen in with, he would cease consorting with Dick Yuengling in all due haste and stop sullying the reputation of this great nation! Ever since he stole my prosperous and modern Mt. Carbon Brewery from under my under my feet in order to supplant the superior Lord Salisbury Ale with the inferior, lower caste, brigand Lord Chesterfield, as well as steal the coveted recipe for often imitated never equaled Bavarian Type, I have sworn to expose him for the dastardly purloiner and enemy of the brewer’s art that he is? Confound you Yuengling Revenge is mine
ReplyDelete"Gorge" Lauer? The ghosts are slipping, this is the worst-written message I've seen. Perhaps there are distubances in the aether today...
ReplyDeleteImpertinent! Watch your tongue, Bryson, for he who speaks unjustly about my father Gorge or any of the Lauer family shall hear a call to swords, lest ye forget the grand industry built upon our backs for your own musings and exploitation!
ReplyDeleteNeed I remind you Bryson that the rage that trembles and unsteadies my hand and fouls my quill as a great hurricane fouls a schooner may be just as easily brought to bear on a contumelious malapert such as yourself? Hold your tongue Sir!
ReplyDeleteSee, now, that doesn't sound like the gentle and magnanimous Frederick Lauer I know. I think you two better go sit in the lagering cellar for a while and cool down. Do you both a world of good. Come back when you've regained your composure.
ReplyDeleteVery well, Sir. Good day.
ReplyDeleteI heard the report sometime during the closing ceremonies and had to back up the DVR to make sure my ears didn't deceive me!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was awesome, and also ironic, considering that the Yuengling family tends toward the conservative.
I think the ghost brewers are still jittery from the end of that game, kinda like the rest of us. It was a great effort on the part of both teams, and I'm no hockey guy!
Oh, and "contumelious malapert"? Gotta hit the dictionary!
Actually, if I take a good. long, bewildering look at the corporate structure.......
ReplyDeleteMolson and Coors basically merged as equals in 2005, not one buying out the other...... and then there's this whole SAB/Miller/Coors deal in 2007.....
How about we just admit it's all Beatrice? Or AOLTimeWarnerPierceFenner-DiageoMillerCoorsSABSaccoVanzetti-WeOwnEverything?
I think the important thing to note is to cruise through the comments to any Canadian article on this wager and notice how many Canadians are still confused about who owns whom where. At least that's not a problem for Yuengling.
Yet. <:-)
Maybe.
ReplyDeleteThe Canadians go looking for evidence of American cultural/corporate imperialism, though, so I wouldn't be surprised. Yuengling, on the other hand, isn't going anywhere. Not while Dick's in control.
Actually I'm just tickled that the bet was for beer (no matter which one it was). After all what self respecting hockey fan drinks wine??? ;-)
ReplyDelete