Budweiser ran an ad during the Super Bowl taking a shot at craft beers. Meck Deck alum Jeff Taylor noticed, penning a provocative column on the state of American beer circa 2015. Highlights:
American craft beer in 2015 has a quality issue and something of an identity crisis. Drink Local has been the mantra for so long that Drink Great — or even Good — has been crowded out. And it shows.
And:
Bud drinkers at this late date some 30 years after the resurrection of more flavorful beer in the US, by definition, really, really like the taste of Bud. Bless their hearts. And, yes, there is some subset of them which may yet swing craft — at least pitchers. Craftians need not concern themselves with such switch-hitting hook-ups.
Instead they need to double down on one thing — Drink Great. Drink Honest. If your local brewery punts a style, say so. Otherwise bad beer will drive out the good, and when good is on the run Bud sits back and cheers. And when you find a great beer, say so — actually say it is better than something else craft. Don’t say, as I’ve actually read in the past few months on multiple occasions, If you like craft beer, you should try home brewing.
No. That is like saying, If you like our sausage, you should try hog farming. The endless pursuit of purity and irreducible singularity is a classic mistake of American cultural movements. And history seems to be repeating.
Now that the rebel alliance faces a fully operational Death Star, the question intrudes: Do the rebels seek to remake American culture? Or American beer? One is possible. The other, a trap.
Cheers!
