If the Presidential Candidates Were Beers, What Would They Be?
I know this is a beer blog, but it is the political season and I can’t help having a little fun at the expense of the Presidential candidates. For this posting I am going to draw a lot here from my own personal opinions along with what I hear being said about each candidate by the political talking heads out there. I was thinking… If the candidates were beer, which beer would they be?
Here are my beer/candidate matches.
John McCain – Samuel Adams Boston Lager. The recipe is an old one, but a good one; very basic and simple. The beer is named after a revolutionary forefather and hero of the country, so it has deep roots and is respected. And just like Senator McCain, not everyone is enamored with it. It has bucked a few trends and has been a maverick as far as beers go, making it into country club bars as well as on tap at the bar next to a steel mill in the rust belt. This beer is not for everyone; it comes across with some strong hoppy flavors that many folks do not enjoy drinking.
Barack Obama – I am going to say Yuengling lager. Here we have a beer that everyone seems to want, but they really don’t know why. Just as with Senator Obama, the beer’s fans seem to be of the younger generation. Beer aficianados know that Yuengling is really nothing special as far as beers go; it’s a pretty average lager. When you actually get one in front of you and taste it and analyze it, you realize that you may have just been caught up in the marketing hype and that the beer is nothing special, except that it cost you a bit more.
Hillary Clinton – Once again a pretty generic lager, but in this case it’s Pabst Blue Ribbon. Yep! Good ole’ PBR. Why? Well this stuff won’t give up! PBR shows up on the market as an everyday beer for several years and then – Poof! It’s gone again! Off the shelves, not be seen for years. Then all of a sudden it makes a comeback, never outpacing the big lagers, but definitely making a showing. This is the beer with 9 lives going on 50; kind of like Sen Clinton and her ups and downs in this years Democratic primary. PBR sells well to a certain demographic, and can even appeal to a few of the Yuengling drinkers out there.
Well, there you have my picks. Why don’t you chime in with yours?
Just add a comment below… I would really like to hear from you!
May 12th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Rich,
It’s funny you picked Yuengling for Obama, especially considering this article.
Either a pretty hilarious coincidence or quality investigative journalism on your part. Either way, kudos!
May 12th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
[…] Beers To You wrote an interesting post today on If the Presidential Candidates Were Beers, What Would They Be?Here’s a quick excerptThe recipe is an old one, but a good one; very basic and simple…. […]
May 12th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Brooke, That’s too funny! What a coincidence… I confess to all of you that I did not undertake in any sort of “investigative journalism” on this one. It was just pure off the cuff stuff.
BTW, If you do catch me trying to conduct investigative journalism, please report me to one of the fine professional journalists at the Gazette; they do that sort of stuff for a living.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
While I suppose Senator McCain’s alleged temper may consitute a little “hoppiness”, there isn’t a Burning River in the bunch.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:52 am
In defense of Yeungling: I used to drink it all the time when I lived in Pittsburgh and at least at that time, there was no premium on price. Five to eight years ago, that stuff was usually on special for like a dollar a bottle in bars there. Was it great beer? No. Was it great cheap beer? Yes.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Chris, are you saying that Yeungling was basically a nobody 5 years ago and has been somehow “elevated” through marketing and hype to what it is today? Hmmm…
May 14th, 2008 at 9:58 am
People want Yuengling simply because they can’t have it. It’s the “East bound and down” effect. In the ’70s you couldn’t get Coors east of the Mississippi and everyone wanted it sooooo much that it made bootleggers out of nearly everyone who visited the west on vacation, as well as spawning the classic Burt Reynolds vehicle Smokey and the Bandit - hence my all-too-clever name for the phenomenon.
In my experience, once you have access to America’s Oldest Brewery ™ and its product, you realize it’s not that great and move on to something better. It’s not a bad beer (the lager, that is. Premium, Premium Light, and Lord Chesterfield are terrible, though. Porter and Black and Tan are decent too.) and it makes for a good choice when it’s on special at a Yinzer bar on Mt. Washington, but it’s not worthy of the mystique.
Side note: Fatheads has a dedicated Yuengling lager tap among its ~42 rotating craft/import taps. It’s one of only two beers on the menu that does not count towards the coveted Frequent Flyer program. Miller lite is the other.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:17 am
People want Yuengling simply because they can’t have it. It’s the “East bound and down” effect. In the ’70s you couldn’t get Coors east of the Mississippi and everyone wanted it sooooo much that it made bootleggers out of nearly everyone who visited the west on vacation, as well as spawning the classic Burt Reynolds vehicle Smokey and the Bandit - hence my all-too-clever name for the phenomenon.
In my experience, once you have access to America’s Oldest Brewery ™ and its product, you realize it’s not that great and move on to something better. It’s not a bad beer (the lager, that is. Premium, Premium Light, and Lord Chesterfield are terrible, though. Porter and Black and Tan are decent too.) and it makes for a good choice when it’s on special at a Yinzer bar on Mt. Washington, but it’s not worthy of the mystique.
Side note: Fatheads has a dedicated Yuengling lager tap among its ~42 rotating craft/import taps. It’s one of only two beers on the menu that does not count towards the coveted Frequent Flyer program. Miller lite is the other. Just saying, is all.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Crimeny, Wordpress got me! Double post! I guess I’m buying the next round.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Ok, Rob since your buying… I will have a Westvleteren 12. Thanks!
May 16th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I brought my PBR spirit back from Portland, Oregon when I moved home agai
May 16th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I brought my PBR spirit from Portland, Oregon when I moved home to Charleston.