Buy American ?!

When I was a kid… many years ago the American car industry hit a rough patch because Japanese imports were putting a damper on sales. It seemed that Americans preferred the Japanese cars with their excellent engineering and high gas mileage. Sound Familiar?! In my mind the mark of a great country is their ability to grow enough food for the population, make steel, build cars, and brew beer. With that said it saddens me to know that, while we still grow more than enough food for our population (even though the American farmer is stretched to the max!), we import most of our steel (usually England) and foreign car sales remain strong as our own car companies beg for federal money to keep from going under.

Ahhh but at least we have beer!!! Great American Beer! You know like Budweiser, Miller, and Coors. They are all great beers and historically all- American companies. But wait… these companies are all owned by foreign companies!!! Say it ain’t so! The great American Budweiser is owned by In-Bev a European Corporation. All those NASCAR fans are drinking a foreign owned beer. The same is true for Miller and Coors. Miller was bought out by a South African firm and Coors is part of a conglomerate that includes Canadian and English companies. How can the “High Life” not be American owned?! Sad but true… none of them are American owned companies. Now the argument may be made that since they were American owned and still brewed in America then they are American beers. BULLSHIT!!! That is the same logic that people use when they buy a Toyota assembled in this country. It is a Japanese car that is owned by Japanese stock holders. Who gives a shit where it is made?

I have no solution to the steel and car issues that are facing this country… but I have great news there is a solution to the beer problem! In a small city tucked into the heart of Schukyill County Pennsylvania there is a brewery that embodies the best of the American brewing tradition. The Yuengling Brewery is a fifth generation family owned brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The Yuengling Brewery has seen great expansion and growth over the past 15 years. It was once just a local beer consumed in the anthracite coal region towns of Pennsylvania. Places most of us have never heard of… Port Carbon, Mahanoy City, St. Clair, ‘Chendo’, Minersville, Schukyill Haven, and Heckersville was where Yuengling could be purchased. Consumed by locals at various American Legions, VFWs, Catholic War Vet Halls, and Polish American Fire Houses it was truly a regional beer. It can now be purchased in every eastern state from Maine to Florida, West Virginia, and a small part of Alabama as well as a few other states. This is a family owned brewery with each generation purchasing it from the past. No one inherits this dynasty. They purchase it. The thought being you take care of the things you buy rather than the things you are given. The current owner Mr. Dick Yuengling offers all of us pro-American consumers a host of products worth consuming. Yuengling Premium (pilsner beer), the Porter (a dark beer with a great roasted flavor), the Lord Chesterfield Ale (a hoppy ale with a great kick), Black and Tan (a blended beer), and the most popular of the Yuengling beers the Lager. Yuengling Lager is such a popular beer that most people just order “lager” when they want Yuengling Lager. How popular and tasty is the Lager?! In-Bev Budweiser has begun advertising their beer as the great American Lager. The big international conglomerates are worried that the family owned and all American company from Pottsville, PA are eating into their market share. They should be! Even the light beers (Premium & Lager) are brewed in such a way that they are never watered down… not a claim that can be made by other ‘American’ brewers.

So next time you are feeling stretched from the current state of the economy and money is tight… when you go to your local beer store or tavern keep your money in the country and buy an American beer worth drinking… order a Yuengling. It is a great “American” beer and you won’t be disappointed. Take it from Big Dirty… I know good beer.

Tags: beer, black and tan, Budweiser, Buy American, chesterfield ale, Coors, Japanese Car, lager, Miller, NASCAR, pilsner beer, porter, Yuengling