Maybe it’s just some combination of being a Seattleite and thus used to a plethora of microbrews at reasonable prices, and having a thirst for such, but the coverage of this Obama/Gates/Crowley “beer summit” is making my eyes roll.
First is the journalists reaching for their folksy thesaurus, bringing up words like “suds” and “frosties,” which somehow feels like when little kids imitate words they’ve heard adults say. It’s like how any newspaper article that references coffee feels the need to use the terms “java” and “cuppa joe.” Just call it beer like everyone else, people.
Second is this weird hand-wringing over class and beer. Obama picked Budweiser, safe choice. The other guys wanted Blue Moon and Red Stripe, “premium” beers. Maybe it’s just because Seattle is such a beer town, but those aren’t premium beers. They’re not even particularly expensive beers. Shoot, Blue Moon is owned by Molson, and Red Stripe is the Heineken of Jamaica, with national ad campaigns and catchphrases. They’re both decent beers, but the way you see it reported, you’d think they were the finest beer the White House could get its hands on.
It’s a neat idea that Obama is doing this, and I understand that with the onset of health care reform the media is disparate for any story with a spark of human interest and drama, but the attention being given to this is a little overwrought.
Now, if they were having some good beer, maybe I’d be interested…
