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One beer to neutralize racial strife. What to drink?
EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images
One beer to neutralize racial strife. What to drink?
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| EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images |
We've all heard about Obama's plan to have Cambridge police sergeant James Crowley and Harvard professor Skip Gates over to the White House for a beer, to soothe the anger caused by the president's comments over Gates' July 16 arrest. Word is this drinking sesh will take place early this week. While the city of Cambridge plans to use the incident as a springboard to encourage open discussion of race and law enforcement in America, we're sitting here all hung over agonizing over the most obvious question of them all.
Which beer are they going to drink?
Picking Budweiser, or any of its big-box counterparts, would be much too obvious. Yet popping open some obscure craft brew or import would be counterintuitive to the we're-all-in-this-together, boys-and-their-beer olive branch O is attempting to extend. You want accessible, but not so accessible it seems cheap. Tasty, but not so complex it alienates the everyday boozer.
Most vitally, you want a beer you can tuck into, as we're fairly sure these dudes will need more than one to hash this out.
A beer that comes to mind (and yes, this pick could be construed as "too easy," as well) � Sam Adams Boston Lager. It's suitable for the task based on more than just its geographic relevance � this is a brew that has a national presence, but doesn't suffer from the soulless corporate stigmata tainting its more ubiquitous yellow-water competitors. And it's named after a great agitator who shook things up � and the White House, especially after the drubbing Obama took for accusing Cambridge PD of acting "stupidly," has begun spinning this incident as an opportunity to get Americans talking about race, in earnest, for the first time in forever.
But that's just us. What say you, Meal Ticketer? Which beer will quench thirsts and quell apprehensions? Or, at least, which beer do you think would appeal to a blue-collar cop, a lauded Ivy League scholar and the leader of the free world alike?
There is no question that Sam Adams Boston Lager is the one and only choice. It's exactly as you describe: American, a symbol of patriotism and freedom, a fantastic brew and not too microbrewy or corporate giant. It's the perfect fit. Lucky for them, it's also a tasty, tasty brew. I would love to see them drinking Arrogant Bastard to chuckle at themselves or something like Zima because they are all squares.
Yuengling, duh. Oldest brewery in America.
A Black & Tan might be appropriate. But if you want to use American beers your only real options are microbrews or Yuengling.
Colt 45 -- out of the 40 oz. bottles.
I suggest an Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. In matters of politics, Rasputin never steers you wrong.
In the spirit of looking outside ourselves we should turn to London for a John Courage Ale, since Eric Holder was right, we are a nation of cowards when it comes to racial issues, and hopefully we all can learn something from this "teaching moment" and the ensuing White House beer session.
Perhaps they should keep some Fuller's Extra Special Bitter on hand just in case.
How about the Utah-brewed "Polygamy Porter," whose slogan is "Why have just one?" ? I suggest this only because the surest way to defuse a PR crisis is to distract the masses with a brand new one.
Hopefully it will call for a bottle of Ohara's Celebration Stoudt. Man, I struck gold when I found that for under $5. Kept telling myself I'd go back and drink more and more, but I kept putting it off like the time I ended up missing Mr. T at the mall, and then they raised the price. Still a deal at 8 and change for a 750ml bottle.
Sam Adams is a striking choice, and one that might be right on. Other suggestions include something like Anchor Steam or Sierra Nevada - brands that are also microbrewish but have national presence. (Anchor Steam is also the oldest microbrewery in the country...? Fact checkers go!) Though you can't really deny the appeal of a certain beer that has zero advertising budget and won a Blue Ribbon in 1893....
I'm going to have to agree - Sam Adams Boston Lager is a fantastic choice. If I had to give other suggestions though, I would currently suggest the Avery New World Porter. It's really fantastic, and a porter is a working-man's beer! I also like Anchor Steam as a choice, but I think Anchor's Liberty Ale might be more... fitting - in title at least :)
[...] On Monday, we asked you to nominate the beer for President Obama’s Rose Garden sit-down with Harvard prof Skip Gates and Cambridge cop James Crowley. Some great responses in the comments, in addition to our selection of Sam Adams Boston Lager as the one beer to end racial strife. [...]
[...] to the 2:15 mark, when bepearled anchorwoman Mary Robb Jackson shouts out her personal pick for the one beer to neutralize racial strife — Yards’ George Washington Porter, part of its Ales of the Revolution series. She says [...]
[...] this, this and this, doesn’t it almost seem like Meal Ticket is suddenly a Philadelphia outpost of [...]
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