So the buzz today is about what beers they're having at the famous tete-at-tete-a-tete between President Obama, Professor Gates, and Sergeant Crowley.

First, I am disappointed that they are all drinking different beers. Seems to me that whole point of having a beer with someone is that you are sharing it, whether "it" is a pitcher or a six-pack or a keg. It seems to me the right way to do it would be for the President, as the host, to draw a pitcher of whatever is on tap in the White House bar, and they all sit down with that.

Second, I am disappointed that none of them are drinking beers from their hometowns or home states. I suppose the President wants to be seen drinking a blue-collar beer, but he could have picked Old Style just as easily as Bud Light. And you would think that at least one of the New Englanders would have picked a local brew like Narragansett, or even Sam Adams (overrated though it is).

Obama (Bud Light): Politically, I can't really blame him. Sure, the holding company that owns Anheuser-Busch is Belgian, but Bud Light is probably still perceived as the quintessential mass-market blue-collar American brand. Even with the foreign ownership, it seems a politically safe choice.

Gates (Red Stripe): I am not sure what to think. If his choice is designed to make a statement, I'd say it's ineffective, because it's not clear what statement is being made. If he picked it just because it really is his favorite beer, then that's certainly OK.

Personally, I think Red Stripe is one of the most over-rated beers on the market (much more over-rated than say, Sam Adams or Fat Tire). It's not even the best Caribbean beer. The only other Caribbean beer I've had is Presidente from the Dominican Republic, and it's noticeably tastier than Red Stripe. There may be others that are even better. So at best, Red Stripe is the second-best Caribbean beer.

Crowley (Blue Moon): Again, if he picked it because it's his favorite beer, you can't really argue. But I still am surprised he didn't pick a New England beer.

Now, the big question for the board: what beer would YOU pick?
I would unhesitatingly pick Saint Arnold: not only a first-rate beer, but brewed (1) in Houston (2) by Rice alumni (3) whom I know personally. I suspect I would choose it for those reasons even if it wasn't my favorite beer, because the positive publicity it would bring to the company, to Houston, and perhaps even to Rice would be very cool.

If Saint Arnold didn't exist, I would pick Shiner, because it's a decent beer and very much identified with Texas.

The Bud Light and Blue Moon selections made me cringe. Bud Light is so bland, symbolically and on the palate. Given concerns in some circles about what Obama will do to our nation or about his potential role as the antichrist, Stone Ruination IPA or something from Devil's Backbone, would have been more amusing.

And as for Blue Moon, if you want your beer served with an orange slice, then fine, but let's keep such outrageous behavior in the corners of dimly lit pubs...

Appearances be damned, I'm going with a Newcastle.

Horrors! Obama went with a foreign-owned beer! Where's the outrage?

I'm having trouble coming up with my favorite beer. It definitely varies, depending on the situation. The last one I had and would recommend was an Imperial Nut Brown Ale, from Tommyknocker Brewery.

So, if GWB had been president and hosted this event, would he have drunk near beer?

Real Ale (one of the various brews), Elissa, Shiner Light, Shiner, Lone Star, other St. A's, Lagunitas IPA, Fat Tire, Sierra Nevada Pale

currently, as of this week?

Mexican Logger (SKA Brewing Company), perfect summer beer.

St A's Fancy Lawnmower, 2nd choice.

Obama should have gone with a Tusker to stir up the birthers.

I'm pretty sure Gates ended up drinking a Sam Adams Light, despite having said he was going to go with a Red Stripe or a Becks. Regardless, Obama's choice of beer was depressing. If you're going to try to pretend you don't drink microbrews (and let's face it, Obama most likely drinks microbrews, and wine), then at least drink something that means something, like an Olde Style - which brings the same fake populist cred, but is actually from Chicago...

And, as for my choice, Newcastle, DogfishHead India Brown Ale or Raison D'Etre, or a Shiner...

Root Beer... If I could choose any, I'd pick an ice cold Ugly Mug from Two Rows. My second choice would be Virgil's.

It's the best I could do since I don't partake of alcoholic beverages.

Have you had Saint Arnold's root beer? It's awfully good -- and thanks to the squirrely laws of Texas, it's the only beverage of theirs that you can buy right at the brewery. Or better yet, get your drunkard friends to give you their Saint Arnold six-pack holders, and trade them in at the brewery for root beer.

(07-31-2009 02:06 PM)v-eight Wrote:  Root Beer... If I could choose any, I'd pick an ice cold Ugly Mug from Two Rows. My second choice would be Virgil's.
It's the best I could do since I don't partake of alcoholic beverages.

I haven't... But, I will definitely give it a try as soon as I can get my hands on some.

(07-31-2009 04:32 PM)georgewebb Wrote:  Have you had Saint Arnold's root beer? It's awfully good -- and thanks to the squirrely laws of Texas, it's the only beverage of theirs that you can buy right at the brewery. Or better yet, get your drunkard friends to give you their Saint Arnold six-pack holders, and trade them in at the brewery for root beer.

(07-31-2009 02:06 PM)v-eight Wrote:  Root Beer... If I could choose any, I'd pick an ice cold Ugly Mug from Two Rows. My second choice would be Virgil's.
It's the best I could do since I don't partake of alcoholic beverages.

This thread made me crack open a Lone Star.

As for Caribbean beers, I'm a big fan of Kalik and Kalik Gold - Extra Strength from the Bahamas.

Given the cold feelings with the Bush co's, I donno if the "national beer of texas" would be MY choice. But then, I did once pay 3.50 GBP for one in the "texas embassy" in London (very near the actual location of the historical embassy) for one - $7 lonestar is def. the most overpriced beer I've ever bought.

For my list, it IS summer, so I would drink a nice scrimshaw (but never, ever summer pils - ick) or pilsner urquell. In the winter I would do a belhaven or left hand milk stout. For a "statement" it would be hard to pass over dale's pale ale :)

(08-01-2009 07:38 PM)jh Wrote:  This thread made me crack open a Lone Star.

As for Caribbean beers, I'm a big fan of Kalik and Kalik Gold - Extra Strength from the Bahamas.

(07-30-2009 12:42 PM)gsloth Wrote:  So, if GWB had been president and hosted this event, would he have drunk near beer?

GWB is a recovering alcoholic. First of all, although he did have his share of questionable stunts, I doubt he would have hosted such an event. If he had, I think, and let's hope, he would have had an ice tea.

For me, Shiner Bock. My dad's family is from Shiner. I spent many hours in my youth in the hospitality suite at the old Spoetzl Brewery....before UT frat boys made it famous.

I understand that Biden had a nonalcoholic beer. Given his propensity toward talking without thinking, probably a good choice.

If Bush had hosted something like this, I think the left would been howling that he was trivializing the importance of race relations.

Since I moved here, I have been drinking lots of the products of the local Sweetwater Brewery

http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com/

Their IPA is excellent.

When back in Houston I drink whatever "Danny the Bartender" at Kay's Lounge puts in front of me.

(08-01-2009 09:33 PM)emmiesix Wrote:  Given the cold feelings with the Bush co's, I donno if the "national beer of texas" would be MY choice. But then, I did once pay 3.50 GBP for one in the "texas embassy" in London (very near the actual location of the historical embassy) for one - $7 lonestar is def. the most overpriced beer I've ever bought.

For my list, it IS summer, so I would drink a nice scrimshaw (but never, ever summer pils - ick) or pilsner urquell. In the winter I would do a belhaven or left hand milk stout. For a "statement" it would be hard to pass over dale's pale ale :)

(08-01-2009 07:38 PM)jh Wrote:  This thread made me crack open a Lone Star.

As for Caribbean beers, I'm a big fan of Kalik and Kalik Gold - Extra Strength from the Bahamas.

pilsner urquell... yum....

Also, WMD, when I worked at the Ginger Man in Norwalk, CT, a group of staff members (myself, sadly, not included) made a pilgrammage to the Bonaroo Music Festival in Tennessee. There, one of our managers fell in love with Sweetwater beers. However, the owner of the brewery, who was running their tent at the festival, had to inform our manager that, due to the way he made his beer, he couldn't import it as far as Connecticut. This was ******* shame, as Sweetwater Brewery makes great beer (a former R.A. at Hanszen (and former Valhalla manager) used to bring some back with him whenever he went home to Georgia - the Sweet Georgia Brown is especially tasty)...

The only thing I drink anymore at home is my own homebrew.

The neighbor's wife (the co-master brewmeister's wife) is a graphic artist, so each batch has a professional-level label to go with it. The only hard part on the "pretty" end of it was having to decide if we were a nano, pico, or femta brewery for the label title.

Life is sweet on the beer front for me.....

(08-03-2009 11:24 AM)CTRice10 Wrote:  

(08-01-2009 09:33 PM)emmiesix Wrote:  Given the cold feelings with the Bush co's, I donno if the "national beer of texas" would be MY choice. But then, I did once pay 3.50 GBP for one in the "texas embassy" in London (very near the actual location of the historical embassy) for one - $7 lonestar is def. the most overpriced beer I've ever bought.

For my list, it IS summer, so I would drink a nice scrimshaw (but never, ever summer pils - ick) or pilsner urquell. In the winter I would do a belhaven or left hand milk stout. For a "statement" it would be hard to pass over dale's pale ale :)

(08-01-2009 07:38 PM)jh Wrote:  This thread made me crack open a Lone Star.

As for Caribbean beers, I'm a big fan of Kalik and Kalik Gold - Extra Strength from the Bahamas.

pilsner urquell... yum....

Also, WMD, when I worked at the Ginger Man in Norwalk, CT, a group of staff members (myself, sadly, not included) made a pilgrammage to the Bonaroo Music Festival in Tennessee. There, one of our managers fell in love with Sweetwater beers. However, the owner of the brewery, who was running their tent at the festival, had to inform our manager that, due to the way he made his beer, he couldn't import it as far as Connecticut. This was ******* shame, as Sweetwater Brewery makes great beer (a former R.A. at Hanszen (and former Valhalla manager) used to bring some back with him whenever he went home to Georgia - the Sweet Georgia Brown is especially tasty)...

Now what's funnier is that you probably drank a beer or two from the case said RA and I brought home in my trunk. I'm glad we never got stopped on the way back - my entire trunk was full of sweetwater cases!