Salute the Flag with a Can of Suds…

Written by: John White

Consider showing off your patriotism by sipping on an American cold one. But be forewarned, your choice of American beers is shrinking faster than the economy.

Last year marked a tragic period in American beer history.  The European company based in Belgium, "InBev," purchased one of the few remaining American owned Macro-breweries, Anheuser-Busch.

InBev is now the largest brewing company in the world, with over 250 brands in production.

Sadly, the former great American beer brands such as Budweiser, Michelob, Busch, Rolling Rock, and Natural Light are now owned by the European giant, InBev.  Can you believe that the "King of Beers," our beloved Budweiser, is now a European beer?

So we lost Bud, no sweat – we’ll just switch on over to Miller, right?  Nope, Miller is no longer an American brewing company either.  Some of Miller’s most recognizable brands include the legendary Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite, Olde English, Icehouse, and SouthPaw.  These former American heavy-weight champs are now owned and operated by SABMiller, a South African company.

Heck, even our iconic Coors brand is now just a regional division of the "Molson Coors Brewing Company," which is mostly Canadian owned.  Coors, Bluemoon, Killians, and Keystone – all owned by our neighbors to the north.

It seems as though we don’t have too many choices anymore when it comes to sipping on American suds.  All hope is not lost, though.  If you truly want to show your patriotism by drinking good-ol’ American beer this Fourth of July, consider the following four (4) options:

1.  Yuengling

Yuengling & Son, otherwise known as "Yuengling,"  and pronounced "ying ling" is the oldest operating brewing company in the USA.  Yuengling was established in 1829 by the German brewer, David G. Yuengling, several years after he immigrated to the United States. Yuengling is located in Pennsylvania, and is still American owned and controlled by a Yuengling heir.

Yuengling’s beers include:

Yuengling Premium, Light, Traditional Lager, Dark Brewed Porter, Lord Chesterfield Ale, Original Black & Tan, and Light Lager.

Visit: www.yuengling.com

2.  Boston Beer Company

The Boston Beer Company is a relative newcomer, founded in 1984 by Jim Koch in Boston, Massachusetts.  The Boston Beer Company is the largest American owned brewery, and is most famous for it’s Samuel Adams brand of beers.  The Sam Adams brand began with "Samuel Adams Boston Lager," in 1984 and has since grown to include an additional eleven (11) year-round beer varieties.

Boston Beer Company’s year-round beers include:

Sam Adams Light, Boston Ale, Pale Ale, Cherry Wheat, Cream Stout, Brown Ale, Hefeweizen, Scotch Ale, Black Lager, Honey Porter, and Irish Red.

Sam Adams also produces four (4) different seasonal beers at different months throughout the year: White Ale, Summer Ale, Octoberfest, and Winter Lager.

Visit: www.bostonbeer.com and www.samueladams.com

3.  Pabst Brewing Company*

Pabst claims to be the largest American-owned brewer, but a more accurate description of Pabst is that they are the largest American-owned marketing company that is in the beer business.  The Pabst Brewing Company is often referred to as a "virtual brewer" because it outsources most of it’s 85 brands of beer brewing to Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller – the South Africans).  In fact, Pabst closed all of it’s breweries, and no longer brews a single beer themselves.

Some of Pabst’s most recognizable brands include:

Ballantine Ale, Black Label, Blatz, Colt 45, Lone Star, McSoreley’s, Old Milwaukee, Olympia, and of course Pabst Blue Ribbon ("PBR").

Visit: www.pabst.com

4. Your Local Microbrewery

A microbrewery is a small craft brewery of local & regional origin that has a limited production capacity and whose beers are usually distributed within a restricted geographic region.  A microbrewery can usually be found in or around most major metropolitan areas.  A microbrewery is simply a very small local commercial brewery.  A large number of well-known microbreweries were founded by friends getting together to make their own homemade beer for fun.

The best-known American microbrewery is the "Sierra Nevada Brewing Company," located in Chico, California.  Sierra Nevada is famous for it’s American Pale Ale, which can be found in liquor stores throughout the United States.

Visit: www.sierranevada.com

Happy Fourth of July!  If you drink beers this July 4th, be sure to Drink American!

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