Obama Beer Summits Have Not Helped, Study Finds
Apparently it doesn't matter if the president drinks a whiskey drink, a vodka drink, a lager drink or a cider drink. He's losing the enthusiasm of America's most beer-drinking states.
That seems to be the evidence from 247WallStreet.com's compilation of states with the highest per capita beer consumption. Here are the top 10:
10. Delaware
9. Nebraska
8. Texas
7. Vermont
6. Wisconsin
5. Nevada
4. South Dakota
3. Montana
2. North Dakota
1. New Hampshire
I'm surprised to see Vermont, the bluest of blue states, on that list because the last time I was there they had some kind of irritating bar regulation that prohibited service of more than one drink at a time, which not only prohibited boilermakers but forced hapless dipsomaniacs to chug their existing drinks before the barkeep would serve the next round. I hear the Green Mountain State has since repealed this rule, which might explain why its rate of per capita consumption has risen the fastest of any state.
In any event, fully half of these states — Delaware, Vermont, Wisconsin, Nevada and New Hampshire — went for Obama in 2008. But according to Real Clear Politics' current map of electoral college polling, only Delaware and Vermont remain solidly for Obama, while Wisconsin, Nevada and New Hampshire have all moved into the "Tossup" category.
All five of the states that went for John McCain four years ago — Nebraska, Texas, Montana, North and South Dakota — remain red.
"The great point is to bring [voters] the real facts — and beer," said Abraham Lincoln, one of many chief executives who understood the importance of suds at the ballot box. Obama has clearly opted not to bother with the real facts, but he's running against a teetotaller and on one economic indicator — the beer affordability index — he has kept America at number one. Yet his old drinking buddies are forgetting about him. Maybe they've realized that a hangover only lasts a day but you have to live with an election result for four years.
Watch this space for rules on the Vice-Presidential-Debate drinking game.
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Nice to see Vermont in the top ten of something besides taxes.
There's always "billboard less roads".
So five of the states are voting for Obama like most of the states.
Why not list the eleventh state so there'd be no tie?
Huh? They said only 2 are for Obama, 5 are for Romney, and 3 are toss ups.
Every state RCP says is a toss-up is actually an Obama lead.
Asking RCP what's a toss-up is like asking Mitt Romney.
Says someone who obviously has absolutely no understanding of statistics, nor the cognitive capacity to learn.
Wisconsin and New Hampshire are both listed as Romney up by 1.5.
forced hapless dipsomaniacs to chug their existing drinks before the barkeep would serve the next round. I hear the Green Mountain State has since repealed this rule, which might explain why its rate of per capita consumption has risen the fastest of any state.
See if you can spot the flaw in this logic.
Kind of expected to get a cat thrown at me at the time, so I winced my way through it.
Not everybody is in a bar is a hapless dipsomaniac. I recall the rule making the whole bar experience inconvenient, so that for example, you couldn't get a new round at the table until the last person had finished his or her previous drink. According to some guy's rule, you get less of what you punish, and the result seemed to be a reduction in merriment, a subdued rate of frolic and a pronounced decline in wassailing. That having been said, I'd doubt relaxing that rule alone would account for Vermont's rapid rise in the charts.
We're #1! Glad to see all my hard work getting recognition.
Fuck, yeah!
Some one told me once (not sure if was true or still is, but I'd believe it) that the single most purchased retail item in NH was a 12 pakc of Budweiser. Followed by 6 pack of Bud, 12 pack of Bud Light, etc.
"Yuh, gimme a rack of Bud."
I believe it's now 2 drinks at a time. On a related note, all "pitchers" are 32 oz or less. Also no happy hours. One bar in Burlington gets around that by opening a keg of "Duff" (usually Sierra Nevada) at opening time (4 PM), and selling it for a dollar a draft. Once the keg runs out, there is no more Duff. That way they aren't giving you a price discount based on time.
As for why Vermont drinks so much beer, it's probably because it has the most breweries per capita. Also it's cold and empty so there's nothing else to do.
"Also it's cold and empty so there's nothing else to do."
I noticed that Alaskans have quite the capacity to drink.
There's also the fact that in any town with more than 500 people (except for Montpelier and Barre) 15-20% of the population is college students.
I bet we smoke the most pot per capita, too.
Newport would be another exception. Though they've still got a shitload of pot smokers.
Also it's cold and empty so there's nothing else to do.
You know what else is cold and empty?
Your mom's vagina?
Well... given that my mom went to sing with the choir invisibule last year, I'd say that's a big yes.
Watch this space for rules on the Vice-Presidential-Debate drinking game.
Drink heavily until you lose interest and change the channel.
FTW.
Slightly off-topic: the gold ring Obama has worn for more than 30 years is adorned with "There is no god except Allah." Whether this means anything is up for discussion, but it is interesting.
OK, Tulpa, come and get me!
Some people will believe anything.
So, you don't believe that he has worn that ring for 30 years? Or that it doesn't have that inscription? Or what?
He only just found this out when he accidentally put the ring in the fireplace.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
Now that I believe is inscribed on the Sun King's ring.
What does The Cult have to do with Obama's ring?
OK, enough with the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" quotes.
Even if that's not what it says (I have no idea), why the hell is he wearing a ring on his ring finger when he's single?
New Hampster probably drinks more beer b/c they have state stores for alcohol*
*although I've heard they are actually not terrible for state stores.
They don't sell beer in the state stores, only wine and liquor. You can buy beer at 7/11 however -- and it's cheap since there's no sales tax or bottle deposit.
Sorry - meant to add that. Since beer is available at Shaw's, Stop n Shop 7-11's, it's going to be the preferred libation.
The NH stores are the place all New Englanders should buy their liquor.
My uncle worked in one after he retired from being a stogie salesman. He was a great salesman, and he would have been happy to help any customer with a question about booze. The fact that they would hire someone so obviously competent surprised me at first.
I need to go to NH for another liquor/fireworks run.
They legalized them in ME, but they're still twice to three times as expensive as in NH. I figure if I drop two bills on booze and explosives it will more than make up for the gas and tolls.
NH liquor stores are actually quite nice (SLD applies) and prices are good. The employees are often helpful and friendly and they are actually reasonably well lit and laid out.
Just as there are some women no amount of beer will make desirable, no amount of beer would make me dumb enough to fall for the economic policies of the left.
You haven't tried hard enough!
Please tell me he's not going to get up again if he gets knocked down.
Although it would be quite satisfying to see him get knocked down multiple times.
Wait - how can you leave Ontario, BC, etc off the list of states*? Surely ALL of them would be higher than the ones listed.
* Canada should have been annexed by now, thus making the Provinces into States. And Canadians being some beer-drinkin' motherfuckers...etc. etc. etc.
Hoser, eh?
Take off, eh?!
Beauty, eh?
Whoa, when we decide to annex Canada, it only gets to be one state. Wouldn't want it to have that much power in the Senate.
Even 2 Canadian senators is 2 too many.
Annex them to Vermont instead.
That's a good plan. We'll save on flag redoing costs too.
Any time "Scranton Joe" pops out of his burrow, DRINK!
I'm guessing that Nevada ranks so high on the list less because of the resident's drinking habits (considering the large Mormon population) and moreso for the visiting tourists' drinking habits.
Aye. And I have done my part on my last visit there!
Or is it one of those states with 3.2% beer so that you have to drink twice as much?
Delaware as well.
Also helps that you can buy liquor and beer at any gas station or store. That's one of the things I hate about Oregon; you have to buy your liquor at a state-run store. Fucking commies.
"Watch this space for rules on the Vice-Presidential-Debate drinking game."
Don't you dare tease us like this... I want this now.
One drink for every tooth of Biden's that can be viewed in his big ass toothy smile.
the rules are, they ain't no stinking rules.
Or for a really serious hangover, when old Joe says something stupid, drink!
Taking a look at that list, outside of TX, to me it appears quite clear that if there is nowhere to go and nothing to do or see, you stay at home on the weekends a lot and drink beer.
I am also pizzed that MD is not on that list, and I VOW to stay home this weekend and do something about it, damnit!
Also of note that most of these states are states without a thriving craft beer industry (except for Wisconsin which is one of the better beer states from what I understand).
It makes sense. The beer consumption per capita measures the volume of beer consumed without any controlling for the strength of the beer consumed.
Texans drink a lot of light shitty adjunct lagers so they have to drink more. Oregonians and Coloradans drink heavy imperial stouts that have 2-3 times the ABV and therefore are discounted in spite of being among the leaders in craft beer.
I like my shitty adjunct lagers so much I want to brew them!
A Pilsener is not a shitty adjunct lager. And while lagers are generally not as popular among the craft community, a well made helles lager is the height of beer as their clarity, lighter flavor profile, and lighter ABV make them much harder to eliminate imperfections on.
A Pilsener is not a shitty adjunct lager.
All Pilseners are not shitty adjunct lagers, but all shitty adjunct lagers are pilseners.
I almost never see craft lagers. Seems like everyone only wants to make IPAs.
Again, in part because they're simply harder to make. As much as we beer geeks tend to rail on Budweiser, they actually make a very complex product and make it fairly well (given the type of beer they're seeking to make). The quality control on a light bodied lager is one of the most difficult things to master in brewing.
The quality control on a light bodied lager is one of the most difficult things to master in brewing.
That's a fact.
Because there is so little flavor, any imbalance stands out like a sore thumb.
As opposed to IPAs, where you've got a ton of wiggle room.
Which is, of course, why IPAs exist in the first place.
The quality control on a light bodied lager is one of the most difficult things to master in brewing.
I dump this in the category of "so what?" It still tastes terrible, if you can say there is a taste at all. And there seems to be an unwarranted assumption in there that that which is difficult to do is therefore good or worthy of respect. I disagree.
Bummer, I like lagers, and also some Pilsners. My favorite Pils is ironically named Devassa Tropical Lager, made by a micro-brewery in Pernambuco state in Brasil. Almost all brews there are Pils, with some lagers. I guess I understand when IMO heavy beers don't taste as good in constant 80+ degree weather with 70+% humidity.
I guess I could just stick to trying to make something heavier here in MD in the colder months if I ever get into homebrewing.
I love lagers, just not shitty ones.
About that...
My experience living in the midwest after I reached drinking age, is that a lot of people there drink crap beers like bud, miller, coors, etc. Living in MD, all of those beers in the liquor stores are kept in a cooler in some isolated corner and I never see anyone buying it.
Also, in the midwest states that I lived in, you would go into a bar and they would have maybe 3 or 4 crappy domestics on top. I never go to a bar here that doesn't have at least a few imports and local craft beers on tap. There are quite a few local craft breweries in my area also.
Also, beer thread?
I hereby hijack this thread and turn it into a beer drinking thread, in the name of ... BEER!
Any homebrewers tried to make a light pilsener?
I'm thinking I may need to use some adjuncts, since even 8# pils for base malt wasn't as light as I wanted. But do I need to use 6-row? If so where do I get it? I never see it for sale.
*standard 5g batch*
I have not since I don't have good lagering temp control. But perhaps if you used some carapils malt with it, you might lighten it up a bit. What's your SRM?
Carapils adds the the final gravity. By light I don't mean color, I mean body.
I want to make a nice, watery, American-piss-style lager with a hint of bitter and a decent hop aroma.
I tried with 8# pils mashed at 140 until it passed an iodine test, with (IIRC) .5oz Hallertao for 60 and at flameout.
It was nice, but I want it lighter (bodied).
Hmmm. I take back what I said before. You may very well have to use an adjunct. Flaked rice or corn might do the trick. Just substitute them for an equal part of the malt.
Also, what about clarity additions? I don't have a lot of experience using anything other than irish moss, but would isinglass finings or gelatin have any discernable impact on body?
If you want an American piss-beer, make it the piss-beer way: Rice syrup.
Wouldn't it be cheaper just to buy bud-lite, if you want American piss-beer?
Wouldn't it be cheaper just to buy bud-lite, if you want American piss-beer?
Gods no!
For twenty bucks worth of ingredients* I can make the equivalent of two and a half cases!
*I buy base grain by the 55# sack and hops by the pound.
Wow, I didn't realize that you could make beer that cheap. I am getting ideas here...
But how hard would it be to make a lager, say, of the quality of Stella? None of the micro-breweries around here ever make lager, it is always some variation of Pale Ale or IPA or a typically failed attempt at some variation of Weisse somethin or other.
Wow, I didn't realize that you could make beer that cheap.
I buy 55# sacks of grain for $60-70, and use 8-10# per.
Other grains may add a buck or two per.
I get hops for $15-20/lb and use 1-4oz per.
Yeast costs $4-8, but can be stretched over several batches.
Then a few bucks for propane.
You do the math.
But how hard would it be to make a lager, say, of the quality of Stella?
I dunno. That's what I'm working on. I've only got one and a half winters under my belt of making lagers. I've got to wait until my basement is cold enough, then there's the four month lag between boil and tap. It's a learning process.
What about unfiltered wheats? I don't care for IPAs at all, but I love good Heffies, such as Ayinger, which is among my top favorites of all beers.
What about unfiltered wheats?
I personally haven't had good luck with wheat.
I think nice hefe might be something I could make reasonably well since they turn out good at higher fermentation temps (low 70's) and living in SoCal gives me that sort of temp regularly.
That said, I'm not a big hefe fan and would prefer to use my higher temp times to brew belgian styles.
No syrups or extracts in my brewery.
You actually inspired me last time around that we had a homebrew thread to make the switch towards all grain as quick as I can. I'm going to jerry-rig my own mash tun this weekend, and I'm debating between a BIAB or a partial mash for the winter is coming imperial stout I have planned.
I know a few BIAB brewers and they swear by it.
I'd go that route over partial mash.
That's why you can't make it, though. Like trying to make an exact replica of McDonald's burger out of Wagyu beef.
Piss-beer is not great ingredients made into a crap beer, but rather crap ingredients made into a crap beer.
I believe that shitty american lagers are all grain, no syrups or extracts. Syrups and extract actually cost more than all grain, so they generally use the more economical version, all grain. That said, they do use a ton of adjunct (flaked rice in Bud, Busch, et al, flaked corn in miller, coors, etc) hence my suggestion of substituting those for some of the malt.
I believe that shitty american lagers are all grain, no syrups or extracts.
That's true. Crappy beer is not from crappy ingredients, it's a style.
Rice and corn, even as whole grains, are pretty crap ingredients for beer. Especially in the amounts they use.
Also, you might look into watering-down your final product. Quite a few sites seem to suggest that's the final step for most piss-beers. (And now I've read a bunch about how to make crappy beer.)
Piss-beer is a very difficult and detail oriented product to make. There is so little flavor that the slightest imbalance sticks out like a sore thumb.
As opposed to these big IPAs which any monkey could make.
I don't like IPA at all, but I will take it over piss beer. I mean, at least the extreme bitterness covers up that pissy flavor that might be lying underneath. I literally cannot stand the taste of bud. I don't think I would drink beer if that is all I could get. Or maybe my taste buds would just downgrade to the awfullness of it. It almost makes me gag if I take a drink of it.
Is that what gives Bud, etc. the totally unacceptable crappy flavor? I always wondered that the difference was between American lagers and those imported from Holland, Germany, etc. I just thought that the Europeans must have some secret that didn't get passed onto those that who fled to America and started brewing here. Not even one American brewery can make a good lager? Strange. I can't think of even one.
American lager is a distinctive style that allows for corn and rice as ingredients. That's why they are lighter in both color and body.
For centuries Germany had the Reinheitsgebot, or beer purity law, that did not allow such ingredients. Most European beers still follow the practice, though out of tradition rather than law.
Not even one American brewery can make a good lager?
I like a Mich Ultra or two after coming in from a hot day of yard work.
Thanks for the explanation, sarc. I admittedly know a lot more about drinking beer than knowledge of the process of making it, which I am almost totally ignorant of. To me all of the American lagers taste chemically, for lack of other words to describe the, to me, objectionable taste. Maybe it is the corn or rice that you are talking about.
I usually drink Heineken when my bi-monthly beer budget is running low since it is a few dollars a case less than the other beers that I like.
I'm pretty sure SugarFree had a story about her....
You. And I told you to shut the fuck up.
5 years. I moved here from IN, and at the time there were a few micro-breweries in Ft. Wayne and Southern IN, but I never saw anyone drinking it. They all drank shit beer, seriously.
Is there any reason you'd be opposed to using some 6 row? I would think an equal part 6 row to flaked rice would be fine and I don't see it fundamentally changing the beer in any other regard. What is your mash temp? You may be able to reduce the body slightly by mashing at a lower temp.
If neither of those are tenable options the only other thing I can think of is water chemistry and treating the water to make it more hospitable for a lighter body, but I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to do that or if it would even help.
Is there any reason you'd be opposed to using some 6 row?
It's not a matter of being opposed, it's a matter of finding it. I can't recall ever seeing it for sale.
Northernbrewer has Rahr 6-Row for $1.25/lb or 50 lb bag for 34.99
If you were in Southern Indiana, you probably never got a chance to see it, but one of the better respected craft brewers in the midwest is located in Munster, right by the Ill border:
Three Floyds
What's the shipping?
I get my bulk supplies from the local health food store. So far they've managed to order whatever I've asked them for. I'll have to ask them about 6-row and some flaked adjuncts.
I think it depends on where you live what the shipping is. They ship from Minnesota. Your best bet is to check online for places based closest to your region. But if your local health food store will make the order for you, might as well go through them to support your local homebrew supply shop.
I know where that is, but didn't know about the brewery. The best brewery that I have ever had the pleasure to visit in the midwest is the Frankenmuth, MI brewery, which IMO is a damn good brewery. I would always get several growlers when I went there.