About time (beer edition)

[libertango]

As part of the G-20 summit, Messrs Obama and Cameron swapped beers with each other.

"We are exchanging -- and paying off our (World Cup) debts at the same time -- this is Goose Island 312 beer from my hometown of Chicago," said Obama. Cameron showed off his local brew. "This is Hobgoblin from the Wychwood brewery in Witney, in my constituency," he said.

Jon Stewart made fun of "Wychwood", bringing out John Oliver to say Cameron was just randomly pulling out names from Harry Potter, but, seriously... These choices are so much better than the "beer summit," one can't help being encouraged (as a beer enthusiast, that is).

Comments

[perlmonger.livejournal.com]

That Obama expects Cameron to drink the US beer chilled, but refuses to try the British one at room temperature might be taken as commentary on the nature of that "special relationship" supposed to pertain between the countries :)

(Though Cameron, whatever his faults, doesn't appear to be quite as servile as Blair was to Bush#2)

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

The impression I have is Obama isn't much of a beer drinker at all. So I see most of that as not so much an expression of personal taste on his part, as playing to the gallery.

I think complaining about Dubya treating Blair like a servant is a distinction without a difference. Yes, it's accurate, but it wasn't aimed at Blair as such, or the UK. Dubya treats everyone like a servant. As far as I can tell, he has no friends, only hired help. As I used to joke, "Where is the Bebe Rebozo of the Bush administration?"

[perlmonger.livejournal.com]

Fair enough.

Seeing things left-pondingly, what I perceived more was Blair's archetypical expression of New Labour's panting hero worship of anything American or big business (or preferably both). Our Tories are slightly less prone to this, presumably because they're historically more secure in their own membership of the exploiting classes ;)

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

I visited Goose Island's brewhouse and bar with shsilver last August, and I'm pleased to say their ales are served only slightly chilled. Wychwood is a fine brewery, too, with some terrific beers: Hobgoblin, Fiddler's Elbow, Witch's Brew...

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

As a general rule of thumb, my experience with Goose Island so far is they're the Spinal Tap of breweries, but in a good way. That is, they turn everything "up to 11." (Notably, Bourbon County Stout, probably my (current) favorite beer in the world.)

Once you know they amp everything up, you can calibrate accordingly.

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've had Hobgoblin before, and enjoy Wychwood's ad campaigns. ("What's the matter, lagerboy -- scared of the dark?") They're perhaps a little thin to my personal tastes, but they're certainly of quality.

Goose Island, as I just said to feorag, make Bourbon County Stout, probably my (current) favorite beer in the world. I've yet to have anything from them I didn't like.

This is why I thought the "beer summit" was such a lost opportunity -- I've said from the start Obama should've been flacking for Goose Island to show support not for hoity-toity microbrews per se, but to support a local, entrepreneurial Chicago business.

So his coming around to that pleases me no end.