A phrase that simply rolls off the tongue.
Partisans of nouveau American beer chauvinism.
As the author discovers “that people get much more excited about who has the best beer than about the role of the brewing industry in late capitalism and the fate of organized labour.”
Wow, that little piece makes some pretty bold claims.
I’d say “Imperialistic Navel-Gazing” rolls off the tongue just as well.
It seems to me, he makes some pretty good points. The question “which country makes the best beer” strikes me as silly and pointless. It’s sort of like asking which of your children you like best.
As for drinking, Europe is probably better than the US because it is more compact. The brewing nations of Europe would probably occupy about a quarter of the US in area and the variety of beers they produce is staggering. Europe also has many pubs that don’t seem to have discovered television yet and, in fact, haven’t changed much over the past 100 or more years. That is, places that still have atmosphere.
And yet, the beer forums are filled with youngsters ranting about how wonderful beer is in the US and how European brewers have come to the US to learn how to brew forgotten styles from their own country (yeah, right).
I don’t doubt that there are good beers made in the US, or the UK, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Norway…
Someone should send that link to Alan. He’s in a mood lately to support the thesis.