Netroots Nation: Vote on a Union Beer

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/07/13/netroots-nation-vote-on-a-union-beer/

by Laura Clawson, Jul 13, 2010

By popular demand, Working America and the AFL-CIO are bringing back last year’s “Raise a glass for the working class” booth—otherwise known as the beer booth—at Netroots Nation. If you come by our booth anytime the exhibit hall is open and take an action for working families, you’re entitled to come back and sample union beer during the happy hours we’ll be holding next week on Thursday and Friday of the convention.



We’ll have updates coming soon about what actions you can take and exactly when beer will be served. (Last year the actions included writing to your members of Congress about health care reform or the Employee Free Choice Act, or joining Working America.) But right now, the big question is: What beer should we serve?

We’ll only be serving union beer, of course. Once again we’ll be handing out our handy wallet-sized union beer info cards (“Drink beer made by union members. You’ll feel better in the morning”), which list the following options:

All Miller products, including: (UAW)
Miller High Life, Genuine Draft and Lite
Milwaukee’s Best
Sharp’s
Icehouse, Red Dog
Hamm’s

All Anheuser-Busch products, including: (IAM)
Budweiser, Bud Light and Budweiser American Ale
Michelob
Shock Top
Busch
Natural Light
Rolling Rock
O’Doul’s

Leinenkugel’s (UAW)
Iron City (IUE-CWA)
Mad River Brewing Co. (IAM)
Henry Weinhard’s (UAW)

Unfortunately, the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas isn’t able to get all of these—our choices are Miller and Leinenkugel beers. But we still have to pick which Millers and which Leinenkugels, and when we’re figuring out the order, we want to know what you want. So take the poll; we’ll do our best to get something for everyone. And if you’re at Netroots Nation, come by the booth!

[Initech]

1. I went to the Miller Brewery a couple weeks ago, it was quite an experience.

[Erose999]

6. My parents live near the AB brewery in Cartersville, GA

The smell of that place on a summer night is disgusting. Like the rankest stale beer smell imaginable. Had no idea it was union though. Theres a general "anti-union" climate in that part of the state even though there are lots of plants and mills.

None of the choices on that list are particularly appealing considering the foreign ownership of both Miller and AB. I guess from the short list I'd say High Life.

But I'm not particularly fond of lager/pilsner styles of beer like most of the big companies offer.

[zipplewrath]

2. Sam Adams

sorry to see Sam Adams isn't on the list. I never thought much about it, but aren't most of my european favorites basically union made?

[JHB]

17. According to Sam Adams' 2009 Annual Report...

...of about 780 employees, 75 are under collective barganing agreements involving three unions. All in their Cincinatti brewery.

Less than 10%.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. Looks like MOST beer is union, right?

Don't Miller and AB basically cover more than half of Beerdom?

[Omaha Steve]

4. Coors merged with Molson

Then merged with Miller. Between Coors-Miller-Bud they have over 90% of the US market. I started drinking micro brew and turned my back on union made months ago. I will not feed the crush the little guys beast.

[Erose999]

7. The Coors family is a major contributor to RW organisations like the Heritage foundation.

And I know Mayor McCheese(R-AZ) has some brewery connections too but I don't know what particular breweries he is connected to.

[Sebastian Doyle]

10. Well technically it's Cindy the Lizard Queen

Her family owns the regional Anheuser Busch distributor.

[JVS]

5. I thought Iron City ditched the union when it moved to Latrobe from Pittsburgh

[Omaha Steve]

8. Schell is unionized too

I drink their sampler packs and the Grain Belt Premium.


From the AFL-CIO post reply #1.

1.
russellhess on 13.07.2010 at 11:43 (Reply)

You are missing the beers made by the Schell Brewery in New Ulm, MN which is represented by the USW now. Second oldest family owned Brewery in the United States, celebrating 150 years. They now brew the Minnseosta Classic “Grain Belt Premium” and others. Here is a link: http://bit.ly/cT7Qs6

http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers.php

[Brickbat]

11. Really? I can't find anything confirming that.

I'd love it if it were!

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. Ordinarily I wouldn't drink any of those listed

I won't drink Bud or Miller under any circumstances. Or the anti-union Coors for that matter.

Henry Weinhards it is then, I guess. That's about as low as I go on the beer scale. And at least it's still made in the Northwest, so I'm supporting the regional economy. Just wish they still made the Hazelnut Stout. :beer:

[branders seine]

12. Henry Weinhard's

Great beer brewed by American workers.

[Brickbat]

13. Leine's it is!

[Eric Condon]

14. Fuck A-B (aka the Wal-Mart of beers)

Bums me out of Sam Adams is not union, because Cherry Wheat is my all-time fave.

[name not needed]

16. They may be union, but they're still pretty low.

If you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you check out Beer Wars. It's a pretty interesting look at the brewing industry in this country.

[Eric Condon]

18. Haven't seen it, but my brother in law told me all about it

It just doesn't make sense why A-B works so hard to squeeze out small breweries. I mean, I can understand them competing with Miller and Coors, but microbrews obviously have a very different target market than A-B. My hunch is that if everyone who makes craft beer got put out of business by A-B, people who are into craft beers would NOT just turn around and say "hmmm, can't get that anymore, might as well start drinking Bud Light."

[name not needed]

15. By Rolling Rock, do you mean Budweiser?

Seeing as how A-B CLOSED the plant, LAID OFF the employees and brew it in Newark now.

[Curmudgeoness]

19. Agreed. Rolling Rock was always my beer, even when I lived in

Houston and it was a premium beer to buy. Not anymore when they sold out to Bud and moved the plant. They were not concerned about all the workers who had been in Latrobe brewing beer for generations. Sorry, my beer of choice now is on the union's boycott list. But it is locally brewed.

[LWolf]

20. How big does a brewery need to be

to unionize? How many employees?

My favorite beers are from small, local microbreweries.