Beer and Stereotypes

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No thanks. 

Came across an entertaining link by A Good Beer Blog about a new fad in the southwest United States. Apparently there's been a rising number of what can be referred to as beer burglaries in the region.

You can find the answer to this question in the blog post I linked and in the article that's linked in the same post, but I ask you what almost all of these burglaries have in common? If you answered with "beer," then you win a cookie. If you answered bad beer, then you've earned yourself another one.

According to that blog post and the article within, most of these burglaries have involved Budweiser and Bud Lite. Also noted is the irony that what some refer to as fancy beer is mostly left on the shelves when these events occur. The article says that in El Paso, 2,876 of these crimes were reported last year. Looks like it has caught on.

My spin on this is a controversy that's been going on for years and most likely won't ever be answered. Are there stereotypes when it comes to the beer we drink.

Take me for example. In his early twenties, fascinated by the craft beer craze and is pretty stuck up about it. I'm sure some would classify me as a "beer geek." Does the fact that these burglaries took place in the Southwest affirm theories that people in rural areas drink crappier beer as opposed to us that live in more urban areas with much better beer selections where ever we go?

I think it's an interesting question to ponder. I've always been one that's believed stereotypes exist because different people have actually done some of the alleged things. Now, I also don't believe that a specific stereotype applies to an entire demographic either, to be fair.

In my opinion, we grow up in certain areas and we become attuned to doing certain things. They become habitual. As I mentioned earlier, I believe the reasoning that most craft beer is not the chosen beer of whomever is stealing Budweiser is because they grew up around it somehow.

I also think that location has something to do with it as well. Just take a ride a few miles north of Pittsburgh. There are some bars I've come across that perceive the finest craft beer as being whatever Sam Adams seasonal is out. With that said, I'm still curious about what everyone else has to say about this.