I just saw this cartoon on Jay Brooks beer blog. It’s drawn by Ben Sargent, who does a daily cartoon for Yahoo. First, I laughed, then I felt some pain. My parents were solidly middle class, came out of the Great Depression and Prohibition and did not drink beer, but our Texas relatives sure did.

Some of ‘em fit this cartoon’s stereotype fairly well. They used to give their 5-year-old a bottle of beer, usually a Lone Star “long neck”, but sometimes Bud in a can. He could chug ‘em right down and everybody laughed… Let’s see, they also chewed tobacco and never went beyond high school and the men worked for the railroad.

So, while I love the cartoon, the image pisses me off, because it suggests a guy of little brain – somebody, who for obvious reasons, could never appreciate or evaluate a Belgian tripel. Bull. My uncles Ross and Morris were damned smart and that beer-drinking kid did just fine; he grew up, got university degrees, is not fat — and he still drinks beer. Most likely Lone Star, although I haven’t asked. Possibly, he’s drinking Belgian tripels or certainly will if the popularity of Belgian beer ever reaches his Texas border town.

Also, Jay Brooks made a good point about changing the taste of Bud. It’s not gonna’ happen. They’re going to make Bud as it is right now today, an international brand,. Hell, they’re going to sell Bud in China and India and Brazil…