Leading up to the Nov. 8 election, Eric Trump, son of then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, visited D.G. Yuengling & Sons of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, makers of Yuengling Lager and other beers. Yuengling is considered to be the largest craft brewery in the United States, as calculated by the Brewers Association. 

According to media reports, Trump promised that his father would make it easier for business to be done in the United States. “Our guys are behind your father,” Dick Yuengling Jr., the head of the company responded. “We need him in there.”

The reaction by supporters of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, as well as others who opposed the republican nominee was swift and seemingly severe. 

Bars throughout Pennsylvania and beyond denounced Yuengling, pulled it from inventory, and announced a boycott. 

Wolf Sterling, the owner of Pint, a bar in Jersey City, New Jersey, announced on Facebook that it will no longer serve Yuengling products, saying that Dick Yuengling Jr.’s support of Trump supports a “racist, anti-gay, anti-women” mentality.

“The $15,000 a year we paid for their products will go to companies that do support diversity,” Sterling said in the post. “We are also closing our account with Peerless Beverage Company, the distributor of Yuengling, until they drop Yuengling products from their lineup.”

After All About Beer made several requests for a comment from the Yuengling brewery, marketing manager Jen Holtzman responded to this reporter via email: “We are not able to comment publicly but I appreciate the opportunity.” 

Sterling, who signed the statement that currently has more than 1,000 reactions on Facebook and has been shared and commented on more than 100 times, says he doesn’t “expect that dropping Yuengling will change the world. But it will tell our neighbors, our friends, and you, that when you come to Pint you’re welcome here—regardless of who you love, what you look like, or whether you sit or stand to pee.”

(Full disclosure: I am a regular customer of Pint, as it’s in my hometown and the bar is featured in my most recent cookbook Dishing Up New Jersey.)

The actions of Sterling, coupled with countless other bars and accounts, show the divide politics can have in business, something many service and goods companies have long sought to avoid.

The Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Co. also found itself in the crosshairs leading up to the election when it hosted former President Bill Clinton for a rally urging support for his wife’s campaign. 

The local newspaper, the Coloradoan, said that while 2,500 people gathered to hear the former president speak, a hearty bunch of Trump supporters gathered in protest nearby. 

New Belgium, the fourth largest craft brewery in the country, is no stranger to politics. In 2014 it launched a political action committee, and has given verbal and financial support to a number of causes. A Facebook group called “Boycott New Belgium Brewing” is an active page that is against the brewery for its funding of “anti-coal, anti-fracking, anti-natural gas, anti-hydro, anti-gun, and anti-oil advocacy.” 

The brewery, having taken stances on a number of political issues, has experienced physical boycotts and removal from shops and bars. 

Before, during, and after the Clinton rally, customers on social media weighed in quickly, announcing that the brewery would lose their business. Brewery spokesman Bryan Simpson said this week: “We’ve always wanted to make the work we do here meaningful. We have a responsibility to engage on the policy and practice that impact our business and community.”

He specifically cited clean water initiatives, something vitally important to all people and especially breweries. Simpson said that the brewery was approached by the Clinton campaign for the rally and it was “an honor to do so. You don’t turn down a former president.” While New Belgium—the company—didn’t specifically endorse Clinton’s candidacy, Simpson said there was one candidate “who more aligned” with its perspective. 

As for the accounts that have dropped New Belgium, Simpson said: “Yes we take positions, and that’s something that can bite you in the ass. That’s the cost of advocacy.”

Interestingly enough, Pint’s stance on Yuengling will have equal consequences for New Belgium, since it shares the same distributor in northern New Jersey. 

While all politics is local, this recent cycle was a reminder that it can also be as close as the glass in your hand. 

This story first appeared on the website of All About Beer Magazine.

I soon came to find out that Damon is a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout made by the brewery in honor of a beloved dog. It comes in 500-mL bottes, retails for $22 and is limited to one per person. I’m looking at the one I purchased here on my desk as I write this. On my way out a fifth guy offered me triple the price I just paid.

Hill Farmstead in Vermont

Hill Farmstead is a remarkable brewery making many fantastic beers. It brings people to a remote part of Vermont, down long distances of dirt road. Fans and enthusiasts come with high expectations and empty trunks. I watched as many took selfies with their glasses and checked in online to, I’m sure, the great envy of their friends. Here the experience is all about the beer, the bragging rights, the desire to get that second bottle of Damon.

Many of these beers, I suspect, will wind up on forums and then packed up and mailed to a new home in exchange for other beers or cash.

Less than 24 hours after leaving the farm I was sitting in an Adirondack chair around a large fire pit outside of the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, Vermont. I was on my second pint of IPA when a fellow patron sat down across from me. “Isn’t it a lovely day?” he asked. “How are you?”

IPA at the Harpoon Brewery

It was indeed a gorgeous day. Temps in the low 80s, clear blue sky with only a few high fluffy clouds, a breeze would pass through and shade was provided by old, big, lush trees. We chatted for a while about jobs and family, about travel, and other life experiences. The beer was delicious, but we didn’t need to go on about it, because it was only part of the experience. That night a local musician strummed cover songs, while people danced. Phones mostly stayed in pockets and conversation was loud and lively.

In this column I’ve been harping about how we need to unplug, to enjoy the moments to focus on what’s important. And I realize that what’s important varies greatly for some people. For the guys at Hill Farmstead, snagging a second bottle of a stout was important. For the folks at Harpoon, the ones sitting and chatting, or the ones with six-packs on the lawn playing corn hole, it was about being together and enjoying a stunning afternoon outdoors. I’ll drink to that. 

A conversation with the author of “The Year of Drinking Adventurously”

Jeff Cioletti has a job that many will envy. He’s a professional drinker. More accurately, he’s a professional writer who focuses on the drinks trade. A long-time magazine editor and journalist, as well as a filmmaker and world traveler, the New Jersey native has just released his first book “The Year of Drinking Adventurously” and sat down over a few cocktails to discuss the state of the drinks world.

 John Holl: Describe the book. What can people expect when the buy it and start to dig in?

 Jeff Cioletti: It’s really a breezy guide—conversational, not pedantic—for people who want to expand their drinking horizons. We’ve all had that point in our lives when we either had no clue what to order at a bar or were just so overwhelmed by the number of unfamiliar choices that we retreated to our not-so-exciting comfort zones. I decided to structure it across a single year. There are 52 chapters. Each one represents a different drink for each week of the year. It covers everything from the different whiskey traditions to more obscure beverages like Japan’s sake and shochu, China’s baijiu and Chicago’s Malört. There are also some chapters on beer that offer styles beyond what many consider “mainstream.” 

Jeff Cioletti

 You have an extensive professional background writing about drinks and spirits, but what surprised you while researching and writing this book.

 How much there still was to learn! There were so many things that I’ve taken for granted, particularly about the history of some of these beverages. Take something as accessible as whiskey for instance. Whiskey’s in the midst of a colossal renaissance at the moment and the styles that most connoisseurs have been gravitating to have been things like bourbon, rye and Scotch. But interestingly, there was a time, into the early 20th century, when Irish whiskey was considered the best of the best. It kind of got overshadowed by Scotch by the mid-20th century. Luckily, though, it’s become one of the fastest-growing styles, led by Jameson, and now drinkers are looking to dive deeper into that category. That’s creating an opportunity for modern Irish distillers, enabling it to slowly return to its former glory. I was also surprised by just how much of a role context plays in the drinking experience. For instance, I was never much of a rum person, but get me in a tiki bar and I’m in love with it! Same thing with mulled wine. I was never crazy about it when we’d heat red wine on the stove and add spices like cinnamon and clove. But take me to an outdoor holiday market in Germany, Austria or Switzerland and there’s nothing I would rather drink than a steaming cup of gluhwein, standing at a highboy table when it’s 20 degrees out. 

The title of the book, especially “drinking adventurously” seems to indicate that, by in large, people are timid drinkers. Is this the case and if so, why?

There are different levels of timidity, I guess. There certainly are well-rounded drinkers out there who are open to trying a lot of things. But for the most part, they still have their comfort zone. They gravitate toward one beverage more than others and often become experts on that particular drink. That’s kind of how I used to be with beer. When I first discovered amazing beer—craft, specialty, whatever you want to call it—I immersed myself in that world, learned as much as I could about it and traveled to many places overseas with the sole purpose of drinking good beer at the source. But at the same time, I was shutting myself off from spirits and other beverage categories. Ultimately, my tastes evolved and I opened myself up to other drinks. But before that I actually considered myself an adventurous drinker because I was always trying new beers in style categories that varied wildly. But I really wasn’t because I was still cocooning myself in that beery comfort zone. The same holds true for anyone who’s an expert on whiskey, gin, wine, cider—what have you. They may be so devoted to one category that they’re putting the blinders on about others. So that’s a form of timidness, whether we care to admit it or not. And then, of course, there are the folks who never gave much thought to what they were drinking or were too shy to expand beyond the simple, like a vodka tonic or vodka cranberry. That’s kind of the person I was in the late ’90s. I was still new to the world of legal drinking and I wanted to break away from the really cheap beer I drank in college. So for me, a basic gin-and-tonic sounded like a grownup drink. Trouble was, it was a well drink. I really didn’t care what kind of gin was going in the glass and in those days, there weren’t many options anyway. And of course, since it was the cheapest drink you could by, it was incredibly watered down. I honestly didn’t even know what gin tasted like. I figured it tasted like quinine because all I was getting was the tonic and the ice water. And I was too timid to ask for a good recommendation. I was probably a little indifferent too. I didn’t think alcohol was supposed to be such a complex flavor experience. The fact that it very much is one of the key takeaways, I hope, in the book. 

 If someone spends the next year working through the books, taking each chapter as a lesson, what should they expect by this time next year? 

 They should have a better understanding of what they like and what they don’t like and perhaps be surprised by things they thought they’d never like. Believe me, no one’s going to like every drink in this book. Some of the drinks, I’d say, are actually pretty hard to like. But it’s more about taking that leap and trying something new, whether it’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever experienced, or gut-wrenchingly vile. By the time the holidays roll around next year, they’ll probably have a pretty impressive liquor cabinet for their home entertaining. When they’re out for a drink, they’ll probably find themselves scanning all of the bottles behind the bar. Some of what’s back there may seem like old friends by then. They’re also likely to impress their bartenders a bit being able to converse authoritatively about much of what the bar has in stock. That’ll lead to a better rapport, which often will lead to preferential treatment. That could mean better drinks. It also means that if they get a special bottle in that’s hidden below the bar or in the back room, they’re more likely to let you in on the action. 

 Getting into the busy holiday gathering season, what is one simple thing people can do to elevate their drinking experience or show off some great hosting skills? 

 On the entertaining side, I usually want to be best friends with the people whose assortment of bottles makes my jaw drop. I was at a Halloween party a few weeks back at the home of a couple I didn’t know too well. When I saw the vast and impeccably curated collection of whiskeys, beers, gins, bitters, ciders they had, I told them they should’ve been the ones writing my book! As far as going out and enjoying the season at a cozy bar, find a place that has, not just a printed wine list, but physical, well-appointed spirits and beer lists. (If it’s a place that only has a beer and wine license, make sure the beer gets the same kind of fanfare that the wine gets). Those are the types of places that take their beverages seriously and they love serving people who do as well. And, there’s probably no better holiday gift than a bottle of something amazing. You just have to drop the right hints to Santa. 

John Holl is the editor of All About Beer Magazine and author of the American Craft Beer Cookbook. He lives in Jersey City. Contact him via Twitter @John_Holl or JohnHoll@gmail.com

The Feria Internacional “El Arte de la Cerveza Artesana” was held in the culinary city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, where the locals embrace excellent food and are quickly appreciating good beer. During my days in the city, I was fortunate to try many of the beers being produced in the country, from innovative twists on a Helles lager from Zeta Brewing, to inspiring sours by the Sesma Brewery.  Other standout breweries include Falken Brewing Co., which won a consumer preference award. 

What was most evident from my last visit was 1) the overall use of hops has increased. Brewers are less afraid, it seems to include moderate, sometimes generous amount of hops in their ales. This reflects both a brewer’s willingness to use the ingredient and consumer’s acceptance. 2) Fewer infected beers. My first visit to Spain was full of clearly infected beers. They were difficult to drink. Better education, higher standards, and brewer pride has led to cleaner beers coming to market. 

Seeing protocols and the facilities of breweries like Mateo & Bernabe and Naparbier show the standards that are in place in other countries are coming to prominence in Spain. 

I can’t imagine that anyone left this year’s”El Arte de la Cerveza Artesana” unhappy. Not only was there an excellent selection of beer, but the food options were delicious and filling and the general sense of camaraderie between the attendees and the brewers was fun to watch. Watching the families, couples, friends dance, drink and eat in what is truly a unique setting is what made the event memorable for me. The organizers went to great lengths to present a safe, friendly, and educational experience for everyone who walked through the door. Because of beer’s great influence on food, this year’s location made sense and people clearly responded.

I suspect this was just the first of what will be many years of successful beer and food festivals.

-John Holl