Punch Shots: Cheers to More Years of Weak Beers

Here’s to when craft beer becomes “the tradition.”-The Professor

Written by Leslie Small for delcotimes.com

Never fear, Cubs fans — no one’s going to take away your crappy beer.

OK, well they might after 2013, but until then, Pabst Brewing Co. will continue to craft Old Style for thirsty Chicagoans who should at least be able to get drunk as they continue to wait (and wait, and wait) for a World Series victory.

A lengthy Associated Press story (as seen in Monday’s Daily Times) explained the Old Style enthusiasts’ predicament. New Pabst owner C. Dean Metropoulos (yes, that’s a real name) sent a since-leaked memo last year expressing his desire to “exit the Cubs deal.”

Fans of the workingman’s brew, which has had an epic 61-year partnership with the Cubs, cried foul. Never mind that the craft beer movement has made Old Style a relic of the past — this Wrigley Field staple has clearly entered the realm of “so bad it’s good.”

Add a little media exposure casting Old Style as an unwitting victim of a fast-changing world, and Pabst is goaded into assuring everyone that the beer is here to stay.

Regardless of what you think of the brew or its place in ballpark lore, the story is a reminder that sometimes demand and respect for traditions really do drive business decisions. And that’s something we can all drink to.