Thursday, September 19, 2013

Save the, uh, Lager

I'm not much of a petition guy. Truthfully I've never seen them doing much good. Think about it—they usually pop up as some grass roots movement—after the fact—and go nowhere. Usually, one big company, moves in on a little company (or bunch of little companies) and bullies them out; or tears something down; or tries to build something ugly. Then people get all up upset, and collect a thousand signatures in the name of stopping the injustice; or saving the trees; or protecting the furry woolly bat.

Then, nothing happens.

The megaconglom box store opens, or the old fire house gets tore down, and the furry woolly bat goes extinct.

So, like I said I'm not a petition guy.

Until now.

Anheuser-Busch might kick Old Style out of Wrigley Field in Chicago.

C'mon guys! Really? Old Style has been the un-official, official beer of the Cubbies since 1950. Old Style and the Cubs go together like, well, like the Cubs and not winning a National League Pennant since 1945. Harry Caray, ivy covered outfield walls, rooftop seats, "Let's play two", and Old Style all are synonymous of the Cubs and Wrigley.

It's not a done deal though. Crain's, the Chicago-centric business website is reporting that the new marketing contract that AB, the Cubs and Levy Restaurants (the company that runs concessions at Wrigley) have entered into, gives AB some say as to what beer is sold in the historic ball park—but not exclusive rights.

You might ask what an Albany, New York guy, and a rather devoted New York Mets (albeit often disappointed) fan, cares about beer in Chicago? I have a soft spot for both the Cubbies and Old Style. I was born in Arlington Heights and lived for ten years in Elk Grove, Illinois —just a hop, skip and a jump from Wrigley.

So what's being done about this potentially heinous act? Pabst Brewing Co., who owns Old Style, has started their own grass roots effort to keep Wrigley "Old" (I just made the up—they should use that.) Using social media and creating a website petition at KeepOldStyleInWrigley.com, Pabst hopes to garner enough support from Cubs fans to convince Levy Restaurants, and the Cubs to keep he red and white canned favorite under the new AB agreement.

So, just this once I might make an exception to my anti-petition stance. Fuck saving the whales or ousting a politician—a regional beer, sold at a ball park 1,500 miles away from me, might be in jeopardy.

That last bit wasn't very convincing, was it?

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