Sorry, Canada

President Obama recently made a bet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper over the final outcome of the 2010 gold medal hockey game that pitted the US against Canada. Both leaders wagered a case of beer from their respective country’s oldest breweries. Unfortunately, the US lost 3-2 in overtime, leaving it up to the President to send a case of beer from the Yuengling Brewery of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Having grown up in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, only a short drive from the brewery, I can’t help but feel a little pride that we will be sending a case of Yuengling to our neighbor to the north

I wonder which brew will be chosen. Certainly, Yuengling Lager is the most popular variety. People in eastern Pennsylvania rarely even ask for it by brand name, merely referring to it as “a lager.” I grew up on Yuengling Premium, however, and find a lot of old school skooks tend to prefer it to the trendy lager. The Black and Tan is probably the best kind of beer the brand has to offer. Lord Chesterfield Ale and their Porter are also not bad, but not consumed as often.

Of course there are people out there who will whine about this being done at the tax payers' expense. To them I say that a case of Yuengling is roughly $18. I'm estimating that it would probably cost roughly $50-$75 to ship. Now divide that total by the approximate 150,000,000 taxpayers in this country. We're looking at each of us paying roughly .000062 of a cent each. I think we can swing it in the name of good cheer for the Canadians, especially when you consider how much entertainment they provide us with their funny accents and hats.

In addition to my Schuylkill County pride in the moment, I also feel a slight twinge of shame since I know this beer is nowhere near as good as the Molson that was promised to us.

Cheers to you, Canada! Congratulations on your win.