I’m tempted to use a meme refrain we all know (“I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, dot-dot-dot…”), but I’ll resist that questionably relevant, one-trick schtick. Aside from the fact that this article is very nicely executed, apparently quite well researched and definitely informative, I’ve personally never liked American beer, no matter what the brand, brew or origin (micro-brews included). My concept of astonishingly lip-smacking great bier is that brewed at Kloster Andechs, just south of Munchen, brought to your table in huge 1-liter Steinkrüge by beautiful girls in Dirndls mit generous cleavage. Or failing that, perhaps Pilsner Urquell pulled right from the tap at Prague’s Obecní dům (Municipal House), perhaps by Good Soldier Švejk himself! As has been amply demonstrated in your article, nothing is sacred these days in the world of American consumer goods, beer and other liquid consumables included. I myself am an avowed enemy of all corporate entities that strive to generate huge amounts of money from the gullible masses and companies like ABI, Starbucks and McDonalds (among several hundreds) are at the top of the short-list. It’s sad that this is a world-wide phenomenon arising from the American model of capitalistic materialism, especially now that other nations (like China) are taking that model and super-sizing it even more outrageously (and deleteriously), and even Kloster Andechs an Pilsner Urquell are not totally immune to that invidious dynamic. Still, in Bayern and Prague you get a healthy dollop of historic culture along with your brew, important cultural context that seems to be dying out in the Consumer States of America and (in my humble opinion) that’s almost worth going to war for! (Note for the Sheldon Coopers in the audience: This is an ironic statement). Pity! Thanks for a very informative read, mein gutter Herr!