Let's get one thing clear: beer contains alcohol. No! Truly! I'm not wearing a tinfoil hat! It's a scientific fact that one of the byproducts of fermentation is ethanol, which contributes to the fuzzy feeling you get after a good pint. You thought it was just the flavonoids, right? Maybe a high level of carbohydrates? Excess CO2? Ah! No. It's alcohol, I know. It's a potentially dangerous topic. You see, in the early 20th century, as your history teachers may have taught you, the creation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the United States. It was crazy. Want to talk about political shit? They even amended the Constitution to do so – the only amendment to the United States Constitution that limited freedom rather than expanded it. Fortunately, a few years later (only 13!) this amendment was repealed by another, different, Liberty Creation Amendment. What is often not made clear is what led to the prohibition of alcohol. Many people think it was just a bunch of reckless fools who had popular influence and managed to get 2/3 of the states to ratify an amendment. FYI: It's a LOT of work. But they are not wrong. It was simply a group of teetotal sluts who, coincidentally, had gained popularity. It also happens to be a bunch of crazy religious babblers, but it's not about religion. This is nonsense. Let me talk nonsense to you. Suckers know what's good for you better than you do. Wind bags are available in many different colors. They are Democrats. They're Republicans. They're black and white and hippies and yuppies and pretty much everyone with any brains who thinks that their random shred of neurons firing makes them a being... middle of paper... brings in a portion of the population at our cause, does not portray us as connoisseurs and enthusiasts. It does not portray us as artisans and experts. It portrays us as drunks. And if we all get drunk, we lose the collective respect of those who are NOT part of the craft beer industry. I mean, we could be drunk. But we don't have to advertise it, do we? Don't get me wrong. I don't want to be the blunderbuss here: go get drunk. Tell your friends. Have fun. Have fun. I do. Enough, do some lessons. Every now and then you'll end up telling the general public about the obscene amount of fun we're all having. But we can at least try to tell them that the obscene amount of fun we're having goes hand in hand with intelligent talk and honest appreciation, and leave the "OMFG, I'm so broken" for trusted friends and compatriots??