Let’s talk about politics and beer. No matter what bar you go into, no matter where it is the subject of ‘Politics in the USA’ pretty much dominates many conversations just like sports and women. These days Pennsylvania bar talk and beyond is all about the popular Yuengling beer and its owner billionaire Dick Yuengling.

Last week Mr. Yuengling, 85, took presidential son Eric Trump on a tour of America’s oldest brewery located in Pottsville, Pa. The fifth-generation brewery owner, according to local news reports, told Eric Trump “Our guys are behind your father. We need him in there.” And with those words Yuengling beer kegs began exploding across America as anti-Trumpers renounced their favorite beer right then and there. This controversy is all over mainstream media and social media — particularly Facebook and Twitter.

National fast-food chains like Chick-fil-A and Papa John’s Pizza both have felt the sting of politics and customer boycotts after company officials blabbed their support for the one and only President Donald Trump. It’s fair to say neither Chick-fil-A nor Papa John’s Pizza felt much financial pain from these silly boycotts.

All this publicity going to food chains, a brewery and other businesses for their support of a controversial president only informs Trump supporters to buy this product and not that product. This works both ways. Now all those Trump supporters in the 19 states where Yuengling beer is sold now know to change brands. Bars that did not previously sell Yuengling beer will now start selling it. Those few and far between bar owners that don’t support this president will stop selling Yuengling. So what?

Even the LGBT community is jumping all over the nation’s oldest beer.

“GOOD BYE, Yuengling Brewery: I’m not normally one to call for boycotts but I absolutely believe that how we spend our dollars is a reflection of our votes and our values! Supporting Yuengling Brewery that uses my dollars to bolster a man, and an agenda, that wants to punish me for being a member of the LGBT community and punish the black and brown members of my community for not being white, is something I’m too smart and too grown up to do.

D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. believes that an agenda that is anti-woman, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBT, anti-racial minority and anti-equality is best for them and that tells me all I need to know about what they think is best for their own customers. I won’t reminisce about your product or lament any losses. Goodbye Yuengling shame on you.
Sincerely,
A former customer of 17 years!” – Brian Sims – A Pennsylvania gay activist as posted on Facebook.

The Trump haters just get crazier and weirder by the day.
Here’s another from Todd Bird on Twitter.
“I regularly drive 90 miles from Kentucky to Ohio to get Yuengling Beer but supporting racist, misogynist nut-job Trump is the end of the line for me.”

Here’s a great solution to this ongoing high-stakes political drama.
Maybe Chick-fil-A and Papa John’s should start serving chilled Yuengling on draft from coast-to-coast and hang a Yuengling beer sign in their front windows. A nice cold beer goes good with spicy chicken or a four-meat supreme pizza slice.

About the Author Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.