by Richard Markosian
How Utah’s Microbreweries make Utah a better place to live: how their products are making a healthier population, and how, thanks to beer, downtown Salt Lake City was saved from organized crime.
Before assuming from the tagline, that this article is propaganda designed only to promote debauchery and drunkenness, consider a few basic points.
If beer is evil, and all alcoholic drinks are actually insidiously working in society to tempt the pure and allow the most evil and malicious to assert their will over the weak, than how could such a great nation as America have been founded by men who all greatly appreciated good beer?
Samuel Adams is the most famous beer brewer among our founders, but Washington, Franklin, Jefferson and even the great Thomas Paine all enjoyed beer and whiskey.
Since the dawn of time alcohol has been recognized as a very effective medicine. It’s very sad that, especially in Utah, the medicinal qualities of beer have been under appreciated. Significant studies have proven that beer promotes heart health and lessens the chances of heart disease. Also, recent studies performed by Egyptologists have solved the mystery behind how ancient Egyptian’s mummies showed signs that they were using antibiotics 3,500 years before the modern invention. Ancient recipes for beer contained antibiotics! Certainly over-consumption of alcohol is detrimental to health and society, but so is over-consumption of pizza, milk-shakes, fries and religion.
With this said, it is time our state legislature stops treating the citizens of Utah like naughty little children whose eyes should not be profaned, nor wills be tempted by the ability to purchase alcohol.
Is it any coincidence that the place that has the tightest controls over liquor and the strictest adherence to the belief that “beer = evil” also has the highest percentage of over-the-counter drug abuse? This is not opinion but a fact. Utah County has a dirty little secret they would prefer to sweep under their blue shaggy cougar rugs: many kids, adults and moms are abusing “safe” —by the FDA and church standards—pills.
Consider beer on the other hand. And I don’t mean macrobrewery beers, but fresh, authentic, made-with-love local beers, offered by our Utah microbreweries. Safer than pills; healthy when consumed in moderation; made by local craftsmen. These craftsman honor the traditions for quality beer making at the time of our nation’s founding.
Best of all, local breweries and brew pubs foster and create much of what our fast paced, consumer-driven, concrete jungle society lacks: community and camaraderie.
It is a blessing that in Salt Lake City we have our pubs and taverns, places for adults to relax and unwind. The growing trend of local beers consumed in moderation compared to the prior trend of lousy beers consumed in excess— promotes responsible habits and quality local Utah culture. The growing trend for quality over quantity runs counter to the trend from the past three decades.
Page Two: A History of Beer in Utah
links about Ancient Egyptian Beer contained antibiotics:
http://lifeabundantly-alim.blogspot.com/2010/09/ancient-egyptians-invented-antibiotics.html
