Beer Advocates say: Respect your beer

Beer Advocate. Sounds like a college stereotype, but it isn't. We at Beer Advocate (Beer Advocate. com) truly wish it was.

Beer Advocate.com is a website dedicated to beer lovers. "Respect beer" is our motto and a way of life.

All kidding aside, the proposed reduction in the drinking age from 21 to 18 has been discussed at Beer Advocate.com.

Those who are waiting till they are of age or drink responsibly, feel as though the Keystone shotgunning crowd has created such a false, unbreakable stereotype of the college-aged drinkers that this proposal will never see the light of day.

There's no way to know if college presidents realize, or care, but some underage students already respect beer and eagerly await the first time they can go to a real bar (not the Mound.)

The real problem with the Keystone shotgunning crowd (other than they are drinking Keystone) is the shotgunning, or the idea of chugging a beer, no matter what the method is, with no respect for beer.

Just simply telling incoming freshmen not to drink isn't working. It just creates a "red button scenario." You know, the bright red button in every movie that says: do not touch, always gets touched, and leads to disaster? This is how we are dealing with minors and alcohol. We are making alcohol mysterious, when it shouldn't be.

We need to re-teach younger kids how to drink. Show them exactly what alcohol damage can do to their body. We need them to respect beer and themselves. We must face the fact that beer is a part of our culture, always has been, and always will be.

This means talking with a group, who'll consume the beverage by any means necessary since they cannot legally purchase the alcoholic beverage.

President Mary Grant was correct in what she said in Jennifer Chinn's article in the first issue of the Beacon. Before we can even consider reducing the drinking age, we need to properly educate kids.

Sex education should be the model. We've gone from the cliché joke of "How much was a condom back in the 60's? I don't know, no one used 'em!" to being able to casually ask a friend if they need any condoms when you go on your run to health services or wherever it is prophylactics are obtained.

We look forward to a time when we can steer a new generation away from the Keystones and Busch Lights towards the Dogfish Heads and trappiste ales. Until then, we plead with everyone to respect beer, whether it's your father's favorite lawnmower beer or some fine example of a Russian imperial stout.