Before You Hoist That Next Black & Tan…
You need to know about Dick Yuengling’s public statements about labor unions and Gov. Corbett of Pennsylvania. Go ahead and read it, I’ll wait.
Until now, I’ve neither known nor cared about Yuengling’s politics. I have enjoyed the occasional Black and Tan. However, it was Dick Yuengling, not anyone else, who made his views public. He did it on purpose. In a speech before the Pennsylvania Press Club, Yuengling reportedly called for the adoption of ‘right to work’ laws in Pennsylvania to disenfranchise unions and to enable him to make beer more cheaply. He also called Gov. Corbett ‘a great man’, according to the Associated Press.
Had Yuengling not made these statements, I would not have sought out his political stances before drinking my next Black & Tan.
However, Yuengling has chosen, as president of D. G. Yuengling & Son, to make his views known. This is why most companies try to steer clear of political controversy. Yuengling has embraced it.
Accordingly, I will not be buying or drinking any Yuengling product from now on.
Just thought you’d like to know.
Tags: 'right to work', Dick Yuengling, El Somnambulo, Steve Tanzer
What an ass. “(Dick) Yuengling was included earlier this year on a Forbes magazine list of billionaires…”
The “business climate” in PA is killing him. Poor guy. I’ve had my last sip.
Seeing how things turned out for Chick-fil-A’s business, maybe this was a calculated statement from Yuengling.
I don’t drink beer, so I couldn’t care less about Yuengling.
I do think it’s funny that Dick has hitched his wagon to Tom Corbett. Corbett is a man who apparently has no clue how to vet top level staff / cabinet members & whose approval ratings seem to drop on a weekly basis.
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/59007-corbett-forces-out-2nd-education-chief-in-3-months-
And no self respecting person of Irish descent would drink a Black and Tan anyway
Nor would they support any brewery that by using that name, glorified the reign of terror that was the Black and Tans
Mr Yumgling would do well to remember the last time some fool in PA tried to union bust
They were called the Molly Maguires – and the coal mine owners didn’t like what they did much….
Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.
Yeungling has always been overrated camel piss.
[And beware of twist-off beer caps; they don’t preserve the carbonation. A year-old Yeungling is an abomination.
Lebay: The difference here is that those who dream of union-busting wouldn’t drink a self-styled working man’s brew like Yuengling. Or, generally, anything that’s not French and expensive.
In this case, Yuengling basically went after the demographic that his beer, and his marketing, are targeted to.
Talk about your self-inflicted wounds. I predict that this one will be taught in marketing classes as what not to do unless you want to kill your brand.
Billionaires like Yuengling are free to be assholes in this society. The thing that gets me is that they want people to feel sorry for them.
Yet another reason to drink Dogfish and nothing else. And if anyone spoils my fun by revealing Sam Calagione’s politics, I’ll kill you.
Nevermind, I did it myself. A search of Open Secrets reveals that he has donated to one Republican and one Democrat since 2010, and he gave $1,000 to Republican State Committee of Delaware in 2004. And that is the extent of his political activity.
Meh, I’m fine with that.
Same here. Calagione, IMHO, has done it the right way. I’m sure he is drawn to those who support Dogfish. But it seems like he recognizes, unlike Yuengling, that his biggest supporters are those who enjoy his product, including some of the best t-shirts of ALL-TIME.
Yuengling’s Epic Fail, more than anything else, is a CORPORATE epic fail. Self-inflicted by the owner of the company.
Private citizens can make all the statements they want, but in the end it comes down to the politicians and bureaucrats.
Not using a product that you enjoy just because you don’t agree with the producers politics is ludicrous, unless it’s for some truly egregious act.
Modern popular culture is pretty much driven by, and produced by liberals for the most part, and some conservatives, but I’m not going to quit subscribing just because people like Quentin Terantino or Mel Gibson are ass holes.
The partisan divide is getting way out of hand in my opinion.
BTW, Dogfish Head was started with funds from Calagione’s father in law, who is a big Republican donor. Sorry DD
Dogfish also profit shares with employees. Oh, and they advertise on local NPR. Not to mention a whole host of other charitable events they host or contribute to.
Also, I have drank a powerful lot and great variety of beer in my life. Yuengling ranks right up there with bud and miller lite. I’d rather drink iced tea than try to push that crap past my palette. And America’s oldest brewery uses twist off caps, what a joke. So they aren’t losing my business, because I never gave it to them in the past.
This shows the sickness of the wealthy right. It is not only that no matter what they have they feel entitled to more, but they feel the need to keep others down at the same time.
You miss the point, FBH. Yuengling went to the Pennsylvania Press Club and, as the president of the brewery, called for Pennsylvania to enact ‘right-to work’ laws. Right-to-work laws drive down wages for all working families, not just union families. He aligned his brand with right-to-work laws. Which I think is corporate stupidity when one considers the market that Yuengling targets.
I wouldn’t have cared about Yuengling’s politics if he had not chosen to do what he did. I don’t know what Calagione’s politics are, and don’t really care. I DO know that, up until now, he has not aligned Dogfish with any particular political philosophy.
As someone else mentioned, he has helped out a lot of Delaware causes, including a not-for-profit that I’m associated with, and he does a tremendous amount of community service. And I love his brews. It’s called ‘being a smart businessman’.
YOU miss the point, El Som. Wealthy businessmen should be able to say whatever they want about anything at all in whatever venue they choose with no consequences. THAT is what the first amendment says. DUH.
Dick Yuengling is a private citizen, and can’t actually do didley to enact any type of law. Maybe he has influence, but it’s still the politicians ball game, and I’m guessing that Yuengling’s charitable contributions and profit sharing are also substantial.
I like Dogfish Head beer although on many days it exceeds my budget, and I would still drink it no matter what political stance they took on unions.
“Not using a product that you enjoy just because you don’t agree with the producers politics is ludicrous”
I couldn’t agree less.
If you finish my sentence, I did say “unless it’s for some truly egregious act”.
Hey, I, as well as many people in the region like that Yuengling is five bucks a six pack, and tastes better than PBR, Bud, Natty Bo, etc.
Free speech and the free market aren’t remotely the same – and, often times, not compatible. He can say what he wants, but then he can’t complain if his mouth hurts his business.
Attention business owners: Please shut up and stop hitting yourselves!
Yuengling is made from corn, so you can sort of taste the corn liquor in it. A slight moonshine like after taste.
“Hey, I, as well as many people in the region like that Yuengling is five bucks a six pack, and tastes better than PBR, Bud, Natty Bo, etc.”
too far, man. We can disagree on a lot, FBH…. but nothing.. NO-friggin-THING! is better than Natty Bo. Take it back. NOW.
Uh, SB:
“YOU miss the point, El Som. Wealthy businessmen should be able to say whatever they want about anything at all in whatever venue they choose with no consequences. THAT is what the first amendment says. DUH.”
Really? Sure the guy has the right to say whatever he wants. I never suggested otherwise. And people who don’t like the idea of having wages cut have the right not to buy this guy’s beer. Which, um, has consequences. None of which involves the First Amendment.
My main point was that this is a case study in how to drive customers away. Hey, more power to him. Let him drive ALL his customers away for all I care. He has that right, too. Doesn’t make him smart for doing it.
Um… El Som, I do believe SB was being sarcastic. 🙂
Oh NOS!! Snark Meter on the fritz? Must admit I didn’t expect that comment from SB. How could I miss the sarcasm?
(Now where are those pesky emoticons when I need them?)