Posted 4:51 PM by Gene

On a related note, lately hacks have sounded the tocsin over the decline of the beer business. The reasons are self-evident. Possibly (as a way of taking themslves off the hook) it's the rise of the spirits biz, helped by cute product placements; but just as MICKEY D's didn't rise without a helpful fall from Wendy's, it's clearly something else too: beer has become synonymous with mass-produced, which is synonymous with BLAND; and it's the MOST HEAVILY ADVERTISED COMMODITY ON THE PLANET. We can guess how the King of Beers will respond: by donating even more charity to MadAve, and perhaps in a fit of NEWS-HACK-inspired PANIC by buying a spirits firm to no avail. Beer may be as much the victim of public disgust with big business and media as of changing tastes. This should be a WARNING to those who earn their six and seven and eight digits from them.