This complaint by a fan at a southern US college football game reflects an interesting bit of anti-beer mania that I had not quite appreciated before:

Garbage cans in the Grove served as final resting places for beer cans. It was harder to find a garbage can that didn't have beer cans in it than it was to find one that had them. And it didn't matter if they were wearing Rebel red or Tiger purple, everyone seemed to be having their fill of beer. Finally satisfied that his cup was once again filled to the top with Miller Lite, Morgan expressed his feelings about the no beer rule. "I'm drinking beer and I'm not bothering anyone," said Morgan as he sipped his brew. "I think if you're 21 you should be able to have a beer at a football game. I mean, I can have vodka here, but not beer? How crazy is that!"

It's not just at football games either as this story from Texas points out:

Despite overwhelming approval of beer and wine sales in Brazoria County this month, a 1958 vote will not allow the sale of beer in the city of Sweeny. The sale of wine in stores and mixed drinks in restaurants will be allowed under passage of the Nov. 6 countywide vote, said Hank Prejean in the Brazoria County District Attorney’s civil division. "They prohibited beer in 1958 and that status remains in effect until there’s another affirmative vote to allow beer sales, in our opinion," Prejean said. "In Sweeny, the beer prohibition will still be applicable. The November vote did authorize wine for off-premise consumption and mixed beverages in restaurants."

Is it that beer is thought louty, a slur against a whole class of beverages that mirrors the slagging Stella Artois gets in the UK? Or is it economic class or age-ism? Beer being the drink of the younger and the poorer? It wouldn't be the first time as, if my memory serves me right, Hornsey points out that Renaissance English beer regulation was expressly class based - your betters do deserve a good time even if you don't.

How strange. I suppose somewhere you could likely buy a non-alcohol beer and 100% pure alcohol - but to blend them 95/5 and sell that to me instead would be illegal. How strange indeed.