Few things short of sex scandals, chocolate and Honey Boo Boo grab hold of general interest like alcohol, and for this I am pleasantly amused. Beer is European by heritage, American by attitude, and has been enjoying a recent upswing in public favor. The same can’t always be said for President Obama. And beer, unlike Romney’s candidacy, is something nearly everyone can relate to.

So with the end of Oktoberfest, onslaught of election season and the general progression of my senior year, it’s time for this columnist to think a bit about beer.

Even those (like me) who don’t particularly enjoy the taste can still appreciate that beer and its brewing is part of our history — just ask the Discovery Channel. This September, they launched “How Booze Built America.” TV personality Mike Rowe hosted the three-part series that liked pilgrims to Pilsners (OK, so historians say it was ale, not pale lager) and, according to Rowe’s DIY Promo, “more than mere gratuitous drinking.” After seven years of wading through sewage on the show Dirty Jobs and countless corny Viva paper towel commercials, I say the man deserves a drink.

And though the fine folks at Discovery tell us beer drinking is just as American as baseball and bipartisan filibusters, the truth of the matter is that very few domestics are truly made in the USA.

Budweiser originated in America but is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is headquartered in Belgium and has factories all over the world. Molson Coors Brewing Company, the world’s fifth largest brewing company and proud producer of this University’s covetedly-cheap Keystone Light, is headquartered in Colorado, but is actually Canadian. What’s more, Coors Brewing Co. (the regional division of Molson Coors and the third largest brewer of beer in the US) is in a joint venture with SAB Miller (makers of Miller Lite), which is headquarted in London, England and bases many of its facilities in South Africa, Asia and Bavaria. And you thought outsourcing stopped at car manufacturers and telecommunication hotlines.

Now there is nothing wrong with a little globalization for the greater good of a better beer. But if your goal is to show some national pride as you raise your glass (or for most reading this, your red Solo cup), be wary that not all “Proudly American” beers are purebred domestic.

Hipsters rejoice; Pabst Blue Ribbon is based in L.A. and the company has no plans to move outside the country any time soon. But while PBR breweries are located within the U.S., Miller Brewing Co. owns them all.

This leaves us with local brewing companies. Those family-run, passion-driven and obscurely named brands that show up on the “Make Your Own 6-Pack” rack in the liquor section of select grocery stores.

If you’re intimidated by the vast and random selection of local micro-brews (or are not of age) but still want to support local beer, you do have other options. Central Illinois houses what could have been downtown Champaign’s best-kept secret if I didn’t tell so many people about the mind-blowing beer-battered asparagus appetizer. Destihl is a Brewery and a restaurant — excuse me, “Gastro Brewpub,” which basically means they put the beer they make into the food they serve.

But if you’re a traditionalist and prefer to stick with drinking your beer instead of eating it, there is a niche market for your kind as well. The Blind Pig Brewery is an old mainstay for townies, grad students and the occasional undergraduate whose tastes grew too refined for Firehaus fishbowls. Not to be confused with The Blind Pig Company, the Brewery is, as the name suggests, where the patrons have the physical machinery to brew hard ciders and a rotating variety of hops-based beers. The Blind Pig’s namesake is based on its history; it’s the first all-grain brewery in Champaign since those folks in Washington quit kidding themselves and repealed prohibition. Even the term “blind pig,” synonymous with the more popular “speakeasy,” is infused with Americana.

So why should those of us who do partake in this nation’s imbibe-able pastime buy local? Think of it as your civic duty.

Thomas Jefferson reportedly wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in a local tavern. Some scholars credit George Washington’s presidency in part to the fact he bought a round for the 69 electors (because nothing coerces an unanimous vote like a man who distills his own whisky up on Mt. Vernon). And then there’s the often-quoted yet inaccurate quip associated with Ben Franklin: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” If our founding fathers endorsed the beverage, well, what’s more ‘Merican than that?

Cheers.

Renée is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].