Beer brings jobs and joy to Missouri and Kansas. We can enjoy it responsibly | Opinion

The holiday season is here, a time for people to celebrate joy and camaraderie. Amid festive gatherings with friends and family, enjoying a beer is a cherished tradition for many. However, this holiday staple is now the subject of a one-sided and, frankly, unfair national debate.

The notion that drinking any amount of alcohol is unsafe has seeped into the conversation as of late. This talk has grown exponentially since rumors began to circulate in Washington, D.C., that the U.S. government’s updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans may insist that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.

Any discussion of alcohol’s role in society must acknowledge the benefits of moderate consumption. Failing to do so threatens an industry that is essential to our local economy, and jeopardizes the social enjoyment that beer provides during the holidays and throughout the year.

Kansas City is unique in its cultural and economic support of Missouri and Kansas. Both states benefit from a well-established beer industry that bolsters the region in multiple ways. More than 53,000 agriculture, brewing, distribution, retail and manufacturing jobs rely on beer in the Show-Me state, contributing more than $3 billion in wages and benefits and directly injecting over $9.9 billion into the state’s economy annually. Kansas boasts nearly 20,000 jobs across these same sectors, delivering more than $3 million in economic output and providing nearly $1 billion in wages and benefits.

These numbers validate what many in Missouri and Kansas already know: Our states have vibrant beer cultures. Rooted in pre-Prohibition America, Kansas City’s brewing scene in particular was revitalized when John McDonald’s first keg of Pale Ale was tapped at Ponak’s on Southwest Boulevard in 1989. This marked the birth of my former employer, Boulevard Brewing Co., and signaled an economic renaissance for beer in our state that continues to this day.

More than dollars and cents, beer is a cultural pillar across the Midwest and beyond. I’ve made a career in beer. I’m a master cicerone — one of only 28 in the world — and an avid beer enthusiast based in Kansas City, making my interest in this topic both professional and personal. I know beer has communal power. My grandfather worked in a brewery his whole life, and beer was a staple at our holiday gatherings. When I got old enough, I joined in. We sat around the fire and relaxed. We shared. We bonded, and we still do to this day.

Whether said or implicit, people recognize moderate consumption as a source of pleasure. Allowing yourself a little joy and relaxation is essential to good mental health. That should not be discounted. It’s why I do what I do for a living.

Now, to be sure, there are genuine dangers in the overconsumption of alcohol. But for many people, moderate enjoyment brings intangible benefits that outweigh the small risks associated with responsible beer drinking.

Over the last few years, breweries have made significant investments to provide more low- or no-alcohol beer options. With the corresponding growth of these choices, beer can help people moderate their consumption more than any other alcohol beverage.

Even traditional beer’s alcohol by volume is relatively low compared to wine and spirits, averaging somewhere in the range of 4% to 5%. This unique quality makes it easy to enjoy beer’s social benefits without overindulging. Beer truly is the beverage of moderation.

Enjoying a cold beer responsibly is a simple pleasure for millions of Americans. We need to ensure that we can continue to enjoy the many cultural and economic benefits that moderate drinking brings to so many.

We make decisions in our daily lives that involve manageable risks. I drive my car every day and like to eat cheeseburgers now and again. These things have an acceptable level of risk for millions of Americans. I understand the risks of doing so and make sure I don’t overindulge.

My hope, and the hope of many Americans who enjoy beer responsibly, is we recognize the positive elements of beer in debates about alcohol’s place in our lives.

This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 5:06 AM.