In the modern age, there are a lot more options for men than there were when our fathers and grandfathers were coming up in the world. As Acumen has learned in some soon to be released research, men today realize they can get married and start a family early or late or not at all; they can dress like Don Draper or Jack White or Dwyane Wade; they can drive a gas-guzzling Ford F-250 or the earth-friendly Toyota Prius or simply ride a bike.
This freedom extends to alcohol. Whereas in the old days a man might be restricted to a high-end Scotch on the rocks or a low-end Budweiser, we are now free to drink what we please. Everything from fine wine to complicated cocktails to margaritas is fair game-provided a man orders confidently. But as the editor of Made Man, I’ve learned that even with the vast array of booze out there, most guys would rather order a beer.
How did I come to this conclusion? By studying visitors’ reactions to Made Man’s content. Just witness the titles of some of our most popular Food & Drink stories: 5 Beers All Men Over 35 Should Drink, 11 Reasons Beer Is Better Than Wine, and 5 Beers That Will Make Your Mom Blush. And in the YouTube realm, one of our all-time most viewed original videos is called How to Open a Beer With Anything (even a dollar bill or spatula). One could argue that it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, but we have published stories on mixed drinks and various spirits as well, and while they’ve gotten a good response, they just don’t bring in the same number of eyeballs or generate comparable Facebook Likes and Shares.
Now, that doesn’t mean we modern men are drinking the same half-dozen brands our forefathers tipped back in the day. The stories mentioned above reference beverages with names like Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils and Maui Brewing Co. Coconut Porter. The vast array of microbrews now available to us present ample opportunity to pursue our individual tastes while still valuing the magic that happens when barley, hops and the fermentation process get together.
So yes, we do things differently than our fathers and grandfathers did, and we are willing to search widely and spend freely in order to consume just the right canned or bottled elixir to suit our desires. But when it comes right down to it, men young and old, for the most part, echo the sentiment of one Frank “The Tank” Ricard: “It’s so good. Once it hits your lips, it’s so good.” Enough said.
