Thankfully, I have no idea who Adele is, but apparently she’s an important cog in the industrial macro music machine because she’s been nominated for six Grammy’s. They reserve these honors for industry insiders, not decent indie singers like Jenny Lewis or Leslie Feist or Chan Marshall, so I guess if Adele were a beer she’d be more Bud than Bruery. Or should I say she’d be more Peroni, because a peek at her list of her catering requirements shows that Adele wants nothing to do with American beer.
The Smoking Gun recently posted Adele’s rider (a list of catering demands for her bus and dressing room), and it specifically indicates that Peroni, Becks and Stella are fine (they are referred to as “the best quality European lager beer”), but “North American beer is NOT acceptable.”
You might think it’s because she’s not aware that there’s anything other than Budweiser in America, but that’s not the case. Just look at the requirements for her band – they seem to know what’s up in America.
The Band Bus requirements call for “12x Bottles of good local lager (chilled) (NOT Budweiser, Miller or similar ‘National’ brands.)” That sounds like a demand for American craft lagers to me! So the band knows that American beer can be great, but apparently Adele wants no part of it; she’ll stick to the Budweisers of Europe, thank you very much! Then again, she’s a pop singer from Europe, which kind of makes her the Budweiser of Europe, so I guess the demand is purely narcissistic.
At any rate, if you find yourself backstage at one of her shows, ditch Adele and stick with the band – they’ll definitely have the better beer!
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Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
She’s got a damned good voice. It’s a shame I have to stop listening to her now.
I think I’ve heard that “Chasing Pavement” song before. Ironically, it was playing at the beer store as I was picking up some fine American craft beers.
Anyway, people can like what they like, but she’s definitely missing out!
Chasing Pavement? That could be the name of my first book.
Mine would be “Tasting Pavement” and revolve around my lack of physical coordination and love of skateboards…
Agree with Ryan…she’s actually a phenomenal jazz/blues-influenced pop singer with a great voice. Honestly, I think the problem is that she’s a babe in the woods. Most average Europeans probably have no idea there’s great craft brews in the US because it doesn’t make it onto their shelves. All they know of the US is crap beer unless they are true geeks. Hell, if you look at her wine list, she also thinks the best quality wines only come from France, Italy, Spain or Australia. I honestly don’t think she’s being anti-US beer, I just think she’s naive and ignorant. Once she sleeps with one of the boys on the bus and drinks whatever is left in his open bottle, then she’ll have here eyes opened 🙂
There you go – she just needs a little road sex!
Babe in the woods, BTW = 23 years old.
But she is a little cherubic, which makes her seem young. Plus her tour is called 21…
Dude, 23 IS YOUNG! LOL.
Yeah, but not Bieber young…
Wow this article stinks of….media hype? Adele and what she drinks? What are you guys going mainstream and going to be the People magazine of beer blogs? 😉
I think Adele’s snobbery speaks to the “macro attitude” that prevails when it comes to American beers. As supporters of good beer, I think it’s important to remind ourselves that most folks have no idea what treasure lay within our wonderful little craft beer bubble. It shows there is still work to be done, evangelism to pursue.
But I like the People Magazine of beer blogs idea, too. They sell a crapload of those things! 🙂
I think your Rollin in the deep end just a bit there Jim. Yeppers.
It’s where I spend most of my time, John…
Great Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmKgplM2BTo
It begs the question, boys, what beer would be on your rider?
New Holland Dragon’s Milk, Schlafly Reserve Imperial Stout (2006 or 2008 only), and Sam Adams Utopias served in a hand-blown crystal goblet engraved with a picture of flying bears that have laser beams shooting out of their eyes. So you know, nothing fancy.
I’d like to see you get on stage after drinking that.
I’d like you to videotape it so I can remember what happened!
tronto knows what he is talking about…
I was sitting in the Orthodontist’s office yesterday, and your reply to molly made me laugh out loud! I’m sure they thought I was nuts. I would ask for a fifth of my favorite whiskey of the moment, Noah’s Mill and some Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, and a sixer of Joe’s Pilsner. Loving that stuff right now!
If I were a chart-topping macro music star I wouldn’t need a rider, since one of my tour buses would be a rolling nanobrewery. I’d hire Mikkel Borg Bergso to run it for an ungodly sum.
Just imagine all the cool laws you’d break every time you crossed a state line with a mobile brewery. You’d be “Little Wayne’d” in no time!
I scoff at those so-called “laws.” Who would dare arrest Alex? He is beloved by millions for his soft rock vocal stylings, not to mention his endearing humility.
That’s what they said about T-Pain, yo.
To be fair, she probably doesn’t drink cask ale over here in England either.
If she’s asking for Stella, you can be confident she’s not.
Meh, musicians generally have bad taste in beer and vice versa…er…I mean that beer enthusiasts/bloggers/brewers often have questionable taste in music. I should know as I obsess over the quandry all the time.
I just think it’s interesting that the band knows the score…
FYI, Last concert I was at was Cake, and John McCrea was drinking DFH
And Zac says craft beer and indie music don’t mix!
Adele has a great voice and I am surprised you have not heard her big hit from the summer. Perhaps you need to set up an interview and tasting with her to show what craft beer in America is all about.
Sounds like a great idea. Just shoot me her number and I’ll take it from there. 🙂
I know she had surgery on her vocal chords so that may be why she’s been m.i.a. for a bit.
Well she certainly wasn’t touring the breweries of Belgium!
In Adele’s defense – she has had major throat issues as of late. When I’m sick with a sore throat, the last thing I want to drink is a heavily hopped beer. Give me the Stella.
While it’s a bummer that she is shunning ‘meeerrricuuhh beer, her band will consume more than her so there’s a plus one for craft beer!
I have horrible taste in music, television programs I enjoy, and beer. Luckily my love of bacon saves me.
Yes, bacon fixes EVERYTHING* . .
*except cardiovascular disease
She can’t handle the truth! This could open up another blog topic, of who we’d want to see drinking and supporting craft beer and who we wouldn’t. But I shouldn’t get high and mighty about my beerasphere!
Yeah, I think that would reveal lots of little biases and hangups for sure…
Bears. Bacon. Awesome http://bears.brenthousen.com/page/2
Agreed. You know ALL the best bear spots!
I listen to independent music and drink craft beer.
http://www.suburbanhomerecords.com/2009/09/22/i-listen-to-independent-music-drink-craft-beer-t-shirt/
Note: if I saw a dude wearing this shirt I would laugh at him and mock him behind his back. Probably on Twitter too.
Here’s hoping Zac doesn’t own one (or more).
I’m pretty sure tronto has that shirt in like 3 different colors of deep v neck shirts…friggin hipsters.
Do they match his fixed gear bike?
Ya don’t have to have a beer w/ her fer cryin out loud! If you like her music, listen to it…while you sip a good beer.
I’ll listen to something else while sipping a good beer…
I know nothing about her music, but I find it interesting that both her and her band are requesting lagers. Now, there are some great craft lagers out there, but the focus in the beer nerd community seems to really be ales…
Well, they’re probably sharing with others and lagers are most popular.
I shudder to think what I would’ve asked for on my rider if I had hit it big when I was playing in bands back in the early eighties. Probably would’ve been something like a case of Fosters or Kangaroo beer for the sheer size of the cans. 😉
Oilcans FTW!!!