“You have to work hard to deserve to drink it. When something has been taken out of you by strenuous exercise, Ballantine puts it back in.” Ernest Hemingway, 1951

Apparently the fashion editors calloused stevedores behind Men.Style.com are holding a contest to determine the “Best Blue-Collar Beer.” As a native of the Philly suburbs (Jersey side of the Delaware), I’m pleased to see Yuengling in the lead—unlike Michael “A Continuous Lean” Williams, a self-described “High Life man.” Fact is, when it comes to working-class suds, flavor comes first (after price, of course). “Blue-collar beer” should be a cheap, tasty drink—not a style signifier. Nostalgia-inducing Errol Morris ads and unintentionally ironic “Champagne of Beer” slogans aside, Yuengling simply delivers more bang for your buck.

Still, I’m not quite ready to settle for Pottsville’s pride either. That’s because the GQ Teamsters left a key contender off the list: Ballantine XXX Ale, a favorite of generations of Romano men.

Consider the evidence. Founded around 1840 by a Scottish immigrant, Ballantine was the only golden-era American brewery to focus on hearty British ale styles, including a legendary English IPA—as opposed to the lighter Germanic lagers produced by Annheuser-Busch, Miller, Pabst, etc. Originally based in Newark, New Jersey. One of the first breweries to sell by the six pack. Sponsored the Yanks in the ’40s and ’50s. Hired John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway to write and appear in ads; spurred Jasper Johns to cast its cans in bronze. Even inspired Fritz Maytag to reinvent San Francisco’s failing Anchor Steam brewery as an oasis of similar top-fermeted ales, thus launching America’s craft-beer revolution.

And last but not least… Ballantine still tastes damn good (despite a financial decline that resulted in Pabst purchasing the operation around 1990 and slashing it to a single style, the XXX Ale, shortly thereafter). In the words of Beer Advocate’s Alstrom Brothers, “citric rind flavour and ample bitterness shows that the hops are there and want to be noticed … One helluva good beverage. This is one of those old school beers that your grandaddy used to drink… I’ve found my new ‘have in the fridge at all times’ summer brew.” Or as The Trad recently put it: “Not as hoppy as the Ft Wayne IPA but what do you want for 70 cents a bottle? This is a great everyday beer. Perfect with cheap Port Wine Cheese and Triscuts. There’s something about that chalky processed cheese being cut with cold Ballantine that I just love.”

Ballatine XXX Ale: available now at select local retailers. Even if it’s not hip. Yet.

Update: Romano père weighs in:

“Ah….memories of my father in the early ‘50’s having a cold Ballantine on a hot summer evening watching the Yankees on our ten-inch Philco… After visiting my mother’s family in Mt. Vernon NY and returning home late at night on the NJ Turnpike, I would stay awake to catch a glimpse of [Newark’s] glowing Ballantine three-ring neon sign from the back seat of our ‘57 Ford Ranchwagon.”