George Will has a rather interesting column on the long-term importance of beer (yes, you read that correctly). It can be found in WaPo: Survival of the Sudsiest.

While I recommend a full reading, I shall leave you with the concluding paragraph:

So let there be no more loose talk — especially not now, with summer arriving — about beer not being essential. Benjamin Franklin was, as usual, on to something when he said, “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Or, less judgmentally, and for secular people who favor a wall of separation between church and tavern, beer is evidence that nature wants us to be.

h/t: OTB