Explain this to me.

Today, I went to get a smog check so I can (finally) register my car in California. Allow me to rant about that for a minute. In Maryland, the emissions inspection involves you driving your car up, having the inspector look at your dash board, and pressing on the gas and brake at the same time. The longest part of the process is waiting your turn. Here, I had to take the car to a service station. I got there at 3:45. They told me it would take 45 minutes, and to come back at 5. Hello? That's an hour and a half. They also charged me 80 bucks. Needless to say, California and I were not on very good terms by the time I got out of there.

Anyway, the only place I could go to kill time was the grocery store, but I didn't actually have any groceries to buy. So of course I hit the beer aisle. Their selection wasn't stellar (it rarely is), but I ended up with 1 bottle each of Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot Jobless Recovery Ale, and Stone Ruination IPA. At 4:45 I took my selections to the register, deciding I'd given the car people more than enough time to finish my inspection. That's when it got weird.

The checkout guy checked my ID and asked if I was having a nice day. I said "Yes, how about you?" He said "It's almost over. Wish I was going home with 3 beers." Okay, fine. Then he asked "Are you in the military?"

I'm not. My brother is, but that has nothing to do with anything. I said no and smiled. But I wish, oh how I wish, that I'd asked him why he asked.

Because why DID he ask? The only information he had to go on was my appearance, the fact that I'm from Maryland (he saw my ID, remember), and my beer selection. I was wearing jeans, black wedge sandals, and a floral top. I had on makeup; I carried a purple purse and pulled my credit card out of a hot pink wallet. I don't think any of that screams military. I don't think Maryland has a significantly higher percentage of soldiers than anywhere else in the country. So what was it about my beer that made him thing I was military?

Am I missing something? Was it just because one of my beers was named using the phonetic alphabet? Someone please help me out here.