musing

As long as you are picking up the current issue of All About Beer magazine to read Lew Bryson’s article on session beers you might flip to the back page where they let me chat a bit about “The Importance of Drinking Local.”

Considering it was filed from Bamberg the little essay should have been more focused. But more than nine months into our adventure I’m still figuring this out. Asking questions like . . . Does any old beer brewed “in town” qualify as local? Do we think more highly of local beers because they are “green,” because they are fresher, because breweries are locally owned and the profits stay in town, because they use local ingredients? Can you still be a local brewery if ship your beer across the country?

No need to make it that complicated. You don’t have to think about any of those questions if you want to walk into a local bar, talk to local people and enjoy the local beer. Works fine.

Meanwhile, I direct your attention to a series of posts by Rob Denunzio called “Localize it” (I’m linking to the fourth and last, but read them all). One nit to pick, Rob. More pictures of people to go with the beer. That’s a lot of what local is about.

I have nothing wise to write about the random accident that stole Bill Brand from us. Instead I’m leaning on Robert Earl Keen.

I go out on a party
To look for a little fun
But I find a darkened corner
‘Cause I still miss someone

And with apologies for Steve Earle, I’ll add . . . Save some up there for me, maestro.

Greetings from New Orleans (River Ridge, really, but close enough). Haven’t picked up a local beer yet, but will track down some Abita before we settle in to enjoy our first parade this evening. I’d grab some Dixie but I think that’s still being made in Wisconsin.

(In case it isn’t obvious we’re talking about Mardi Gras parades. Fat Tuesday is still more than a week off, but parades are in full swing in NOLA. The photo on the right is from the Barkus parade three years ago, where pets are the stars. Accommodation is cheaper this weekend, there are fewer tourists and we hope it is more civilized. Although Daria just stepped outside the RV park and a guy pulled up and asked her if she wanted to party.)

Driving across the Canjun prairie and swampland on the way in I was thinking it’s too bad this isn’t Session Friday. Mamou, Eunice, Lafayette and other spots in the region where you can easily find live music — at least if you like Zydeco, Cajun or Swamp Pop — are great places to sit down and “have what the next guy’s having.”

In fact, I wrote about this for The Session #9: Laissez les bons temps rouler! Something I thought about this morning as we cruised past Marc Savoy’s shop. Didn’t spot the store where I bought beer, though. Would have liked to have seen if they still have Milwaukee’s Best or if they’ve added an Abita beer to their stock.

And yes, before somebody points this out, I know there will be lagers on tap at the Crescent City Brewhouse. We’ll likely stop by the French Quarter tomorrow or Sunday. Takes a little extra planning when you are traveling in an RV.

Yes, this is mostly marketing, but with a twist that somehow seems worth passing along.

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, the mid-Atlantic brewpub chain with locations locations, has come up with an “Economic Stimulus Package” for customers. Five times a week, at least one table of guests will be randomly selected to receive a “bailout,” meaning that Iron Hill will buy them their meal.

“People are watching their wallets now more than ever, so the least we can do is reward a lucky few with a great meal on us,” Kevin Dvies, director of culinary operations, said for a press release. “This is a lighthearted gesture that we hope will make people smile in these trying times.”

At least five times per week, one table will receive, instead of a check, a card announcing that they have been bailed out and that their meal is on the house. All seven Iron Hill locations are participating in the bailout. Some are offering bailouts more frequently than five per week.

Remember that many brewery-restaurants are restaurants first and are feeling the same economic pinch as bars and restaurants across the country. Will this get more customers in the door for Iron Hill? Hard to say, but I expect it will make regulars feel a little better about their “local.”

And it’s much cooler than a free breakfast at Denny’s.