musing

Yesterday morning Glenn Payne, a man who wears several beer coats, sent a quick question from his UK home to many beer types. He asked, “Who’s the soul, who’s the cutting edge of beer; who’s taking it to the street?”

He explained it will be the topic for his presentation at Mondial de la Bière in Montreal this summer.

Of course I’m interested any time somebody asks about the soul of beer, but I was as struck by the question about who’s taking it to the street. It reminded me of something Manuele Colonna said when we were in Rome. By the time I got around to digging out the notebook with that quote Payne had plenty of answers. Among those was one from Ray Daniels, another guy with many beer coats, and these days known as the Circerne dude. He started:

Everyone in the craft industry takes it to the street by living the life of craft beer. Sure there are stars that the punters all clamor to see. But their popularity isn’t based on a pretty face, a million dollar ad campaign or a name made in some other industry and transplanted to beer. The craft beer industry has been built by authentic entrepreneurs who daily breathe life and spirit into their companies and their brands. The accumulation of that personal passion in all its diversity makes this industry interesting and engaging. And it makes the beer distinctive.

You can read the rest here.

Sure enough, what Colonna said fits right in and is a reminder the US doesn’t have a monopoly when it comes to beer passion. When Colonna and two partners started Ma Che Siette Venuti a Fa, a bar which serves beer from small breweries from Italy to Denmark, in 2001 nobody in Rome sold craft beer.

Bar owners went with “name” beers pushed by distributors. “They weren’t interested in what the people in the streets wanted,” Colonna said. “Not the normal people.”

Payne’s request does suggest another question: Do cutting edge beers represent the real soul of beer? Not going near that one today.

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.