Andrew Mason, assistant brewer at Flossmoor Station in suburban Chicago, writes he got the strangest phone call yesterday from somebody who identified themselves as from MillerCoors.

The woman on the phone asked, “Are you or anyone you know interested in job opportunities with MillerCoors?” I very nearly laughed and I certainly didn’t take her seriously, but now I regret that I didn’t hear her out. I don’t want a job with MillerCoors in any aspect of their business but I wonder if they were offering brewing gigs or sales or what.

Strange beer days indeed. Next thing you know we’ll be hearing rumors about Anheuser-Busch being bought out.

Since we are two months into our trip in which drinking local has become a matter of habit I’m particularly delighted when chatter about AB-InBev includes discussion about what this means for local (two examples are Jay Brooks here and Maureen Ogle here).

These discussions are likely to be all over the place because definitions of local are as well.

One for instance: The people who would boycott Bud because the brand is no longer American owned. Isn’t it still a local beer in St. Louis (and Newark and L.A., etc.)? Isn’t it made with local water by people who live in the community? Granted, for residents of St. Louis the matter of foreign versus local ownership adds a whole ‘nother set of questions which aren’t really related to the pluses of drinking local.

I’m still in information collecting mode on the matter of local. Heck, I’ve got another year to try to figure out the role local plays in the soul of a beer.

I will say what you probably already know: Beer is almost always better when it is enjoyed locally, but that doesn’t mean the best beer on the table will be the localest one.

(When I have more time online that will be a New Beer Rule.)

Stuff to read

– Before we get back to beer, a couple of links from a proud husband and father. First, Daria provides an FAQ about appearing on Jeopardy. Second, Sierra turns our visits the National Brewing Museum and the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum into a battle of the museums.

– Analysis, Part I. Maureen Ogle is working on a series titled “A-B InBev, History, and American Brewing” and here’s a link to Part 4. Read them all. I don’t agree with everything she has written, but it’s all worth thinking about.

– Analysis, Part II. Don’t expect the Miller-sponsored “Brew Blog” to be unbiased, but the Will A-B Look Like Labatt? post is definitely worth your time.

– Poppycock. Does Salon’s perspective on American Beer have anything to do with our drinking habits? Good insight into the way most of America looks at beer, but not a clue about why people drink craft beer — or this line would not have appeared: “In 1980, America had eight craft breweries.” Huh?

We’re traveling back across the border today (fourth time – Lew, no problems going into Canada first three times; but they did search our fruit on last return to the U.S.) so sadly can’t hook up with a brewer to properly participate in International Brewers Day, a fine idea cooked up by Jay Brooks.

Hope it gets off to a grand start so next year . . . well, maybe. I just realized we’ll still be on the road then as well.

Were we back in New Mexico I would be writing about a gang of brewers, because this is the week of the annual IPA Challenge.

Sometimes you miss home more than others. How the heck did I plan a trip that misses two IPA Challenges?

Let’s start with the license plate on the back of production manager John Mallett’s truck (above).

Then there’s the collection of plates at the entrance of the Eccentric Pub, which is where Larry Bell started what was then called Kalamazoo Brewing. They still brew “downtown” but most of production — which will surpass 100,000 barrels this year — takes place in the purpose-built brewery in nearby Galesburg.

Four 200-barrel fermenters in the brewery look just a little different than the others. They have special large tops to make dry hopping easier. The brewers can easily open them to dump in a bunch (yes, the technical brewing term) of Centennial hops.

This car spotted in the pub parking lot indicates a certain level of satisfaction with the effort.