Now for the last word on green beer -- at least until next year, when the campaign against inanity will begin anew.

Say no to green beer: Establishments honor St. Paddy with their own Irish beverages, by Susan Reigler (March 17, Louisville Courier-Journal).

Whoever came up with the idea of putting green food coloring in beer for St. Paddy's should be roundly reviled. (Note to Pope Benedict XVI: You're German. You know from good beer. Can't you issue an edict banning green brew? St. Patrick deserves some respect.)

Speaking of the Pope, and if I’m not mistaken, his favored beer reportedly is Bavarian Hefe-Weizen. Let’s hope there are no lemons, limes or kiwi fruit on the rim of the Holy Chalice.

As a postscript to St. Patrick's Day, and reaching into the mail bag, here’s what regular reader Jay had to say about a recent foray into uncivilized local beer drinking territory:

I stopped at Tumbleweed with some friends and we sat down and were ordering drinks. I pointed at the picture of bottles on the menu and asked if these were the beer list. The waiter said, "pretty much," so I asked about their draft list. He told me they were having a 99 cent special on their domestic drafts! I asked what was on -- Bud Light, Miller Lite and Killian’s. Oh, boy! I asked for a Killian’s. He said - "now you won't get that for 99 cents, that's just for the domestics." I said that is domestic. He said something that he just made up, but by that time I'd stopped listening anyway.

Of course, Killian's Irish Red is made by Coors and is not an import. I’ve never been able to determine why bar managers stand to benefit from ignorance, since providing accurate information is such a large part of all business in this day and age.

Keep truckin’, Jay – just steer clear of the ‘Weed.