The simple pleasures of beering locally. I'm older now, and simple beer pleasures are the most meaningful to me. They tend to be encountered locally. It is my aim to get unplugged and explore some of them, slowly and thoughtfully. I'd tell you where it's leading, except that I've no idea ... and that's the whole point of the journey: To find out.
Sunday, August 05, 2012
No craft beer for Rufus Wainwright, although the mockrobrews flowed like water.
I'll tread lightly, but it's worth noting that the Rufus Wainwright show tonight at the Iroquois Amphitheater (a stellar venue, by the way) featured precisely zero beers from American-owned companies.
The thrill-packed beer lineup included Miller High Life, Coors Light, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, Blue Moon & Killian's Red. In fairness, River City Distributing (NABC's Louisville wholesaler) has managed to insert local craft beers in other, similar settings, and it is my understanding that reams of Coors sponsorship money are responsible for the placements in question.
I'll also concede that prices last night (circa $6 for what appeared to be a 16-oz cup) were more reasonable than the Louisville Palace's gouging for BBC APA ($10) during the recent Hitchcock flick I attended.
Here's the part that matters to me: When I asked about the beer selection, I was told that "craft" beer was readily available in the form of Blue Moon and Summer Shandy. To the staff's credit, when I asked it there were any American-owned breweries present from which to choose, the response was clear and unambiguous: "No."
I appreciate that sort of candor. However, the same answer applies to the question, "Are there any genuine craft beers here?"
No.
Because multinational teats like Leinie, Blue Moon and Killian's are not craft, no matter how many times the words are repeated, and irrespective of the money spent to perpetuate the lie.
The concert? It was wonderful, and I enjoyed it in the company of my wife and two bottles of water -- real water, that is; not Coors Light.
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