Goose Island on Black Friday? Hmm, that sounds like enough cultural depravity for one corporate holiday.

Nothing personal, Todd, but no. I'll pass.

However, let's credit AB-InBev for its monolith's conceptual grasp: Black Friday and Bourbon County Stout unite Big Beer Brother symbolism in a way previously reserved for the likes of Leni Riefenstahl and the Nuremberg Rallies.

Of course, Black Friday is a mindless celebration of consumerism, contextualized through the plasticized glories of Chainland and the sultry allures of Big Box World. There's nothing remotely "craft" about Black Friday in the mass marketing sense, and accordingly, the late Goose Island is macro as macro can be, reduced forever to inert zombie bondage -- merely a Craft-Shaped Hologram, with any money spent on purchasing its products headed straight to chardonnay-sipping AB-InBev shareholders the world over.

Narcissistic beer hoarders are free to deny this reality until the end of time, and they generally do, but Goose Island remains a wholly-owned subsidiary of the beer world’s largest extortionate conglomerate, and as such, it contradicts virtually every tenet of the "craft" beer indie handbook. Black Friday and Trojan Goose? It's a marriage made in Leuven, and officiated by the Koch Brothers.

AB-Inbev uses its "craft" toy not unlike a drone, aggressively combating the interests of better beer in those venues where money buys shelf space in supermarkets, or taps via the concessionaire’s usual extortion in closed settings like airports and stadiums.

Denial? It's isn't just a river in Egypt any more.

Just a weekend calendar before I drink/to whom it may concern.

Here's the post-Thanksgiving schedule at the New Albanian Brewing Company, and a few other notices for the coming weekend.

NABC Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed today on Black Friday (Nov. 26), reopening Saturday the 27th (11:00 a.m.) and Sunday the 28th (Noon) for normal business days.

The Pizzeria & Public House will observe customary Friday and Saturday hours this weekend, with an 11:00 a.m. start both days. It is closed on Sunday. There's a new Black Friday starting time for Saturnalia MMX, our annual draft celebration of ancient pagan wintertime rituals. The overview is at my other blog, and this year's program is download only.

Downtown New Albany's Holiday Fest and Jingle Walk both take place on Saturday (Nov. 27), which also is Small Business Saturday in America -- a marvelous local counterpoint to the consumerist idiocy of Black Friday's wasteful chainthink.

Yes, it is sponsored by American Express.

Yes, there is a measure of irony in this fact.

Still, like the old Johnny Cash song, every now and then you build a revolution one piece at a time. You are encouraged to shop local, or, if not, perhaps it would be more efficient to just start allowing China Inc. to debit your plastic and cut out the big box middle men.

Meanwhile, NABC will be selling Plastic-Clad Progressive Pints in the foyer of the White House Center on Saturday afternoon. Local businesses throughout downtown will be offering specials and festivity. As an example, read this blog posting from our friends at the Dandy Lion detailing what they'll be up to.

If there is anything you'd like to tout, please append a comment. As for me, surely the drinking lamp is about to be lit?

New Black Friday starting time for Saturnalia MMX at the Pizzeria & Public House.

This year, for Saturnalia MMX, we're trying something new at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House (3312 Plaza Drive on New Albany's scenic North Side).

Beers listed for Saturnalia will begin pouring on Black Friday, November 26. The exact starting lineup will be posted on Friday morning. There'll be fewer total pouring at any given time than in the past, because we have fewer taps to play with now that 12-15 NABC house beers are on tap all the time. But there are plenty of goodies to last through December.

Both the Pizzeria and the Public House open at 11:00 a.m. on the 26th. Note also that Bank Street Brewhouse is CLOSED on Friday, to reopen Saturday at 11 a.m.

Also, in the interest of saving a few bucks, I'll not be printing the programs as in the past. However, I wrote it just like before, and you can download the .pdf and print it at home or work here: http://www.newalbanian.com/download-file-25.html

For those just tuning in, we've been doing this for a while. Here's the idea:

In pre-Christian Rome, Saturnalia was the annual winter solstice celebration coinciding with the feast days for Saturn (god of sowing and the harvest), Consus (god of the storage bin) and Opa (goddess of plenty).

Many of our contemporary winter holiday traditions derive from Saturnalia’s pagan roots, including the hanging of wreaths and garlands, donations to the needy, prayers for peace, time off work to be enjoyed with family, and of course eating, drinking and merriment.

NABC pays tribute to these ancient pagan origins with Saturnalia, our holiday draft celebration. Dozens of special kegs from the USA and around the world – some rare, some seasonal and others just plain festive – will be pouring at our Pizzeria & Public House at 3312 Plaza Drive.

When the doors open at 11:00 a.m. on our new Saturnalia kick-off day, Black Friday (November 26), the first wave of sacrificial MMX Saturnalia selections will be tapped in the traditional, ritualistic manner, and the hedonistic pleasures will begin. The remaining kegs will be deployed as the days pass, and the revelry is expected to continue throughout the month of December.

Pricing and portion sizes vary according to alcohol content and style. During the festival’s run, information and updates will appear on our web site: www.newalbanian.com

NABC schedule for Thanksgiving, and a glimpse of the Saturnalia draft list.

As an advance note, both NABC locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 25). Both will re-open the following day ("Black Friday") and observe customary hours.

This year, the first wave of Saturnalia beers will be tapped at the Pizzeria & Public House on Black Friday, November 26. Following is a list of in-stock and pre-ordered kegs. The list, admittedly incomplete, is the same as Ben, Eric and I are working from as we prepare the usual fest regalia.

IN-STOCK SATURNALIA 2010
Birrificio Del Ducato Verdi Imperial Stout 8.2%
Clipper City Siren Noire 8%
De Glazen Toren Canaster 8.7%
De Ranke Pere Noel 2009 7%
Dogfish Head Midas Touch 9%
Founders Curmudgeon 9.8%
Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout 7.5%
Stone Vertical Epic 09.09.09 8.7%

To be added to the Saturnalia in-stock list since the last update:

Boulder Never Summer
Brooklyn Black Chocolate
Great Divide Hibernation
Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary - Charlie, Fred And Ken's Bock
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary - Fritz And Ken's Ale
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary - Jack And Ken's Ale
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

*Have we heard back from Melissa about the Shmaltz/Jewbelation promotion?

*Do we have pre-orders from World Class, i.e., Anchor Christmas, etc?

Cavalier pre-order sheet, intended for Saturnalia 2010:
Affligem Noel
Clipper City Winter Storm
Haandbryggeriet Nissefar Christmas Ale
Kulmbacher Monchshof Schwarzbier
Left Hand Fade to Black
Mahrs Christmas Bock
Mikkeller Red/White Christmas Ale
Mikkeller Ris a la Male
Nogne O Winter Ale
Schlenkerla Eiche (Oak Smoked)
Struise Tsjeeses
Thornbridge Jaipur IPA