After reading Ted-o’s fantastic Session post about Cask Elissa at the Gingerman, and seeing how I don’t have anything better to do tomorrow than make a field trip to Houston, I’ve decided to head up to the Saint Arnold’s for their weekly brewery tour. And what better time to visit, since tomorrow is their 13th anniversary. Which I guess is like the equivalent of reaching your freshman year in college! That makes it all the more spectacular!
My cousin Andrew is a fan of their Lawnmower beer, which I haven’t tried yet. I have been busy sucking down their hippie-labeled Summer Pils (above). We almost bought Lawnmower this evening, but opted for some Shiner Kölsch instead (background). What the hell, I’ll get to try it tomorrow straight from the horse’s mouth. It’ll prolly taste better there anyways.
Too bad the liquor laws in Texas are so effed up. Did you know you can’t buy beer (or any alcohol) after 12am?? And all liquor stores close at 9pm. So between 9 and midnight, you have to get beer at gas stations or grocery stores. And usually their selection looks like this:
But that’s not even the worst part. Microbreweries like Saint Arnold’s can’t even sell beer direct to the public. In fact, a whole blog has been set up to address this subject. Even West Coast beer luminaries like Greg Koch have spoken up about it. (Via St. Arnold’s Goes to Austin)
“For beer enthusiasts, making the connection between the beer and the place where the beer is brewed is very important. Could you imagine going to your local baker and not being able to buy the bread they made there?”
No, Greg, I can’t imagine it. Because there’s nothing like getting fresh bread straight from the baker. When will Texas lawmakers figure out the same goes for beer? It’s times like these when I feel motivated to implore beer drinkers to support their local breweries.
Nonetheless, I am still feeling giddy for the 1pm brewery tour mañana! Time for bed so I can rest up for the big day. Nos vemos.
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on Jun 11th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Dave,
Hope you had a great time in Houston and at the brewery. Checkout my report of the 13th anniversary party over at my blog.
on Jun 13th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
[...] Field Trip to Saint Arnold’s [...]
on Jun 21st, 2007 at 10:34 am
Texas is completely whacked for more reasons than you could ever imagine. I didn’t know about not being able to buy beer directly from the breweries, though. I wisely left in ‘98 (lived in Houston) and am ashamed to admit I never tried St. Arnold (I’d yet to discover the wonders of craft beer and my most adventurous choices were Shiner and Guinness). I’ll have to plan a trip back to visit the folks and make sure I fit in a St. Arnold brewery tour.
By the way, found your blog recently…good reading.