Those that have walked the path before us

It's been a long happy week.

As I set here writing, wondering if certain people (yes, Denise) will be offended at my use of the phrase hand job in the previous work (Gary, stop smiling), and drinking beer (a nice Sam Adams Summer Ale) I think of those beers from long ago that I miss like hell.

RattleSnake Ale was one of my first microbrews I discovered while very young. It looked like a handpainted bottle imported all the way from New Orleans. The taste was bitter like Heinekin, the smell like a southend skunk (people used to look at me and ask what I was drinking after popping a top), but had one of the smoothest finishes of a beer I ever had. I only found this brew at one liquor store in Wichita, they stopped carrying it and said the supplier stopped shipping it in. I thought about ordering a case of it direct a while back. After a very long search on the internet, I found the brewery. Unfortunately, life has a way of throwing a roadblock or two in. Then the hurricane happened. Now, the link on the internet is long gone and the clear glass painted bottles are a distant pleasant memory like the lingering taste of a kiss from a forlorn lover.

Zebra Beer was a nice surprise from BeerFest. Most of their products were made with fruit, but the standard Zebra beer was a rich lager with a great caramel finish. Here's what I found online:
In May 1997, the three owner-executives of Madcap Craftbrew & Bottleworks, Inc., were attempting to define the position of their product, Zebra Beer, in the brewing industry. Zebra Beer was offered in three varieties: Zebra Peach, Zebra Raspberyy, and Zebra Lager. The recipes for the beer had been handed down from the great-great-great-grandmother of the owneres, and establishment of the brewing company had been a family dream for generation. The beers had won a number of prestigious awards for their flavor and quality. Industry conditions, however, made it difficult to be successful as a craft brewery. Distribution was difficult to obtain, both at the distributor and the retail level. Numerous other microbrews and craftbrews were available, and competition was stiff. Industry analysts were forecasting an industry “shake out”. Sales had not lived upto the expectations of the owners, and they were faced with a decision to continue to position their beers as expensive craftbrews that generated little volume, or to re-position them as more mainstream ‘’super premium’‘ beers that generated more volume but required significant investment in promotion at the cost of gross margin.

Without change things become stagnant. There is nothing as awful as a warm stagnant beer.

B