Beer Camp?

Not sure if this is a beer snob event or just a plain old beer drinking event, but either way it could be fun: http://sxsw.beercamp.com/

Texas Beer and Chocolate Tasting During SXSW Interactive

It's recommended that you RSVP to this so they'll know how much chocolate to get:

Texas Beer and Chocolate Tasting during SXSWi

Host:	Austin Women's Beer League
Type:	Party - Mixer
Network:	Global

Date:	Sunday, March 15, 2009
Time:	5:00pm - 6:30pm
Location:	The Ginger Man
Street:	304 W. 4th Street
City/Town:	Austin, TX

Phone:	512-473-8801
Email:	snaxsw@gmail.com

Bourbon Sucks

So last night I planned on hanging out most of the night, if not all, at Bourbon Rocks on Sixth Street for my SXSW evening. But we got over there to hear Lil' Cap'n Travis and went up to what appeared to be a well-stocked bar – just about every hard liquor you could want – but then I was horrified to see their beer selection (and I use the term "selection" lightly). Their entire beer list was: Miller Lite, Bud Light, Miller High Life, or Heineken Light. Oh, excuse me … they also had Coors Light out back.

As soon as LCT was done, I was outta there! Bret accused me of being a whiny little pussy – and he's right, I was. And I don't care, because you know what? During SXSW – and really, just about any night in Austin – there are about five bazillion nightclubs where I can get great music and great beer, so I why should I settle for only half of the equation? C'mon, Bourbon Rocks – if you're going to run a bar in this town you at least need to throw me a bone with some Shiner Bock, at a minimum.

We moved a block away over to Orchid (on Seventh between Neches and Trinity) and caught a fantastic unofficial showcase with some awesome bands (Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Hello Stranger, an Oslo band called Big Bang, and a southern rock guy named Leroy Powell; see the poster) and awesome beer (Fireman's Four, Live Oak Big Bark, and Guinness). Except I think we were actually buying our beer from the club next door named Black & Tan. The clubs are all connected; they must either have the same owners or some sort of arrangement, because they appear to all be one place.

I asked Bret about halfway through if he wanted to leave and go catch Geno Delafose – which would have been great – but he imparted some wisdom upon me, borrowed from the poker world: "I'm staying here. I never leave a table when it's hot." He was right. It all kicked ass.

Oh, and as always: God bless the nice folks at Capital Metro for driving my drunk butt home. Them are some good people. Don't drink and drive kids, leave the driving to the sober professionals. If you're partying downtown late at night, the Night Owl routes are the best thing ever.

Buncha drunks at SXSW

I should have posted this some time ago, but it slipped my mind in the drunken haze of South by Southwest. This is on opening night, at our traditional meeting at Lovejoy's, one of the great beer bars in Austin. Taken by "Chicago Camille."


l-r: Bobnoxious (above Donegal Bill, aka Shirl), "Dumbass Don" (hey, I didn't give him that nickname), Brian, Lance, and yours truly. That's one of Lovejoy's fine homebrews I'm enjoying there, although I can't remember what it was now.

South by South Beer

Whew. Survived Wednesday night. Or at least I didn't puke. So that's a victory.

Every year I think I'm not going out to SXSW, and then at the last minute I remember how much fun it can be and I go nuts.

I started out by tagging along with Bobnoxious, Lance, and the gang, and Bob made a hell of a tour guide. We started off at Mother Egan's. Listened to the old lead singer from Wall of Voodoo. Didn't do that much for me, although he cracked me up when he started playing "Mexican Radio" and said "Okay you old guys, sing along – it might be your last chance." Couple of Guinness stouts, which was one more than I needed. Am I the only person who thinks Guinness is highly overrated? I can think of about five stouts off the top of my head that I like better. I like a big, bold taste in a stout, and Guinness always tastes … thin. Actually, that's only on draft – I like the bottle version better, which is the reverse of normal for me. That said, I think the taste is starting to grow on me, but it will never be my favorite.

Then we went across town to a new place called Red 7 (just off of Seventh & Red River) and saw a Swedish glam band named The Ark, and they were hilarious. Bob totally wins the prize for picking these guys out. Think Hedwig and the Angry Inch crossed with Spinal Tap. They rocked. Beer selection was crap - Shiner Bock was the best I could do, and paid too much for it. Should have gone for Pabst Blue Ribbon like the rest of the guys. As long as I'm slumming it, no point in forking over a bunch of dough.

Then it was off to a classic Austin beer bar, Lovejoy's, but I was disappointed in their house IPA, "Energizer." I'm not one for subtlety when it comes to hops. I like an IPA to smack me in face and make me its bitch. Energizer's hops just weren't that powerful. (Kind of like Sierra Nevada's new IPA; it tastes well enough, but I really can't tell the difference between it and their regular pale ale.) I should have gone for the Dogfish Head 60 Minute, which I think is my new favorite beer. No music at Lovejoy's.

Then down the street to Caribbean Lights to hear the New Mastersounds, who were smoking – all instrumental, heavy on the Hammond organ, Booker T. & the MGs if they had been post-funk and all British. Crappy beer selection again. Went for some Jack Daniel's, instead. The gang left me at this point; I stayed and caught Kathy McCarty. Really great to hear her again. She is ultra-cool; I was a huge Glass Eye fan, and she also interprets Daniel Johnston's songs brilliantly.

On my bike, and back to the other side of downtown again. Got there just in time to hear Kris Kristofferson and Jessi Colter, which brought back great memories of listening to my parents' records as a kid. Then my can't miss show: Roky Erickson, the infamous leader of the original psychedelic band, the 13th Floor Elevators. His four-song set was brilliant. It is so good to see him healthy again, after losing decades of his life to mental illness. I expected the worst, but he delivered the best. When he started singing, and I realized just how much he has it together, I got goosebumps. And when he launched into "You're Gonna Miss Me" I totally lost it and started thrashing my head around like I was a college kid. Crappy beer selection again. Shiner Bock.

Then I went back almost to where I started, Opal Divine's Freehouse, across the street from Mother Egan's. Dogfish Head! They had Dogfish Head on tap out in the music tent (not inside, though, oddly enough) and I was loving life. See my above comments about being slapped around by hops. It's like sex in a bottle. This showcase featured Latin rock bands, and I was knocked out by the ones I caught: Maneja Beto (Austin), Botellita de Jerez (Mexico City), and Genitallica (Monterrey, Mex.), the latter of which Bob warned me is "the loudest band I've ever heard at SXSW." Actually, they kicked butt. Imagine Rage Against the Machine in Spanish.

Dogfish Head was the perfect way to end the evening. I went home very happy.

Mother Egan's at SXSW

I'm about to join Bob and Lance at Mother Egan's Irish Pub for some early SXSW festivities. Hmm, let's see – an Irish pub, right after getting off work, with a lot of my favorite English and Irish beers and some SXSW adrenaline in me? Bad combination. Got to remember to pay attention to how fast I'm drinking and have a glass of water between each. Otherwise I ain't gonna make it to the rest of my planned festivities for the evening. Give me strength, lord, give me strength. (I promise I won't throw up, honey.)