Beer Break Fast

No, I didn’t have beer for breakfast this morning. But last Friday, I broke my beer fast. I haven’t really had any alcoholic beverages since Mardi Gras; I gave ’em up for Lent and just kept going past Easter. So Friday was my first drink in about two months. I had a couple beers with dinner at Katie’s. It was a beautiful evening for sitting outside on the patio, but the beer didn’t really do much for me, except make me feel bloated and somewhat stupid.

Well, I thought, maybe it’s the brand. Abita Amber, the local brew by default. It’s on tap almost everywhere in New Orleans, and frankly it’s just not a great beer. Maybe I needed a better beer. Maybe I need a higher alcohol content. I know that sounds counter-intuitive.

So Wednesday night I had a Pilsner Urquell and a Fransiskaner Weissbeir at the Brewhouse on Carrollton with some oysters.

Normally we go to Tyler’s for oysters. But the oysters at Tyler’s have been bland and dirty lately; the flavor may be due to seasonal variation, but blame the dirt on the shucker. The oysters at the Brewhouse were only slightly more flavorful, and not as cold as I’d have liked, but at least they were relatively clean. But I digress.

The beer was better. It didn’t leave me feeling bloated or stupid. And I enjoyed the flavor. But I didn’t really cop a buzz. And although beer commercials never talk about it, that’s surely one of the main reasons to drink beer.

Mind you, I used to drink a beer religiously as soon as I got home from work, and would get a very reliable buzz. Now, not so. Has my body chemistry changed? Have I unlearned how to drink? Can I reacquire the buzz if I apply myself? And would it be worth it?

I have noticed that I no longer get a low-energy feeling in the afternoons, as I used to. I can’t say for certain, but I have a theory that this is related to not drinking.

So one of these days — maybe tonight — I’m gonna try a mixed drink, maybe a bourbon and Coke or a gin and tonic or a whiskey sour or a Sazerac, and see how that hits me.