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the Savings issue

Teche’s LA-31 Biere Noire and Great Raft’s Reasonably Corrupt are local examples of the German-style schwartzbier, which has a light and drinkable body, with a roasty flavor from the addition of darker malts. However, there’s a place for heavier dark beers as well. Deeper into football season, when the weather cools, try Crooked Letter’s Mystery Romp Mocha Porter or Lazy Magnolia’s Jefferson Stout. Hopheads love football, too. IPAs tend to have a bit more alcohol content, and high levels of hops can be a little overwhelming on the palate if drank throughout the day. So pale ales like NOLA Brewing’s Rebirth, Parish Envie or Tin Roof ’s Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale can quench that thirst for hops in a balanced fashion. For serious hops, pick up a sixer of Abita’s Wrought Iron IPA or Covington Brewhouse’s Anonymous IPA. Southern Prohibition’s Jack the Sipper is a version of the English style ESB, which is a less hoppy cousin to pale ale and another great option for a game day beer. One of the reasons that football and beer go so well together is the camaraderie that surrounds both. The raucous celebration of the tailgate exemplifies this; kegs can help get the party going and keep it running. Blonde ales are perfect for this occasion — NOLA Blonde as well as Tin Roof ’s Perfect Tin are available at Rouses in kegs of various sizes.

The DRAFT

by Nora McGunnigle

F ootball and beer — a classic combination.There’s nothing like beer for celebrating your team’s touchdown or key interception. It also helps drown your sorrows when it’s the other teams. When choosing gameday beers, remember: it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Sixty minutes of play translates to three hours of game watching, which is doubled or even tripled if watching the game before and/or after. So drinkability is key. But you still want flavor — otherwise, what’s the point? Local beers are always a good choice to cheer on the local team, and there are plenty to choose from at Rouses. On the lighter end of the spectrum, Great Raft Brewing out of Shreveport, Louisiana, makes Southern Drawl, a pale lager with grassy and bready notes and a mild hop finish. It’s extremely drinkable and delicious. Football season starts when it’s still warm, so a refreshing wheat beer is a great option

yeast instead of a lager yeast.Kingfish drinks light and crisp but has a more complex ale flavor. It’s the best of both worlds for a great football drinking beer. Of course, game day beers aren’t limited to light lagers and ales. For those who crave as much excitement from their beers as they do from their team, a cornucopia of styles are available. There’s a perception that dark beers are heavy, but that’s not always the case.Beers like Bayou

BY THE NUMBERS: Americans consumed 325.5 million gallons of beer on Super Bowl Sunday. There are 15.5 gallons in a standard keg. That’s 21 millions kegs.

to quench your thirst during the game. Parish Brewing’s Canebrake, a crisp, flavorful ale made in Broussard, Louisiana, uses Steen’s cane syrup as part of its recipe. Chafunkta Brewing’s Kingfish Ale is a cream ale, which is an older style that’s recently found a renaissance among craft beer brewers. Cream ale has the ingredients of a light lager but is brewed as an ale, fermented at higher temperatures with an ale

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015