“I like beer!”

“I like beer!,” Tom T. Hall sang in the seventies. “It makes me a jolly good fellow.” As a country music fan, I sang along. And so, back in the day I learned one or two things about beer.  There were not too many choices back then… Bud, Schlitz, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Pilsner. Did I miss any?  Well, then came the revolution – imported beer. The taste was better, and so was the buzz, which of course I only know from hearsay. There was Beck’s and Heineken, and then along came the Mexican trend with Corona and a slice of lime, just to be cool.  Then, the 100-calorie lite beers were a boon to women like me who could do 20 minutes on the treadmill, have a beer and our waistline would be none the wiser. I was first introduced to craft beer when my son went to college (no dates please). He was a closet brewer. Yes, folks. That’s right. He brewed beer in his closet. In part, it was an economic move. He could drink his own beer for a fraction of the cost of a six pack. He could also win a popularity contest with his frat brothers. Most recently, my under-30 staff has informed me, that beer is an art. “It’s a bit of heaven in a glass.” They felt it should be served in the gallery alongside the art. No argument there… we can be trendy. And so ArtsBash will inaugurate our partnership with Half Time, a company that promotes and distributes craft beers. This year’s gathering will be a mixed brew of artists, artisans and aficionados of every age. Be sure to bring your ID card.