March 2, 1836 is the date given to Texas Independence from Mexico, and we native Texans celebrate the day as is customary in simple terms by putting out the Texas flag, acknowledging the day on social media, firing 21 gun salutes from our backyards, parades, speeches, enjoying a beer, enjoying several beers, parties and talking smack to anyone who will listen about the virtues of all things Texas. St. Bum Phillips once said there were two kinds of people when he reigned victorious over the Houston Oilers in the late 1970s: Texans and people who wanted to be Texans.
This bravado gets us in trouble to a certain extent with the rest of the world because it is interpreted as bragging, perhaps bragging too much, but when a group of students, including me, went to Europe in college, there was really only one state that they knew about and could spot you even without a cowboy hat. In London, they knew us for two reasons in fact - 1. You were from Texas; and 2. Buddy Holly was from Texas.
My pride in Texas is evident. Once, when bidding on a project in Missouri, I was asked if my accent would be a distraction to the locals not accustomed to such by the executive director of the then-company I represented (she was from Michigan no less with a distinct accent herself). No, I said, I've never been accused of having too dramatic an accent, so when I called on the district via phone conference, I knew my voice was on display. About two minutes into the conversation, I asked, "Can you tell I'm from Texas?" Silence preceded the answer with a brief pause and then a confession that my accent was not distracting, so I ratcheted up the accent for them to let them know I could sound Texan if necessary.
My pride is also evident in the fact that my home town of Houston had Texas first microbrewery, St. Arnold's (written about before by Average Guy). Consequently, on Texas Independence Day, the beer I chose to have along with a cigar was Endeavour. St. Arnold's Endeavour comes in a large bottle and is an IPA - referred to on their website as a double IPA. The IPA is the darling of a younger generation who seeks something different in a beer. Personally, Average Guy is happy with beer and doesn't need a hops infusion on a comparative note of being the difference between a stick of dynamite and an atomic bomb. Hoppiness doesn't make me hoppy, but hops is apparently that additive, approved in Germany around the 1500s I'm told, that makes the beer drinker a bit more mellow when a beer is sipped.
Still, I'm not trendy. Don't go to coffee bars in my garb to look cool and stare into my notebook computer. Don't hit hot spots that are the upscale scenes with trendy looking people there. Instead, I like a local bar that knows me. I like the Big Band sound, 1960s rock and tail off the music scene around 1990, so I even missed the grunge sound, rap, and anything else that has come since. In addition to that, I'm not an IPA enthusiast because it is currently just that, a trend.
Endeavour went well with a cigar, so I was not disappointed but it isn't in my taste realm. I would recommend it if you like IPAs. I would also say that enjoying a beer that originates from Houston on Texas Independence Day was perfect as well. I just wish it had not been a double IPA.
I am back in the saddle, to stay with the theme. Two bouts of strep throat knocked me down, but not out, over the past month. Consequently, I've backlogged my activity. Rogue Dead Guy Ale gets a review shortly, AND a surprise commentary on bourbon from Hye, Texas all this week.
Enjoy the time we have on this earth. Be productive. And productivity increases with a beer or two. Endeavour to persevere.
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