Drowning my sorrows - LA 31 Acadie

Growing up in the New Orleans area in the 80's I can remember some bad New Orleans Saints teams. Having the likes of Dave Wilson, Richard Todd and John Fourcade at the quarterback position made for some less than competitive teams. Only in the early 90's did the team garner a level of respectability being led by Jim Finks, Jim Mora and the Dome Patrol. However, even then they were always second fiddle in their own division to the dominant San Francisco 49ers. Only in the NFL could teams from New Orleans and Atlanta play in the Western Division of the NFC.

Recent history has been much better for the Saints and their fans. Since the arrival of Coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees, the team has been a perennial playoff contender and won the franchise's only Super Bowl.

An autographed cover page from the Baton Rouge Advocate newspaper the day after the Saints won their only Super Bowl.

I can recall the pure joy I felt watching the Saints win that game and how I said that I would be content if they never won another game again. Of course I did not mean that. Since their win, they have continued their winning ways, but not to the extent of being a champion. That is until this year.

The Saints have started this season losing their first 3 games. These games were not even against the class of the league, and two were at the Superdome and showed that there is no home field advantage with this team. As a life long fan, I will still support them, but I already feel like this season is for the most part over in terms of being competitive. It is extremely rare for a team to start 0-3 and make the playoffs, especially when the difficult part of their schedule is to come.

So what you ask does this have to do with beer? Besides the obvious, that it is the beverage of choice for watching the games, it also helps to drown the sorrows of another disappointing loss. There is a tear in my beer this Sunday.

The Bayou Teche Brewery has come out with a new seasonal beer, the LA 31 Acadie. I picked up one this weekend to give it a shot.

Appearance: Beer poured a copper orange color with a very thin white head. It had a clear appearance and provided only patchy lacing. It was well carbonated.

Smell: I picked up mainly a yeasty aroma, with nothing else apparent.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Beer had a mild malt flavor at the outset. The beer had a peppery finish, some honey-like sweetness and the slightest lingering bitterness. Mouthfeel was medium bodied.

Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this mild drinkable beer. So far this is the best beer I have had from Bayou Teche Brewery. For more info on this Brewery, please see LA-31

Fortunately for me, I am not only a fan of American Football, but also, the original football. My club, Manchester United picked up a vital win this morning against its regional rivals, Liverpool Football Club. At least one of my teams was on the right side of a decision today.

Cheers!