It’s been a long time coming.
After years of attempts and plenty of meetings with school higher-ups and officials, Tin Roof Brewing Company is finally creating an officially licensed LSU beer.
“We started working on this in 2010,” Tin Roof co-founder William McGehee says. “There were some differences of opinion, and it just didn’t work out back then. But it’s always been on the back burner that we’d try again, and we had many meetings and did a lot of paperwork to get approved. Now here we are.”
|
|
|
This time, wanting to get everyone in on the act, the brewing company decided to let LSU fans and the entire Baton Rouge community participate in the most essential part of the beer’s creation—the taste.
Tin Roof staged two blind taste-testing panel sessions—one on June 14, the other on June 18—in which participants tasted eight batches of beer. Using a large numbered card, they commented on each one and kept track of the ones they liked best. After the final panel, Tin Roof staffers began the work of determining the fan-chosen best. That special brew—which the Tin Roof team is keeping secret for now—will be the official beer released before the start of LSU football season in early September.
When thinking of a taste test, you might picture the infomercial-style dramatics with participants making a face at a less-than-satisfying brew or jubilation at finding a sample that is “the one.” At the June 18 panel, however, there was none of that. The atmosphere was as calm and casual as could be, with a revolving door of panelists showing up and enjoying themselves. They asked questions, talked with other participants and quickly got to the business of picking their favorite brew. Afterward, they received a complimentary LSU glass and were out the door.
Some panelists carried that enjoyment to social media, posting their excitement about participating. Rivers Hughey, Tin Roof director of marketing and social media, says that some panelists posted a little too much information.
“We’ve had to change the numbers of the brews because people were posting which numbers they thought were best,” Hughey says with a laugh. “People are just so excited. It’s more about enthusiasm than them trying to ruin it for others.”
Because it is the officially licensed LSU beer, Hughey says, it had to capture what’s important to not only the LSU community, but Louisiana.
“It’s very hot here, sweltering for most of the year,” she says. “So we wanted to create a beer for people who are doing things in Louisiana, like mowing grass, sitting at the pool and tailgating. Our panel batches are lighter styles. When you go tailgating, you don’t want something that’s heavy, you want smooth, easy drinking with great taste.”
A smooth, easy-drinking brew with great taste was exactly what panelist and LSU student Brennan Sigue found in his favorite choice. “Light” and “bold flavor” were the words he used to describe it. He’s rooting for his pick and looks forward to drinking it while tailgating in the future.
|
|
|
While Tin Roof hasn’t yet revealed the winning batch for the brew, there is a name for it. The beer will be aptly named Bayou Bengal.
Bayou Bengal will be sold at local stores and bars—and, of course, at Tin Roof.
Keep updated at Tin Roof’s Facebook page for more information on when Bayou Bengal will be released.