Bouchaney

I am a big fan of beer — isn't everyone? But every so often I'm not quite ready for the buzz — say, for example, when it's 11:30 and we're having an early lunch, or I have to go back to work or some such. Then I like to have a nonalcoholic malt beverage.

Now some of these n/a beers are undrinkable, but a small handful are not bad. I like Sharp's, and there are some OK European brews available in the US of A — I'm thinking of Kaliber and Clausthaler mostly. Most places around here stock O'Doul's, which I have nothing good to say about. I would almost rather drink skunk fluid, which is the taste O'Doul's most closely resembles.

Waiting at a restaurant bar the other day, I said to the bartender, "I know you have O'Doul's, but I won't drink that stuff. Do you have any other nonalcoholic beer?"

"I can give you a Bouchaney," he said — I thought. It was pronounced "Boo-zhen-AY." I thought. Huh. Never heard of it, maybe it's French or something. "Sure, I'll try that," said I.

I received two surprises. First, he reached into the refrigerator and hauled out a Busch N/A. Second, I liked it. I really liked it!

So I have a new preference for those odd occasions when I'm in the mood for beer taste, but not beer buzz. And it's cheaper than those other options. Just thought I'd pass that along.