Avenue Pub Throws Jazz Funeral on Saturday for Beloved Beer

When Avenue Pub owner Polly Watts heard the news that Stone Brewing out of San Diego was discontinuing one of the brewery's best selling beers in her bar, the dark, ultra hoppy Sublimely Self Righteous, she knew she had to send it off in proper New Orleans style with a jazz funeral.

Since the crew from Stone are down in New Orleans pretty frequently, she was able to wrangle one last keg from them, even though the last batch of the beer was slated for bottles only. "That's a pretty big deal," Watts laughs. "Do you know how rare it is? For a large brewery to literally stop production of packaging the beer to fill a keg just for us?" It may not be the last keg in existence, but it was the last one off the line.

Stone's sending some other goodies too, like bourbon barrel aged Arbalest, a Belgian IPA; a bourbon-barrel aged red ale called Bang Bang; and Reason Be Damned, a sour Belgian-style Abbey Ale aged in red wine barrels. None of these beers have been in Louisiana, so they are rare and tasty treats indeed.

The Red Hot Brass Band will be playing when the event starts at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. The jazz funeral will go on, rain or shine, but it's definitely fortunate that the Pub has that enormous balcony that covers the sidewalk, just in case the shelter is necessary.

So come on out, drink some Stone that's never to be seen again, listen to some brass band, and mingle with Stone reps and beer fans. Even if it's a rainy day, it's a great way to spend the afternoon.