Boys and girls, I've never been good at favorites.  Ask me my favorite song, and I'll list a dozen different artists, each with a dozen songs that can fit the bill, depending on my mood and whichever one I heard most recently.  I refuse to choose a favorite movie, but I can list a Top 10, which will probably change slightly every time I do so.  However, if you ask my favorite food... well, I'll still be indecisive and start talking about the numerous New Orleans dishes I can't wait to consume again.  BUT... if we're talking about a favorite food EVENT, I will state quickly and definitively... THE CRAWFISH BOIL.

See... for those of you who may have never experienced a true, Louisiana-style crawfish boil, there really is no greater, more social gathering in the name of over-consumption in the land of Cajun food.  Here in Maryland, you have the crab feast, which is a similar entity, but the festivities just don't seem to have that New Orleans flavor.  The basic principle is the same, though... bring a bunch of people together outside, in front of tables covered with newspaper, to drink beer, eat crustaceans and generally have a damned good time.  So when a couple of my fellow New Orleans expatriate friends announced they were hosting a crawfish boil, I was ecstatic.  Their plan... go to Jazz Fest, return Wednesday afternoon with over 80 pounds of live crawfish in their checked luggage, and bring them home to make sweet, Cajun magic happen in the middle of Baltimore City.  I was all in.

Of course, no good crawfish boil can become a GREAT crawfish boil unless you have the right beer.  In my opinion, with apologies to Highlander, there can be only one.  Or rather, one brewer... Abita.  With a variety of crawfish-friendly products, this growing brewery located 30 miles north of New Orleans, right across Lake Pontchartrain, provides the perfect beer for each and every attendee at your crawfish boil.  We certainly had a healthy variety at our little Baltimore boil Wednesday night.  Let's go through the options, shall we?

Amber - This is the flagship brew of the Abita family.  A nice, caramel flavor and a crowd-pleasing, lightly-hopped finish make this beverage the most popular and widely distributed member of the bunch.  If you're not sure about new beers, give this one a shot... you'll be pleased.

Turbodog - Oh yeah, baby!  If it weren't for the fact that the taste backs up the ballsy-ness of the name, I might make fun of it.  However, this happens to be my personal favorite.  A dark brown ale with a smooth feel and a surprisingly canine BITE in the finish, this one was actually voted best beer made in America in 2005 by Stuff Magazine.  It's not for everyone, but in my mind... it's just that good.

Purple Haze - This is probably the most popular Abita with the ladies.  Don't come whining to me that guys like it too... there's always a few in the bunch... but a raspberry wheat beer is just not my thing.  That having been said, Purple Haze is an exceptional example of the style.  Light and refreshing with a fruity finish, it's a great choice for the summer, if you're not me.

Golden - And here we have the lightest, summeriest of the Abita brews.  The golden hued beverage, with its crisp, clean flavor and cooling properties, makes one believe, if only for a moment, that there exists a magical world in which light American lagers actually taste delicious.  But we all know the truth, don't we?

Wow, Mark!  Reading this has made me thirsty for some Abita beer.  But where am I to find such a thing so far from the mythical land of Louisiana, where alligators dance with leprechauns and giant, edible King Cakes present themselves at your door?  Well, friend, here are a few places in the Baltimore area where I have found the blessed nectar you seek:

• Chesapeake Wine Company - 2400 Boston St. in Canton
• Loading Dock Discount Liquors - 2101 Fleet St. at Boston
• Well's Discount Liquors - 6310 York Rd. near Towson
• Max's on Broadway - 735 S. Broadway in Fells Point
• Mahaffey's Pub - 2706 Dillon St. in Canton

Now I'm sure there are other places to find Abita in the area, but I can't name them all off the top of my head.  So if you know a place where it can be found, feel free to let us all know in a comment.  I, for one, would love to know... even if there are no additional crawfish boils in my near future.  Until then, I'll have to drink them solo.  Meaning one at a time.  Usually.

So as I bow out, this early Friday morning, I want to thank my gracious hosts, John and Danielle, and everyone at the 1st Annual Jazz Fest Boil for putting crawfish in my mouth, an Abita in my hand and that big goofy smile on my face.

 That's me, on the right.

Mark Burlet
Drunken Intellectual