I was at Against the Grain with friends over the weekend, chatting and watching the movie “Rocky Balboa” on the screen behind the bar (odd choice, but whatever), when I was gifted an unexpected smile.

I was sipping a New Albanian Hoosier Daddy (guest tap), and my buddy was drinking an Against the Grain Ionic Blonde, when a guy on the other side of me ordered a pint of the latter.

He said, “Yeah, I’ll take one of those craft beers,”  he said. “The one that’s real light.”

No, there wasn’t anything inherently humorous about him ordering a beer – it just struck me as interesting that he made it a point to call it “one of those craft beers.” You know, as if it was some foreign oddity, perhaps brought to earth by interstellar travelers.

Clearly, this is a guy who normally drinks Corporate Light from a vented can, but he seemed more than happy to join in the fun of enjoying a brew of better quality. When in Rome, and all that. To me, it seems illustrative of how far the craft beer movement has come – even those who default to Bud Light are at least aware of the craft brewing movement, and many of them are curious. I sure hope it keeps going in the same direction.

By the way, I also tried the Ionic Blonde (4.8 ABV, 14 IBU), and it’s a great summer Belgian-style ale: easy to drink, sessionable, and with a slightly dry finish. Highly recommended for sitting outside on the patio on a Sunday afternoon. And way better than a Corporate Light.

(Also, don’t forget to make your submission to my Name This Blog contest. You can win free Louisville beer!)