Tiger Bait - LSU To Brew Beer

LSU Chancellor Proposes On-Campus Brewery
by Hanna Raskin/Slashfood.com

Students at a southern university that perennially tops lists of party schools may soon have the opportunity to uphold their institution's reputation with 12 added ounces of collegiate pride.

The chancellor at Louisiana State University recently unveiled a proposal to build a microbrewery on campus. The facility would serve as a laboratory for food science students and a training center for aspiring brewmasters.

"At some schools around the country, they have mini breweries on campus," says president and CEO of the LSU Alumni Association, Charlie Roberts, pausing to clarify his pronunciation: "That's m-i-n-i breweries, not m-a-n-y," he adds helpfully.

According to Roberts, Chancellor Michael Martin believes a LSU-branded brew could contribute significantly to the school's marketing and generate revenue for its programs.

Planning's still in a preliminary stage, so nobody's quite sure yet what kind of beer might bear the LSU name. "I'm not even familiar with the different types, light and dark," Roberts admits, "but we joked and said we'd make a purple-and-gold beer."

The school is still grappling with legal and logistical hurdles, including how to make the beer available for sale on campus. But Roberts is sure tailgaters and other LSU fans set on celebrating game day in proper Fightin' Tiger style would somehow track down the signature student-made ale. "It would be a great conversation piece," he says.

Not surprisingly, students have been abuzz about the potential project since it was announced in the campus newspaper. "They expressed interest," Roberts says. "They expressed, 'Is it real?' and they expressed, 'Are [administrators] sincere?' Typical student reaction."

You've got to love administrators like Mr. Roberts. He knows his student body has the reputation of being a bunch of shiftless drunks and the drunkest, most obnosxious fans on the planet but instead of trying to change them, he embraces them. Instead of making them drive all the way to the store to get some beer he gives them an on campus brewery. Now they have bottle breaking, battery whipping fuel at their fingertips each Saturday. Texas Tech's administration could learn a lot from this guy. Let's embrace who we are at heart. Make the campus wet!