Getting Schooled by the Fish.

From what I can tell, prolific draft and bottle lists are multiplying like bunny rabbits in big American cities these days. Which is cool. But when you find a place like John G's Bier Deck in a town like Washington, Missouri... Well, a man sleeps easier at night. It seems like everyone's well looked-after these days.

At the end of a hot-as-hell summer day it's hard to beat a hoppy glass of gold and a sweeping view of the Missouri River. There are usually 12 draft options and about twice as many bottles, and that's frankly all you need. Especially when there is strength in locally made beers, such as Schlafly of St. Louis and the excellent German-style lagers of Tin Mill in Hermann. Meanwhile John G's is a showcase for the beers of nearby Augusta Brewing, which only makes sense since they're owned by the same folks. More about them pretty soon.

My glass of gold is the Trout Slayer, my next nominee for Perfect American Beer.* It's got enough hop aroma, quaffability, and bright beauty that I can forgive it for being a filtered wheat beer. Like sausage, I don't always want to know how it's made. And at 4.7% strength it's got some usefulness.

You might not think Trout Slayer is a local beer here, and you'd be right. But it's all relative. Lewis and Clark passed right by this spot and went on to meet Indians in the Missoula Valley. Montana is just up the river. Shoot, their trout and ours are probably cousins.

*I've decided that the words "sessionable" and "craft" are implied in the word "perfect" and therefore redundant.