“If the fish ain’t biting, the beer is still cold.”
The last time I spoke to a complete stranger at a bar was with Mike Huwar at Real Ale Brewing Company in Blanco, Texas. It was Feb. 29, 2020, and we were days away from states locking down as news of an unknown virus spread across the country. Mike had spent the morning fishing at the nearby Blanco State Park when we first spotted each other—I was pacing the area snapping photos, he was standing calmly at the river’s edge waiting for something to bite. An hour later, we wound up next to each other while he sipped an Axis IPA. “I’ve always been an IPA drinker,” he told me, although he clarified that he didn’t care for citrusy hops.
I don’t know if his flavor preferences changed in the last year, when he was likely forced to grab-and-go his six- or 12-packs of hoppy beer from the grocery or convenience store, but I’d bet whatever he drank was local. “I’ve drank some good American-made IPA,” he said with a chuckle, adding that he prefers to “take care of your neighbors” as someone who’s lived in Texas for almost 40 years. “If you live in Texas, you love Texas,” he said to me, raising his pint.
All this has become a foreign exchange in the time since I sat down next to Mike. But as we all hopefully get the opportunity to resume these behaviors soon—behaviors we may now understand that we’d taken for granted—it’ll be nice to once again find more people out there with stories to tell. A smiling face no longer hidden behind a mask; a caring laugh no longer muffled by cloth.
Before we parted, I wanted to know: What brought Mike more happiness that day—some solitude along the river or an IPA at the bar?
“Can’t have one without the other,” he replied. The combo is a force of habit, he said, regardless of if he comes away with a catch. “What more could you ask for?”
