Beer is an interesting thing. On the one hand, it can be used to celebrate. On the other, it’s often used to drown sorrows. So when our pals on Capitol Hill get a load of the latest offering from Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company, they may be enjoying it (or not) based on party lines.

That’s because the beer is called Jeezum Jim Ale — as in Jim Jeffords, the Vermont senator whose defection from the Republican Party caused a seismic shift in the Senate power balance and ensured that the Dems had something to celebrate and the Republicans, well, didn’t.

Taking its appellation from a nickname (based on a “farmer cuss word”) given to Jeffords by a local columnist, Jeezum Jim was conceived as an English mild, a “perfect beer for a beautiful summer night,” says Magic Hat co-founder Alan Newman. First introduced this spring in a small batch brewed exclusively for Burlington’s JazzFest, the beer has a deep-copper color, medium body, and “very level head” (bada bing!). It proved so popular that Magic Hat decided to make it available throughout New England for, appropriately, Independence Day weekend.

“We don’t have an intention of milking the thing,” says Newman. “We did one commemorative batch of 1000 cases that we think does justice to the beer and the event.” But he also warns that “it’s going to evaporate from the shelves.”

Newman applauds the gumption of the lifelong Republican who finally “stood up and said ‘I can’t stand it anymore.’”

“That’s a level of courage that’s mind-boggling,” he says. “You keep hearing about how one person can change the world. Give me a better example than this.” A bit overstated, perhaps. But America’s birthday sometimes inspires grandiose sentiments of this kind. So you can’t blame the Magic Hat Web site for imploring customers to “raise a glass to the courage of conviction, the power of independent thinking, and the vitality of our democratic nation.” We’ll drink to that.

Jeezum Jim Ale can be ordered at any package store in the Commonwealth, but the 1000 cases are available on a first-come, first-served basis. So vote early and often! Jeffords himself will be on hand at the launch party at Magic Hat headquarters in South Burlington on July 5 at 10:30 a.m. Visit www.magichat.net for more information.

Issue Date: June 28 - July 5, 2001