Oskar Blues launched as a Cajun restaurant in 1997, with a blues bar downstairs that today sees some of the region's most popular acts. The fun really started when founder Dale Katechis took his home brew, Dale's Pale Ale (6.5 percent alcohol, 65 IBUs), and started selling it in the restaurant. Then, in 2002, he did the unfathomable - he canned it.

The idea of canning a huge, flavorful beer was anathema in the bottle-fetish craft-brewing world, where cans were associated with mass-produced plonk. "We laughed at the idea at first," recalls Jones. "We thought, 'That's completely absurd, putting our beer in a can.' But that's why we did it - because it was funny."