Support local music. Support local art. How about support local beer?

Normanites have quite a selection of beer that is unique to the area.

Brewing one’s own beer has become a trend among local restaurants trying to give customers an alternative to brand-name beers.

“Anheuser-Busch and Miller just don’t make quality beer,” Christopher Turner, professional writing senior, said.

Coach’s Restaurant and Brewery, 102 W. Main St., has been serving its own brews, made in the brewery behind the restaurant’s bar, since its conception as the Norman Brewing Company in 1993. Coach’s goal is to make their brand of beer the standard in the Norman area, John Howell, a brewer at Coach’s, said.

Howell describes the process of brewing beer as being very simple and very complex at the same time.

Handcrafted, gourmet ales are created by running barley through a mill, cracking the seed and exposing the starch. Wort is created when the barley steeps in boiling water. The brewed barley is then moved to a brew kettle so that the newly-formed yeast begins to ferment.

As the yeast eats the sugars released by the barley seeds, alcohol and carbon dioxide are released. Finally, hops are added, which stimulate the yeast, give the beer its aroma and work as natural preservatives.

The process of producing in-house beer is paying off for restaurants, too.

Other bars and restaurants in Norman such as Blu, Café Plaid, The Library, The Deli and Louie’s on Campus Corner have bought in to Coach’s brew and now serve the beer to customers.

“Although we keep other brands, most drinking customers that come in order our beer,” Howell said.

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, 330 Ed Noble Pkwy., brews its own beer, but not locally. The restaurant has four breweries around the country that supply beer for BJ’s locations nationwide.

“After two or three weeks, we go from scratch to beer,” Oscar Blanco, head brewer at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in West Covina, Calif., said. “Brewing your own beer is a way to separate yourself from other competing restaurants. It’s a way to connect with guests.”

“A product is only as good as what you put in it and no inferior grains touch our brewery,” Howell said. “Comparing a brand-name brew, like Anheuser-Busch, Miller or Coors to our gourmet beer is like comparing a frozen dinner to a plate prepared by a gourmet chef.”

Although prices can sometimes be higher for in-house beer, some customers don’t mind.

“It may cost a little more, but the taste is worth it,” Nathan Hardy, letters senior, said.