Pacific Grove: Wine and Art Don't Mix

The wine and cheese reception was likely invented by an art gallery. However, in Pacific Grove, Calif., local officials believe that art and wine don't mix.

Police Chief Darius Engles told the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce his department would enforce a ban on serving wine during monthly Artwalk events at local art galleries. The art galleries are not licensed by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control so they cannot legally serve alcohol.

Ten galleries and shops participate Artwalk, an event that has been taking place for two years without any reported incidents.

If You Don't See Anything Wrong, Maybe You're Part of the Problem

Ever wonder how Prohibition became the law of the land and stayed that way for so many years? The fact is that at the time alcohol was ruled out of bounds many people wondered the same thing.

Brewers of the time tried unsuccessfully to distance themselves from distillers, figuring Prohibition would likely hit liquor and not more moderate beer. Wineries in the U.S. were not all that organized. Importers lacked any real clout, and distributors did not become part of the beverage landscape until after repeal.

Most people thought the dry coalition would never be successful. The Prohibitionists organized themselves, pulling in churches, women's groups and others to form a strong coalition. In short, the drinks industry and American consumers were asleep at the wheel and lost the right to come together to enjoy adult beverages.

The Brewers Association is launching an effort to sign up people in a campaign called Support Your Local Brewery to make sure that beer lovers have a strong grassroots group. What's that you say? Prohibition can nevr happen again? Perhaps your right, but that does not mean that in your state's legislature someone is not working on a bill right now to tax you more, limit where and when you can drink or harm alcohol makers in ways that could make it more difficult or expensive to get your favorite drink.

You can get more information on the effort at: http://supportyourlocalbrewery.org.

Here are the issues currently listed on the site:

Alabama
Issue: Free the Hops is working to eliminate the current 6% alcohol by volume cap imposed by state law on beer and the prohibition on selling beer in any container exceeding 16 ounces (kegs excepted).

Maine
Issue: Gov. John Baldacci has stated his commitment to expanding the state subsidized health insurance program, with possible tax increases on beer and wine funding the increases.

Michigan
Issue: A Michigan think tank has publicly stated that government officials should consider raising the tax on beer as a means to address the state's budget problems.

North Dakota
Issue: A proposed state bill would impose a tax on all alcohol beverage wholesalers, domestic wineries, microbrew pubs and direct shippers that would raise the price of beverages.

Oregon
Issue: Legislation in the House seeks to impose a “malt beverage cost recovery fee” of $32 per barrel on manufacturers and importing distributors of malt beverages.

Rhode Island
Issue: A State Representative is proposing a bill that would raise the tax on beer - doubling the current rate of $3 per barrel - to fund alcohol treatment programs.

Vermont
Issue: House Bill 94 proposes to raise the limit on the percentage of alcohol allowed in malt beverages sold at retail from 8 percent to 16 percent.

Tuesday Tasting: A Breeze Through The Windy City

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we spend a couple of days in Chicago trying out a few beers.

I was in Chicago to pick up my daughter, Brhea, from Loyola University. Before the packing and moving, we had time to tour the Windy City and stop by a few bars and restaurants. Chicago is one of America's great tavern towns. You could easily spend a few lost weekends on Clark Street and only scratch the surface.

One of the places we stopped at was Sheffield's Beer and Wine Garden just a few blocks from Wrigley Field. They have several bars at Sheffield's, plus an outdoor beer garden. We sampled two interesting brews. Two Brothers Victor's MemoriAle Altbier was a highlight of the trip to Chicago. Brewed about 30 miles west of Chicago, this draught beer was a dark and malty brew that was very refreshing. Later during the trip at another location I had the chance to try Two Brothers Domaine DuPage, a French Country-style ale. That brew was in a bottle and did not quite measure up to the Altbier, perhaps because it was served ice cold, but was still worth trying. Also while at Sheffield's we had Founders Brewing Centennial IPA from Grand Rapids, Mich. This is a crisp IPA that the American Homebrewers Association Beer Judge Certification Program uses as its example of an IPA. You get a decent head, 7.2 percent alcohol by volume, plenty of floral hop characteristics and 46 IBUs from this brew.


While walking near the Chicago River we decided to head underground below Michigan Avenue to stop in at the Billy Goat Tavern. The Billy Goat was made famous by the late columnist Mike Royko, who used to meet up with alter ego Slats Grobnik for a beer and conversation at the bar. It is also the basis for the Saturday Night Live "Cheeseburger" routines. We had a Billy Goat Dark that is contract brewed for the bar. It was nothing special, but the Billy Goat is one of those half real, half mythical bars you need to cross off your list on a visit to Chicago.

While in Schaumburg to visit the IKEA store, we stumbled across a Ram Brewery location along the access road to the giant Swedish retailer. The Ram Brewery was crowded with Bulls fans when we stopped in for a quick beer before the shopping. Luckily, we decided to try the Big Horn Nefarious Nelson Stout. This stout was excellent, with nice firm roasted barley notes and a good dose of sweetness.

Also during our visit we decided to have lunch at the Chicago Brauhaus on North Lincoln Ave. to sample the German specialties, including the Schweine Schnitzel. We had half liters of Spaten Mai Bock and Stiegl Pils to wash down the meal. The Spaten was Munich fresh and a true seasonal delight.

NBA: No Beer for Nelson During Press Interviews

Just days after St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was killed after a game while driving drunk, (he was also speeding, talking on a cellular phone and had marijuana in his vehicle), the National Basketball Association has told Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson he is not allowed to bring beer into post game press conferences.

Nelson was seen with a Bud Light in his hand while conducting post game interviews during the Warriors series against the Dallas Mavericks. Nelson has a 1,232-920 regular season record, the second highest victory total by a coach in league history.

Australian Scientists: Beer is the Ultimate Energy Drink

This blog has chronicled the miracle health benefits of beer. Now it appears beer can also supply energy -- electrical energy. Researchers at the University of Queensland and Foster's Group believe they have found a way to create energy from brewery wastewater and bacteria.

Scientists have received a grant to install the experimental microbial fuel cell at a Foster's brewery outside of Brisbane. The fuel cell battery uses bacteria to consume water-soluble brewing waste such as sugar, starch and alcohol. The result is electricity and clean water.

A prototype of the battery has been operational in a university laboratory since earlier this year. The brewery fuel cell is expected to produce 2 kilowatts of power or about what the average household consumes in electricity. The scientists, however, are excited because the real benefit of the technology is wastewater treatment. The electrical generation is a bonus that could be replicated at other breweries, wineries and distilleries.

The Session #3: A Frustrating Walk on the Mild Side

Jay Brooks of the Brookston Beer Bulletin is the host of this month's Beer Blogging Friday and has decided that the topic for Session #3 should be The Mysterious Misunderstood Mild. The Campaign for Real Ale, the British group that fights for all things traditional when it comes to beer, has declared May as Mild Month, so it looks like Jay is on the right track.

First a little Mild history. Mild accounted for more than 40 percent of all of the beer sold in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. By the late 1980s that number had dropped to about 10 percent. The category has never really gotten off the ground in any significant way in the U.S. and that is too bad since it is designed to be a session brew that can be enjoyed at lunch or during the course of the evening because of its moderate alcohol level. Traditionally Mild is a brown ale, although the Brewers Association's style guidelines allow for both Dark and Pale versions. The style is defined this way: Pale Mild has IBUs of 10-20, SRM of 8-17 and ABV of 3.2-4 percent and for Dark Mild, IBUs of 10-24, SRM of 17-34 and ABV of 3.2-4 percent.

One problem: Finding a Mild to enjoy in the good old U.S.A. is a chore. They do exist, as you can see by visiting Jay's blog, but try as I might I struck out trying to find one for this month's Session.

I started off by visiting the Flying Saucer in Raleigh. Even with a wall full of draughts and a ton of bottles, no mild. I then hit the World Beer Festival in Raleigh. Harpoon listed a Brown "Session" Ale in the program, which got my hopes up. However, the beer was not at the festival. I then traveled to Chicago, where the rumor is you can find Milds from both Goose Island and Three Floyds. I made several stops today at bars and retail shops, but again came up empty.

I think the closest to the style I came during the process was a wonderful brew from Greensboro, N.C. Natty Greene's Old Towne Brown Ale with IBUs of 16 and a SRM 33 fits the category, but technically at 4.4 percent alcohol by volume it is just too strong. At the Great American Beer Festival in 2006 it received the Silver Medal in Brown Ale category. It's a great ale, just not quite a Mild.

I plan to keep looking for a real Mild. Perhaps I'll stumble across one when I least expect it.

Red Sox Wine Not All Red: Three Player Labels Raise Funds for Charity

There are some wines that smell as if they have been strained through an old sock, then there are wines that proudly proclaim their association with Red Sox.

A trio of new wines are being released in New England that are linked to three Boston Red Sox stars and are designed to raise funds for charity. Manny Ramirez (Manny Being Merlot), Curt Schilling (Schilling Schardonnay) and Tim Wakefield (CaberKnuckle Cabernet Sauvignon) are being marketed by Charity Wines under the Longball Vineyards label.

The Chilean wines are priced at between $11-$13 a bottle, with $1.25 per bottle going to a charity selected by each player: Wakefield, Pitching for Kids, a New England children's sports group; Ramirez, CHARLEE, a Miami group that provides support services to abused children; and Schilling, Curt's Pitch for ALS, which helps patients with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Tuesday Tasting: Rogue Brew 10,000

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we try a beer that celebrates a brewing milestone for one of the Pacific Northwest's great microbreweries.

Rogue Brew 10,000 marks the 10,000th batch made over the course of 18 years by John Maier. It is one of the more expensive bottles of beer you will encounter. I've seen it at a couple of retailers for $20 and the bottle I split with a friend was at the Flying Saucer in Raleigh, N.C., for $32 for a 750 milliliter swing top ceramic bottle.

Marier uses Vienna, French Special Aroma and Maris Otter Pale Malts, with Yakima Summit and German Saphir Hops, and PacMan Yeast. The brew is 10 percent alcohol by volume. The beer is well put together, as you would expect from a Rogue beer. There was a nice hop aroma, with some hints of wildflowers and citrus. The beer was a nice dark bronze color and had a good amount of malt to balance it overall.

Is this a ground breaking beer from Rogue? Not really, given some of their other beers, including the John's Locker series. Is this beer worth $32, or even $20? If you are a Rogue fan, it is something you should try. Split the cost with friends to ease the bite. It is not the greatest Rogue ever, but as a salute to 18 years of great beers it is a nice way to mark a milestone.

Skipjack Amber is the New Mid-Atlantic Regional from A-B

Anheuser-Busch has rolled out another one of its regional specialty beers, this time Skipjack Amber.

The beer will target consumers in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. It is named for the boats common to the Chesapeake Bay.

Patrons admitted to the VIP tent at the World Beer Festival in Raleigh were among the first to get a taste of Skipjack Amber. It is a malty, drinkable dark lager brewed at A-B's Williamsburg, Va., brewery. The beer is 5.5 percent alcohol by volume.

World Beer Festival Provides Laid Back Atmosphere and Some Beer Surprises

The World Beer Festival had another successful run on Saturday in Raleigh. The weather was perfect and sell out crowds got to sample a wide range of great beers in park-like Moore Square. The folks at All About Beer magazine sponsor the event, with Daniel and Julie Bradford playing hosts and festival coordinator Natalie Miller keeping a huge team of volunteers running like a well-oiled machine.

I was among the speakers at the event, running a pair of "Weird Beers of the Festival" sessions -- basically a chance to gather some pretty good beers with some odd ingredients together to twist the tongues of festival attendees. I had the chance to sample a number of interesting beers along the way during two four hour sessions. Here is a round up of 10 of the beers from the Weird Beers tasting, and others I came across in the two beer tents and VIP tent:

Dogfish Head Immort Ale: This Delaware brewer pitches itself as making "Off-centered ales, for off-centered people." This brew appropriately breaks any mold you might try to peg it towards. It is an 11 percent alcohol by volume bonanza of flavor. Peat-smoked barley, with organic juniper berries, vanilla and maple syrup that is aged on oak, fermenting away with the help of English and Belgian yeasts. No absence of flavor here, with an almost Scotch like flourish.

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red Cherry Ale: The attendees at my tasting were amazed to hear that every 750 milliliter bottle benefits from a pound of Door County cherries. Aged on oak for a year, this brew is carbonated like champagne and leaves you wanting more. This brew can stand up to any Belgian fruit beer.

Alba Scotts Pine Herbed Ale: This beer from Scotland has hints of pine in the finish and is pretty well balanced. It is copper in color and fairly lowly carbonated. It drinks better than it sounds.

Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale: I believe this was my first ever beer from Mississippi. They use 20 pounds of roasted pecans in a 15 barrel batch of this brown ale. The nut flavor is fairly subtle and the beer is lightly hopped, so the malts come through. It is a nice mahogany color.

New Holland Dragon's Milk: This Michigan brew starts its life in reused Bourbon barrels, giving the dark ale a somewhat sweet vanilla tone. This is a rich beer for the end of the evening.

Capital City Fuel: What can you say about a beer that brags about using 10 pounds of Sumatra coffee per batch and delivers an almost iced-coffee experience? This is the most coffee of coffee stouts I've ever tasted. Worth taking a trip to Virginia to give this beer a try.

Atlantic Brewing Mount Desert Island Ginger: This beer benefits from having 15 pounds of crushed ginger steeped in the boiling wort. If you want a beer to match with Asian cuisine or seafood, this would be my recommendation.

Scaldis Prestige: This 13 percent alcohol by volume beer is aged on oak and is cloudy and slightly wine-like in many ways. It has some sour edges and is certainly a beer for sharing.

Dogfish Head Red and White: This is a wit beer that is seasoned with orange peel and coriander and flavored with pinot noir juice, giving it a reddish hue. It weighs in at 10 percent alcohol by volume. This is an interesting combination of flavors that envelops your taste buds. Another hit from Delaware.

Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale: The Clipper City brewmasters did a nice job with this 7.25 alcohol by volume brew. Strong upfront hop flavors, amber gold color and wonderful aromas.

Michelob Ultra Rolls Out Fruit Infused Flavors

Anheuser-Busch hopes that warm weather puts people in the mood for fruity light beers. The company is releasing Michelob Ultra Fruit Infused beers.

The new Michelob Ultra brews come in three flavors: Pomegranate Raspberry, Lime Cactus and Tuscan Orange Grapefruit. The 4.2 percent alcohol by volume beers are being treated as summer seasonals and will be available through Labor Day.

Pittsburgh Brewing Strikes Deal with Water Authority to Keep Brewing

It takes plenty of water to make beer. In the case of Pittsburgh Brewing, water is an even more important ingredient as the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (PWSA) remained the final hold out to approval of the brewery's Chapter 11 reorganization plan.

Late last week the brewery and the utility came to an agreement. The PWSA has said it was owed $2.6 million in unpaid water bills. Pittsburgh Brewing went into bankruptcy in December 2005 when the utility threatened to shut off service. The PWSA has agreed to accept $500,000 to settle its claim.

Pittsburgh Brewing Acquisition will also have to pay off a lien of $575,000 in claims accumulated after the Chapter 11 proceedings began. The company expects to receive some government funding to help keep Iron City and other brews flowing.

To Your Health: Study Suggests Red Wine Prevents Symptoms of Aging

Researchers at the University of Granada in Spain believe that a hormone found in red wine might block some aspects of aging in humans.

A bottle of pinot noir might not quite be the fountain of youth, but it could help supplement the amount of melatonin our bodies produce, the study published in the journal Experimental Gerontology said. The scientists say that as we age and pass 30 years old the amount of melatonin produced naturally goes down. Substances in grape skins may help replace the missing amounts.

Melatonin is also found in cherries, bananas, onions, oats, corn and rice. However, while these are also good natural sources of melatonin, none are quite as enjoyable as a good glass of cabernet sauvignon.

Churchill Downs Wagers on Wine Line

They will be running for the roses on May 5th. Churchill Downs hopes fans will be running for the rose, chardonnay and zinfandel.

Churchill Downs is rolling out a trio of new wine labels in time for the 133rd Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs Wines will be offered in three lines, Silks, Twin Spires and Winner's Circle. Each wine is made from California grapes.

The Churchill Downs Wines Collection will be available at restaurants, wine shops and at race tracks around the country.

Score Two for the King of Beers: A-B Wins Budweiser Battles in Hungary and Egypt

Anheuser-Busch Cos. continues to battle with Budejovicky Budvar of the Czech Republic over rights to the Budweiser brand name and won two court battles around the world recently.

The Hungarian Supreme Court has ruled that Budvar cannot be sold as "Bud" in that country, while in Egypt judges found that Budweiser Budvar violated the St. Louis company's trademark.

While neither Hungary or Egypt are huge beer markets, the victories are important to A-B as it fights to protect its Budweiser trademark. These battles are long and costly. The Hungarian case was an appeal by Budejovicky Budvar to a 1998 court decision that found in favor of the American brewery.

A-B holds the trademark for the Bud name in 23 of 27 countries in the European Union.

Washington Rings Up 500th Winery

California is still the undisputed king of the American wine world, but Washington State hit a milestone recently when Sweet Valley Wines in Walla Walla registered as the 500th licensed commercial winery in the state.

Here's a run down of the top United States when it comes to the number of wineries:

1. California -- 2,275
2. Washington -- 500
3. Oregon -- 303
4. New York -- 210

See You This Weekend at the World Beer Festival in Raleigh

If you are lucky enough to have tickets for the sold out World Beer Fest in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday please plan to stop by the All About Beer magazine Tasting Tent and say hello.

I will be presenting "Weird Beers of the Fest" at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Other presentations include beer journalist Gregg Glaser taking festival attendees on "A Lightening Tour of Classic Beer Styles" and All About Beer editor Julie Johnson Bradford who will be leading "Pairing Food & Beer."

If you missed out on tickets for the event, mark Oct. 6th in your calendar when the World Beer Festival returns to Durham, N.C. Get your tickets early for that event.

Minneapolis Airport Commission Sets Rules to Suspend Cabbies for Refusing to Pick Up Passengers Carrying Booze

Since 2002, there have been 4,800 cases of travelers refused taxi cab service at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Their crime? Coming back from a vacation or business trip with a bottle of alcohol. Now the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) is stepping in to raise the punishment for drivers who refuse to serve customers.

Under the new rules that take effect on May 11th, the MAC will suspend a cab driver's airport taxi license for 30 days the first time the driver refuses service and revokes the license for two years after the second violation.

The problem is that more than 70 percent of the cabbies serving the airport are Somalis and practicing Muslims. They say that Islamic law prohibits them from picking up people who are carrying alcohol.

The penalty under the old rules was for the taxi driver to have to go to the end of the taxi cab line up. The MAC says the tougher penalties are meant to insure that customers receive service and are not stranded at the airport.

Woodford Reserve Turns $1,000 Derby Mint Julep into Fundraiser for Retired Thoroughbred Horses

The Kentucky Derby is about more than horses and wagers won and lost. It's full of tradition and a place for marketers to find both the masses and the well to do. For Brown-Forman it has presented the opportunity to elevate the profile and brand aura around its Woodford Reserve line of Bourbon.

In addition to some special packaging marking the 133rd running of world's most famous horse race on May 5th, a select few Derby attendees will get the chance to purchase a $1,000 Mint Julep. An even more exclusive group will get to toast their favorite past winners in jeweled gold cups now being auctioned by Christie's that honor Triple Crown champions. Eleven of the cups will feature three rubies for Triple Crown winners, and two diamond-studded cups will be offered for Barbaro, last year's winner, and the first Derby champ, Aristides.

The special Juleps are made with Labrot & Graham Distillery's Woodford Reserve, mixed with mint imported from Ireland, ice from the Bavarian Alps and organic sugar from western Australia. The cups are made by New England Sterling, which makes the Kentucky Derby winner's trophy.

The jeweled cups auction began on April 17th and ends on May 1st. Proceeds from the sale support the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which helps retired horses and disabled jockeys. You can get more information on the sale at www.woodfordreservemintjulep.com.

Tarpoon Spoon is New A-B Local Florida Brew

Anheuser-Busch is releasing another one of its local beers, this time in Florida. The brewer describes Tarpoon Spoon as an all-malt, Bohemian pilsner.

The new brew will be available on draught in bars and restaurants in Florida. The beer is being brewed at A-B's Jacksonville, Fla., facility. Tarpon Spoon is brewed with two-row malt and Saaz and Tettnanger hops. It weighs in at 5.5 percent alcohol by volume.

Anheuser-­Busch holds a 48.4 percent share of U.S. beer market.