Charles Smith Wine Tasting at Full Throttle Bottles

This evening, Georgetown's Full Throttle Bottles will be hosting a tasting of several Charles Smith wines. Smith is a Washington winemaker who has generated a great deal of buzz over the past couple of years, and was even named Food and Wine Magazine's Winemaker of the Year in 2009.

Samplings will include the Kung Fu Girl Reisling, the Velvet Devil Merlot, the Boom Boom Syrah, the Charles & Charles Red Blend and the Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon.

The tasting will run from 5:00-7:00 this evening, and only costs $3.00. Check it out!

Initiatives 1100 and 1105 - WTF?

Okay Washington, the time has come. Election day is creeping up on us, and it's time to make a decision. No doubt by now you have begun to see numerous ads supporting and decrying Initiatives 1100 and 1150, which are attempting to privatize Washington's liquor industry.

From the Washington Secretary of State website:

1100: This measure would direct the liquor control board to close all state liquor stores; terminate contracts with private stores selling liquor; and authorize the state to issue licenses that allow spirits (hard liquor) to be sold, distributed, and imported by private parties. It would repeal uniform pricing and certain other requirements governing business operations for distributors and producers of beer and wine. Stores that held contracts to sell spirits could convert to liquor retailer licenses.

1105: This measure would direct the liquor control board to close all state liquor stores and to license qualified private parties as spirits (hard liquor) retailers or distributors. It would require licensees to pay the state a percentage of their first five years of gross spirits sales; repeal certain taxes on retail spirits sales; direct the board to recommend to the legislature a tax to be paid by spirits distributors; and revise other laws concerning spirits.

Some of the wording is fairly straightforward - the initiatives are trying to throw out the state-run liquor stores and allow booze to be sold privately - easy enough. But they both mention repealing and/or revising certain "other laws" and "other regulations." What the hell is that?

The tricky thing about these initiatives is that they impact more than just the state-run liquor stores and the spirits business. The fine print includes changes to the current system that will impact the craft brewers and wineries of Washington as well.

The world of politics is overly-complex (and intentionally so), and at times like these, when important decisions are being made, it is vital to have a firm understand of exactly what you are being asked to decide. Which is why I have called in reinforcements.

If you are as confused as I am about these initiatives, you will probably want to check out some of the articles that have been written by local bloggers intent on getting to the heart of the matter. Check out the sites below for a breakdown of the issues:

• Beer Blotter has been running a series of articles on the issue since summer.

• Washington Wine Report has done a 4-part series on the initiatives (this link takes you to Part 4, which, in turn, links back to all of the other posts). Additionally, check out this piece on WA wineries and their positions on the measures.

• Paul Gregutt argues the pros and cons of both sides. Additionally, this article gives the opinions of several individuals from various sides of the business and the impact that the initiatives would have.

• Seattle Beer News breaks down how this affects the beer industry.

• The Seattle Met Blog has done a series of articles on the issues.

• Write for Wine has a large (and very helpful) list of resources and community posts that includes several of these, as well as many others.

I am still sifting through the information on both sides, but hopefully these resources will be as helpful to you as they have been to me. And thanks to everyone listed above for taking the time to help break this information down.

Starbucks to Serve Beer and Wine

You may have already heard (it's a popular topic on the interwebs, after all), but a local Starbucks recently underwent an overhaul. The Olive Way Starbucks on Capitol Hill reopened yesterday after 3 months and some $500,000 worth of renovation.

This store received more than just a face-lift; this location seems to be serving as a test run for a new business model that will include an expanded menu, late-night offerings (including beer and wine), as well as entertainment. In fact, as noted by Beyond the Bottle, this location will serve local Washington and Oregon wines (and beers, one would assume) that may be offered in other stores as this project grows.

We'll see how this vision develops as time goes on; it is definitely an interesting concept, and a new place to find your local favorites.

Pumpkin Beer for Everyone!

Nothing says "Fall Time" (also, "awesome") like the opportunity to sample over 40 different pumpkin beers with a room full of beer lovers. That's right - this weekend is Elysian Brewing's Annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival.

Elysian will be highlighting their own Night Owl Pumpkin Ale, The Great Pumpkin, Dark o' the Moon Pumpkin Stout, Hansel & Gretel Ginger Pumpkin Pilsner, Kaiser Kurbis Pumpkin Hefeweizen, Mr. Yuck Sour Pumpkin Ale and a variety of guest pumpkin beers from breweries from around the country. A full list is available on Elysian's website.

Festivities will run from 12-10 p.m. on Saturday, and from 12-6 p.m. on Sunday at Elysian's Capitol Hill Brewery. The tapping of the Great Pumpkin (that's a huge pumpkin filled with beer - please join me in cheering) will commence at 4 pm both days.

The entry fee is $18, which includes a souvenir glass and 6 drink tickets. Additional drink tickets can be purchased for $2 each.

What We're Drinking

Rogue Brewery's Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout

There is nothing better than a pint of stout to help ease you into the week. Enjoying a bottle of Rogue's Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout last night was the perfect answer to a long day.

This stout pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan head. Its rich, creamy taste balances flavors of roasted malt, oats, coffee and a hint of dark chocolate, and the hops bring a slightly citrusy taste at the end. This is a solid, complex stout that sports a variety of flavors that blend together quite harmoniously - no individual taste is ever overpowering and it goes down crazy-smooth.

This beer recently won Bronze in the American-Style Stout category at the Great American Beer Festival, and it's not hard to see why.

Northwest Winners in the Great American Beer Festival

The Great American Beer Festival came to a close over the weekend, with several Northwest faves taking home medals:

• Widmer Brothers Brewing's Hefeweizen won Bronze in American-style Wheat Beer with Yeast.
• Pyramid's Apricot Ale won Silver in Fruit Beer
• Elysian Brewing Company's Dark O' the Moon won Silver in Field Beer
• Rogue Brewery's Hazelnut Brown Nectar won Bronze in Specialty Beer
• Boundary Bay Brewery's Imperial Oatmeal Stout won Bronze in Other Strong Beer
• Deschutes Brewery's Gluten Free won Silver in Gluten Free Beer
• Bend Brewing Company's Cherry Baltic won Silver in Aged Beer
• Hale's Kolsch won Gold in Kellerbier/Zwickelbier
• Alaskan Brewing Company's Smoked Porter won Gold in Smoked Beer
• Chuckanut Brewery's Chuckanut Pilsner won Bronze in German-Style Pilsner
• Silver Moon Brewing's Bridge Creek Pilsner won Bronze in Bohemian-Style Pilsner
• Chuckanut Brewery's Chuckanut Vienna Lager won Gold in Vienna-Style Lager
• Ram Brewery's Maibock won Bronze in Bock
• Deschutes Brewery's Mirror Pond Pale Ale won Gold in Classic English-Style Pale Ale
• Laurelwood Brewing Company's Deranger won Bronze in Imperial Red Ale
• Widmer Brothers Brewing's Drop Top won Bronze in Ordinary or Special Bitter
• Deschutes Brewery's Bachelor ESB won Bronze in Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter
• Barley Brown's Turmoil won Gold in American-Style India Black Ale
• Deschutes Brewery's Wowzenbock won Silver in German-Style Wheat Ale
• Pelican Brewery's Tsunami Stout won Bronze in Foreign-Style Stout
• Rogue Brewery's Shakepeare Oatmeal Stout won Bronze in American-Style Stout
• Pelican Brewery's MacPelican's Wee Heavy Ale won Bronze in Scotch Ale
• Bend Brewing Company's Outback X won Bronze in Old Ale or Strong Ale

You can find a complete list of placements and categories here. Congratulations to all!

What We're Drinking

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

I love fall, and I am sucker for all things pumpkin. Breads, cakes, ice cream, pasta, and most importantly - beer. The arrival of pumpkin ales on the shelves and on the taps is the first sign of autumn for me, and I was psyched to sample my first pumpkin ale of the season earlier this week - The Elysian Brewing Company's Night Owl Pumpkin Ale.

Night Owl was the brew that got me hooked on pumpkin beers a few years ago. The pumpkin is very present in both the aroma and the taste (each batch of the ale is brewed with pumpkin, as well as with pumpkin seeds). It is also flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger. The nutmeg and the cloves are the most prominent of these flavors, and are present throughout, giving the beer a spicy kick and butching up the flavor (like if your mom's Thanksgiving pumpkin pie got all hopped up on steroids before being served). Then it wraps it all up with a warm, slightly hoppy finish. Yum.

Great start to pumpkin beer season, and I am looking forward to many more over the coming weeks. Happy Fall!