Worldview of American Craft Beer

CraftBeer.com posted a great article today about world perceptions and views of the American craft brewing scene. Multiple brewers from various parts of Europe were contacted and asked their thoughts about the craft beers currently coming out of the States.

The resulting answers were very positive, highlighting important aspects of the movement, including creativity and the familial relationships between brewers. It's a great read, and very interesting to hear about the impact that American craft brewers are having on the global brewing scene.

Washington Beer Open House

If you haven't already heard, the Washington Beer Commission has organized the Washington Beer Open House. Many local breweries are participating in this event, and you should too. The event will include new or exclusive releases, tasting opportunities, preview tastings...this list goes on. Check out the link for a list of participating breweries and start making your attack plan. The event runs tomorrow from noon until 4:00.

Buy Wine and Help New Zealand Earthquake Relief Efforts

Hard Row to Hoe will be donating $2 for every bottle of wine sold this weekend to the New Zealand Red Cross in an effort to aid in their earthquake relief work. This applies to bottles sold at their winery, as well as through their internet store - you don't even have to brave the snow! Buy some wine for a good cause.

Home Brewing Seminars

Curious about home brewing? Yearning to learn the secrets of this mystical art? King County Library wants to help. They are sponsoring a series of introductory home brewing classes at various library locations throughout April and May.

Class dates and instructor bios are available at the Washington Beer Blog (one of their own contributors is even teaching a couple of the courses). This is a great opportunity to learn the basics, as well as tips from experienced home brewers.

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.