Given that this is the first newsletter of the New Year plus the fact that you received it means that your membership renewal, or new membership application (whichever the case may be), has been successfully processed. On behalf of the club officers and the board of directors, I would like to thank you for your show of support in the ongoing viability of this club.
Once again for 1999 we hope to provide you with a balanced mix of homebrewing-oriented activities as well as social events for all to participate in. The showcase event for the year which includes both objectives is the Drunk Monk Challenge homebrew competition which will be held March 6th. Participation in a competiton whether as an apprentice judge, steward, or member on any of the various support committees is a great way to expand your brewing knowledge as well as see first hand how a competition is organized and conducted.
And if that isn't enough incentive, there will be a pre-competition reception on March 5th and a post-competition dinner at Two Brothers Brewing for all competition volunteers. For more information call Shane Coombs at 630-393-7303.
We will continue to conduct the AHA club-only judgings at select club meetings as the club-only entry schedule allows. Given that we haven't conducted a style seminar in a long time, we may try to schedule one in advance of one of the future club-only competitions for its designated style. We'll keep you posted on this.
On the rumor wire, I've heard rumblings that there may be another Big Brew event organized by the AHA this year assumed to once again be held in conjunction with National Homebrew Day in May. If you missed it last year, this is an opportunity for clubs and individuals to introduce the general public to homebrewing in an open (read: outdoor) forum and brew a batch or two or three of a particular style of beer. This is an event where too many cooks DO NOT spoil the broth (or ale).
Also in the rumor mill is the possibility of a bike crawl along the Fox River. In direct contrast to the annual train crawl in February (see associated article in this newsletter), this pub crawl will be held during the warmer months and provide more "active" (get it ?) participation. Stay tuned to future newsletters for more info. on this as it approaches critical mass.
As always, I welcome your comments and opinions on ways to improve the club to fit the needs of its members. Feel free to contact me by phone (630-964-9172) or e-mail (dproksa@fcmservices.com).
You probably missed it, but I guess there is still time to send a belated greeting card. Last January 22nd was the 40th birthday of the aluminum beverage can. Send the card to Bill Coors in Golden CO. In 1959 he first saw the potential for aluminum as the metal of choice for beverage containers. In a recent interview, the 82-year-old Coors said if the switch from steel cans to aluminum had not been made in the 1960s, the US beverage industry "would be out of the metal container business" today. That's because steel cans were not recycled, but rather became litter after the drink was finished. Coors Brewing started with 7-ounce aluminum cans in 1959 and before the year was out, the company was offering a one-penny bounty for each returned can. Thus started the recycling of aluminum cans. US beverage companies produce more than 100 billion cans of beer and soda annually. About two-thirds of the cans are recycled. The Adolph Coors Co. later moved into the aluminum business with a subsidiary called Golden Aluminum Co. ACX Technologies Inc., also controlled by the Coors family, was spun off from Adolph Coors Co. early this decade with Golden Aluminum in its portfolio.
Miller Brewing Co. thought it was being smart, and a step ahead when it introduced its plastic beer bottle into test markets late last year. But now it finds itself in a bottle brouhaha with the recycling industry. "The Miller plastic beer bottle's amber tint, new interior barrier material, metal cap an label make it imcompatible with today's plastics recycling stream," said Rick Best, chair of the GrassRoots Recycling Network and policy director of Californians Against Waste. Best explains that these elements increase costs for plastics recycling and cause such serious contamination that recyclers who handle Miller bottles will not be able to sell their reclaimed plastic to high value markets. Since most recyclers are struggling already, this combination of increased costs and lost revenues could literally drive them out of business. Officials for Miller Brewing Co. admit to problems with the experimental bottle, but say they are working on solutions. Alternatives to the aluminum caps are being sought, but the plastic bottle is recyclable according to company spokesman Scott Bussen. The bottle's manufacturer, Continental PET, will take the amber-colored containers back from recyclers for now, Bussen said. The GrassRoots Recycling Network called on Miller to make the following commitments before rolling out the bottle nationwide:
Does working at a computer float your boat? Does the Linux operating system really turn that propeller on your head? Well, here is just the thing for you. Linuxbierwanderung! (Linux beer hike) In August, a group of Linux users are planning a trip to Germany where they will hike the Bavarian hills, drink German beer and learn even more than they already know about Linux. Event organizer Don B. Marti, Jr. said the idea came about in October 1998 while he and some Linux developers were sitting around at Internet World in New York, drinking some beers. "We thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice to get away and learn Linux in a place that wasn't a stuffy old convention center or hotel?'" But the event won't be all boozing and schmoozing. Marti and his partner, Jim Gleason are in the process of wooing hotshot Linux developers to join the adventure, which will be part camping trip, part developers conference. Marti said the typical day would consist of a morning hike through the German countryside to a new campsite, followed by outdoor Linux tutorials, and the a sampling of the local pubs. The Linux classes will be free, but attendees will be responsible for lodging and travel. The weeklong trip is tentatively scheduled to depart on Aug. 8 or 9, 1999. For more information, go their website: www.electriclichen.com/linuxbierwanderung/.
One of the oldest ale houses in California, Prince of Wales in San Mateo, was recently voted the No. 1 Bar/Club on the San Francisco peninsula in SF Chronicle's Readers' Choice Poll. But the really impressive honor may have been finishing second in the "Best Place to Meet Someone Not a Total Geek" category.
This item by Michael Kelly appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune, and is so good I choose not to paraphrase or re-write, but give you his entire article.
I write today to voice outrage; to howl at justice denied, justice perverted, justice corrupted; to demand whether we live in a land governed by the rule of law. I speak, of course, of the Supreme Court's outrageous refusal on Monday (Dec. 8, 1998) to hear the argument of one Bob Glaser that the denial of his right to urinate solely in the company of his own sex inflicted upon Mr. Glaser such profound "embarrassment and emotional trauma" that the pain could only be assuaged by $5.4 million.
Mr. Glaser, it will shock readers to learn, is an attorney. He is also a political consultant, another perfectly honorable profession. And, as it happens, Mr. Glaser is also a devotee of rockers who are eligible for subscriptions to Modern Maturity.
In 1994, Mr. Glaser attended a Rolling Stones concert at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. During this concert, Mr. Glaser went to a Men's Room, in his constitutional pursuit of happiness, or at least relief. There, he found that several women, seeking to avoid the long lines at the facilities assigned to their own sex, had entered (improperly) the Men's Room and were using (again improperly) its facilities. Mr. Glaser was not amused, but he is a man, and a man accepts the rough with the smooth in life. So Mr. Glaser shouldered his distress, stiffened his lip and took the whole episode in a stoic stride that reflected well upon himself.
The very next year, Mr. Glaser again attended a concert at Jack Murphy Stadium, this one featuring Elton John and Bill Joel. Something about the event - whether it was the sight of Mr. John of the lyrics of Mr. Joel, the court papers do not say - drove Mr. Glaser to the beer stand of vendor Service America, and he subsequently consumed beer. Such consumption drove him, once again, to a Men's Room, where, once again, he was confronted by .....women.
What specifically and tortously transpired next was this: Mr. Glaser had arranged himself at the traditional concrete trough established in these sorts of rooms for the use of manly men who do not shrink from performing their business jowl by, so to speak, cheek with fellow manly men when... a number of women came in and began performing likewise, but in a manner that was not manly at all. According to Mr. Glaser, in an official document of the court, the trespassers "giggled."
Under the circumstances, Mr. Glaser naturally found himself unable to perform. He was obliged to leave the Men's Room without doing that which he had a perfect right to do. He was further obliged, in the later admission of Casey Gwinn of the San Diego City Attorney's office, to "hold it in" for the remaining four hours of the concert. And there was no question that the giggling women in the Men's Room had broken the law.; as Mr. Glaser pointed out, the incident clearly violated San Diego City Code 59.0103, which states that "no person of either sex shall enter the clearly marked and designated restroom facilities of the opposite sex" at Jack Murphy Stadium.
So, properly, Mr. Glaser filed a claim with the city demanding $5.4 million in compensation for his grief. City Manager Jack McGrory, rudely, called Mr. Glaser's claim "frivolous," and the city declined to pay. Mr. Glaser, who is a fair man, offered to settle, if the city would admit to "the existence and prior knowledge of the stadium's restroom deficiencies," would adopt an "Equitable Restrooms Act" and would pay Mr. Glaser "reasonable compensation." Also, Mr. McGrory would have to say he was sorry for calling Mr. Glaser's claim "frivolous." Incredibly, the city declined this generous offer.
What choice then had Mr. Glaser but to sue? This he did, on Nov. 1. 1995, in federal court in San Diego, naming both the city of San Diego and beer vendor Service America. (If Service America hadn't sold him the fatal glass(es) of beer, Mr. Glaser argued, he wouldn't have had to go to the Men's Room in the first place.)
On March 26, 1996, Judge Marilyn Huff dismissed the suit. Later, adding injury to insult, the judge ordered Mr. Glaser - yes, Mr. Glaser, the victim - to pay $2,000 to the city and another $2,000 to Service America. That ruling Mr. Glaser quite appropriately took to the Supreme Court.
And it was this humble request for justice that the so-called justices refused to even consider. Where is the outrage? Where is the ACLU? Where is Anthony Lewis? Free the Jack Murphy 1!
The Oregon Brewers Guild plans to introduce its Quality Mark Program at the National Craft Brewers Conference in Phoenix next March. The program will be similar to quality programs for wines. The Guild will taste, test and approve beers from Oregon, and those passing will be awarded the right to place the "Quality & Integrity" logo on their product, hopefully creating some marketing difference for them and purchase guidelines for the consumer. ....Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) of Australia has announced the world's first plastic-coated beer bottle, which it says will increase the shelf life of its beer by 50 percent. ...The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal reports that Milwaukee will likely host the 2000 National Craft Brewers Conference and Trade Show. A final decision has not yet been made, but Nancy Johnson, event coordinator for the Institute for Brewing Studies, said Milwaukee's chances look real good. The convention would run April 26-29 at the Midwest Express Center....A source at Paulaner Brewery revealed that the brewing plant for the company's subsidiary business, Hacker-Pschorr, will be dismantled in the near future. Paulaner has expanded capacity at its own brewery over the past few years, gradually shifting production of the Hacker-Pschorr beers to its central brewing operations. The copper brewkettles at the Hacker-Pschorr Brewery were cleaned and polished for tours during the Oktoberfest celebration, but were, in effect, no longer operating....
In October, Australia became the third country to get the floating widget. First England, then Ireland, then Australia, and who knows, maybe soon the old US of A. Everybody is familiar with the widget as the folks at Guinness call it. That small plastic ball filled with nitrogen and beer fixed to the bottom of cans of Pub Draught Guinness stout. Well, after much study and $4 million the brewery has a new floating widget which they say produces a tighter, thicker, creamier head, effectively bringing the take-home product to the standard of the draught product. So far, the floating widget has been a success. In Ireland where most drinking is done in the pub, the introduction of the floating widget has seen a 75 percent increase in canned Guinness sales.
The day was April 7, 1933. A Fort Pitt brewery trucks sits outside a Pittsburgh grocery/bar. As the clock on the nearby Carnegie Library strikes 12pm, Angelo Cammarata, 19, unloads fifty cases of beer and starts serving his customers. Prohibition is over! And Angelo has been serving up the suds ever since. Last January 9, Angelo was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest-working bartender. Still going strong after 66 years, Angelo, now 85, works his bar with his two youngest sons. He has passed on to them all he knows about the business. One of the most important things he says, is "Be yourself. Create your own personality with your customers, and you'll have no problems." Known affectionately by his regulars as "Ang" or "Camm", Cammarata was among the first inducted in 1987 to the Bartender Hall of Fame.
A longtime fixture of Cincinnati brewing history, Hudepohl-Schoenling, is selling its name and its beer brands to a newly formed company, Royal Brewing LLC. Royal Brewing was founded by a group of investors led by former G. Heileman Brewing Co. executive Randy Hull. Royal will do business under the Hudepohl-Schoenling name and continue making the brewer's traditional brands. "We're very satisfied with the taste and brewing quality of these brands and consumers can rest assured that their Hudy Delight, Little Kings and Christian Moerlein will not change, " , Hull said. (Pheew, that's a relief.) Royal also receives the import and distribution rights for Whitbread Ale, Mackeson XXX Stout and Cerveza Panama. The main Hudepohl-Schoenling brands will continue to be brewed under contract by Boston Beer Co, which purchased the the Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery in 1997. That purchase came after a long relationship in which H-S had acted as a regional contract brewer for Boston's Samuel Adams brand.
Two stories came across my desk last month about, of all things, beer smuggling! And cheap beer smuggling to boot. The first story is from Philadelphia where WCAU, the local NBC affiliate reports that some Pennsylvania residents are driving into New Jersey to purchase beer, wine and liquor and then returning home to consume it. Egads. That type of thing is illegal in Pennsylvania. You see, Pennsylvania taxes spirits at a much higher rate than New Jersey, and the po' boys from Philly are just trying to save a few bucks. But as WCAU reports, undercover liquor law officers are planning to sit out front of many New New Jersey liquor stores to look for Pennsylvania residents (with their Pennsylvania license plates) taking wine and beer across state lines. These Quaker state Capones face stiff fines if caught. The liquor laws call for a first offense penalty for liquor or wine of $25 per bottle and up to 90 days in jail For beer you can be fined $10 per bottle and 90 days in jail. ( I wonder why the penalty on beer is so steep? If you get caught with a hot case of Red Dog, which has about the same alcohol content as a fifth of Old Grand Dad, you could pay $240 in fines compared to a mere $25 for the cheap hooch.) The other story comes from Jolly Old England where the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association says its study shows that cheap contintental lager is being brought into the country and re-sold, thereby, "cheating the country out of millions of pounds in taxes, threatening breweries, pubs and jobs." The BLRA figures suggest that 91,000 vans loaded with cheap booze entered the country, equivalent to 250 vans per day. The total quantity of beer imported in this way was 1.5 million pints a day. The association estimates that 75% of this beer is illegally re-sold by smugglers who are taking advantage of the difference in French duty, standing at 4p a pint, compared with the UK's tax on domestically produced beer of 33p. The BLRA suggests the solution of cutting the tax on domestic beer. More likely though, I imagine, that the French will raise their tax. (I wonder here, if those 91,000 vans a day aren't really smuggling in well prepared French food to the culinarily challenged Brits. I guess we'll never know)
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Last modified 3/9/99.