Always a contested topic, the United States legal age for consumption hit national headlines this past July as a South Carolina Judge ruled that it was unconstitutional for any American over the age of 18 to be legally forbidden to posses and consume alcohol.  Attorney Joe McCulloch states, "Article 17, Section 14 of the state constitution conditionally gives those 18 and over the 'full legal rights and responsibilities' of all other adults, with one exception -- the General Assembly can restrict the sale of alcohol." While many accept rulings and national legislation at face value, it never hurts to question the reasoning behind such accepted laws, as McCulloch has (Note Florida's protest as well).  After all, this particular piece of legislation is a bit peculiar when considered globally.  If one peruses the vast online world of foreign brewery websites, they will notice a difference in law and attitude regarding this topic, as many sites only restrict those under the age of 18 from entering, contra a typical US website that insist on 21.  If one looks at world wide alcohol laws, the United States is the minority in requiring a citizen to attain to the age of 21 before purchasing and/or consuming ...

A brief moment of indiscretion, with the slip of a tongue, President Obama catapulted a percolating controversy into an international debacle.  What was the Gates/Crowley affair suddenly, with an unchecked honest opinion, became the Gates/Crowley/Obama affair and the incident, the arrest of the Harvard professor began to rise in import.  When it came out that Obama, whether seriously or flippantly, agreed to set down and have a beer with the two in order to avoid costly lawsuits, the story became a sensation, trumping the health care debate, the Sotomayor hearings, a historical deficit, and wars and rumors of wars. While I think we as a culture may at times pride controversy over cataclysm, but at the same time, our virtuous history pokes through and we hope for unbridled reconciliation, and what better vehicle for healing, than a good brew.  After all, beer is America's favorite beverage, played pivotal roles in the America's formative history, and was brewed in at the hands of our first president. The question now arises:  "What frothy varieties will serve as peace-pipe at the Obama residence?"  It is not only the craft beer community asking this question.  Across the blogosphere political pundits and curious citizens alike are prodding ...

It has become a serious platitude, at the point, to recount the recent problems created by President Obama due to his remorse-causing remark about the police acting "stupidly" in the arrest of Henry Gates.  Later, the president retracted his initial stance by essentially stating that he hadn't weighed his words too wisely.  Speaking extemporaneously, as a president, is rarely a good idea.  Whether or not the media, the police department, or even the president is being to hard on himself is for people to decide for themselves.  At the very least, speaking on something that he admittedly knew little about, the president was not prudent. Be that as it may, Mr. President made up for his mistake by apologizing and admitting to the wrong which he caused and apologizing (this is more rare than most collector's items).  But the best thing that he did was countenance the suggestion made by Officer James Crowley's suggestion that the three of them have a beer together to clear the air.  If the real fabric of the constitution was pounded out over pints by the forefathers, then why not grievances?  I remain optimistic that the White House will set up the meeting and that comraderie ...

The past several months have been quite a ride for the majority of Americans.  In fact, ever since the market began its record breaking descent into depths that typically force nations to default on national debt, things have not gotten much better.  Sure the DOW peaked it's head above 8000 in a micro bull run, but such volatile upward fluctuations are emotionally fueled by big words from politicians and the intentional growth of the national deficit.  To top it off, the government is about to own GM, unemployment, while up from April, is close to double this time last year, and the foreclosure rate hasn't slowed down a bit and is no longer isolated to sub-prime borrowers! Could there possibly be a silver lining in all of this, or am I just morbidly pleased with negative news?  Yes and No. Just this week I discovered that a local store that sells everything from tractor plows, to exotic birds, to fine wine and beers, was experiencing a 20+% decline in overall revenue.  While this is not uncommon in trying times such as these that we find ourselves in the midst of, I was elated to hear that alcohol sales were up 17%.  Keep ...

DISCLAIMER:  This post in know way is meant to serve any partisan purpose; just beer. Economics is by no means my forte; however, common sense is.  Common sense, when applied to economics, is often disregarded as a kill joy, for common sense states items and services come at an expense and that one cannot spend more than they make whether at the individual, corporate, or governmental level. Lofty proposals for health care reform require lofty funding, evident in a historically high federal budget.  Unlike a business budget, which is balanced before being board approved, a federal budget declares a monetary figure for running the country, and then concerns itself with finding the funds.  Concerning health care reform, which is  an initial attempt to not only cut health care costs, but to provide government sponsored health care for all, the figure is in and now the unwilling benefactor is being sought.  One such civil Santa Claus under scrutiny is our beloved beer industry. Six days ago the Committee for Financing Comprehensive Health care Reform, met to fill the gaping hole in the health care budget.  A few members of the committee made the plausible suggestion of increasing the excise tax on beer by 300%.  ...

You decide! Over at the examiner, Charlie Papazian accurately states: I say rather confidently, there’s never been a better time to be a beer drinker in the United States.  Wave after glorious wave of beer festivals and beer-centric events are sudsing over the American landscape.   You might say the “tide’s in!”  Are you a happy beer enthusiast or what?   With beer enthusiasm on the rise, especially for small, local and craft brewed beer there’s a lot of pent up pride building.  I’ve heard many boast of their favorite beer city. With microbreweries popping up all over the US and older Microbreweries graduating into craft breweries, there is a lot of state-wide competition and talk over which US city can rightly claim the title of "beer city USA." You can read the article, view voting rules, and actually vote on the city of your choice by clicking THIS HYPERLINK. I myself have already voted, although I'll admit, I have traveled little, so my choice was made after considering some of my favorite crafte beers and the locale of their origin. I am encouraged at the growth of the craft industry in the US, the opportuinities it is informing, the pride it is instilling in our nation at ...

Hope, change, and togetherness.  All these words seem to embody the rhetoric of our politicians.  A hope that we can look past partisan politics and get our economy, in fact, our country, on track seems to be becoming a more and more remote proposition.  I know: let's form another sub-committee on a sub-committee to try and understand why the Algerian Owl's poop is brown, so that we can impress ourselves. Let's attach a bill here or a rider there, so that we can push our own agendas.   Of course, the first above example of the Algerian Owl is somewhat ridiculous, but so is our current state of affairs.  You begin to get the feeling that senators, house-members, and other political parcels of our system are radically disconnected from the people as a whole.  You begin to feel that they live in an alternative reality where up is down.  Where you achieve whatever you want simply based on believing hard enough.  Is this the way things are supposed to be?  Did our forefathers envision us to be this way?  I get the impression that our current politicians and political system would be an infuriating farce to them. As much as Joe Six-pack ...

I thought that this would be a nice post the day before the election.  Of course this is a hypothetical article characterizing the debates that the two have had.  I will also throw in some more vicious rumors that have occured.  This is not an endorsement of any particular candidate.  How much more bipartisan can I get?  All of this will happen in the context of talking about beer. Question : Do you support beer? McCain:  My opponent has voted against numerous beer bills that I had a hand in promoting.  I have a track record of beer advocacy and have fought for beer rights.  My opponent has hated beer his whole life.  Although he lacks experience to run a brewery.  You will see that I have the experience necessary.  My opponent has been close friends with a man who purposely brewed skunky beer in an attempt to undermine our beerconomy.  He listened to a preacher of beer hate for 20 years.  Friends, we don't need someone who doesn't understand beer in this confusing time of the mirco-brew revolution.  We need someone who is looking out for Joe 6 pack, 12 pack, 24 pack, 30 pack, pony keg and keg.  We need ...