Sen. Kerry introduces small-brewery bill
Sen. John Kerry has introduced a bi-partisan bill in Washington that would be of great interest to the beer producers here in Oklahoma. Senate Bill 3339 would “provide a reduced rate of excise tax on beer produced domestically by certain small producers.” The measure would allow small brewers to continue to expand and hire more employees, Kerry said in a news release. You can view a copy of the bill and learn more at the Brewers Association website. Don’t be afraid to call your representative in Washington and let them know to support this measure.
(Thanks to the guys at Marshall for posting a link to this earlier on their Twitter feed.)
Beer Championship Series results
Voting ended last night in the Great Britain Conference of the Beer Championship Series. Here are the results:
1. Newcastle Brown Ale: 34 percent
2. Fuller’s ESB: 31 percent
3. Guinness: 13 percent
3. Harp Lager: 13 percent
5. Boddingtons Pub Ale: 6 percent
6. Bass: 3 percent
7. Smithwick’s: 0 percent
We’ve now been through eight conferences and are officially one-third of the way through conference action in the BCS. That means 16 beers have earned automatic entry into the 64-beer bracket. Those beers are: Marshall Sundown Wheat, Marshall McNellie’s Pub Ale, Modelo Especial, Tecate, La Fin Du Monde, Molson Canadian, Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Sapporo, Asahi, COOP F5 IPA, COOP Native Amber, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Keystone Premium, Newcastle and Fuller’s ESB.
Voting will resume Monday with the East Coast Conference.
Ready for the weekend — Thirsty Beagle style
Thirsty Beagle beer lesson #22: It’s important to be prepared for the weekend.
Last chance to vote in BCS Great Britain Conference
Do you have a favorite British beer you’d like to see earn a spot in the vaunted 64-beer bracket of the Beer Championship Series? Cast your vote now in the Great Britain Conference. At the moment, Newcastle is out in front, with Fuller’s ESB and Guinness trailing. Voting ends tonight. You can have your say right here.
Montreal Canadiens fans riot. Yawn.
Fires. Looting. Tear Gas. Booorrrrring!
Time for a mini sports rant: Whether you’re a hockey fan or not, you’ve probably seen/heard coverage of the reaction to the Montreal Canadiens knocking off defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh in game seven of the teams’ second-round playoff series last night. Montreal’s fans — 20,000 plus — flooded out of the team’s arena after the game and took to celebrating. What came next? Looting, fires, tear gas. Predictable stuff, really. This is the same fan base that flipped cars and set fires after the Canadiens won the Cup in 1993 (DAMN YOU, KERRY FRASOR!!! If you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you’ll know what I’m talking about). Now, some might think that rioting after a second-round playoff win is a bit much. After all, Montreal’s still four wins away from even making the final. You’d certainly have an argument there. But as someone who has taken part in running through the streets of Toronto after first- and second-round playoff series wins, I’m actually quite unimpressed with the Montreal fans. Write this down: If the Leafs ever win the Stanley Cup, you can go ahead and just mark the city of Toronto off the map. The city will literally destruct. I’m talking CN Tower falling on the SkyDome. Mainly because my older brother once swore that if the Leafs ever won the Cup, he would try to chop down the CN Tower with an ax. One way or another, if the Leafs win the Cup, you will see rioting the likes of which have never been seen before. Why would hockey fans tear up their own city on the most joyous day of their life? I haven’t the slightest clue. Rioting after a big win is one of the most bizarre sports phenomena. Now if the Leafs could just make the playoffs, I’d have cause to get my ax sharpened.
Beer news report: May 12
Here is news making the rounds in the beer world:
-Here’s a little something on Southwest Airlines now offering Corona Extra on its flights. Add that to current selections Bud Light, Miller Light, Michelob Ultra and Heineken. Can someone get some craft beer on airplanes sometime soon?
-Mustang Brewing is having a Washita Wheat pint night from 6 to 9 p.m. today at Old Chicago South.
-Going to the World Cup of soccer this summer? Did you know that inside stadiums, you can only get Budweiser products? Miller — the predominant supplier of beer consumed in South Africa — is allowed to sell its beer outside of stadiums, but only in unmarked bottles/cans.
-In more World Cup and Miller news (thanks for passing along the link, Jay), Miller has designed a can that when opened turns into a cup that can be used for refills. The company is hoping the design will cut down on belligerent soccer hooligans pelting each other with beer cans.
Governor signs home brew measure into law
Breaking beer news: Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry today signed House Bill 2348 into law. The bill officially legalizes the home brewing of beer in Oklahoma. The law will take effect 90 days after this year’s legislative session adjourns on May 28, which should be around Sept. 1. While many people obviously already take part in home brewing, I think this is still a pretty solid accomplishment for the betterment of beer and beer fans in the state. Getting alcohol-related legislation through today’s Oklahoma government is no easy task. Kudos to the bill’s authors and to home brewers across the state!
Catching up on a week of beer news
Doesn’t it always seem like a million things happen on the home front when you leave for a week of vacation? I know that was true last week. While I was on the other side of the country, all kinds of beer news was happening back in the OK. Here’s a recap:
-Choc and Marshall officially unveiled their Wild Brew (thanks Wes!). You can see a video report right here. Just a reminder, Wild Brew is July 31 in Tulsa. More info. is available at www.wildbrew.org.
-Choc announced another Pete’s Place beer dinner for 7 p.m. June 4. Tickets are $40. Call (918) 423-2042 for reservations.
-Mustang Brewing’s third offerings, Washita Wheat, hit liquor store shelves. They held a party last night at McNellie’s OKC, and hopefully the tornadoes did not keep too many people away. Me being in the newspaper business, the tornadoes kept me at work.
-Bud Light announced it will sponsor the NFL starting with the 2011 season. If you don’t like Bud Light commercials, look out. Personally, I think most Bud Light commercials are pretty funny.
-McNellie’s OKC is looking to create an iPhone app. They’re seeking suggestions. They also are in need of summer help. Stop by to inquire.
The BCS (and The Thirsty Beagle) returns!
After a hard-earned and much-deserved week-long vacation, The Thirsty Beagle has returned to the cyber world. There was a lot of beer news over the past week; I’ll try to get everyone caught up on that — and the vacation beer report – here in the next couple days. Assuming the mother of all tornadoes doesn’t wipe us out. In the meantime, the Beer Championship Series is back in business. Voting starts right now in the Great Britain Conference.
