Although I am “humbly” listed as a co-founder of the West Virginia Craft Beer Appreciation Society, the real energy behind this organization is its true founder Travis Carrow of Morgantown. Travis was and still is a regular comment contributor on this blog but realized that the WV craft beer consumer needed a real forum; a place to discuss all issues beer. The WVCBAS was born.

WVCBAS made its mark as a real grass-roots beer consumer’s organization last week when Travis was given the podium at state’s house-chamber to speak out on behalf of all beer consumers against the proposed and preposterous 400% increase of the beer-barrel tax. The WVCBAS was put on equal time and footing with the likes of the state’s largest beer distributors and beer wholesaling organizations! The tax bill was killed in committee!

If you visit www.wvcbas.com, you will find plenty of information on the art of beer and brewing. There are plenty of forums with subjects ranging from beer availability, announcements for new beer availability and even soundtrack suggestions while brewing! I occasionally post informative articles and reviews, as well (I can because I am a co-founder after-all). The organization is free to join and who knows, you might meet a few new friends on one of the many forums. The website has recently gone under a complete revamp and looks really sweet.

Our first big event has been announced on the website. The “Spring Feast of Ales” is a seven course beer paired dinner at Morgantown’s Richwood Grill. Chef Marion Ohlinger and I will be presenting the pairings. Don’t forget to make your reservations!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

I have put together a “Beer Discovery” trip to Germany (Bavaria) for September. The trip takes through some of the best beer cities in Bavaria for the best beer-drinking experience anywhere! This is space-limited trip and will be closely escorted by me. I have also set-up three VIP tours; two of them are brewery tours and one is through one of the largest and best known malt producers in the world (they also have a small brewery inside).

Download the information sheet by clicking below…

bavaria-2010-3.pdf

Oh, don’t get me started! Many of you that know me know that I am a Libertarian and a fiscal conservative, but no matter what color pajamas you wear; the type of tax-mania that is currently being proposed on beer by certain members of the West Virginia Legislature has to have you seeing red!

Ok, so here’s the story. Delegate Bill Hamilton from Upshur County has had to bear the unfortunate reality that his son has a substance abuse problem. He doesn’t really say which substance, I am sure it’s not wood, paper or plastic. Anyway, this guy has had a rough ride and one of his “pet-projects” is to build substance abuse treatment centers in all (way too many) 55 counties in the state. First of all there are a few of those 55 counties out there that barely have 55 people, but that’s another rant!

Delegate Hamilton’s idea is obviously not “good-enough” because if it were, its benefits would be self-evident and this guy could  justify the project be undertaken and paid from the general treasury. No, this is a “pet-project”… This guy needs to find a “whipping boy”, so he (and his co-sponsors) want to tax the beer consumer and only the beer consumer! They call it a barrel-tax, or a tax on beer, but folks it’s a tax on the beer consumer!  Barrels can’t reach in to their pockets and whip out the 22 bucks that they will need to fulfill the tax burden. Please… We all SHOULD know by now that all taxes on production, corporations, excises and tariffs are passed through to the consumer; so let’s quit talking about “the barrel” for a minute…

Currently “we” are taxed at $5.50 per barrel (31 gallons). They will quickly remind you that the tax has been $5.50 since 1966, but that fact isn’t relevant to this particular issue. The original bill HB4253, proposed the tax be doubled. Then an amended version by almost the same group of thieves, proposed a quadrupling of the tax! Most politicos that I know feel that this higher number was a hedge so the debate would cause an acceptance of the original bill as a compromise. “Honey, would it be OK if I went to Aruba with the four hotties from the office… No? Ok then I will only go with two of them…”

The other issue that frosts me here is that the entire tax burden for this “Pet Project” will be put on the beer consumer only! And another thing- The substance abuse problems in this state are much more “prescription drug-abuse and Meth” centric than they are alcohol related. But even a tax levied on all alcohol for such a folly would be wrong. This guy needs to make a case for his program and attain widespread funding from the general treasury; heck I might even support it then!

Here are verbatim responses from representatives of the West Virginia Beer Wholesalers Association that I received upon request…

“West Virginia Beer Wholesalers are against any increase on the beer excise tax. This is a tax on the hard working men and women in West Virginia. In this difficult economy, the American beer consumer pays more than 40 percent of the total tax burden on beer. Nearly 50 percent of all beer in the U.S. is purchased by consumers with household incomes less than $50,000. An increase in excise taxes would impact hardworking men and women who are facing difficult times in this challenging economy. West Virginia Beer Wholesalers feels we should not be single out to pay for the substance abuse programs. West Virginia beer distributors are deeply rooted in their community and provide good wages and company provided benefits including healthcare to their employees.” – James Wilson

“As it now stands the WV beer drinker pays more in taxes than almost all of those in neighboring states.  Raising taxes will raise the ultimate price. Higher prices here will cause many consumers to go across the border to buy beer in the cheaper areas and we will suffer lower sales and probably some falloff in tax revenue by virtue of the out of state purchases.  There are some studies that show that when consumers cross state lines to purchase products because a product is cheaper in the one state there is an additional loss of sales of other items because when the out of state purchase is made the consumer frequently buys other things at the same time. For example if someone comes to WV because our cigarettes are cheaper than Ohio they may and often do buy other goods at the same time.  In other words, our border county retailers will suffer a loss of beer sales if the quadruple tax increase is adopted.  Those retailers will also suffer a loss in sales of other products at the same time.  I believe that approximately 50% of our total population lives in our border counties.  The increase in tax alone will drive up the price of beer and that will reduce the actual sales and thus the state will have a diminished return on the base amount of the existing tax.  The tax is fundamentally unfair for another reason. Raising taxes on beer (without looking at spirits, wines, and/or drugs for revenue) to fund drug treatment is sort of like placing a tax on bicycles because we are having too many car wrecks.  We don’t contest the need for drug treatment centers.  There is an epidemic and something must be done. There should be more of a focus on the demand side instead of attacking  a small segment of the supply side as the fix for a social problem of huge proportions.  We are willing to work with all the interested parties to fashion a meaningful plan to address the issue but to single out the beer industry and tax the beer drinker to pay for treatment of those addicted to hard drugs like crack cocaine, meth, heroine, and Oxycontin is illogical and short sighted.” – James Casey

Click here to read the bill and see the sponsoring Delegates…

All of us need to make our feelings known to our own delegates and Senators!

I have to thank all the buzz and chatter online, or I would have been really late to the party that is Samuel Adam’s spring seasonal release “Noble Pils”. I picked up a six-pack earlier today at Kroger and couldn’t wait to taste it for myself. I didn’t go it alone, however. One of the esteemed members of the “Beers to You” tasting panel also happens to be my next door neighbor, so I called Charles Bockway to invite him over for a spontaneous tasting and luckily he was available.

So you may be wondering why it’s called “Noble” and what’s the big deal, it’s just another Pilsner, right? Well first of all, good pilsner beers are very tasty finds. Don’t be fooled by the years of brainwashing by the macro brewers, Bud and Miller are nothing like an actual Bohemian (Czech) Pilsner beer. This beer’s “Nobility” is bestowed upon it by the generous use of the finest hops in the world, grown on German and Czech soil and commonly referred to as “Noble Hops”. There are four basic varieties of noble hops, Tettnager, Hallertau, Saaz and Spalt. Samuel Adams uses all of these along with a closely related off-shoot of Bavarian Hallertau called Hersbrucker (The same finishing hop used in Samuel Adams Boston Lager).  

“Noble” hop varieties are known for their very high aroma and flavor qualities and not so much on their bittering powers. Just a few years ago, there was a worldwide hop shortage due to a perfect storm of factors and these noble varieties were especially scarce; if those shortages were still in effect, this beer would cost three times more than I paid. I am thankful the hop supply is bouncing back and we can celebrate with a fine, nobly-hopped beer!

We poured the Noble Pils into a genuine Samuel Adams Boston lager glass, figuring that it would work its magic on this beer just as well as it does for the Boston Lager. The beer was crystal clear and was deep-golden in color, with pin-head sized bubbles forming a white, frothy head. We took our beer’s temperature and it measured 53 degrees F, a tiny bit on the warm side for such a beer, but a good temperature to test drink-ability.  The aroma of earthy hops was evident before I even picked-up the glass.  The very fresh aroma of hops could transport your imagination to the hop fields of Bavaria or Bohemia.

The beer is medium bodied and does have a firm malt character, though it is near perfect in balance, epitomizing the brewer’s art. This is “drink-ability” folks, not the flavorless swill that has been purveyed to us for years as “you fill in the buzz word”. This beer packs in so much rounded hop and malt flavor and yet still posts a respectably “session-able” 5.2%abv, just a little stronger than your typical macro-swill.

This beer is a tribute to the finest “old world” beers that are brewed in local breweries all over Bavaria and the Czech Republic. These “old world” styles are often under-appreciated, especially by many of the recently converted “hop-heads” here in the USA. I am not trying to impugn the sensibilities of the average American beer-geek or the American craft brewer who explores the realm of uber-hoppiness; these beers have their place and are enjoyed my many, including myself. Samuel Adams Noble Pils explores the subtle flavors and aromas of “Humulus Lupulus”, working well within the palate and olfactory sensory range. This beer puts the emphasis on the quality of the hops, not the quantity (though it is amply hopped)!  Charles made the comment that the typical German would like this beer and I agree. This is the stuff of a sunny afternoon in a shady biergarten, with the ability to “drink-well” from the first cool sip to the last warm one! Well done Boston Beer! We love this beer!