This just in from the  California Small Brewers Association. . They’re holding a press conference Tuesday (Sept. 9, 2008) at Rubicon Brewing Co., 2004 Capitol Ave. in Sacramento to protest AB 1245 and urge Gov. Schwarzenegger to veto the bill.  Their statement’s self-explainatory. It would let brewers spend a lot more money on gifts and doodads to retailers flogging their beer. Of course who has money to do that? A-B, not your local brewer.
What we can do is send an email to Arnold urging him to abandon his Republican roots for an instance and shoot the damn thing down — guvanator style.

———————————————————————-
WHY:              A little known “swag” bill has been ushered to the Governor’s desk over the objection of local and small brewers in California.

The bill, AB 1245, would significantly increase the amount of marketing dollars Anheuser-Busch wants to spend courting new drinkers.  Promoting an increase of 1200% in direct marketing swag the largest beer manufacturer in the U.S. wants to further exploit its marketing clout to the detriment of smaller brewers.

“The real loser in the AB marketing game will be the consumer who will likely see reduced choices at their local market,” said Tom McCormick, executive director of the California Small Brewers Association.

WHO:             Glynn Phillips, owner, Rubicon Brewing Company, Sacramento
Susan Little, owner, St. Stan Brewery, Modesto
Tom McCormick, executive director, California Small Brewers Association

To email Arnold,  go here: http://govnews.ca.gov/govmail/webmail.php .

To call his office, dial 916-445-2841

Oddbits...Is this important? Dunno, but the Gallup Poll reports that nationwide more adults prefer beer over wine and hard liquor. Huh? Well, briefly, back in mid-2006, more Americans preferred wine to beer. Fortunately for all brewers, young adults 21-29 have always shown a strong preference for beer, Gallup says.

You know…swill lager, then better beer, then cocktails, then cheap, but good wine, then good wine, then back to beer to stay via homebrew…That’s my personal odyssey from raw youth to middle age. Here’s the Gallup trajectory:

Meanwhile, a very relieved (at the poll results) Anheuser-Busch points out that they’ve resuscitated the Here’s to Beer Web site. Checked it out, there are some excellent Flash graphics, like rotating glasses of beer, click on a glass, you get info on that style. For utter beginners, there’s some excellent basic info. Trouble with their beer styles explainers is they stop about 1992. No imperial stouts, no double IPAs, for that matter, no milds. That’s a shame.

Moving on…Jeremy Cowan the ebullient proprietor of Schmaltz Brewing (He’brew) is releasing a string of lagers here in California with a Coney Island Theme…

Coney Island Lager, 5.8 percent ABV, Albino Python White Lager, 6 percent, and Sword Swallower Steel Hop Lager, 6.8 percent, plus two seasonal curiosities Human Blockhead Tough-As-Nails Strong Lager, 8.8 percent, summer 2008, only on draft in New York City and Freaktoberfes Blood Red Lager, 6.66 percent, Halloween 2008. Proceeds help Coney Island USA, an Arts Non-Profit fulfill its mission to defend the honor of lost forms of American popular arts and culture in Brooklyn’s historic Coney Island neighborhood.

Having been scared out of my wits on the Coney Island roller coaster when I was a teenager, I’ll drink to Coney Island.

Most of these beers are going on sale in the Bay Area; they’re brewed in New York.

And finally…this is the stupidest beer-related thing I’ve seen since… The “Beer Belly Cooler.” Words fail me, here’s the info from the company:

Getting tired of paying $8.00+ dollars for a beverage at your favourite event?
Why not bring 80oz of your favourite sipper in with you as a spare tire?
That’s right, a beer belly cooler that you fill with beverage and sneak into movies, concerts, sporting events, church……just kidding, and anywhere with outrageous drink prices.
The Beerbelly Deluxe Kit, $49.95

I just saw this cartoon on Jay Brooks beer blog. It’s drawn by Ben Sargent, who does a daily cartoon for Yahoo. First, I laughed, then I felt some pain. My parents were solidly middle class, came out of the Great Depression and Prohibition and did not drink beer, but our Texas relatives sure did.

Some of ‘em fit this cartoon’s stereotype fairly well. They used to give their 5-year-old a bottle of beer, usually a Lone Star “long neck”, but sometimes Bud in a can. He could chug ‘em right down and everybody laughed… Let’s see, they also chewed tobacco and never went beyond high school and the men worked for the railroad.

So, while I love the cartoon, the image pisses me off, because it suggests a guy of little brain – somebody, who for obvious reasons, could never appreciate or evaluate a Belgian tripel. Bull. My uncles Ross and Morris were damned smart and that beer-drinking kid did just fine; he grew up, got university degrees, is not fat — and he still drinks beer. Most likely Lone Star, although I haven’t asked. Possibly, he’s drinking Belgian tripels or certainly will if the popularity of Belgian beer ever reaches his Texas border town.

Also, Jay Brooks made a good point about changing the taste of Bud. It’s not gonna’ happen. They’re going to make Bud as it is right now today, an international brand,. Hell, they’re going to sell Bud in China and India and Brazil…