- Bottoms Up (RSS)Dogfish 90-Minute IPA comes to the East Bay, the Schwarzenegger nickel beer tax
By William Brand
Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 8:48 pm in Uncategorized.
Hey, this is flash news…Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA has surfaced in the East Bay. Until now it’s been available in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties only . This comes from Aaron, a reader of this blog:
- Pacific Coast Brewing Co. tapped a keg of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA yesterday (Thursday) – certainly a first for Oakland. John Campau behind the bar tells me it will be a regular offering if it sells well; I’ll be doing my part! Cheers, Aaron
Meanwhile at City Beer, 1168 Folsom St., San Francisco, Russian River Sanctification, the Belgian style, 6.5 percent, beer brewed entirely with wild yeast – brettanomyces – went on tap Friday afternoon. Proprietors Craig and Beth Wathen add that their Christmas beer selection is growing and the latest release from The Bruery is available. “A rich harvest blend of yams, molasses, pumpkin spice, and Belgian yeast strains.” This is an Orange County brewery that’s earning a rep for unusual things.
Turning 75 or 21 on Dec. 5, 2008? You could win some cash. Check this out from 21st Amendment Restaurant and Brewery:
- We’re offering a $75 bounty for a Bay Area resident turning 75 on Dec. 5, 2008, and a $25 bounty for a local turning 21 on the same day. You see, Dec. 5 is the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition. Yes, it was the 21st Amendment that gave Americans the right to drink again, and we’re planning to celebrate with a march (to the pub) for beer. We need a couple of Grand Marshalls to lead the parade, so we’re looking for someone turning 21 and someone turning 75.
- If you know someone (including yourself) who is turning 21 or 75 on Dec. 5 and wants to lead the march for beer on December 5, go to our Web site and e-mail us.
Finally, a question for the weekend. Have you heard about Gov. Schwartzenegger’s “nickel beer tax”? The guv, facing a heart-stopping budget deficit has unveiled a number of tax increase proposals including upping the sales tax 1.5 percent temporarily. But the headline grabber is the nickel alcohol tax. Here’s how the Sacramento Bee explains it:
- Nickel-a-drink tax: Effective Jan. 1, 2009 Schwarzenegger would hike the alcohol taxes in the stat by a nickel per drink (defined as 1.5 ounces of liquor, 12 ounces of beer, or 5 ounces of wine)
- What it would bring in: $293 million in 208-09 and $584 million in 2009-10.
Opinions anyone? I know it’s a precedent. But really, five cents a drink? That’s not to arduous, adding 5 cents to a $4 or $5 pint. What do you think?
[You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]
November 8th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Now we can feel like we’re doing our civic duty when we go out for a couple of drinks.
November 8th, 2008 at 11:57 am
as long as the brewers absorb the cost…they already mark up their product asronomically…
…our state could use the money
November 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Mark the beer up astronomically? Hmn. I’m not so sure about that. Intriguing question though.
November 8th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
yes california could use the money, but its ridicoulous already how much you have to pay for drinks in cali. yes i’m from wisconsin, the cheapest place to drink in the union. with the crv and high sales tax already. when i buy some beer for 10 bucks its actually 12. i’m used to 10.50 instead. plus with the cost of hops, beer, people having less money, ughhh…..
people wonder why i drink pabst most the time.
November 8th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Bought a 6-pack of Stone Ruination double IPA in Redwood City for 13.99 the other day. Up 4 bucks from 4 months ago. Are you telling me, with Ahnold’s new sin tax, I will soon have to pay $14.29 for it?
I cannot imagine how I will come up with the additional 30 cents.
November 8th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
We’d better watch out, the Franchise Tax Board might define a :drink” as six ounces, which would mean 10 cents per 12. oz beer. Ouch. Actually, the tax would be levied in taverns, restaurants and pubs, I believe.
November 8th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
5 cents a beer ain’t so bad, especially if it goes to maintaining our excellent and affordable college system, as well as other services needed in this state. Then again, I’m a socialist at heart. DRINKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
November 10th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Just wanted to clarify that Dogfish has also been widely available in Santa Clara county as well as SF, Marin, and Sonoma. 90 Minute IPA, Palo Santo Marron, and Midas Touch arrived several months ago and Punkin showed up a few weeks ago. It’s available at Santa Clara county Bevmo’s and Whole Foods.
November 10th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Thanks Will.I meant to make that clear. Now, thankfully, us pour cuzins in the East Bay get a shot at the beer.