Colorado No beer may be sold on Election Day. Apparently, the state doesn’t want its citizens having too much fun in the voting booth. It is also illegal to ride a horse under the influence. Iowa In Ames, the law extends into your bedroom: it is strictly forbidden for a man to drink three or... View Article
Theoretically, that brew you just finished should have traveled a pretty straightforward route from the brewery to your glass. Shipped from the brewer who created it, the beer was warehoused by a middleman, who then loaded it onto a truck and delivered it to a retailer, where it eventually found its way onto the shelf... View Article
You’ve probably heard of the ‘inventions’ of Leonardo da Vinci. The archetypal Renaissance Man designed a submarine, a tank, a steam cannon, a bridge to span the Bosporus, an airplane, a helicopter, a hang glider and—quite practically—a parachute. Genius indeed, for one man to envision and sketch things that no one had ever dreamed before.... View Article
Beers weren’t the only things ahead of their times. There were beer writers and beer books, too, like Michael Jackson and Fred Eckhardt, who toiled for years in relative obscurity. Then we discovered the online world, and beer took to it with gusto.
I’m hugging a bottle of Anchor Steam at RFD in Washington, DC, sister establishment to the famed Brickskeller, watching a group of picketers wend their way around the crowded bar with signs reading, “We Want Beer.” It’s a puzzling sight, as everybody here seems to be well served. In fact, the “protest,” organized by Premium... View Article
Where can you find good beer in Washington, DC? Where can’t you find it? Liquor stores, supermarkets, groceries and corner delis all can sell beer…and many stock at least a few craft beer selections. (I’ve seen Sierra Nevada Celebration pop up in CVS drug stores.) Bear in mind that in most DC neighborhoods, regulations forbid... View Article
Lost If it’s Wednesday, It Must be Belgium (or is that Brazil?) What happened to big U.S. breweries being owned by Americans? (Correct that to North Americans; no, we need to be more specific—North Americans who are citizens of the U.S.A.). Well, there’s no need to be jingoistic about it, but here’s the scorecard and... View Article
The U.S. presidency carries with it an awesome amount of power and responsibility. That’s the case whether you are talking about nuclear arms—or beer. Public policy shapes everything from the price to the availability of the beer we enjoy. Whether it is a new tax on beer or farm subsidies, politics have an impact on... View Article
Martin Van Buren (1837-1841): He earned the nickname “Blue Whiskey Van” early in his political career because while campaigning in taverns, he was able to put away huge amounts of alcohol without appearing drunk.
