Mark Maker

As I mentioned in our first post of 2009, I am a Maker's Mark Ambassador. It's not quite as prestigious as it sounds - I signed up on their website. As an Ambassador, I am supposed to promote the fine Kentucky bourbon whiskey (I think this post counts; to become an Ambassador, go here). As a reward, there is a barrel o' whiskey with my name on it. When it is ready, I can buy some of it. It also means I get a Christmas gift each year. Two years ago it was some gift bags and wrapping paper. Last year it was an ice cube tray for making bourbon balls (the tray makes 4 perfectly spherical ice cubes). Here is this year's present, which just arrived in the mail:

A bottle sweater! Isn't that festive?

Making My Mark

We went with my in-laws to the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY a few days ago to learn all about their bourbon-making process. Unlike the people at the Jack Daniels Distillery, the MM folks let you taste their product (this may be because JD is produced in a dry Tennessee County). If you recall our March 2006 Spring Break Tasting Tour, you remember that MacKenzie was not a fan of the beverages we tried. See the photos here and here to refresh your memory, or to see them for the first time, if you are a new reader (and we get many of those per day).

Well, things were no different when she tasted the smooth, golden, 90-proof goodness. MacKenzie was not a fan:


I, however, enjoyed it like a true connoisseur:


I also dipped my own bottle with the distinctive Maker's Mark wax seal:


And for my first act as an MM Ambassador, let me inform you that, in MM, wheat replaces the traditional rye, giving MM a smoother taste. It is also distilled to no higher than 130 proof, the lowest in the industry, to preserve its mellow grain characteristics. Give it a try.

Beer We Go Again

I thought that, when I moved from Utah to Texas, that I'd left battles over alcohol behind. But that was not the case. A neighboring county here decided in November to go from dry to wet, and people aren't happy (well, other than the 63% or so who voted for the change):

“I just think this is going to cause a lot of problems here. You know we’ve already lost kids here to drunk driving not long ago. And it’s a big mess right now," Hoskins said.

...

"There's grandparents around here that send their grandkids in to get a drink or snack, and how are they going to feel if their kid runs into someone stumbling around drunk? And you know, we've already got enough problems with people walking up and down the roads, throwing their beer bottles out," Hoskins said.

...

“We’re just a very small town. Our kids don't need to be subjected to all this stuff. I think it's just going to lead to more people driving up and down the road drunk," Hoskins said.
>

Ah, the old arguments I know so well, illogically claiming that prohibition keeps the alcohol out and that most drinkers are out of control. Ms. Hoskins would be right at home in a Logan ward house, even though she's probably Baptist, and they don't usually agree with Mormons on much.

The best part of this is that the town in the byline for this story straddles a county line, and the other county in question is wet, so this change will only bring alcohol (and supposedly all the aforementioned problems) one mile closer to local boozers. Talk about a miracle mile.

Belgian Bud

The Belgian beer giant InBev has made a proposal to buy Anheuser-Busch, the iconic American brewer of Budweiser and other beers. InBev has big plans for AB:

As part of its proposal, InBev envisions making St. Louis, MO the headquarters for the North American region and the global home of the flagship Budweiser brand. In addition, InBev has proposed to name the combined company to evoke Anheuser-Busch's heritage, reflecting the strong history of Anheuser-Busch's key brands. Given the limited geographical overlap between the two businesses and the efficiency of Anheuser-Busch's brewery footprint in the United States, InBev would maintain all of Anheuser-Busch's U.S. breweries.

Also, Budweiser isn't doing too well, lately, although Bud Light does well:

Shipments of Budweiser in the U.S. have slumped 33%, to 24.6 million barrels last year from 36.9 million in 1998, according to industry newsletter Beer Marketer’s Insights. Shipments of Bud Light, the top-selling beer in the U.S., climbed 61% to 42 million over the same span.

InBev would attempt to expand Budweiser as a global brand, much like Coca-Cola, while keeping all of its US operations intact. It sounds like a win-win situation, doesn't it? However, this hasn't stopped US politicians of both parties from using this proposal as an opportunity for grandstanding:

Republican Gov. Matt Blunt said Wednesday he opposes the deal, and directed the Missouri Department of Economic Development to see if there was a way to stop it.

"I am strongly opposed to the sale of Anheuser-Busch, and today's offer to purchase the company is deeply troubling to me," Blunt said in a statement.

The local Senators had to get in on this, too:

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., sent a letter Thursday to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, asking him to closely scrutinize the acquisition.

"The proposed foreign acquisition of Anheuser-Busch is troubling to me because it potentially raises antitrust issues under existing law by putting a significant market share of the U.S. in the hands of fewer competitors," the letter said. [Editor's note - this makes no sense.]

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said she was "nervous" about the deal, and planned to send a letter to Anheuser-Busch's board of directors asking them not to allow the deal to move forward.

"On behalf of me and all my friends that like nothing better than a Bud Light every summer [Editor's note - yeah right], it makes us very upset," McCaskill said.

These politicians are preying on the populist and protectionist fears of average people, who are shocked at the idea of an American beer being owned by a foreign company. It seems pretty clear, however, that St. Louis will not suffer if this sale goes through. But is all too common, unfortunately, that when economic issues are concerned, politicians side with fear instead of facts. Of course, I realize that it is good politics to pander to Bud drinkers and employees in Missouri, but how about a little leadership?

Besides, what do I care? I like to drink Shiner.

MADDness

Utah is known for having a hostile attitude towards alcohol, and for having arcane liquor laws. I like to highlight examples of these local phenomena when they pop up, to educate you, our fine readers (especially you non-Utahns).

A great example of the hostile attitude surfaced the other day at a state hearing. Utah is actually considering getting rid of the rule that requires drinkers to purchase a membership to enter an establishment that sells liquor (restaurants and beer-only bars are exempt from this). The hearing was held to gather public comment on the issue. Here's a statement from the Utah chapter of MADD from the hearing:

During a public hearing, MADD's Utah lobbyist told liquor regulators that the state needs to keep a record of everyone who enters a bar in case of a drunken-driving incident.

“We have a right to know where someone's been drinking,” Jaynie Brown told The Associated Press after the hearing.

It is chilling to think of the government keeping track of who drinks and when they do so, especially in Utah. One paragraph later, however, this article completely debunks the idea behind the above statement:

Private clubs are required to keep a record of its members. But contrary to Brown's statement, customers don't have to sign in each time. There's also no requirement to keep a record of a member's guests on any given night.

If you're going to make such an embarrassing statement, you should have your facts straight before you do. MADD's idea, I think, was that the membership requirement is a law-enforcement tool for prosecuting drunk drivers (it is commonly believed here, it seems, that everyone who drinks gets drunk and subsequently drives). I suspect, though, that a Breathalyzer test is evidence enough in most cases.

Liquor Police in Action

Not only do Utah politicians and government officials (generally of the GOP variety) prefer not to drink, not understand alcohol, and legislatively restrict it, but they also vindictively go after bars and private clubs, often using entrapment to find reason to give them citations:

State undercover liquor-control agents made lewd propositions to a waitress, then waved a $5 bill at a boisterous woman in a Clearfield club, daring her to expose herself in what they later explained were tactics to fit in with the crowd.

At an American Fork restaurant, agents badgered a waiter into bringing them a round of beers, then ticketed the eatery for serving alcohol without a required meal.

And in a Salt Lake City pub, three agents ordered shots, two purposefully left the table, then they cited the server for delivering too many drinks.

Agents also apparently do a lot of this, to create open container violations:

In April, the Tooele bowling alley Star Lanes was fined $800 after agents left with drinks in their hands.

It is no wonder why Utah drinkers and bar owners feel persecuted, and these actions can't help but create animosity towards the government and the majority religion here.

A Major Commemoration

I was remiss in neglecting an important holiday yesterday. My apologies. You see, 75 years and 1 day ago, beer once again became legal in the US. In advance of the ratification of the 21st amendment, Congress changed the law that defined "alcoholic" beverages, which were banned by the 18th amendment, as having more than 0.5% alcohol. The new rule adjusted that percentage to 3.2%, which was standard for pre-Prohibition beer. Eight months later, wine and spirits became legal, thanks to the new amendment. So drink a beer tonight in honor of that great day.

Via NRO.

Firsthand Moral Outrage

A friend of mine decided to head down to Nibley today to check out the Sunday beer sales, and he sent me this report. Due to the scandalous nature of his trip, he asked that I conceal his identity. I have complied, and will refer to him as “Greg.”


This sign proves that beer is indeed for sale on Sunday. Apparently, Sunday sales are enough of a novelty that Coors produces a special sign for the occasion.


























Here's "Greg" pondering his choices:

Beer business was fairly brisk during the 15 minutes that "Greg" was there. The store manager has said that Sunday is his best day for beer sales.

After completing his purchase, "Greg" made a quick getaway, still unable to believe that he was actually buying beer on Sunday.

UPDATE: More here.

My Birthday Present

This is long overdue, but here's what MacKenzie got me for my birthday:


Here's the disclaimer from one of the monthly coupons:

*Fine print: Valid 11/01-11/31. Offer subject to term and conditions as follows. Beverage selection not limited to beer. Recipient can select a 6-pack of beer or other malt beverage, a bottle of wine, a box of wine or selected ingredients necessary to make a mixed drink. Recipient is encouraged to try new beverages and experiment, especially with items from other countries. Any accompanying snacks are optional and must be purchased by recipient. Use of coupon implies acceptance of user agreement stipulating that recipient’s wife is not held responsible for any poor choices or illness that result from good choices.

Isn't she clever?

Raise a Pint

I didn't realize that they use miles per hour, pints, and other such measurements (well, I knew they used pints for beer, but I thought that was an exception). I suppose I should have known, since they're called English measurements.

I bring this up because the EU just gave up on its fight to force Great Britain to go all metric, all the time.

The threat to Britain's imperial measures is to be lifted today after a climbdown by the European commission.
The plans to switch over to metric and abandon imperial measures became a cause celebre for Eurosceptics, unhappy about Brussels's intrusion into British life.
Since 1995, goods sold in Europe have had to display metric weights and measurements, but to appease the public outcry in the UK, imperial indications have also been allowed.

Yeah, if I was European, I would rail against the EU at every opportunity. You people would get sick of hearing about it. Luckily, I'm American. I would not be interested in turning my country's sovereignty over to a largely unaccountable body of bureaucrats. Especially since the priorities of European bureaucrats include gutting militaries, implementing ridiculous labor laws, suppressing free speech, and battling global warming.

Keep that Beer Outta Here

I just learned today that it is illegal to import alcohol into Utah:

It is illegal under Utah law for anyone other than a licensed dealer to import even the smallest quantities of alcohol.

So I am not allowed to pick up a six-pack of beer (which has a higher alcohol content than Utah grocery store beer, I believe) before I cross the border on my way home from Idaho. Oh well. I don't believe I've broken this law. Yet.