Exit to ale, reprise

If you believe Toll Road News, there’s some frowning at the Woodbridge headquarters of the New Jersey Turnpike over Flying Fish and its Exit Series beers. If that’s the case, then the Turnpike Authority should lighten up.

From a chat with Gene Muller, Flying Fish’s president, it seems the fuss is a little overblown, but not without a PR dividend for the brewery. The static comes from fears over the potential for assumptions, albeit erroneous, that the Turnpike is behind the beer.

That’s funny, since Flying Fish doesn’t use the word turnpike on its labels or related Web site. And you can't get an Exit beer at the Molly Pitcher rest stop, nor an Exit 4 T-shirt anywhere but Flying Fish.

Also, the brewery isn't infringing on any trademarks. (You can’t trademark that highway-sign color of green; nor can you trademark the word exit; the shape of the Turnpike’s sign is trademarked, however.)

In the grand scheme of things, this is about the New Jersey Turnpike as iconography and pop culture. The Flying Fish series is an homage to something distinctly New Jersey. And last we checked, the Exit Series celebrates that slice of Jerseyana; it does not mock it, like so many comedians and a recent headline in Draft Magazine.

Still, in the face of all this gear grinding, the brewery’s Web site for the Exit Series now features a disclaimer now (pictured; click to enlarge).

Any authority concerns about drinking and driving were met with the reply that Flying Fish folks don’t condone drinking and driving (they never have; nor does any Jersey micro or pub brewery), and that they drive the same roads as everyone else.

(The dim view of roads and beer or wine or liquor mentioned in the same breath is a knee-jerk association to DUI, a propensity to see a dark side. The thinking person knows better, knows it's not fait accompli. It's unfortunate and makes you wonder when you consider this: Five years ago, Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County temporarily changed the name of its mint-growing section of Richland to Mojito. Why? Because Bacardi gave the town 5 grand for the promotion, and got a mojito sign along Route 40, the main highway through town. Last we checked, a mojito was made not with just mint, but rum, too. And this event went over with not a hubub, but feature stories written about it. Go figure.)

Gene did suggest the Turnpike shouldn’t be spending money on lawyers to swat at a small, taxpaying business. (A lawyer contacted the brewery to press the authority's concerns; there's no cease and desist notice that we know of.) Tolls pay the Turnpike’s bills; who needs a toll hike because the Turnpike Authority took a wrong turn down a legal dead-end?

In the long run, all of this attention proves beneficial for Flying Fish. Exit 11, the second installament of the series, is due out soon. News media from the surrounding region have been working the story. (Update: Channel 4 in New York did a somewhat dour turn on the dispute on the 6 o'clock news. Their written version has a lame headline pun.)

A day in the slow lane for the news outlets perhaps, but a grand avenue of exposure for the beer.

One final word: We’ve dealt with Joe Orlando from the Turnpike Authority, going back to our AP days. And while the Turnpike Authority's concerns are understandable, the tone and disparaging remarks in the Toll Road News story seem out of character. Even on the worst of days, i.e. bad news coming out of the Turnpike, Joe was always helpful and candid, never coarse. Hence, some doubts about Toll Road News.

Catching up

This is something we intended to do a month ago, but we never could find the results of the contest. Until now.

Here's the top winner of the American Homebrewers Association Big Brew 2009 YouTube contest (we won it last year.) Great job, cool animated intro.

Cheers and congrats to all the winners.

Sobering the numbers

If you read this, then you should also read this, and this. The latter should sober up the fear reflex by supplying some perspective.

That research about campus binge drinking, done by an agency that exists to hand-wring about binge drinking, would come back with numbers showing an even greater binge drinking crisis should surprise no one.

If the numbers went down, would the research get a headline? Maybe. But, realistically, in an era in which a little fear goes a long way, lower numbers would probably just sail under the radar. (A little conditioning goes just as far, and we've all been conditioned to accept the viewpoint that crises only get worse, never better, let alone question whether they were ever a crisis to begin with.)

Let's hope those massive (yet encouraging) street protests in Iran over their election continue, so there's truly some significant news to report. Otherwise, this puffed-up piffle will claim unjustified airtime on the 24-hour news channels. It's probably already going to be the next health segment on the local broadcast news stations tonight, given their propensity to pick low-hanging fruit.

Alas.

More hops

It's been a rainy late spring, but the Centennials have held up fine, with cones coming in all over the place. These images are of some of the smaller bines.

Yesterday's gone

OK, time to cop to something.

Yes, calling Guinness a "yesteryear" beer was a dig at the beer. Sort of.

This comes up by way of email from a former co-worker (from our days at the sweatshop AP news bureau in Trenton) who asked if the Campaign for New Jersey Beer post of Thursday took a swipe at Guinness.

Again, yes. Sort of.

Guinness still tastes good (try the 250th anniversary edition; it's rich and tasty). And in those bars that Rick Reed and other Jersey brewers legitimately complain about, Guinness is a good buy when all the other options are Coors Light, Bud, Michelob Ultra (as in ultra bland) ... The list goes on.

Samuel Adams falls into the same cateogry, a good pint when the rest of the taps aren't worth wasting the calories on. (Jim Koch and Boston Beer, however, deserve a pass. The Samuel Adams brand clearcut the forest to make the road toward better beers, if not proving that you can become the next era of brewing in markets homogenized by Bud, Coors and Miller.)

So why, then, is Guinness yesteryear?

It's a generational thing. Guinness had cult-like status in the late 1980s, early 1990s in several parts of New Jersey. At that time, few bars went to the trouble to deal with that nitrogen-dispensed draft system that allowed Guinness its dense, creamy head and smooth texture. Why bother if you could count your Guinness customers on one hand?

One of the bars in our area, during our Asbury Park Press days, that did go to the trouble was the Drafting Table in Bradley Beach, where you could find Guinness on tap almost 20 years ago. And if memory serves, the Drafting Table occasionally had John Courage Amber on draft, too, a rather inviting British beer at the time.

It doesn't seem like much to sing the praises of either now, given that you can easily get your hands on a fat, heavy bottle of Kasteel Donker, if you're willing to part with 9 bucks. But in 1990, it was a big deal to shift from Heineken to darker beers without having to pass through the doors of a knowledgeable packaged goods store. And it's worth pointing out, too, that at this time, Samuel Adams wasn't a sure thing to find on tap. Or in even bottles behind the bar.

So, indeed, you were hip back then if you even liked Guinness; hipper still if you knew the flavor difference between Guinness on draft and Guinness Extra Stout in the bottle (draft was smoother, thanks to the nitrogen; bottled Extra was a different animal – the fizzy carbonation made the roasted and black patent malts more prickly, almost harsh on the palate). You were a trendsetter if you knew of bars that went the extra mile to carry Guinness on draft.

And Guinness was cool. The John Gilroy advertising illustrations from the 1930s, featuring the menagerie of zoo animals, now played to a new generation in the 1990s on glassware and T-shirts. A former Asbury Park Press co-worker even visited the Guinness brewery in Dublin, returning with gifts for fellow Guinness drinkers, while yet another former co-worker regaled us with tales of pubcrawling in Ireland.

What changed things?

The microbrewing industry finally caught up to New Jersey in the mid-90s. That and Jim Koch challenged you to step up to flavor. And there was portable draft Guinness, the four-pack of cans (those bottles of Guinness draft didn't hit the area market until about 2000-01). Guinness finally found a wider fan base. More taphandles too. Exponentially more compared to 1990. Guinness in the bar and grill these days is as common as salt shakers on the tables, and noticeably absent if it's not on tap. Or at least in cans behind the bar.

Some of that hipness has been lost to time and the increased ranks (see what we mean by generational). And these days, there are plenty of reasons to explore other beers, like that oatmeal cookie stout Triumph occasionally brews – and pours under nitrogen. It's an exceptionally well-done beer.

So is Guinness yesteryear? Respectfully, yes, when the landscape is dotted with so many beer choices, whether from breweries native to the home state (this is a Jersey-centric blog) or the surrounding environs.

But nonetheless, Guinness is still in our fridge. Probably always will be.

Campaign for New Jersey Beer*

Been there, been living it: Think Jersey, drink Jersey.

But this like-minded initiative is all about putting a bug in someone’s ear, namely bar owners.

For six weeks now, Rick Reed has used his Friday night sermons from the mash tun at Cricket Hill Brewery to imbue the tour crowds to be foot soldiers in a rebellion to get New Jersey beers on tap at Jersey bars that find it fashionable to crowd their tap space with crappy Coors Light, yesteryear's Guinness, and that god-awful Bass wannabe, Smithwick's.

Those crowds in Fairfield are running about 130- to 150-people strong each week, and Rick’s arming his legions with cards that bear the name of the cause – Campaign for New Jersey Beer – and are to be left with bars and restaurants' wait staff, bartenders or managers. The accompanying text on the cards explains that Garden State brewers make topnotch beers, and bars in New Jersey should have at least one of those beers on tap. It’s a matter of taking pride in something that's made in the state.

On another level, the cards are the equivalent of a polite boycott, since the person leaving the one intends to not patronize the establishment until a Jersey beer gets tap space.

Of course, Rick’s preference is to see Cricket Hill tap handles grow from this action, and he says his draft accounts have jumped by a half dozen since the campaign started. Whether that’s directly related to his foot soldiers and the 1,000 cards that have been passed out so far is anyone’s guess, he says.

But the six new accounts are welcome business, and the awareness served by the cards is undeniably important: Drink Jersey-made beers. They’re local, they’re fresh, and they can hold their own against anything on the store shelves that pours in from New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, California, Massachusetts, Delaware or Europe.

Meanwhile, this thought came to mind after reading about Carrotmobs in a recent issue of Time magazine. In effect, the movement is a reverse boycott: rewarding businesses with patronage in exchange, in the case of Carrotmobs' requests, for going green.

It would seem like there’s potential for applying that technique to Jersey bars, prevailing en masse upon those places to put the locally made beers on tap and rewarding those bars with regular patronage. Granted, it’s easier, and perhaps more noble, to get businesses to change their light bulbs to CFLs, but we think the idea has potential for Jersey beer somehow.

Who knows, Jersey Maltmobs may be the next story in Time.


* FYI: The graphic above is of our making for the purpose of this post.

Roll out the barrel

If you like Ramstein Maibock (we do), then this is something you don't want to miss: Ramstein Maibock, barrel-aged and dry-hopped with fresh Hallertauer hops.

The dry-hopping may break from tradition with a German style beer, but American brewers have been making their mark by rewriting the rules (double IPA, anyone?) and coloring outside the lines. This is one in which High Point Brewing steps in with its expertise and sets the pace.

The tricked-out, limited version of the bock tops the bill for High Point's June open house this Saturday (2-4 p.m.), backed up with the Ramstein flight of Blonde, Dunkel Weiss and Blazing Amber.

And if you're a Ramones, Blondie or Lou Reed fan, the added bonus for Saturday is you can glimpse photos of those performers from their heady days, courtesy of Lower Third Enterprise. The images will be on exhibit and for sale.

You don't need the Reverend Horton Heat to tell you that rock 'n' roll and beer go together like Les and Paul.

Meanwhile, we trekked up to Berkeley Heights in Union County on Wednesday for a chat with Trap Rock brewer Charlie Schroeder (more on that very soon) and to visit a brewpub that's worth the two-hour drive from our southern Ocean County shores. (There's a classy polish to Trap Rock that you quickly come to appreciate once past the entrance. And even with a seven-barrel system, Charlie keeps nine house beers flowing, plus a version of one of those on a handpump.)

Pictured is the lovely and gracious Melissa Hudasko, slightly reprising her New York Times pose from last year.

An egregious miscarriagement of taxitude*

Higher state taxes on spirits and wine? Passed on by restaurants to the consumer? Faint ...

There's been a bit of backlash by consumers with QWERTY access, teeing off on restaurants, posting complaints about the threat to pass on a 25 percent increase in those taxes.

It's pretty much misplaced blame to do that. Here's why:

Restaurants don't stay in business by losing money; nor can they eat every rise in their overhead. Last year, anything made with flour cost more because of stupid government policy skewed toward corn as the raw material for ethanol (more corn planted, less of wheat and barley); delivery charges went up when crude oil prices (futures prices, that is) hit the moon; and the list goes on.

The places you dine at were doing what they could last year to manage those headaches. And their migraine has lingered into this year with a downturn in business that they're struggling to make up. (Consider this: You should support your favorite restaurants if you can. The patrons they stand to lose aren't just someone else; they are you, too, if you're staying away in protest.)

So when New Jersey, meaning the Corzine administration, popped the cork on this tax increase and poured everyone a round of pay-more, well anyone who had just finished a snifter of Courvoisier on March 10th could have envisioned restaurants being stuck with few options.

And if you're a beer drinker, don't think you're getting an automatic pass at the tap just because beer was left off Corzine's tax menu. To keep from scaring away patrons, restaurants and bar owners could spread the pain across the pricing board – pints of beer, entrees, appetizers – and not just jack up the tab for a shot of Applejack. (It makes for good, kneejerk rabble rousing for industry groups to insinuate that prices by the drink will rise in proportion to the tax increase.)

But the point remains: Don't blame the restaurant owners for trying to stay in business. Blame the Legislature and a succession of governors on both sides of the political aisle for missteps and miscues, and a legacy of avoiding doing what's right.



* From The Simpsons, 9th season, episode 20, The Trouble With Trillions

Rapid response ...

As in yours is needed. This missive from the Brewers Association tumbled into the email queue today.

Like we have said, the battle has been joined, and the Brewers Association is conscripting craft beer drinkers to act like a militia and speak out, state by state, against higher excise taxes by writing their lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

New Jersey's own Bob Menendez is on the Senate Finance Committee. One more time, here's his email. And the blue graphic shows addresses for his New Jersey and DC offices.

The best approach is a two-pronged one, meaning don't just email, but send the same comments via conventional mail as well. Also, when you write, cite. Pull information from the Brewers Association's arguments and point out that higher federal taxes will hurt New Jersey craft brewers, who are a source of jobs and state and local taxes, regardless of how many jobs or however much those taxes paid at home are.

It's also worth pointing out – as we have before – that beer, wine and liquor* have been paying Uncle Sam's bills for several decades. It would be unfair and too easy for Congress to tap that source again. But the unfortunate stigma that beer, wine and liquor have attached to them make them the easy – even vulnerable – target. DUI, underage drinking and alcoholism are not solved through higher taxes (nor should any thinking person accept those as reasons to fund healthcare reforms so long as cigarettes are a commercially available product in this country).

If you're over 45, you probably remember when soft drinks came, not in Big Gulps and 20-ounce containers, but in 12-ounce bottles (or even 6 and 10 ounces from vending machines!) and that fast food was a sometimes food, served in modest portions, and not an everyday food. And it should mean something to healthcare reformers, Capitol Hill and the Obama administration that five years ago McDonald's, to its credit, dumped its Super Size menu, thanks, in no small part, to blow-back from those outsized portions making outsized Americans. Oversized sodas and fatty, prepared or prepackaged foods own a piece of the erosion of the nation's overall health and their industries should be asked thusly to share a tax burden.



*Awhile back, Pennsylvania beer writer Lew Bryson put forth the idea that calling beer, wine and liquor alcoholic beverages is an unfortunate choice of words, unfairly tying them to negative connotations of alcoholics and alcoholism. (Lew didn't pontificate; he just pointed out his preference to not phrase references to the beverages in that way.) We share his point of view: Hence, beer, wine and liquor.

Rapid deployment

Last year, it wasn't until the second week of July that cones took shape on our Centennial bines.

This season, it's been surprisingly fast: the first week of June. These are early ones, but cones all the same.

Ad nausea (or ad nauseum, take your pick)

Stupid things the mega brewers say via Madison Avenue (for some reason this annoys us now more than ever):

• Triple-hopped Miller Lite ...
It’s funny when the megas try to woo the mainstream with explanations of the brewing process and build an ad campaign around something as basic as ending a sentence with a period. As we know, a lot of beers – too many to count – get hops thrice: for bittering, flavor and aroma, and that doesn’t include dry-hopping. Watching their spot, you’d think Miller Lite pioneered this as a brewing technique. That is, if your mind is no more discriminating than a palate suited for Miller Lite. Beer enthusiasts on the Web have slaughtered this campaign, mocking it far and wide. And for good reason: For having three hop schedules, you’d never know bland Miller Lite has any hops at all.

• Bud Light, drinkability …
Philly's Don “Joe Sixpack” Russell had this interesting piece on "drinkability." But here's our take on it: Before Bud Light appropriated the word for use in commercials that look like they were cast with extras from Office Space, "drinkability" was tossed around by people who chose any other beer except a flavorless one like Bud Light. Now, thanks to BL’s ongoing campaign, "drinkability" is irretrievably tied to a cheap, nondescript beer from the AB-InBev portfolio. Hey Bud, here are some words you should consider: blather, twaddle and folderol.

• Coors Light ... When the mountains turn blue, it’s cold.
And if you follow the velvet rope inside the bank, you’ll reach the teller window. The mountains may turn blue and the beer may be cold, but it’s still flavorless Coors Light. Some score that is. Say, wasn’t Coors the brewer that misspelled arctic on its labels, cartons and merchandise tie-ins in the mid-1990s, as in Coors Artic Ice? Blue mountains, artic ice … Coors is still brewing up stupid.

On the radar

Here's to your health(care), Part 2

An update on the possibility of beer taxes going up to pay for an overhaul of the US healthcare system.

We've said it before: beer, wine and liquor – partly to assuage the temperance leagues and become legal again those 76 years ago – were turned into vehicles for taxes, and have been paying the freight for three generations hence. The sin taxes.

Granted the spotlight is on the beverage industry right now, but why is it outside the realm of reason to ask Burger King, in addition to Coke and Pepsi, or the owners of Ben & Jerry to pony up something for their contribution toward unhealthy living, however large or small?

Obesity can be, and is, as insidiously debilitating as alcoholism. Overeating just isn't defined as a social ill like drinking to excess is. And if you want to argue that it's presumptuous to think that high-fat foods or beverages with a lot of sugar will be overconsumed, then it's equally presumptuous to assume that beer, wine and liquor will be abused; that everyone who has a drink will drive with a load on; and that everyone under 21 will scheme to get his hands on a pint of Jack Daniel's or a sixpack of beer. (Funny how that's MADD's position.)

For the record, we're not in favor of higher taxes. We're just saying that what's good for the Grey Goose is good for Burger King, so long as BK thinks cheap, fatty, starchy food is good business and what America needs more of.

Anyway, looks like the battle has been joined. Add your voice: Here's the contact info for Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez. (Just remember that Lautenberg was the one who authored the federal .08% threshold for DUI – no, we don't endorse driving with a snootful – and the federal drinking age of 21, both of which were nothing more than Uncle Sam usurping states' authority by threatening to withhold highway funding if the states didn't sign on.)

Beer from the takeout menu

Jersey's brewpubs are neighborhood bars for the folks lucky enough to live that close (imagine being so spoiled as to live within walking distance to one).

For others, especially the traveling beer geeks among us, the brewpubs are a destination, a planned trip, with maybe some local things to do: The Tun Tavern puts you within a couple of blocks of Atlantic City's casinos; the Ship Inn, near the Delaware River in Milford, is a nice weekend afternoon excursion, as is Krogh's in Sparta and Long Valley, which is located in that portion of Washington Township in Morris County that lends a name to the brewpub.

Elsewhere, JJ Bitting is an oasis in the middle of the state, not even a half block from the NJ Transit train platform in Woodbridge, while Triumph feels like a natural fit in Princeton, like some form of it was there when tricorn hats were in fashion in New Jersey.

So yeah, the brewpub experience in Jersey can translate into some distance traversed. Which ususally means justifying the trip by taking home a growler or two of beer. Which means, in this not so happy economy, you might want to know what that jug is going to set you back before you set out on the beer trail.

What follows is handy chart of current growler prices, cobbled together by calling around to the pubs this week. (Double-click the chart to open it larger in another page.)

Cheers.

Centennials 2009

Shots of this year's Centennial hops, their second year in the ground. Back in early spring, they really started rocketing skyward. Burs and sidearm shoots came the last full week of May. Cones will probably start taking shape by mid-June.

How to get a mention without trying

One of the things about the Internet Age is that if you're creating content, sooner or later, someone is going to appropriate it for something. Especially if YouTube is involved.

Sometimes it's stealing, copyright infringement; sometimes it truly is fair use. And sometimes it's just a pleasant surprise.

Browsing around the 'Net this evening, we came across this fair use: the video we produced (and uploaded to YouTube) of the 2008 Philly Beer Week finale, the Real Ale Festival that was held at Triumph Brewing in Old City.

It's a nice surprise because it's on wikihow.com, the World Wide Web's how-to handbook that went online under that banner three years ago. Of course, since it's in the wiki world, it's a collection of user-created entries from a community of folks who, by and large, like to share what they know, à la wikipedia, of course.

Still, it's rewarding, albeit on some small scale, that our video helps illustrate a "how-to" for real ale.

In the Shade with Iron Hill's Chris Lapierre

Iron Hill’s Chris Lapierre will notch a dozen years as a pro brewer this summer, around the time the restaurant and brewery opens its Maple Shade location with him at the helm as brewmaster.

Chris was cool enough to spare time from his schedule and field some questions, via email, about his well-seasoned chops as a brewer. He also reveals an appreciation for lager beers and fondness for a dessert of stout and chocolate cake.

Here's the interview:

Q: How long have you been a professional brewer, and what route did you take to that career path?

A: I've been getting paid to brew since July of 1997. I had homebrewed for about two years before becoming the assistant brewer at the original Dock Street in Philadelphia. The next brewery I worked for, Harpoon in Boston, sent me to Siebel’s concise course in brewing in 2000. Two years ago, Iron Hill split the cost of the American Brewers Guild’s six-month correspondence course with me. I think it’s important to work in a brewery before spending the time and money on school. You need to make sure it’s for you first and get a realistic picture of the work. Also, I think the science and theory stick better if you can visualize the physical aspects in your head while sitting in a classroom, so that’s how I did it.

As far as my skill set goes, I’d say my job is a lot like that of a chef. Not as far as food knowledge and multitasking skills go, but in terms of balancing social and hands-on skills in the same job. I love crafting a tangible product, something you can point at and say, “I made that.” I also love the social aspect of the job. I like teaching people about beer, converting wine drinkers and watery beer drinkers to craft beer, getting people excited about beer. Not too many jobs, including most brewing jobs, incorporate both.

Q: If you weren’t brewing beer, what would you be doing?
A: I’m an avid cyclist. I ride my bike to work when I can. From home to Iron Hill West Chester is 45 miles where I worked as head brewer until now. Maple Shade will be 23 miles from home, a shorter commute! I founded the West Chester Cycling Club, and I’m a member of it and the Bike Club of Philadelphia. So if I had to pick another career, I’d love to guide bicycle tours. Maybe even bike tours with a gastronomic focus.

Q: What are your favorite style(s) to brew and what is it about them you like?
A: In competitions, I’ve been most successful with dry, yeast-driven Belgians, and I really enjoy drinking those beers. But I think the beers I take the most pride in are clean and balanced lagers. They’re often overlooked in a world that’s enamored with “extreme” beers. But they require a lot more skill to get them to taste right than beers loaded with hops, dark malts or booze.

Q: Similar question, favorite style(s) to drink and what is it you enjoy about them?
A: That’s a bit like asking a conductor what his favorite song is. It really depends. It depends on what the weather is like, or what I’m eating or whether I’m drinking just one or several, etc. But, if you ask me right now, this minute, I’m craving either a crisp German pils or a balanced pale ale.

Q: What's your favorite beer and food pairing?
A: Somehow that’s easier for me ... The classic saison and goat cheese is one. But chocolate cake and Russian stout probably wins it for me. I can’t think of a better way to finish a great meal.

Q: How important is it to interact with patrons, and how do you see yourself getting reaction from the folks who come in for a beer?
A: Like I mentioned earlier, mingling and getting to know our customers is a big part of my job. It's something the owners at Iron Hill have always been committed to when it comes to their product. Iron Hill wouldn’t hire a brewer that wasn’t a people person, even if they made the best beer in the world. Customer reaction is always very important as well. I’ve been asked what sort of seasonals I’ll be brewing in Maple Shade, and my answer has been that a lot of it will depend on what our guests want me to brew.

Q: Iron Hill will be the first new brewery in New Jersey in quite some time, and there’s a fair amount of anticipation on the part of beer enthusiasts. Are you folks feeling that as well?
A: Absolutely. I talk to lots of people from New Jersey at beer bars and festivals who have all expressed excitement, and I’ve also been following BeerAdvocate and people are definitely looking forward to our opening.

Q: What do you think beer drinkers in New Jersey will be saying about Iron Hill in the Garden State.
A: I think they’ll be really glad they don’t have to cross a bridge to drink a variety of micros. I live in Philly and a lot of people I meet in some of the city’s best beer bars are from New Jersey who come into town just to drink beer. New Jersey has come a long way as far as beer goes, but it still needs a few more places that focus on craft beer to be on the level with Philadelphia and its suburbs. We’re hoping to get that ball rolling.

In the Shade

They’re working like bees in a hive over at Iron Hill Brewery’s Maple Shade location (124 East Kings Highway).

The brewing equipment – fermenters, serving tanks, kettle and mash tun – arrived for installation on Tuesday. That’s brewer Chris Lapierre pictured below by the tanks on a flatbed, and the top illustration is a rendering of what’s envisioned as the bar area.

There’s lots of work going on at the site, and co-owner Mark Edelson says the July opening is still the game plan.

A homecoming
We’ve said this before, but we’ll repeat it … If you enjoy fresh beer and like having choices, then extend some credit to Mark and his partners, Kevin Davies and Kevin Finn, for wanting to do business in their home state. (FYI: Chris is a Jersey guy, too).

Iron Hill first went on the map in Delaware, then found more success in Pennsylvania. Maple Shade will be Iron Hill’s eighth location, and New Jersey’s first new brewery in 10 years.

But getting here has been no small feat; Jersey just isn’t a business-friendly state, and a lot of so-called “home-rule” control is put in the hands of municipalities (i.e. the building inspector, the plumbing inspector, the electrical inspector … and sometimes these guys don’t talk to each other, or worse, even like one another). Then there’s the staggeringly expensive license to be a bar; that also comes from the host town. Bottom line: Lots of flaming hoops to jump through to become a business that will put money in local, state and federal pockets.

So when July rolls around, by all means, support the new local brewery.

Here's to your health(care)

Here’s a name right now that you need to know: Max Baucus.

Max is a Big Sky guy, a US senator from Montana. He’s also chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. And as we all know the country’s finances are as wobbly as a barstool with uneven legs.

Besides fixing the banks and the jobs scene, Congress and President Obama (who’s been known to enjoy a beer at courtside of an NBA game) are looking for the biggest Band-Aid ever to put on the healthcare system.

That’s why if you’re a beer drinker you need to know about Max (here’s his email). On Wednesday, a news report bubbled up about funding healthcare with higher taxes on beer, liquor and wine. (The current projection is 2 bucks more a case for the consumer; and a shout-out goes to PubScout Kurt Epps for pointing out this story.)

This was probably a train you could hear coming from a long way off: messed up economy – the worst since Big Band tunes were a fresh sound on radio; a messed up healthcare system; changing times; yet another pivotal moment in the nation’s existence. That a higher sin tax would get put on the table is predictable, indeed. (Yet cigarettes have never been pulled as an unsafe product.)

Collision course
But it’s interesting, too, because on Feb. 3, the bill H.R. 836 was introduced, proposing to reduce the $18 per barrel federal beer tax for the big brewers to $9, its pre-George H.W. Bush (Bush the Elder) level, and also halving the $7 tax for craft and pub brewers. (FYI: Jersey’s beer tax is $3.72 a gallon, and for now Gov. Corzine isn’t touching it.) A quick spin over to Beertown.org doesn’t indicate an update on the status of this bill, dubbed the Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act of 2009 (yes, it forms the acronym BEER).

A little more about BEER: Predictably, it has some folks frowning in a variety of circles, fussing and thrashing about with some figures dropped at the doorstep of Congress: Loss of federal revenue, $1.5 billion; make worse a $200 billion annual toll for dealing with drinking-related health problems; fatten the wallets of foreign beverage companies that account for 90% of US beer production.

On the industry side, the numbers campaign goes like this: brewers, directly or indirectly, pump $190 billion annually into economy and provide more than 1.7 million jobs with wages and benefits of nearly $55 billion.

So with that floating around in the background, there’s the log of healthcare reform tossed onto the fire. This has the potential to become a huge, complex battle, because anyone who has enjoyed the runaround by HorizonBlue Cross knows healthcare needs fixing, and it’s going to take some major money and major reform, but the brewing industry (led by the A-B types) isn't going to just take it. Certainly not after pitching a tax cut.

Already, Coke and Pepsi have wet their pants over a proposal to tax soft drinks (which we support) as a way to kick in toward healthcare. It’s patently absurd to think that soft drinks deserve a pass because there’s no ethyl alcohol in them. When high fructose corn syrup replaced sugar in soft drinks – it’s cheaper than sugar, and corn enjoys some federal propping up via subsidy, about $40 billion worth since the 1990s – the standard size of a bottle of soda jumped a half pint; so now everyone was doing the Dew 20 ounces at a time, or burping from 7-Eleven’s quart-size Big Gulps and 1.5-liter Super Big Gulps. The overconsumption/obesity/diabetes argument applies.

But a higher tax on beer, liquor and wine to pay for healthcare? Well, OK, we understand trying to collect taxes from a number of revenue sources, and we've heard all the complaints about alcohol and health (funny, the wine industry's quick reaction to this was to highlight the health benefits of reds and demand a pass). But here’s one point to consider: Beer, wine and liquor have already paid their dues. In fact, it’s part of New Jersey history: Sea Girt, Aug. 27, 1932, FDR launches his campaign for the White House, vowing to fold the tent on that colossal failure called Prohibition, lift the economy out of the throes of the Great Depression with the help of excise taxes on beer, wine and liquor. You didn’t have to be alive in 1933 to know Prohibition was sent to history’s trash pile. And beer has been paying a lot of Uncle Sam’s bills ever since.

So, we argue that if Congress wants to tap beer for revenue again, the industry deserves something in exchange (and not something that makes just the big brewers happy). And look no further than the three-tier system under which beer became legal again. It’s a confounding collage of regulations that change state to state and has resulted in unfair treatment of small brewers and cozy relationships between distributors and the giant brewers. It has outlived its purpose. But taking on the three-tier sysem isn't going to go over too well, either.

Did we mention the battle is complex?

Beer Wars: The ongoing discussion

If you missed the one-night screening of Beer Wars last month, then perhaps you’d be interested to know the DVD version is coming soon.

That’s from Anat Baron, the director/writer/producer of the film, which trains a spotlight on how craft brewers ply the choppy waters of the U.S. brewing industry and its three-tier system. Anat graciously gave some of her time for a Q&A conducted via email. Her answers arrived on Sunday.

Q: You said you hoped to set into motion a discussion on the topic of small/craft/artisanal brewers and the muscle tactics used by the mega brewers. Do you feel Beers Wars has accomplished that? And if so, how do we sustain that discussion and steer it toward producing change?
A: I don't think that we've reached a wide enough audience. So far, most of the people who saw the film were already craft beer lovers, and so most of the story was familiar to them. I made the film in the hopes of attracting a more mainstream audience. Not necessarily mainstream beer drinkers but people who care about consumerism, capitalism and the future of this country. I know that sounds very grandiose, but to me what's happening in the beer industry is similar to what's going on in many other industries. How do we get a bigger audience? The old-fashioned way: through word of mouth. People telling other people to watch this film. That it will make them think about the choices that they make. The more people see it and talk about it, the bigger the buzz. And then we can start a meaningful discussion. In the mainstream media.

Q: The film met with some harsh criticism in some circles, and you defended your work on the Web site. Do you think those critics missed the point, getting hung up on presentation, and failed to appreciate that, given the current arrangement with the big brewers and three-tier system, there isn't a remote chance of leveling the playing field without some Herculean efforts/major changes?
A: When you make a film, you expect criticism. What surprised me was that most people missed the point. They wanted me to make THEIR version of Beer Wars. I chose to make this film with the characters I did in order to make a point. If other people want to see brewers like Ken Grossman or Fritz Maytag as central characters, they can make their own film. THIS film is about the challenges that the small brewers face, and it uses two characters to show them. The three-tier system continues to be the biggest obstacle to growth for small brewers. The dependence of most distributors on their big brewer “partners” creates a playing field that is completely lopsided. Yes, things are “better” than they were in late 2005 when I stated filming, but they are in no way closer to level. I think the question is WHEN will we change (not abolish, change) the three-tier system, not IF. And all change begins with a few voices that keep getting louder.

Q: Are you satisfied that Beer Wars is part of the record on this topic, something any individual or group can point to as a reference?
A: I certainly hope so. I made the film so there would be a reference point. Anyone could watch it and understand the issues. And hopefully begin to think about what it means not only to them personally but to American business overall.

Q: Some people have asked when the DVD release will be. Looks like it is indeed in the works, is that correct? And for those who have seen the film already, what can they expect on the DVD?
A: Yes, (the) DVD is in production. I am rushing it out because so many theaters had technical issues on April 16th that I wanted to make things right. The DVD will include the film, the panel discussion and some deleted scenes. We hope to start shipping in early June.

Q: Will the film be screened again? And can you say what it cost to pull off the April 16th presentation?
A: We have a theatrical run in June at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Houston and San Antonio. And more to be announced. As to the cost of the April 16th event, I signed a confidentiality agreement, so all I can say is that there was a significant investment to get the word out.

Q: Michael Moore made Pets or Meat as a short-film follow-up to Roger & Me. Do you plan to revisit Beer Wars with some kind of follow-up down the road?
A: I think that the story is ripe for some sort of “sequel.” I'm not sure if it'll be a film but at least a TV or Web follow-up.

Q: Have you stayed in touch with Rhonda Kallman and Sam Calagione (the two brewers/beer companies spotlighted in Beer Wars) since the film was screened?
A: Yes, we have spoken on several occasions and plan to keep in touch going forward. I actually spoke to both of them this past week.

Q: We watched the film in a sparsely filled theater in southern New Jersey (the scant audience is indicative of craft beer’s struggles in the Garden State, plus we have a Bud brewery in Newark). Do you have attendance figures, either hard counts or anecdotal, to show where the film drew the best crowds?
A: The film and event screened in (most of) the 440 theaters spread out across cities and suburbs in most states. We did better in big cities like Boston, New York (and) San Francisco than suburban multiplexes.

Helles-raiser

Some news out of Climax Brewing …

We caught up with Dave Hoffmann on Saturday as he was filtering the maibock that’s going on tap this week at Basil T’s in Toms River, where Dave is the hired-gun brewer.

First things first. We got a preview taste of that Perle-hopped maibock (we had the not quite carbonated, but still quite good, version); the beer’s malty and rich (6.7% ABV), with some signature toasty and caramel notes that don’t overwhelm.

Dave’s been tweaking this recipe here and there for a while but feels like this rendition, with a lighter munich malt than past versions, nails it. So much so that Dave’s thinking about doing a maibock next year under his Hoffmann lager label for his Climax brewery.

And speaking of Climax – and that news tidbit – Dave says his Hoffmann Helles is now a year-round beer.

The beer has always done well for Climax, and Dave says that for a while he’d been thinking about moving it from the seasonal lineup to the flagship brew list. What sealed the deal was a March beer feature (à la the NCAA tourney’s final four) in the Star-Ledger in which the helles was hailed a winner. Dave says he’s been super-busy since then, working to keep the helles in kegs and on store shelves in the signature half-gallon jugs he uses for bottling. He’s had to put his four original 10-barrel fermenters back into service (despite the 10-barrel capacity, he maxes them out at 8 barrels for production purposes).

It’s good to be busy.

After the Cricket Cookout, Part 2

Here's the video from the Cricket Cookout held May 1st in the parking lot of Cricket Hill Brewery.

If you recall this video, intended as the launch of the web-based Culinary Pursuit Show, is a production from Roj Prasad of Web Epoch Interactive (that's Roj doing the cooking). Roj's company handle's Cricket Hill's Web site.

But all that is boilerplate. What should be on your plate is great food paired with great beer, which is the message Roj wants to drive home.

Peering through the bent-back tulips

Scouting around today, and looking over the flowerbed to our westward neighbors, we learn Philly Beer Week is going, metaphorically speaking, from bock to saison.

That is to say, the 2010 incarnation of PBW is moving from March to June. The keeper of Philadelphia beer news, Don Russell, offers an explanation for the calendar switch on the blog he keeps a layer below his JoeSixpack site.

Speaking of Philly, it came in third in Beer City USA poll results.

What New Jersey homebrewers make,Trenton says don't take off site

Here’s an interesting item: Washington State just revamped its law regarding homebrewing to allow up to 20 gallons of home-brewed beer to be taken out of the home. (Washington’s bill was signed into law on May 6th).

It’s interesting, because here in New Jersey, as written, our regulations restrict consumption of homebrew to the premises where it was made. That’s spelled out on the application for a homebrewing permit the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control says you must have to make beer in your back yard. Lots of homebrewers breaking that rule, we've seen (and shared in their hard work).

And here’s something odd about this permit application: It asks you where you were born, not when you were born (it does, however, ask how old you are, but notice it doesn’t require you to prove your age, as in providing supporting documentation). What does your birthplace have to do with anything? Nothing.

We’ve said it before, this permit is pointless, and in some ways, it’s just an attempt at being an impediment to homebrewing, not to mention a way of taxing home-made beer, although the statute does exempt homebrewers from the state alcoholic beverage tax for beer. Most of the homebrewers we’ve spoken to don’t bother with this permit. Who can blame them? At the end of the day, when you’ve brewed 5 gallons, or even 15 gallons, you’ve put in about six hours of work and have to wait a month or so to drink it. Oh yeah, that needs the state to put its foot on things to keep it from getting out of hand.

Trenton has no clue. It’s almost like the state had a knee-jerk moment when it allowed homebrewing (which the federal government gave the green light 31 years ago): Oh gosh, we must require a permit. The original fee, back in 1995, was 3 bucks. Now it’s 15. Wonder if Trenton tops $1,000 annually in collection of permit fees?

The American Homebrewers Association says it can’t say for certain, but no other state comes to mind, not even Washington, as far as requiring homebrewers to have a permit to enjoy their hobby.

Just New Jersey. Go figure.

Craft beer week

American Craft Beer Week began on Monday ... the appreciation of better beer.

If you recall, we prevailed – unsuccessfully, unfortunately – upon Gov. Corzine's office for a proclamation for a New Jersey Craft Beer Week to coincide with the seven-day observance authorized by Congress.

Make no mistake, it was a longshot for one voice. So it comes as no surprise that you can take a spin over to the governor's Web site and not see a link to a press release (FYI: Former Gov. Whitman declared July beer month in New Jersey back in 2000, so Corzine wouldn't exactly have been breaking ground here, just effortlessly being a friend to a state industry, if he had signed a proclamation). The Garden State Craft Brewers Guild should have stepped up with a lobby campaign (to be fair, we're guessing the guild didn't try, and we won't mind being corrected if it did) to get a state observance.

You may think we're making something out of nothing, but Craft Beer Week represents a chance for solidarity and marketing. Neither sound all that compelling, but they are important and represent, we argue, the underpinnings of keeping a message about Jersey-brewed beer before the public.

And that, too, is important, especially since the guild, by and large, holds just a couple (sometimes) of festivals a year under its banner. That's hardly much reinforcement in the public's mind that New Jersey has some great beer made within its borders.

Meanwhile, promoters in Atlantic City hold the state's biggest (but hardly the best) beer festival, and the High Street Grill in Mount Holly is on course for a second 2009 festival, set for this month. Neither are Jersey-beer centric (although Jersey beers have been on those fests' lineups). Quite the contrary, since those fests pull in beers (via distributors) from across the country and around the world, they're sort of eating the guild's lunch, stealing its thunder (pick a metaphor).

That may sound like protectionist talk, but think about it. Someone's brand is getting built up with some exposure. Shouldn't it be the home team's?

Our suggestion: Print advertising rates are probably very negotiable right now (revenues are that soft) at the bigger newspapers. So the guild should begin a regular ad campaign promoting Jersey-brewed beer, à la the campaign used by the state Agriculture Department (the well-known Jersey Fresh produce slogan) ... Think Jersey, drink Jersey, perhaps?

After the Cricket Cookout

Some scenes from the Cricket Cookout last Friday at Cricket Hill Brewing, courtesy of Roj Prasad of the Culinary Pursuit blog. Pictured on the Viking are five birds done up beer can style. Looking pretty good, we say.

Here and there

Homebrew Day ... Big Brew ...

We missed it Saturday. Somewhat intentionally, given there has been too much to get done lately.

Originally, our plan was to do a video piece about that ridiculous (and insidious) $15 annual permit the state says you have to have to brew at home. But, alas, too much to do, not enough time to fit everything in. (But that damned permit remains on the list of things to give video treatment to.)

At the top of the to-do list this wet weekend was putting up a new trellis for our Centennial hops, which have come back quite strong from last season. We were late getting to the trellis work, but the 4 x 4’s are up now, as are the lines for the bines to climb.

Odds & Ends
Here’s a sweep of somethings we’ve been trying to mention lately but have – sigh, again – been strapped for time.

• Brian Boak (Boak's Beer) sent these photos of his fermenter’s delivery to Butler at High Point Brewing last month. We’re fairly certain it has beer in it by now. Or maybe in bottles (gotta pay for that stainless steel, you know).

• Flying Fish makes New York magazine’s Approval Matrix. It’s at the bottom right of that Web page, a mention of the Exit series beers.

We have to admit, our eye was immediately drawn to Rachael Ray being on the judging panel at the Tribeca Film Festival (guess she only judged 30-minute films), and that capsule of Rick Perry’s dimwit secession talk. (Hey Rick, remember the Alamo? Texas already had a crack at going it alone. Didn’t work out.)

We’ve suggested that a bottle or two of Exit 4 be sent to the governor’s office, with label samples. The aim is to get it in the NJ State Museum, which is, if memory serves, where a lot of unsolicited items sent to the governor’s office end up, since the governor can’t actually accept them.

We also suggested sending a bottle to the Colbert Report. It’s easy to picture Stephen tossing it into one of his roundups between the show’s opening and the closer, the guest interview.

Lastly, that beer fest we mentioned was in planning stages for this month (thereabout) at the Turtleback Zoo in West Orange ... it was postponed for a variety of reasons, and may come to fruition sometime in the fall.

However, High Street Grill in Mount Holly has a spring festival set for May 30th, a follow-up to their successful winter beer festival.

And of course, the Garden State Craft Brewers Guild is doing lucky 13 – the 13th incarnation of its annual festival, that is – on the 20th of June aboard the USS New Jersey at the Camden waterfront. (More on this later.)

Culinary pursuits … and beer, of course

A reason to swing by Cricket Hill on Friday: good beer and good food, and cooking with good beer. Toss in music, too. This should be a great time (starts around 5 p.m.).

Some explanation first …

This isn’t an official Cricket Hill function, but rather the Fairfield brewery has made its parking lot available for the Cricket Cookout. The event is the brainchild of longtime Cricket Hill Brewing friend and Web entrepreneur Roj Prasad, who in addition to running his business, Web Epoch Interactive and handling the brewery's Web site, is a serious devotee to grilling and cooking. Roj also has a blog on the topic, Culinary Pursuit, where you’ll find restaurant reviews, cooking tips and some recaps of Roj’s own kitchen adventures.

But Roj wants to take his cooking passion to a new platform. That’s where the Cricket Cookout comes in, as the launch vehicle for a show also called Culinary Pursuit. With a video crew taping him Friday for a production that will go on YouTube, Roj will be cooking up plenty of chicken, using Cricket Hill beers – Col. Blides Cask Ale, American Ale, Hopnotic IPA, Paymaster Porter and East Coast Lager. Look for the birds to come out succulent, via rotisserie or beer can style. (There will also be some wings, shish kebabs and shrimp on the barbie.)

Roj plans to turn the camera on other cooks, too, and hopes to attract the interest of giants in the game, such as the Food Channel, to reach a wider audience. He’s lined up some sponsors for his event, including Viking, which has ponied up a pair of 53-inch grills (Roj calls ’em the Rolls Royce of grills).

It's all in the pursuit of good food paired with good beer.

Heard at Shad Fest '09

Something newsy that came out of River Horse during Shad Fest ...

Co-owner Chris Walsh says RH fired off a letter to the state legislators who represent that chunk of Hunderton County that includes Lambertville.

The thrust of the letter, sent earlier this month, was an appeal to improve the business climate for brewers. You can pretty much frame that as a comparison to what freedoms brewers in Pennsylvania enjoy vs. New Jersey, namely that they can pull pints and sell cases and kegs, essentially acting as their own distributors within their premises, while of course here in the Garden State retail sales are capped at two six-packs or two growlers per person per visit to the brewery.

It’s worth noting that while Pennsylvania breweries like Sly Fox, Stoudt’s and Victory can do that, they also put a lot of beer on the shelves in New Jersey. Sum that up as they enjoy multiple points of sale at home and successfully compete for shelf space in New Jersey with our brewers, whom the state chokes off such opportunities. So asking Trenton to level the playing field seems only fair.

None of this is new. For a long while, it’s been a sore spot for Jersey brewers, who’ve pointed to the freedoms that Garden State wineries enjoy, which sort of match what Pennsylvania brewers can do in their state. Greg Zaccardi at High Point Brewing in Butler has for some time argued this position and is in the process of putting pen to paper like River Horse has done. Meanwhile, folks at Cricket Hill haven’t been shy about discussing this topic. Just ask Rick Reed.

For River Horse’s part, it’s encouraging that the 23rd District lawmakers said they would take a look at the beer/brewer regulations. Let’s hope they agree that an update is in order, one that should be done with business growth in mind, and respond with some legislation.

Let’s not forget what our cash-strapped state can come away with here – more revenue. Is it going to be a king’s ransom? Of course not, but New Jersey’s balance sheet is drowning in red ink, and it has been of little financial help to its towns and public schools for some time, as it tries to even out expenses vs income. So the state isn’t exactly in much of a position to be turning down an income source that’s both renewable and can be grown without having to jack up tax rates (like what's been proposed for liquor and wine taxes, and income taxes on wealthy people).

And part of that potential source, like we’ve been carping for a while, is the 7-cent sales tax, something everyone pays, so it’s not a regressive tax (like property taxes); it’s something that's evenly distributed. But there’s a wider picture, a trickle-down effect here, again as we’ve been saying a lot this year: Let the brewers sell more retail, beyond the minimum. The state will collect more in sales tax; breweries will move more beer, and if they move more beer, they’ll brew more beer, and the state collects more from the $3.72-per-barrel alcoholic beverage that tax brewers pay.

No one loses here. Not even the distributors or retail outlets because the breweries must rely on them to widen their reach and develop markets. Buying beer at the brewery is a convenience for the hordes of people who enjoy brewhouse tours each year, or have developed supportive relationships with the beer-makers and like to stop by.

And not to forget brewpubs ... They, as we’re saying yet again, should enjoy the opportunity to sign on with distributors and put their beer on the store shelves, provided they want to go to the investment expense to position themselves so. Conversely, production brewers should be allowed to also obtain brewpub licenses, and seek retail consumption licenses from their host municipalities (which can be a six- or seven-figure expense).

By the by, if you support the state’s craft brewers, you don’t have to wait on their efforts to make this case. You can write your own district lawmakers and pitch the argument.

It’s all about helping to trim the state’s bottom line and make the business climate fairer for the folks who make good beer for you.