The LDA: The issue is responsibility, not age

There's an editorial published at Forbes.com that's sure to raise some eyebrows. Will Wilkinson suggests that instead of lowering the legal drinking age, consideration should be given to doing away with it all together. This is sure to get a raised eyebrow from neo-prohibitionist groups like MADD, and even from those who support lowering the LDA to 18. Wilkinson explains:

UCLA professor of public policy Mark Kleiman, an ex-advocate of age restrictions, told PBS that he came around to the no-limits position when he saw a billboard that said, "If you're not 21, it's not Miller Time--yet." Age limits make drinking a badge of adulthood and build in the minds of teens a romantic sense of the transgressive danger of alcohol. That's what so often leads to the abuse of alcohol as a ritual of release from the authority of parents. And that's what has the college presidents worried. They see it.

That's not a new argument against the 21 LDA, but it certainly takes it more than a few steps further. However, the more interesting point of the editorial to me, is the connection to be made with driving and responsibility. This speaks to the original, and agreeable, purpose behind MADD, reducing the deaths from mixing alcohol and cars. Driving and drinking don't mix. I doubt you'll get many arguments there. However, driving and a car full of teens doesn't mix either. Neither does driving and texting, or putting on makeup, or reading a newspaper. Perhaps it's time to put the focus on responsibility when driving. Says Wilkinson:

Drinking by itself just isn't very dangerous. But driving is. Despite more relaxed drinking-age laws, the EU, according to Miron and Tetelbaum, averaged 95 fatalities per million inhabitants in the past decade while the U.S. experienced 150 fatalities per million. The big difference is that in many EU countries you have to wait until 18 to get behind the wheel. If you're worried about car wrecks, regulate drivers.

The consumption of alcohol isn't bad in and of itself. It's what you do in conjunction. So much effort from MADD and others is focused on telling us that young people aren't responsible enough to consume alcohol. The problem is that they aren't taught to be responsible for their actions. It's been my observation that most drunk driving arrests aren't of teens, but supposed adults. Teen deaths from car accidents have more to do with speed than alcohol.

The debate over the LDA in this country is heating up, thanks in no small part to the Amethyst Initiative. I am happy to see it brought to the forefront and editorials like this one will only serve to keep the conversation going. It doesn't matter if you agree with the premise or not. The first step in solving a problem is understanding it.

The complete Forbes article is here.

Hunting the Wild Hop

With all the focus on the commercially cultivated hops used in our favorite beverages, and the shortage of same, it's interesting to note that the common hop plant, Humulus lupulus, is found growing throughout the United States and Canada. The United States Department of Agriculture PLANTS database distribution map shows this perennial vine as being found in 45 of the lower 48 States. Three native varieties, along with one introduced form, are listed. Here in Virginia, the distribution covers much of the center of the state.

I'm not aware of any home brewers harvesting native hops, nor do I know what flavors would be imparted. However, it would seem probable that early colonists might have used the native plants in their beers. Brewers and brewsters throughout history have made use of native flora to flavor their fermented beverages.

PLANTS Profile for Humulus lupulus (common hop) at USDA PLANTS

Illustration from USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 1: 633

One Year of Musing

Today, October 6, marks the one year anniversary of the launch of "Musings Over A Pint." It hardly seems like a year has passed. Coincidently, this post marks my 300th post to the blog. Is there any significance to either milestone? Probably only to me.

What has the past year wrought? The first thing that comes to mind is the many new friends I've made through posting here. Some of those people I still know only via the "net", but more than a few I've had the pleasure of meeting in person. The folks who appreciate good beer are, in general, a friendly lot. I've thoroughly enjoyed the trips I've made and events I've attended. I think it's safe to say that I may not have been as active had it not been for the extra push that blogging provided.

Writing this blog has certainly been an educational experience. I've learned a lot over the past year. Of course, I like to think I've shared useful information and helped to educate others as well, and hopefully have introduced a few people to the pleasures of craft beer. I do know that a few of my friends have given up on frosted mugs! That in itself is sufficient reward.

What will the next year bring? Hard to say for sure. I hope to visit even more festivals and breweries. The Virginia beer scene is growing fast and I plan to continue to share that news as it happens. I will continue to discover new beers to enjoy. And most importantly, I hope to develop more new friendships with readers who share my interest in good beer. If there's something you'd like to see on this blog, your suggestions are always welcome.

Cheers. And thanks for reading.

World Beer Festival - Durham 2008

This weekend three friends and I headed south to attend the World Beer Festival in Durham, North Carolina. As Frank, Jerry and I did last Spring when we attended the WBF in Raleigh, we made a weekend getaway of it.

Cris, Frank, Jerry and I started our trip on Friday afternoon. Our first stop in Durham was Sam's Quik Mart where we stocked up on beers we can't buy in Virginia. After checking into our hotel, the four of us headed over to Tyler's Tap Room. Tyler's was highly recommended due to it's extensive beer list and the beer list didn't disappoint. We enjoyed several "flights" of assorted beers before settling on standard servings of beer with dinner. After dinner we moved over to Tyler's Speakeasy to spend several hours playing pool and enjoying more good beers. A WBF brewer's reception was taking place on the outside patio. Though I wasn't on the guest list I did get to talk to many of the attendees as they walked in and out of the party. During the evening I also finally got to meet in person Stephanie Kerchner from Flying Dog Brewery. Stephanie is the kind person who regularly sends me samples of new Flying Dog beer. She's an enthusiastic promoter of Flying Dog beers and events.

Saturday it was time for the weekend's main event. We had tickets to the afternoon session, noon - 4:00PM. After a hearty breakfast we walked over to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park about an hour before the starting time. When we arrived there was no line yet, but that quickly changed as folks started arriving and the line quickly grew and wrapped around the stadium. About 30 minutes before opening WBF staff came out to check ID's and issue wristbands. (A note to wristband volunteers, the wristband should not cut into the wearer's circulation. A few of us had our overly tight bands replaced when we next saw an ID checker.) Before the gates opened our bar-coded tickets were scanned and we were issued green admission tickets. Both of these pre-opening procedures serve to speed getting through the gates at opening time. Hope for a fast entry process was a topic overheard in the line, and those hopes were fulfilled.

Once inside we funneled down the stadium steps onto the infield where the tents were set up. The entire festival ground was covered by interlocking plastic tiles. This "flooring" provided a clean and comfortable surface. I spoke with Julie Bradford, the festival co-producer, about these tiles. She told me they were new to the stadium, and in fact, when used short term, are actually good for the turf. The tiles aerate the turf and prevent it from being compressed by all the foot traffic.

We spent the next 4 hours trying out new beers, and revisiting old favorites. It was also a good time to talk with friends, both new and old. I'm sure there were as many picks for stand out beers as there were attendees. I won't even attempt to go in to all the good beers. I don't take many notes while enjoying a festival. I was pleased to see that Old Dominion Brewing was in attendance and had brought along some "specialty beers." I was told that the special tap would have three different beers throughout the afternoon, though I only managed to get by the booth once, for the Bourbon Barrel Aged Robust Porter. This porter had a bourbon aroma and a smooth, roasted flavor. The bourbon flavor was reserved and well-balanced. It's nice to know that the brewers at Old Dominion are still producing creative beers. Dominion brewery gets a lot of grief from local beer lovers, a lot of it based on internet hearsay and emotion. However, the talented brewers there are still producing unique and special beers.

A brewery I was surprised to see represented was New Belgium Brewing Company of Fort Collins, Colorado. They sent just one beer, their Fat Tire Amber Ale. New Belgium does not ship any of its beers east of the Mississippi. Fat Tire is the most well-known of the New Belgium beers, but I would have like to have seen some of their other beers as well. Folks on the east coast frequently lament the absence of New Belgium beers, and the booth at the festival was very busy, even with just the one beer. I asked the person pouring the Fat Tire about their presence at the festival even though the beers aren't distributed here, and was told simply "Wait 90 days."

I met up with Thomas Vincent, who writes the Geistbear Brewing Blog. Thomas and I had arranged via Twitter to meet up. Between his trademark fedora and the bright orange shirt I wore we found each other easily. It's always fun to meet fellow beer bloggers and Thomas and I had an enjoyable conversation. I also ran into bloggers Lew Bryson, Jay Brooks, and Rick Lyke, though we didn't get to chat much.

There were close to 150 breweries from all over the US and many other countries represented at the 13th Annual World Beer Festival. There were many North Carolina and other eastern breweries in attendance. Despite the "World" appellation, the local beer community provides the foundation for WBF. This year's event location was changed late in the game to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The organizers did an exceptional job in putting together a well-organized and well-laid out festival despite the last minute change in venue. I was speaking with a beer industry leader recently who told me that, after GABF, the World Beer Festival in Durham was perhaps the next best beer festival in the US. I've not been privileged to attend a lot of beer fests, but I can say that WBF is indeed exceptional. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Pictures often tell a better story than words. I've posted some pictures from the World Beer Festival here.

Weekend Beer Events

The 9th annual Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest takes place in Arlington on Saturday. Also on Saturday is the World Beer Festival in Durham. It's too bad I can't be in two places at once as both of these events will be a lot of fun. I will be in Durham at the WBF and look forward to seeing many of you there.

In addition, these local retailer tasting events offer even more opportunities for trying out some new beers.

Friday, October 3 - 5:00 - 8:00pm
Total Wine, Fredericksburg
Friday 5 @ 5 Beer Tasting:
Wild Goose IPA, Fiddler’s Green IPA, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Wild Goose Pumpkin Ale, Saranac Octoberfest

Friday, October 3 - 5:30 - 7:30pm
Corks and Kegs, Richmond
Beer Tasting:
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Alvinne Extra IPA

Saturday, October 4 - 12:00 - 5:00 pm
Kybecca, Fredericksburg
Beer Tastings in 2 Locations:
William Street (Downtown):
Brasserie D'Oc La Mousska, Mandrin Biere au sapin, plus 1 Customer Choice
Plank Road (Next to Ukrops)
Brasserie D'Oc La Mousska, Mandrin Biere au sapin, plus 1 Customer Choice

Saturday, October 4 - 12:00 - 6:00 pm
Total Wine, Fredericksburg
Oktoberfest Beer Tasting:
Wild Goose IPA, Fiddler’s Green IPA, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Wild Goose Pumpkin Ale, Saranac Octoberfest and more

Saturday, October 4 - 12:00 - 5:00 pm
Rick's Wine, Alexandria
Beer Tasting
Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale, Bell's Cherry Stout, Bell's Expedition Stout, Lagunitas Imperial Red,

Every Saturday, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Blue & Gray Brewery, Fredericksburg
Beer samples and brewery tours

Please support the folks who bring us these events. Let them know there is an active craft beer community in the area. When you attend any of these events, tell us about it in the comments, and be sure to let the proprietor know you heard about it here.
Have something to add? Let me know, my contact information is here.

Event schedules subject to change. Call ahead before traveling.

Beer in Colonial Virginia

Frank Clark is the historic foodways supervisor for Colonial Williamsburg. He is also the author of a research paper entitled "A Most Wholesome Liquor: Beer and Ale in 18th-Century England and America". The dailypress.com, a Hampton Roads news site, has excerpts from the paper, and interviews with Clark, in "Brewing back through time":

Who was drinking beer back then? Most people — although it wasn't necessarily recognizable as what we think of as beer today. Servants and slaves were given weak beer as part of their daily ration, or as payment, Clark said. Inventory records from the Williamsburg governor's palace show that beer was being brewed on the grounds, and imported beers were being stored there. Home brew went to the servants. Imports were probably reserved for the governor, his family and friends.

Clark will lead occasional presentations this fall in Colonial Williamsburg. The demonstrations are held at the Governor's Palace scullery. In "The Art and Mysteries of Brewing" interpreters discuss the place of beer in colonial life, demonstrate colonial brewing techniques, and actually brew an 18th century-style beer.

See the complete article at dailypress.com for more information on colonial beer and the program at Colonial Williamsburg.

A Few Evenings in Denver

I spent a few days in Denver this week on business. As I usually do, I managed to work in some beer stops as well. On Monday evening, my first stop was the Great Divide Tap Room. There I enjoyed a Hercules Double IPA. Hercules is one of my favorite beers and since Great Divide is no longer available in Virginia, at least one stop at the Tap Room is a must anytime I'm in Denver. There's no food at the Tap Room so my visit was cut short by a need for food. I walked down to the Breckenridge Brewpub for dinner. There I opted the Breckenridge 471 ESB and a buffalo burger. I started playing football bingo and got sucked into Monday Night Football. I only managed to get through the first half since the time zone difference was catching up to me.

Tuesday evening started out with a quick dinner of Empanadas and a Great Divide Denver Pale Ale at Buenos Aires Pizza. One of my beer goals for this trip was to have Russian River Blind Pig and Pliny the Elder, both of which I've never had before. I strolled over to Falling Rock Tap House where I had been told both beers are on tap. Unfortunately the Blind Pig was out but they did have Pliny the Elder. I was very surprised by just how smooth the Pliny was. It was not as "extreme" as I had expected. There was no clue, in the taste anyway, that this is an 8% ABV beer.

On Wednesday, my last evening in Denver, I headed over to Great Divide once again. Even though the official release party wasn't until Friday evening, they did have this year's Fresh Hop Ale and Hibernation Ale available. (Thanks to The Full Pint for the heads up.) I enjoyed a bottle of Hibernation. This limited release beer has a mild toffee aroma with a hint of chocolate. The taste was mildly sweet malt with the hop bitterness coming through in the finish. I enjoyed it very much but there was time for only one. I did also have a sample of the Fresh Hop Ale. Since I had originally expected to miss the release of these two beers this was really a surprise treat.

After the short visit to Great Divide I caught the light rail to meet up with Josh Mishell of Flying Dog Brewery for dinner. Josh and I headed over to Great Northern in Denver's Tech Center. The beer list at Great Northern is pretty impressive, especially for a restaurant, and the food is excellent. I enjoyed another new-to-me beer, Deschutes Green Lakes Organic Amber Ale. The Amber Ale was smooth malt up front with a moderately bitter hop finish. We were joined by Neal Stewart, also from Flying Dog, and enjoyed a very pleasant evening talking about beer, Twitter, blogging, and many other topics.

I had a great time in Denver, as always. As luck would have it, I was there the week before the Great American Beer Festival. This timing of my trip to Denver is not unusual. Last year I ended up with a trip to Denver the week after the GABF. That's okay, there's always next year.

And now to rest for a day before heading to Durham, NC for the World Beer Festival.

October Giveaway

The response to the September giveaway was so good I decided to do it again. For October I'll give away one of the new pint glasses from Blue & Gray Brewery. The Blue & Gray logo is etched on to the glass so it will never wash off.

To be entered in this drawing, simply submit a comment during the month of October for any post on this blog. I'll select one submission at random at the end of the month. Each accepted and published comment will be counted as an entry in the drawing. Good luck and enjoy!

And the winner for September is ...

The randomly selected winner of the "The American Brew" DVD is Ryan Leaman of Fredericksburg. There were 54 comments posted in September, from 30 different people. Congratulations to Ryan, your DVD will be in the mail soon. Thanks to everyone one who participated.