LOCAL JUNK
If I correctly understand an article in the July 24th Rockville Gazette, Maryland state comptroller Louis P. Goldstein has proposed that brewpubs that want to brew for off-premise sales should be given a regular brewery license for a five-year period, after which they would have to choice between being a brewpub or a regular brewer. I may be wrong about this; the report is unclear as I don't think the unnamed author understands the difference between brewpubs and micros.
In other local newz, newly-opened pub and music venue Phantasmagoria in Wheaton has applied for a brewpub license, according to the July 26th Wash Post Weekend.
Finally, in the July issue of the Smithsonian Associate (not the magazine but a catalog listing museum events), John Mallett (listed as "a brewing consultant who has judged and won a medal at the Great American Beer Festival") will lead a tasting and simulated judging of "some of the winning beers from past beer festivals" on September 11th (how far past? how old the beer?; anyway, $25 for nonmembers), and "beer expert" Greg Kitsock will lead tours of brewpubs and micros in Phily on August 24th ($92! - includes lunch at Sam Adams) and in Baltimore on September 21st ($94!! - also includes lunch at Sisson's).
BEER BIZ
According to a May 29th Wash Post article by Rick Atkinson,German brewers have hit on hard times. With younger Germans reportedly more health-conscious than older, per capita consumption has decreased about 4 percent over the past decade. With prices forced down about 2 percent a year, 42 breweries failed in Bavaria alone in 1995, almost 600 in all of Germany since 1970, with projections of about 700 more going under in the next 15 years (leaving about 700 left).
ONLY IN WISCONSIN
According to Shella P. Calamba in the June 25th Wall Street Urinal (contributed by Betsy Perse of First State), Susan Sampson of Black River Falls in the wonderful state of Wisconsin has designed a 130-foot high, 34,000 square foot mall in the shape of a beer stein. She is now trying to raise $3 million for construction. The top floor would house a pub, and other floors would have shops, museums, art galleries, and perhaps a micro. "It's a functional piece of sculpture," according to the designer.
KING TUT'S BEER
An Associated Press piece printed in the July 13th Wash Post reported that the Scottish and Newcastle Breweries in Merry Ol' England has brewed 1000 bottles of a recipe based on information gleaned from examination of a kitchen complex in the Sun Temple of Queen Nefertiti, using an ancient wheat-like grain called emmer. Archaeologists based the recipe on grains and seeds left behind, beer dregs from excavated jars, tomb paintings, deciphered hieroglyphics, and examination of brewing rooms. Most of the bottles have been selling for $75, although two were auctioned off at the Indianapolis Museum of Art for $525 apiece.
IMPORTANT STUFF
There's been a lot of e-mail activity on the greyhound/hops problem, including a note by an Edie Rehkopf who lost a dog that way. The toxic agent has not been identified, and the best treatment is to induce vomiting if hyperthermia has not set inusing 1/2 to 1 milliliter per pound of syrup of ipecac, repeating until it works, then activated charcoal to neutralize the remaining hops, and valium to relax muscles. A drug called dantrolene should help. If hyperthermia has set in, it's too late for vomiting - try an antipyratic such as dipyrone (hope I'm spelling this stuff approximately right), charcoal and valium. Then a quick trip to the vet - but most of them are still ignorant of the problem. Symptoms occur about 8 hours after the hops are eaten, and after that you have about 5 hours until it's too late. Also, call the National Animal Poison Control Center at 1-800-548-2423.
