The Beer Genome Project » beer

Oregon Proposes a 1900% Increase in Beer Tax

Mike VanDelinder — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:37:42 +0000

The brewers of Oregon are currently enjoying the 4th lowest beer tax in the nation, at $2.60 per 31-gallon barrel. However, a recently proposed bill aims to raise those taxes to $49.61 per barrel. This change would place Oregon at the top of the list for state beer taxes.

The taxation on malted beverages hasn’t changed in Oregon for 32 years. Currently, the state is battling with budgets and requires funding for alcoholism prevention and treatment programs. The bill explains that alcoholism and other substance abuse costs the state $4.15 billion in lost earnings, as well as $8 million in healthcare costs.

According to Representative Ben Cannon, consumers should expect a modest price increase of 15-cents on 12 ounce glasses, and 90-cents on six-packs of beer. However, brewers are warning that in order to keep price margins constant, the cost to distributors will increase, who will in-turn raise prices for consumers.

Prior versions of the bill had exemptions for breweries that produced under 200,000 barrels per year, the most recent version of the bill does not discriminate.

A New Collection of Glasses

Mike VanDelinder — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:52:09 +0000

When you visit your local brewery or brewpub, make sure you check out their merchandise collection. I recently took a trip to Duluth and Superior with friends where we ate out at a place called Thirsty Pagan Brewing. It was an awesome little joint with delicious pizza and, more importantly, their own beer. If you come across the restaurant, you can buy your beer (for $5) and buy a Thirsty Pagan pint glass for a dollar more. Great deal. I have started my own little collection of pint glasses, gathered from an assortment of breweries. To my name, I only have 6, but I am only one guy. These are great pieces to celebrate your exploration of the world’s finest beers. Drinking beer out of a bottle is for parties. But if you are taking the time to relax and share a beer with friends, make sure you have pint glasses for all. The proper glass allows the beer to aerate as well as let the aroma flow freely, all a part of the tasting experience. Not to mention, friends tend to ask about the brewery whose name is stamped upon their glass. They are conversation pieces and promote discussion about your beer selection. Glasses from each brewery tend to come in all shapes and sizes, so stock up on several appropriate styles of glassware for your tasting needs. These microbrews are meant to be enjoyed and talked about, so present each beer in its appropriate glassware, and sip it as if you’re at your favorite pub.

Anheuser-Busch will stop alcoholic ‘energy’ drinks

Shawn Horton — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:05:08 +0000

From the article (read it here):

Story Highlights

Busch will remove caffeine and other stimulants from its alcoholic energy drinks
Attorneys general found Busch was marketing the alcoholic beverages to minors
Anheuser-Busch to pay $200,000 to states that investigated the brewer’s practices
Bud Extra and Tilt “met all regulatory requirements,” read a statement from brewer

InBev offer not welcomed by Anheuser-Busch

Shawn Horton — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:38:22 +0000

As we begin this project regarding beer, I feel it to be essential to cover news media regarding brewing companies and my theory on an ever-closer emerging beer hegemon. With this offer by InBev rejected, there is hope (at least in my book) that Anheuser-Busch will remain, for now, the American King of Beers. Read more about the announcement here.

What’s all this fuss about beer?

Shawn Horton — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:26:49 +0000

I know I am going to have to explain myself to many people, including friends and family, when they ask why I care so much about beer. I have to try and drum up an answer; to me, it seems as elementary as why anyone would like anything else? Honestly, I’ve read that beer and brewing have been around for as long as civilization, in one form or another. I remember reading that the first beers were brewed because people didn’t have a way of making potable water. So, that being said, I think beer has a lot to do with culture, tradition, and history.

Each beer tells many stories:

How a beer style originated
Why a certain region brews a beer
What the different styles of beers mean and why / how they differ from one another
Why a a person decided to make a brewery

Many beers (or at least the original styles) are older than much of modern Western civilization. So, what better to study and appreciate than a beer?

I have began the journey to learn as much as possible about beers, the varieties, styles, and the ingredients, so I can eventually release a collaborative project with the intention of creating a community discussion around beer. Recommendations, descriptions, where to buy/find, breweries, and food pairings- all these things are eventual hopeful sections within the site.

So, I decided that I needed to create a list to chart which beers I’ve actually had. I thought that it’s best to start at the most basic level. From there, I hope to create pages for each beer, brewery, and type. But even by having a list, it’s already shed light on some great new avenues Mike and I hadn’t considered. First, the sheer number of different beers we’ve actually had. Second, the crazy world of corporate brewing (as you can see with the lists we created subdivided by brewery). I didn’t realize until recently that SABMiller, inBev, and CoorsMiller are edging ever-closer to a worldwide beer hegemony.

Yes, to many it may sound superficial and sophomoric to be even bringing world politics and global economic systems into discussion surrounding something as commonplace and oft-underestimated as beer. However, ask me anything you’d like about beer, and why I decided to embark upon this journey with Mike to create a site centered around beer. I can tell you. This site is far from complete, and the URL is unknown to all save a small quorum of close friends who are coders and significant others. But when this site finally reaches fruition (hopefully by the end of the summer) and goes into beta testing, please let me know if you’re interested.

I do know many people are interested in beer, more than just the standard “American” beers: Miller, Coors, and Bud. Some are even as interested as I am, and have quite a bit of personal knowledge about beers, breweries, and trips to Europe/Asia/Latin America where the beers are much different. That is why Mike and I originally began working on this project- to create an educated-yet-casual-dialog about beer, where people can join an online, organic movement to share the knowledge they’ve gained over the years with other beer aficionados, or people who just want to know a little more about beer.