Texas Is Working Overtime To Demonstrate Stupidity

So most people are familiar with the glass growler which is filled with beer at bottle shops, restaurants, and breweries and consumed off premises. The container is sealed with a lid after being filled and typically consumed soon after opening because the carbonation level is not maintained once the cap is off. Because a half-gallon of beer can be quite a large volume to consume in one sitting the industry has come out with mini-growlers which hold 32 ounces and are a little more manageable.

Oskar Blues developed a large 32 ounce can called a crowler which could be filled at retail and is essentially a single use aluminum can. So instead of carrying around heavy glass with a lid which might leak you receive a can which has a superior ability to omit oxygen and has a lower volume to consume once opened than a full-sized growler. It would allow a beer to be transported without any question as to whether or not it was an opened container and IMO has many benefits.

Texas bar owners were purchasing crowlers and apparently the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has taken offense to their use saying the retail use is equivalent to manufacturing beer. Have they lost their minds? So let me understand this fully, it is perfectly fine to fill a growler and place a cap on the bottle, but it is not fine to place a lid on a can? What if the growler had a crown cap instead of a twist top, would a crown cap be forbidden? To me this smacks of special kind of stupid and I hope someone will take them to task on this asinine decision.

Texas continues a tradition of stupid beer laws. Originally beer was not allowed to be sold at a brewery. At one time all beers had to have the word ALE on them. How dumb to make someone label a lager as an ale. The worst offender has to be Lefors, TX where it is illegal to take more than three sips of a beer while standing. Where’s the eye roll emoticon when you need one!

Innuendos – PC or Bad Taste

In the beverage industry, especially the beer industry, the names of beverages and campaigns have long beer filled with sexual innuendos which are juvenile and at times repulsive. There has been much discussion lately over what is and is not appropriate and IMHO one of the worst habitual offenders is Sweetwater. Another which catches flack is Flying Dog. I can certainly see why they do, for sure the names of some of their products are named to make people think of things other than beer. Personally I find few of the names offensive, but women in particular have mentioned finding several inappropriate.

Yesterday I happened to see a post for Treasure Chest by Green Flash. Now Green Flash Co-Founder is a breast cancer survivor, but can we really be offended by one brewery and not another? Is it ok to only speak about breasts in a certain manner if we are looking for a cure for cancer and not ok to look at them in another context? Would someone unfamiliar with the cause potentially find it offensive? Certainly the one which caught my eye was benign in many aspects, but I’m sure there are causes with innuendos which are not benign. I picked up a few using a quick Google search, Kegs for Cleavage, Big Boobs Tour, Brewers for Boobs, Beers 4 Rears, etc. I just don’t get something being ok part of the time and not the rest. If we can use references for causes with no offense then we should be able to use them all the time with no offense.

I am not saying there are not some beers with offensive names. What I am saying is people should grow thicker skin and brewers should name beers with less frat boy attitude and more intelligence.

Sugar + Red Wine = Port

So I was working on a recipe yesterday which called for sugar to be added and red wine. Since we didn’t have an open bottle of red around and I didn’t feel like opening any I grabbed the trash bottle of port and gave it a splash. We always keep a large bottle of inexpensive port in the cupboard and as we run into bottles which aren’t up to snuff in terms of drinking add them to it for cooking. It is awesome in stews and crockpot meals, but yesterday I needed it for some braised red cabbage and sausage. As always it came out stellar and I didn’t have to add sugar and didn’t have to open any red wine.

3-Gun Competition

I’ve not gotten into competitive shooting, but must admit I find it fascinating. I happened to catch 3-Gun Nation on Sportsman Channel and the competition was fantastic. About all I knew before watching the show was 3-Gun competitors use a pistol, shotgun, and rifle. I had no idea just how difficult the stages could be. If you can get Sportsman Channel check out the show.

If you are like me and know little about 3-Gun, The Truth About Guns had a great primer entitled Competition 101: 3-Gun.

Wine Bar Excursions

In our area there seems to be a trend toward wine bars and they come in a couple of flavors. One is the type with the vending machines which I despise. About a year ago we visited one which really did not have their act together and I wrote a post about it. Yesterday we hit one which had a different model, but still had those awful vending machines. Their model was a glass of wine for $8.50 from the list or you can do smaller portions with the vending card. Their wine list was filled with wines with retail price points of sub-$20 so affordable and approachable. My only gripe is paying $8.50 for a glass when the bottle was about the same price.

I much prefer a model where you can get 2, 4, or 6 ounce pours of the wines on the list with pricing escalating by sample size. There was a restaurant in Raleigh with that approach and unfortunately it sold out the location to developers and closed. So if there are any wine bar owners or potential owners taking note, know I don’t want your freaking vending card and find it irritating when that is my choice for sampling. Perhaps others like the cheesiness of if, but I find it off-putting. Pour my wine in a glass for me if you expect me to return.

GABF Thoughts

The GABF is this week in Denver and while it is on my bucket list of events to attend, the main reason I haven’t is the crowds and potential lines. I just don’t enjoy waiting in line anymore to get to the end and have something you find lackluster. It is fun running around with friends and everyone grabbing something different to find that gem at the booth, but to just go doesn’t feel like my cup of tea anymore. I would like to judge at the event so I should get my resume together because it can take several years to get a seat at the table if you even are able to get one. So for those at the event I am jealous, but I also am glad I’m not having to fight through a crowd!

Forbush Hunter Safety Teams – 2015 IYHEC Champions

I grew up in a rural NC county with a small population which today is still relatively small. The entire population of Yadkin County is less than the town I currently live in and when I was growing up it was less than half what it is now. In High School we barely had enough people to fill out the football team without playing ironman, our wrestling team was missing weight classes, but it was a good environment in which to grow up. Being rural you could basically go outside and shoot the gun without bothering anyone. I can remember using an oil container, the ones made of cardboard, as a clay pigeon and throwing it myself to shoot with the shotgun.

Over the past few years the local schools have made a name for themselves in the International Youth Hunter Education Challenge hosted by the NRA. This year the event was held in New Mexico at the NRA Whittington Center and the overall winners were from the High School I attended and the local Middle School. Congratulations go out to the Yadkin Patriots from Forbush Middle School and the team from Forbush High School for their achievements.

Macallan 18 YR

It is rare you get to try something amazing when it is out of your price range. Last night I happened upon a decently priced ounce of Macallan 18 which retails for $250 a bottle. It was nothing less than amazing, but I doubt I will shell out $250 to bring a bottle home. Maybe one day when I am super rich I can afford to drink this like water, but for now it will have to be when it is around for a reasonable sum. Luckily I still have that bottle of Macallan Cask Strength to savor and enjoy!

R51 – Crickets Chirping On Replacement Pistols

I had not thought about the Remington R51 since January until I came across a blog post entitled “Remington R51: Impending Demise?” on Guns Holsters and Gear. The last I was aware Remington was planning to ship new models with the issues corrected. Apparently they have figured out bupkus and those who sent in recalled firearms are still without their pistols. That is just plain bad. Assume someone with limited funds decided the gun for them was the R51. They shot it and it performed poorly and then they sent it off to Remington for a repair and now they are still sitting waiting on the firearm. In fact the Remington website still has the 2014 notice on it with zero updates.

Long time readers know I was excited when the firearm was first introduced. Then it became clear it was larger than first reported. Then the problems started and I am so glad I didn’t waste any money on this firearm. Perhaps one day they will bring it back from the brink, but I don’t plan on purchasing one until the issues are all addressed and it has been proven reliable by others.

Deer Farming, What Is The End Game For Troxler?

I gotta admit I am not currently a hunter, but I admire those who do hunt and use the meat or those who hunt varmits. GRNC has been putting out alerts on something which I find a bit disturbing. Apparently there are those who deer farm in NC and they are trying to strip cervids used and sold for commercial purposes (aka deer farming) from the authority of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and put it in The Department of Agriculture. What happens on these farms is canned hunts where people pay to kill the “farmed” animals. So now we would be taking the act of hunting and making it part of a department focused on production. From what I can tell this deal seems shady. It’s tucked into Senate Bill 513 in Section 14.

Now GRNC has said in the recent budget compromise which passed they already funded the “captive cervid” program for the Dept of Ag and SB513 hasn’t even passed. I smell a rat. I also don’t get what the end game is for Troxler. The deer are typically genetically altered to have massive antlers sometimes so large the animals have difficult raising up their heads. This is not a good move for NC and Troxler should decide if it is something he really wants to be involved in with his department and for his future as Commissioner. We voted you in, we can certainly vote you out!