Foothills February 2016 Hop Of The Month

The February Hop Of The Month for Foothills is Mandarina Pilsner. The 5.4% ABV beer was crafted with German Mandarina Bavaria which according to the Foothills website was derived from Cascade. To me the hop flavor presented as mostly lemon with a fruity aspect from the hops, but a clean fermentation characteristic. It was nice to see the hop in a pilsner setting where it could be showcased. I don’t think I would be able in most beers to definitively say it was Mandarina, but at least know I understand the flavor Mandarina presents. Good job!

lemony citrus

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Admits Breaking The Law!

Apparently the Mecklenburg County, NC Sheriff has no problem breaking state law and not approving Pistol Purchase Permits (PPP) in a timely fashion. State law requires Sheriff Irwin Carmichael to either approve or deny a PPP in 14 days yet he is taking six to seven weeks and word on the street is that delay may increase to 6 months. Why is a Sheriff allowed to break state law and get away with it? Where is the Attorney General telling him to step up to the plate? I suspect a suit will be filed by Grass Roots NC as soon as they are contacted about the story. Anyway, grab the popcorn folks and watch the show.

Virginia Concealed Reciprocity Is Assured

In January we posted about the bipartisan agreement to maintain reciprocity, yesterday SB610 was signed by Governor Terry McAuliffe and concealed carry reciprocity with other states was assured as a result. Below is what passed, for NC CHP holders please remember you must display your permit and photo ID upon demand by a law-enforcement officer. Also keep in mind in NC you have a duty to notify. In VA you don’t have that duty, but it isn’t a bad idea as a means to prevent confrontation.

§ 18.2-308.014. Reciprocity.

A. A valid concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license issued by another state shall authorize the holder of such permit or license who is at least 21 years of age to carry a concealed handgun in the Commonwealth, provided (i) the issuing authority provides the means for instantaneous verification of the validity of all such permits or licenses issued within that state, accessible 24 hours a day, and if available; (ii) except for the age of the permit or license holder and the type of weapon authorized to be carried, the requirements and qualifications of that state’s law are adequate to prevent possession of a permit or license by persons who would be denied a permit in the Commonwealth under this article. The Superintendent of State Police shall (a) in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General determine whether states meet the requirements and qualifications of this subsection, (b) maintain a registry of such states on the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN), and (c) make the registry available to law-enforcement officers for investigative purposes the permit or license holder carries a photo identification issued by a government agency of any state or by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State and displays the permit or license and such identification upon demand by a law-enforcement officer; and (iii) the permit or license holder has not previously had a Virginia concealed handgun permit revoked. The Superintendent of the State Police, in consultation with the Attorney General, may also shall enter into agreements for reciprocal recognition with any state qualifying for recognition under this subsection such other states that require an agreement to be in place before such state will recognize a Virginia concealed handgun permit as valid in such state. The Attorney General shall provide the Superintendent with any legal assistance or advice necessary for the Superintendent to perform his duties set forth in this subsection. If the Superintendent determines that another state requires that an agreement for reciprocal recognition be executed by the Attorney General or otherwise formally approved by the Attorney General as a condition of such other state’s entering into an agreement for reciprocal recognition, the Attorney General shall (a) execute such agreement or otherwise formally approve such agreement and (b) return to the Superintendent the executed agreement or, in a form deemed acceptable by such other state, documentation of his formal approval of such agreement within 30 days after the Superintendent notifies the Attorney General, in writing, that he is required to execute or otherwise formally approve such agreement.

B. A valid concealed handgun permit issued by Maryland shall be valid in the Commonwealth, provided (i) the holder of the permit is licensed in Maryland to perform duties substantially similar to those performed by Virginia branch pilots licensed pursuant to Chapter 9 (§ 54.1-900 et seq.) of Title 54.1 and is performing such duties while in the Commonwealth, and (ii) the holder of the permit is 21 years of age or older.

C. For the purposes of participation in concealed handgun reciprocity agreements with other jurisdictions, the official government-issued law-enforcement identification card issued to an active-duty law-enforcement officer in the Commonwealth who is exempt from obtaining a concealed handgun permit under this article shall be deemed a concealed handgun permit.

2. That within 60 days of the effective date of this act, the Superintendent of State Police shall enter into agreements for reciprocal recognition of concealed handgun permits or licenses with states where such agreements were in existence as of December 1, 2015, as required by the provisions of this act.

Water

You know what all beverages have in common? Water! As I was getting ready this morning I got to thinking if we aren’t thinking conservation when we use water one day we might not have any beverages to drink. Water is used in the production of every beverage at some point and we need to do what we can to ensure we have plenty of water for the future. So the next time you are thinking of taking an extra long shower or leaving the water on while you brush your teeth take a slightly shorter shower and turn off the spigot until you are ready to rinse and we all can have one more drink!

Be Open When You Say You Will Be Open

I found a new pet peeve last night. We knew a certain brewery taproom closed at 9pm based on passed experience and so we made an effort to get there shortly after 8pm. Our actual arrival time was about 8:20pm and there were several people inside. As we went to the main door it seemed to be locked, so we checked the side door most people use and were greeted and told they were closing early due to it being a slow night. Inside were at least six people and they would have picked up three more which would probably have rendered it 25-33% capacity so how the heck is that slow. Crap like that just gets under my skin. If you have operating hours, operate during those hours. Suppose a group of say 10 was with us, now you are talking being at 50% capacity in a matter of minutes. I must say this taproom let me down and I let them know on Facebook. I guess from now on I’ll keep in mind to be there before 8pm on a weekday or to skip it altogether.

Instructor Text Scam

Back in 2012 I posted about receiving an email scam, apparently now they have graduated to trying the text route according to Guns.com. I haven’t personally received anything, but be aware if the email or text seems fishy it is probably a scam.

New Draft ATF Forms – Suppressors Still NFA

Of course I knew suppressors were NFA items and had not been removed from the list, but the draft ATF Form 4 made that immediately clear. In truth it is a draft form, basically your CLEO no longer has to sign off on the transfer, they simply review for any “red flags” on the form. I wish we would get to the point suppressors were no longer considered NFA items, but I just don’t see that anytime soon. If anyone is interested, comments on the draft form will be accepted through April 18.

Happy National Margarita Day!

Today is National Margarita Day so belly up to the bar with a refreshing margarita and celebrate!

CARBOY Shamrock Open Judging

March 5 is the CARBOY Shamrock Open, if you have not signed up to judge you can do so on the registration page. Entry registration is closed, but you can still sign up to judge.

BJCP Exam No Shows And Last Minute Cancellations

Back when I was the admin for several exams it always seemed there were some who would become MIA just as the exam time came. People either would not show, or would bail a day or two before the exam. Then I started taking a modest deposit and it improved a little. Finally I started taking a serious deposit and still had one person not show on the day of the exam. That deposit did add accountability since examinees now had skin in the game, but it didn’t stop the problem of people cancelling at the last minute. There are good reasons to cancel if something comes up unexpectedly, but just cancelling because you didn’t prepare well shouldn’t be even considered, especially with the taste exam. Just discuss what you perceive and that is all that is required. If you do the best you can, you probably will achieve a passing score and perhaps a good to great score. The bottom line is if you bagged on an exam at the last minute you are a drain on the system and were taking a seat for that exam someone else probably wanted, but because of your last minute decision to wuss out it will be vacant. Don’t be a wuss, man up (or woman up) and take it if you scheduled it!