A Political Update and A New Beginning

Before we get started - it's official. DC Brau is the first commercial brewery operating in our nation's capital in more than 50 years! Find them on FB and on the Interwebs for great pics and updates.

On to the news of the day.  This is a bit of a good news-bad news piece on recent DMV brew-related legislation.

Maryland Poised to Increase Alcohol Tax: There's something about being below the Mason-Dixon line that makes state politicals act funky. OK, it's all politicals in all locales. Anyway, the folks at Heavy Seas have led the charge against a possible increase in alcohol taxes. It looks like this valiant effort is going to fail.

According to the Washington Times, which some people actually read, the tax is ready to pass. Don't worry Marylanders, this is probably the only tax increase you'll face this year. So, our recommendation is that you purchase your alcohol in DC, Virginia, Delaware, or West Virginia, or Pennsylvania. By our guesstimate, this really only screws residents in Baltimore. Everybody else seems to live/work close enough to a state or DC to avoid the tax.


DC Hearing on Allowing Samples Announce: We previously mentioned that inside the District commercial breweries are prohibited from offering samples on site. For half a century this was not a concern to anybody primarily because there hasn't been a commercial brewery actually brewing in the District. Well, now there is (see above) and they need to offer samples on site just like breweries in just about every other locale in the country.

The DC Council has legislation on the table to right this wrong. We'll say it's because of a need for due diligence but Councilmember Graham requested a hearing and his request was granted. The Human Services Committee Hearing will be held on March 31, 2011, at the Wilson Building - Room 412. Again, the bill is here. You can contact Benton Heimsath if you would like to testify. Don't hesitate to contact your Councilmember asking for their support of this bill.

Support DC Brewers!

Because the nation's capital has not had a proper commercial brewery in years you probably didn't know that it is against DC law for breweries to offer samples of their product on site (if you did know, well piss off). The fine folks at DC Brau have been working like a well-oiled K Street lobbying firm to get this changed. In fact, DC Brau tipped us off on their FB page.

On February 15, 2011, Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. introduced B19-0118, the Brewery Manufacturer's Tasting Permit Amendment Act of 2011. Councilmembers Wells, Alexander, Biddle, Evans and Brown co-sponsored the bill. The two-page legislation allows brewers to offer samples between the hours of 9:00 am and 12:00am, Monday-Saturday. The bill was referred to the Human Services Committee on February 16th.

The legislation was on yesterday's Council Agenda under item C - Reading and Vote on Emergency Legislation. According to the DC Brau FB Page, Councilmember Graham, the guy with the bow tie and goofy glasses, requested a hearing before the vote. The hearing will reportedly occur in April. So if you live in DC (and we do) contact your Councilmember (and we will) and make sure they support B19-0118. It couldn't hurt to call on Mr. Graham as well.

DC Brau Receives Label Approval

We're a bit remiss for not having posted this earlier in the week (back when it was news) but for the few who have yet to see it, below is the recently-approved labels for DC Brau's the Public Pale Ale.  Kudos to the good fellas at the Brau.  The labels are sharp.  We can't wait for the cans filled with beer to start rolling out.

Take a quick scan and you'll notice the label include "DC Statehood Facts".  Each of the DC Brau brews will feature statehood facts and you can contribute to the cause.  They still need facts for the Citizen and the Corruption.  Yes, you can win something but is there anything better than bragging rights?  Below are the qualifiers.

1-You must be 21
2-The facts must relate to one of the two topics
3-The fact must be written exactly as you would like to see it on the can
4-160 character limit (perfect for the Tweeters)
5-Deadline is December 6th and entries must be sent to cancontest@dcbrau.com
6-Don't use the DC Brau Facebook page to submit entries

Get more information at the DC Brau Blog.