Remember you are in Utah - Bring Your ID

An elderly woman, 60 years of age, left Iggy's Sports Grill in Centerville without ordering, because she was refused a glass of wine. She couldn't produce a valid ID, and the restaurant owner now has a no tolerance rule in affect, after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars due to past trouble with the DABC.

Good job UDABC! you sure taught that small business owner a lesson!

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11318260?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Time for a hearty Winter Beer!

Here are some recomendation fromt the Salt Lake Tribune:

"Rooster's Holiday Rosemary Porter » Enjoy this dark beer with a steak or other hearty meat dishes. Available at Rooster 25th Street Brewing Co. in Ogden and Layton.

Uinta Anniversary Barley Wine » A dark amber beer with a rich, malty flavor. At 10.6 percent alcohol by volume, it is the strongest beer produced in Utah. Available in state liquor stores.

Wasatch White Label » This Belgian-style witbier has flavors of coriander and orange peel. It pairs well with lighter foods such as sushi, cheese and salads, pears, oranges, and other fruit. Available at state liquor stores and at Wasatch Brewery and Utah Brewers Cooperative.

Wasatch Winterfest Ale » A rich amber ale with smooth caramel malt flavors. Serve with roasted pork, turkey and cranberries, glazed ham, wild rice, and anything with gravy. Available at state liquor stores and at Wasatch Brewery and Utah Brewers Cooperative."

I like the Winterfest myself!

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11246568?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Hey everyone! Advertise your liquor! ...well not everyone.

It’s been some time since the law has changed to allow advertising of alcohol in Utah, but there still has been some hesitation. However Utahans are starting to see a change in this trend. People are starting to be a little less weary about advertising in Utah, and that is just fine with me. As a matter of fact, I know a good place to advertise… Right here at tributetobeer.com!

More info:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11188504?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

75 years free

It's been 75 years since the the end of Prohibition! Now lets try and keep it that way!

Drink beer for avalanche safety - Thursday

Canyon Sports and Red Rock Brewing Co. are co-sponsoring the inaugural Brew-Ski Bash, a fundraiser for the Utah Avalanche Center, from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the Canyon Sports store, 517 S. 200 West, in Salt Lake City.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11123496?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Slow Week

Here is a youtube video. It turns out, even vacuum cleaners like Guinness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AILBoWTdkQQ&NR=1

Disproportionate Punishment

People and businesses should respect and obey the laws of the land despite how dysfunctional, unenforceable, or just plain ridiculous the laws may seem. With that said, why does the UDABC continue to harass business owners who violate any one of the confusing liquor laws in this state? Just give them the penalty and be done with it!

An Iggy's franchise owner is the latest to feel the pain of wanting to sell spirits in Utah. "In 38 years of owning restaurants, I have held 35 liquor licenses and received six violations," said Ipaktchian. "That's six too many, but I have been unable to discover any absolute means of making sure that all 800 employees do not violate laws they know and understand." said Hersh Ipaktchian, who said he lost $150,000 to $200,000 in sales, as well as wages for the more than 80 employees at his newest restaurant.

Lets say Mr. Ipaktchian averaged even 100 full-time employees during his 38 years. That’s roughly 7.6 million man hours of labor with only 6 violations, or 1 violation every 2,311 days.

Yes, Mr. Ipaktchian, one violation is to many, and you should have to pay a fine for every one of them. But, the State going out of its way to make things harder for you is wrong.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11044211?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Voting does make a difference!

While I regularly find myself leaning towards the left on many issues, I made a point to vote for Gov. Huntsman on the 4th. He has been a supporter on a specific issue that tributetobeer.com is passionate about; the departure from out-dated, broken, or just plain ridiculous liquor laws.

Gov. Huntsman seems to have now made it a priority to get rid of the membership requirement to drink in certain Utah establishments. This has been a blight on Utah tourism dollars, and Gov. Huntsman is smart enough to see that. He also, doesn't seem swayed by the opposition's view that this will be a slippery slope to increased drunk driving, underage drinking, and overall crime. This is the message that organizations such as MADD would like you to believe.

So good job Gov. Huntsman! I'm glad I played a small role in your big "W" on the 4th.

a bit more on this story:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_/ai_n27961715

Could it be true!

Could drinking $1000 worth of beer and recycling the cans last year have paid you a bigger return than if you had purchased $1000 of AIG stock?

I'd like to think so, but check out the facts at Snopes.com

http://www.snopes.com/humor/business/beer.asp

Liquor commissioners behind closed doors!

Liquor commissioners don't seem to want to talk publicly about the Supreem Courts ruling to limit the police stings on bar patrons. Are these 5 commissioners plotting ways to limit YOUR intake of alcohol in other ways? Probably not, but one thing is for sure, they finaly met some resistence in Utah and they don't like it.

Thanks again to the Utah Supreem Court's ruling that "Police may no longer apply drunken driving standards, such as a flushed face or unsteadiness, to determine if a waiter has served too many drinks to a customer. From now on, police must have some circumstantial evidence that a suspected drunk poses a danger to himself or others before they can issue a citation for public intoxication."

see full article here:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10801279?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

How to Open a Bottle With a Ring!

I have never tried this personally, because I only own one ring, and it is of the wedding type. But, if you wear one that you wouldn't mind scratching up, this would indeed be a helpful skill to master.

Enjoy!

http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Bottle-With-a-Ring

Oh, it's the money stupid!

When frustrating political events happen in Utah. Like the discontinuation of selling "Malternatives" in the grocery stores. I often wonder, "where is the voice of the drinkers in this state?" So, I go and do things like, create an online community, with the intention of give a voice to the people (www.tributetobeer.com). However, I am often reminded that its not what the people want, its how much money the "people" can give the governing body to sway their perspective on things... Duh!

This article from the Salt Lake Tribune illustrates perfectly what I am talking about. "Big Tobacco" has a voice, because they pay for it. The question is, does Joe Six Pack have the money for an opportunity to say what they want to say?

Can I buy a vowel please?

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10875192?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Don't worry St. George, beer available tomorrow!

"Even though the state removed a ban on Election Day alcohol sales at restaurants for this year, St. George's ordinance on beer sales would still have been in effect without the council's Thursday action."

“State legislators, led by Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, pushed to have the ban removed last fall, saying the law had no rational basis and voters could simply vote after drinking at home.”

Hallelujah!

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10870668

It's Halloween! Time for Pumpkin Beer!

It is always fun to try the different types of pumpkin beer around this time of year. Want a shot at brewing some yourself? Here is a link that tells you how.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/pumpkin-ale-home-brew-recipe-and-commercial-microbrew-recipe

How to Chug a Beer!

There are a lot of good beers out there, but some are not so great. If your goal is something other than just enjoying the taste of beer, you may want to just chug it. Here's how-

http://www.wikihow.com/Chug-a-Beer

MillerCoors to discontinue Zima.

MillerCoors LLC has discontinued its clear malt beverage Zima, saying that the last of the existing inventory would be in stores until December.

Not much will change in Utah. We already pulled it from the shelves... for the wrong reasons... but it's gone.

Are other "Malternatives" to follow suit? We shall see.

http://www.theonion.com/content/amvo/millercoors_quietly_kills_zima?utm_source=onion_rss_daily

Good for a laugh!

It is good to know and understand the opposition. The Coalition for Ethics and Accountability in Government seems to be the imbiber’s opposition. Now that you know them, go to their site and try to understand them... I can not.

Their concern:
"Eliminating Utah’s Private Club Membership Law Will Increase Underage Drinking"

My concern:
Why don't we just enforce the law that states underage drinking is illegal?

What I agree with:
CEAG is encouraging everyone to contact Gov. Huntsman. I encourage the same.

http://governor.utah.gov/goca/form_governor.html

Want to brew commercial beer? It’s just that easy!

My guess is - especially in this state - that it is much harder than what it may look like in this wiki-How, but if it inspires you, please give us all another place to drink Beer.

http://www.wikihow.com/Brew-Commercial-Beer

Utah Supreme Court reigns in THE State Agency!

It's about time! Utah Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that stated techniques used for judging inebriated drivers are not fit to judge whether or not someone is publicly intoxicated. This is a big deal! Stings run by the UDABC have sited people who blow a .08 as publicly intoxicated, or worse, even if the accused never intended to drive. There is a big difference between someone deemed unfit to drive an automobile, and someone who is generally a danger to themselves or others. This seems like common sense to most people with any cognoscente ability, but now the obvious has been upheld by the Utah Supreme Court. Hopefully the UDBAC will now reign in their sting operations which were becoming a blight on lawful small business owners who want to sell alcohol.

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_10766983

Prevent Skunky Beer!

Obviously this is something that we here at tributetobeer.com are passionate about. Here is a link to a Wiki-how for some tips for keeping that favorite beer of yours tasting the way it is supposed to.

http://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Skunky-Beer

Of course we would like to add one solution... Sign our petition to put refrigeration units in the liquor stores.

http://www.gopetition.com/online/19931.html

The war over ridiculous liquor laws rages on!

The UDABC heard the same old argument this fall; that Utah should relax it's liquor laws in order to lure more tourism dollars to the state. A few things that head the list are Membership requirements, Zion curtain, and bar tenders not serving drinks over the bar. The opposition to any type of change was there in full force of course. Citizens for Families, the Coalition for Ethics and Accountability in Government, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and United Women's Forum were yelling the age-old battle cry, "what about the children?" My editorial answer; it's already illegal for them to drink!

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10594300?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Support Utah's Breweries at the Great American Brew Festival 10/9 - 10/11

http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/

LDS Church seems open to liquor law changes - for now

As the Utah Bar/Club membership war rages on, there maybe a light of hope after all. The LDS Church seems to be weighing in on the matter (while ever so sheepishly) in favor of dismantling the way things are done currently. Although the LDS Church stands for teetotalism, even they see that some of our liquor laws deter tourism, which hinders the Utah economy as a whole.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4286569

Beer drinkers take legal action against Bud to stop In InBev merger

"Plaintiff Barry Ginsburg said he joined the suit because he is worried how the deal might affect his hometown of St. Louis. He said plaintiffs in the case care about more than paying a little extra for their beer"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26647793/

Snowbird hosts Annual OKTOBERFEST! August 23 - October 5

http://www.snowbird.com/events/concertsnfestivals/oktoberfest.html

YouTube video showcasing the new Ale by Anheuser-Busch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGcqjJootQY

Score one for the good guys!

You can now buy your favorite high alcohol content drink at the source.

Liquor and heavy beers can now be sold at the place they are made, without having to physically go through the liquor stores. What does this mean for you? Fresher product, you keep the bottle, and we are maybe one step closer to ridding ourselves of the totalitarian oppression of the UDABC.

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Blog to Forum

This blog will be replaced with a beer forum. We at tributetobeer.com are working on worldbeerforum.com to give our users a truly diverse community of beer drinkers. Please check back often to catch the updates.

Thanks,
Ross Metzger
Cody McKendrick

What do people think about getting beer in coolers?

I am tired of paying a premium in Utah for beer that has gone bad!

The Utah legislature mandated that the UDABC be operated as a public business using sound management principles and practices.

What other business on earth could sell a limited, spoiled product at a price not competitive with other markets? None!