Philly news...from Maine

Taken by Suzanne "Beerlass" Woods

As some of you probably already know, Nodding Head brewer Mike Fava is leaving the City of Brotherly Love for the pleasant living of Maine; he's taken a job at Oxbow Brewing, in Newcastle. Here's the press release.

Oxbow Brewing Company is proud to announce they have hired Mike Fava, a young brewer from Philadelphia's most award winning brewery, Nodding Head Brewery. Medals from the GABF and World Beer Cup were awarded to Nodding Head for sour beers during Fava's years at the brewery. In early July Fava will join Oxbow Head Brewer Tim Adams in the brewery as the company begins increasing production of its highly sought farmhouse ales to keep up with increasing demand.

According to Geoff Masland, Director of Business Operations, Oxbow’s search began and ended with Fava, the one brewer they considered a perfect fit. “We have doubled our fermentation capacity as we head into our second year in business, and we couldn’t be more excited to have Mike on board as we increase production. I’ve never met a brewer with a more solid portfolio of beers and proficiency at age 30. Adding Mike’s wisdom and technical virtuosity to Tim’s raw talent and creative vision will produce astonishing results.”

Fava has spent his career in Philadelphia, establishing a big presence in the city’s internationally respected beer community. Most recently Fava has worked at Nodding Head Brewery, where he’s brewed an extensive line up of beers since 2008. Before that he was at Dock Street Brewery where he worked nearly 4 years and played a vital roll in resurrecting the brand and building a new brew pub. Oxbow can’t wait for an extra set of experienced hands, as the brewery handles it's own production, sales, self-distribution, creative design, and is beghinning to grow experimental ingredients in its gardens and small orchard, with a hop yard under way.

Best of luck, Fava! And get some of that beer down here...

And Even More Bears...

As fate would have it, I just got an e-letter from one of my favorite bars anywhere, The Great Lost Bear in Portland, Maine. They're running a ton of Christmas/holiday beers right now on their big, beautiful tap system, and they're selling them for $2.50 a "pint" glass between 5 and 9 tonight. Oh, to be in Portland.

Early Election Results Going Well...

I mean about the Maine beer tax repeal proposal, of course. I told you about this back in June; the Maine legislature stuffed a big tax on beer and soda into a late-night session, to pay for a healthcare plan. I got nothing against healthcare plans per se, but as I always say: if it's good for the whole state, let the whole state pay for it, not just beer drinkers.

Well, the early projections are that the repeal of the tax is winning in solid numbers: 62% in favor of dumping it. The doctor groups in favor of the tax is taking it well: they're going to continue to support the program, but look for other sources of funding. Might I suggest a more broad-based tax that clearly states what it's for?

Mainers take beer tax increase to the polls

Maine's legislature recently raised the state tax on beer and wine, and added a "soda tax" on soda syrup and bottled soda. They were looking for funding for the Dirigo Health Program, a medical coverage plan for Maine's uninsured. They ran into problems raising the tax on cigarettes and putting taxes on snacks, so lumped the whole thing on beverages.

Now they've got a tax revolt on their hands. Mainers are going to the polls today and are faced with petitions to put voter initiatives on next year's ballot. Among the eleven facing them is one to repeal the drinks tax increase. Opponents are painting the petition as kicking the uninsured out of hospitals into the street, all for a cheaper glass of beer. They're also crying because the beverage tax petition makes no proposals for replacing the tax revenue.

Let's leave the controversy over Dirigo out of this; I'll just mention that there is controversy, and that, well, it's Maine and I don't fully understand it. Let's say Dirigo is indeed a good idea, which helping poor people in desperate need for health care usually is. If it's such a good idea, why couldn't the Maine legislature summon up the political support for a broader-based tax to fund it? A bump in the state sales or income tax? Why put it on the back of beer and wine drinkers, soda drinkers?

Why, because everyone knows that the folks who drink booze are all alcoholics and a drain on the state's medical resources. And everyone knows that soda-drinking leads to obesity and a drain on the state's medical resources. Why does everyone know this? Because the people who make a living off screaming about this have told them. Not that they'd be biased, or maybe present things in a slanted way to support their case...

Here's my view, the same as always. If Dirigo is a good idea for Maine, for all of Maine, then all of Maine should help pay for it. If the anti-tax petition makes no proposals for that, well, don't blame them, blame the legislature for using excise taxes when they should know better. Excise taxes on anything suck. They are inherently unfair. If I'm going to be taxed, it's only fair that I know everyone is being taxed; not at the same rate, but taxed.

So I'd tell Mainers to sign the anti-tax petition, then go home and write their legislators. Tell them that if they want Dirigo funded, man up and put it on the backs of all of Maine. Not just the people who like a drink.

Maine Street: the Portfolio column

It's "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" time on my Condé Nast Portfolio column. It's a piece that looks at the way Maine folks love their local beers, which gobble up an estimated 10% of the market, about three times the national average. Nothing earth-shattering, just a feel-good kinda piece.

By the way, the "friend" who suggested Rollie's to me is Todd Bross ("BuckSpin" on BeerAdvocate, which is where I met him), a PA transplant who is The Beer Guy at McKean & Charles, a wine store right on Rt. 1 in Waldoboro, with a growing whisky selection (biggest in Maine, and it was a nice selection. Todd's got a great beer selection going, too, very impressive, and good links to local Andrew's Brewing: he had beers I didn't see anywhere else in Maine. Some good cheeses and specialty eats, too: pretty cool store.