Have New York craft brewers (and drinkers) been 'shelted'?

"Shelted" is a word Canadian blogger Alan "A Good Beer Blog" McLeod made up three years ago, and from the context, I'm guessing it means "being asked to pay a premium price for a beer imported by Shelton Brothers." (Alan's a bit obsessive on price/value in beer, and the Shelton line is not noted for being underpriced. Update: turns out it's quite a bit more than that, if you'd like to have a look, and thanks to Alan for explaining. ) Or maybe something similar, but vaguely more crude; you can do the interpretation. Anyway, Alan tweeted this today:

"Once or twice I have used the word "shelted." All of New York may now know the feeling." 

The link goes to a New York Post story about a new interpretation on New York taxes and fees that were no longer being applied to small in-state brewers, thanks to the outcome of a lawsuit brought by Shelton Brothers, whose beers were liable for the taxes and fees. Quoting from Russia Today (sorry, RT.com...), here's the story in more detail than the Post explained:

Until recently, the first 200,000 barrels of beer produced by a company within New York were exempt from taxes that were imposed on other ale importers. Starting immediately, however, those small-time brewers who only produce a limited number of delicious nectar each year will be taxed on each and every barrel — to the tune of $4.34 apiece.Additionally, brewers in New York that produce fewer than 1,500 barrels will now be forced to pay a $150 label registration fee. 

First, label registration fees are bullshit, and shouldn't even exist; if they do, there should be some kind of blanket fee for multiple labels. The state should be ashamed for charging these; they're like points on a mortgage; just a fee the state charges because it can.

But the taxes? $4.34 a barrel is 14 cents a gallon, hardly one of the big state excise taxes, but it amounts to a lot of money for a small brewer. A brewer making 5,000 barrels a year will pay an additional $21,700 to New York; a hefty, unplanned chunk. Apparently New York City imposes an additional 12 cents a gallon (shocker, right?), so you're getting into real money here.

But let's take it in a different direction. The Post asked around -- maybe, they're not clear about who they actually asked -- and got this: "It wasn’t clear how much more consumers will pay, but industry workers predicted that the cost of a local beer will rise at least $1 for every pint."

Really? If that's true, then the addition of  26 cents a gallon in tax, which means the brewer is paying an additional 3.25 cents a pint, is going to cost consumers eight friggin' dollars. Which, my friends, is yet another reason why excise taxes are stupid and regressive. You're getting hosed, the state's not even making that much money, and the three-tier system's raking it off. Hell, they're mad at Shelton Brothers? They ought to build them a statue.


But the main point here is this: should New York beer drinkers be pissed at Shelton Brothers for increasing the price of their beer? Or were the brothers Shelton simply getting justice after getting burned by paying taxes New York brewers didn't have to pay? I would say that this is a 21st Amendment issue. If New York wants to charge different taxes on alcohol producers in-state, well, the 21st Amendment gives them the right to do that. And if not, and that means New Yorkers have to pay too much for a glass of beer, they need to tell their legislature that the beer excise tax is too damned high.

But it's the court's fault, and ultimately the law's fault, not Shelton Brothers'. This is not a level playing field, and the laws make it that way. We win by fighting the laws, not each other. Until then, I can't fault a brewer or importer for trying to level things out through the courts.

New York Breweries update nudges closer

I went to TAPNY over the weekend, had a LOT of great beers from some excellent new New York breweries (the top two awards went to breweries under a year old, Crossroads and Barrier (and well-deserved), and I enjoyed the hell out of the beers from Greenport, too), and saw a phenomenal level of support for the state's brewers. So I'm in final negotiations on a long-overdue update of New York Breweries. There are over 60 breweries in the state now, with the Finger Lakes region and Long Island leading the growth, and again, some truly excellent beers being made. Going to be a lot of travel, a lot of work, but I think this is going to happen.

New York news...

For those of you who are lucky enough to have enjoyed Hutch Kugeman's brews at Great Adirondack in Lake Placid...you're about to be joined by a multitude. Hutch is leaving Great Adirondack (no worries; his former assistant Paul Fryman is returning from Snake River Brewing to take over) to become head brewer at Ithaca Beer Company, effective this weekend. Congratulations to Hutch and Ithaca: this is great for all involved. Looking forward to more success from all parties!

Killmeyer's: That's a lot of beer

There's a great place on Staten Island that I don't talk about enough, considering how I've probably been there more often than any other bar in NYC, with the possible exception of d.b.a. It's Killmeyer's Old Bavarian Inn, a great German joint that I've been enjoying for years, including one really nasty night of snow on Long Island when I holed up there to get my nerve and spirits back online before heading home. It's a place that resonates with me (mind you, parking can be a bitch), even though I've never been to any of their great-sounding events. Like, for instance, the one they're having this Sunday, which just sounds fantastic:

Our 10th ANNUAL OKTOBERFEST BEER TASTING-PIG ROAST will be held this Sunday afternoon at 2:00 sharp. Latecomers, even with reservations, might not get seats for this event. You can’t walk into the middle of this; it is a full program. Only pre-purchased reservations are guaranteed seats. This year we will taste approximately 30 seasonal brews. $35 includes beer and pig dinner.

$35? Thirty beers and a pig dinner? But wait, that's not all! You also get music!

THE HAPPY TONES, the Original Octogenarians of Oktoberfest, will be here not only every Sunday afternoon but also every Saturday afternoon during Oktoberfest. This Sunday, they are joined by JERRY COYNE and the HEIMATT-GRUPPER DANCERS.

Crap. And I'm already scheduled. One of these days...

BOHICA: higher booze taxes in Illinois, North Carolina tomorrow

After booze tax increases in New York and Massachusetts, now it's time for moderate-drinking residents of Illinois and North Carolina to celebrate being taxed more than their fellow citizens just because they like having a cocktail before dinner or a beer with the game. Taxes go up tomorrow in both states. I can only assume that New Dry organizations in the states and in the national hives (Marin, PIRE, yeah, I'm talking about you) are dancing with glee as short-sighted state governments pile on the pain by raising taxes during a recession.

I mean...a lot of these states have balanced-budget amendments. But it appears that to almost every legislator and governor, those requirements mean nothing about keeping spending in check; no, they're about a need to raise taxes. Sin taxes. Regressive taxes. I know the cries: "It's only a nickel!" (It never is: either it's a producer tax that ripples and expands, or it's a direct tax that's more by the time it gets to someone drinking good stuff) "Drinking is a luxury!" (So's candy, but there's no special tax on that. (Actually, there is: Illinois taxed that, too; see comments, below) Okay, pets are a luxury, and there's no tax on them!) "Drinking costs billions!" (Really? Check your figures. The whole booze biz also puts billions back into the economy.) "Drinking is a sin!" (Who let him in? I thought we got rid of you back in 1933. Anyway, your mom's a sin, but we don't tax her.)

Here's a cry for you: booze taxes unfairly tax lower-income citizens. Is that the kind of thing you want to do during the worst recession in decades? Way to go, Mr. Progressive.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania has apparently dodged the bullet again, if Governor Rendell's latest lame joke is any indicator.

"The media's low-paid and high consumers." - Gov. Rendell, joking in a Harrisburg news conference this week about the state budget and the politics that determined that an increase in beer taxes would not find support.

Genesee triumphantly returns to the Rochester skyline

Boston has the giant CITGO sign. Baltimore has the eerily blue Bromo-Seltzer Tower. Philly's PSFS Building's red marquee still glows, even though the company failed in 1992.

Rochester had a landmark sign, the Genesee Beer & Ale sign. But for the past 40 years, you could only see it in the daylight. One of the first things North American Breweries has done as the new owners of the brewery by the Genesee river (you can see the High Falls in the lower corner of the picture below, and the tanks of the brewery at the top center) is to repair that sign. As you can see in the video above, they lit the sucker up in July. It was a pretty popular event for the town, and a proud moment for the brewery.

Now...how about a nice cold can of Genny Cream?


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Yes, the Super Bowl. Oh, and drinking with Ron Pattinson, too.

I did manage to catch the last quarter and a half of the Super Bowl. I drove up to far northern NJ Sunday evening to meet Ron "I Love Dusty Brewing Archives" Pattinson, who was in the country for work. His real work, that is. Where's the man find the time?

I'd loaded the entire Beermapping.com database into Minerva (my Garmin GPS), and I was checking as I approached Ron's hotel. So when he walked into the lobby, and we shook hands and exclaimed over finding each other, I got right to business. "Don't know where you want to go, but Defiant Brewing is only about four miles away, and they're open for about an hour yet." Yes, he said (well, what else was he going to say?), and away we went.

I'd never been in Pearl River in the dark before, and I was a bit disoriented, but Minerva found the place. Neill Acer wasn't there -- hell, the man's gotta have a life, right? -- but the woman behind the bar took good care of us, tapping beers right off the tanks with those neat little clip-on taps Neill found. I had a Highland Stout (good, more body than I expected), a Little Thumper (nice, malty, a bit sweet), and a Muddy Creek Lager (darker and hoppier than expected, also good). 10 oz. mugs, so I was okay.

She was very good about letting us continue right up till closing time, cleaning around us, but we had to go. I aimed us for Andy's Corner Bar in Bogota, and Minerva whirled us there. We chatted about beer styles and beer writers (why can't they be bothered to do any research, Ron asked), and about Ron's history with the area -- he lived in NYC in the 1980s -- but when we got there, and crunched up the frosty sidewalk...Andy's is apparently closed on Sundays, which I didn't know. Damn.

I was going to head back to the hotel, figured we'd drink some of the bourbon I'd brought for Ron (he returned the favor with a a nice bottle of genever and a sweet little bottle of korenwijn), but then I remembered a place I'd come across when writing the New Jersey book, the Railroad Cafe in East Rutherford. It was old and a bit battered, and quite comfortable, and not far, so we went.

Surprisingly empty for Super Bowl night, but open! We grabbed space at the bar, I got a Guinness, and talked Ron into a Railbender -- I was surprised to find Erie Brewing's flagship at a bar in East Rutherford, but it was sufficiently different that I thought he'd like it. And he did, smacking his lips.

And...the game was on. The score was 20-7, Pittsburgh, which was just about exactly where I thought it would be: I was banking on Pittsburgh's defense, but didn't think their offense would explode. Then, of course, things quickly went into the crapper as Kurt Warner and the Arizona defense combined to completely upset the applecart. I think Ron was amused as I kept apologizing for focusing on the game, but I was completely wrapped up, and woo-hooed quite a a bit when Holmes pulled in that amazing toe-dragger to win the game.

That's when we found out that the fellow next to us wasn't just a fellow Brit ex-pat, he was a partner in Erie Brewing (or said he was, anyway: you never know in a bar), and was drinking a bottle of Presque Isle. He bought Ron a couple more Railbenders (I was on Diet Coke by this time), and we talked till 10:30. At which point...I had to call time. I'd been up since 5 AM, and still had a 100 minute drive home. So I took Ron back to the hotel, wished him a fond farewell -- he's really a hell of a nice, entertaining guy -- and drove home. I had the windows open, singing loudly by the time I got there to stay awake, but I made it. Nice to meet you, Ron!

Interested and Available, Governor Paterson!

An open letter to New York Governor David Paterson --

Dear Governor Paterson,

I understand you have a job opening for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. In light of some of the relatively unqualified people who have publicly expressed interest in the job, I'd like you to know that I am interested and I am available. I'm doing this booze-writing thing, but with the number of days off Senators get, and the number of aides you get to do the heavy lifting, I don't think it should interfere. It would certainly make it easier to write a new edition of New York Breweries, and require every library in the state to buy a copy.

I'm not just looking at petty perks, either, although unlimited access to that Senate Navy Bean Soup is a draw. I'd like to serve New York and the nation as The Senator From Beer. There are some excellent breweries in New York, and although you've given them the back of your hand lately with talk of putting the beer tax back up (after your sainted predecessor Gov. Pataki lowered it; you should inquire why), I'm sure once you appreciate the employment benefits from increased brewery business you'll be whistling another tune.

I realize it's not a new idea, what with Scoop Jackson having been the "Senator From Boeing," and I think Dick Gephardt was essentially the Representative from Anheuser-Busch, but I'd be more even-handed, and represent the interests of the entire industry. Even that Belgian outfit, you know, the big place up in Baldwinsville. Oh, and those Belgian guys in Cooperstown, too.

Before you dismiss my idea as not having enough to do with representing the people of New York, I'd remind you that Senator Clinton seemed pretty focused on the presidency from the start of her first campaign; the national media certainly seemed to think so, and she didn't disappoint them. She didn't even live in New York until she decided to run for the Senate. My wife's family goes way back in New York, and if Hillary claimed Pennsylvania solidarity based on a vacation cabin in Lake Wallenpaupack, I figure Uncle Johnny's place on Amity Lake, outside of Wellsville should count.

I have no interest in the presidency, either. I'd go so far as to say that if drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve. Sorry, but that's how it goes. I have my scruples. I refuse to run for office, because all that fund-raising you have to do compromises your ethics. I'll only accept an appointment.

But part of my appeal is that I'm not part of the paste-up new aristocracy that seems to think it has some kind of right to office. I'm not a Clinton, I'm not a Kennedy, and I'm not Ham Fish XVIII. I'm a Bryson, dammit, and we've never held any office, or expected anything handed to us because of something our father or mother or uncle did. Really, I think I have every bit as much right to serious consideration as the other "candidates."

And, lookie here, I have a blog. Which I understand you were asking about when you talked to Andy-boy Cuomo this weekend. I've been blogging for two years, and a lot of it's about taxes and policy. There's some serious thought for you.

Think about it, Governor. I could be your man in Washington. I mean, what the hell? Why not?

Sincerely,

Lew Bryson
Future Senator from New York

NYWF: Run up to WhiskyFest NYC

As I said, Cathy and I went up to NYC for WhiskyFest a week ago. We caught an afternoon train and got to the Marriott Marquis just in time to check in and run for a cab to get down to Union Square Cafe for dinner with the rest of the staff. Good thing we ran: we clocked up $6 just getting around the block! (The effect of the economy on the theater district seemed to be minimal...though I'm sure someone could argue that (probably won't, though, now that the election's over...) On down to Union Square!

Always a fun time going out with the Malt Advocate staff. The beer list, as mentioned earlier, was not deep, though I was able to alternate between the wholly acceptable Anchor Steam and Allagash White, depending on what I was eating. The wine types had an Italian white that they were apparently quite happy with. Cathy got a gnocchi appetizer that was quite good, a new standard for gnocchi for me (I love gnocchi, and now I love it even more). I got a plate of five cheeses (about an ounce of each), three of which were quite nice. My entree was a tough choice, but I finally got the branzino. It was quite yum.

Dinner broke up and it was a question: go to the hotel, go out for drinks around the hotel, catch the L train to Brooklyn and go to Spuyten Duyvil and Barcade, or go to dba. I'll go to dba, I told John, if Ray Deter's there. So John gets out the cell, calls Ray, and bingo, we were in a cab for dba: me, John, Cathy, and Jim McGinley (you may remember Jim from our Fado exploits). We grabbed a table by the front and got beers.

I got Ridgeway Bitter, which was just grand. Then Ray showed up and started pulling out beers. The first thing he did was throw on a small keg of Taras Boulba (from the De La Senne brewery), a beer the BAs have been frothing about and I'd been interested in trying. I got my wish, and was soon wishing I could have stuck with the Ridgeway. I thought the TB was thin, flatly bitter, and astringent; I'm hoping it's better in the bottle. The next one he brought out, Stouterik (also from De La Senne (did Dan Shelton just come to town?), finally did send me back to the Ridgeway for one last one: the Stouterik was, again, astringent, and uninteresting. We did have a great time talking and getting caught up -- long time since I'd hung out with Ray -- and finally got back to the hotel about 1:30.

Tuesday morning we met Thomas's godfather and namesake Tom Curtin for breakfast and a ton of conversation and catch-up (I'm godfather to Tom's son Michael Augustine), and then we got this shot.









We walked a couple more blocks with TC, then he peeled off for work, and Cathy and I went to M&M World. I love me some M&Ms, and it was a fun few minutes, especially when Cathy got into the M&M Analyzer and it told her that her color was "Silver" and that her outer shell was soft and needed re-structuring. (My color was "Green," by the way, and my energy is contagious. So watch out for my energy, baby.)

Hmmm...running out of battery. Guess it's not contagious for laptops. More later.

Dave Schlosser leaves High Falls

Just got a tip from a reader to check the Beercraft site (and yes, I've added it to the list, sorry I missed that one) for news of Dave Schlosser leaving High Falls in Rochester. I contacted Dave, and I'm sorry to say that it's true. He's left the building -- not necessarily his idea -- and will be thinking about where to go next.

Bluntly, this sucks. Dave made some very good beers there, like the Dundee Pale Bock and IPA, and was a breath of fresh air. He was a nice guy, very knowledgeable, and seemed like the right guy to put Genessee/High Falls on the Saranac path to regional craft brewery. I hope this is not a statement that High Falls is leaving that path. The other rumor -- which remains a rumor -- is that High Falls is prepping for a buy out. We'll see.

My apologies, by the way, for the low level of NY brewery news. I'll try to do better.

Chatham Brewing and the Peint o Gwrw

We left on vacation Thursday afternoon; dropped off Penderyn (first time at the kennel: traumatic for all of us) and ran up through NJ to the NY Thruway, across to the Taconic State Parkway, and peeled off just before the Berkshire Spur to go to Chatham, where there's a new brewery, unimaginatively called Chatham Brewing Company. I'd e-mailed the folks there, and learned that their beers were on at a pub in Chatham called the Peint o Gwrw Tafarn ("Pint of Ale"), a Welsh/English-themed place. And that's where we stopped for dinner.

It's a nice little place in a quiet little town, a dark wood bar and dining room, with a kind-of/kind-of-not Brit pub menu: Nora got lasagna, Cathy had a salmonburger, Thomas a burger, and I got fish and chips (real good, quite crunchy crust with moist fish inside). But you know, I didn't pick the place for the food. It was the Chatham beers. They had three -- porter, IPA, and amber -- and I got the porter. It was served too cold, but it warmed up and got real nice: full, dark, a stout-style straddler with roast and dark bitter chocolate notes, and a clean finish. Cathy got the IPA, and it was clean, but clumsy: possessed of a flat, harsh bitterness. But they also had the IPA on cask, and it came across much better: a touch of sour and sulfur in the nose, but opened up quite nicely in the mouth: not quite as blaringly bitter as the push version, some prominent ale-yeast fruitiness, and a clean finish.

All in all, a very nice experience. Chatham's already won a bronze at TAP New York, and I think they've got a good future if they can keep things moving.

Custom BrewCrafters to expand, bottle

Just saw this posted on BeerAdvocate. I have always liked the folks, the beer, and the business model at Custom BrewCrafters, a little brewery in a little town (with a big falls) in upstate New York. To see them doing so well (about 22% growth a year over ten years? Nice!) is a great indicator that things are indeed hitting a tipping point.

You can get a look at the plans here.