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CBS News
(AP) HARRISON, Ark. — Dee Gusewelle used to rail against the sale of alcohol, posting signs in her yard and encouraging neighbors and passersby to keep booze out of this patch of northern Arkansas.
But now that her county has dumped its ban on the sale of alcohol, she and her husband are doing something that would have been unthinkable — and illegal — just months ago: opening a liquor store.
“It’s not like it’s going to be Sodom and Gomorrah,” Gusewelle said as customers lined up to buy beer at the gas station where she worked this summer.
For years, cities and counties across the South have been quietly throwing out Prohibition-era laws banning the sale of alcohol. But as local governments confront ever-greater budget problems, many are now tapping into booze as a source of untouched income. That means towns where preachers once condemned “demon rum” are now counting on six-packs and cheap wine to make up for declining revenue.
“It’s the same thing with the lottery,” Gusewelle said. “People didn’t want that. But then I see avid churchgoers that come in on Sundays and buy their lottery tickets.”
In Harrison, a city of 13,000 tucked between tourist attractions in the Ozark Mountains, stores began stocking beer and wine earlier this year. Liquor stores are slated to open in the coming months.
The city hopes to collect up to $200,000 a year from alcohol-related sales taxes and fees once spirits hit the shelves. That will account for about 1 percent of the total annual budget.
Local officials say the availability of alcohol encourages visitors to stay longer — or at least long enough to polish off a beer. Lodging is up 25 percent so far this year compared with the same period in 2010, when voters approved a measure to shift the county from “dry” to “wet.”
When the area was dry, many tourists cruising along the region’s curvy highways kept driving after realizing they couldn’t wash down a rack of ribs with a cold brew.
Now convenience stores peddle lagers and ales, and a former feed store sells wine in flavors and colors that sound as if they belong in a bag of Skittles — wild cherry, sunshine pink, blue Hawaiian. Officials hope the change will also attract chain restaurants and other companies that typically avoid investing in dry counties.
“We’re a pretty poor county, and we just can’t afford to say we don’t want anyone’s business,” said Gerald Ragland, the city’s finance director.
But for years, they did just that. Anyone craving a cold beer or a glass of wine in Boone County had to cross the county line or head north to Missouri, where liquor laws are less restrictive.
After Prohibition ended in 1933, dry laws popped up in counties and municipalities across the nation. Like the laws they replaced, the restrictions controlled the sale of alcohol, not consumption.
“People are going to drink regardless,” Antone Zeller said before buying a 30-pack of Keystone Ice at the Harrison convenience store where Gusewelle worked. “It doesn’t matter how far you’ve got to go to get it. So you might as well just get it here and keep our money here.”
Zeller didn’t know what a dry county was when he moved here from Shreveport, La., about 15 years ago. But he quickly learned. For him, it meant a long drive to stock up on booze. And while he was out of the county, Zeller would often spend money on other things.
“We’d eat. We’d buy gas,” he said. “But now for the most part, all my money stays here.”
Some people who fought to keep the county dry say easier access to alcohol fuels underage drinking and raises crimes rates.
“Tax revenue doesn’t make up for loss of quality of life,” said Ralph Hudson, a real estate broker in Harrison who sought to keep the county dry, just as it had been for more than half a century.
Others share his beliefs and post them on church signs here. One, across the road from McDonald’s, told people that Jesus, not Budweiser, is the “light.”
But supporters of the change say forbidding alcohol did little to prevent problems — and sometimes contributed to them.
For instance, Zeller said, when he had to drive elsewhere to buy booze, he often bought in bulk.
“Normally, it actually worked out bad because I would drink more,” he said.
Fears that alcohol would overtake the community didn’t materialize, either.
“They thought there was going to be a bar on every corner,” said Terry Cook, who runs the visitors bureau. “But there’s not.”
There were alcohol-related arrests long before the county permitted alcohol sales, and there hasn’t been a spike since the law changed.
“Nobody’s drinking any more than they did, but they’re driving a lot less now,” Ragland said.
Elsewhere across the South, counties and towns that permitted limited alcohol sales are easing their laws, too, often dispensing with rules that prohibited sales on Sunday.
In Texas, 418 out of 542 ballot questions on alcohol sales have gone wet since 2004, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade group. And more alcohol issues are likely to appear on ballots this fall.
Besides addressing economic needs, the shift in liquor laws mirrors a change in consumer demographics since Prohibition.
“In today’s economy, consumers are out shopping on Sundays,” said Ben Jenkins, a council spokesman. “It’s inconvenient to have to drive to a different county to buy alcohol.”
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago. Add a comment
The Facebook Like Giveaway
If you visit our Facebook Beertaps.com Page and Like Us with the Facebook Like Button so that all your friends know, we will add a gift with your next order from Beertaps.com. Just make sure that you put the word Like along with your Facebook Profile Name in the comments section on your next order!
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Posted 9 months, 3 weeks ago. Add a comment
This is an awesome beer sign collection. Thought I’d share.
If you have a collection you’d like to share, join us at the Pub for Beer Enthusiasts, Beertaps.com Pub.
Posted 1 year, 6 months ago. Add a comment
Running beertaps.com has been an interesting ride that was more involved than I thought it would be. But, it has been fun. Each new challenge has presented an interesting and useful solution.
For instance, when I was asked about the kegerator a customer just purchased, I realized that there probably are more people out there who have the same questions. So, I wrote a report and published it on the site. Then, I wrote an article to let everyone know that I wrote the report.
That’s about the time the second question came in about keeping beer lines clean. Then, about home brew recipes. So, I kept writing reports to help people and I kept writing articles to make people more aware.
It started out as a big gaggle of reports that I finally organized into a Learning Center that is now populated with great stuff. From Home Brew Tips and Tricks to DIY Home Bar Projects, I keep adding to the learning center. But, I’m always willing to hear what you want to know. I have a form for questions at http://www.beertaps.com/contact.html
But, the recent interactive is the forum I created. It’s easier than a report to write a simple answer. Some answers aren’t as involved as putting an entire article together with pictures and everything. So, I populated the forum with a few items. But, it’s new.
I’d love to see some people on there soon. Start some topics and get some feedback. How else do you expect a forum to get started?
http://brewdrinker.com/thepub/
Hope to see you there!
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago. Add a comment
With all the right tools, equipment, supplies, hops, and tidbits included in homebrew kits… they are perfect for people to start brewing their own beer from the comfort of their own home. When starting out, you just want to first get to a point of brewing good tasting beer, and you can’t go wrong with a kit.
Before you go and run out to buy yourself a homebrew kit, you will need to consider your needs. So how much beer do you want to brew? How technical do you want to get? What flavored beer do you want? Etc… Then once you decide on all the important things, you will need a home beer brewing guide to teach you the essentials because quiet simply, the instructions that come with homebrew kits are useless at best. Then once you are well informed, it’s time to buy your kit, clean your equipment, brew your beer, and then drink it (in simple terms).
All hombrew kits are essentially the same in regards to the ingredients. You will get some malt extract, hops, yeast, and that’s about it. Usually if you wan to experiment with flavors, you will need to change the extract that you use and you may even use different sugars to get different consistencies within your beer.
Once you learn the ropes, then you may up the ante and progress to partial mash brewing which is harder than the standard beginner kit, but gives you a lot more control over your beer’s taste. Partial mash brewing is a lot more hands on as you are boiling more ingredients for set amounts of time to get certain bitterness, and other qualities. Using an extract kit is almost easy as 1-2-3, whereas partial mash brewing gives you the brewer more creative control… you must have previous experience with the basic kits before you progress onto this technique.
The hops are what determine the bitterness of your brew. You can then add the hops later in intervals to give your mix the difference from your neighbor’s – who also has an all-extract kit – beer. To give you a better ambiance while pouring youself a drink, some kits even have a keg system instead of the usual bottles.
It doesn’t matter how far you want to take your home beer brewing hobby, but it is important to start with homebrew kits to get the hang off things as you learn. Take it one step at a time and before you know it, you will be brewing world class, award winning beer from the convenience of your home or garage, or wherever you choose to stage your home brewery.
Homebrew kits will help you get started and become an expert at brewing beer at home. Luke Porter is an expert brewer who is happy to share the in’s and out’s of brewing kits available in the shops today.
Posted 2 years, 3 months ago. Add a comment
Over the years, American home brewing has changed with the times. It used to be illegal to brew beer at home, then America was the top producer of beer worldwide, and now the recession has hit hard forcing many companies to shut shop. Now we all know as times get tough, people turn to the bottle for comfort… but the brutality off the recession has forced many people to reconsider their chosen drinking hole and replace it with a rewarding and extremely tasty hobby that goes by the name of “home beer brewing”.
As was mentioned, American home brewing has been very flexible through time. Back in the old America, home brewing was already a part of colonial lives. Even famous personalities such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were home brew aficionados.
However, there was a time of prohibition that was devastating to the American population. Prohibition meant that it was illegal to brew your own beer, and heavy fines where placed on people who broke this law… and what a shame that was… some people even went to prison for having a home brewery! Can you imagine a life without beer? Unfortunately the American people had to suffice and deal with prohibition. This then led to shop owners renaming all equipment so it couldn’t be associated with running home brewery and started selling it on the sly to hardcore supporters of brewing beer at home. This was quiet easy because the equipment is fairly standard, including buckets, hosing, pots, pans, and other tidbits. The only problem that did arise was a lack off ingredients, so any beer that was brewed tasted the same, no variation, just BEER! This didn’t stop people from brewing their own beer, but it was frowned upon, and there were serious legal reprocutions if you were caught… this kept the sapping and selling of home brewed to a minimum, with people happy to keep brewing for personal consumption only.
One of the pioneers of legalized home beer brewing was Charlie Papazian. He was the man responsible for teaching thousands of others how to brew their own beer at home, and obtain the permit they needed for doing so (as it was still illegal to brew beer at home without one). Some say that his work led to the laws eventually being completely relaxed, but it is unclear as most history is so. Nonetheless, 1935 was a great year for home brewers and changed the way the world views home brewing today.
But thankfully, in 1978, Jimmy Carter rescued the doomed souls of beer loving Americans and signed Senate Amendment 3534 allowing households to brew their own beer as long as they don’t go beyond 200 gallons a year. After the lifting of the prohibition on alcoholic beverages, it was home brew beer enthusiasts who worked hard to revive the brewing industry. Today, there are over 1,463 breweries in the United States, a much improved American home brewing state.
American Home Brewing is happening and booming today, so naturally it’s time to sit down, relax, and have a home brew. For those still not up to scratch with home brewing beer, click on the link to learn more!
Posted 2 years, 3 months ago. Add a comment
Home brewing is something which has been popular for many years. Still, those of us for whom convenience is the issue may find that we would much rather go to the liquor store and pay to enjoy beer brewed by companies who have done it for years, with equipment suitable for mass production. However, the thing about that kind of convenience is that you pay for it every time. It may not be much at the time, but add it up over a years worth of parties, games, dinners and nights out and it starts to amount to a lot.
Paying for your own beer brewing supplies may not seem to make sense at first, as you will think to yourself that you could have a few nights worth of drinking for the same price and not have to go to the effort of ensuring that your brew tastes like it is supposed to. However, the more you think about it, the better an idea it becomes. OK, so the cost is a little bit more than a few crates, but once you’ve got the kit you can keep using it, and when you find your supplier, beer brewing supplies can make more quantity for your spending than you would be able to buy for the same amount.
To some people, the idea of making their own beer is too much like hard work. That’s why we have major breweries to do it for us, is it not? Well, of course it is, but then again you could think of it this way – you can eat in a restaurant every night of the year, but you’ll save money and develop a skill if you cook your own meals. The longer you keep practising, the better your beer will get, and before too long you will have your own recipe which will be customisable to give you the taste you want every time.
Beer brewing supplies are easily sourced. Most larger towns will have a specialist store that stocks the required equipment and ingredients, but don’t worry if your town doesn’t as there are plenty of suppliers on the internet. In fact, buying via the internet may be the best option anyway as the prices tend to be lower. Do a little online research first to find out what you need. There are various beer brewing forums that are full of like-minded beer lovers who will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
Once you have bought the necessary equipment and supplies, you will just need to follow the instructions that come with them. It is simple enough, just remember not to miss out any of the steps. The best way to learn how to do something right is to keep doing it and get the technique down. Once you have the basics learnt, you can then start deviating from the standard processes in order to make your own special recipes. Brewing your own beer may sound like too much hassle but its really worth the effort.
Luke Porter is a home brewing beer enthusiast, and an expert author. You are invited to discover the simple secrets of brewing world class beer from the comfort of your home by reading his latest book, “Home Beer Brewing Secrets” – available online today!
categories: home brewery,home brewing,brew your own beer,beer brewing,home brew,beer,alcohol,parties,recreation
Posted 2 years, 3 months ago. Add a comment
Whether you start the life of home brewing by using a kit, or whether you jump right into it with all-grain brewing, you would have to admit that home beer brewing is the best hobby ever! All it takes is a little time, patience, and persistence to start and continue brewing the cheapest and best tasting beer in your neighborhood.
The equipment for brewing your own beer is a great gift idea for either father’s day, birthdays or Christmas and any other gift opportunities. And not just equipment but also different types of beer packages with all ingredients and recipes are a great idea.
Some Tips For You:
One – make sure you have allocated enough room to do your home brewing, whether it be a separate room, outside, or even your shed… you will need a dedicated area just as you need dedicated equipment. Also be sure to remember that all your gear needs to be properly sterilized and cleaned before use!
Two – be able to maintain a constant temperature in the fermenter at all times. There is a little secret to keeping the beer temperature constant which you can find in the website below.
Three – once your beer is fermented, you will need to properly store it and chill it so you may drink it. Just remember that home brewed beer has no preservatives in it, so it has a much shorter shelf life.
By investing some time in education and some money to get all your essentials to start brewing beer, you are ready to start brewing your own perfectly tasty suds like none other! Once you get the first batch down, you will see how easy it is to partake in this hobby from the comfort of your own home
Are you serious about starting your own Home Beer Brewing? Then check out the website below, you will find all the information you need to get you started as well as good practical tips and recipes. Have fun, Cheers.
The home brewing beer ultimate guide is your A to Z of brewing beer at home. One section is fully dedicated to showing you the ins and outs off brew kits, so you are always one step ahead off the home beer brewing game!
Posted 2 years, 3 months ago. Add a comment
If you are into brewing your own beer, then you need home brew supplies and lots of them. Although many shops offer a variety of products on home brewing, you still have to discern which among the many homebrew kits fit what you need.
The first thing that you need to know is how much beer do you actually want to produce? If you want to make around five gallons of beer then your brewing kit must be able to yield this amount. There are brewing kits that would give you this and there are those that won’t. Thus, when purchasing home brew supplies, make sure that you read the details attached to the items. It is also advisable for you to ask someone who works at the shop to help you if you need clarifications regarding home brewing products.
Some equipment that you will require include a fermentation bucket, bottling bucket, plastic hose, airlock, brewing kettle, airlock, and other relevant items for both brew day and bottling day. Just remember that these items need to be used for brewing alone… this means that you should not use your brewing kettle to make spaghetti Bolognese the night after you brew your beer, as doing so will contaminate your equipment and spoil your beer when you try to brew a new batch in the future.
Furthermore, yo will need to transfer the wort from your fermenting vessel into your bottling bucket if you don’t have an all-in-one model. Your best bet is to use an automatic siphon system as it is more hygienic and you have less chance of spoiling your beer. Other than that, you will also require the right caps and a capper to get those caps onto the bottles.
Then there are your actual ingredients to make the beer that you desire, as without these basic building blocks, you have the capacity to brew nothing at all. Apart from the basic ingredients off yeast, water, hops, and malt… you might like to experiment with different flavorings such as chili, or licorice to really spice things up and create a truly unique brew!
To control the temperature of your beer and therefore improve its quality and consistency, you need a thermometer that gives an accurate measurement. In addition, you should include a hydrometer in your list of beer making must-haves because this instrument keeps track of the beer wort’s density rather than water density. By doing so, the hydrometer is able to determine if the beer is fermented enough for bottling.
Cleaning all your equipment before brewing and bottling is an essential task, so make sure that you also purchase all the necessary sanitizing liquids.
In sum, brewing your own beer can be a whole lot of fun… but before you can engage in it you must know the 101 on home brew supplies.
If you desire to home brew beer, then you must have the correct home brewery supplies and equipment. Miss out on these and you will have a random set off things good for nada!
Posted 2 years, 3 months ago. Add a comment
Beer is one of the most prevalent drink that dates back to as old as Neolithic age. The beer brewing activity is becoming increasingly famous at domestic level. I should rather say that it has been taken as a hobby work shop by many beer lovers. No doubt a rich drink is what you get in home beer brewing that is really incomparable to all the tastes. All you need to have is a good knowledge of the preparation that is needed for the same.
Among the beer enthusiasts this activity is becoming well-liked day by day. Home brewing may include brewing of beer, wine and cider. For the unknown this can be a black art but believe me this process of turning grains, water, yeast and hops into beer is really a simple one. Rather the heroes in the whole process are the yeast cells that lead to a rich yield of a good beer. The activity may include seven basic steps: Mashing, Lautering, Boling, Fermenting, Conditioning, Filtering and Filling.
There are various home brewing kits available for this purpose that can help you in making the beer in an easier and convenient way. These kits usually provide a liquid or dry malt extract, yeast or the hop extract. These when reconstituted with water produce wort. It is the easiest method available as this doesn’t require boiling or other preparatory methods. You can add sugar according to your liking.
Though these kits can meet the standards as of a commercial beer but they are definitely not as good as the beer that is home brew made from all grain methods and malt extract. The real flavor of beer does lies in the indigenous methods adopted in its making.
Brewing beer at home can be exciting and cheaper than its commercial equivalents. You can yield a beer according to your taste and liking. It is environment friendly as it uses less packaging materials and transportation. There are various information sites available where you can get relevant step by step information about the home made brewing. This will definitely help you in learning this process in an easier style.
After reading this article I am sure that you must be planning to take this activity as a home practice. Hope you will surely enjoy the fervor of the drink with your family and friends!
Learn how to find out about all the secrets of making a better home beer brewing.
Posted 2 years, 3 months ago. Add a comment
