Results and Photos from 2009 OHF Homebrew Competition
Posted by Dan
We had a great time with the Oregon Heart of the Valley Homebrewer’s for their the 27th annual competition again this year. The turnout was very impressive and our atrium was full of brewer’s and their families. Congratulations to Thomas Anderson, Best of Show winner with his “Wee Nessy” Strong Scotch Ale! Check out all the results of the OHF Homebrew Competition Results.
Special shout out to Josh Gum, personal friend of yours truly, who placed 3rd in Specialty Beer with his unique Black IPA called “I Love This Black IPA!”
Give a shout out to your friends and their finish below in the comments!
dc, webmaster
Contact us if you have an event you’d like to have at Calapooia Brewing.
Tags: Albany, BrewFest, competition, Heart of the Valley Homebrewers, homebrew, Microbrew, Microbrew Festival, microbrews in oregon, Tasting
Oregon Homebrew Festival is This Saturday
Posted by Dan
The Heart of the Valley Homebrewers Oregon Homebrew Festival is this Saturday the 16th. This is the 27th annual celebration and we’re very excited to be hosting! Here are the details from their website:
The 27th Annual Heart of the Valley Homebrewers Oregon Homebrew Festival will be held on May 16, 2009 at Calapooia Brewing in Albany, OR. This is an AHA and BJCP sanctioned competition, and a qualifying event for the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB).
We will be judging the 28 2008 Recognized BJCP Beer, Mead, and Cider Styles. Join us on Saturday afternoon for a gigantic raffle, equipment swap, homebrew information, and more!
Festival Schedule Friday, May 15 7:00 pm New Judge Training Saturday, May 16 8:30-9:00 Judge Registration 8:30-11:00 Equipment swap registration/drop off 9:00 am Judging starts 11:00 am Equipment swap starts 1:00 pm Guest Speaker, TBA 2:30 pm BOS judging/Raffle 4:00 pm Awards Ceremony
See you Saturday and good luck to all the entrants!
dc, webmaster
Tags: Albany, cider, festival, Heart of the Valley Homebrewers, homebrew, mead
Clearing Up Misconceptions About the Proposed Beer Tax Increase
Posted by Dan
I recently spoke with Mark and Laura about House Bill 2461 and the proposed increase in beer taxes. Here are the important points that we need you to know about this bill, which has the potential to severely damage the Oregon craft brewing industry:
- Supporters of the bill argue it will increase costs about 15 cents per glass of beer. But what isn’t being communicated is that the cost is levied against the producer of the beer, not the consumer, which effectively makes this an excise tax, not a sales tax. In fact, Laura said the tax per barrel is currently about $2.60 and would increase to about $49 on a barrel that currently costs $270 ($135 per keg) wholesale.
- Consider that the price of a keg will have to increase accordingly to accommodate the higher cost, distributors, bars, and retailers will all be increasing price as well. By the time the increases reach the consumer, the cost of that glass of beer has actually increased as much as $1 to $1.50! This domino effect continues as beer sales decline and other costs increase unrelated to beer to make up for the lost revenue. As consumers react to the increase by buying less beer, entire businesses related to those supporting the sale of beer are affected.
-The tax unfairly targets only beer producers in Oregon to support funding for alcohol and substance abuse. A more acceptable solution would tax producers of wine and spirits as well.
As Mark said later, “If it were really only 15 cents per glass, I’d be in support of it too. But it’s a badly publicized misconception that must be corrected before Oregon’s craft brewing industry is devastated.”
Here is what others are saying about the increases:
From an OPB article titled Brewers Can’t Bear Beer Tax Proposal:
Right now, Ettinger [owner of Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland] says the tax equals about five percent of the cost of producing it.
He says the new tax proposal would send that through the roof.
Christian Ettinger: “It would represent the single highest cost to us as a beer producer. Higher than labor, higher than the cost of ingredients. It’s significantly higher and would really impede our ability to grow in this state.”
From the Gazette Times article, Tax would flatten Oregon microbreweries:
Whenever someone proposes to increase the taxes on something by 1,900 percent, expect to see words such as “safety” and “health” welded to the idea. Otherwise, it would obviously strike the public as outrageously greedy.
From KGW’s Website, Beer lovers line up against hefty tax at Salem hearing:
“We could see a $2.50 to $4 a six-pack (price) increase,” said Kurt Widmer of Widmer Brewing Co., one of the state’s largest microbrewers. “Beer drinkers, whether you want to argue the math or not, will pay an increased amount at a time they are all suffering as we are.”
Laurelwood Public House & Brewing Co. owner Mike De Falb said it was unfair that wineries and liquor distillers did not face a higher tax. He also said the tax should exempt smaller breweries like his own, as previous versions of the legislation have done.
If you would like to keep up with news about HR 2461 from a craft brewery perspective, check out Beervana, Brewpublic, and the Oregon Brewers Guild websites.
To tell your legislators that you oppose an increase in beer taxes, the Oregon Brewers Guild suggests the following actions:
1. Write your legislator – This may sound like something you’d hear from your grandmother, but nothing has a stronger impact on legislators than getting a good old-fashioned piece of snail mail. Take a peek at our template letter then customize and send your own version. You can find your legislator at http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/ and a list of Revenue committee members at http://tinyurl.com/crw2gj.
2. Get social – The Oregon Brewers Guild has created several social networking applications devoted to connecting consumers opposed to House Bill 2461. These groups are a vital online community and help spread the word when news and events happen. We’re on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/d6×6sn) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/NoNewORBeerTax). Sign up. Tell your friends.
3. Sign the petition – The Oregon Brewers Guild is collecting signatures for an electronic petition against HB 2461. This might seem self explanatory, but the more signatures we’re able to collect, the bigger the impact on legislators. You can sign it here http://bit.ly/8rB0Y. After you’ve signed it, you can generate additional support by sending a link to your friends and posting the URL on websites and/or forums.
Thank you for taking the time to hear the truth about this house bill. Sincerely,
Calapooia Brewing
Tags: beer tax, House Bill 2461, microbrew industry, microbrews in oregon, Oregon
Pictures from the Corvallis to Albany Bike Ride
Posted by Dan
Nick Hawley did an amazing job organizing this year’s ‘Get On The Road For The Trail’ bike ride from Corvallis to Albany. Over 150 riders made the trip, with their final destination at our brewery and pub. Here are a couple of pictures and you can see more pictures and video on the Albany Corvallis Bike Path web site.
Thanks to everyone who attended to raise awareness for this great cause, and cheers to Nick for continuing to be an advocate for green solutions!
dc, webmaster
Nick addressing the riders before leaving for Albany:
Riders making their way on highway 20:
Our pals John and Kelly finishing the ride and looking to quench their thirst:
Nick getting interviewed outside our brewpub by KVAL TV with over a hundred bikes behind him and in the atrium:
Tags: Albany, bicycle, bike path, Bike Ride, Corvallis, highway 20
Wrapping Up April with More Pictures!
Posted by Dan
I confess: I’ve taken more shots this month than I’ve had time to update the site! But before much more time passes I wanted to share pictures I’ve taken for Calapooia Brewing in the past couple of weeks.
Mark took me on a tour of the brewery highlighting the newly installed brew equipment. As you can tell, he’s passionate about his craft!
Here’s the new rig that will be able to transport more precious ‘Pooya nectar to your local watering hole
And here’s a couple quick pics from the Oregon Garden Brewfest last weekend
First picture is of Mark, Paul, and I. Next picture is a friend of ours, Alicia, who wanted to be pouring for us but pulled the Roots assignment instead. And finally that wonderful sausage!
Hope you enjoyed the pictures and hope to see you at our brewery and pub in Albany soon!
dc
Tags: Albany, BrewFest, delivery, fermenter, kegs, Microbrew, microbrewery, Oregon, Oregon Garden, Silverton, Willamette Valley
...