Beer Haiku Daily

State of the Union
Flung my tallboy at the screen
Hops spring eternal

Written by Zach Hindin.

Thing of the day: Presidential Seal Mug

High atop Mount Hood
My personal beer summit
Far from politics

Photo and haiku by Captain Hops

References: Grab a handcrafted ale from the Mt. Hood Brewing Company at the Ram’s Head Bar on the second floor of Timberline Lodge, uniquely situated on beautiful Mt. Hood in Oregon.
Thing of the day: 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington, 3rd Edition

Beer has promoted
bipartisanship ever
since it was first brewed.

Written by Dave Undis.

References: I don’t mind helping myself to a little bipartisanship during the inauguration.
Thing of the Day: The New Big Book of U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts about Each and Every President, Including an American History Timeline

Patiently drinking
As the cacophony of
The brawl surrounds me

Written by Captain Hops.

Thing of the Day: The U.S. Constitution: And Fascinating Facts About It

Some beer, some whiskey
Generations arguing
An election year

Written by Captain Hops.

Thing of the Day: The Ultimate Beer Lovers Cookbook: More Than 400 Recipes That All Use Beer

Another cold beer
As I watch the spectacle
Who’s in it for me?

Written by Captain Hops.

Thing of the Day: The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing: Common Sense Rantings from a Raging Moderate

With stubborn reason
He tackles hypocrisy,
politics, and greed.

Written by Captain Hops.

References: Lew Bryson has begun a new blog with the single minded goal of abolishing the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). I live in Maryland, but I’m always eager to help out our neighbor up the interstate. Go get em, Lew!
Thing of the Day: Pennsylvania Breweries

They can have my beer
When pried from my cold dead hand.
Beer Tax fight? It’s on!

Written by Captain Hops.

References: Chris O’Brien over at the Beer Activist gave us all a heads up that Maryland State Senator Jennie Forehand has sponsored a bill to increase taxes on beer six-fold and on wine and liquor three-fold in the state of Maryland.

Ouch! Although it doesn’t look like she has any co-sponsors and the house hasn’t taken up any similar measures, we should all be vigilant. Find out the contact information of your MD elected officials and let them know how you feel about this ridiculous tax.

To be fair to Senator Forehand, it appears that she is trying to find a way to replace revenue that will be lost when they repeal the horrifically ill-conceived computer services tax. However, that revenue really should be offset by spending cuts, not by replacing one harmful and unfair tax with another.

If you live in Maryland, I highly recommend signing this petition and contacting your state legislators to repeal the Computer Services Sales Tax as well.

Of course, if the computer services sales tax is not repealed, I may very well move my family and my business (and my tax money) back to that beer oases – Portland, Oregon. And that is not a terrible outcome.

PS: If you want to volunteer for grass roots campaigns or keep track of Maryland legislative efforts that affect beer and wine you should sign up for email alerts from Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws. They haven’t said anything about this new attempt to over-tax alcohol yet, but I am sure they will let us know if it starts to gain traction.

Thing of the Day: The Campaign Manager: Running and Winning Local Elections (Third Edition)