FW: June Meeting of the Ale Stars

FYI - News from the Duluth homebrew club. - Al Original Message: ----------------- From: Northern Ale Stars northernalestars(a)hotmail.com Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 12:55:33 -0500 Subject: June Meeting of the Ale Stars Hello Ale Stars. The weather has done a good job of shutting down all outdoor activity this month (and helped to extend the laggering season!), but we're going to think positively and set our sights on a warm June meeting of the Northern Ale Stars. Malcolm Davy and Cindy Spillers will be our hosts on June at their compound . The date will be June 11th at the normal 2:00 PM-ish start time. Along with the usual homebrew, snacks to share with the group, Malcolm asks that everyone brings a lawn chair, because it is going to be such a beautiful day, we will all want to be outside. The address is 111 Greenwood Ln in Duluth (218-728-5094). Future Meetings (Dates are still TBA): Dave Swenson will host the July meeting, which will include bocce ball and a theme. Dave would like everyone to bring a cheese to pair with their beer, so start thinking up some unique pairings (good thing this meeting will be held outside). Date TBA, e-mail to follow. In August, Laurie and I will host a "Harvesting of the Hops" meeting. Our hop's should be ready to be picked (they're Already about 3 feet tall), so bring along a bag to collect your share of the harvest. Date TBA, e-mails to follow. September brings us to the Celebration of the Harvest (a.k.a. Oktoberfest) which will be held at the traditional location on the Hoag Great Lawn. Word has it Lake Superior Brewing will be adding an Oktoberfest beer to their seasonal line-up, so expect it to make an appearance at the fest. High Court Rules in Favor of Mail Order Shipments of Wine May 17, 2005 - The Supreme Court handed a major victory to wine producers and consumers, striking down as unconstitutional state laws that had blocked out-of-state wineries - but not in-state ones - from shipping directly to residents. The court said that laws in Michigan and New York were unconstitutional because they were designed to give in-state wineries "a competitive advantage over wineries located beyond the state's borders." While the ruling does not mention beer, both producers and consumers expect that this will make selling beer through the mail easier. Wine industry members called the ruling as a victory for family wineries and consumers that will help smaller vineyards survive economically by opening new markets to them. "Wine lovers around the country should raise their glasses of their favorite wines to toast today's Supreme Court victory," said Tracy Genesen, an attorney with Chicago-based Kirkland & Ellis who also is the legal director of the Coalition for Free Trade, a wine industry advocacy group. "Consumers will have greater choice, lower prices and increased convenience in selecting and buying their favorite wines." Those who opposed broader direct shipping of wine, such as liquor wholesalers, distributors and anti-alcohol groups, said the battle is not over. They said they would encourage states that allowed direct shipments from in-state wineries but not from out-of-state wineries to simply ban all such sales. Beyond Michigan and New York, the decision will directly affect laws in six other states that allowed direct shipments from in-state wineries, but prohibited such transactions from those located out of the state. It also calls into question laws in at least 27 other states that had allowed some form of direct shipments. Of those, the states most likely to be affected are the 13 that offer reciprocal privileges - allowing direct shipment only from other states that also permit it. Minnesota is one of the 13 states which offer reciprocal privileges. -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .