"prohibition" news and stories

After Prohibition, individual states were allowed to set up their own legislation to regulate "demon drink," resulting in 50 different sets of rules for production and distribution. In most states, retailers (bars, restaurants, and liquor stores) and individual consumers were not allowed to purchase directly from producers in other states. Distilleries and wineries could only get their products to customers in other states by selling their merchandise to a wholesaler, meaning that wholesalers controlled what selections were available to the public in each state. Nothing could be sold without the wholesaler's willingness to purchase it and resell it. This system is known as the three-tier network: producer to wholesaler to retailer.

One of the ironies of this system is that that some members of the middle tier of the distribution chain were bootlegging before Prohibition. After Prohibition, their controlling power was still locked in place as the wholesale middleman in the three tier network. The situation becomes more alarming with about ten large wholesalers controlling more than half of the US market.

In a region better known for heirloom tomatoes and heritage pigs, a small craft brewery is reaching back to an 1840s recipe for its next beer.

Craggie Brewing Co. in Asheville, N.C., plans to start producing its Antebellum Ale later this week, following a few successful test runs that surprised even brewmaster Bill Drew.

"I wasn't a big fan of brewing this, but I actually really like it," admits Drew, who found his inspiration in a trio of beer recipes included in a business plan for a 1930s Statesville brewery helmed by his co-owner's distant relative. While it's almost certain Maj. William Allison never bottled the beer – his enterprise floundered in the face of a legal challenge from Chattanooga's Southeast Brewing Company -- a hand-written note indicating the beer's century-old antecedents intrigued the Craggie team.

The original recipe calls for spruce, molasses, ginger and "a gill of yeast." Since the beverage didn't include hops or grain, co-owner Jonathan Cort admits it's a stretch to classify it as a beer -- although he eagerly explored the possibilities of marketing Craggie's product as a gluten-free brew.

Happy Repeal Day! As I'm sure you know, today is the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition. For folks in my bizz, winemakers, brewers, and distillers; it's a big holiday. I heard that some of my local bars will be celebrating, although I wish I could make it to some of the big parties I've heard about.

The other day I got an email from Natalie Bovis-Nelsen, The Liquid Muse, a mixologist and booze blogger, about Repeal Day Parties around the country. I thought I'd like to share it with you. Then I did a little research on other party announcements. I read on Marketwatch that Dewar's is having Repeal Day Parties all over the country. The Business Sheet has some info about parties, and ProhibitionRepeal.com has a list of real Prohibition Era Speakeasies where you can celebrate.

Do you know of any Repeal Day Parties in your area?

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Wine lovers all over the country have reason to celebrate tomorrow: December 5, 1933, marked the end of the 13-year Prohibition on alcohol in the U.S. (Of course the resulting state-by-state laws are still confusing, cumbersome, and laden with politics, but individuals can speak up to their legislative representatives through the nonprofit organization Free the Grapes.)

During those long thirteen years of Prohibition, the California wine industry suffered. Most wineries were forced to close their doors, and those who remained open produced wines for medicinal and religious use. Farmers willing to ride out Prohibition fared a little better: each male was allowed to make 200 gallons of wine each year for personal use, so the demand for grapes around the country was fairly high, even as commercial winemaking all but disappeared.

This year, a new line of wines called Festival 34 was released to commemorate California's first harvest following the repeal of Prohibition 75 years ago. The wines include a Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, all sourced from California's Central Coast and made by C & B Vintage Cellars in Napa.

I'm usually skeptical of fancy marketing ploys when it comes to wine, because there's often an inverse relationship between the quality of the wine and the cleverness of the label. Festival 34 is an exception for three reasons. One, the concept is truly clever, as it calls attention to and celebrates the end of a terrible era for wine lovers; two, the label art is gorgeous and practically collectible; and three, the wines are quite good. The Chardonnay was too oaky for my taste, but I loved the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both are a great value for around $12-15.

I absolutely believe that moderation (called "temperance" in the old days), not prohibition, should be the buzzword with alcohol, and on the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in the United States, I raise my glass to the liberation of the vineyards.

One of my favorite traditions is the cocktail hour. It's not so much about starting a night of boozing early, but delighting in a drink or two -- savoring crisp flavor as a bookmark between the finished workday and the on-coming evening. It's an excellent end to the 9-5 grind that doesn't get much love these days, save for the myriad of old folks down in Florida and Jonathan M. Forester's tasty Cocktail Hour series here at Slashfood. But could the cocktail hour once again gain momentum?

The Toronto Star has posed this very question as money woes and governmental bailouts trickle into every area of news. Basically -- as financial stress increases, so does alcohol consumption, which is why illegal homebrews became so prevalent as the Great Depression hit during the end of Prohibition. A boozing lifestyle really isn't the way to go when life stress descends, but perhaps this can reinvigorate a more wide-spread appreciation for alcohol -- not as a tool merely for pub crawls and nightly debauchery, but for an appreciation of taste and a calming moment between work life and real life that goes beyond the high walls of so-called alcohol snobbery.

In a world where finances are in crisis, workdays often blend into worknights, and connection is often maintained through computers rather than oral communication, maybe it's time to make that break, end the day with a great cocktail, and try to relax and reconnect! Who's with me?