A Night for Menomonie to be Menomonie

Given where I went to High School, I should HATE people from Menomonie. I was taught to Fear them. You see, They had the better football team. The Fear was really a form of Respect.

Football is WAR. It is a Military Campaign with a short time table. There will be a winner and there will be a loser. You must understand this.

The People of the 1^st Nation used games to settle conflicts as well. WAR typically is not a good idea. All the time, effort, and money spent on WAR could very easily go somewhere else. That being said: WAR will happen. It solves problems.

Friday night was a time for celebration for Dunn County. The weather was nice and all the rich out of MUDDUCKS were out-of-town at Country Jam. Menomonie got a chance to be Menomonie. It was also a BEER release party for an Upstart Wisconsin Brewery.

A spiced blonde much in the tradition of the Belgians, this beer fit well with the summer heat. I look forward to having it again. Full Disclosure: “with yeast” beer at Das Bierhaus, coffee at The Raw Deal, “single feather” at The Den, shot of espresso at Legacy Chocolates, “summer beer” at The Logjam, (2) “Mississippi’s” at the Stout Ale House, and a bottle of Fanta.

The Firehouse beer dump in photos

Hipsters dump PBR.

...it’s like WATTS. Destroy something you love to prove just how angry you are. Of course the facts of this event can be called into question, but what is certain is everyone in attendance had a great time, met some like minded people, and drank beer.

A N.O.R.M.L. Thursday night was turned into a major cultural event. That doesn’t happen all that much. Take notice: If you declare a holiday people will celebrate. That simple. We don’t just drink for Badger and Packer games. Drinking in Wisconsin needs no excuse, but we’ll take one.

My hype of Jews, Vikings and “Other Whatnots” may have been out of line. Perhaps. That talk is what I hear when I subject myself to FOX “news.” HATETALK gets them attention. So why not me? The graffiti nearby made me feel safe. I had some threats throw my way in the days leading up to this event. Needless to say, I was a little on edge for the whole thing.

Be the change you see. Wisconsin needs to get its’ shit together. FAST. Bitching at each other is not working. We are a fucking joke to the rest of the world. Education, YES. Environment, YES. Health Care, Yes.

It is a smart move on their part to cut funding to Education. That way people will be stupid enough to elect these Fucks again. And again. And again. God damn it. They are Winning. They have more money and are on a mission from their Old Testament God to turn Wisconsin to Shit.

What does all this have to do with Beer, Wisconsin, or Music? Not too much, I guess. It looks like I’ve turned “wisconsinbeerun” into my own soapbox to bitch about shit. Which is fine. But not what I was hoping “wisconsinbeerun” would be.

I’ll gather some funding and support and come back with a more focused example of Wisconsin, Beerm and Music.

Origin of “Hipster”

The term “Hipster” is a reference to a poem by Ginsberg's epic poem "Howl", in which he celebrates his fellow "angel-headed hipsters" and harshly denounces what he saw as the destructive forces of capitalism and conformity in the United States, is one of the classic poems of the Beat Generation

The Beat Generation was a bunch of really creative people who traveled a lot and saw a lot of things.  They did not fit in.  But they hung out with each other even though they didn’t always get along. 

Too much information and not enough information are creating the same problem.  Don’t make an important decision under a timeline.  Breaking news is typically not very important.

The first thing “white” people did was “remove” the original people.  The second thing “white” people did was exploit natural resources for quick economic gain.  Only a few “white” people were able to benefit from this.  You can make a lot of money by exploiting people, or exploiting natural resources, and even more by doing both.

Manufacturing waved bye, bye to Eau Claire long ago.  If it is not made in China we probably don’t need it.  Also not a good idea to dump chemicals in a river.  Or promote family members who take advantage of the company plane.  There is a reason everyone hates you but no one will tell you that.

Fear.

You hire people with a limited skill set, exploit that knowing full well these people have no other option.  Move the company.  You will never expand out of the midwest and will be bought out by some Asian People.  You offer noting of Cultural Value to out city.

Eau Claire is now the Cultural Center of the world.  The middle class is the new Casa de' Medici. Since you do not like culture or the middle class we are asking you to leave. 

Beer in (Eau Claire) News

Sorry to be so specifically "Eau Claire" today. I recognize (unlike most of Hipster Nation) that a universe exists outside of this fine city. Despite being named "Madison" Beer Review, I try not to focus too much attention here (much like "Harvard" Business Review does not only report on Businesses that come from Harvard). But there were two bits in today's State Journal that I thought were interesting.

The City Council has extended the Alcohol Density Plan for the time being. Basically, this plan acts to put limits on things like:

- How many liquor/beer licenses can be issued
- What kinds of establishments can be issued liquor licenses
- How long the city has to fill "expired" or "returned" licenses

The plan puts a cap on new alcohol licenses unless the establishment falls within a "protected class" such as a "movie theater" or basically anything that isn't a "bar." The plan allows for up to seven new licenses in the Density Area (basically the Mt Simon area including all of Water Street) for such "protected" venues.

If this sounds like the city of Clearwater hates bars it's because ... well ... the City of Clearwater hates bars. They attract all the wrong sorts of people - habitual drunks, child molesters, and muggers. Thankfully habitual drunks, child molesters, and muggers never go to concerts, movies, or restaurants; we can safely allow alcohol there.

"We don't see any data that connects (the density plan) to reduced crime," said Mary Carbine, executive director of the city's Central Business Improvement District, at Tuesday's meeting. "We do see data that shows a tangible link between problem establishments and crime."

That's right. Beer doesn't molest children, people molest children. It is possible to serve alcohol in a responsible manner; it is possible to consume alcohol in a responsible manner. Rather than focusing on the "type" of venue that can serve alcohol, it makes more sense to ensure that alcohol is being served in a responsible manner. I recognize that it is far easier to just regulate the "thing" (alcohol) than the actual problem, but, hey, like my mother once told me, nobody said life is easy.

Speaking of the Nanny-State. Turns out we have a Mayor with a brain. Mayor Paul Soglin wants to repeal a law passed last year that would require the police to keep and distribute (with photos!) a "no serve" list. An establishment would be fined if it served someone on the "no serve" list. We talked about this law last year when it was passed and I noted that: "The only 'crime' is being drunk too often - and for that we, as society, are going to pre-emptively, maybe, possibly, prevent someone from, maybe, committing the 'crime' of panhandling while intoxicated for the seventh time."

Mayor Soglin's far more reasoned take is that we should actually look at the root of the problem. What?! I know. Crazy talk.

Soglin said he first wants to explore all options to help a small group of habitually intoxicated people get access to treatment.

Of course, this is, also, not without controversy. It is far easier to just say "No, Wille Horton. You can't have beer today. You've already beaten up 6 people." Than to say, "Hey, dipshit, stop beating people up and get some help."

Episode L: Velvet Rope

Episode K: DejaVu

Episode J: Minnesota Tan

Episode I: thatyalething

All this talk of War

All this talk of War might have might have you a little confused.  I am not trying to encite a riot, but rather pont out that part of intense pride in a culture means you dislike a nearby culture.  Typically a War is started by people playing on the emotions of others and finding out what they are afraid of then exploting that fear.

When a conflict starts that means people quit talking to each other.  It is intersting to see how one side talks about the other side.  Rember the Maine?  What is that all about?  Who was the Black Hand? Golf of what? WMDs? Slam Dunk? Living Space? This aggresion will not stand?  Bullshit, it is all bullshit.

When I was 18 I was able to share a beer with someone who excasped from a train bound for a Conceration Camp.  That changed my life.

I'm trying to get a new audience intrested in Beer.  There is a lot of history and thought put into some beers and a lot of money put into the marketing of others.  I ask why?  If something is a good thing shouldn't it sell itself?

I don't own a business and have very little money.  But I have a lot of time, a lirbary card, and passion.  Classes start for me in late August.  Then I have to put this project aside and focus on school.

I was unable to attend all that stuff the went down in Madison this Spring.  That's fine.  In America we tend to only talk about poltics with people that feel the same way and then talk down to people that don't.  Going after Beer in Wisconsin is not a good idea.  It shows you really don't know what Wisconsin is all about or ever care to.  Plently of people that are talking to me are not hanging out with me on an Election Night.

I'm trying to carve out a niche in the World of Beer Media.  I like to think I'm the Hunter Thompson of Beer Media.  Which is silly, because there will NEVER be another Hunter Thompson.  Him and Ralph had quite the thing going.

I can't wait to slow down a little and do a weekely half an hour radio show about beer on a local radio station.  A lot of people laugh at that idea.

I also would like to do a bunch of Grindhouse Propganda films about Wisconsin.  Right now these two projects are both called "wisconsinbeerun."  That is because I haven't established a reputation strong enough to make either one stand on their own. 

I think there is a lot of stuff to do with the "beerun brand" such as coloradobeerun, beerun of the pacific northwest, down under beerun, beerun.....eh, british isles beerun, beerun di italia...

Its a base formula that can be repeated again and again.  Wow, thats what your equpiment, Wow, that tastes good, Wow, you guys put that on your label.  Why is that? Really? Great.  Oh, whats that you have a mild dislike for someone diffrent than you?  Why is that?  My attitude is I get to talk to this person once so I better have my shit together and have questions to ask

I'm way more a photographer than a writer.  I like to be really diffrent than what everyone else is doing.  So it might seem like i'm spouting off a bunch of random shit at times.  I think of it as trying to make connections.

I talk about beer the way most guys talk about sports.  For both the same reason: It reminds us of our glorly days.  The best time in my life was backpacking around Europe by myself.  I got lost all the time and was exposed to so much culture.  I'm trying to pass that culture on to you.

Wisconsin has a lot of State Parks.  I went to everyone and took a picture of each one during the Summer of 2008.  I was working some lame ass factory job where every was talked down to and in turn hated their job.  They stay there because they have no other options.  That is my biggest fear: Hating my Life.

There is an intersting thing I noticed, some people who have a lot of money are not fun to talk to, and some people who have no money are loads of fun to talk to.  Good old, you may have more money but I"m smarter than you.  If you don't believe me put an art major next to a business major and listen for 10 minutes.

You can't take cameras in that Brewery in Chippewa Falls.  (Don't read too much in to not calling them by name.  I won't call any brewery by their name until they say I can.  Plus, most of the time the people I talk to have no idea and I end up saying the town anyways.)  Someone took some pictures of a tank and was trying to make a joke by saying it was a chemical it wasn't.  Never heard of that guy?  Thats because if you piss people off no one will want to talk to you.  You have to provide a body of work so people will know what you are all about.

Strong languague gets attention.  Offending people gets attention.  I'm trying to pull a little of the "World is Watching Wisconsin Attention" my way.  Remember, wisconsinbeerun is one person, therefore I can move a lot quicker than a group of people who have to run ideas past a filter. 

Pick something and be the best at it.  Just pick something and do it better than everyone else.

I'll starting my own "Protest of The Wisconsin Beer Purity Law of 2011 Facebook Event Page" give me 20 min.

no more "bat-shit crazy" stuff

I have a tendency to get over zealous at times.  I’m really passionate about Beer, Wisconsin, and Music.  I’ve been following this developing story since O’so made me aware of it several weeks ago. 

History is important to me.  I’m disgusted with the current state of “winner- take- all-American-politics.”   Abbie Hoffman, Angela Davis, and Woody Guthrie are heroes of mine and I’m trying to emulate them by being out spoken on issues I believe in.

Everyone in America should know who Lee Atwater is.  Watch the movie Boogey Man: The Lee Atwater Story.  I’ll leave it at that.

Dante Alighieri wrote in the “common language” of the people.  The Divine Comedy is great.  His enemies are put in hell and he describes their sins in life and why they are placed there and what their punishment will be.  It also rhymes.  The Life is Beautiful guy, Roberto Benigni, has a large portion of it memorized.

The Pail and Shovel Party is a rich example of Wisconsin history.  I won’t tell you all about it because I’ll ruin the fun you’ll have discovering it for yourself.

Leni Riefenstahl is also a hero of mine.  Again, I won’t tell you all about it.

Sacha Baron Cohen has changed the game on how to interview people.  Yes, The Daily Show was doing it first.  This trend is to trick people to say things to find out how they actually feel on an issue.

The Onion is another rich example of Wisconsin history.

2012 is going to be an eventful year for Wisconsin.

So I’ve taken all these seemingly unrelated ideas and created this “perfect storm” of an idea based around the American Revolution, which has been greatly mythologized in my opinion, and apply it to the current day.  Only it takes place in Wisconsin.

Let me bring you up to speed:  People of Wisconsin are upset due to high taxes and foreign rule, everyone starts bitching at each other, War is good for an economy, A War breaks out under shady circumstances as it typically does, and the heroes of the War are celebrated for generations to come.

Not everyone thinks this is a good idea.  Because War is not a good idea.  I’m trying to turn this all into a big joke.  I want to.  But I need the right people around me and we need to be properly funded.

That being said if people aren’t in on it they will think I’m serious and won’t want to be a part of it. 

I will always make it obvious I’m taking pictures and recording conversations.  Facebook has made the world transparent.  If something is not transparent you get a little paranoid and think something might be up.

So here is the outline for my project:  Politician inspires hope, gets assassinated, turns into zombie, goes to Italy to learn how politics really works, gets elected governor, and turns nation into Fascist state.

I’ll not say anything else about this project to the public to prevent a “War of the Worlds” scenario from going down.  The whole joke is I’m not doing anything new.

So right now my plan is to not do anymore picture taking or recording of conversations unless I have permission from the proper authority to do so.  

That being said I’m trying to be as transparent as possible with wisconsinbeerun as I can.  I post the interview in its entirety so if you care to listen you can hear the questions asked in context.  I really want people’s respect and if I start my career off with a gimmick I’ll have to work my entire career proving I really deserve to be where I am.

I first had the idea for wisconsinbeerun in the spring of 2004.  For 7+ years I’ve had to goal to create a definitive account of Beer in Wisconsin. 

The events of this past spring really got every talking about Wisconsin, which is great.  For the wrong reasons.  Seriously.  I just want to educate people what is happening by providing examples from history.  Spoiler Alert: It’s the same tricks being used to confuse people.

I think everyone knows where I’ll be Thursday, July 7^th and Saturday, July 9^th if anyone wants to talk to me.

Jeff McCabe         

Episode H: YES! The End is near

Episode G: whatsgoingon?

Book Report: BEER for PETE'S SAKE

Title: BEER for PETE’S SAKE The wicked adventures of a brewing maverick

Author: Pete Slosberg

Date Published: 1998 (1st edition)

ISBN: 0-937381-63-2 1998

Pete Slosberg, America’s maverick beer ambassador, has quite the story.  His three passions are beer, barbeque, and cigars.  He found out basically everything there is to know about those things and is passing the information on to his readers.

Basically a straight biography with some interesting side bars thrown in here and there, this book reads easy and moves fast.  Why beer? Wine takes too long.  How did you know you were a success? Finding a bottle cap of my when I was camping.  Stuff like that.

It is hardcover, cuz Pete is a classy guy and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Siris Books published it.  NERD ALERT! Siris is the daughter of Ninkasi.  They are out of Boulder, so next time you’re at Sunshine Daydream be sure to ask about them.

Moving Forward

Heathens of the East, I ask: Given your current lack of hard currency is your nation really prepared for “An Endless War with the Belgians?” 

Your actions of July 7^th, 2011 at The Firehouse are considered an Act of War.  We are mustering a militia to invade your capital at Brooklyn Center.

 Our Terms of Surrender are simple: a bunch of Prince/Pavement/Dylan Bootlegs, the “real” story of the Kenningstone Rune stone, dismantling of that small ball of twine, old school Wellstone stuff(unless that has already been destroyed), and never to mention the 1924, 1987, and 1991 baseball seasons.

Bucky Awakes

Here ye, here ye.  A CALL to All BADGERS:

Our Nation is amidst WAR.  A major economic power with a headquarters several thousand miles away continues to discourage our Industries and Culture, in their “Endless War with the Belgians.”  This is their new battle ground.

The Wisconsin Beer Purity Law of 2011 will not help Wisconsin.  It will make Belgian Beer harder to get and limit Local Crafters from Selling their Wares in a free market.  This is the foundation of our Economy and we will enter a “New Era of Disparity” if we do not act.

Come to The Firehouse dressed as those Purple People Eaters on Thursday July, 7th.  We will manufacture an excuse to declare war on the Mudduck Nation and draw up plans to invade their capital at Brooklyn Center.  These events should trigger a worldwide conflict which we are prepared for.

The Belgians are our Allies and they will help us when the time is right. 

Economy Undermined Yet Again

Russ Feingold, Herb Kohl, and their people are at it…AGAIN!!!  This time these crackpots are attacking honest, hardworking employees by dumping out the beer they work so hard to produce.  These Kikes are un-American and they want your job just to add more money to their overflowing coffers.

Mainstream media is not covering this like they should. NO SURPISE!!! They also control the media.  You only get to know what Heebs want you to know.  It will never change. 

Actions like this, is why we have no money.  We need to step up enforcement and punishment of our laws to maintain order in our nation.  We all know what “The Final Solution” to “Our Little Problem” will be.

The only value is in their teeth.  STOP AT NOTHING TO GET IT.

Mudducks pillage Eau Claire

A savage band of Norse Warriors pillaged, sacked, and razed The Firehouse, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, during Happy Hour on July 7^th, 2011.  These godless people were full of envy and attacked without notice the simple and hard working people of Wisconsin five months to the day after they won “Odin’s Game.”  The Good People of Wisconsin have won “Odin’s Game” four times.  The “Savages from East” have never won “Odin’s Game.”  This is the motive from the attack.

The Saga of the event reads like this:  4 days journey from homeland…. lefse rations running low…water no longer chemical dump once reached Prescott….Lake Monster spotted….Beautiful River near Maiden Rock, could build a city there and everyone would be happy with that river’s magical water…..Eau Claire reached….Battle Success…Great Axe and Slab of Bacon not found

Their chieftain Tavaris, who replaced an aging mercenary, felt he needed to make an additional statement by urinating on a very nice rug at The Firehouse.  That rug really tied the room together.  This aggression will not stand.

We must attack their stronghold in Brooklyn Center. 

The Firehouse is now accepting anonymous cash donations to raise 5,000 to fund a highly organized and public attack of this center of Mudduck culture.