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