Week of August 9, 2009
Beer wins world accolade
The Pride of Oxford has been hailed the world’s best golden ale at the 2009 World Beer Awards.
The beer, which is brewed by Oxfordshire Ales in Marsh Gibbon near Bicester, beat competition from across the world, including beers from the United States, Australia and Japan.
Judging for the competition took place over five months and involved three rounds of tasting.
Courtesy of This is Oxford Hire
Belle Fourche denies pool hall beer license request
BELLE FOURCHE — A beer license for a proposed pool hall in downtown Belle Fourche was denied because of its proximity to a drug and alcohol treatment facility.
Mary “Lou” Marsh, the applicant for the beer license, told the Belle Fourche City Council at a public hearing Monday, Aug. 3, that she believed she was “getting picked on” in her application.
Marsh told the council, “I just want this really bad.”
She said other beer license applications had been “waltzing right through,” but her application had been cited because federal laws for handicap accessibility in restrooms would have to be met.
The pool hall would be at 600 Fifth Avenue — U.S. Highway 85 in downtown Belle Fourche. Marsh said she would have the work done when possible but said it would be slow, since she relies on Social Security for her income.
With six of eight council members present, a three to three split vote put Mayor Dave Schneider into casting a tiebreaking vote. He voted to deny.
Opposition came from Jim Fox, clinical director for Addiction Family Resources. That facility is separated from Marsh’s location by only a shared parking lot.
Fox said having beer being served across the small parking lot “is just nothing but counterproductive for anything we’re doing there.”
The drug and alcohol treatment program is a division of Inner-Mountain Family Resources, and according to its Web site, is accredited through the South Dakota Department of Human Services.
Fox said the operation employs 12 and has been in its current location since 1992, and has been listed as the second most effective in South Dakota, largely because of its location and the acceptance of the low-profile program in the community.
He said that although the center has been near downtown bars for years, “In the last few months, there has been an increase in verbal abuse” of clients.
“Our business is tough the way it is,” he said.
“Our clients — they work hard at this; … this just demoralizes us.”
Looking toward additional inconvenience next year with the Highway 85 project on schedule, Fox said, “It’s kind of borderline right now with this construction.”
Marsh responded, “I’m not trying to open this to cause problems,” and that parking would be no different than now.
She added that she would “never put up with that kind of stuff” Fox expressed concerns about.
Before casting his opposition vote, Councilman Henry Nore said, “I don’t think it’s the right place.”
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/08/09/news/local/doc4a7e752e015ad342052962.txt" target="_blank">Courtesy of Rapid City Journal
Man hospitalized after beer-bottle stabbing
An altercation that saw one man stabbed twice with a broken beer bottle in a southwest plaza parking lot Sunday (Aug. 9), has another man facing assault charges.
Police responded to a report of a stabbing at 850 Wharncliffe Rd., S. at 12:30 a.m., and upon arrival officers located a 26-year-old man with two minor stab wounds.
An investigation at the scene found the victim had been involved in an “altercation” with another male, 23, during which the suspect broke a beer bottle and stabbed the victim twice.
“The victim was transported to hospital where he remains in stable condition, being treated for two stab wounds,” police said.
Richard Christopher Coughlan, 23, is charged with one count of aggravated assault and two counts of failing to comply with a recognizance.
It’s summer time and man’s thoughts turn to beer
Here’s some new health research that beer drinkers will grab for as if it’s the last bottle in the case after the beer store’s closed.
According to a recent report, scientists have discovered that there’s no such thing as a beer belly.
To be more precise, researchers have concluded that the idea that beer goes directly to the abdomen, creating a protuberance of fatty tissue known as a beer belly, is a myth.
This is an outstanding, yet puzzling, revelation for people who must use a mirror to see if their socks match their trousers.
But, what the heck, drinks all round.
The research was done in Germany (where else) by a university, health institute and the government. Scientists looked at the waist circumferences, weight and beer consumption, over time, of almost 20,000 people (slightly fewer than an average night’s attendance at Oktoberfest in Munchen).
And, yes, the finding that stands out like a compact, foamy head on a crisp and well-poured German lager is that beer consumption does not cause weight gain that is localized on the abdomen.
Unfortunately, drink a little deeper of the study’s results and they make a bitter pint. Researchers say the reason beer doesn’t just give you a beer belly is because it’s too busy making your entire body fat, abdomen and all. Beer can’t affect a single body area alone,” the study found. Sigh.
And, unfortunately, whatever beer fat does take up residence on the abdomen can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
What’s to be done? Well, the researchers suggest cutting down on beer intake, which makes them sound a lot like doctors, spouses, family member or judges. Whatever happened to scientific detachment?
An alternative, they say, might be for beer drinkers to increase the amount of exercise they get. I’d recommend storing your beer in the refrigerator of a non-drinking friend who lives several blocks away, although the friend might not think it’s such a good idea when you drop in at 2 a. m. for a nightcap.
Courtesy of The North Bay Nugget
A beer worth risking a year in jail
Oak Harbor, WA – A 22-year-old transient who lives in the Oak Harbor area was charged with a felony after he stole a 12-pack of Corona beer from a convenience store July 15, court documents state.
Prosecutors charged Michael Johnson in Island County Superior Court July 20 with burglary in the second degree and theft in the third degree. He could face from nine months to a year in jail if convicted of the charge.
At 5 o’clock in the morning, an employee at 7-Eleven South in Oak Harbor reported to police that a man with facial hair walked out of the store with a pack of beer, for which he had not paid.
An Oak Harbor police officer checked the area of S. Beeksma Drive and SW Bayshore Drive, where there’s a storage container “that is known for transients to sleep behind,” the officer wrote.
The officer found Johnson sitting down with a 12-pack of Corona, drinking from one of the bottles, the report states.
According to court documents, Johnson had previously been “trespassed” from the store, which means he wasn’t allowed to go on the property.
Johnson’s criminal history includes arrests for 27 “failures to comply,” nine third-degree thefts, two burglaries, two criminal trespasses, a possession of stolen property, malicious mischief, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana, the report states.
