It’s autumn — time to celebrate the fruits of other people’s labor.
After all, without those barley and hops farmers toiling all summer, how would us lesser proletariats celebrate Oktoberfest? Without unionized grape pickers and vintners working the fields, where would Maryland’s ridiculous three-tiered liquor distribution system be?
To honor those who fill the mailroom guys’ lives with joy, The Penguin is giving away a pair of tickets to “Drink Local”, a wine-tasting event and seminar celebrating Maryland and Virginia vintners.
The gig is hosted by Penguin sponsor GiraMondo Wine Adventures and benefits Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws, who support those elusive direct-to-consumer wine shipments.
The deal drops Thursday, Oct 8, at The District’s Whittemore House, just a hop, skip and stagger from the Dupont Circle Metro station. If you want in on the Penguin drawing, send your full name and a working email address to:
wine@silverspringpenguin.com
Legal crap: No purchase is necessary to enter the drawing. This contest closes at midnight on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009, so get your shit in before deadline. Only one entry per person. Seriously.
The name of one lucky sonofabitch will be selected randomly and announced on Monday, Oct 5, 2009, to receive two tix to the event. The winner and his/her guest must be at least 21 years of age and flash convincing ID to attend this event. The tickets are non-transferable.
Concerned about handing out your email address? Read The Penguin’s privacy statement and put your mind at ease.
Do it, then check out what else is going on this week:
Monday
All day. Tzom Kal.
8:00 p.m. The AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) hosts a free advanced screening of “Capitalism: A Love Story”, with a scheduled appearance by director Michael Moore. Tickets can be picked up at the theater’s box office starting at noon; tickets are limited to two per person.
Tuesday
10:00 a.m. The county council decides whether to approve a $150,000 appropriation to keep the Sligo Creek Golf Course open. They also decide whether a task force should examine ways to keep the golf course operating. This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), third floor, and is open to the public.
10:20 a.m. The county council is briefed on the Safe Speed program, which posts traffic-enforcement cameras on county roads. This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), third floor, and is open to the public.
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Boxed wines and rosés are back in vogue. Just ask The Penguin's sommeliers.
Hey, Jennifer! Where does alcohol-free beer and wine figure in the distribution system? It is darned hard to find anything but Clausthaler around here. I didn’t see any near-beer at the MoCo liquor store on Colesville Road. Grocery managers have indicated that getting near-beer delivered is a big hassle. However, the MoCo liquor office say they are not to blame. Pabst N/A is lighter in cost and calories, and easier to carry, since it is canned. Giant has it sometimes.
Whole Foods sometimes carries Kalibur and Clausthaler. I think I saw some non-alcoholic Becks there, too.
If I had to guess, the liquor-control people have nothing to do with distribution. Instead, it may be sales (or lack thereof) that determines what is sold where.
When I was bartending in Pennsylvania (which has some crazy liquor laws in its own right) we still had to card for NA beer and wine, and couldn’t sell it to those under 21 because it had a negligible amount of alcohol (think mouthwash levels). I wonder if MoCo thinks of it in the same way.
Robin, thanks! Fascinating stuff. I used to go to the Super Fresh in Aspen Hill (in a Zipcar, no less)to buy from their fabulous selection of near-beer. Then they stopped carrying it altogether, filling that cooler with energy & juice drinks.
My theory is that distributors who carry soda, energy & juice drinks probably do not carry near-beer. So that would mean the grocery has to deal with a whole ‘nother distributor, one more truck to make space at the loading dock for, etc., etc. In states that carry real beer in supermarkets, I have seen near-beer. Anyway, I would love to see a story on this someday.