If you live
in New Jersey, you are most likely a victim of the Garden State's toll roads,
and the "legend" surrounding them.
As the story goes, many years ago, the State needed funding to support
some cause or cover some debt. So, the
government, like with all things, decided to impose a tax in the form of a toll
on these roads. One small caveat to the
law; the toll collecting had to be justifiable and represent a current need for
the funding, which would be used on those roads. Simply put, so long as there is
"work" being done on these roads, the toll is collected. The result; overpaid and rude toll
collectors, roads that are in various states of disrepair and strategically
placed paving machines and excavators every so often on the center median.
Once a tax
is collected, the government has the most difficult time imagining life
without. I am writing of the New Jersey
paradigm simply to highlight the existence of this most pervasive trend, and
its survivability to this very day. This
story is intended to expand upon a story with a far richer history, dating back
to the Civil War. Alcohol, more
specifically home brewed beer, wine and spirits, also known as Moonshine, in
many parts of the country.
Similar to
the discriminatory New Jersey road tax (poetic license), that civil war didn't
pay for itself, so the government decided to impose a "temporary" tax
to help fund the Union. After the war, they
needed that tax to rebuild. Afterwards, take
a guess what happened to the tax, or better yet, look at your receipt the next
time you buy some wine for dinner. Still
there. This eventually lead to a revolt
and was probably the single largest catalyst for home brewing in the history of
our country. Many people reverted back
to brewing or distilling spirits for their own consumption (and maybe a bit for
their neighbors too). Some did it to
illegally resell, some in protest of the tax and others as a matter of
continuing a family tradition.
It's no
secret that the government loves to tell us what they know is best for us. After
all, who but Big Brother should know ourselves better? This, of course, seems to be their preferred
method of "guidance".
Obviously, liquor produced in one's home doesn't create a positive
revenue source for the government, so the war began. We are told of the dangers of a product that isn't
regulated and the lack of quality controls that make it unsafe. We are shown images and told stories of distillers
of all kinds portrayed as backwoods hillbillies, uneducated, inept and
criminals. Is this really true? Or is
the government showing you a small group of bad seeds to persuade your opinions
of the entire group? According to some
home brewing associations and groups, the majority of home brewers:
- Have
technical or professional occupations.- Are well educated, with the majority possessing college degrees.
- Most fall into the middle to upper-middle class income range.
Just to be
clear, there is a difference between someone who is engaging in the criminal
act of marketing spirits for the purpose of avoiding tax and someone producing
beer, wine or spirits, at home for their personal consumption. Today, taxes have changed slightly, with
regard to alcohol. Today, alcohol is
subject to one of the so called "sin taxes", which has proven to be
the most ineffective forms of taxation.
In my opinion, sin taxes
represent a group of individuals who are attempting to force change upon the
people they tax, by calling it "immoral". Once again, proving they know best. Never once is any consideration given to the
idea that an individual may be able to produce a small batch of wine that puts
to shame a 92 point Pinot Noir in their basement.
I very
rarely drink beer. Sometimes, I'll have
some wine but I would always choose homemade wine over a something commercially
produced. I always look forward to the
late fall, when the homemade wine is ready.
In my laundry room right now, is a shelf, full of my home brewed,
blueberry ale. I have to say, it's a
decent beer. What makes this beer really
special? Obviously, it's homemade. You may be wondering why, after I just told
you that I didn't often drink beer, would I make my own. Like many other things, it's the
process. I went to the market and bought
all of the ingredients, I cooked it, I waited three weeks to bottle it, and
there is sediment at the bottom of the bottle, and that's special. My mark is on that beer.
Last week, I
received a gift from my cousin Levi, a long time "Rocco sympathizer"
and Founding Member of our 2011 Championship BBQ team. It was a plain brown bottle, given to me by
his wife. It survived a cross-country
journey, to be delivered to me with specific instructions; "Levi says don't
drink it 'till Thursday". Well, I
waited a few extra days to fully respect the brew and consume it as I am
composing this article. It's not just
the beer. Don't get me wrong, the beer
is excellent. Its malty, with a gentle
bite with hints of caramel, sweetness and fruit. But what is really special here, what's
really special with most foods and drinks is knowing the person who created
it. Its special to get something from
someone across the country, who took the time to think of me and enlist the
help of spouse (with directions for consumption) just to get me a single
beer.
Like I've
said, I rarely consume alcohol but my experiences with home brewed beer and
homemade wine have further proven my position on "homemade". This would be a great project to take
on. It's fun and the beer at least,
would be ready just in time for the summer.
I can tell you one thing for sure, as Levi and I stay up all night,
running our smoker for the 2012 BBQ competition, there may be a homebrew or two
consumed.
As for the experience
of home brewing as a whole, I can almost hear the words out of the mouths of
all those before; "Don't tread on me". Take advantage of your 200 gallon federal
exemption!
 |
| Excuse the wine glasses....I can't find a pint glass |
"Some people
believe that everything in moonshining boils down to the almighty dollar and
who is going to get it- the government or the moonshiner. Some question which is the greedier of the
two."- Sarah Quinn Hambrick "The Quinn Clan" 1993.
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