Mt. Shasta Brewing Wins!

We’ve chronicled the first amendment struggles of Mt. Shasta Brewing (and the tastiness of their Shastafarian Porter) against the ATF (or whatever they’re calling themselves today).

Basically, the feds objected to the brewery’s “Try Legal Weed” bottlecap, and most of the civilized (and by “civilized” we mean “beer-drinking”) world erupted in disgust.

Be disgusted no longer, Undergrounders – this just in from Mt. Shasta Brewing owner Vaune Dillmann:

Yesterday afternoon we got a registered/certified letter – return signature required from our “buds” at the U.S. Treasury/TTB – stating that they will now accept our bottle caps and slogan/logo as is!

TTB agreed we are in fact proper in our Bottle Cap appeal; that we are not inferring a drug reference, nor are we confusing the public as to what is in our beer bottles!

Far be it from us to claim responsibility for something we had nothing everything to do with, but we can only draw one completely and wholly erroneous legal conclusion from this whole thing: Drinking Beer is Protected Under the First Amendment.

Dillmann’s now calling this caper the “Bottlecap heard ’round the world” episode, and we’ve been drinking too much beer to disagree.

Nestle Officially & Formally Capitulates

While they’d been making the right noises, Nestle finally agreed to begin a whole new contract negotiation with the McCloud Services District over their proposed McCloud water bottling plant, including such niceties as the gathering of real scientific data about water impacts.

In other words, after years of wrangling, intimidating legal efforts, community organizing and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots (see what I did there?) of bad/awful/embarrassing PR, Nestle’s finally doing the right thing.

Here’s a thought for Nestle: Consider doing the right thing from the start next time (silly us; that’s not their business model…)

It also means the McCloud Services District has a chance to Get It Right This Time. Let’s hope they do.

Good News Trifecta: Solar Power Discovery Promises to Revolutionize Stuff

This breaking energy news in from the Underground’s Egghead Patrol:

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today’s announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun. “This is the nirvana of what we’ve been talking about for years,” said MIT’s Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science. “Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon.”

Woo-hoo! We’re all for saving the world, but the Underground’s Crack Team of Big Thinkers sees the deeper implications: abundant, sustainable, and largely free energy means the Undergrounders will throw off the burden of their Energy Oppressors, leaving more time to fly fish.

Sure, other news outlets will focus on the fact this discovery has the potential to save the world as we know it, but the Trout Underground sees beyond the hype.

No need to thank us with great big wads of cash. It’s just what we do.

See you at the news desk, Tom Chandler.

Proving the old adage that “Eternal, beer-related vigilance is the price of freedom” (we’re pretty sure Ben Franklin said that), the ACLU has offered Dillmann help in his fight to retain his “Try Legal Weed” bottle caps.

From the Mount Shasta Herald:

Since the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ordered Vaunne Dillmann, owner of the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company, to stop using his bottle caps because of a pun that plays on the name of his home town, a whirlwind of supporters has been blowing his way.

One such advocate, the American Civil Liberties Union, recently jumped on the band wagon and is saying the ATTTB’s denial of Dillmann’s ability to place the slogan “Try Legal Weed” on bottle caps for his Weed Ales is simply beyond the pale.

The ATTTB, however, continues to stand its ground.

I heard from Dillmann a couple weeks ago, who said the Feds hadn’t concluded their investigation, but had told him they needed another 90 days to review the situation.

Am I the only Undergrounder who thinks the Feds have really stepped in it, know it, but can’t find a graceful exit?

As The World Leader in fly fishing blog-based protection of your sovereign first amendment beer drinking rights, the Underground has a solution.

Let’s order a couple cases of the brewery’s truly divine Shastafarian Porter, (“…perfect blend of caramel, coffee, and subtle roasted malt flavors… this brew tastes as deep as it looks and at 6% ABV, is stronger than most in its class.”), drink it until the room spins, then make juvenile-quality crank calls to the Feds until they capitulate (“Uhh, you got Prince Albert in a can?”)

Sure, it’s not likely to work, but it’s a plan damnit (we’re sure the Underground’s Director of Beer-Related Civil Disobedience (SLF) would approve).

After all, nobody ever said protecting your First Amendment rights was going to be easy work.

Drink like the wind, Undergrounders – and know you’re doing it for the most noble of reasons.

See you at the bar, Tom Chandler.

I learned (via the Sacramento Bee) that the Weed-based Mt. Shasta Brewery is in trouble with the Feds because his bottle cap contains the words “Try Legal Weed.”

Puuleeeze.

Weed brewer Vaune Dillmann faces possible sanctions or fines from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau if he continues to brew and sell beer with bottle caps printed with the label “Try Legal Weed.”

Bureau spokesman Art Resnick said Monday that the bottle caps tell consumers to support an illegal drug – a policy that violates rules of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau as well as the agency’s predecessor, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.

Does anyone else notice that saying “Try Legal Weed” is specifically NOT supporting the use of an “illegal” drug? How about the Undergrounder Hordes band together and buy a “basic English literacy” text for Bureau Spokesman Art Resnick?

The Underground’s Director of Libertarian Political Crusades (SLF) is no doubt formulating an angry letter to the Feds, and frankly — once we’ve removed the threatening language — it’s one I’d be willing to sign.

The beer — if you haven’t tried it — is sublime. Brewed only 25 minutes north of the Trout Underground/Man Cave World Headquarters, I’m a huge fan of the Shastafarian Porter, and the quality of this stuff makes it easy to “buy local” (as mandated by the economically literate L&T).

I spoke to the folks at the brewery, and while there’s no letter-writing campaign in place, I did suggest the creation of a “Protest Brew” — a beer perfectly suited to slaking the thirst of Thomas Paine wannabes worldwide. (Can I get an “amen” from the Undergrounders — or maybe just a burp?)

This one’s picking up steam really, really quickly, and because Good Beer is one of the things truly worth fighting for (I’d say it’s a critical underpinning of Contemporary American Society), the Trout Underground — clearly the world leader in fly fishing blog-based protection of your sovereign first amendment beer drinking rights — will stay on top of it.

UPDATE: As of Thursday AM, this story was spreading quickly across the US, and had even landed in the International Herald Tribune (pub’d in France).

See you at the keg, Tom Chandler.

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