California doesn’t seem to go out of their way very often to make things easier for craft breweries or those wanting to try new things in the beverage industry, but for once, they have eased the burden on many up-and-coming craft breweries.

With the signing of AB 1014 by California Governor Jerry Brown, breweries are now exempt from having to follow the unnecessary and burdensome building requirements designed for food facilities for their tasting rooms, where only beer will be poured. Previously, breweries wishing to have a tasting room at their brewery would be required to follow the same requirements which would often lead to tens of thousands dollars worth of improvements such as installing several industrial sinks and redoing electrical wiring and plumbing.

The Lost Abbey brewery in San Marcos, California ran into this very issue last year when the Health Department handed them a cease and desist order to stop tasting room operations. The Health Department told them they had been operating illegally for the previous four years without the required health permit, while the Alcohol Control Board said they were 100% in compliance with the license they were issued four year prior. Luckily for The Lost Abbey, the Health Department would either receive a lot of complaints about their targeting of the tasting room or realize they don’t know what they’re doing (or both) and dropped their cease and desist, just days before The Lost Abbey began cutting concrete and making the necessary changes to be in “compliance”.

Back to AB 1014, “This bill will relieve craft brewers from the unnecessary burden of installing restaurant grade equipment that simply isn’t needed to pour a taste of beer,” said Tom McCormick, Executive Director of the California Small Brewers Association. “This is a common sense law that garnered bipartisan support at the Capitol. Yet another example that good beer brings people together.”

The bill, authored by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego and Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, D-Arcata, passed both the Senate and Assembly floor votes unanimously.

“We are an industry the state can be proud of,” said McCormick. “Craft brewers by nature tend to have environmentally sound practices, we employ a lot of people and we give back to our communities in many ways.”

This week’s installment of The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess brought to you by the Small Screen Network brings you the Piña Colada. According to Robert Hess, “It was on August 15, 1954, that Ramon “Monchito” Marrero Perez first introduced the Pina Colada to the customers of the Beachcomber Bar at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is said that he spent three months working on it until he finally felt he had captured ]the sunny, tropical flavor of Puerto Rico in a glass.’”

With summer in full swing and Tales of the Cocktail just getting wrapped up which included the USBG Bacardi Pina Colada Competition, what better way to celebrate Tuesday than with a Pina Colada?

Piña Colada

• 2 oz Bacardi Superior rum
• 1 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
• 1 oz heavy cream
• 6 oz pineapple juice
• 4-6 oz ice

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients in a blender
• Garnish with a speared cherry and pineapple chunk

As if it’s a surprise to anyone that knows Sierra Nevada Brewing and the monumental steps they take to minimize their impact on the environment and be a sustainable brewery, well, they are at it again. From the same people who were named ”Green Business of the Year” by the EPA, they happily announce the launch of their third annual “Wild Rivers” campaign. See below for the press release.

Chico, CA – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. — a pioneer in sustainability and craft brewing—announced today the launch of the third annual “Wild Rivers” campaign. Wild Rivers is a campaign dedicated to helping preserve vital waterways across the country.

Besides Western Rivers Conservancy, the 2011 Wild Rivers campaign will support the Ohio River Foundation, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, The River Project, and the Southeast Watershed Forum.

Do you drink more rum than Jack Sparrow? Is it your life’s mission to dress in Tommy Bahama duds and visit tropical locations discussing the finer points of mojito versus daiquiri? Does the idea of adding Rum Ambassador to your resume get you all giddy?

Then this could be your ideal job, with a $50,000 purse to boot. Tommy Bahama’s is looking for a Rumologist to design a rum program for their 14 worldwide locations, wardrobe included. Apply now!  Or at least watch this video linked below (since I know you don’t want to read the fine print). There may or may not be a mix off required.

“This is an amazing opportunity for someone to not only take their career to the next level, but to experience the Tommy Bahama way-of-life,” explains Goldberg.  “Our goal with this search is to not only find the world’s first Tommy Bahama Rumologist; it is to also introduce thousands of people to the Tommy Bahama island-inspired lifestyle.  Career-building opportunities are tough to come by these days, and we believe we’ve created the most exciting consultant position in the world.  We can’t wait to discover our first Rumologist.”

PS I will expect you to swizzle me something at the Wailea Tommy Bahama’s if you get this job.

See the press release below for all the details:

Do you know the difference between a swizzle and a shrubb? Do you dream of Mojito’s? If so, Tommy Bahama has an opportunity for you! Tommy Bahama is excited to announce the search for the first-ever Tommy Bahama Rumologist™. We’ve created the most exciting consulting position in the world and we are scouring the country for the most qualified person to represent Tommy Bahama as our official Rumologist – sharing our passion for rum with the world! The Rumologist will win $50,000 and be an ambassador traveling the United States, speaking, educating, and experimenting with all things related to rum! We’re looking for someone who knows the history, how it’s mixed, how it pairs with food – and who loves to share that knowledge. Tommy Bahama is looking for bartenders, mixologists, and anyone that believes they can hold and honor the title. The contest application can be found on the Tommy Bahama Facebook page. Participants will be asked to send a short video (45-60 seconds) declaring their candidacy and explain why they should be chosen. The Rumologist will be announced this October.

• July 28, 2011:  Search launches – applications available on the Tommy Bahama Facebook page.  Deadline for submissions:  August 22, 2011.
• August 29, 2011:  Judges select Top 20 based on their scoring.
• August 30, 2011:  Top 20 announced.
• August 30 – September 8, 2011:  Top 20 will be posted for public voting based on first video submission.
• September 12, 2011:  The Top 10 who received the most votes will be asked to submit a new video.
  o   Video can be up to two minutes in length and must be posted no later than September 22, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.

  o   Applicants will be encouraged to be as creative as they would like to showcase why they should be the Rumologist.

• September 26, 2011:  Top 5 is announced and voting commences.
• October 3, 2011:  Voting period for Top 5 ends.
• October 6, 2011:  Winner Announced (on or around October 6, 2011).

Click here for rules and regulations.

Good news for all the beer lovers out there in the Los Angeles area as The Bruery is bringing back their Reserve Bottle list. On the second Saturday of each month, The Bruery will open up their cellar to the public where people will have the chance to try some of their incredible and rare beers. It’s that easy and there’s no catch, but the bottles are for on-premise consumption only and because of the size and alcohol content of the bottles, they must be shared between two people. For those thinking they can be sneaky and run off with a bottle of Bottleworks XII, bottles will be poured from behind the bar. For the most up-to-date information on what is available, be sure to check out their Reserve Bottle List website.

What might the bottle list look like? Here is the list from July.

• Papier
• 100% Brandy Barrel Aged Papier
• Coton
• 100% Bourbon Barrel Aged Coton
• Oude Tart
• BottleWorks XII
• Melange #1
• Pinotlambicus
• Sour In The Rye
• White Oak

It’s hard to argue with that list.

The 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference, held this past weekend in Charlottesville, Va., showcased the fruits of Virginia’s thirty-year drive. The online wine press saw gracious vineyards and tasted fine wines. Through a collegial approach, government support and patience, the Old Dominion now produces distinctive offerings such as Viognier, Cabernet Franc and Petit Manseng.

Its vintners wanted to show the online wine press that the Old Dominion was a worthy wine destination. In that case, mission accomplished. Attendees loved the hospitality, the scenery, the architecture and yes, even the wine.

Now, Virginia needs to take the next step. The Commonwealth presented a very unified viticulture, both on the vine and in image. A Viognier from Loudoun County, west of D.C., might as well be a Viognier from Charlottesville or near the North Carolina border. The wine culture reflects the state’s image: grand, but a bit stuffy and lacking in variety. Its appellations reflect tourism destinations lacking diversity, not distinctive viticultural regions.

And a lack of showcased diversity goes beyond production. The Charlottesville area features the fine Sugarleaf Vineyards, a rare African American-owned estate winery. Why on earth wasn’t it showcased prominently? It’s even absent from the literature for the local Monticello Wine Trail.

The grand old Virginians—one historian I know calls them Professional Virginians—put on a great show, but conference members’ eyes lit when they ventured away from columns and grandness. They became excited discussing Gabrielle Rausse, who came over from Italy in 1976 to establish Barboursville Vineyards, Virginia’s first key vinifera winery. They were fascinated by Jenni McCloud, who established Chrysalis Vineyards as she transitioned from male to female and played a prominent role in the book The Wild Vine, and touched by the solitary nature of DuCard Vineyards, nestled in rural Madison County hollow.

Virginia’s wine image, so steeped in Thomas Jefferson’s imagery, evokes the University of Virginia. The Conference even featured a tour of its Grounds, as they are pretentiously known. It’s a place of beautiful architecture and stagnant tradition.

If UVA represents old Virginia, there’s another school 70 miles away called Virginia Commonwealth University that represents new Virginia. Incredibly diverse for the South, VCU gave the world the musical talents of GWAR and Lamb of God. Muslim women in headscarves and the children of Ghanaian immigrants walk its cobblestoned campus. When college basketball royalty laughed at its inclusion in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, it reached the Final Four and made a star out of its high-energy, scholarly coach. It’s the school for the striver, the dreamer and the artist, and going forward, Virginia wines need a lot less UVA and a lot more VCU.

By some incredible turn of events that involved the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, 3 airports and 12 hours, I landed myself at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans with 48 hours notice. Tales is an internationally acclaimed event for bartenders, spirit brands, booze media and enthusiasts, celebrating its 9th year as the 5 day bacchanalian conference to be at in the Big Easy.

I chased down fellow Hawaiian, bartender Sam Treadway from the Waikiki Edition passing out leis and competing with his “Killer Fizz” Pina Colada at the United States Bartender’s Guild (USBG) Pina Colada Championship sponsored by Bacardi on Friday night. The special event held at Tales of the Cocktail had 17 bartenders vying for the title that would make them $1,500 richer, adorn their mantel with a fantastic trophy and qualify them for a spot in the World Cocktail Competition in Warsaw, Poland compliments of USBG.

The Championships were held at the Foundry in the Warehouse District of New Orleans where 550 attendees sipped hand shaken Bacardi cocktails and listened to a live Latin band playing Caribbean sounds. Juan Coronado, Bacardi Brand Master, explains,”The main bars were serving Bacardi Legacy cocktails, like the ‘Daiquiri’ from 1898, the ‘Cuba Libre’ from 1900 and the ‘Pina Colada’ from 1954.” Each of the bartenders had a station where they described built and passed out their ever creative versions of the ubiquitous tropical drink while the samplers got to vote on their favorite with a wooden chip.

The winners of the event however were judged by a panel comprised of some of the foremost authorities on cocktails. Technical judges included: USBG National President David Nepove, USBG National Past President Livio Lauro, and Best Technical Performance at the National 2009 USBG Cocktail Contest winner Ronaldo Colli. Tasting judges included: USBG Vice President Aaron Gregory Smith, Bacardi Brand Master Juan Coronado, Bacardi Brand Master David Cid, Bacardi Global Brand Ambassador David Cordoba and Managing Editor of In the Mix Magazine Mike Maven.

Debbi Peek of Chicago was crowned champion of the Pina Colada at Tales of the Cocktail with her Pina Colada called “No Passport Required.” It featured smoked Bacardi Bacardi Anejo and pineapple and ginger purees, with a glass rimmed with toasted coconut and honey. The crowd sourced favorite was Las Vegas’ Matt Myers who received the majority of the chips to take home the People’s Choice award. His Thai Pina Colada had Asian influences and spicy cashews presenting a complex flavor profile.

“The goal of the USBG Pina Colada competition at Tales of the Cocktail was to inspire today’s generation of bartenders to reimagine this classic cocktail and take it forward into the second golden age of cocktails,” said Ann Tuennerman, founder of Tales of the Cocktail. ”The winning cocktails had true balance and complexity of flavor and deserve their place in history alongside the Original Pina Colada.”

No Passport Required Created by Debbi Peek, Chicago

• 2 oz Smoked Bacardi Anejo Rum
• 2 oz coconut milk
• 1 oz Roasted Pineapple Puree (Perfect Puree)
• 1/2 oz brown sugar syrup (equal parts brown sugar/water)
• 1/2 oz Ginger Puree (equal parts fresh ginger/water/sugar/ blended)
• Garnish – Glass dipped in honey and rimmed with toasted coconut
• Smoked Bacardi Anejo – Cold smoke over cherry wood for 45 minutes.

Directions: Shake all with ice. Strain into toasted coconut-rimmed ice-filled Pina Colada glass.

Thai Pina Colada Created by Matt Myers, Vegas

• 1 1/2 oz Bacardi 8 Yr
• 2 oz Pina Colada Mix
• 1 1/2 oz Thai Syrup
• 6 Leaves & 1 crown Mint Leaves, muddled & for garnish
• 3 Leaves Kaffir Lime Leaves, muddled & for garnish
• 1 Shoot of Lemon Grass, as garnish

Directions: In an old fashion glass, bruise 6 mint leaves and 2 kaffir lime leaves with Bacardi 8 Rum. Strain rum into blender with Thai Syrup, Pina Colada mix and 1 scoop of ice. (Reserve glass with bruised leaves). Blend until smooth. Pour contents into old fashion glass with bruised leaves. Stir leaves quickly. Garnish with 1 Lemon grass shoot, 1 kaffir lime leaf and a slapped mint crown. Provide a straw and enjoy!

Killer Fizz Created by Sam Treadway, Hawaii

• 1 1/2 oz Bacardi Superior
• 1 oz fresh pineapple juice
• 1 oz fresh coconut milk
• 1/2 oz fresh orange juice
• 1/2 oz orgeat
• 1 fresh egg white
• 2 oz soda water
• 2 fresh chunks of pineapple soaked in St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Directions: Put all ingredients except soda water, Allspice Dram and pineapple chunks into your shaker. Dry shake and then shake vigorously with ice. Pour your soda water into your chilled collins glass. Double strain the shaken mixture over the soda water. With a kitchen torch, lightly roast the pre-soaked pineapple. Lay the burnt pineapple chunks over your drink on a pick. Serve with a straw.

A tasting room that attracts almost as many tourists as locals, Ty Caton / Muscardini. A multi-shaded puddle of wine. Varietals: Italian, Bordeaux, Rhône, more. Tasting room manager George, his colleague Jennifer, provide more than what should be expected from a wine tasting experience. In Kenwood, Napa, anywhere. During my visit, I sipped much less, MUCH MUCH LESS, than what’s available for an angled glass. The group of three ladies next to me, all a-snicker, disbelief with the bottled sagacity on their palates. One of them said to me, finishing final tears from one of the Cabs, “This is the kind wine I like…and I love this tasting room!”

So while I walked around the Room with my inaugural pour of Ty Caton’s 2010 Mendocino County Riesling, the guests exchanged wine experiences with Mr. Mike Muscardini himself, who stopped in for a fortuitous visit. I walked around, with one of the guests, a woman from just down the road (San Francisco’s Marina Disctrict), checking out the merchandise, bottles on the shelves, which of the varietals was most impressive (impossible, as not one of them was even a nano-breath under galactic).  Muscardini’s label, try everything, most poignantly the ’08 Tesoro, ’08 Sangioveses (yes, there’s two), and ’09 Barbera from the Pauli Ranch in the Ukiah Valley. From Ty’s, go after the ’09 Ty Caton Cabernet, ’09 Petit Verdot and OF COURSE Ty’s Tytanium, a viciously vibrant and entrapping blend.  Whatever vintage is open, taste.  All wines, from both alchemical grape sages, theatrically seducing. “Wow,” said the woman from San Francisco.

Mike and Ty host a sequence of well-reputed events, that many in the valley talk about weeks before they ignite, so definitely keep in a wine country’s know. Just the type of tasting room you’d expect from Sonoma’s Valley: Human, relaxed, diversely delicious.  Wanted to stay longer, sip away the Saturday with my new friends on both sides of the counter, but didn’t want to disrupt anything, or steal the space at the counter from incoming guests. I want people to experience all in this room, I thought to myself, obviously the other guests had comparable motions. Walking out, we all took pictures of the room, the bottles, the exterior in Kenwood’s Village Center.  I was one of them, a visitor, tourist, enamored local wine lover. Memorable, each scenic and gustatory ingredient.  Wine, conversation, what we all look for in a wined time.  Sip, sip …