We head to the Sooner State for the next leg in our tour of controversial states and to make people a little less wary of wading into a political quagmire, this stop is strictly about alcohol sales legislation.
Up for a vote in November will be Senate Joint Resolution 68, which would combine several changes to the alcohol industry laws in Oklahoma into a single measure on the upcoming ballot.
SJR 68 would allow a wider range of retail outlets should be allowed to sell wine and high gravity beer (above a measly 4.0%) — and would allow small brewers to distribute that beer themselves.
The crux of the matter being that currently, alcoholic beverages checking in above 34% abv may only be sold by licensed liquor retailers and are not allowed to be refrigerated. (That last point boggles my flippin’ mind. It would be like telling local milk producers that they can’t keep the milk cold)
There is also a section that would tighten regulation of the three tier system as well that got watered down by SABInBevMiller.
The controversy stems from the fact that larger retail outlets will be able to put beer on shelves (hopefully cold cases) and that it will hurt smaller more craft oriented stores that can’t be as aggressive in pricing or in advertising spending. I know that small/local have hurdles to climb but the more beer that is out there the better, in my opinion. If breweries can sell more, they grow and create more beer to sell plus the larger retailers simply cannot fill the niche of the hands-on and curated beer lists that a craft beer shoppe can.
On to an Oklahoma brewery to talk beer….
For the taster tray at Mustang Brewing Company, I will stick with what they call the Unbridled Series.
First up is the Farmhouse Saison…
“A SILVER MEDAL WINNER AT THE 2016 WORLD BEER CHAMPIONSHIPS! How does one best describe a Farmhouse beer? Fruity aroma and flavor? Earthy, yeast tones? Mild to moderate tartness? A hint of spice with medium bitterness? Sure…that will work! Farmhouse Saison is all of that and more.”
…then onto the Udderly Awesome Peanut Butter Milk Stout
“A delicious milk stout with hints of peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla, and coffee. Creamy, smooth, and “udderly” delicious!”
…followed by Strawshitaw Strawberry Wheat Ale
“We took our three-time, gold medal winning, wheat recipe, added delicious strawberries, and made – what we think – is the perfect, summer beer”
…and finish with the Frah-Gee-Lay Sweet Potato Porter
“ A robust porter with hints of chocolate, graham cracker, vanilla, spices, and – of course – sweet potatoes. It’s like sweet potato pie in a glass! “