April 6, 2012

There were 2 posts published on April 6, 2012 (this is page 1 of 1).

New Belgium lands in Asheville

Yesterday the rumors that craft brewer New Belgium was considering building a brewery in Asheville came true when the company and politicians announced the decision. I don’t live in Asheville but I do consider myself a beer connoisseur. I’m thrilled that New Belgium joins Sierra Nevada in making North Carolina a beer destination.

I remember finding out in the mid-90s about the Pop The Cap effort to change the state law, allowing higher-alcohol-content beers in North Carolina. Many of the Bible-thumping representatives didn’t want the change to happen. Then-Governor Hunt, a teetotaler, was also reluctant to make the change. The bill went nowhere.

Then out of nowhere (and after another questionable start), the Pop The Cap bill passed in 2005, bringing better beer to the state. Before long I was enjoying high quality, high-alcohol beer here at home.

Since 2005 the sky hasn’t fallen. Instead we have a whole new industry moving into western North Carolina, providing not only much-needed jobs but also a promising future. It’s wonderful to see how far we’ve come!

Call to duty

I’ve been tapped for jury duty and will thus report Monday morning to the Wake County courthouse. It’s not my first jury duty at Wake County: the last time I was summoned was perhaps 1995. Of course, I showed up for jury duty in federal court recently but wasn’t selected to serve. Prior to that I was asked to serve on the day my son Travis was born. I was excused for that one, needless to say!

Serving on a jury is disruptive, inconvenient, and sometimes costly. I could make a good case for dismissal, being that I’ll be lone parent around for the kids for most of this week. Still, I feel that would be weaseling out. If I expect our police officers to keep us safe, then I owe it to them, the defendants, and society as a whole to accept the call to weigh guilt or innocence. I take my duties as a citizen very seriously.

I don’t expect I’ll be blogging from the building but I will take mental notes of the experience and share them here afterward.


Update: I found out later that my jury number’s high enough that I won’t be needed after all.