•President Hoover called the 18th Amendment (making the manufacture, sale, barter, transport, import, delivery, possession, etc. of liquor, beer and wine illegal), “a great social and economic experiment.” It was one of the most violated U.S. laws ever.
•Smuggling became big business, with hundreds of ships anchored off the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida. Three miles from land, they willingly sold liquor boat-side to anyone who made the journey via speedboat, rowboat, skiff or backstroke.
•So widespread was police corruption, Congressman LaGuardia of New York said, “It would take a police force of 250,000 to enforce Prohibition in New York City — and another 200,000 to police the police!”
• In San Francisco, a jury trying a Prohibition case destroyed the evidence by drinking the very liquor that was the evidence.
•A few months after the beginning of Prohibition, a still was found to be turning out 130 gallons of whiskey each day. It was located on the farm owned by Senator Morris Sheppard, the author of the Amendment.
•Portable stills could be purchased at nearly every hardware store for six or seven dollars. Volumes of literature were available at public libraries (books, magazines, even government pamphlets!) describing step-by-step how to distill your own liquor.
•Big brewers such as Pabst, followed the law by offering awful “near beer,” with 1/2 of 1% alcohol. But nobody drank it straight. Many mixed it with alcoholic malt tonic from the drugstore to make it 100% “real beer.”
•Moonshining, the art of distilling ones own whiskey, was a part of life for the country folk in our southern states. It suddenly became big business, making many filthy rich.
Featured Beer from Duck-Rabbit Brewery: Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout & Amber Ale
Duck-Rabbit’s Milk Stout is a traditional, full-bodied stout brewed with lactose (milk sugar). The subtle sweetness imparted by the lactose balances the sharpness of the highly roasted grains which give this delicious beer its unexpected black color. Stouts are usually rich, very dark, full-bodied ales, top fermented, highly hopped and dry. Often times rich and creamy, this version, subtly sweet, is a perfect fit for dinners ending with any chocolate dessert.
AMBER ALE — Duck-Rabbit Amber Ale: This honey-colored honey of a brew is full-flavored with a great body. It’s a top notch top-fermented ale with a perfect balance between “hop” (excuse the pun) flavor and malt character. It’s assertive, but not highly bitter. Hop to it and pair this Duck-Rabbit brew with the best cuts of pork, bacon or ham.
Featured Beer from Penn Brewery: Dark Lager and Kaiser Pilsner
European-style Penn Dark Lager is surprisingly smooth, with sweet caramel malts, nut and toffee notes with a roasted nuance. Modestly hopped, it offers a crisp, clean lager beer finish. This double dark lager is darker than the standard, a deep reddish-mahogany beautiful brew. Bottom fermented and aged at cool temps, it is a meal in itself, but can successfully be served with grilled steaks, oven beef tips, or pickled herring and crackers.
A northern German Pilsner, Penn Kaiser Pils is clean, crisp, light-bodied and finely carbonated with a great white foam head. It has a two-row barley malt backbone and a healthy dose of Noble hops. Brewery’s Kaiser Pils: The most imitated beer style, Pilsner was the first commercially-made lager beer, known for its pale light golden color, clean taste, and full, round, malty flavor. This well-balanced bottom fermented beauty is a “meat and potatoes beer.” Serve with baked chicken, mild cheddar.
