Filed under: Baltic Porter, Beer News, Beer Styles, Beer Travel, Bottle Shops, Craft Brewed Beers, India Pale Ale (IPA), Other Styles, Pennsylvania, Porter, Schwarzbier, United States
Both running on very little sleep these days, D and I arrived early at the ”One Final VICTORY for Heavyweight” event at The Drafting Room in Exton with an expectation that there would be a line of people.
At that hour (just after 11 AM), there were only a few people inside, and they weren’t serving beer or food, so we scored a good table. Thank goodness, because the room filled quickly, and the event became standing room only for many. We had an enjoyable time drinking some excellent brews with a table of friends, and talking to acquaintances who passed by, and got home in time for D to get a full nap before work.
This was the official release for Victory’s Baltic Thunder, and also a last(?) opportunity to get a selection of Heavyweight products in bottles (750 ml bottles for $14.95.) Baltic Thunder was on tap, but also available in bottles for $7.95 (Ouch! It was only $34/case at Victory, so we were really thankful that Kim made the beer run to Downingtown!)
[Perhaps it was the alcohol, but we were particularly amused by the Lindeman's Pêche description, which went something like, "flavored with fresh raspberries to complement the tartness." Ooops! Who's the editor?]
We asked for our Heavyweight bottles just a little too late, missing out on Black Ocean (a schwartzbier.) Friends at our table bought and shared a bottle of Slice of Bread (a pungent and sour rye), which also ran out before we could get one to take home. Our table did obtain the last two bottles of Jakeldricka which we shared (a spiced herb ale, which I didn’t love, however, I went into this one with a bad attitude after reading descriptions like smokey, bacon bits, boiled cabbage and freshly chopped wood.) I believe this is the one that had a “lava lamp” quality to it, in that thick waves of sediment rolled through the glass during the entire time we were drinking it. D brought home a bottle each of Biere D’Art and Doug’s Colonial Ale.
On draft, also from Heavyweight, we had Perkuno’s Hammer (2006)- a Baltic porter brewed collaboratively with Lew Bryson (who defined it as, “a train wreck between a doublebock and an imperial stout,”) - and at our table (but not tasted by us), the Lunacy (2006) – a Belgian-Style golden ale. As far as I know, no one at our table attempted the Baltus O.V.S. (2006), which was labeled “OXIDIZED – DRINK AT YOUR OWN RISK!”
I particularly enjoyed the Seven Threads Symposium Ale. This dark brew was a blend of 8 locally-crafted ales, served only in 10-oz glasses for $2.95. D and I decided to share one glass, and I have to say I monopolized that glass! Here is the description they provided:
Blended for 2005 Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia, this amalgamation consists of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, Flying Fish Porter, Independence Oatmeal Stout (RIP), Iron Hill Pig Iron Porter, Nodding Head Grog, Stoudt’s Fat Dog Stout, Victory Storm King and Yard’s IPA…
I’ll have to see if D took any notes on it…I was too busy trying to maintain possession of it to write anything down!
Don’t worry about D not getting any beer, though! He started the day with Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, of which I got no more than a single sip.
Everything else we drank was from Victory, and my favorite of the list was the cask-conditioned Hop Wallop. The 8.5% ABV was masked by the smooth drinkability. I enjoyed it so much and was disappointed that I’d only ordered a 10-oz, but in terms of minimizing the alcohol and calorie consumption, it was a good idea. We also had the Harvest Ale (2007), and as mentioned earlier, the Baltic Thunder.
I know it sounds like a lot, but we did stick to the 10-oz glasses, and did lots of sharing, so with lunch and a couple cups of coffee, it really wasn’t overwhelming at all.
This was my first trip to The Drafting Room, where there are 14 rotating taps, one cask-conditioned hand pump, and over 100 bottled beers. I especially like that the menu features “tapped on” dates (the website does, too, but it’s all out of date!) The food menu was also excellent. I really enjoyed my Moroccan salad, and the other plates looked yummy, too. And I like that they never add more than $10 to the PA sales price of a wine. This is a great place to meet with good friends for a good beer!
Filed under: Beer Travel, Belgian Beers, Bottle Shops, California, Craft Brewed Beers, Imperial Stout, National Parks & Monuments, Non-Smoking, Other Styles, Porter, Stout, Travel, United States
This morning we got up and did a little last-minute shopping before heading for the desert. Because we got out of town so late, we had an opportunity to stop for brunch in Alpine at the Alpine Inn.
It is a funky little place – dark inside, and made me think it’s where the old people go – but we really enjoyed our “Sunday Country Brunch”. For $12.95, we had a choice of one of many menu items. D had the huevos rancheros, which came with rice, beans and hash browns. I had the seafood omelette with the tomatoes substituted for the potatoes. All brunch meals come with biscuits and gravy, and handmade Bloody Mary’s on the house. Pretty good food, and very interesting place.
Heading toward the highway, we decided to check on the Liar’s Club (located at 2806 Alpine Blvd, Alpine, CA 91901) - did they open last night? Are they open now?
The answers were Yes, and Yes! It was 11 AM, and they were just opening for the first full day of business. What a great time we had there, too. There were 32 active taps, and a few in reserve, as well as a large bottle selection. They offered 10-oz glasses and pints, and the selection was terrific! We had a few things from the taps:
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AleSmith Speedway Stout (awesome!!)
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San Diego Brewing Co. Chocolate Porter (on nitrogen with a Hershey Bar tap handle)
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Fox Barrel Cassis Cider (yummy!!)
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New Belgium La Folie
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Rubicon Wheat Wine
We really enjoyed the people, too. Pete, our bartender who moved with the business, and Heidi, a bartender in training, were great with us and all of the incoming customers, and we met Louis Mello, the owner, and a guy who I suspect may be Al Guerra, the new business partner. Despite the first day hectic feeling, they were all very willing to share information about the place, the beers, and the beer scene.
I know I’m not “from here”, but I can say with conviction that this is a great beer bar and so very worth the beautiful drive from the city. The selection is amazing – anything you could want (except a macro) – and the food looked great. It will get louder once televisions are installed, but otherwise, it’s got everything going right for it. Oh – and best bathrooms of the trip! The ladies room was really pretty, with a feminine selection of hand soaps and lotions. Hooray for a beer bar with a beautiful head!
I’ve got some photos of the new place, and perhaps I’ll get some links and/or descriptions up later, but after a day in the desert (Anza-Borrego), and a long drive back to La Quinta, I’ve got to get to bed.
Congratulations on your opening, [New] Liar’s Club – we hope you are still around on our next visit! BTW – anyone have a phone number for this place?
Filed under: American Pale Ale, Beer News, Beer Styles, Beer Travel, Brown Ale, Craft Brewed Beers, Non-Smoking, Other Styles, Pennsylvania, Porter, Reviews, United States, microbreweries
The so-often-mentioned-by-me “golden triangle of beer” in Central PA has become a trapezoid. That is my official position after spending Saturday night at Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks in Millheim, PA. Tim Bowser, an owner, joked with me that perhaps it is now more like the Bermuda Triangle, which may be true as people taking the time to visit Selin’s Grove, Bullfrog and Otto’s will be drawn into the center to take in Elk Creek.
The PLCB came through late last Friday, and Elk Creek had a quiet opening. Sam Komlenic reported the details of his visit and tour to Lew Bryson, but because of a heavy work and vacation schedule last week and my focus on Christmas shopping and Firkin Friday at Selin’s Grove, I wasn’t keeping up on my reading. I learned about it via text message this weekend, and just happen to be staying less than 30 miles away so I jumped on the opportunity and my parents came right along.
Knowing the area well, I was surprised by the metropolitan flair of this place (the last great restaurant in the area – The Hummingbird Room – closed in 2005.) It’s a few doors down from the quaint Millheim Hotel where, at least when I was growing up, the salad bar is in a claw-foot bathtub (another interesting fact - this circa 1794 hotel is haunted by the mistress of President Millard Fillmore.) It, too is a fun spot to dine, but it’s charming in a small-town kind of way.
From the large windows of the Elk Creek Cafe, I watched at least three Amish horse and buggies pass by the other two restaurants on the main street – Brownies Valley Tavern and The Pizza Shop. Their polished black boxes connected by strong wood and leather strappings to a single horse offered a glimpse of women and children wrapped in blankets and men in suspenders and black dress hats. I challenge you to name another brewpub where you can see that!
Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks is located in the former Equinox Cafe location – it can’t be missed in such a small town, but just in case you decide to visit, the intersection is routes PA-45 and PA-445 (the only stoplight in town) and the address is 100 W. Main Street. The street view is full floor-to-ceiling windows and the brightness of the interior lights up the downtown. It has a beautiful yellow glow, which reflects off the honey wood floors, and colorful displays artwork throughout the restaurant add an interesting aspect to the otherwise simple decor. There is a real feeling of openness to the restaurant – we weren’t crowded, although the tables were nearly full.
We did not sit at the bar, but it looked very nice with the handmade cherry and iron barstools. The beer menu was on the table, and a chalkboard presentation of the beers and specials was on the wall. The food menu was printed just for the weekend, and I assume this will be a trend, as they feature fresh, local products (seen in italics where I’ve copied the menu at the end of this post.) In addition to “fresh and local”, this place features some of my other favorite buzzwords: organic, smoke-free and vegan. Chef Mark Johnson describes the his preparation style as Nouveau Dutchie Cuisine.
Brewer Tim Yarrington, who was dining two tables away with his family (but I was too shy/polite to interrupt them), has outdone the Penns Valley beer scene with his nice selection of ales. I didn’t ask if there are plans to put on a cask, but heard there are plans to expand the number and variety of offerings. I also am left wondering about the ABVs and IBUs… Five beers were on tap yesterday, served in 5 oz glasses for $1 or pints for $3.95. The selections were:
Winkleblink Ale- a light, perhaps kolsch-style, ale named for a nearby mountain. On the map, you will see it as Winklebleck Mountain in the Bald Eagle State Forest (the Mid-State Trail crosses this mountain when hiking from Hairy John’s picnic area to Raymond B. Winter State Park), but because of a lighted tower, the locals know it as “Winkleblink Mountain.” The name is a bit esoteric, and should they ever look to rename it, let me offer up “Winklebleck Light.”
Great Blue Heron Pale Ale – an American Pale Ale that didn’t quite meet my expectations for flavor. It was lighter in color and lacking in the hop flavor and aroma that I expect in a Pale. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy it – I did – I just didn’t like it enough to indulge in a pint.
Elk Creek Copper Ale – this is the kind of flavor I’m looking for in a session beer. It had a stronger hop profile than the Pale, and the darker color was visually more appealing. Toffee sweetness complimented the floral aroma. Elk Creek, by the way, is an important area waterway which once hosted mills and now provides recreation through kayaking and fly fishing.
Brookie Brown Ale- the big surprise of the night! Pop usually avoids browns (too sweet!), but based on the description, decided to try it. His first pint was a mis-pour of the Copper and he had to send it back, so when the Brown arrived looking much like the Porter, we suspected another mistake. Not so! This did not have the hop aroma or full-bodied roastiness of the porter, but the chocolate and caramel malts kept the flavor strong and the color dark. It was an excellent and atypical brown ale.
Poe Paddy Porter- nostalgia abounded in the name alone, and then we tasted this beer based on Tim Yarrington’s GABF award winning porter recipe. It is a perfect porter – dark, smooth and roasty with an extra hint of hops in the aroma and the finish. It could only be better if only it were on cask… I had my pint of porter with desert, and it really complimented the bread pudding (a small slice of bread pudding (which didn’t have the taste or texture of old bread!) topped with raisin sauce, citrus zest and vanilla ice cream.) Poe Paddy is a favorite local State Park on Penns Creek and near the Paddy Mountain Railroad Tunnel, which is a favorite Mid-State Trail day hike or bike ride for our family.
Our meals were just as good as the atmosphere and the beer. We started with the chicken liver toast – a lovely pate preparation best shared by the three of us. It was a wonderful treat that melted in my mouth. Pop had the Steak Frites (a pasture-raised grilled strip steak served with steak butter and a generous portion of fries with aioli.) Nana had the pasture-raised burger, also served with the hand-cut fries. I had the potato-crusted wild Alaskan salmon, which was balanced over roast beet cubes and topped with horseradish sour cream and chives. It was perfect in flavor, but the presentation was lacking (dramatic, yet it looked lonely on such a big plate – a few greens or something scattered on the side would make all the difference!)
Our only real complaint was the waitress assigned to our table. The other wait staff seemed to be very friendly and efficient, but ours was inattentive, extremely soft-spoken, and generally not prepared to work with the public.
Two things I neglected to do is find out a phone number for this place, and whether or not they fill growlers. All of my searches for phone numbers come up with numbers for the Equinox (it rings busy at all times), and two personal phone numbers which I found on things like the State Inspection report. I’ll want to know those things eventually.
If I lived near Millheim, I would visit at every opportunity. As a beer traveler, I hope to get back as often as possible.
TAVERN TAPAS
- Cream of Broccoli + Parsley w/ Cheddar Soup
- Elk Creek Flatbread + Hummus w/ Kalama Olives (vg)
- Belgian Style Hand-Cut Fries + Elk CreekAioli or Tofu Mayo (vg)
- Olive Salad Bruschetta (vg)
- Mac + Frank + Fontina
- House-Cured Gravlox + Poppy Crackers w/ Dijon Drizzle
- Local Apple, Bacon, Cheddar + Baby Lettuce Salad
- Roast Beet Salad w/ Toasted Caraway Vinaigrette (vg)
- Mixed Baby Greens, choice of Vinaigrettes (vg)
ELK CREEK ENTREES
- Pasture-Raised Burger + Hand-Cut Fries w/ Elk Creek Aioli
- Roasted Pepper + Marinated Portabella Sandwich w/ Hummus Mayo
- Valley Ham + Swiss on Gemelli Ciabatta
- Fillet of Beef Salad w/ Grilled Gemelli Ciabatta, Mixed Lettuces + Roasted Peppers
- Bucatini w/ Elk Creek Puttanesca (vg)
- Pasture-Raised Grilled Strip Steak + Fries w/ Elk Creek Aioli + Steak Butter
- Butter-Basted Over the Moon Farm Chicken w/ Broccoli + House-cured Hog Jowl + Potato Gnochi
- Tender Callahan Pork Shoulder + Pork Belly w/ Butter Beans + Roasted Root Vegetable
- Skillet Trout w/ Crispy Potatoes in a Brown Butter, Capers, + Lemon Pan Sauce
- Potato-Crusted Wild Alaskan Salmon, Horseradish Sour Cream + Chives w/ Roast Beets
Filed under: Beer Styles, Beer Travel, Belgian Beers, Beligian Strong Ale, Craft Brewed Beers, Homebrewing, India Pale Ale (IPA), Other Styles, Pennsylvania, Porter, Private Tasting, Real Ale, United States, Winter Warmer, microbreweries
The third 7 days on the Advent Calendar of Beer
Dec. 15 – Old Fezziwig® Ale (Samuel Adams) – Winter Warmer
Dec. 16 - Carolina Winter Porter (Carolina Brewing Company) – an American Porter created with Simcoe hops.
Dec. 17 - Christmas Ale (Corsendonk) – Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Dec. 18 - Winter Ale (Wyerbacher)
Dec. 19 – Cherry Vanilla Maple Porter (Brutal Deluxe Brewing) – our 2006 homebrew Christmas beer.
Dec. 20 - Anise Spruce Ale (Brutal Deluxe Brewing) This the second of two Christmas beers we brewed in 2007, and it’s possible there is a better name and I just don’t know it. We were really looking forward to the spruce essence, but the star anise completely overpowers it – a bit reminiscent of NyQuil, unfortunately. Hopefully it will mellow with time, but not in time for Christmas.
Dec. 21 – Gray’s Wassail (Gray’s Brewing Company); Olde Frosty IPA from the Firkin and Solstice Dubbel (Selin’s Grove Brewing Company) - yes, it was a busy day of beer drinking on Friday. D had the Gray’s Wassail at home because he had to work, while I took the afternoon off and camped out at Selin’s Grove for six hours.
I can’t speak for his Wassail, but I thoroughly enjoyed Olde Frosty IPA from the firkin! It was tapped at 3:30 PM, and kicked in 1.5 hours. I had the honor of finishing off the last 1/2 pint! It had a piney hop character with hints of caramel sweetness, and the flavors of the wood really came through (apparently it was only in there for 4 days.) This is a beer I’ve looked forward to tasting all year, and I wasn’t disappointed. I brought home a growler of Olde Frosty on CO2 for D to try, and it will be interesting to compare.
Also, Selin’s Grove brought out the Solstice Dubbel on this special day, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Pumpkin Ale was still on (but I bet it isn’t any longer), so I had a 1/2 pint of that, as well as a glass of Razz Merry. My holiday favorites – all in one place!
The second 7 days on the Advent Calendar of Beer
Dec. 8 - Christmas Ale (Great Lakes Brewing Company)
Dec. 9 – Old Man Winter (Southern Tier Brewing Company)
Dec. 10 - Mad Elf 2006 (Tröegs Brewing Company)
Dec. 11 – Santa’s Private Reserve (Rogue Ales)
Dec. 12 - Snow Goose Winter Ale (Wild Goose Brewery)
Dec. 13 - Snowcap (Pyramid Breweries) on draft at the Brewhouse Grille, Camp Hill (PA)
Dec. 14 - 2007 Christmas Ale (Sly Fox Brewing Company)
Filed under: Beer Styles, Beer Travel, Blonde, Craft Brewed Beers, Incomplete, International, Non-Smoking, Other Styles, Photos, Quebec Canada, Red Ale, Scottish-Style Ale, Stout, microbreweries
It’s disappointing to me that I was unable to keep pace with the blog this summer – we visited so many wonderful places, and had so many special beer experiences on our travels through New England, Atlantic Canada and the maritimes. But an email from our dear acquaintance, Majorie, sparked my interest in making an update to a previous post.
I’m missing the wind today – the constant gusts of pure and perfect air blowing in from the large masses of of water that surround the Magdalene Islands (Îles de la Madeleine.) This windswept archipelago of remote, beautiful, and amazingly unique islands is located 130 miles off the main coast of Quebec in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
Majo sent a photo of a new addition to À l’Abri de la Tempête (A Shelter from the Storm) on Île du Cap aux Meules – metal sculptures which she described as ”planted in the wind” just outside the brewery – and it took my breath away. You can’t imagine the wind on the Magdalene Islands, but I picked up on it in this photo.
The Magdalene Islands are a combination of six islands connected by sandy beaches that stretch great lengths, and six additional islands (one of which is inhabited) and islets, many with high, red cliffs.
I could go on and on about the colorful houses, welcoming inhabitants, charming artisan shops, and superb restaurants full of seafood and other fresh, local flavors. We enjoyed birding with a local, walking the beaches, exploring the forests, meeting “Substitute Myna” (the benchmark hunting dog), boat trips to Entry Island and Isle Brion, picnics in the rain, watching kitesurfers, staying at sweet B&Bs, camping and exploring.
But this is a blog about beer travels, so I’ll stick to what I know and suggest everyone visit the tourism pages (or don’t…we really like that this is our secret place to visit!) This was our second trip to the island (our first was in 2002; I believe the dates of this visit were July 18-24.)
À l’Abri de la Tempête is located at the tip of Plage de l’Ouest (an 8-mile beach) on Île du Cap aux Meules (on Ch. Coulombe, L’Étang-du-Nord.) It’s a converted fish processing plant, which, I know, sounds awful, but brewer Jean-Sébastien Bernier has done a fabulous job converting this plain building into a warm, welcoming and incredibly unique place to enjoy a pint. It is the first, and currently the only, microbrewery on the Islands, and relies on fresh, local ingredients for production.
While much of the conversation and facts may have been lost in translation (the primary language is French with an Acadian flair, so there was a strong barrier for us), I believe that Jean-Sébastien not only created all of the lovely beer recipes, but also created the beautiful woodwork and unique tap system used to dispense his beers (there is another partner, Anne-Marie Lechance, mentioned in one article, but we didn’t meet her so I don’t know her contribution to the process.)
There were four microbrews on tap during our visit, and they were all available not only at the pub in the brewery, but all four were also available at the restaurants for which they are named. There was also a beer available in unmarked (therefor not available for take-out) bottles. Here is what we tasted:
Écume Bière des Îles – Beer of the Islands – a light lager available in bottles as well as on tap.
La Pas Perdus- rousse/red – described as a Vienna lager; not very interesting but certainly not bad.
Le Vieux Couvent- a blonde made with spices and herbs; light and refreshing on those hot island days (one review, which I ran in the Google translator said, “A beer that will you rinse the slab after your next sunburn” - I don’t know what that means, but it makes me laugh!)
La Grave- described at the brewery as a “noire,” but I’ve seen it listed as a milk stout and would agree with that; a thin stout, but still held up to chocolate cake!
Corne de Brume – Scotch Ale (bottled only); this was absolutely our favorite – dark ruby red and malty – best served just below room temperature. We particularly enjoyed it along with a small bowl of smoked herring fillets. Oakes Weekly rated it Best New Beer of the Year in 2006! Beer Advocate says it’s retired, but D posted an update today (a new run of 5000 bottles last week.) Rate Beer puts it in the 99th percentile.
Now, when I say tasted, I really mean we had many pints at À l’Abri de la Tempête over the course of our week-long visit. They sell a handled mason jar with their logo, which can be used for “take-out” (they don’t fill growlers, but these mason jars come with lids, so we were able to take a jar of beer each with us for our daily picnic on the beach.) Also, each time we brought our jar in empty, we got $1 off our fills.
The people who worked there were all great, but we were particularly fond of Majorie as she gave us great advice about our visit, insight to life on the Islands and was an absolutely delightful and interesting person. We were particularly amazed to learn about her “other life” as a glass artist. The only website I found with examples of her work just doesn’t do it justice. She makes some amazingly unique and beautiful glass sculpture, and I think of her daily when I admire my glass ball ornament now hanging in our kitchen window.
In typical Magdalene Island fashion, the menu included all foods from the islands. Locally produced cheese, smoked herring, seal and seasonal vegetables, fruits and flowers could be among the things found on a snack plate. There were also handmade glass mugs and soaps available for purchase.
Well, obviously, I could go on, but À l’Abri de la Tempête really a place you need to discover for yourself.
A piece of advice: If you visit this brewpub, don’t go on as part of a tour bus, and if you can avoid it, don’t go when a tour bus is visiting. We found the evenings to be particularly enjoyable.
Filed under: Beer Styles, Beer Travel, Brown Ale, Craft Brewed Beers, India Pale Ale (IPA), Non-Smoking, North Carolina, Other Styles, Special, Travel, United States
We had some time to kill before we could get into our hotel, so we headed downtown to Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria. It was easy to find parking in the lot just down the hill, which has designated spaces for the public, and a ticket machine to pay for the space with coins, dollars or credit card. Barley’s is in a 1920’s appliance store – a large open space on the first floor with beautiful old wood, and a terrific large bar. There are 45 taps total (25 taps on the main level; an additional 20 in the smoky upstairs billiard area), and there are only a few repeats. Barley’s charges no cover for music, and is non-smoking until 10:00 PM.
We had a very friendly staff member at the bar, who allowed us small tastes of a few things before making our choices, and when we ordered our glasses, we enjoyed the following:
Catawba Valley Whiskey Brown (7% ABV; from Glen Alpine, NC), which had the obvious flavor of whisky coming through, but I also tasted “tootsie roll” and cinnamon, and found it was a reminiscent of Old Chub. This brown ale is barrel-aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels for six months and cask conditioned for secondary fermentation, then blended with younger beer.
Vortex 1 I3PA from Pisgah Brewing Company (10.8% ABV; 133 IBUs – served in a 10 oz glass), which had the nose of Tang (instant orange beverage), and a nice dry flavor. There was not a hint of citrus/grapefruit to this beer, made with Chinook and Nugget hops (one pound of dry hops per barrel.)
Catawba Valley Firewater IPA (5.6% ABV), which I don’t recall having much to say about other than, “Hmmm…that’s good.” It had a memorable copper color and flavor that would make it “almost” a session beer were it not for the alcohol content; it had five varieties of malt and six hop additions.
While finishing off our pints, we overheard a couple asking for “the new beer store”, which we quickly determined was Bruisin’ Ales. We gave them directions (just down the street), and I shared my digital photos so they would know what to look for. When they left, we noticed that Nate Merchant (of Hart Distributing) was sitting at the bar doing some work, and we invited him to come down. It was great to chat with him for just a few minutes and learn about the import, premium and craft brewed beers that can be found in North Carolina, as well as the process of getting them there. We really appreciated the time he took to explain it all – with the changing laws from state to state, and so many tricks to the industry, it’s sometimes difficult to make sense of it all.
