Conflict brewing in Weed?

By DAVID SMITH Daily News Staff Writer
Published: Friday, April 18, 2008 5:30 PM CDT
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Photo by David Smith The slogan printed on the caps used by Mt. Shasta Brewery in Weed was recently rejected by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Blank caps are being used in their place for the time being.

WEED - In the town of Weed, a conflict is brewing beneath majestic Mount Shasta.

In an old building that was once home to the Medo-Bel Creamery, one can smell the crisp ingredients and see shiny contraptions of beer-making surrounded by an inviting coziness that had long been missing from the bare concrete walls of a factory.

The building is also home to an office full of awards, thank yous, pictures and memories that belong to Vaune Dillman, who is doing what he considers to be the product of many years of hard work and setbacks - running the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company.

That place is Weed, a town named after the influential cattle baron Abner Weed, whose descendants gave Vaune the liberty to use their family name on his products.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (ATTTB) recently rejected a slogan printed on the brewery's bottle caps that says 'Try Legal Weed.'

The ATTTB, in a letter to Vaune, said that they 'can not condone alcoholic beverage labels that contain any names of drugs, drug terms or slang associated with drugs' and went on further to tell Dillman that as a responsible industry member, he should not want to portray his products in a 'socially unacceptable manner.'

Vaune stated that the bottle caps' reference the town of his beers' conception, and that he is doing his part to try and raise people's interest in the town. He also said in a letter addressed to the ATTTB, 'We want to make our town a bump in the road - a spot to stop and enjoy!'

Vaune is still waiting to hear back. In the meantime, he will sell beer with blank caps.

Vaune, who is sometimes referred to as the 'Grandfather of the Weed Arch' for his part in bringing the current arch at the entrance of the town into being, is proud of his town and what he has accomplished with the brewery.

On one shelf in his office is a plaque from the College of the Siskiyous, thanking him for helping them continue to function when the school was shut down for emergency remodeling. He has also helped local sports teams, the Weed Parks and Recreation and other organizations.

Vaune's commitment to the town of Weed and to its proliferation is evident in one of his sayings, which is also printed on his rogue bottlecaps - 'A friend in Weed is a friend indeed.'