The NC Brewers Guild announces:

Feb. 13, 2012—Win Bassett, an attorney, writer and North Carolina beer advocate, has been named the new Executive Director of the North Carolina Brewers Guild <http://ncbeer.org> . He will assume duties of the position today, February 13, 2012.

Bassett is contributing writer and education coordinator for All About Beer <http://allaboutbeer.org>  magazine and its World Beer Festivals <http://allaboutbeer.com/gather-for-beer/world-beer-festival/general-information/> , and he is co-founder and writer at http://ncbrewing.org <http://ncbrewing.org/> . He is also interim secretary of the North American Guild of Beer Writers <http://twitter.com/@nagbw> .

Bassett holds bachelor degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering from North Carolina State University <http://ncsu.edu> , where he was a Park Scholar <http://www.ncsu.edu/park_scholarships/> . He earned a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law <http://law.unc.edy>  and was an editor of the North Carolina Law Review <http://www.nclawreview.org/> .

“All of us were extremely impressed with [his] enthusiasm and with [his] suitability for the Executive Director position,” said Paul Philippon, Founder of The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery <http://www.duckrabbitbrewery.com>  in Farmville and President of the North Carolina Brewers Guild Board of Directors.

“The North Carolina beer community is thriving,” said Bassett. “We have over fifty existing breweries and brewpubs, and at least five more plan to open in 2012. With Sierra Nevada <http://sierranevada.com>  coming to the western part of the state by 2014, I cannot think of a more exciting time to be a member of this community, which is truly unique due to its extremely collaborative and congenial nature, focus on local and hyper-local communities, commitment to sustainable practices and fervent support from its enthusiasts.”

Bassett stated that he will focus on “communication, transparency and legislative efforts in leading this new era of the North Carolina Brewers Guild.” “I agree with [his] priorities, said John Marrino, Owner of The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery <http://oldemeckbrew.com>  in Charlotte. “From my perspective, [he's] off to a good start.”

About the North Carolina Brewers Guild
The North Carolina Brewers Guild is a not-for-profit 501(c)6 tax-exempt organization comprised of brewers, wholesalers, retailers and craft beer enthusiasts focused on promoting North Carolina beer. North Carolina boasts the largest number of craft breweries in the American South, with more than 50 breweries and brewpubs. It is also the most decorated state in the South with more medals from the World Beer Cup® <http://www.worldbeercup.org/>  and the Great American Beer Festival <http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/>  than any of its neighboring states. The North Carolina Brewers Guild seeks to preserve and to promote the beer and brewing culture of “The State of Southern Beer.” For more information about the North Carolina Brewers Guild, including a list of North Carolina’s brewery members, visit http://ncbeer.org <http://ncbeer.org/>  and follow @ncbeer <http://twitter.com/@ncbeer>  on Twitter.

From Ken Hanke at the Mountain Xpress in Asheville.

Gaslight (1944) is another of those intriguing examples of the mammoth that was MGM buying up the rights to an earlier film, remaking it and the doing their damndest to make sure no comparison could be made to their version. After all, any film from MGM just had to be the last word on any subject. This round, the studio is supposed to have gone to the extra trouble of trying to have the original negative and every print of the 1940 British version destroyed. (They did not succeed.) Frankly, the earlier film is more exciting. But it might be said that what the MGM version lacks as a mystery thriller, it makes up for in star power and production design. The plot is essentially the same: A fortune-seeking, almost-certainly murderous husband (Charles Boyer) is trying to make his wife (Ingrid Bergman) think she’s losing her mind so that he can convince her that the gaslight lowering and the sounds coming from the floor above are all in her imagination. It’s rather rare nowadays to see any version of the play on which both films are based, because it seems to have drifted into obscurity — though not long ago it was a staple of rep and community theaters. (I was surprised when the question, “Do you think she’s trying to Gaslight you?” arose in The Darjeeling Limited (2007), and I found almost no one who understand the line.) There’s nothing really wrong with this version — it’s glossy, slick, involving, well cast — but it’s just a little tepid in the thrill department.