Alabama Home Brew - Update!!!

Last night, the Alabama Senate gave final passage to the Home Brewing Bill (HB9) that would legalize home brewing in the Yellowhammer state. The bill, by Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville, would allow those 21 and older to make up to 15 gallons of beer, wine, mead or cider every three months for personal use. However, it would not be legal in dry counties or dry cities.The Senate approved the bill with a 18-7 vote and it now goes to Gov. Robert Bentley for his signature.

"Alabama is literally the last state that makes homebrew legal, assuming the governor signs it,"said Sen. Bill Holtzclaw,R-Madison. Although the bill was approved by the Senate, the bill does not pass until it is signed by the Governor. "As with all bills, we will conduct a thorough review once the bill reaches the governor's office," Governor Press Secretary Jennifer Ardis wrote in an email. This past March, Mississippi passed their version of a bill that would legalize home brewing but it has a 90 day wait period. If the Alabama Governor signs this bill (HB9), it would take effect immediately and would give Alabama the opportunity to beat Mississippi in legalizing home brewing. It's not a race as the real winners would be the home brewers in both states and we would be a home brewing nation united!

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Help Alabama Home brew!

In 1978, post the prohibition era, President Carter signed a bill to legalize home brewing federally. Since then, 49 states have legalized home brewing, leaving only Alabama the lone state where home brewing is illegal. That doesn't mean that there aren't any home brewers that call Alabama home, in fact most who home brew in the Yellowhammer State are not even aware that home brewing is illegal there. 

Not every state was quick to change their home brewing laws but with the surge in interest for craft beers and home brewing, many states are taking measures to capitalize on the craft beer industry. In 2009, Utah legalized home brewing. In 2010, Oklahoma passed their own legalization law and just over a month ago, Mississippi legalized home brewing by passing a new law on March 18th. 

A bill (HB9) to legalize home brewing in Alabama was reintroduced this year and it if passes, it will give the home brewers in Alabama the same privileges that every other state offers their home brewers. However, The only way the Alabama lawmakers will pass the bill is if enough of their constituents contact them in support of the bill to alleviate their fear of voting in favor of any alcohol-related bill in Alabama. 

Here's where you can help. We need to spread the word and help out our fellow home brewers Alabama. During the legislative session between now and May 20th, the Senate Rules Committee controls which bills are brought before the senate for a vote and there are only a few days left in the session. You can click here and contact the members of the Senate Rules Committee and politely ask them to place HB9 on the Special Order Calendar as soon as possible. All the contact information is on the page. Also, you can visit Right to Brew, which is the home brew legalization organization involved in the effort, for more information. Lets band together and help our our fellow home brewers/ craft beer enthusiasts. Cheers!

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Changing the California law on Growlers?

Have you ever wondered why you can only get a growler filled from the brewery whose logo is on the container? It's because California state law only permits breweries to refill growlers from its own shop, making it illegal to fill up a growler with a Stone Brewery logo with Monkey Paw's Howler IPA. Well it seems that times are a changing'.

California law makers are trying to make it easier for for beer lovers like us to refill our growlers at any brewery we choose. Assemblyman Wesley Chesboro, D - Arcata, represents a huge stretch in northern California that is home to many craft breweries. Among the group: Lost Coast, Six Rivers, Anderson Valley, Bear Republic and Russian River, where beer lovers from across the country line up for hours for the annual release of Pliny the Younger. (First two weeks of February) Chesbro's bill would allow breweries to refill a growler from another brewery by covering the old logo with a sticker reflecting the new beer inside.

While I am all about supporting local breweries, it hard to justify to the wife about having a cabinet full of different 64 ounce containers. The last time I was at Alpine Beer Company they didnt have any Nelson in bottles but they did have it on tap and for growler fills. Living in Chula Vista makes it difficult to travel out to Alpine for on a regular basis and with times being tough, it turned me off having to pay for yet another growler on top of the fill.

Chris Walker, a lobbyist who represents the California Craft Brewers Association, said "This bill (Assembly bill 647) is good for the industry; it's good for our consumers." The issue seems to be bipartisan as Republican Brian Jones of Santee echoed his vote by proclaiming "Cheers!"; the bill cleared the Assembly Governmental Organizational Commitee on Wednesday with a unanimous vote. Next time I'm heading out to Alpine, I hope I can bring in my growlers from Ballast Point, Monkey Paw or Stone and get them filled. Cheers!

Now serving any and all Craft Beer

 

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The Craft Beer Battle

With 6,400 attendees, last month's Craft Brewers Conference and Beer Expo, hosted in the nations capital Washington D.C., highlighted some positive and negative notes about the craft beer industry. Representatives from The Brewers Association, a Boulder, Colorado based trade group that represents more than 2,300 small breweries, spoke at large about the craft industries accomplishments and concerns. The Brewers Association director Paul Gartza and chief operating officer Bob Pease listed a few of the highlights:

• U.S. craft brewing saw a 15 percent increase in volume in 2012.
• Craft Beer exports rose 72 percent over 2011.
• Craft brewing's market share rose from 5.7 percent (2011) to 6.5 percent (2012)
• There are 1,254 small breweries planned.
• Colorado saw 29 small breweries opened in 2012, second only to California with 56.

Gatza went on to say "The large brewers and imports were level, so it looks like we are going to have another good year. Brewers are running the numbers, we're seeing more brewers starting to look at what they can do for building a second brewery. We may see more second and third breweries." For example, two Colorado breweries, Oskar Blues and New Belgium, are expanding to North Carolina. San Diego's own Stone Brewery is opening up a small batch brewery at Liberty Station. 

Craft brewers produced 13.23 million barrels last year, a huge increase and a ton of great beer, but dwarfed by the industry giant ABInbev (Budweiser and other brands), which produced 98.5 million barrels just in the United States.

Rising taxes on brewing is the newest battle craft brewers are fighting. Small brewers, who make less than 2 million barrels a year, pay a 7$ tax on their first 60,000 barrels. While in D.C., representatives of small breweries lobbied for the small brew act, which would cut their tax to 3.50$ on the first 60,000 barrels. However, big breweries are fighting the bill and proposing their own bill that would raise the tax to 18$ for every barrel brewed, which would have a devastating effect on the American craft brew industry. This is yet another example of how the big beer companies, ABInbev (Budweiser and other brands), are trying to end the craft brew industry. 

KEEP CALM & CHIVE ON

Florida Breweries vs. Anheuser-Busch Distributors

Big beer companies are watching craft breweries grow exponentially and are trying their best to halt the expansion. In this instance, they are fighting a bill to legalize 64 ounce beer containers, known to many of us as growlers, to be sold at breweries in Florida. There are three states where filling up a growler is illegal, Utah and Mississippi being the other two. The odd thing in Florida is that it is LEGAL to get a 32 or 128 ounce (gallon) growlers but not the usual 64 ounce ones. David Wescott, a craft beer enthusiast like many of you, said "It makes no sense to me. It's just not logical — 128s are probably too much, 32 is too small. I'd love to get a 64."

Can you  imagine going to Ballast point and not being able to get a growler of Sculpin? 

Two law makers have supported the effort to legalize 64 ounce growlers and have filed bills to be to be heard but a group of beer distributors are fighting both measures and might have effectively killed the bills.  Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation doesn't even drink beer but her support of the bills is based on economic growth. The half-gallon size growlers are an industry standard and are sold at breweries around the country, helping to expand the small businesses. However the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association, which represents all the state's Anheuser-Busch distributors, are opposing the bill. Their lobbyist, Mitch Rubin, was able to convince Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, not to give it a hearing at the House Business and Professional Regulation Subcommittee, which she chairs. Without a House hearing, the bill is essentially dead. 

32oz & 64oz Stone Growlers

Rubin's argument is to support the three-tier system of alcohol distribution the federal government set up after Prohibition, which is that alcoholic products are passed through a distributor to get to retailers. Exceptions have been made for purchases where products are produced, such as buying bottles of wine at a winery and Florida law does allow take-home sales at breweries. But Rubin argues that the language was meant only to allow sales at Busch Gardens in Tampa when Anheuser-Busch brewed beer at what is now a major theme park. He said it was never intended to allow breweries to sell directly to consumers. So basically he is saying that it is ok for big beer companies to sell directly to the customers but not for the smaller craft breweries to do it. 

Lost Abbey/Port Brewing's tasting room

Most Brewers say growlers and tasting rooms are an important part of growing business, especially when certain beers aren't readily available in stores. The larger profit margins on beer sold at Florida breweries helps them reinvest the money to produce more beer, which creates more jobs. Unlike beer giants such as Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors, which have automated systems that allow a few people to brew massive amounts of beer, craft brewing is labor intensive. In order to brew more, small breweries have to hire more people. It is believed that the wholesalers association is opposing the growler bill to protect its profits, as growlers and brewery tasting rooms help craft brewers expand their market presence.

Green Flash Tasting Room

It is also widely believed that if the big beer companies can shut the tasting rooms down, they can get rid of some the competition. However, the Beer Industry of Florida, which counts MillerCoors distributors among its members, supports legalizing the 64-ounce growlers because the industry group doesn't see the jugs as a threat to the three-tier system. This fight continues in Florida, lets help out however we can and continue to drink craft beer and support out local breweries. Cheers!

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