Alabama Homebrew Legalization - Page 22

**CGVT** · 02-10-2012, 11:57 AM

It's crazy, isn't it.

The one guy drinks Chevas because it's healthy. Ha!

I'd like to ask the guy that said if there were sixty gallons around when he was in high school that he and his buddies would drink it how many cases he and his friends take to hunting camp.

What a backward assed state and what a bunch of dumbasses.

wailingguitar · 02-10-2012, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebrewdad

Trust me when I tell you this - party means nothing in our state legislature. It's one huge cesspool of shockingly uneducated sleazeballs looking to work the most personally lucrative backroom deals.

The person I was replying to seemed to be suggesting, without actually saying it outright, that it was either a party thing (Alabama being largely conservative politically) or, perhaps, racial (let's hope not)... I was pointing out that opposition came mostly from within his own party, and that the bill already had support of the opposition party, so using the president as a positive example would (should!) work.

homebrewdad · 02-10-2012, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wailingguitar

The person I was replying to seemed to be suggesting, without actually saying it outright, that it was either a party thing (Alabama being largely conservative politically) or, perhaps, racial (let's hope not)... I was pointing out that opposition came mostly from within his own party, and that the bill already had support of the opposition party, so using the president as a positive example would (should!) work.

Oh, I know. I fear that you are really giving the legislature far too much credit in assuming that they operate like most politicians - i.e. yesmen who follow party lines.

In Alabama, your bill will never see the floor if you don't help sme of the powerful guys with at least one (usually many) bills for which he personally benefits (or unles there is a public outcry... and maybe not then). Once it sees the floor, you have to sell your soul to get votes.

I have little doubt that the Alabama legislature could go toe to toe with any of the top corrupt givernments in the world.

Who stands to make money off of homebrew legalization? Nobody, so the chances of success are quite low.

aubiecat · 02-10-2012, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebrewdad

In Alabama, your bill will never see the floor if you don't help sme of the powerful guys with at least one (usually many) bills for which he personally benefits (or unles there is a public outcry... and maybe not then). Once it sees the floor, you have to sell your soul to get votes.

I have little doubt that the Alabama legislature could go toe to toe with any of the top corrupt givernments in the world.

Who stands to make money off of homebrew legalization? Nobody, so the chances of success are quite low.

I believe they will find a way to start taxing the hell out of us now if it passes.

**1MadScientist** · 02-10-2012, 09:44 PM

There IS so much good that comes out of the homebrewing community! Our club ECHO was there at the ECBF in Pensacola Florida. That was a fund raiser for the Boys and Girls Club of NWF. There was a good showing of AL clubs too.

Here's a few photos I snapped; https://picasaweb.google.com/104134820297183271633/20110922Download739?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNHAr 4iutrTN-QE&feat=directlink

wailingguitar · 02-10-2012, 09:56 PM

There were at least two AHA sanctioned competitions (Heart of Dixie BrewOff) in Birmingham around '98/'99... I judged in and sat best of show panel both times. In the early/mid 90s The Birmingham Brewmasters met at a LHBS that was basically around the block from the Homewood Police Dept. they never hassled us at all, quite the contrary, they made extra trips by when we were meeting to make sure no one was messing with our cars. A few times the officers would come inside, chat, hang out and B.S. with us. It makes me sad that despite so much forward progress, there has actual been some backwards movement with homebrewing here. Sure it wasn't, technically speaking, legal then, but no one gave a damn or bothered you...

**CGVT** · 02-10-2012, 10:06 PM

FWIW...

No new changes in the bill. I do not see it introduced into the system yet.

The plan is now just to focus on legalizing homebrewing in general.
Events, festivals, competitions will be a future concern.

Fwd: from Right To Brew

The changes from last year are the 60 gallon annual production limit, the exclusion of convicted felons from homebrewing, and a new "Homebrewed fermented beverages" legal term to simplify the bill (and make it easier to for future
legislation, should we decide to shoot for comps or other freedoms later). Yeah, we punted competitions, because ABC restricted them so
much last year that no comp would ever have happened. As Rich said, there is no license/permit requirement, and Mac knows that adding one
would be a showstopper for us. This bill is certainly not set in stone, yet, but it's good that Mac hasn't been pressured by ABC (or
anyone else) to make changes to it over the past few months since we talked about these changes with him.

--

To enumerate what we have already compromised down since our original bill last session:

- Reduced the annual household production limit by 70%.
- Completely removed homebrew competitions, events, and conferences, allowing homebrew only at private homes.
- Added a provision to preclude convicted felons from being allowed to homebrew, to keep "bad people" from abusing the law.
- Included all remaining changes requested by ABC last year.

The point is that we have compromised down pretty much everything we can live without already, so if your representatives tell you that we
have to bend (i.e., compromise) to pass the law, you can explain that we have already given up most of our original provisions.

Jedavis · 03-15-2012, 04:25 AM

NEW INFO!!!!!!
HB354(homebrewing bill) will be introduced to the house for a vote in a couple of weeks.
We need all the help we can get go to this link for more info
http://www.alahomebrewing.org/house-email-campaign

DocBrown · 03-15-2012, 04:02 PM

Just to update everyone on the status. The bill passed the committee vote already. It will go up for floor vote in the house "soon." The revised version of the bill caught a lot of us by surprise. Here are the key points:

Homebrewing is legalized in wet counties only.
Quarterly household production limit of 15gallons (that's per household, not per person).
Household possession limit of 15gallons (this one really sucks and has lost us some homebrewer support).
Up to 10 gallons at a time may be transported from the home, but only to ABC licensed events.
No one under 21 may brew.
No one under 21 may purchase ingredients or equipment to brew (Alabama makes it illegal for people under 21 to buy plastic buckets!).
Violations of the law are now 2nd degree misdemeanors rather than felonies.
The bill defines mead and cider.
Convicted felons are not permitted to brew.

The possession limit caught us all by surprise. The deal is, we have multiple competing lobbies that want to be satisfied: The wholesalers don't want any competition with commercial beer. Alabama Beverage Control (ABC) is currently ignoring homebrewers anyway, but they want to make sure they have the tools to prevent underage drinking, and they don't want any confusion about what types of alcohol are and are not allowed. ALCAP ("Alabama's Moral Compass" - basically the religious group) wants to return to prohibition and will at least push for tighter regulation and control while opposing the resulting bill anyway.

Apparently the legislators weren't fooled by the production limit and insisted on a possession limit as something ABC could enforce. Unfortunately we found out too late to request that the possession limit be set to the annual production limit rather than the quarterly limit. Any relaxation of the restrictions now will be completely visible to the entire legislature and will almost certainly kill the bill until next year. So, yes. This is a pretty horrendous bill, and many of us will probably be violating both the production and possession limits at times. But at least those will be misdemeanor violations that won't be detected without a search warrant anyway. Right now, if the cops drive by and spot us brewing, we can be charged with a felony.

Our sponsor said that the email campaign has been successful and has requested that the emails stop for now. When the bill is scheduled for a vote, we'll start it up again.

**Homercidal** · 03-15-2012, 07:38 PM

I find the quarterly "limit" humorous. And the possession limit.

How are they supposed to know if you've only brewed 15 gallons per quarter? I regularly have less than 15 gallons on hand at any given time. Two taps and 1 extra keg means I have 15 gallons when my pipeline is full! But I can certainly brew more than 15 gallons a quarter, but I wouldn't keep track either.

Granted I'm the only one brewing and drinking in my house.

So what the consensus? Accept this and try to pass it, or wait for a better deal? It might be a few years before people accept the "consequences" of the bill and expand the permissions.