Quote:
Originally Posted by MrSpiffy
I think the reason for the form is so that they can keep track of who brought what in the case anyone gets sick from a bad brew. It probably won't happen, but they're covering their butts. I can't blame them for trying to avoid lawsuits.
As has been said, right now it's illegal all together. I just started into homebrewing. I can't figure out why this law would be a bad thing, as of yet. It's not overly restricting, nor really broad. And it's obvious in its intent. I say pass it.
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So you just started brewing, yet you cant figure out why the law is a bad thing and its not overly restricting.
1.
Nobody gets sick from bad beer. Nobody. Too much beer, yeah definitely, but
pathogens do not live in beer. Infected beer tastes bad, but it won't make you sick. Now the potato salad or deviled eggs at the summer picnic can give you a serious case of the "I need a doctor bad because I am spewing the entire liquid content of my body out of my behind." Yes... lurking right there, under our noses, and way more dangerous than your beer. Yet no permits for home-made food, no ingredients, no born on date, nothing, but hey maybe the government should regulate that too. I am not poking fun at you on this, but the laughable thing about this is supposedly, the Wisconsin Tavern league, the keepers of the public health, are worried about the health of us "home-makers" of beer and wine and our victims. Which brings me to your next point;
2.
Protection from lawsuits. Really, who is suing who and who is doing the protecting? Who is covering "their butts", certainly not the originators of the bill. This amendment is being pushed apparently by the WTL and the Distributors, both with vested interests in you buying their product instead of you getting it on the sly, from a pot in your kitchen.
3.
This is Restrictive. Hey, whats the big point right? Well, many club members actually have clubs that meet at public establishments. This has been going on for a lot of clubs for a long time. This ends here. So for my club, bingo! The proprietor of the establishment allows us two events. No more club meetings (than 2). Further, the law guts a long standing tradition of homebrewing competitions. In the good old days, you could win a medal, or a trophy, and sometimes a gift card, t-shirt or even homebrewing gear. Somehow, they are construing that by a homebrewer entering a contest, and maybe winning a prize, is tantamount to receiving compensation, really??? If This may not seem restrictive to you right? But it sure does to me.
The bottom line is that the current law is IMHO, a "blue law". Nobody paid it much attention until the DOR got ahold of it. Even then, they admitted that it's up to the municipalities to enforce these laws (funny, I know cops that homebrew, and transport). They really have better things to do than go looking for us homebrewers sneaking around trying to upset the "3-tiered system". The original bill's scope was to follow the existing federal guidelines (which are less restrictive then what is proposed here), allow us to transport our brew, serve it at fests (for free of course), meet at establishments with the owners consent (kind've like we are doing now) and allow us to organize and take part in homebrewing competition (where you know, you could win, and get a medal, and maybe some swag).
Cheers,
Jeff Scanlan, President
Sun Prairie Wort Hogs
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